Yes, I’ve been reading the threads. I’m horrified at the notion of people who currently have no extra funds taking on $80,000 or more in student-loan debt. I’m frugal and can afford to pay down my HELOC at approximately $200 per month, but life happens. Here are a few “nonessential” expenses of mine from the past month or so.
Fixing leaking toilet: $121
Gift to friend who is unemployed: $400 for airfare so she can visit her child
Vet visit for dog with an ailment: $250
Windshield wiper repair: ??? (the car has an appointment next week)
How about you? What expenses have you had that could interfere with best-laid financial plans?
Well, not being employed in spite of being hired in Feb of SR year threw S for a loop. It wasn’t until 12 months after he graduated that he was allowed to attend orientation and start the job he was hired to do.
For me, not getting grant funding has meant that I’m basically supporting my nonprofit instead of it supporting me.
Oh yea, having to go to doctors our of state has cost us thousands of dollars–unreimbursed by insurance. Sadly, we have to go where the docs are and exhausted local talent.
Getting crowns on our teeth and wisdom teeth extracted are also pricey and weren’t in any budget.
Replace damaged double paned wood windows: Proably 4-6 K;
Sand, re-scrape, stain damaged wood floors: 8K
Replace brake pads in car, regular service appt. : $475.00
Pay electric bill of elderly indigent relative in arrears: $629
Medical bills for daughter: $800
Replace worn tires for other daughter: $250
Replace roof damaged by hailstorms: Probably 15K (big house, high deductible)
Replace front landscaping that died after a few hard freezes: Don’t want to think about
Fix leak in shower: $150
Replace damaged tiles from leak in shower: $100
When I was just starting out, back in the Middle Ages, I created a budget. I was earning $7,500 a year. After about four months, I realized that every single month there was some unanticipated, one-time expense. Then I adjusted my budget to account for that unanticipated expense. Life happens.
We have replaced multiple things in H’s car over the past 2 years–radiator, transmission, tires, brakes, shocks, and a ton of other things totaling maybe $15K.
Yes, it would also really impact the ability of a young person to save for retirement. We want our kids saving for retirement, the earlier the better. Money being used to pay off loans isn’t being invested for their retirements!
Emergency room visit: $2000 out of pocket
Replacing nasty old carpet that really should have been replaced when we moved in five years ago: $3000. Ok, this one is technically optional but that carpet is gross.
Replacing dead microwave: $200
Replacing two worn out tires on S’s car (2009 Honda Accord): $500
Replacing cracked iPhone screen: $90
But now that I did, I’ll mention the time when my husband and I carefully planned to buy new cars three years apart to avoid having to spend a lot in one year. I bought my car. A few months later, he totaled his and needed a new one.
Well, these aren’t want to pay expenses but in the last month for surprise expenses:
$150 for a new microwave
$200 speeding ticket
$450 unexpected medical issue
$$$ a few thousand for upcoming summer vacation for 4
$$ too much to replace food that went bad when we lost power for a couple of days in march
Still to come:
$$? to fix the backsplash under the microwave since the new one is an inch shorter than the old over the range model.
$$? More medical to be determined after results from this month’s procedure
$$? Painting the garage and having the drywall seams fixed that are looking pretty bad
It does seem odd that some posters “find it to be the norm not the exception” or “common in their peer group” to take on $80,000 of debt for undergraduate study. Average student loan debt loads for undergraduate study are nowhere near that high, even in high debt states like NH and PA.
