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Home > Gardening and Making Up an Extreme Budget Just in Case

Gardening and Making Up an Extreme Budget Just in Case

April 22nd, 2020 at 01:07 am

I'm pretty wiped out today from working in the garden yesterday, but I am still hoping to get at least an hour in later today when the sun moves behind a tree. Yesterday I got the rest of the dirt out of the one long raised bed and then got the rotten wood all torn down. Then I started working on weeding the next bed. I got one 8 foot by 3 foot section finished and then about 2 more feet by 2 feet additional done.

I moved 2 wheelbarrow loads of soil as well. Today DS will help with moving soil while I continue to weed. He puts the dirt into the wheelbarrow and then I help him unload it. That is easier for me to do since the wheelbarrow is at a good height for me and the soil is all loose at that point. At least we will do that if I can get my body moving. Some days are much harder than others. It might not get done until tomorrow. I have to pace myself within my body's limitations.

If I don't do it today, I am going to sit down and make myself do a one hour writing sprint. I just need to get over the hump on something and then I can move along on the book again. I tell myself I have to be a productive human being for at least one hour a day, so I don't fall into a slump of just watching YouTube or Netflix all day, every day. That is not good for the mental health.

I sat down and have made up two budgets. One I am calling an emergency budget and one I am calling an extreme no income budget. The emergency budget is for if DH has to go down to 32 hours a week again. The extreme budget is for if he gets laid off. It was looking like we were going to weather this okay, but what with the oil companies getting slammed this week, I don't know. He works as a lead engineer for a construction company that does work for refineries. So this could trickle down to hurt his company.

Anyway, I figured out that with an extreme budget we can get by on $1683.18 a month excluding medical. That's cutting out everything that isn't a bill and cutting the grocery budget in half. Without an income there is no tithe, either, which also cuts things down a fair amount. If DH gets laid off they will continue to pay their portion of medical for two months. I am not sure how much our portion is, but I think it is around $450 a month, so I would have to add that in. After that it would be the full amount for the COBRA. DH would qualify for unemployment so that would basically go to pay medical and if anything was left, to the Emergency Fund, for future months.

With what is in the EF now, that will last four and a half months. We will be harvesting from the garden by then, too. Of course we are going to continue to add as much to the EF as we can between now and any possible future layoff. I feel better having some kind of a plan in place. It is scary to think about, but it is scarier not to think about it at this point. Better to know what we might be getting into.

I hate living with uncertainty. I always have. I just pray his job continues, even if it is at reduced hours. The medical insurance is the big thing. It is what absolutely leveled us last time. When you have people on life-saving drugs, it is sometimes the only thing.

2 Responses to “Gardening and Making Up an Extreme Budget Just in Case”

  1. Lots of Ideas Says:
    1587574695

    LR, did you include the extra $600 per week that unemployment includes now?

    It seems like that $2400 would cover your monthly bills. Unemployment is extended to 39 weeks, and I think the $600 extra is through July. If things stay bad or get worse, I think the unemployment would extend. And with loss of job, you’d be eligible for ACA so you might want to research those plans in advance. It might be cheaper than the copay on what you have now.

  2. Lucky Robin Says:
    1587591611

    Our COBRA would be cheaper by a couple hundred dollars a month than equal coverage under the ACA. Plus we've nearly hit our deductible for the year. Starting over with another plan mid-year would restart the deductible. But yes, I'd forgotten about the extra unemployment. It would certainly help. Hopefully it won't be an issue at all. DH had a work meeting today and it sounds like they will be reopening the Montana office in a week and here in two to four weeks. DH will continue to work from home, though.

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