Illness and Setbacks

Until you really start paying attention to every penny that flows in and out of your house, you never realize how much even minor illnesses can cost you. Wes, the youngest child, and I have all been sick this week. Wes works from home, so there wasn't any loss of income there. Our daughter didn't have to lose any school time, so nobody had to take time off to be with her. But, I didn't get so lucky. I had to get a prescription ($20.10) and leave work early ($60.00). I did get lucky in that it was Friday when I got sick, so I have the entire weekend to recover and will be able to return to work on Monday.

There was a time, not too long ago, that an $80 loss of income/cash was catastrophic for this family. With careful planning and attention to detail though, we've managed to put together an emergency fund. So, today, I am able to sit in my fuzzy slippers and fleece pajamas, drink my hot tea, and relax while I recover.

I went exploring for other articles of interest and found these:
Over at We're In Debt, Paid Twice posted a great article about 7 Roadblocks to Getting Out of Debt.
Lucky Robin has an entire filter devoted to Medical Issues and Spending.
S.M.A.R.T. Finance had an article that made me think in a broader scale about money and illness.

*Experiment #1 - Yesterday's spending
$20.50 on medicine