Money? What's that?

So, I thought I would write to update you on the world of Tulu and The Nux. Hehee, that could be a tv show, couldn't it? Tulu and The Nux. I like it. Anyway... we just found out how much school is going to cost us... and it's not pretty.

We are going to be taking out an estimated $75,000 in loans. By the time we pay it back (which is ten years from graduation) we will have paid $127,000. We hope to avoid this by paying more than the minimum payment every month.

If anyone doesn't know how loans work, the more you pay each month, the less you have to pay in the end. For example, they are charging us $52,000 to borrow money from them for 10 years. If we pay $860 a month, we can have it all paid in 10 years. If we pay $960 a month, we get it paid off in 9 years and 6 months, and they only charge us $50,000 to have the loan for 9 years and 6 months. In other words, we save $2,000. by paying $100 more each month. We hope to pay about $2,000 a month, so that should save us a considerable amount of money in the long run, but I haven't done the math yet...lol. But, according to others who have gone through the program, paying that much per month should be easy for us after Annux is an optometrist.

We're both still working at my job; I'm still doing customer service, and Annux is packing boxes. In addition, we're working for a landlord in town after we get off work here. He pays well, so it would be stupid for us NOT to work for him... But even with us bringing in two full-time pay checks and two part-time pay checks, our income will AT LEAST quadruple when Annux gets his first job as an optometrist. That blows my mind. Hehe, then paying $30 a month for WoW will be no problem, to say the least. But until then, we must struggle and scrape to get by and try to pay the interest on the unsubsidized loan we have to take out for school.

We had a package on our porch when we got home from work yesterday. It was from Welch Allyn which is a company that makes medical instruments. They are competing with Hein (another company) for the business of the optometry students. They send a packet with all their information, and a bonus! We opened the box, and there was a very nice penlight inside. Most penlights go for around $1.50, this one was worth probably $30. It was REALLY nice. Needless to say, Annux was excited, and immediately began playing with my pupils by shining the penlight in my eyes and watching them dilate. So, he has a new toy.

Way back at the beginning of the year, I paid to have a large tattoo done on my back, and I am STILL going back for sessions. It's taken a total of 8 hours so far, and I have to let it heal in between the sessions. I have another session tonight, and I'm hoping that she can finish it. As soon as it's finished and I have a good picture, I will post it on the website. It's a rose vine on the left side of my back. It stretches from my hip to the middle of my rib cage. I really like it. So far, she has three of the roses colored. There is one more rose to color, and the vine and leaves need to be shaded (they are going to be gray to make the red stand out). When she does the outline and the black shading, it doesn't really hurt at all, but when she gets the red ink out, it starts hurting very badly. It feels like she's scribbling on one part of my skin over and over with a needle. Oh, wait. That's really what she's doing. Hehe. Well, I don't recommend a tattoo to anyone unless you find a design that you feel was made for you. It should feel like you absolutely HAVE to have that tattoo. Otherwise, you'll regret it. Don't EVER walk into a parlor and pick a tattoo off the wall. Research everything before you make a decision, and you'll be thankful to yourself later.

I wish I could be there for the Independence Day raid. Sounds like you're going to have fun. Please be safe this weekend!!

Love you guys!

~Tulu