Monday, August 18, 2008

One Month's Unpaid Bills


Yes, only one month. I was supposed to tackle this pile of bills last night, and now it's almost 2:15 in the afternoon, and this is the first time today I have even glanced at it. I swear if I add one more piece of paper to this pile it will topple to the floor and them I will pick them up and dump them in the trash. This would give me so much pleasure, but would add extra charges for late payment, so... Today's the day I pay my fecking bills. I feel so very un-kick ass.

The two good things about putting off paying my bills is that once the bills are paid, I have to file all the portions that haven't been returned with the actual bill part--this makes it impossible for the recipients of my money to tell me they didn't get it on time or at all. Then once everything is filed, I must clean my house. I can't clean the surface of my dresser where the bills are stacked until I pay the bills. Work just makes more work and it never ends. Not a very kick ass sentiment, is it?

I have applied this same thought process with my garden this year. It's the do nothing approach to yard work. Since I have mostly trees and ground cover, I figure, if I do nothing, what lives will survive almost any kind of neglect and is then worth keeping. All the pansy ass plants that require tending to should die, since they are too damn candy-assed to deserve to live in a desert. Water is now for cooling the house, bathing and drinking, washing dishes. And the very rare scrubbing I give the floors. We are heading into hard times and must live as much like pioneers as possible.

The largest portion of my bills is medical. It was medical bills that forced me into bankruptcy in the first place. Until the heart went wacky, I was able to pay my portion of my medical bills just fine. Now the 30% Medicare doesn't pay is climbing every couple of weeks. And, sadly, the portion I can't pay is climbing with those totals. Oh well. Trickle down economics just trickles down so far. It does not trickle down this far. Never has, never will. And if McCain gets elected, it will only trickle up. He wants to put my medicare benefits in the Stock Market. I've been watching the market lately, and I have no confidence in the Market to manage my money, piddling as it is. It looks like a house of cards to me.

Anyone want to take bets on whether or not I get those bills paid today?

11 comments:

Ingrid said...

Dang Utah..perhaps if you only do a general 'grab' and do a few maybe that'll keep you going. It's a scary thought not to be able to keep paying costs that rise and I sure hope you will not experience another bankruptcy..hang in there.. and.. meanwhile.. go back to writing.. with such talent you do not have to get out of the house for work..that could pay for your bills too..

I am still a firm believer in your writing talent (script not forgotten) and I assume so does your editor extraordinaire.. get back into the writing groove.. you 'have' to be able to sell your writing wares somewhere...

hugs

Ingrid

D.K. Raed said...

okaaay, I will bet you get some of them paid today, and neatly stack up the unpaids for another day. Then you will dust all around the stack of unpaids. A little later in the day, you will find yourself staring so hard at the unpaids, that the intense heat of your eyeballs will cause them to spontaneously burst into flames. Their ashes will fall cleanly into an empty metal wastebasket you have conveniently placed beside the burning bills. After the ashes have cooled, you will carry the ashes out & use them to fertilize a neglected tree in your yard. Your dogs will help water the ashes down. Then you will retire back to your cottage & clean the ashy square on your dresser where the unpaid bills used to be.

How'd I do? Am I psychic or full of shit?

Utah Savage said...

Ingrid, thanks for the kick in the ass to get back to editing.

You are psychic, d.k. The little fire begins at first o dark hundred. Photos of evidence of cleaning might--just might--follow. Also, the wild, unkempt yard and too many trees seem to have weathered the weather and total neglect just fine.

Madam Z said...

Utah, it is clear to me that you need some guidance. Madam Z is here to help. I know from bitter experience that the longer you put off a task, the more daunting it becomes. So sit your skinny butt down at that desk and pay those bills! Promise yourself a reward afterwards (chocolate works for me) and do not get up until every last check has been written and all envelopes have been sealed and stamped. Then file everything away. It may be that after doing this you will feel so light-hearted and energized that you will actually *want* to do a little dusting. As for the rest of the house...feh! It can wait.

Jenny, the Bloggess said...

My cat would so knock that whole pile to the floor and shred it within minutes.

I'll send her over.

Randal Graves said...

Even if you just pay a few, the older ones, it'll lessen the stack. I just follow the Homer Simpson method. If it isn't third notice, into the shredder it goes.

Freida Bee said...

I can't offer you any advice with your bills, Utah. I shall receive my student loan/ grant and scholarship monies for the Fall semester today or tomorrow and it scares me shitless. I am to be trusted with the money that is to help 6 people subsist until January. I know for a fact that there is less there than is needed. The money's being an idea rather than a reality was much easier for me to deal with (and don't tell anyone- I'm a math major and shall teach the children math.)

You know, they say the best way for you to master something is to teach it. Well, you can help me and then your stack will seem no prob. As far as medical bills go, I am hoping I will remember that I am swallowing finely chopped garlic for an ear infection and sitting here thinking the $300 student health insurance is too steep.

BTW- that clean desk of mine got worse in a rearrangement episode. Clearly, what I should be doing is reading blogs right now. I have nothing better to do, particularly write up the funny short story involving murder that my my husband jokingly inspired. (It's the first inspriation I've had along these lines.)

This is long-ass. Hi.

Anonymous said...

So? What's the verdict, love? I'm late because of that job thing and then the I got tired and went to bed at 10pm thing last night.

So?

(p.s. I let bills seriously pile up from April - July. Ish!)

Mark Prime (tpm/Confession Zero) said...

You could solve this dilemna of yours, though a temporary solution... Put a higher wattage bulb(s) in the lamp under which they lay. :>0

Mark Prime (tpm/Confession Zero) said...

under which they lay. :>0

Lie? or Lay? Or something altogether different? Damn thee English grammar! Damn the to the White House!

enigma4ever said...

Hang in there lady..bills suck...take your time ...sit somewhere nice to pay them...and buy silly samps or beautiful stamps..it makes it go better for some reason....

namaste....

and many hugs...