The Lord is a stronghold for the oppressed, a stronghold in times of trouble. And those who know your name put their trust in you, for you, O Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:9-10
I apologize for the delay in publishing a new post. Partially, I have just been covered up with work and reading for school. But, part of me also didn't want to write a new post, this post. I knew to be honest, I had to write it. But, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So, I have a little break tonight and thought I'd try to knock it out.
The past couple of weeks have been a challenge. There was a realization that while we are saving a lot of money by refraining from new purchases, packing lunches, eating out a lot less, clipping coupons, and more, the truth is our income is still smaller than our outflow. We've got savings, but we didn't want to eat into it too deeply. If we weren't working so hard to keep some money in the bank, we'd certainly be in a world of hurt. The truth is we still have a lot more work to do.
We've got three more months to go to get through this year. Then, we just begin the application process to try to get Kevin on disability. Will they accept it the first time? Maybe not. Then, we've got to go through it all again. How long will that take? We don't know.
So, I've had some days of feeling uncertain. I'm questioning every purchase even more, and I'm asking how we can cut some extra corners. It's frustrating. It's stressful. Quite frankly, I'm tired. I'm not tired of going without new things. Even without anything new, we live comfortably. We really don't need more stuff. What's worrying (and I know there are folks out there in far worse situations than mine), is that we're not overspending on stuff we don't need, we're spending too much on essential things.
Some of our expenses came from medical bills. Kevin is in the VA healthcare system, but it took some time to get his pain management switched to their care. That meant paying for some doctor visits and medicine out of pocket. Now those visits and his medicine are paid for. We're hopeful that will reduce expenses considerably. However, we are looking at every way we can possibly make cuts... Where can we cut the grocery bill even more? How can we save more on gas for the cars? What else can we do without?
As hard as this is, I know deep down that we are smart enough people to stay afloat. Even if we have to turn off the lights and burn candles or eat rice and beans every night, we can do this. We just have to trust.
I apologize for the delay in publishing a new post. Partially, I have just been covered up with work and reading for school. But, part of me also didn't want to write a new post, this post. I knew to be honest, I had to write it. But, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So, I have a little break tonight and thought I'd try to knock it out.
The past couple of weeks have been a challenge. There was a realization that while we are saving a lot of money by refraining from new purchases, packing lunches, eating out a lot less, clipping coupons, and more, the truth is our income is still smaller than our outflow. We've got savings, but we didn't want to eat into it too deeply. If we weren't working so hard to keep some money in the bank, we'd certainly be in a world of hurt. The truth is we still have a lot more work to do.
We've got three more months to go to get through this year. Then, we just begin the application process to try to get Kevin on disability. Will they accept it the first time? Maybe not. Then, we've got to go through it all again. How long will that take? We don't know.
So, I've had some days of feeling uncertain. I'm questioning every purchase even more, and I'm asking how we can cut some extra corners. It's frustrating. It's stressful. Quite frankly, I'm tired. I'm not tired of going without new things. Even without anything new, we live comfortably. We really don't need more stuff. What's worrying (and I know there are folks out there in far worse situations than mine), is that we're not overspending on stuff we don't need, we're spending too much on essential things.
Some of our expenses came from medical bills. Kevin is in the VA healthcare system, but it took some time to get his pain management switched to their care. That meant paying for some doctor visits and medicine out of pocket. Now those visits and his medicine are paid for. We're hopeful that will reduce expenses considerably. However, we are looking at every way we can possibly make cuts... Where can we cut the grocery bill even more? How can we save more on gas for the cars? What else can we do without?
As hard as this is, I know deep down that we are smart enough people to stay afloat. Even if we have to turn off the lights and burn candles or eat rice and beans every night, we can do this. We just have to trust.