Getting By, Still

Posted on October 17, 2025 by cordeliasmom2012

It was the best pizza ever!

Well, not really – but because it had been many months since we ordered any kind of takeout, I especially enjoyed the pizza that hubby treated me to yesterday.  We really can’t afford it, but damn it made my day.

I bet I enjoyed that pizza more than all those oligarchs enjoyed their recent McCavier dinner at the White House.

Such a simple thing to bring so much joy into the life of this struggling senior citizen.

An additional high note was that this week I was able to pay all the monthly bills (even the newly increased mortgage payment) and had over $100 left!  Of course, that was only because the weather has been mild, requiring neither heating nor air conditioning.  Next month, the utility bills will increase due to colder weather and while I may be able to avoid dipping into savings, there’s unlikely to be anything left over.

[Deep breath]

Anyway.

We’re managing, just.  I did have to cancel a CT scan my doctor ordered because I couldn’t afford the out-of-pocket expense, but I’m ok with that since it was merely to rule out potential problems that probably don’t exist anyway.  If I die soon as a result of not having that CT, I’ll be sure to let you all know.

Next week, we’ll have the dubious joy of meeting with our insurance  broker to choose next year’s Medicare Advantage plan.  As far as I can tell, there are only 3 insurance companies that include my doctors and hospitals in their networks, one of which recently priced themselves right out of my budget (and unfortunately it’s the one I currently use).

But at least I can look forward to getting out of the house and speaking with someone other than my spouse and my dog.  That’s good, right?

And speaking of get-togethers (I was, wasn’t I? Hard to remember these days.), I’m happy to report that my entire family has agreed to a no-gifts Christmas this year.  In fact, a couple of the kids expressed relief to be able to avoid the stress of picking out, and paying for, gifts that no one really needs anyhow.  It will be much nicer to enjoy our family holiday without having to rush through dinner just to open gifts.

(but I do love gifts, both giving and receiving – we just can’t afford it any more)

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On another note –

I’ve recently noticed an uptick in my reader views (yes, I do occasionally still pay attention to those stats!).

Thank you to all those new (?) readers.  I hope you’re finding my posts entertaining and maybe even uplifting.  If you’re really, really enjoying my writing efforts, you can hire me (see the tab at the top of this page), or if you’re feeling generous and have the funds, I’ll gladly accept monetary gifts (just email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com to discuss).

I’m ever the optimist.

Happy Friday, all.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Image by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio

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Sinking Slowly

Posted on October 2, 2025 by cordeliasmom2012

Not dead in the water yet, but definitely floundering.

Expenses keep rising, but income doesn’t.  These days, that’s true for many of us.

I was so happy when at the end of most months, I had about $120 left over from my Social Security check.  I prided myself on my exceptional budgeting skills.  In fact, in months when the weather was mild and the utility bills low, I was actually able to put some money into the savings account!

But then the real estate taxes went up, the homeowners insurance increased (because the value of the house increased – that should be a good thing, right?), and therefore my mortgage payment rose by $135 a month.

And of course, the cost of the Medicare Advantage plans is increasing for 2026, meaning my premium will rise by about $60 a month while most of the benefits are being trimmed and the yearly out-of-pocket cost will be raised by about $3,000.

I’m imagining that the manufacturer of my Remicade will find a way to increase those prices, too, considering the tariffs that are being imposed on medicines.  And, of course, I will have to pay 20% of that additional cost on top of the $360 amonth that I’m already paying for Remicade.

All those additional costs will have to come out of the rapidly dwindling savings account.

So, I started looking for any kind of programs that would help with the monthly expenses. And found nothing,  because, hey, who really gives a damn about  struggling senior citizens?

I did get a little excited when I researched the town website and learned that my household would qualify for a low- or no-cost home improvement loan to pay for the new back roof.  Which loan could be deferred until such time as the house is sold.  I figured it would be an awesome way to keep that $10,000 in the savings account so it could be used towards all those aforementioned medical expenses.

The very nice lady in the town department which handles the program confirmed our ability to qualify and confirmed that any funds awarded could be used for a roof.  Woo-hoo!

But then she relayed the bad news – there is a 2-1/2 year waiting list and there are a couple of hundred people ahead of us on that list.

We can’t wait 2-1/2 years for the roof.  Goodbye to a good chunk of our minimal savings.

I did get us added to the home improvement loan waiting list because I’m sure something house-related will need repair in the next 3 years – and at least we’ll  be a little closer to the top of that list.

Sigh.

Hubby and I will get by as usual, somehow.  My biggest regret is that I am unable to help out those family members who have recently lost jobs and are struggling, too.  (And truth be told, I’m just selfish enough to regret that those family members can’t help me, either.)

Kinda sucky in the USA these days, isn’t it?

