3/362: Payday

Last night I had trouble falling asleep, so I did what most people do: called my bank to see if my deposit was in.

My deposit was in. It felt good to hear the positive number over the phone, but I didn't feel overly joyous. Because of my six overdrafts last week, my present balance is substantially lower than usual. But at least I am in the black. It's a small victory. For now.

This morning, I took out a few of the need-to-pay bills from my bedroom drawer, poured myself a glass of orange juice, and took out my phone. I called to set up payments. Telephone company, electric company, music store for instrument rental, violin for Laura and trumpet for Max. Done, done, and done.

After that, I took my iPhone where I keep a list of all monthly auto debit bills and their dates. With a calculator, I figured out how much money would be left after ALL of the due bills were paid, including the bills I just took care of. The remainder was $18.06. Crap. That's not good.

My account is now in the black, and that's a small victory, but it doesn't account for the following:
1) groceries for the next two weeks
2) some camp essentials for both kids next week (shampoo, flashlights, batteries, rain gear, etc.)
3) additional summer clothes for Laura, who is growing like a weed
4) paying back Laura and Max for some money I had borrowed for groceries, gas, and rental for a lawn mower last week, which adds up to $90.
5) within the next month, we'll need school supplies and new school clothes, shoes, and haircuts

Question: What advice would you give me?

This has become a repeat experience for me over the years. When I have to make choices week to week, it's inevitable that I will be overdrawn. Sometimes it's just a matter of deciding when to let the that happen. From my list of five items above, I will have to withdraw some cash, maybe $100, and see where it takes me with each of them.

This is a hard day. Familiar, but nevertheless hard. I know in my heart that if I had the money, I would pay the money. Just don't have it, and I'm looking forward to when the part time waitress job kicks in next week.