A little too optimistic

So, my last post I was overly optimistic. It doesn't look like this virus is going away anytime soon, and as usual, life is constantly changing.

The last few months have been so confining, as in, we are not leaving the house, not seeing friends, all of the stuff everyone else is doing. However, it has also been a time of expanding change.

I was living with my daughter, son in law and the grandkids. It was wonderful. I was able to pay off one of my credit cards, build a little bit of an emergency fund and start on my way to FI.

Then the reality of three adults, working from home, with two elementary aged kids home all the time, made the house seem very small. We were talking about how to make it work if this was still the reality in the fall, and my daughter found out she was pregnant. Very quickly we realized that they needed the space I was occupying for their expanding family.

So I found an apartment and within two weeks was moved. This caused me to dip into my emergency fund a bit because I had downsized so much. Not only was I living in a smaller space, but I was planning to move across the country.

Now I had to replace all the things I had sold in preparation for the big move. It was a little stressful. For the first time in my life, I didn't want to spend any money!

I'm in the new apartment and it has come together very well. My expenses, of course, have gone up a lot, so I'm working on a new budget and trying to figure out how to still pay off my remaining debt, build a retirement fund, and rebuild my emergency savings.

It's stressful, but I feel like I have a better foundation since finding the Choose FI podcast. We'll see how the budget goes!

Best Laid Plans

Wow. Things are changing quickly. In an earlier last post I talked about my new job, then the bottom kind of fell out of everything. My current employer sent us home to work due to Covid-19. I contacted my new employer and they said training was still on, they did not yet have an alternate plan.

I am worried! I have managed to save $2000- most of which came from my tax return- I'm really glad I didn't put that towards my credit card!

Everything started shutting down due to the virus. I was really worried. I had already given notice at my current job and was worried that I would not be able to start my new job due to the virus. I finally got an email that said we would do orientation on site, then the rest of our training would be from home.

Such a relief! I also felt a tiny bit of pride that I had ANY savings at all! In the past, my savings account would have had zero dollars in it and any blip in my employment would have been immediately devastating.

Just by starting to focus on FI principles I was in a better place than I had ever been in the past. Don't get me wrong, $2000 would not support me for long, but it felt nice to have even a little cushion.

Hope this virus goes away quickly.

Sticking my head in the sand

Probably the biggest roadblock to getting my finances in order, is my tendency to stick my head in the sand. Much like Scarlett O'hara, I'll worry about it tomorrow.

Last year I went to the emergency room for chest pains. At the time I did not want to go but my daughter was freaking out, so I went.

My insurance had a $2700 deductible, so nothing was covered. I started getting bills and was outraged. I was in the emergency room for exactly 26 minutes and the bills totaled almost $2000. The only thing they did was hook me up to a portable EKG machine for three minutes, say it wasn't a heart attack and then I left.

They wanted to run additional tests but I refused, I knew I could get those tests through my doctor if I needed them. It still cost so much money!

I paid a few of the smaller bills, but in typical fashion, ignored the largest one. Instead of calling and making payment arrangements I ignored it.

Then I got a letter in the mail that the bill has gone to collections. Shit. For a few days, I did what I do best, I ignored it. I finally put some money in an emergency account and with all the weird stuff going on with Covid-19, I didn't want to part with it.

If only I got the letter before I sent my stimulus check to pay off Kohls. Then I realized that if I hadn't paid that bill I would still be paying on it for who knows how long.

So, I took a deep breath and paid the collection account off with my savings. It hurt and shook my stability a bit, but I did it.

I guess that's another habit I need to improve, stop ignoring bills and thinking they will go away. As frustrating as it was to have to part with some of my savings, I know it's my own fault. I will stop sticking my head in the sand.

It does feel good not to have that hanging over my head anymore. Also, I still have a job, so I can build my savings back up.