goals don't work

I would like to say I have fully embraced systems thinking with regards to saving money. Primary "goal" is to eliminate credit card debt, secondary "goal" is max out my 401(k) contributions, tertiary "goal" is to maintain a happy household.
I want to be "rich" one day. Not sure how I will get there, but being "rich" is better than being poor.

In September, I was seriously considering canceling our YMCA membership, until I figured it would be better to use it more effectively by enrolling Darcy into swim classes. Darcy was afraid after her first lesson but now is happily going twice a week. Wednesday, She got bumped into the next level. Betsy was re-enrolled in volleyball after taking much of last year off, but it's a no-go given not enough her age enrolled.

We are a 3 cell phone family. I pre-paid for the next few months before the 5% cashback quarter ended on my US Bank card. Now the cashback category is replaced by gym membership. I have no idea if YMCA membership counts. The other 5% category I picked is utilities... our water bill is quarterly, but it's more in that bill for the quarter than all other categories from which we can choose.

My Discover card gets 5% on groceries this quarter. They void 5% at Target and Walmart, while US Bank gives 2% back at Walmart.

Always use my Sam's credit card for gas... it's 5% cashback year round, unlike the random quarter that Chase Freedom currently has. Chase doesn't tell you what's on their yearly quarter schedule like Discover does. They're both meh cards outside their 5% element.

I use my Bank of America card almost exclusively for shopping at Sam's Club for 2% cashback, while the Amex gets used primarily for groceries due to its no strings 3% cashback, whenever a 5% quarterly perk isn't such categories, at least.

The Bank of America card has a changeable 3% bonus that includes online shopping and home improvement, rather than just the default gasoline bonus.

We earned over $1,100 in cashback from credit cards last calendar year. Between Checkout 51 and Ibotta, another $500 cashback.

We maxed out our HSA contributions, and used almost every penny. Seriously, we didn't meet deductibles because Darcy's speech doesn't count towards it after 20 sessions. I took her twice a week for much of the year and spent well over $4,000 of our money. We'll max out again this year. Hopefully we won't spend as much since Darcy is down to weekly sessions, but we still have to see the cardiologist, which we didn't last year.

We saved $1,200 by changing our home and auto insurance companies.

Did I mention our pay raises? We're making roughly $8k more this year, hence we're able to bump up my 401(k) contributions.

Our student loans are on pace to be put to bed in the next year or so, which frees up a good chunk.

Will we ever be "rich?" Being debt-free would be a start...our son will be 17 in 2020, so we'll have to pay federal taxes sooner than later.  We'll have one car paid off 2020, but we'll probably need another... so there's a moot savings.  We'll get to a point that we can pay off more towards the mortgage... but we'll have college age child(ren) sooner than later. I keep getting credit card offers which make urgency in paying off credit cards moot when the 0% interest rate goes 15 months.

Goals don't really work when variables always come up, having a system and continuing with the mindset seems like goal setting but it's a way of life that doesn't stop upon completion.

survived peak

I have been with FedEx Express now through 3 peak seasons. I'm part-time with a M-F schedule, so this year was the first I worked on Christmas Eve. Considering I am usually the last courier to leave for home each night, I started reconsidering my being with the company of late.
It's an easy job when I'm not spraining my shoulder or hitting fixed objects, but I find myself wondering how long I can do it physically and emotionally. Spraining my shoulder in May was an eyeopener. I didn't miss any days, but I lost hours due to restrictions and I woke up with pain for 6 months. The turnover for my work group seems mind boggling. We can't keep people, and decent people aren't exactly being hired. I seriously find myself wondering how I fit in given my background being unlike 99% of everyone else. I've been pondering going back to school, but given I live in fear of light induced migraines, I don't know if I can ever do a desk job again.
Today, I read about a loser who thinks he's better than me. I found it sad.
I also go a Christmas greeting from my friend who has been very sick a very long time and is dependent upon her parents who are getting advanced in age.
My problems pale in comparison, so it's embarrassing to think of my own problems as being anything significant.
I binged Stranger Things after being drawn in while Betsy was watching last week. I find the whole cast repulsive in some fashion, but it reminds me of my "hick" hometown and how I never felt like I belonged there. Heck, a classmate even went missing my sophomore year for several weeks only to be found in a body of water.
Actually, one classmate lost her father and brother in a boating incident during 3rd grade, while another lost her mother and grandfather to a jealous boyfriend in 4th grade. My school was small, too small for an AV Club considering Physics wasn't going to be offered one year I scheduled to take it until I threatened to transfer schools.
I almost found myself thinking maybe I have been stuck in the upside-down dimension since the day I was born. No one seems to understand me and I have panic attacks for no reason. I mumble, I've been told, yet I swear I clearly understand what I say. I've been able to get though life without people commenting on my mumbling for so much of it, that I wonder how much anyone really cares to know what I'm saying, let alone thinking.
I need to fix he matter.

now forklift certified

I've had the same route almost since I got taken off of limited duty  back in June. It's easy, since it's a bulk route with the box truck, but I hadn't been able unload pallets until Wednesday.
I had to come in at 8am to get forklift certified, so I had to be off the clock by ten both Tuesday and Wednesday nights to avoid 10/14hour time clock violations.
It was nice seeing my girls before bed, but getting up before 8 is rough on me, considering I usually go to bed around 2.
Friday, Betsy's school had donuts with dad. Thankfully, Jennifer was off so I didn't have to take Darcy.

