October 29: Financial Means, Health and Sewer Problems, Money

There were many other stresses on the Angells' marriage.  They spent well beyond their financial means, sending their children to expensive schools in New York, employing various servants, renting a country house year-round, throwing lavish parties, even ordering all their groceries by telephone...

Michael Sims, the author of The Story of Charlotte's Web, is writing about Katharine Angell, who was married when E. B. White fell in love with her.  Katharine's marriage suffered from a host of problems, not the least of which was financial extravagance.  Katharine eventually ended up divorcing her husband and marrying White.


Living beyond your financial means is easy to do when you have children.  I know that one of the reasons my wife and I struggle with money on a monthly basis is because of the tuition for my daughter's dance lessons.  It's a lot of money, but it's so difficult to say "no" when I see how much she loves dance.  She started in ballet when she was in kindergarten.  The dance studio is like a second home to her.  I can't bring myself to take that away from her.

Of course, my wife and I have adjusted our budget to include the dance lessons.  But there's no wiggle room.  If an unexpected expense crops up, we go into a monetary tail spin for a few weeks.  This morning was the beginning of one of those spins.

During the night, I experienced a health problem.  While recovering, I discovered that our toilet was plugged.  As I plunged and plunged and plunged, I started hearing the drain in the bathtub making ominous coughing and gurgling sounds.  Then the kitchen sink started backing up.  I knew the problem was a little more involved than a plugged toilet bowl.  Our sewer was plugged.

To make a long story short:  this evening, our sewer line is clear, and our bank account is $125 lighter. 

Money is always a constant stress in our household.  That and Tea Party Republicans.  We struggle, like every other middle class family in the United States.  The winter is coming, and the heating bills are going to start climbing to painfully high amounts.  Costume payments are coming due at the dance studio.  My daughter's birthday.  Christmas.  Braces.  Car repairs.

I dream of a job, a single job, that will pay all our bills and leave a little extra in the bank.  I'm not asking for much.  All I want is a cushion.  Enough so that, if our sewer backs up, I don't have to beg my family for help.

Saint Marty doesn't think that's too much to ask.  Saint Marty also thinks that universal health care is a good thing and being called "liberal" is a compliment.

NOTE:  I was going to use a picture of a backed-up sewer, but every image made me physically sick.