Although I don't quite understand how, we are once again in a very tough situation financially. Apparently, the beginning of the month is a bad time for us. The mortgage is due. Our credit card bills are due. The cable bill is due. Dance school tuition is due. Ever since we upped the amount we are paying monthly on our BIG credit card, we seem to have no money to spare.
So, once again we are skipping the grocery store next week. Which is fine, but it worries me. My husband is working so hard to pay off our debit, while I am in the process of accumulating a TON of debt. Dental work is expensive shit. After insurance, my dental surgery still cost us nearly $300. And unfortunately, that one procedure used up my entire maximum for my insurance (we have a $1,000 maximum). So, for the remainder of this year I have no more dental insurance. Gah.
Honestly, I have never worried about money this much before. In the past, taking on new debt didn't phase me. But now it does. I am constantly thinking about investing for retirement and starting college funds and saving for home improvement projects. Having this dental work done, although I know that it will do wonders for my self esteem, feels like I am frivolously wasting money on vanity. I hate that I am going to be placing such a huge financial burden on my family. Especially since we seem to be barely making ends meet as it is.
But it is now or never. I've already waited too long. So I guess I am going to take this leap, even if it isn't in the best interest of my family. And that my friends, is a tough pill to swallow.
9 comments:
I'm going through a similar situation. We are trying to pay down debt and it is hard and frustrating. I have never worried about money like I do now. Stick with your plan, but don't beat yourself up about things like the dental work. It isn't selfish. :)
Well you guys are young, the kids are young, the college fund and the retirement can be worked on later; this dental thing isn't forever.
$300 on dental stuff isn't bad at all. And you can't put a price tag on a pretty smile. :) Well, maybe you can, but not for the rise in self esteem.
And it's good to go without and be cutting it close for a while. No one is actually suffering and your kids don't see a difference. The reason I say this is because when you are paid off with your credit cards, you'll feel RICH, BITCH! (sorry, Dave Chapelle had to make an appearance. lol)
Anyway... why don't you sell some of your cupcakes or have a yard sale for some extra cash?
keep it up!! you are doing a good job, and your kids don't know the difference, they are just happy to be home with you. i think you are doing great!
i don't think you are being selfish. not one bit. you deserve this. period. by doing what is best for you and the health of your teeth - you are doing what's best for your family.
things may be tight now but in the end it will all be totally worth it.
If you didn't get the dental work done now you would end up paying more for it later when more work needed done. There's just some things that can't be avoided.
Paying for something like dental work is NOT selfish, especially because you would end up paying for it sooner or later. Paying off debt sucks, it just DOES. I am REALLY selfish because I want to spend money on vacation while I could be paying off debt.
Heh.
I don't know how having teeth pulled is frivolous...Usually that's a necessary procedure right? I finally caught up on your recent posts by the way. When I was ten I had TEN teeth pulled to prepare me for braces (something about baby teeth without grownup teeth beneath them and just pulling them all out at once so everything that would grow back in could do so pronto). I think I had huge gaps in the back of my mouth for a while (all were molars) and they actually gave me Twilight for the procedure. So I was basically awake but immobile for the whole thing. When I finally had wisdom teeth pulled in my 20s I acted like I was going in for heart surgery - asking a million and one questions about making sure that I was completely asleep for the whole procedure. And I was - but still.
ANYWAY - I'm glad to hear you survived - and I'm sure the expense was necessary. It's not like you're out on a shopping spree or something!
The mortgage: talk to the lender. See---just see---if you could do one of two things:
1) Switch your payment due date to the 15th of the month
2) Pay twice in one month, with 1/2 being due on the 1st, and 1/2 being due on the 15th.
Some will consider these things & do them for you.
:)
Just a thought....
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