Feeling the financial burden...

First, let me state that my family is blessed and fortunate. My husband has a great, steady job that provides him with a good deal of overtime, especially now since they are really short-handed. And, have I ever mentioned that my husband is a work-a-holic?? He is. He subscribes to the life theory of "Go big or go home", while I subscribe to the "Less is more" theory. We don't butt heads over finances because he earns it, and I manage it...for the most part. 

Anyway. The way things work in our family is that the hubs works and gets direct deposit. Some of the bills are in his name, but most are in mine. Once he gets paid, I tell him how much money I need to cover the bills and he transfers the money over. The rest, he takes care of. I don't ask any questions. We have money to cover our bills and some money to play with. 

But no matter how closely you budget, stuff happens. 

Well, friends, stuff has happened. 

During the month of June, we wanted to get away as a family before school starts so we took a cruise. I know, if you don't have the money, you shouldn't go. Well that's just the thing. We had the money! 

But then we went to visit the in laws 5 hours away for three and a half days. Gasoline, food, and more gasoline!

Then all of my school stuff happened. I knew it was coming so I had saved several hundred dollars, not knowing everything that would go into it. 

Here's what went into it: 

Tuition and fees, 3 books, 2 scrub tops, 2 scrub bottoms, 1 scrub jacket, 2 pairs of black tennis shoes, (one for class and one for clinicals) a pen light, 2 badge reels, a USB, a big package of new socks, gel inserts for my shoes, basic school supplies (binders, folders, notecards, highlighters etc) and a physical examination and blood work from my doctor. I still need to buy a really supportive sports bra!

Also in June, all my medical bills from my hysterectomy rolled in. We seriously have 7 different payments from 7 different entities related to that whole deal: A hospital bill, a surgeon bill, a surgeon's assistant bill, an anesthesiologist bill, a radiology bill, and an ultrasound bill. 

You get $10, and you get $10, and you get $10...everybody gets $10 until it gets paid off. 

Summer activities associated with the kids' extracurriculars have begun. We pay about $70 a week for tutoring and for tennis (to get Jansen active and involved) in addition to the camps that are going on. 

Somehow it timed just right in that June was also the month of Caleb's quarterly psychiatrist visit...which is a Specialist charge of $50 and his medication for the quarter is $110. 

June was also the month of dentist visits, which resulted in an orthodontist consult for braces for Caleb. Thankfully the consultation was free, but the next appointment for X rays and molds is over $200 due July 7th, and a few weeks after that, the braces go on, and our deposit of $525 is due. We have dental insurance that will cover $1500 of the braces, and so our portion is costing us $133 a month for the next 20 months. 

Props to me, because I started buying school supplies and back to school clothing in May. WHOOP! The only thing I still need to buy for both boys is about 10 folders. Caleb still needs 3 pairs of jeans and a hoodie. Jansen just needs a couple more shirts and shorts. 

BUT... yesterday, I got an email from Caleb's band director at school that contained a list of extra things he will need once school starts; and extra binder, dividers, page protectors, a padlock, an instructional manual, and something else...for the life of me, I can't remember. We already bought a second hand trombone that the director checked out to make sure it would be appropriate. 

And our grocery bill is a bit higher since the hubs and I are doing low carb. I am couponing, menu planning, and stretching it...cooking three meals a day. 

So needless to say, things are really tight right now. Everything just hit us all at once. My husband, the spender, is even stressing about it. He is going to be working some major over time to cover everything and to build up some savings again. Once Fall semester rolls around, I can get my student loan to cover the rest of nursing school, so that is a load off. 

Life is expensive. I am excited to finish school so that I can start earning money again. Heavens knows, the boys will be older, will be needing more orthodontic work, they'll be looking at high school and all the activities that go with that, they'll be driving, they'll be looking at college...we will need another income!