Donuts are my weakness. I have to avoid sugar and cholesterol the next few weeks until I have my blood work done for my annual physical.
I had a long Friday. Kohl's had 5 skids waiting for me but I was waiting in a cage for 30 minutes before someone let me in.
They would have filled my truck if they had given me everything that were supposed to have had ready for pickup.

Jennifer worked yesterday, and Kiefer was camping, so I had the girls. They didn't let me sleep in. I slept in today so naturally Jennifer was mad at me.

some days I'm afraid Don Quixote had better sense of things

I pick fights. Usually I feel like I'm taking a logical stand against tyranny, but the end never comes to such an equation.
I won a long feud with Samsung. I've lost against Menards. I've come out ahead against Humana. I'm sure there are other matters that I got into a back in forth, but the most recent has been with Chase.
In early 2017, I consolidated the majority of our credit card debt with transfers to my Freedom card at 0% interest for 15 months in exchange of a mere 2% transfer fee. I was saving money, regardless of the fee, so I was happy with Chase until I noticed a $3250 charge for a hotel in New York state. I've never been there, nor would I charge on a card I was carrying a balance. Chase never contacted me. I contacted them prior to getting my statement a couple days after the charges posted.
I had the charges waived, but I had hours of phone calls over several months to fix everything associated with the fraud.
With the matter cleared, a puzzle still lingered. How did my credit card get used when I only used it for online balance transfers? It was a brand new chip enhanced card. Only explanation is that Chase was compromised.
Chase stonewalled me about the particulars, so I dropped the matter. I expected a big announcement like the Equifax or Wells Fargo scandals, but nothing ever came to the media's attention of that nature, so I gave another go at finding out how my card was used and how CARD laws were broken.
I've been given very suspicious replies rather than answers. Rather than deny my concerns of internal theft, I've been told only a law enforcement agency with court authorized subpena power can get any info regarding my fraud charges.

least favorite things

I hung pictures today. It's been a while since I felt like it. I hate measuring and all the spacing involved. In the end, I am glad, but it always goes slow. I tend to hang 9 at a time. Here's the first couple:

It rained, so I had nothing better to do. Wife was happier than normal, but still annoyed at my speed. Steelers were playing and I did have to eat.

She wasn't too annoyed with me yesterday, for I took our son out to do some volunteer work towards his Life Scout Ranking. I am not a morning person, yet I spent my morning spreading seed in a future wetland for the MetroPark.

It felt good to be doing something, but I ended up taking a nap in the afternoon.

I think I have worked 40+ hours the last 4 weeks. Normal people do it every week, but I'm not fulltime and my job involves manual labor. Using a hammer on the weekend isn't something I pursue.

I had no idea my boss had a degree

Had a ride along today. I haven't had one since April. I've had several ride alongs over the couple years, but mostly when I'm going to a new to me stop or as punishment for having an accident. I think I've had 3 ride alongs for the sake of having him say he had a ride along. Probably more. I just find it few and far between that nothing sticks out.

September starts off hot

September is generally my favorite month of the year. It's mostly still summer but not usually hot. Days are almost even with night. There's a certain balance. Growing up without central air conditioning/heating, made September particularly nice. Most of the rain was from hurricanes, but Ohio isn't really affected by hurricanes much.

So far the month looks to be hot. A year ago, I donated plasma for the first time, and the saline felt real cold. Pictures from this time last year shows us wearing hoodies in the car.

It was a warm summer. I didn't take a walk at all like I had in previous summer. My Fitbit days are over, so I'm not reminded of my idle ways.

My Fitbit ceased working when we went on vacation last October. I didn't bring it since I didn't have a charger to take. It never recharged back to usable. Reminds me of the Nook's dying in the old days.

We were supposed to go to Jenn's folks' yesterday, but migraines and weather happened. Never heard about being able to go today until we were settled on being home.

Jenn finished painting the girls' room yesterday. I helped by taking down molding.  Today I put it back up and hung pictures and decorative things back up.

I'm not much for being too active on my days off. My shoulder still isn't great. We'll probably cancel our YMCA membership given we don't use it aside for the discounts on sports and activities. Kids aren't doing those at this time, since we're busy as it is.

Running errands is the only running I do. Today we got paint for Jenn's room, and I got some things to hopefully help the main bathroom's toilet flush better.

I'm a systems guy with an outcome in mind. I don't do goals for they're empty and void of consequences. I don't seek stuff as much as events force me to choose a path that looks to provide the better opportunities when my options aren't open-ended.
I strive for simple living over complicated stressful living.