Draining.

Hello!

Budgets and balances ever have you feeling frustrated? Those times when you pull up your checking balance, savings balance, debts and upcoming bills. The word frustrated by definition means to feel angry, discouraged or upset because of not being able to do something: to prevent (efforts, plans etc.) from succeeding: to keep (someone) from doing something.

Being a new (old) homeowner, meaning we are new to this older home, and we anticipated that a lot of things regarding the home and it’s structure and facade would eventually need financial and laborious attention. Not only cosmetic attention, but in it’s actual operation. We knew these situations would arise, however it seems like they literally hit all at once. like now. Ever since moving in the home this past October. As excited as we were, to take care of most of the interior cosmetic work. Those seemed less of a financial burden and we could see the reward, new dry wall, beautiful painted walls, textiles and personal design, those costs didn’t seem so daunting and halting.

We are practicing simple, we envelop a love of less is more, and saving money for our future, and not living in serious debt is a common goal for us at sunset circle. However, life has different plans, the old home needed more than what we thought, and much like a patient with only a few weeks to live and keep it’s pace, it was going down, and taking all it’s parts down with it. First, the entire gas heat furnace and pipes needed replaced, $$, The hot water heater stopped working $, then the drain systems old pipes went down, and all had to be cut out, dug out, and replaced, (no one wants their commode water coming through their basement walls. ew.) $$$ Then, the septic tank and lines decided to literally go to shit in the last week. Bringing up sewage and slush with it. That’s when we find that not only does the entire line and tank need replaced, but with the age of the property and home, a new septic may be out of the question, so around 8 thousand needs to go to hooking into the town’s sewer.

I don’t mean this post to sound like we are in over our heads. Like I noted before, we anticipated these issues prior to purchase, and we always justified those problems arising by realizing how much we liked home, it’s location, it’s feel, it’s potential, and the bargain we bought it for, would counter act the financial hardships it may bring. We were just starting to see our account balances and budgets get back to where we liked to keep them, when this new septic issue presented itself this week. I don’t feel anything else but the true definition of frustrated. Go back, read it again in that first paragraph. Do you ever feel just upset because you feel like your pursuit to get ahead is very similar to trudging through muck, wearing heavy weighted shit sloshing boots?

Everyone has financial goals, they have visions of what they want to be saving for, for us it’s starting our family, travel, and continue making our home together. So when you have to see those dollars go literally down the drain, frustration appears in it’s place. It’s there, hidden in every purchase you make. It lingers on your grocery list, your receipts, your desires and goals. It shows up in personal guilt for other purchases along the way. Your tight purse strings that appear after it rears it’s ugly face. Frustration mocks you when you want to pursue other goals, it points fingers and reminds you that you can not proceed as quickly or as  comfortable as you thought you would.

I have the best partner, I see her support, and instead of it causing us to bicker or quarrel, we embrace and lean in a little harder on each other, having those conversations of making the best decision, and weighing our options. Debt and finances causes a lot of couples to argue and fuss, but If you realize that this is something that is neither to blame, and you see it as a opportunity to work hard together, to come up with solutions, and hear the other person out and know that they are just as frustrated when they too see a road block in your endeavors. I realize everyday that i’m not alone in it, and we will always figure it out. We adjust, we adapt to the frustration and meet it head on, that may mean pushing some things back on the list, but not let them out of our sights. There is always going to be things that arise that we do not plan on, or we didn’t see it coming in that form or timing. If you are going through the season of savings vs. expenses, then maybe you can relate. Every scale has an opportunity to balance  when you move and adjust. life really is a constant balance.