Saving up is hard to do. I'm spending every dollar I have after the holidays to move Kelly here next week, then we have to move again in two months to a larger place. And I have more than a grand to pay in taxes. And I just got hospital & doctor bills totaling nearly three grand, with another five grand looming in possible medical bills. I don't even have a mortgage or kids yet and already I feel buried under life's expenses. I feel bad complaining when friends have worse debts and worse problems right now, but it still feels like I can't come up for air.


Ten Replies to Bill$

Amy Austin | January 25, 2008
In my best Bill Clinton tone, Scott... I feel your pain. ;-)

I know you want to move Kelly there as soon as possible -- I'm guessing the wheels are probably already irreversibly in motion -- but is there any reason why you couldn't/didn't plan your two moves simultaneously???

It's so scary how easy it is to be devastated by a hospital trip. I have been *very* lucky in that, as a military dependent, my emergency visit when I wrecked E's car didn't cost us a few grand. And ten years before that, when another crash/head injury put me in the ER, I was "lucky" enough to be unemployed! That way, I was covered as an "indigent" -- if I'd had even a minimum wage job, I'd have had another few thousand to pay!!!

This being the major issue that it is, part of me thinks that Michael Moore's latest will get the award... but I chose to go along with you on that one. I *might* feel differently if I'd actually seen it -- I don't know -- but I do think it's probably worth seeing, at least.

Oscars aside, I hope all this other crap will sort itself out in a way that lets you see the light at the end of the tunnel! Please let me know where/how you'd like to receive that donation I mentioned -- I was serious! -- by PayPal maybe? And I might very well be interested in setting up a site on your server, too -- "personally" at first, and then perhaps a bit down the road as a paying "business" guest. (I have a *whole lot* to learn about building a site first... can I choose any domain name that isn't "taken"??? I really am interested -- let me know!!!)

Denise Sawicki | January 25, 2008
It definitely sucks that all the things people *have* to pay for are so expensive... makes it difficult to justify buying anything just because one *wants* to. Or maybe that's just my twisted take on things. I feel for you.

Lori Lancaster | January 25, 2008
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Anna Gregoline | January 27, 2008
Even without kids, life's bills add up. I know you feel, Scott. That money pressure is the worse feeling in the world (debt consolidation was the best thing to happen to us - except for a future house payment, I never want to be in debt again - EVER). I'm sorry you're feeling that pressure. Soon Kelly will probably be working to help pay bills though, right?

Lori Lancaster | January 27, 2008
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Anna Gregoline | January 28, 2008
? Lori, honestly, I don't know why you think I'm antagonising you simply by speaking. I wasn't trying to fight with you at all. You're reading my words as snarky when none is intended, and I wish you would stop viewing me as your enemy. I thought we put this all behind us? I don't have any grudge against you.

Lori Lancaster | January 28, 2008
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Aaron Shurtleff | January 29, 2008
I totally second the donation idea! I would love to give back to the site in a more substantial way than annoying people with my bad Rock Block playing, and promising to make a few GOOs which never materialize (they're coming!).

But, seriously, (and not that I'm not serious about donating) I know what you mean (sort of...different bills, same results), and it gets more managable with time. It doesn't seem like that now, but you'll see.

Kelly Lee | January 29, 2008
Welcome to my life Scott...:P Though I'm in debt cause of college which did nothing for me, and no high paying jobs in Springfield. That last paycheck I'll get when Imovethough should help our problems I hope..it has two weeks plus my vacation balence.

Jackie Mason | February 2, 2008
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Logical Operator

The creator of Funeratic, Scott Hardie, blogs about running this site, losing weight, and other passions including his wife Kelly, his friends, movies, gaming, and Florida. Read more »

When Anxieties Attack

It feels weird to write about a fairly minor health incident in my life after someone else on this site just went through a major crisis. But people have been asking since Kelly's cryptic Facebook comment on Tuesday morning and I guess I should explain. I had been working every night last week on a project for work and getting a couple of hours of sleep each night, which turned into an all-weekend thing, and the avalanche of tasks didn't stop when the site launched early Monday morning. Go »

How to Get on My Bad Side

Sign me up for information about lap band surgery, using my work email address and work phone number. I've been getting calls from various hospitals since last week. At first I thought it was my friend and co-worker Aaron (not Shurtleff), since he has a mischievous sense of humor, but he denies it. Go »

Scott's Car is Dead; Long Live Scott's Car

Is it a reflection of our road-rage culture that a company named Dodge manufactures cars with violent names like Ram, Magnum, Caliber, and Viper? I pondered this at the dealership yesterday during the eternal wait between brief flurries of document-signing so I could buy my first car. It took some doing to get the sunroof and other features I wanted, but I'm now the happy (and relieved) owner of a 2007 Dodge Caliber SXT. Go »

WGW: If It's Good Enough for Dan Marino, It's Good Enough for Me

This is more like Weight-Gain Wednesday after a week and a half with Kelly, bouncing around Sarasota restaurants and Disney World. No matter how many thousands of calories I burned walking around that theme park for three days, I'm sure I consumed twice as many, and that was just in fudge from the Main Street Confectionery. Now that I'm back and I've done some very scientific research – asking a friend whether she hated one – I have chosen NutriSystem over Medifast as the exclusive supplier of my every meal. Go »

A Friend Received This Fortune in His Fortune Cookie

"Wow! A secret message from your teeth." Go »

What's Funnier Than a Heart Attack?

Everything, but especially finding out that it's not a heart attack. The pain started after I finished my usual Tuesday dinner with my mom at 8pm. I stood up to leave, and stiffness shot up my back and across my chest. Go »