Inundated by Unexpected Expenses

Every year it seems we have some ridiculous expense and more often than not when one major event comes our way it is quickly followed by at least one or two others. Last year we plunked $36,000 into a new vehicle. We bought the car below invoice, but that was definitely a hit to our wallets. In 2013 we also remodeled three of the four bathrooms in our house. In 2012 we paid over $20,000 in just over a month to repair damaged pipes, a car, air conditioner and closing costs on two mortgages. In 2011 we paid a hefty chunk of change for professional painters to coat every wall in our house and in 2010 we spent over $30,000 to replace all of the windows and doors in our home.

It seems this year will be no less pricey. From January to March I spent thousands of dollars on unexpected medical care followed by a big wad of cash for out of town medical charges that were three times larger than the originally quoted price.

Yesterday as my husband was driving our 1999 Toyota to work the engine crapped out. The vehicle was towed to our local mechanic who declared it wasn’t worth repairing. The repairs amounted to more than the car was worth, which according to Edmunds is just over $1,500. My husband was hoping to continue commuting with that vehicle for at least another two years, but is seems it isn’t meant to be. The cost of a new car: $20,000 to $30,000 depending on what we choose to buy.

Later that evening two of our appliances failed. So I spent the night searching for rice cooker prices and comparing the features of toaster ovens.

As if that weren’t enough this morning we found out that our furnace needs to be replaced. The unit is probably as old as our house and has finally stopped working. We were able to make a few minor repairs over the last two years, but this morning the technician assured me it is time to call it quits. His recommendation a brand new, sparkly $7600 unit.

Just once I would like to go an entire year without a major expense!

7 thoughts on “Inundated by Unexpected Expenses”

  1. I feel your pain. My expenses haven’t been as high as yours but it seems every year I have at least one big expensive. My furnance is new but my a/c is on its last leg. Cost to replace $6000 ugh!

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    • Ugh. That’s the worst. We own two houses and had to replace both air conditioners in the same year! It was $4000 to $6000 for each!

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    • My husband actually tried to start the furnace in advance, because he knows our unit is so old. Thank goodness he did!

      We have considered buying a used car, but since we hold onto our vehicles until they call it quits we will probably buy new. You just never know what you are going to get when you turn to the used market. The Toyota was actually used but we purchased it from my parents. We’ve also bought from friends and other family members in the past, but we don’t know anyone looking to sell this time around 🙁

      Reply
  2. Wow, why are you spending so much on cars? That seems totally avoidable – not the new car, but buying one in that range… I don’t usually comment on blogs but I wanted to challenge you to totally rethink the new car thing. 4 years ago our honda civic was stolen from our driveway and we replaced it with a 2004 Golf for 5K cash.
    The maintenance of a used and older car has been only about $500/year.

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    • Yeah the car thing is pretty ridiculous, but we keep our cars forever. So buying a brand new car but holding it for 15 years doesn’t seem so bad. If we flipped them every few years that would be a totally different story.

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  3. I FEEL YOUR PAIN!!! This was my first summer of self employment and my cat decided to swallow a needle costing us $3000 in medical bills and our car crapped out costing us another $1000.

    Funny how the most expensive things happen when you have the least amount of money. LOL. All you can do is laugh at the irony and stay positive.

    Reply

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