One Bad Week

This has not been a good week for me on many levels including some financial ones. Have you ever had one of those weeks where nothing is going right? Where to start? Not that long ago I bought four new tires for my car. Monday I discovered that my two front tires were worn so low that the wires were sticking through. When I took it in they discovered that, for some unknown reason, my car was far out of alignment and, as a result, my tires were basically chewed up. Great, two new tires $250 – ching! I had already arranged to have my windshield replaced just two days prior - $175 – ching! I took my car back yesterday to get the alignment done. When I called to check the status I was told, “Well, it’s off the rack. I’ll explain when you get here.” Evidently my car was so far out of alignment that I needed some parts, which of course they didn’t have. When the parts come in - $100 – ching! Then I discovered that the toilet in the downstairs bathroom, where I never am, has been backing up. Lovely. The plumbers are coming tomorrow to ream out the line from the house to the street – ching! Sometimes you feel like there is no point in being frugal. I am trying to disregard the strong urge to give up and am reminding myself that two steps forward, one step back still means that I am one step forward from where I was this time last year.

I’m also reminding myself that I have a job, a roof over my head and plenty of food in my refrigerator. Lots of people cannot say that these days. I have a wonderful family and a good group of close friends. My special son will be home from college on Wednesday. Perhaps by this time next year I might even be two steps forward! Maybe things don’t look so bad after all.

How about you? Are you in a better position this year than last? Treading water? Or going downhill? How do you keep your spirits up when everything seems to be going wrong?