eyes on the road!
Yeah, so, ah… yesterday’s query about how long I could go this week without spending money fell flat the minute I realized I had to buy laundry detergent and get money for the laundry machines. And since I had no cash, I used cash back at a register when I bought the detergent. AND since they only gave out money in $20 increments at the register (I HATE that!), I got $20 in addition to the amount the detergent cost instead of the $10 I actually needed. Then since I needed to break the $20, I went to the Wa.Wa to break it. I bought a toasted pretzel (I love Philadelphia) and a Snickers bar (just in case I’d need it later!) THEN, my friend came to the laundromat since she knew I was going to be there.
She suggested a trip around the corner to the Wa.Wa, so we took a little walk. This woman, my best friend, walks up to the ATM and tries not one, but two cards unsuccessfully, and we walked out. Hey, I was talking, not halfway paying attention, so it wasn’t until we were outside that I noticed she hadn’t bought anything. I asked her if she needed something, and she said her son needed P.ull Ups and she was trying to get money for that. I bought her some diapers - by the time she got to the store, she said she’d rather have those because they last longer, and she can’t afford the P.ull Ups as much as the diapers. She was low on funds because her brother needed a loan til the end of this week. But I wish she had some money stashed away for times like these. But with a fiscally irresponsible boyfriend, bills, credit problems, and a growing boy, how can I tell her: "Start a savings cushion! Right Now! Today!" Sometimes you get caught up in things in life that make saving difficult. It was like that in college, where sometimes I just didn’t have it to put to the side. That’s where she is now. She just doesn’t have it, according to her (there are things she can cut out, but I don’t think she’s ready to give them up, since she already feels like she’s sacrificing so much). If her eyes were on the road, she’d see that one day, at this rate, some pediatrician co-pay or car maintenance or electric bill is going to be the back-breaking straw, and she needs a savings cushion.
Anyway, that’s where my money went, and even though the diapers weren’t expected, I should’ve had my eyes on the road enough to anticipate the costs of doing laundry and not say something short-sighted like, "let’s see if I can get to the weekend without spending anything," before getting the laundry done…
