I Am Beginning to Sound Like a Broken Record

My wife has not been feeling well. She either has gotten a summer cold or she is having a severe allergy attack. She sounds miserable, but she says she does not feel that bad. She is very congested and is coughing up phlem. She said she was going to call the doctor and see if he could call in a script for her. She asked me if I would pick it up for her on my way home. I told her I would. She then told me that she needed to make a Sam's run. I asked her if it was going to be a big run and she asked me, "What is your definition of a 'big run'?" I told her and she said, "Yes, it will be a big run." I grimaced and she asked me what was wrong. I told her ever since vacation, we have been running very tight on finances. We have had $500 come out of checking that we were not budgeted for and vacation came up about $200 more than I had budgeted for. We also have had about $300 worth of extra vet bills that we just did no expect. So we are about $1000 below where we are supposed to be. Couple that the fact I have had issues with bill payments getting posted on time and I have more coming out of one paycheck than I do the other and it throws things out of balance. She understood and after a few minutes of discussing it, we both were ok.

Still, I hate not having enough money in the bank. We used to have about a $1500 float in our checking account, but that is now less than $500 and with the bills being due right before payday, that is gone. Also, our bank takes out debits before they put in the credits, so payday is a crapshoot. To make things work, I have to pay the bills the day after I get paid, regardless of when they are due. I need to call the companies we do business with and see if we can get that changed. This is going to get bad if we don't do something.

• Mortgage (including insurance and taxes) - $1225.00 / month
• Van payment (Payoff within 2 years) - $400.00 / month
• Personal Loans (payoff within 2 years) - $450.00 / month
• Utilities (including internet / phones) - $500.00 / month
• Car Insurance - $100.00 / month
• Gasoline - $350.00 / month
• Food (including dining out) - $500.00 / month
• Pets (food, vet visits, medications) - $100.00 / month

Not listed is what we donate to our church and other organizations. While I could cut that back some (we give 10% of our gross income), I refuse to do so. It tells us in the bible that God wants us to be cheerful givers, and I do not mind at all writing that donation check twice a month. God challenges us to give to him and his kingdom and the blessings of heaven will be showered on us. While we may not be living "the good life", he has given us many blessings we have not counted on in the form of a job for my wife, side jobs for me, and more steady employment. If we are faithful, God will get us through this storm.