CD 4

We have our monthly budget all set up Dave Ramsey style. Hooray! All our extra money is going toward two medical bills. It is not gonna be pretty squeezing out Christmas, but we can do it. My sister is up in arms. "How can you spend only 400.00 on Christmas?"

Sometimes I think I obsess about money. But I feel that it can never be too far from your thoughts when you are infertile. Because honestly, sometimes money is the difference between getting the baby you are dreaming of and well, not. It's the difference between levels of treatment, what doctor you see, and how often how many children you have.

This is an excerpt of the emails my sister and I were sending yesterday. We'll see how I do copy and pasting and editing out names and email addresses. I've never tried this before. It might not work.


> what are you giving mom for xmas? how are you going to stick to a 400 budget?
>


Well, we did well at Ulta, getting 196 dollars worth of stuff for 36
> dollars. Plus, we have 40%off day at EDIT coming. I have 100
> dollars to spend there. So that is really like having 140 dollars.
> Mr. Mostly thinks if we shop carefully we can get about 1,000 dollars
> worth of stuff for 400.
>
> It's no fun, but if we have to use injectible medications they can
> run about 400 bucks a month.(I think? It's hard to tell what is and is not covered by our insurance. I know it can cost 1,000s) So we have to save our money in case
> that happens.
>
> Any money we have left at the end of our budgeted month can also be
> spent. So since I have a 400 dollar a month grocery budget, if I
> spend 300 this month I could have that too. I have a 50 dollar a
> month co-pay budget so since I have three appointments this month
> and not one a week like last month, etc etc.
>
> I think it is hardest because I love shopping for you. But I
> know what everyone wants most of all is a baby, and our money is
> better spent saving for that.
>
> So I will shop carefully and hopefully we can have a jolly and cheap
> Christmas.
>
> I don't know what I will get for Mom. Since she is the most
> materialistic, I will probably buy her gift last when I know other
> people are done. Mr. Mostly's sister is done, edit is done, edit is
> done. We are getting his Mom a book.
> ----- Original Message ----


you guys can ride my train and put your names on things i have for
> mom. that's very cool about ulta. good savings! sticking to a budget
> is a good thing. i'm working on my budget while i'm at lunch. i've
> got a good deal of my shopping done. we'll always have a jolly
> christmas because we'll be together. i'm torn between the not
> spending too much and mom might not live to next christmas scenario.
> i promised myself i wouldnt' stop her from spending what she wanted
> this year but she's not making it easy for me. she wanted to buy EDIT
> boots that were almost three hundred dollars. i think i finally
> talked her out of it.
>
> i would only say don't buy something because just for the cheap factor.
>
> i love shopping for my edited the best!!!! we can pull our resources
> too for people too. i can't wait to go xmas shopping on wednesday-
> it'll be fabo!!!
>
> i'm still waiting to buy a carseat. you know what else you can do-
> MR. Mostly can upload family pictures to the shutterfly.com website and
> make things with photos. that's what i'm doing too. they are nice
> gifts, not over the top expensive, and people get kicks out of the
> pictures that i use. i made mom a note pad with a picture of daisy on it.
>


Now I can't get the darn font to look right, it still looks like e-mail type. How annoying. Maybe I can figure it out later. Anyhow, my sister who is darling in many respects likes to remind me how much she wants to buy a carseat for me to fill. sigh.