the money tree

So yall know I'm a big gardener. Betcha didn't know I have a MONEY TREE in my backyard!

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I know, I know...you're rightfully jealous. It is super awesome and convenient to have such a useful piece of nature back there these days. Especially this summer, since there's been no end of pricey-yet-totally-unexciting purchases that require me to grab a handful of cash off the tree to pay up.

We kicked off the summer (literally!! It was the first day of summer!) with some pricey (at the time) refrigerator repairs and replacing all of the food that had been in it. Oh young, stupid Erika-of-1.5-months-ago...how foolish you were, thinking that was so stressful and tragic. If only your crystal ball were working properly and you could see into the future...

Then we move into July and August, which were slap full of visits to the RE in Atlanta (each trip which includes 2-4 hours of driving/gas, at least $6 in parking deck fees, usually a meal out, and co-pays...not to mention missed work), culminating in an exciting and expensive surgery last week! I had to pre-pay a nice chunk of change up front (before surgery), and now get to sit back and excitedly wait as the rest of the bills roll in. Bet I'm gonna have to go harvest the money tree at least a few times to pay off all this fun...

Now we can't forget the one-and-only FUN thing our money tree got us this summer: a vacation in Mexico.

  I find myself overwhelmingly thankful that we actually paid for this trip at the time we booked it, in April. Had I known everything else we'd be paying for this summer, we never would have gone except that we'd already paid for it. And God knows we needed that trip.

Then we had our intermittent money-sucker of the summer: our AC. After three visits from the repairman in four weeks (woulda been 3 weeks except we were out of the country that 3rd week)...we found out we'd need to replace our entire HVAC system. THE WHOLE THING. Because the next thing that needs to be fixed will cost 1/3 the amount of just replacing the whole thing...and he can already look at it and see the things that are going to break next/soon...and it's the original HVAC (even though our house is only 9 years old) and apparently pretty crappy and probably would have to be replaced in the next few years anyway...and anyway, since we have that money tree and all, we're like "whatev! Of course we want to drop a freakin bundle of cash on the most boring-but-necessary thing ever!!!"

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So tomorrow I'll have a new HVAC system and significantly less liquid assets leaves on my tree. Hooray?

Trying to stay positive and be thankful that at least we have a money tree been Dave Ramsey-adherents/fiscally responsible adults and can afford all of these horribly unexciting and expensive things. But THIS IS IT! Any more stupid money-suckers and we're going to be dipping into the sacred Baby Fund, which is TOTALLY UNACCEPTABLE.

But I just keep thinking: If I knew I was gonna have to spend $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$ this summer (haha, possibly exaggerating the number of dollar signs there, but THAT'S WHAT IT FEELS LIKE), how would I have preferred to spend it?

On about three more weeks in Mexico. Hands down.

 
And possibly on a mani-pedi for today. Because laying here, staring at my feet and toes all day...I realize I could really use it. And it would feel awesome.

But since I can't get that, I guess I'll just work on planting some more money trees. And by "planting," of course I mean "making Matt plant," because this stomach is in no shape for bending or digging just yet.

 Thanks for listening to my pity party. Let me know if you have any awesome MAKE BIG MONEY WHILE LAYING ON A COUCH schemes...or if you happen to know the winning lotto numbers. I'm all ears!