Money Matters

These past few days have been really stressful finance-wise. While I was away at a conference, Tim discovered an area of mold in our drywall. A few days later he learned the source. A big rain revealed a leak in the roof and multiple leaks in the basement. As of that wasn't fun enough, when I got back to work, I learned my insurance premium was doubling. On top of that we have new braces payments starting for the girl, have to get health insurance for the husband, the girl's birthday, my brother's 40th birthday, a marked increase in the water/sewer bill (rates are insanely higher compared to just a year ago) and Christmas is coming. And while I'm piling it on, I might as well mention that the girl's gymnastics went up $3 a month and we're back in competition season, too.

It's a bit scary to be on this side of the checkbook, right now. 

There are a few good things, finance-wise, going for us, though. 

I have some part-time work thanks to my awesome friend. I remembered a couple of things I have that could go on eBay. Tim is making a concerted effort to get more stuff on eBay as well. The weather is cooling down so we can turn off the air conditioner. I've already purchased the components of my brother's birthday present; I just have to put it together. It's getting to be garage sale weather. I've also started thinking about some ideas for an Etsy store (two stores, really, Buttons Up and a as-yet-to-be-developed store).

I don't know if the credits and cut-backs will keep us ahead of the debits, but we're working on it. 

It always feels so gloomy to talk about the sad state of my finances. However, most of us are so much bigger than our money matters. When you talk to folks who lived through the depression as young adults ( or perhaps I should say "talked to folks;" sadly there aren't many of those people left) few of them point to the hardships or deprivations. It's not that they didn't feel the depression keenly, it's that people's lives are larger than their economic woes. Jokes, hugs, and personal triumphs can't be bought. We find these moments even when our wallets are at their thinnest. This is where life happens, not while checking our bank account balances online. 

And just to show you how schizophrenic our financial situation is, I wrote this post in the morning before I left for work and when I got back from a lunch meeting my boss told me that "funny story, your insurance isn't doubling after all...it's going down." Whoever is responsible for that c-f owes me a gallon of wine.