Once the smoke cleared, one of the very first things I had to do was take accountability. Although I had not done a huge portion of the things I was charged with, I did have to take responsibility for whatever role I played: knowingly or unknowingly.
Life was a whirlwind adjusting to life as a single parent. I had to move fast enrolling the kids in daycare so that I could continue to work. I had to be mom and dad during the week. My husband made bond and would have the kids on the weekend. Which was a huge relief for me.
One Saturday in June 2016 while the kids were with their dad, I sat down in bed and wrote ‘$10,000 by July 24th” (no year) on an orange sticky note and posted it on my wall. I saw it every time I woke up and every time I went to sleep. This sticky note was now my accountability partner. I couldn't let it, or myself down :). BTW, I’m here to tell you that $10,000 is not a lot of money. But to me, it was. I had $48.00 in the bank and a lawyer fee balance to pay off. Don’t ask me how I came up with the date or the amount. Just know that it was something I wanted desperately. Once I made up my mind, it was on!
Something amazing happened when I made this commitment. I went back to work for my business (Thankfully I was able to retain all of my clientele after the news story broke). I was making the same amount of money, but I cut all unnecessary expenses. No luxurious pampering sessions, no partying, no alcohol, thrifting became a hobby (a girl still had to look presentable), I cooked dinner every night and packed left overs for lunch or made sandwiches. I mean any and every expense that was not an absolute necessity was CUT. By doing this I was able to save $1,000 per month. Luckily for me, I had a roommate at the time (highly recommended to cut living expenses). The rent and utility expenses were cut in half, so my cost of living was extremely low. July 24th 2016 CAME and left. I only had $1,000 saved. Time went on and I kept up my routine.
February 12th, 2017 had arrived. I will never forget that day. I had filed my income tax return weeks earlier and received a refund of about $6,000. I stashed $4,000 away in my money market and used the other $2,000 to finish paying my lawyer and some credit card debt. Would you believe that on that day I had reached my savings goal?! I had saved $10,250. I could not believe it myself. I had did it, and only within 10 MONTHS!!!! Of course then I wrote a new sticky note that now reads $30,000 and I am well on my way there.
Although I had reached my savings goal, this case had still loomed over my head. My freedom was at risk. The good Lord knows I couldn't survive life without my kids. My husband's freedom was definitely at risk. That meant my children potentially growing up without their father. The cycle repeating itself. Still I woke up every day with a smile on face, faith in my heart and gratitude on my tongue. Hoping for the best outcome in this situation......
Life was a whirlwind adjusting to life as a single parent. I had to move fast enrolling the kids in daycare so that I could continue to work. I had to be mom and dad during the week. My husband made bond and would have the kids on the weekend. Which was a huge relief for me.
One Saturday in June 2016 while the kids were with their dad, I sat down in bed and wrote ‘$10,000 by July 24th” (no year) on an orange sticky note and posted it on my wall. I saw it every time I woke up and every time I went to sleep. This sticky note was now my accountability partner. I couldn't let it, or myself down :). BTW, I’m here to tell you that $10,000 is not a lot of money. But to me, it was. I had $48.00 in the bank and a lawyer fee balance to pay off. Don’t ask me how I came up with the date or the amount. Just know that it was something I wanted desperately. Once I made up my mind, it was on!
Something amazing happened when I made this commitment. I went back to work for my business (Thankfully I was able to retain all of my clientele after the news story broke). I was making the same amount of money, but I cut all unnecessary expenses. No luxurious pampering sessions, no partying, no alcohol, thrifting became a hobby (a girl still had to look presentable), I cooked dinner every night and packed left overs for lunch or made sandwiches. I mean any and every expense that was not an absolute necessity was CUT. By doing this I was able to save $1,000 per month. Luckily for me, I had a roommate at the time (highly recommended to cut living expenses). The rent and utility expenses were cut in half, so my cost of living was extremely low. July 24th 2016 CAME and left. I only had $1,000 saved. Time went on and I kept up my routine.
February 12th, 2017 had arrived. I will never forget that day. I had filed my income tax return weeks earlier and received a refund of about $6,000. I stashed $4,000 away in my money market and used the other $2,000 to finish paying my lawyer and some credit card debt. Would you believe that on that day I had reached my savings goal?! I had saved $10,250. I could not believe it myself. I had did it, and only within 10 MONTHS!!!! Of course then I wrote a new sticky note that now reads $30,000 and I am well on my way there.
Although I had reached my savings goal, this case had still loomed over my head. My freedom was at risk. The good Lord knows I couldn't survive life without my kids. My husband's freedom was definitely at risk. That meant my children potentially growing up without their father. The cycle repeating itself. Still I woke up every day with a smile on face, faith in my heart and gratitude on my tongue. Hoping for the best outcome in this situation......
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