TO
BEGIN WITH: I ended the month of March and
headed into April with $91 in my checking account, $2 plus a handful of change
in my wallet and a half tank of fuel in my car.
As in the previous months I was blessed again to have my cupboards full
and no immediate needs or wants. I know
I am very blessed and fortunate, to be sure.
NEXT
STEPS: I used what was left in the
checking account to purchase some fresh produce and a few pantry items as well
as top up the gas tank on my car. I
figure with gas prices on the rise it would make less of an impact to my
overall household budget if I top off each month rather than wait until I am
closer to E like I did last year.
Once
again I had no bills due on the 5th so I pushed the majority of that first
paycheck right into savings, HSA and
retirement. I paid the small amount I owed
for state taxes this year and a couple bills that weren't due yet. The next payday I paid the rest of our
monthly bills that were due and our May mortgage plus some extra. I also left some extra in my checking account
to pay the power bill that isn't due
until May . It feels really good to be
able to pay bills ahead like that. I
funded the rest of our $100 grocerybudget, our $25 non food budget, my pocket money and then scooted a good amount into savings, HSA and
retirement. All of my savings goal were
met, bills paid and groceries were bought.
As
you know by now I ended up back in the ER and then was hospitalized for fourdays with heart issues. No doubt the
bills for this will be outrageous, but fortunately I have insurance, my HSA account
was fully funded to cover my deductible amount at the beginning of the year and
we have an emergency fund. The hospital also offers a one year interest
free payment plan. At this time I am comfortable
that we have enough resources to handle this without backsliding and ending up
back in debt. Once again I feel very thankful for 2020.
WAYS
I SAVED $$: I shopped carefully and made
wise choices so I didn't overspend. I
also concentrated a lot on using what we already had and replacing items as we
used them up.
WAYS
I EARNED EXTRA $$: I sold some more
items from my Etsy shop and on eBay.
I put some more items up for sale on both sites too.
LOOKING
BACK: It was definitely a very different
month than what I had thought it would be heading into it. You just never know what life will throw your
way.
LOOKING
AHEAD: My goal moving forward is to heal
and get better, continue to eat healthy and build my energy and stamina back
up. Along with my physical healthy I
plan to continue to take care of my financial well being too. By doing that it will help me to be stressed
and that is very important for my emotion health.
In spite of everything I am really happy with how
things have gone this past month. May is
going to be great. I'm determined to see
that it is.
My son let his gas tank get almost empty over and over again the last year. Now he needs a fuel pump and fuel filter. So lesson learned. Change fuel filter as needed and don't let your tank get down to the dregs. Also he was a gas station hopper. I buy gas at 2-3 stations only because I know their gas is good. Take care.
ReplyDeleteThat's a bummer.
DeleteSorry, I forgot my main point which was it is better to keep your tank at least 1/2 full if you can. Also if there is an emergency in the middle of the night and you have to go somewhere you don't want to see that yellow light come on.
ReplyDeleteGood point!
DeleteSounds like a good month and I think you are so good with your plans and money. Hope you are feeling better and better!
ReplyDeleteI usually fill the gas tank when it’s half empty. Sometimes I let it get lower.
ReplyDelete