AN UPDATE: (and a thank you!)

iVillage Member
Registered: 04-03-2003
AN UPDATE: (and a thank you!)
6
Thu, 02-02-2006 - 5:52pm

Well, after all the support and incredible ideas, I took matter into my own hands (as much as I could) and really got the ball rolling as far as picking myself up, dusting myself off, and surging on.

Im doing a re-fi on my house (appraisal is this weekend) and that will take care of paying off some bills that kill me each month and the leftover cash will catch me up; Im really looking forward to this ( I hope it all goes as planned. I feel like Im jinxing myself even talking about it).

Also, in college I took 1200 hours of massage therapy training and worked in day spas to get through my schooling; I made flyers and passed them out in my neighborhood for massage (still have my table and everything) and already have scheduled one appointment!

Lastly, I worked out a "daycare swap" with a girlfriend so that I can work or take a little time for myself to recoup.

An appointment has been made for WIC in the meantime.

THANK YOU for your support....keep us in your thoughts and keepyour fingers crossed that my re-fi goes through swimmingly.

: )

Mia

iVillage Member
Registered: 01-25-2006
Thu, 02-02-2006 - 6:28pm

Way to go Mia! That's the way to take action and make things happen.

Peg

Avatar for cl_phocid
iVillage Member
Registered: 03-26-2003
Thu, 02-02-2006 - 7:28pm

Mia - that's terrific news!

All my best,
Danni

iVillage Member
Registered: 12-12-2004
Thu, 02-02-2006 - 8:31pm
Hi, MIA. A big congrats to you for not getting defeated, and being an inspiration! Massage? The sky is the limit for you. Have you checked into some of the casinos that offer massage services--for brides-to-be, wedding parties, anniversaries, etc? Or, companies that are offering these services for their co-workers as a perk? And, hospitals sometimes use massage therapists with aromatherapy as adjunct therapy for patients in pain, rehab, etc. Local cruise lines sometimes use massage therapists. Valentine's Day is coming up, so you should be able to book a lot for this time of year. What a wonderful way to make people relaxed, feel better, etc. BTW---The dermatologist I go to also has a few massage therapists that work for the group, too. Best of luck to you! WHiz.
iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2003
Sat, 02-04-2006 - 1:48am

WOW! Way to dust yourself off and get headed back onto the path! :) GOOD JOB!

Massage therapy! I soooo wish DH would use his FREE school money from work and take some classes.. it would save us soooooooooooo much and make me super happy! I know that in my area there is a shortage of therapists so the sky is the limit fwhat they want to charge!

Good for you for calling and making a WIC appt... it will really help out.. I certainly noticed a difference in my grocery bill when we qualified and EVERY LITTLE BIT HELPS!

Stephanie

Avatar for endomagazine
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Registered: 11-09-2004
Sun, 02-05-2006 - 1:57am

Hello Stephanie,

My workplace offers tuition reimbursement up to a max of $3000 per year for qualified courses. I completed my Associates degree while paying for only half of the classes out of pocket because of this great benefit. I'm now working on a Project Management certificate (started in early January) and the reimbursement will cover 2 1/2 classes, out of the 6 classes I need to complete it. That's a good chunk of money that won't have to come out of my budget! I saved up enough to pay for the first class (since I still get billed halfway through the class for the amount) and then when the reimbursement comes in, I use it for the next class, until it's all used up. Then I continue to pay for the rest of the classes (because I don't want to wait until Jan 2007 to take my fourth class) from my usual income. Normally, I would have to pay $7920 for 6 classes at University of Phoenix online. Instead, I'm paying $5280. That's a big difference when we want to snowball!

Sincerely,
Lindsey Schocke

Sincerely,
Lindsey Schocke

Geeks on Tap: Mission Accomplished

iVillage Member
Registered: 10-14-2003
Sun, 02-05-2006 - 9:01am

Yes Brandon is considering University of Pheonix online. His work hours aren't predictable enough to actually go to a physical class. Do you like it? Brandon's company offers Prepayment. Nice huh? No out of pocket first. Of course you have to have your papers in by a certain date to do that and if you miss the day you can do reimbursement.