This title means I sat down today and paid bills and it wasn't pretty. But at least it wasn't as ugly as it could have been. ;-)
The second paycheck of the month hit the
That would include the "monthlies"--electric bill, the credit card bill(which includes most of our gasoline purchases and some eating out). The "rest of the bills" also includes the non-montlies like a $1197.71 car repair(I can now state for the record that I hate catalytic converters!) and the yearly school taxes(ditto school taxes). I did receive a 5% discount for paying the taxes before Oct. 1st so it was a mere $1940.81. I got about $76 off....go me!
After writing out the checks that needed writing, I now have $1246.24 LESS in my account than I had BEFORE the paycheck hit the account.!
Or to put it another way, I just spent $1246.24 MORE THAN the paycheck brought in.
Yah, still wrapping my head around that one!lol
Oh, and that doesn't count the $480 IN CASH Hubs took out of the bank on Saturday. Ok, some of that was for me for my food budget, but most of it I will never get a single receipt back on what he blew it on. I am guessing coffee and crap he buys at the hardware store.....crap he HAS already in the garage but he can't find because he refuses to CLEAN HIS WORKBENCH!
End of rant.......
I'll just say here that I am so glad that I put money aside each month for that tax bill(plus the other tax bill that comes due April 1st), plus the car insurance bill which I pay semi-annually.
If I didn't and I had to basically pull money out of my ass for some of these bills, we'd be in a bad bad place financially....
A place called "Hello Credit Card!, let's put what we can't pay on YOU" and then only make minimum payments and stay in and increase our debt until we end up on Suze Orman's show as a warning to the world on how NOT to handle money, instead of downsizing out lifestyle and spending less on crap or "wants" so we can only be in debt for a short time while we turn our ship and get headed in the fiscally responsible direction.
But still......sometimes I hate being a Grown Up and doing the responsible thing instead of the easy thing or the thing I see other people doing that I know is only going to cause them pain at some point in the future.
But I have my eye on the prize.....the prize of a financially secure retirement.
Well, as secure as it can be considering the political atmosphere in this country. ;-)
When I retire, THIS is the view I want to have when I have to pay my bills.....but with cuter feet......
Sluggy
I want this view when we retire too :) Bills suck but at least you are prepared, and that"s what's important!
ReplyDeleteYep....who wouldn't want that view, right?lol
DeleteI'm with you. Sometimes it just sucks to be a grown up. But I find that the less handling of bills, the easier it is. So if you only pay them for a few days a month, have them already pre-determined and pre-sorted as they come in, it may make it a bit easier. At least, it does so for me.
ReplyDeleteThe way I handle them is when the 1st monthly paycheck hits the bank I pay the bills that have come in, ditto after the 2nd paycheck hits the bank. This way I don't get a chance to mislay any bills waiting until they are actually due and yes, I still pay them via snail mail and not electronically....except the CC bill.
DeleteCall me old fashioned...lol
I am with you. Working for a comfy retirement.
ReplyDeleteI'll meet you on the beach Frances....say in about 10 years? I'll be in the one in the big hat trying not to burn. ;-)
DeleteAt the risk of sounding stoopid, what are "school taxes"? Here, a part of our annual property taxes (home, land) and personal property taxes (vehicles, trailers, livestock, farm equipment) goes to the schools, but we don't get a separate bill for the schools. Is it the same thing?
ReplyDeleteShane is paid weekly, so I pay bills and reconcile our checkbook with the online bank statement weekly. I sorely regret it when I wait more than a week.
Never stoopid!
DeleteHere, they separate your other county/municipal taxes from your school taxes, with each going to their respective institutions. We have no vehicles/personal property taxes here, though in VA where I grew up they do.
Some one once told me that they have to split the school taxes from the other because we have an elected school board and not an appointed by local govt. one.
I have no clue if that is a valid reason or if that person was on drugs.
Our school taxes are more than our county taxes here. Our county taxes are lower because we pay for basically no municipal services.....no water, no sewage, no garbage pick-up....there is nothing I can point to that we get in return for our local taxes.lol We have to contract for those ourselves and pay for them in addition to our local taxes. That adds another approx. $1,650 a yr. to our tax bill. Add in another $100 or so we send to the fire/rescue and police dept. here, as it's all volunteer(and seeks fed. grants to operate) and not funded directly by our taxes.
Hope this clears it up...
Yes but being a responsible grown up means that you get to sleep better because you can pay your bills.
ReplyDelete