ahhhh...ignorance really is bliss

Tonight I sat down to rework our budget.

So much has changed (by "changed" I mean gotten more expensive) and I have been naughty by not reworking my budget since last year. Boy, was it an eye opener. and angering. I had worked out of our budget last year, enough money to hire a cleaning woman to come in twice a month. Of course, all of that money is gone now. I went from having a $400+ a month surplus to a $134 a month shortfall. And Chowder's income has not increased for three years.

From groceries and gasoline (up $100 a month each and that's with us pulling back quite a bit) to our utilities and taxes (my water billed doubled, from $48 a quarter to $92, and natural gas is scaring me for the winter.)

My monthly reserve amount (the amount I put in savings every month to cover non-monthly expenses like insurance or birthdays) went up $250 a month. Granted, I added in Sweeting's estimated cost of birth and her first year of co-pays, as well as some new activities and lessons that the kids want to try. But, still the increase is a significant increase nevertheless.

Though I'm not panicking, I am definitely feeling the stress of trying to make it all come out. Especially, Christmas. I just spent $500 on school uniforms for the kids and school clothes for Skaterboy. Luckily, I don't have to pick up anything major for Sweeting. But, all the financial worries are on me right now. Well, all the other worries, too.

Our primary care doctor has decided to do one of those "Boutique Practices" where you have to pay him for the privilege of being his patient and having his email. So, we are without a doctor at the moment and Chowder's anti-depressants ran out a couple of months ago.