I have so many expenses coming up...EEK!

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-05-2006
I have so many expenses coming up...EEK!
4
Tue, 11-10-2009 - 12:30pm

This month (november) is always hard for us because we usually have 2 cars to register and inspect, plus my birthday is this month (11/12 - coming up on Thursday - I'll be 31 - not that we ever do anything though!) and of course there is always Christmas in December to start thinking about. But this month I am adding 2 more items to my list of November/December expenses. My glasses broke last month. They fell off my face in my parking lot and I was so distracted I didn't notice, then they got ran over a few times. So I just made an appointment for an eye exam which is only a 10 dollar copay, but then I have to actually buy the glasses. Lenses are free with my vision insurance, I get up to $150 dollars towards the frames and then 20% off whatever goes over the $150 mark. I just found an old pair of glasses today (a really expensive pair) and I'm hoping they can put the new lenses in the old gasses and then fix the frames and it would be cheaper. But maybe not, because maybe my $150 dollar allowance per year doesn't include getting glasses fixed. Who knows! But I'll find out on Friday and I desperately need them. Then I have an orthodontist appt for my son on Thursday and if they decided that he needs braces, and my dentist already said he would, they will waive the $195 dollar exam fee if I get his braces put on sometime in the next two months. That is a big incentive but my FSA account money is all done for this year, so the $150 dollar 1st months payment for the braces will be due in December and have to come out of my pocket.

So we are in budget mode at the moment. We have to budget ourselves like crazy for the next two months. I always kind of enjoy myself when I'm being super anal about money. It's like an exciting adventure. Let's see how much money I can pull out of thin air!

iVillage Member
Registered: 11-14-2008
Tue, 11-10-2009 - 3:24pm

Sometimes I get physically tired reading your posts Abby. Slow down and smell the roses. The busy season is coming and you don't want to burn out before that. One thing at a time.


iVillage Member
Registered: 04-10-2003
Tue, 11-10-2009 - 5:41pm

I had to giggle at this because I think Gal said the same thing to me about a month or so ago!


Bex -

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-05-2006
Tue, 11-10-2009 - 10:44pm

Ha! I had to laugh at your post and then I had to go back and read what I wrote. I guess my life kind of spins fast at times. But like I said in the post, it makes me feel alive to budget. It's a worthy challenge. And all of my challenges seem to come in spurts. I'm not too worried about all of these bills because as long as I #1, don't go out to eat at all in the next 2 months and #2, cut down my grocery budget by about $25-50 dollars a week (which just means cooking and planning better), I should be fine. Plus, my husband is starting his Christmas job this week and I just added a new piano student. I mainly come here in a whirlwind because these are the kinds of conversations I need to have with my husband, but they are also the conversations that he tunes out of! So don't feel like you guys have to solve my problems or anything. I'm just venting. Sorry I make you tired> LOL!

iVillage Member
Registered: 07-05-2006
Tue, 11-10-2009 - 11:01pm

I think I just go through phases. This is my budgeting, going crazy phase. I kind of enjoy it though. I do have a lot of stressful situations going on at the moment. Christmas time for a music director is a lot of work! I'm busy planning music for a Christmas Eve service and all the other Christmas services and then I'm trying to work out a budget for these unexpected expenses.

As far as the glasses go. I just want to take advantage of the yearly money my insurance gives me. I'll try to get the cheapest glasses I can find if I can't get my old ones fixed. I won't have much of an idea of what that's going to cost until I get to the store. I'm also trying to take advantage of the Orthodontist promotion going on. If I wait until next year, then they are going to charge me an extra $200 dollars.

And the car situation: we actually did purchase a car this weekend. I feel pretty good about it. I felt weird coming here and posting about it because I've gotten so much negative feedback about me buying a car. We used the money from selling our car as the downpayment and I still have a savings leftover. Our interest rate is not great at all, but I'm going to double the payments and get it payed off in hopefully less than a year and a half. It will hopefully build some credit for us and it has lifted a huge burden off of my shoulders. DH and I have seriously talked about my clothing purchases and his eating out purchases. We are both willing to give those up for the privilege of having a reliable car and that alone more than pays for this car. It feels awesome after how much we have struggled to deal with just one car, even though having one car was a learning experience, we live a 2 car life.

So I hope nobody is too disappointed in me. It took a lot of thought and honestly prayer to make this decision and I felt it was the right one to make for our family.

Like I said to Gal, don't feel like you have to give me any solutions to my posts. I come here to vent about the things my husband won't listen to and going over budgets and upcoming bills is one of those things.