I managed to slowly plug away and get taxes done over the weekend and while I am happy they are done, it is a hard decision on what to do with our refund this year. Usually we have a good idea on what it needs to go to but this year there are several things riding on it that we are toying with the ideas but not yet really sure where to place it. One thing for sure, is this is not the year I will get my dream of breaking it up into 12 months to help boost our monthly income.
We will be getting back $6,900 this year and the one thing for sure that is on the list is a washer and dryer. Where health is concerned, washing by hand or the Laundry Matt is just not practical right now so this is where convenience wins out over practicality. It will also help in the area where the kids will able to do their own laundry, where it will not fall on me or hubby.
Of course I would like to buy a house and could do so as I have found several in small towns near here between the $5,000 and $10,000 range again, not sure this would be the best at this time.
With everything going on, it would be wise to make my end of life arrangements and pay for them so hubby does not have to worry about this if my outcome does not end well. Nothing fancy of course, but should be looked into. Although if it was up to me, we have a perfectly good burning barrel in our back yard! However I am not sure if I want to do this yet because it seems final and that I am accepting this outcome which I am not!
One of the big decisions would be to think seriously about trading in our gas guzzling bronco that gets 12 miles to the gallon for a more gas friendly vehicle that will be able to get us back and forth for all the hospital visits 30 miles away that will be coming up. With the trade in of the bronco and the cash from the refund, this would be quite doable.
Of course as a splurge, a kindle fire is on the table for thought, after all I can not do with being bored if I do end up with over night stays at a hospital. Boredom is a sure fire recipe for utter and complete insanity for me!
Of course there is also always holding onto the money so that we can plan several fun weekend things such as camping, museums, indoor water parks and what have you in order to build a lot of good memories in between the bad ones for this year.
Before all this came up it would have been a house, hands down, no questions but of course since my diagnosis, that all has changed. I am sure what ever we end up deciding will be the right decision for us to do!
Oh and I WILL be getting some new PJ bottoms that are not falling off of me to compensate for the weight I have been losing! Can't go anywhere with my Pj's around my ankles!
Any grand plans with your refund this year?
We will be getting back $6,900 this year and the one thing for sure that is on the list is a washer and dryer. Where health is concerned, washing by hand or the Laundry Matt is just not practical right now so this is where convenience wins out over practicality. It will also help in the area where the kids will able to do their own laundry, where it will not fall on me or hubby.
Of course I would like to buy a house and could do so as I have found several in small towns near here between the $5,000 and $10,000 range again, not sure this would be the best at this time.
With everything going on, it would be wise to make my end of life arrangements and pay for them so hubby does not have to worry about this if my outcome does not end well. Nothing fancy of course, but should be looked into. Although if it was up to me, we have a perfectly good burning barrel in our back yard! However I am not sure if I want to do this yet because it seems final and that I am accepting this outcome which I am not!
One of the big decisions would be to think seriously about trading in our gas guzzling bronco that gets 12 miles to the gallon for a more gas friendly vehicle that will be able to get us back and forth for all the hospital visits 30 miles away that will be coming up. With the trade in of the bronco and the cash from the refund, this would be quite doable.
Of course as a splurge, a kindle fire is on the table for thought, after all I can not do with being bored if I do end up with over night stays at a hospital. Boredom is a sure fire recipe for utter and complete insanity for me!
Of course there is also always holding onto the money so that we can plan several fun weekend things such as camping, museums, indoor water parks and what have you in order to build a lot of good memories in between the bad ones for this year.
Before all this came up it would have been a house, hands down, no questions but of course since my diagnosis, that all has changed. I am sure what ever we end up deciding will be the right decision for us to do!
Oh and I WILL be getting some new PJ bottoms that are not falling off of me to compensate for the weight I have been losing! Can't go anywhere with my Pj's around my ankles!
Any grand plans with your refund this year?
A lot of decisions to make!
ReplyDeleteGenerally, the cheapest car to own is the one you already have. I understand about improving the gas mileage, but if the Bronco is dependable, it may be best to keep it for now.
I second the washer and dryer! Those two appliances rate high on my list.
Building memories and having a place of your own are both so important. Maybe having a family discussion will help put it all into perspective.
As far as making arrangements, that's a smart thing for everyone to do. We joined the People's Memorial Society. For $15, we have a lifetime membership. They contract with places in your area to offer the lowest cost, affordable choices. Here in Washington, cremation will cost us about $600. It's actually a relief having this in place.
Best of luck with all your decisions!
For now our bronco is reliable but has something like 220,000 miles so question how much longer reliability will last. But yeah I am sure we will figure out where best to put it this year :)
DeleteWhen my son died at age 21 several years ago, the cremation costs were $1500 in upper New York state. When my parents died in FLorida, cremation was a little less than that. The funeral homes try to get you to buy all sorts of services, but they are not necessary. They really want you to buy an urn, but you can just get the cremains in a cardboard box and then use your own container. You do have to pay for extra copies of death certificates which are needed for paperwork purposes. If either your husband or you die before your youngest is eighteen, the kids get social security, if the parent has worked four or five years in the Social Security system.
ReplyDeleteDont buy a car yet. They are one of the worst investments. Each trip to the hospital will be less than $20. Ask your husband to change his withholding from the IRS. $6900 is way to much to have the government borrow for almost a year. Thats roughly $ 140 a week that they withheld. You change it by increasing your number of dependents. It is legal and most people do it so that they don't get a refund. the washer and dryer sounds like a good idea. Have you evertried getting onethrough Freecycle? A lot of hospitals haveused books for sale forpennies intheir gift shop. You can also ask your relatives to pick up some used books on their way to visit you. then,theres always the library. Target has some nice PJ bottoms on sale now. Ann
Nutbird, we are exempt from taxes, we pay nothing in federal and only pay social security and state. The reason our refund is high is the government stipedend for earned income credit that we have 2 qualifying children for.
DeleteHi Carrie,
ReplyDeletePraying for a miracle for you! A washer and dryer are definitely a necessity for you, but don't buy new ones! I've always bought used ones and they are fine. My current ones I bought 10 years ago for $50 each. And they get a lot of use! Look on Craigslist. I agree some quality family time - a vacation to make some memories - would be lovely too.
God bless you! Annie