Back to 5 digits...
This post is loooong and contains oodles of medical/gyno stuff with a dash of politics so simply do not read it if it will bother you.
I haven't written in two months, but here's where I am.
The Bad
In December I wasn't sure if my health insurance was about to go up, so I made a bunch of appointments: I got a mammogram, a gyno checkup, and a skin check at the dermatologist.
The mammogram was fine, but they said that because I'm only 31, I need to get another one done elsewhere just to make sure- because my breast tissue is too dense/"young" to really tell. Well, why the hell didn't they mention that up front? Why did I waste my time and funds on the first one? That will be $660 out of pocket, so I'll see if I can get it covered before I do it. For those of you who don't know, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 35, which is why I [should] qualify for mammogram coverage when I'm this young.
At the gyno I was diagnosed with "dysfunctional uterine bleeding", which is not at all dangerous, but is a real pain in the ass. My periods last 11-14 days. I'm done with it, and am looking into a uterine ablation in tandem with tube-tying (it's very dangerous to get pregnant after an ablation, so both procedures are often done in tandem). This is okay for me since I don't want to bear children, but I feel for women who want kids who have to choose between motherhood and not-horrid periods. Gotta see if insurance will cover this too. And even if they do not... This is a must for me. I shouldn't have to plan all of my travels around 11 days of shittiness.
The dermatologist found a mole on the back on my right thigh that concerned her, and they removed it two days ago. I have stitches and can't swim for two weeks. Winter is a good time to get all of this nonsense taken care of.
I owe lots of money for all of these appointments, even after *some* coverage. So now my debt is back to 5 digits. :/
Car loan: $8,519.20 left to pay off.
Medical bills: Just paid down to a crisp $2,000.
Future debt: Uterine ablation and tube-tying.
My contractor-ship with The Container Store ended last month, which was unexpected. Before that happened, I had gone to all of these medical visits thinking that I could pay them off quickly- I went on vacation to Cozumel for my annual winter dive trip- and I moved to a new apartment within the same complex (there was an EMF issue in the last one), and my rent went up $100/month.
So debt pay-off will be trickier from here on out. I had a goal to be paid off by May, my birth month, and start age 32 being debt-free. Now it looks like I may not be debt-free until 2018. This isn't the worst thing ever, but my lease is up in November, and I was thinking of doing my big year-long road trip then. But I don't think it's responsible to do that trip until I'm debt-free. Back to the road trip idea in a bit.
The Good
I had been so depressed all fall and winter. Then I went to Cozumel to dive with friends for 6 days in late January, and I think that all I needed was a heaping dose of sun light, some new SCUBA adventures, a little flirting, and a few shrimp burritos. Normally when I get home from vacation I get those post-vacay blues, but not this time. My battery feels a little more charged. I needed to be away from my job. I needed to be away from everybody's clutter; other people's and my own. I needed to be away from Kansas. I needed to be away from America. We actually flew down on inauguration day, and while that wasn't intentional, it became symbolic. We flew over the border with Obama as our president, and had the privilege of six beautiful days of denial in the sparkling ocean, chasing the fishies. It was a wonderful escape.
Now I'm back and things are different- new president, new abode, new job scenario- I'm 100% repping my own company now, which is refreshing. And I have lots more free time to write and explore downtown Kansas City, and a lot less stress. I feel lighter and more optimistic, and a lot more creative. Was I really sacrificing all of this to work with a corporation? Don't get me wrong, the income will be missed. I'm grateful for the debt that I've been able to pay off so far. For four months in 2016 I was able to throw around $2,500 at my debt each month. All it has done is set me up for an easier year, now that I may not be able to throw quite as much as the debt.
2017 Travel Plans
January: Cozumel
February: Millbrook, NY and our Business Retreat (four of my business owner friends and I are doing a 48 hour retreat just outside of KC- we are renting a mansion and will have structured planning time, combined with decompression time. Petri gets to come with!
March: Stay in KC and put my nose to the grindstone
April: Boston for a wedding
May: Interfuse- this is KC's spin-off of Burning Man.
June/July: road trip back east for Fishers family reunion weekend (Petri's coming too!) Will definitely visit NYC, depending on if I can get easy lodging for Mr. Petri (all my NYC friends have allergies or their landlords won't allow a canine guest)
July: Work work work.
August: Montana with my fam.
September: Grindstone month.
October: Jamaica for a friend's wedding.
November: The lease is up. Is this when I launch my year on the road around the US and Canada with Petri? It will depend on if my debts are paid off. It will also depend on my priorities- do I want to stay in the Midwest where the cost of living is very low, and keep funding international trips? Or do I live on the road for a year with a lower income and really explore North America with my dog, and do the international trips later?
December: Anybody's guess.
I've been afraid to say it but I think I have to: I want to leave Johnson County, Kansas. I don't feel that I belong here. I am totally open to living in KCMO- a city I am in love with. Every chance I get to steal into the city, I do. But I need to leave JoCo. I'm cool with working in JoCo. I love my people in JoCo. But I want to live somewhere progressive, with more diversity, tons of art and creativity, and food to die for. KCMO inspires me and fills my heart. JoCo sucks my soul out of my body a little bit every day, with its endless strip malls, "Keep Christ in Christmas!" yard signs and Pro-Life bumper sticker.
No matter what I end up doing, I need to refocus on my budget. I've been lax lately. I have no regrets, but it's time to tune it to make sure that I'm supporting my long-term goal of exploring. If I'm not exploring, I'm not happy.
