Unplanned Expenses

I hate when we have unplanned expenses.  It really messes with my budget. 

This month we had two unplanned expenses and one planned large expense.  The planned expense was my hospital stay for Wyatt's birth.  We are still waiting on that bill, but the money has been set aside to pay the bill we will get.

Then we had two additional expenses.  The first was Wyatt's phototherapy.  He had jaundice when he was born and was sent home with a phototherapy blanket.  Our insurance covered the bulk of the cost, but we still had a co-pay to cover.  That wasn't too bad.

And then Tuesday happened.

Jon had a toothache over the weekend.  It was bothering him to the point where he couldn't sleep.  So he made an appointment with the dentist for Tuesday morning.  The dentist sent him to another dentist that afternoon.  The results were what I expected, but had still hoped would not happen.  Jon needed a root canal.  The good news is that Jon is no longer in pain.  The bad news is the bill.  That is not a fun expense.  And we are only halfway done paying for it.  He still needs to have a cap put on the tooth.  We have dental insurance but it only goes partway to covering the procedure.

These things happen.  And it is times like this that I am very grateful we save money when we can.  I try to get money into the savings account each month.  I don't always get as much in there as I should and would like, and this is something Jon and I need to work on.  However, thanks to the fact that we live on less than we make, we are able to pay these large bills when they happen without destroying our credit or running up credit card bills that we cannot afford to pay.

Having a "rainy day" savings account is important.  I always knew it was but when things like this happen I am reminded exactly why.

Linking up with Finer Things Friday