The check engine light came on 3 days before my daughter's tuition was due

I heard a guy at the gas station in Topeka tell his buddy that being broke is just a mindset and I almost lost it. My check engine light came on Monday and the quote to fix it was $1,150, then my daughter's final tuition payment for the semester is due Thursday. That's not a mindset problem, that's a math problem where the numbers don't line up no matter how positive you think. People who say money stress is all about attitude have clearly never had to choose between a working car and their kid's education. I've skipped lunches, sold an old chainsaw, and still came up $400 short. Does anyone else get tired of hearing folks who've never missed a bill tell you to just budget better, or is it just me? What do you do when the emergency fund was already spent on the last emergency? Has anyone else had to pick which bill fails this month?

1 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In

1 Comment

ben66218d ago

A guy in Topeka saying that is like a guy with a boat telling you to just swim more. My own version of your week was a $287 water heater repair the same Tuesday my truck needed two new tires, and my emergency fund was about as full as a gas tank on empty. When the last emergency eats the fund, you just rank the bills by which one hurts the least to miss, call the school and ask for a short plan, and let the check engine light ride a few more days. A light on the dash is cheaper than a hold on your kid's classes.

5