Tuesday, November 4, 2014

Budget Woes

Go vote today! J and I went early this morning and it felt good.  I wish he didn't have to go to work so soon because it would have been nice to have a post-voting celebratory breakfast. Instead I had a pre-voting celebratory bowl of cheerios. Whether your day includes fancy breakfast or not please go vote.


Yesterday started out well even though I was a bit overwhelmed by the state of our house (I promise it's just unorganized and not yucky).  I couldn't figure out which room to tackle first so I wondered around doing a little bit in each room.  Then the mail came and all productivity came to a halt. Our electricity bill shot up super high and claimed we used 245% more electricity than last October.  I was freaked out and felt doomed.  I sat at the kitchen table and cried because just when I thought we were doing ok and I could take some time to stay home with baby something like this comes along and makes me feel insecure.  After enough time of feeling sorry for myself I finally went outside and checked our meter and realized the numbers were completely off, the reading had been recorded inaccurately.  I called and reported and let out a sigh of relief.  One more bullet dodged.  On the night of my last day of work we thought our furnace broke.  I couldn't breathe while I waited for my husband to figure out what happened.  Again, it got figured out and we feel confident we at least have another winter with it but what happens when it does finally quit?  Eventually we will not be able to avoid something like that happening and that's when I become overcome with worry.  I pinch pennies every chance I can in order to prepare for these possibilities but will there every be a point where I can worry a little less and live a little more?  I have trouble figuring out where to draw the line between being prepared and being terrified of not being prepared enough.  If we had a celebratory fancy breakfast today it would have been served with a side of guilt.

I grew up always wanting things. I wanted clothes and shoes and purses and stuff.  So much stuff.  It's hard breaking from that. I was at a shoe store recently and wanted a pair of shoes so bad.  I even got a coupon in the mail for that shoe store and held on to it for a bit thinking I would finally buy a pair but then life happens and I get a scary electric bill that reminds me of our reality.  It forces me to let go of feeling like I need so many things but it is still an adjustment. I know that my problems are so minuscule when compared to so many problems in the world but these are the little things I'm working on overcoming.

Today I am tightening our grocery budget again so that we may start prioritizing what is important in our life.  I think taking control in some areas will help us have a little fun in other areas.

Do you guys have any money-saving tips?  Do you also struggle with finding a proper balance with spending and saving?  I'm all ears!


4 comments:

Hannah said...

I totally feel you! We had one of these kind of freakouts last week. Meaning I had one of these freakouts and B. tried to tell me it was going to be okay. And I know what you mean about the coupons. I get the elusive 30% off Kohls one and I hang onto it even past its expiration. Just in case. But I don't need anything. Mostly we just want to be able to run the heat when it's cold, buy good ingredients for cooking, travel to see our families in the summer, print conferences... that last one is the hardest. Don't let things get to you too much! I've found it esp. hard because I have no real good idea of how much babies cost. Do you? I guess it all depends. I'm glad your bill turned out to be wrong. It's hard to always keep our eyes on everything like that, but I guess we have to to make sure mistakes aren't made. That's a fulltime job in and of itself sometimes...

Unknown said...

You must have been relieved to know that it wasn’t broken. How untimely for your furnace to break, had it quit back then. Not only was winter already looming, you were also dealing with money matters and had to stick on a tight budget. I hope everything is okay now, with regard to the latter and your furnace problems. Good day!

Levi Eslinger @ Capital Plumbing

Unknown said...

Budgeting will be easier once you know your priorities. It’s best to focus on your needs before anything else, like getting that furnace checked by a professional. I’m sure a pro can give you accurate details about your furnace woes, giving you the chance to save up for the furnace repair or a replacement, if needed. Anyway, I do hope you’re not having the same panicking moment with your HVAC. Take care!

Tommy Hopkins @ AccuTemp

Andy Jones said...

You can do yourself a favor by having your furnace checked by a technician to see if it's still performing up to par. You may have dodged a bullet with the innacurate power bill, but an inefficient furnace can make that nightmare a reality. You may wind up with massive repairs or even a full replacement, but either way, those are much better than staring at a massive energy bill and feeling the brunt of winter.

Andy Jones @ AQS Comfort