Shelled out $16K in one week on home/life repairs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wiped out our entire savings on medical care and am not done paying the bills. I guess we’re lucky we had the money but, I agree it sucks to have to take a lot of money from savings.

This doesn't just suck - this is emblematic of a much bigger issue. House repairs, car repairs, that's one thing. But sucking your savings dry and then some just to keep yourself healthy - that should not happen in a civilized enlightened society.

+1

What could be more important and valuable than your health? As someone with a chronic disease, I pay a ton but it’s worth every penny to keep me alive, to employ the highly skilled people who keep me alive, and to have access to the very best in technology.

I have a chronic illness. We do what we can with the yard and it gets neglected. Problem solved.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ouch on those taxes though. Yikes! We got $550 back. So much less than in previous years, but I'm just glad we didnt' end up owing anything.

Op here - yes this is the first year we have owed! Sucks! But we did make $100k more this year so it was expected.

You have a healthy income so why complain about life. Some of it you were probably putting off.

[Anonymous]

I feel ya OP. I literally eating ramen right now and commiserating. Like the cheap stuff from the paper bowl, not the $20 bowl with the marinated runny egg. Today I paid the rest of our preschool bill $5,000, bought a new washer and dryer $2,400, bought our plane tickets to see family $8,000, paid for tree trimming $3,000. I feel a little sick.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Ouch on those taxes though. Yikes! We got $550 back. So much less than in previous years, but I'm just glad we didnt' end up owing anything.

Op here - yes this is the first year we have owed! Sucks! But we did make $100k more this year so it was expected.

You have a healthy income so why complain about life. Some of it you were probably putting off.

Yea definitely lucky to have a healthy income. We are young-ish (35) and things like this just remind me that no I am a real adult with real responsibilities. I could never have afforded to lay out $16,000 in one week a decade ago. Home ownership and kids are expensive!

[Anonymous]

Don't think of taxes as part of this. That's half of what you spent and without withholding wackiness would have been doled out all year.

$8k in a week is no walk in the park, but mentally might make you feel more at ease.

[Anonymous]

When it rains it pours. In the last year: new roof; new fridge; new HVAC; and new retaining wall. All replacements for stuff that was crumbling. At least I can tell myself that because it is all house stuff it's all an investment, right? Right??????

[Anonymous]

So brutal. Every month when I review our expenses I think "Oh but that was an exception" but EVERY month is an exception! These kinds of things just never stop. Sorry OP!

[Anonymous]

I’m doing my own spring cleanup and mulching (about $120 on mulch and grass seed), use a washer and dryer that have to be close to 25 years old, and used miles for half of our summer trip.

Some of this is choice.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wiped out our entire savings on medical care and am not done paying the bills. I guess we’re lucky we had the money but, I agree it sucks to have to take a lot of money from savings.

This doesn't just suck - this is emblematic of a much bigger issue. House repairs, car repairs, that's one thing. But sucking your savings dry and then some just to keep yourself healthy - that should not happen in a civilized enlightened society.

+1

What could be more important and valuable than your health? As someone with a chronic disease, I pay a ton but it’s worth every penny to keep me alive, to employ the highly skilled people who keep me alive, and to have access to the very best in technology.

It's just not like getting your yard done. Call me a liberal pinko but I don't think that anyone should have to spend their savings to be healthy. I think it's something that we as a society should take care of together.

Also just eff these big bills. We are paying an $8k tax bill that is going to really hurt out savings. Like take them down real low and have us starting again. Thanks to the gods that we have stable jobs these days.

[Anonymous]

So brutal. Every month when I review our expenses I think "Oh but that was an exception" but EVERY month is an exception! These kinds of things just never stop. Sorry OP!

This. Constantly.

[Anonymous]

Oh my god. I am literally thinking about buying a house that would bring our joint savings down to a 2 month emergency fund we'd have to replenish (yes, budgeting for moving costs in there) and there is no way we could soak up $16k in a week for months afterward. Is that really the cash you have to have on hand at all times?

[Anonymous]

Oh my god. I am literally thinking about buying a house that would bring our joint savings down to a 2 month emergency fund we'd have to replenish (yes, budgeting for moving costs in there) and there is no way we could soak up $16k in a week for months afterward. Is that really the cash you have to have on hand at all times?

Well, there's this thing called a credit card . . .

[Anonymous]

Personally, I would not buy a house if I had to draw down to 2 months in the emergency fund to do it. There are things that come up when you move in and you might want to make a few changes (unless the house is truly move in ready).

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Someone commiserate with me. This week we did the following things:

1) Spring clean up and mulching - $1000
2) Major car repair - $3200
3) New HVAC - $5500
4) French drain in basement - $2800
5) Taxes - owe $8000

UGHHHH we had the money saved to do all of this but good lord it sucks writing those checks out! Being an adult is expensive!

I got a 56k tax bill

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I wiped out our entire savings on medical care and am not done paying the bills. I guess we’re lucky we had the money but, I agree it sucks to have to take a lot of money from savings.

This doesn't just suck - this is emblematic of a much bigger issue. House repairs, car repairs, that's one thing. But sucking your savings dry and then some just to keep yourself healthy - that should not happen in a civilized enlightened society.

+1

What could be more important and valuable than your health? As someone with a chronic disease, I pay a ton but it’s worth every penny to keep me alive, to employ the highly skilled people who keep me alive, and to have access to the very best in technology.

I think the point is that in this country, we let ill health drive people into bankruptcy. That is unimaginable in much of the rest of the developed world.

I had a health related bankruptcy at age 43. It’s insult on top of injury.