But at least I’m not a government employee being told I have to keep working without a paycheck.  Or a government employee who’s been furloughed and may be fired.  Nor am I among the recently unemployed-through-no-fault-of-their-own who are all competing with each other for the few jobs available, none of which are likely to be in their chosen career fields.

Could be worse, right? 

Let’s just hope it doesn’t actually get worse.

Hang in there, everyone.

And if anyone is doing better than the rest of us and wants to contribute to my sinking finances, you can contact me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com. I’ll take whatever help I can get.

Hugs, all.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Image by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio (photo taken of original oil painting by Jamie)

 

 

 

 

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Economics 2025

Posted on September 10, 2025 by cordeliasmom2012

Yes, there are advantages to having been financially challenged my entire life.

I know how to budget.  I know how to stretch that increasingly devalued dollar.  I know how to be content with the basic necessities of life.  I’ve learned to be satisfied with the need to forego all those little luxuries that so many other people take for granted.

When my children were small, I was ecstatic if I had $10 left at the end of the month.  Forty or so years later, I’m even happier if I can break even – which, thanks to Medicare co-pays and deductibles (20% for my Remicade infusions!), almost never happens.  Each month, I’m forced to dip into my small savings by several hundred dollars to meet those medical expenses.

But thanks to my historically struggling finances, I’ve also learned to adapt.  Sudden economic crises, while still annoying and upsetting, seldom give me heart palpitations like they did when I first entered adulthood.

For instance –

We thought we were done putting money into our home (doesn’t everyone always hope for that?).

But then a visitor arrived and a corner of the bottom step of the front porch broke off.  Thankfully, there were no injuries; the visitor was limber and didn’t fall.  However, the incident forced us to face reality – both the front and side porches were really, really old, poorly constructed in the first place, and about to collapse.  In order to avoid potential injuries – and potential lawsuits – both would need replacement NOW.

Fortunately, we were able to find a contractor who did the work beautifully for a price that came in well below what we expected – but that cost still had to come out of our savings.

Were we done now?

Surely, you know better.

We had the main roof on the house torn off and replaced several years ago, but there’s an extension that has a rubber roof which is probably 20 (or more) years old.  That rubber roof, while holding at the moment, is making us a little nervous.  So that cost will also have to come out of our savings.  So far, the estimates for just that little rubber roof are coming in at the same price we paid for the entire main roof five years ago, and the cost is likely to be even higher if we have to wait until the warmer spring weather.

Thank you to the current U.S. administration.  Those of us who aren’t billionaires or trillionaires are seriously struggling.  But that’s ok – glitter in the White House is so very important, isn’t it?

The family is going to really hate me come Christmas time, when I tell them all that there will be no presents this year.

Or maybe they won’t hate me.  They’re also facing financial struggles caused by the current economy.  Some have even lost their jobs.  But like me, they know how to deal with it.

We will all survive.  I suspect it will be tougher and tougher over the next few years, but somehow we’ll get through it.

Maybe one of us will win the lottery and bail everyone else out.  Wouldn’t that be lovely?

Hugs to all my loyal readers.  How’s it by you?

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Image by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio

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Well, That Was A Short Lifetime

Posted on July 21, 2025 by cordeliasmom2012

We bought the house cheap because it was an estate sale, and it had only been owned by one family over its entire 75+ years of existence.

Of course, that meant the house needed major updating.  One of the first orders of business was replacing the old windows, many of which didn’t even work.  We already knew which window installer to use because we had replaced windows at our previous house and were happy with that company (which company had also been recommended by friends who had used it for their homes).

The new windows came with a “lifetime warranty” from the manufacturer, as well as an additional 5-year warranty from the installation company.  Sounds good, right?

Recently, the internal balance mechanism failed on one of the windows and while we can still open the window, it won’t stay up.  We contacted the installation company to arrange the repair.

And guess what?  We’re past the 5-year period covered by the local warranty, and the window manufacturer has gone out of business, thereby invalidating the lifetime warranty.

Once again, I figured we were screwed.

Surprisingly, the local installation company was able to locate the replacement parts, which they will install, but we have to pay a service call fee as well as the cost of the parts – probably a couple of hundred dollars in total.

Still, that’s cheaper than having to replace the entire window, which I guess would be the only other option if the replacement parts were no longer available.  I’d hate to think how much a new window might cost at today’s tariff- and inflation-driven prices.

Hopefully I’m not jinxing myself when I say that it seems we have somehow managed to handle this mini-crisis.

And yes, I realize how insensitive it is to worry about a defective, but still operable, window, when so many people elsewhere in the country are dealing with real house-related issues (like losing an entire home, and in many cases losing family members, in a flood or fire).  My heart goes out to all those folks, and I will end here on that sad and humbling note.

Hugs, all.

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I love to hear from my readers. You may comment on this post or email me at cordeliasmom2012@yahoo.com
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Image by Cordelia’s Mom/TeddyRosalieStudio

 

Posted in Household Items, That's Life | Tagged , , , , , | 11 Comments