Where to begin?

**Dancing Lotus** · 08-03-2007, 01:34 PM

I have a lot of small debts but they are all behind. I had 300 dollars this month to put down on those debts. But then wham I got a terrible tooth ack and had to go to the dentist today. They did 200.00 worth of x-rays and cleaning but they didnt do anything to solve the problem. I have to go back to have my toothpulled on thursday. I have no idea what that will cost but Im sure it will eat up the rest of my money and then some. THen after that they want me to pull the rest of my wisdom teeth and fix a cracked filling. The final bill 1,200.00! Mind you this is worse case priceing and some of it I am going to wait untill my newly purchased insurance kicks in. The funny thing is that I have what looks like perfect teeth. I get a lot of compliments on them and I had no idea about what was to come.

MY point is that I just keep seeing this black hole that my money keeps going down. I have a meesly 50.00 in my saveings and live paycheck to paycheck. Meanwhile the bill collectors are calling. And for the record I have not chraged one single penny in a credit card in two years put I havent paid much of anything on them,

**sdrjeolsen** · 08-03-2007, 01:37 PM

sorry Ann.

Seems like when it rains it pours. Hoping for sunny days soon! Its great that you can put some things off till the new insurance kicks in, that will help out some.

**Dancing Lotus** · 08-03-2007, 01:46 PM

On the up side, going to the dentist got me out of haveing to watch my mils kids again!!!

**Buckeye5** · 08-03-2007, 04:53 PM

Could you get current on your bills that are behind, and make payments to the dentist?. I think if you have the collectors calling, and would spend that money on getting current, then you would have some stress taken off of you when they quit calling. Any way to work an extra day during the week or something? Sending you hugs, and just remeber you are not alone.

**Daisygirl** · 08-04-2007, 07:19 AM

Sorry about the bad luck, when it rains it pours, we all know that!

Is there any place you could cut your current budget for a little more cashflow in the short term?

I liked the idea about making payments to your dentist - will he or she allow that?

Try really hard to keep up your minimum payments and then when you have your next month with an extra paycheck put every dime on bills.
Contact your creditors and tell them you are going to make payments but they are going to be lower than before, allowing you to snowball one, and get rid of the debts one at a time.

Good luck, we all have been there, and occasionally revisit it. If you are determined and disciplined you WILL get through it. We are here for ya!

**Dancing Lotus** · 08-04-2007, 09:17 AM

The sad part is that dh is working extra days just to make enough to pay the min. I just have to hang on for one more month and then I will be makeing some money plus in 6 months my morgage will go down about 300 a month and all will be well again.

As far as makeing payment with the dentist thats a great idea if I had any money to make a payment with. Every peny I have is already budgeted. As it is I only have 10o dollars a month to pay on credit bills. I have 6 differnt bills so thats only 15 a month going to each one.

**FrugalMomof3** · 08-04-2007, 04:35 PM

Ann I am sorry this is happening to you, gosh it's so true about when it rains it pours.... the only thing I can suggest is possibly cutting down on food, electricity use, cutting cable or phone features. PLEASE keep us posted.

**Dancing Lotus** · 08-04-2007, 06:17 PM

I wish I could cut back. I have 50 for food this month, probably more then I will need. I am well stocked and will only need to get milk eggs and that sort.
We have no phone featurs to cut and no cellphone.
Cable is at the bare minumime and even if I cut it off I would still have to pay on my contract for a few months.
And my electricity is on the budget plan so I pay 140 every month no matter how much I do or dont use.

NOW, for my tooth I just bit the bullet and asked my mom for help. The rest of the things I need I can handle after the insurance starts next month and I will get it all done one at a time depending on how much my co pay will be.

**FrugalMomof3** · 08-04-2007, 07:18 PM

Ann

I am glad you asked your mom for help, that's a good thing and I am sure she understands your situation. I hope she is able to help you

**i.m.cheap** · 08-04-2007, 08:19 PM

I can sympathize with the dental bills. We have no medical or dental insurance either. In July alone, our medical bills were $470 (including prescriptions), and I had two trips to the dentist one was $53, and the other was $85. That is $600, or over a third of our take home pay. I hope to stay away from doctors and dentists for a few months.

**Dancing Lotus** · 08-04-2007, 08:32 PM

I really dont want to sound like Im hopeless. Most of the time my life is pretty quite, it just seams that the last couple of months have been ruff.
MY mom is great and she would help me as much as I ask. MY parents are well off but this is the first time I have ever asked for a single dime. My dh and I believe in solveing our own problems. We are adults and asking your parents for money is not the way to solve money problems. But in this case I didnt see another way. IF I didnt ask her I would not be able to pay my morgage this month and That would only creat a bigger problem.