I haven't written in two months, but here's where I am.
The Bad
In December I wasn't sure if my health insurance was about to go up, so I made a bunch of appointments: I got a mammogram, a gyno checkup, and a skin check at the dermatologist.
The mammogram was fine, but they said that because I'm only 31, I need to get another one done elsewhere just to make sure- because my breast tissue is too dense/"young" to really tell. Well, why the hell didn't they mention that up front? Why did I waste my time and funds on the first one? That will be $660 out of pocket, so I'll see if I can get it covered before I do it. For those of you who don't know, my mother was diagnosed with breast cancer when she was 35, which is why I [should] qualify for mammogram coverage when I'm this young.
At the gyno I was diagnosed with "dysfunctional uterine bleeding", which is not at all dangerous, but is a real pain in the ass. My periods last 11-14 days. I'm done with it, and am looking into a uterine ablation in tandem with tube-tying (it's very dangerous to get pregnant after an ablation, so both procedures are often done in tandem). This is okay for me since I don't want to bear children, but I feel for women who want kids who have to choose between motherhood and not-horrid periods. Gotta see if insurance will cover this too. And even if they do not... This is a must for me. I shouldn't have to plan all of my travels around 11 days of shittiness.
The dermatologist found a mole on the back on my right thigh that concerned her, and they removed it two days ago. I have stitches and can't swim for two weeks. Winter is a good time to get all of this nonsense taken care of.
I owe lots of money for all of these appointments, even after *some* coverage. So now my debt is back to 5 digits. :/
Car loan: $8,519.20 left to pay off.
Medical bills: Just paid down to a crisp $2,000.
Future debt: Uterine ablation and tube-tying.
My contractor-ship with The Container Store ended last month, which was unexpected. Before that happened, I had gone to all of these medical visits thinking that I could pay them off quickly- I went on vacation to Cozumel for my annual winter dive trip- and I moved to a new apartment within the same complex (there was an EMF issue in the last one), and my rent went up $100/month.
So debt pay-off will be trickier from here on out. I had a goal to be paid off by May, my birth month, and start age 32 being debt-free. Now it looks like I may not be debt-free until 2018. This isn't the worst thing ever, but my lease is up in November, and I was thinking of doing my big year-long road trip then. But I don't think it's responsible to do that trip until I'm debt-free. Back to the road trip idea in a bit.
The Good
I had been so depressed all fall and winter. Then I went to Cozumel to dive with friends for 6 days in late January, and I think that all I needed was a heaping dose of sun light, some new SCUBA adventures, a little flirting, and a few shrimp burritos. Normally when I get home from vacation I get those post-vacay blues, but not this time. My battery feels a little more charged. I needed to be away from my job. I needed to be away from everybody's clutter; other people's and my own. I needed to be away from Kansas. I needed to be away from America. We actually flew down on inauguration day, and while that wasn't intentional, it became symbolic. We flew over the border with Obama as our president, and had the privilege of six beautiful days of denial in the sparkling ocean, chasing the fishies. It was a wonderful escape.
Now I'm back and things are different- new president, new abode, new job scenario- I'm 100% repping my own company now, which is refreshing. And I have lots more free time to write and explore downtown Kansas City, and a lot less stress. I feel lighter and more optimistic, and a lot more creative. Was I really sacrificing all of this to work with a corporation? Don't get me wrong, the income will be missed. I'm grateful for the debt that I've been able to pay off so far. For four months in 2016 I was able to throw around $2,500 at my debt each month. All it has done is set me up for an easier year, now that I may not be able to throw quite as much as the debt.
2017 Travel Plans
February: Millbrook, NY and our Business Retreat (four of my business owner friends and I are doing a 48 hour retreat just outside of KC- we are renting a mansion and will have structured planning time, combined with decompression time. Petri gets to come with!
March: Stay in KC and put my nose to the grindstone
April: Boston for a wedding
May: Interfuse- this is KC's spin-off of Burning Man.
June/July: road trip back east for Fishers family reunion weekend (Petri's coming too!) Will definitely visit NYC, depending on if I can get easy lodging for Mr. Petri (all my NYC friends have allergies or their landlords won't allow a canine guest)
July: Work work work.
August: Montana with my fam.
September: Grindstone month.
October: Jamaica for a friend's wedding.
November: The lease is up. Is this when I launch my year on the road around the US and Canada with Petri? It will depend on if my debts are paid off. It will also depend on my priorities- do I want to stay in the Midwest where the cost of living is very low, and keep funding international trips? Or do I live on the road for a year with a lower income and really explore North America with my dog, and do the international trips later?
December: Anybody's guess.
I've been afraid to say it but I think I have to: I want to leave Johnson County, Kansas. I don't feel that I belong here. I am totally open to living in KCMO- a city I am in love with. Every chance I get to steal into the city, I do. But I need to leave JoCo. I'm cool with working in JoCo. I love my people in JoCo. But I want to live somewhere progressive, with more diversity, tons of art and creativity, and food to die for. KCMO inspires me and fills my heart. JoCo sucks my soul out of my body a little bit every day, with its endless strip malls, "Keep Christ in Christmas!" yard signs and Pro-Life bumper sticker.
No matter what I end up doing, I need to refocus on my budget. I've been lax lately. I have no regrets, but it's time to tune it to make sure that I'm supporting my long-term goal of exploring. If I'm not exploring, I'm not happy.
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