Penny Pinching Mom

The Bar

When we first moved into the place where we currently live, I was elated that we had a bar. One of the first things I did was go out and buy a cool chair-back bar stool. I didn’t buy more than one because I had neglected to measure the bar, and didn’t want to be stuck with a bunch of unneeded bar stools if they weren’t the right height.

Guess what? It was way too tall. I didn’t return it because I wanted to find somewhere else to use it. A few months ago, I ran across it in storage and gave it away. I guess that’s what happens when you don’t measure first.

Dire Straits

I like the band Dire Straits, but that’s not exactly what I’m talking about here. I’m talking about being up the financial equivalent of doody creek without a paddle.

The medical and dental bills have been killing us lately. Just when we were starting to get a little bit ahead, everything started happening at once. And today we ended up having to borrow money from some family and friends just so we could stay afloat. Not good.

I so did not miss struggling all the time. I hope things straighten themselves out soon.

Shiny Things

Before I got married, I liked to wear jewelry. I went through phases of gold and silver, but I was never the type to go out and buy really expensive pieces. As long as it was real gold or sterling silver, I was happy.

Nowadays I rarely wear any jewelry. When I do it’s usually a toe ring with my sandals, or a necklace that I got as a gift from Hubby. I had my ears pierced multiple times, but most of the holes have grown up to the point that I can’t wear earrings in them.

Things sure do change when you settle down. At least they did for me.

The Dentist

I never was one to dread going to the dentist. I guess that’s because up until now, I never had any major dental problems. I’ve had my wisdom teeth out, but that’s it.

But now I’m dreading it. I’ve got to get some painful work done in a week or two. It will be better in the long run, because up until I went to the dentist the other day and got a temporary fix I was in excruciating pain. But that still doesn’t make me look forward to it.

I chose the least expensive option, but it’s still not cheap. And it may leave me needing more work down the road, possibly from a Charlotte cosmetic dentist. But at least I won’t have to be in terrible pain any more.

Near Broke

Hubby had to go to the doctor again today. They told him to double up on his stomach medicine and call back if he wasn’t better in a few weeks. If he’s not, they want to run a light down into his stomach.

All of these doctor and dentist visits have left us with few funds. I’m glad I paid up most of the bills for the month. The only one that hasn’t been paid is the cell phone bill, and it can be late if it has to. We have bigger fish to fry right now.

I’m considering either pawning some stuff or asking a friend of ours if we can borrow some money until the beginning of the month. I hate to do either, but something’s gotta give. The only income that is guaranteed to us between now and then is my final check from my day job, and I don’t expect it to be much more than $100.

I’ll be glad when Hubby gets some money coming in and we can get back on our feet. But I don’t know how soon that will be.

On Hold

Pretty much everything we’ve been considering spending any money on is on hold for now. That includes real estate, tickets to Tweetsie Railroad, and Pumpkin’s birthday present.

I haven’t gotten much work done this week due to a toothache. I went to the dentist today and was given two options, one of which is far more expensive than I could afford and the other of which isn’t cheap. I’ve got a week to think about it, but I know I will have to go the cheaper route. And it’s going to be hard to come up with the money for that considering the lack of work I’ve been able to do and Hubby not working for 3 weeks.

It could always be worse. I could still be at my day job, which would limit my income further. And I didn’t have dental insurance when I was there either, so I don’t have that to regret. I’ll just be glad when things get back to normal around here.

School Supplies on Sale

For those of you who start school early like we do in the mountains, after school starts is a great time to get school supplies. Grocery stores and other places that don’t normally carry a lot of school supplies often reduce prices once school is in session to get rid of things they don’t have room for. I found some notebooks and other stuff for half price at Food Lion.

If your kids haven’t gone back to school yet, see what is on their supply list that can wait until after the first day. You might save yourself some money.

Knowing When to Get Help

Someone we know had a bad wreck on his motorcycle the other night. The doctors said that if he hadn’t been wearing a helmet, he wouldn’t have made it. He was fortunate enough to escape with broken ribs and a broken collarbone.

Sources close to him said he waited until the next morning to go to the hospital. He is an alcoholic, and I am betting that he was drunk. He needs to go to an alcohol or drug rehab, but he never will. And his family, who he mooches off of for a living, won’t even try to get him to go. They just enable him to continue down the path he is on.

I don’t care for the guy myself, but I think it’s sad when someone goes through life like that. I had some similar problems, to a much lesser extent, many years ago. But I was fortunate enough to have a life-changing experience that set me straight without having to go to rehab. For some people, however, rehab is their only hope, and they’re just not interested.

One Thing to Smile About

If you read my previous post, you know I’m a little stressed right now. But it could be much worse. We all have a roof over our heads, clothes to wear, and food to eat. And I am finally doing what I’ve wanted to do since I was a child: I’m a writer.

Sure, I could be making money as a New York personal injury lawyer or a big-shot corporate businesswoman. But I’m happy writing. I hope to one day write a novel, but that will happen when the time is right. Writing for others broadens my horizons and lets me learn about new things without going to school. And I’m one of those people who loves to learn but never cared much for school.

So when everything seems overwhelming, I just remember that I am finally getting to live my dream. And I smile.

Hard Times

I can’t say our family has never had times as hard as this. We’ve been through a lot. At one point we had to move in with our in-laws. One winter we had to buy fuel by the five gallon can to stay warm. And there have been times that we had to sign up for public assistance. Hopefully those days are behind us for good. But money is tight right now.

First of all, Hubby was out of work for three weeks. One week his boss just didn’t want to work, then the next he was in too much pain to work. Luckily the doctor said it was nothing terribly serious, that he just needed some rest and over the counter meds to straighten him out. But his boss didn’t want him to work the next week either because he was afraid he would reinjure himself, so he was out that week too.

He’s finally back to work, but now my aching tooth is screaming for attention. I made a dentist’s appointment for tomorrow, and I hope they can put a filling in it or something instead of having to do anything really expensive.

Add to that Pumpkin just starting back to school and a traffic ticket for Hubby, and we are somewhat screwed. I paid up most of the bills so we won’t have that to worry about, but that only leaves us with a few hundred dollars. I will get one more small check from my old job, but other than that I won’t get paid again until the first of next month. I hope Hubby makes plenty of money the next couple of weeks.

We’ll dig ourselves out, it just might take some time. At least I am writing full-time now, and that will bring in more money than writing part-time and working at my day job part-time was. If I can get caught back up, that is. All that has been going on has put me behind a bit. But hopefully now that Hubby is back at work and Pumpkin is in school, my tooth will give me enough peace to get some work done.