My last month has been a whirlwind of stress.
At one point I was worried my car was broken and needed thousands of dollars in repairs. Thankfully, we discovered that I had a broken belt and a clogged catalytic converter. After three hundred dollars in parts and labor fees, I was just relieved that I could afford the damages. Still, this left me three hundred dollars poorer than I already was this last month. That can be hard for anyone, let alone someone like myself who is barely classifiable as middle class. With that said, I have to acknowledge the privilege that comes with having any status akin to my own. You don’t have to be rich or even close to rich to be considered as better off than the vast majority of the population. I have only been able to survive by keeping a savings account. Years ago I told myself I needed to put aside money out of every paycheck, even if I was strapped and could only afford a single dollar. It’s a great mindset to have, because you get in the habit of putting away money every single week in whatever increments that you can reasonably afford. When my air conditioner stopped working shortly after my vehicle repairs, I was saved from going without indoor climate control because of my diligent saving habits. Even though it totally drained what was left of my savings account, I had just enough money left to afford a new air conditioner. I’m lucky that I managed to find a great price on an otherwise expensive HVAC system after getting quotes from all over this part of the state. I talked to 24 different HVAC suppliers before I found the right price.