Thursday, February 28, 2008

That time of the month again...

to pay bills. Month end/begin, pay day, and the bills are flowing in. I don't understand how some bills work. They seem so inconsistent with their due dates. Maybe it's based off the last time I paid them. Maybe they just like screwing with me. But for some reason, I can never get them all to be due on the same date (either the 1st, 15th or 30th). Some of them are okay - like mortgage and car payments. But others like insurance, gas, water...all seem scattered and never consistent.

This infuriates me more since we are so poor and live pay check to pay check. On the phone today I told/asked Patrick which bills we were going to pay on time. Not that we won't pay the other bills, but if one is due on the 12th and we don't get paid again until the 14th...I have to take money out of savings to cover it (or pay it late). And I never wind up putting that money back into savings. So I have to finagle the checks and balances a bit. Patrick insists we pay off credit card bills right away (although there is over $1000 that was from a conference "to be reimbursed ASAP (code for 3 months)". So where am I supposed to pull that $1000 from? Savings account just isn't saving anymore! It's more like a surviving account. And if it weren't for a super nice/lucky/caring/successful tishy-mom (who shall be remained nameless), that surviving account would have been in the negative a LONG time ago!

I know I can't rely on the future money that Patrick and I may or may not have. But it makes me sad that I am 25 years old and still living off of other people's dime (okay - maybe I am not 25) but still - I always thought I'd be in a different place right now. I LOVE staying home with the kids and always knew I'd do that and those would be some struggling times...but it is frustrating when your husband works harder and two or three times more hours than most people and doesn't get the benefits of it. I hope everyone knows I am just ranting - I do appreciate that we have more than a lot of people and are very fortunate...but I can't wait for the day I can buy some jeans that fit, clothes that aren't on sale for the kids, brand name baby wipes and a telephone that will automatically scream at those damn people calling to remind me to vote for Barack. I get it. But your call isn't getting me.

That off my chest - I am going to go clip some more coupons and hope my husband gets home for dinner tonight. Sorry for the negative-ness...I need some sunlight!!!! Winter sucks!

2 comments:

WineLover said...

Winter does suck and I'm about done with it!!
Of course we know you are griping because it sucks to NOT have $$ to buy what you want, when you want. But you are creating wonderful memories by being home with your gorgeous kids AND teaching them that money takes a backseat to other things. so be proud of yourself! (but don't go shopping :)

Ashli said...

I feel your pain! I'm dreading tomorrow when we get paid and I have to turn around and transfer all that money away in the blink of an eye to pay the bills. Just try to remember that it's temporary and in a couple of years we'll be looking back and laughing at all the coupons we clipped and bargains we shopped for! (And I'm sure that the kids won't remember that we used generic baby wipes on them!)