Nov 15, 2008

This is why we have an emergency fund

This was written on Friday evening, and I've added an update at the bottom.

When it rains, it pours, the saying goes, and it's certainly been true this week!

On Tuesday evening, I discovered a pool of water in the cabinet underneath the kitchen sink, so much of Wednesday was taken up with the plumber.

Yesterday evening, I slammed the top of my left foot into an inconveniently placed firetruck so hard that for the first hour or two, I was afraid I'd broken it. The pain even woke me up half an hour early today, and I nearly fell over when I first got out of bed. Fortunately, it's gotten much better throughout the day and I expect to be pretty much healed by the end of the weekend.

But today, when I went to start the car, the battery was dead. So I had to take the car to the dealership, and then walk home. It's a good thing my foot was feeling better, and that I can work from home.

The bright spot in all of this is that LIFE IS STILL GOOD. Money was never a concern, because we have an emergency fund. Even though the plumber and mechanic were unexpected (and substantial) expenses, paying for their services puts no strain on us financially. And today was the perfect example of why I've been a AAA member for 20 years: as soon as I realized the engine wasn't going to start, I called AAA and someone arrived within 20 minutes to jump start the car. The annual fee is well worth the peace of mind.

Finally, this is a little off-topic, but please join me in congratulating Jennifer at Joy of Frugal Living on becoming debt-free! And also say a prayer for her that her fourth pregnancy will turn out to be her keeper. Thanks!

Update from Saturday morning: I went to Ralphs to pick up some extra weekly circulars for the pharmacy coupon, and to do my grocery shopping for the week. I do the bulk of my grocery shopping at Trader Joe's, and carefully plan my Ralphs trips to maximize coupons and sale prices. I'd spent half an hour walking the aisles, and was ordering at the deli counter when the power went out.

Their emergency generator kicked in, but apparently it only generates a minimal amount of power, and after five minutes, it was clear the power wasn't coming back on. So I left the deli counter and headed over to a checkout line, because cashiers were still ringing people up. Or trying to, anyway. After five to ten minutes of waiting in line and not having it move, I wheeled my cart over to the manager so he could have someone shelve the perishables and left.

I wanted to cry over losing 45 minutes of "me" time (Marc took the boys out this morning), but everything was put back in perspective for me when I got home and turned on the TV to news coverage of the huge wildfire in Sylmar. As I was watching, fires started in Corona and Palos Verdes. Please join me in praying for the safety of the firefighters, and the physical, mental and fiscal well-being of all those affected. I think they said 10,000 people have been evacuated so far, and an entire trailer park has been destroyed.

2 comments:

Kacie said...

Oh man, sorry to hear all of that! What a pain. I'm glad you have your emergency fund ready.

If your foot doesn't heal quickly, don't hesitate to go to the doctor!

Anonymous said...

Wow, sounds like we had opposite weeks Cathy, I'm so sorry to hear it. I hope next week is better and your foot feels much better. Definitely praying for those near the fires.

Thanks so much for your links and well wishes. I REALLY appreciate the support. I'll keep everyone posted - so far so good.

Jennifer