The Difficulty of Family Parties

The Difficulty of Family Parties.

There are many awkward family moments, especially at parties.

Do you live in the same town as your extended family (i.e. siblings, parents, and in-laws)?

If you do and are living on a tight budget, the family party can be an awkward phenomenon.

Living on a budget, especially when one parent is out of work, is stressful enough, but it becomes harder when one or more family members fail to understand your situation.

Their reactions can be very personal, and you can be offended by their insensitivity.

Nothing is more embarrassing than being unable to treat your family members when you go out for dinner. Here’s a scenario. With all three birthdays in the same month and one spouse unemployed, it is difficult to afford celebrations or inviting family members out to dinner.

If you have had a habit of treating them in the past, it might not go across well in your present financial straits.

Where is the compromise ?

On the adult birthdays, you can go out for dinner with your spouse and your children and hope the family will understand. When it is your child’s birthday, some family members act miffed if you cannot throw a shindig for your child. So often the compromise is that you take everyone out to dinner even though you cannot really afford it.

You look for a cheap restaurant like a pizza parlor like Chuck E. Cheese or a reasonable Chinese buffet. When you go, you embarrassingly ask everyone to order the same thing.

There is usually one family member who tries to order a steak and sticks you with the bill. If that has happened to you, then you probably will have the party at home next time.

Whatever your situation, your family should just be glad to get together with you and celebrate an occasion. They shouldn’t judge you or expect something and you shouldn’t have to explain why you can’t do something.

Family members don’t have the right to assume that you will always pay for them.

Although it can be embarrassing, honesty is the best policy.

You might offend family members in the process, but borrowing money to keep up appearances is not a smart financial move.

You are only digging yourself deeper in debt in the long run.

Are they going to pay your bills ?

My Malaysia Tm Net Streamyx Internet Broadband Was Down For 18 Hours

Imagine a work at home blogger like me with no Internet connection for 18 hours - That's crazy - lost of income etc etc.

I started experiencing broadband slowdown at around 8.00pm Saturday. By 9.00pm connection was totally lost. The modem DSL light shows that its connected and active but unable to connect to Malaysia Tm Net Streamyx Broadband network.

I called their helpline and was greeted with recorded message that Streamyx Broadband is having some problems in some areas. The message also mention that users in Kelantan and Ulu Yam will not be able to use their Streamyx to connect to the Internet.

Anyway, I'm able to connect to the Internet only around 2.00pm Sunday.

What ever happened, they should have restore the service within a few hours not 18 hours.

That's bad for people who depends on the Internet to make a living like me.