It wasn't just hyperbole after all

Every so often, the media will say in a report that "so many Americans are just one major illness away from bankruptcy." It's one of those things you hear so much, in one ear and out the other. It's stuck a bit more permanently now.

Issue with teeth and insurance kicked in for some, but my share was nearly $1900.00. I had it and I was so proud of myself when I wrote the check thinking "I'm finally in control of my finances."

Now, one month later, and I need that money for bills and bang my head on the desk for not paying in installments. It's not bankruptcy state for me yet, but damn. I have no savings for a medical crisis.

I do have a few options.

• Biggest one: apply for Food Stamps since groceries is one of my bigger expenses and if I eat cheaper, I jeopardize my health.
• My second idea is to give the bills that refuse to go on auto withdrawals (for whatever reasons) a year's worth of their monthly budget (or as near to a year as I can get) when I have it. My major fuck-ups happen when I forget to pay the bills because I'm caught up in something else. I'm just scheduling dyslexic. So they have money ahead of time, and I only need to freak out at the end of the year when the money is running out.
• Getting a bank account for gasoline purchases. Credit cards and me don't work (though I need to get one for emergencies). And I need something I can go to any gas station with. So I'm thinking a dedicated debit card tied to either a savings or checking (depends on what the credit union says) with auto deductions from my paycheck to fund according to budget. Course, I'm screwed if the price skyrockets again, but I'm screwed regardless with that.
• Cash only purchases. I'm better at sticking with the budget when I see the budget.
• Tweak the budget. Not so much shaving more off (I've shaved as close as I can in all categories), but looking at it a different way. I'm still doing research on this.

That's what I've got to start with.

So this weekend just got busier. And I had such simple goals too. Now the plans are fix the financial debacle, vote, get teeth finished, get ahead on homework, clean/organize office and rest of house. 48 hours of fun. :p

Update: What I left out of the post earlier. The bill I forgot about was electric, and they disconnected me the same day I got the disconnect warning in the mail. But okay, I deserved it. I suffered with it and Mustard deciding that 1:30am was wake-up time and his snooze works on 30 minute intervals. I left a check in their drop box to get reconnected today.

I just called my house and the answering machine did not pick up. Which makes me think they haven't reconnected my power. So if you don't hear from me all weekend, I'm still fighting with them because I'll be damned if I'm paying a reconnect-me-on-the-weekend fee when I gave you the check at 6am Friday morning and your business is open Monday through Friday.

But hey, a cold front is coming through and the gas bill has been paid. So I will sweat but won't freeze.

Night update: Dad gave me a loan, a good thing because my plan didn't work. *Sigh* But at least now my emergency banking can wait until Monday. And I can work on homework at home.

Read Free!
The BookWorm

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