I hate having my life on hold. I've been in this battle almost 2 years. I'd hate to go through my checkbook register and Discover statements to see how much money I've put out. Plus my husband's situation with passing his one year anniversary of breaking his leg. It's been rough, but God always provides for what we NEED, just not always what we want.
When we moved into this house in April, 2009, almost 3 and a half years ago, the first thing on our list was to replace the windows. We had the original windows on this built-in-1972 house. We paid 2 mortgages for 3 years, 2 months though, and it had to wait. In May of this year, we knew we were selling the other house, so we went ahead and got windows. I think we got them in February, because I had a bit of money left over from a family member to make the payments when the house did sell. As soon as the house sold, and we weren't making 2 mortgages, we bought another vehicle, used. We had been borrowing his parents van, and it was hard for him to get in and out of it. We basically live on the same budget, but having the extra money meant that me and my youngest son could get new glasses without adding debt. Wow, what glasses cost now. Like I said, God always provides what we NEED. Getting the new windows reduced our electricity bill by only 20%, but then I realized we're keeping the house about 4 degrees cooler than we did last year. So I suppose the savings is more in comfort, especially here in Texas.
We have a patio roof that leaks like a sieve. We can't store anything or have nice furniture because it would get wet. We have a camp table (the kind that rolls up to fit in a bag) with a glass table top over it and for chairs we have 2 office chairs and 2 director's chairs. We have a chaise lounge that was left with the house. I couldn't afford new cushions, so we put a thick piece of foam that I cut down under the original ones. We also have my bentwood rocker out there (it's a fairly large patio) and a side table in the only dry spot that holds the boom box. We got a call from the company that did our windows asking if we would like to do another promotional with our patio.
We had him sit down and run the numbers, and he just couldn't get it low enough to be able to afford without putting us back where we were when we were paying 2 mortgages. We told him the windows were for a reason, to make the house more energy efficient and save money on bills. It doesn't pay for it, but it allows for a bit more freedom and comfort. The patio is a WANT thing, not a NEED thing, so we had to walk away. I'm a bit disappointed, though, because it would cut the temp under the patio by 10-15 degrees. It would make it bearable to sit out there in the hot Texas summers. Right now, I sit out there in the morning if it's not 90 degrees yet, but mostly only in the spring and early fall.
Maybe when we're both on the mend. I budget about $160 a month for medical expenses (not counting over the counter meds) and we usually use it all. I can't complain about my co-pays or insurance costs. They're really low, but it took 20 years in the Navy to get it. Just so you know how good we have it (and not to complain OR make someone else jealous) but I'll lay out for you what we pay. Realize I know we got it good. We pay about $540 a year, and then $12 EVERY time we see the doctor or get a regular treatment. I paid that to get my port flushed, and it was the only thing that got done. If I bundle everything together (lab, doctor's visit and shots and port flush) it's still $12. We pay $25 for a same day surgery and $30 for an ER visit. My husband has therapy twice a week, so that's $96 a month right there. I see my doctor every month, another $12. My ADHD son sees his doctor every 3 months, so add another $4. Our meds cost $12 for name brand, $5 for generic. My son is on 2 name brands meds for ADHD, plus it costs to have the prescription written and mailed to us, another $14. I'm on one name brand, that's another $12. Plus I get a natural remedy for cancer at about $24 a bottle, but the bottle lasts about 33 days. We'll call it $22. Well, I don't even have to go into my husband's 5 meds, because we're already over the amount I put away. Some of his come mail order, so it's $5 for 3 months. I added it up and it totals $207. I'm also on 4,000 mg of D3 and we both take fish oil. I don't count that in medical, so price doesn't matter. That comes out of my grocery budget.
That actually makes me feel better. I don't know how we make it on what I budget. God is indeed good. But my point was we can't get a non-leaky patio until some of those bills go away. But after writing this blog, I do feel better about our decision to wait. Like I said, God takes care of our NEEDS, just not always our WANTS.
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