I’ve mentioned in previous posts about our financial journey that it was the day before Thanksgiving when a broken water heater made us stop and really evaluate our finances. That was our watershed moment, if you will. Nine years later, we experienced some expensive moments that reminded me of how far we have come.
When the water heater died, a replacement was going to run us $400 and we were looking at having to split that cost between two credit cards because we didn’t have enough open credit on a single card to take care of it. We had recently charged an anticipated trip to see family so the open credit was very minimal. We also didn’t have any savings to pull from either.
Anywho, that was the tipping point towards better choices and when we had some big expenses hit this month, our reaction was decidedly different. One was not unexpected; my youngest has food allergies and we have to get an epinephrine pen every year that is not expired for school. That was $150, which it could’ve been more. On my husband’s insurance, it would have been over $400 and my insurance didn’t cover it at all so would’ve been even more out of pocket. Fortunately, there was a manufacturer coupon or something we were able to take advantage of.
The unexpected expense arrived in the form of a dead battery. We were heading out in my vehicle to meet up with friends for some volunteering and my car did not turn over. I did try. Three times. My husband was like, “yeah, your battery is dead.” The next day, we were off to the local Wally World to get a new battery. It’s been a while since I had to buy a battery. It was almost $200. Two purchases, $350 spent within a few days. This time, however, spending that amount of money wasn’t as painful as it was nine years ago. This time, we have the savings. We didn’t need to split the charges between two credit cards.
While I did not enjoy spending that money, it was necessary and we could afford it. As I paid bills yet again this week, I reflected on the time it’s taken us to get to this point. We have gone through job changes, curtailed spending, sold what we didn’t need, made a budget and stuck with it. It took time and perseverance but as the news talks about our government going into a shutdown in the days to come, it’s comforting to know that at least our household finances are in decent shape.
Have you made financial choices to improve your situation and seen that progress in action?
Going Green In Texas 