Today was a productive day. I had the alarm set for 925am, but hubby had gotten up earlier in the morning and had already gone to the doctor's to get his stitches taken out the rest of the non-cancer skin thingy frozen then come home. So I had 15 minutes more to sleep and I took full advantage of it. I got up just in time to get dressed and drive to therapy.
Steve and I talked about how hubby and I agreed that Frank, faced with the very real event of becoming homeless, could come back and live with us. I told Steve how I was going to come up with a list of jobs around the house, housework and other assorted project, that I wanted Frank to do in order for us to support him, because Frank is only working 21 hours a week at just above minimum wage and won't be able to pay very much for his board and keep. He is going to have to pay us most of what he is making and use his food stamps to help pay for the groceries. Then he is going to have to agree to do these things like cleaning the bathrooms and vacuuming the house in order for him to live here.
I also told Steve that Frank had to agree to let me help him to find a more full time job, one that will pay him to work 40 hours a week. Even then he will still have to do housework. I asked Steve if by wanting all of this, no, demanding all of this, if that made me tyrannical. He said that no, with people like Frank, ones who get by by not being fully responsible for their life, they make other people take care of them. In order for us to help him, we have to have some pretty well defined boundaries and he didn't think any of what I wanted was out there.
After therapy, I was going to stop and pick up lunch some place but nothing sounded good, so I stopped at the grocery store. I figured I would get a tv dinner and while I was there, I picked up some more fruit and yogurt. I have been eating a container of yogurt for breakfast in the morning and it has been helping my digestive system.
I was quick at the store and when I got home, hubby was waiting for me so he could go to work. I kissed him goodbye and told him I would have the menu plan, a grocery list and a list of what I wanted Frank to do when he got home that night.
So that is what I worked on. I started with the menu plan and figured out what to have for dinner for each night until we got paid again on the 15th. While I was doing that, I made a grocery list of what items we needed to make dinner each night. I'm trying to cut our food budget down by eating at home and making things to take in for lunch instead of buying out. With an extra mouth to feed, we really can't afford to eat out anymore.
I got that done and then wrote down a list of jobs that I want Frank to do around the house, like deep cleaning the bathrooms each week, vacuuming the house twice a week and do the dishes. Other jobs that need to be done like cleaning the widows, washing the walls, pulling the weeds outside and cleaning up the garage. There is a list of some of the stuff we want him to do plus other things that come up.
Frank also has to agree to let me help him find full time work. Holly and I talked about that and she came up with several places that are hiring that I wrote down for him to apply to after he moves in tomorrow.
I am in a much better mental state now than when Frank and hubby tried to get him to stay here before. If it wasn't for the fact that Frank was actually going to go live in the homeless shelter, I wouldn't have offered him a place to stay. I think mentally I am more prepared for him to come and it is with the understanding that he is going to work while he is here that makes it easier for me to let this happen.
I am excited that tomorrow I go take the car to the collision center to get them to look at it and figure out what parts they need to order. Then we will set up a date for me to take the car back in for repair. The bumper is hanging off the car right now so I hope it won't take very long for the parts to come in. After that, Frank and I are going shopping for groceries.
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