I started the whole 52 Week Money Challenge at the beginning of the year. To date I have saved about $200. Not too shabby. I have been doing pretty good financially since being on The Suze Orman Show. I had roommates. Paid off a bill. I'm planning to have another roommate in August and that will help even more. I was excited with the progress I've been making.
The progress of my bank account seemed to dwindle little by little in the month of May. I think I got carefree and started old habits again. Going out. Drinking. Eating out. Not planning meals when I got to the grocery store. Buying clothes that I don't need. I thought I had it all under control. However, I have dwindled my cushion of funds from $400 to $100. WHAT IN THE HECK??? In my head I thought I had about $200 in the bank. Nope! How did I find this out? I bought a Groupon for duct cleaning in my home. They came by today to begin the process but checked out the furnace first. The interior of the furnace was covered in mold! Mold that has been there for years according to the serviceman from the company. I've only lived here for 4 years. How did the Home Inspector miss this?
The company told me what could happen if I didn't get it removed - and I was already well aware of that. I was also aware that it would probably cost a decent amount of money. The look on my face surely showed concern because inside I was thinking, "Oh my God! How am I going to fix this?" Mind you, I already had planned a budget trip to New York City that I am leaving for tomorrow morning. Needless to say - I had to figure something out quick, fast, and in a hurry!
Had I not started this money challenge and the freelancing is picking up - otherwise I wouldn't have had the money. Now that it's all of the mold cleanup is completed, I'm thinking, "Well, it's nice looking now and no mold. Thank goodness I have a three year warranty. But DAMN... $600???" After seeing the end result - it does look pretty awesome but I could have done that mess myself!
The lesson here? Always save your coins!
The other lesson? Don't feel pressured by companies to do anything. If it's not broke. Don't fix it right away.. .fix it eventually.
The moral of the story: Make sure you think clearly and have a plan on how you would manage something that is unexpected. June is going to be a tough month to get through. So it's time to hustle more freelancing opportunities and sell more items! Need a graphic designer? How about supporting me by buying a t-shirt? Jewelry anyone? It's time to get back to basics!
Until next time...
Educate. Empower. Economize.
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