Batten Down the Hatches

This post is for my posterity. Maybe not that far ahead. Maybe it's just for me to breathe a sigh of relief when I look back on it in a few months. A victory moment for sure.

The things that went awry with our move also took away our financial cushion, about $1,000. We've tightened our belts so that when September 1st rolls around we'll have about $50 after we cover our financial obligations.

But that $50 has to last us all through September because Jake doesn't get paid until the end of it.

That's right, almost October.

And by tightening our belts, I mean not spending anything at all. And by $50, I mean to our name(s) (yes, checking and savings combine). It's a little scary, and I try not to think about it. I don't even want to drive anywhere because gas takes that much more out of our little net worth, but we have people to see and things to celebrate, and I wouldn't miss them. I've been distracting myself with thinking about/researching MFA programs, and putting books/cds/movies on reserve at the library. I'm totally trying out Jillian Michaels's 30 Day Shred - when it's my turn to pick it up from the library of course. I could potentially have a hotter body before we get paid. Holy Smokes! And I'm looking forward to it, considering I weigh as much as I did the day I had Cora.

I've been trying to look at the positives (you know, without thinking about it too much), like I'm glad we won't be $50 in the red, hopefully. And how things like this make one industrious. We played in mud all morning. Mud is fun. And I'm glad it's Way Back Wednesday at the Zoo, so we can have a family fun day for $2. And glad that it's a bit cooler out, so fun and outside can go together. And air is free, except that while Jake attempted to fill up his bike tires, our air pump broke, but not before Josephine's tires were fully inflated. I've missed that girl. I wasn't going to ride her in Winter in Chicago, and when it warmed up, I was about to burst with baby. It had been a while, but she forgave me.

And glad that everyday Magnolia is getting chunkier and Cora is getting smarter. And Jake is getting sweeter. And our home is getting cozier, and our front porch is getting more use. And we're meeting neighbors who are inviting us to things and bringing us cookies. And I saw one of my old students (a favorite for sure) drive past today. He's a senior this year. I hope he's thinking about college.

It's hard to start somewhere without a cushion, but at least it's a place we know. And we know that this is a temporary predicament, as uncomfortable as it may be. So here's to the end of September getting here soon, and to not being so worried about our bank account that we forget about the business of living until it arrives.

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