(no subject)
I often fret about money and finances; one of the burdens of being the keeper of the budget in the household is knowing how much money (or how little) at any given time. The fretting gets especially hectic when a lot of expenditures come at once, especially unforeseen ones. Like right now, we've got a showerhead that needs replacing (and that we'll probably have to downgrade), and a con registration that we were hoping to put off until February or March. Normally no biggie, but we're trying to pay off the TV and keep up with the heating bills. We're not broke - we've got a buffer, and all the bills and groceries and such are accounted for - but it means we have to give up the sundry little luxuries for a bit, like buying a new game or movie or book.
And then tonight, I get my W-2, and I discover that instead of the ~$1500 we've been getting back in taxes for the last couple of years, we're only going to be getting maybe $250 back... maybe. If things shift in the other direction much, we might end up owing. Don't know yet, and we don't know how the state tax will play out. My raise has kicked me up into a slightly higher tax bracket, and it's changed things a bit.
So, the end result is, times are tight. I don't generally budget Z's paychecks, and her art commissions are unpredictable for the most part, so that's all extra income, but based on what I make, times are tight. We'll keep our head above water, though. Strangely, though, I'm not terribly stressed. Oh, there's the vague, general stress of uncertainty - that's a constant - but I also know that we'll make it through. We've been through worse times together, and we've been through better ones. That was kinda part of the marriage agreement. ^_^ Seriously, though, we have each other, we have our family, we have our friends, and we have our faith. Sometimes it's hard to let things not bother you, especially when you're a neurotic worrywort like I can be, but for the moment, I feel at peace.
And then tonight, I get my W-2, and I discover that instead of the ~$1500 we've been getting back in taxes for the last couple of years, we're only going to be getting maybe $250 back... maybe. If things shift in the other direction much, we might end up owing. Don't know yet, and we don't know how the state tax will play out. My raise has kicked me up into a slightly higher tax bracket, and it's changed things a bit.
So, the end result is, times are tight. I don't generally budget Z's paychecks, and her art commissions are unpredictable for the most part, so that's all extra income, but based on what I make, times are tight. We'll keep our head above water, though. Strangely, though, I'm not terribly stressed. Oh, there's the vague, general stress of uncertainty - that's a constant - but I also know that we'll make it through. We've been through worse times together, and we've been through better ones. That was kinda part of the marriage agreement. ^_^ Seriously, though, we have each other, we have our family, we have our friends, and we have our faith. Sometimes it's hard to let things not bother you, especially when you're a neurotic worrywort like I can be, but for the moment, I feel at peace.
