Spoiler Alert: Don't read if you want to feel uplifted

Ok, ok, it has been a while. But I have been busy. Too bad I didn't write about all of it because I would have entertained you all.

Money, money, money, must be funny...I have pretty much been obsessed with it lately. How much is coming in, how much is going out, and whether there will be enough of it to keep me in my house.

So far I have been very lucky. When money has come in (from christmas or from Brit's rent) I have saved it. I had planned to use it for home improvements. I really want to put tile in my spare, downstairs, and master bathroom w/attached walk in closet. I would like to tear out the vanities and mirrors in the 3 bathrooms and replace them with more updated and personalized ones. I would also like to paint all the bathrooms, as well as my bedroom to get it out of the dull blues.

But then life happens and my plans take a backseat. I would say screw John Lennon, but screwing him would not make his words untrue. I guess there is always responsibility to be taken, and we all know that I usually take responsibility for my mistakes, as well as those of others. Chalk it up to being raised by an alcoholic.

I did not monitor or ask the right questions when communicating with my dentist about what services I wanted and did not get a clear estimate/understanding of the charges I would incur and received a very large, and very unexpected bill after having already paid more than I expected to at the window after each visit. I did some research and found that they had overcharged me by $300, but did still owe a balance of $200 or so. Bummer. There goes my master bedroom vanity.

A day later I received a certified letter from the title company that handled the purchase of my house. The letter stated that there was not just one HOA that handled my property, but 2 and the second HOA had not been paid since I purchased the house back in September. They asked me to contact the second HOA to pay $650 in back payments. This, the title company stated, did not include any late fees because they had been waived, nor the transfer fees involved with getting the HOA info put into my name.

I contacted ProComm, the company that manages my property, and they said that the account had been sent to collections and that with late fees and collection charges I owed $750. They suggested I pay as quickly as possible because I would not be able to get any money from the previous owner nor the title company with enough time to make the account up to date and thereby putting it back in the black. I explained to them that I had a letter from the title company stating that those fees had been waived, at which time the billing manager told me that it was not their policy to make such concessions and that I must be mistaken. She asked me to fax her the letter and I did. She did not change her mind on the fee waiving thing.

I am obsessed with my credit score. I am obsessed with paying any debts owed by me; so obsessed, that it is almost religious. I feel a moral obligation to pay back my debts. So naturally, this freaked me the fuck out. Why others don't feel the way that I do, I just can't fathom.

So, I called the title company and expressed my concern that they did not catch this 2nd HOA, even though it had been listed by the seller on the board of realty paperwork that I was given when I first toured the home. The title company just said that the seller knew there were 2 HOAs, but didn't say anything and that in 30 years she had not seen a property with 2 HOAs...Bullshit.

I explained to her what Procomm had said and she called over there to straighten it all out. She let me know that all of the fees associated with transferring ownership of the account were going to be paid by the seller, that September's payment would be prorated since I only moved in on the 25th, and that the late and collection fees would be waived bringing my grand total to $587. There goes my other 2 vanities for my spare bathroom and 1/2 bath downstairs.

Fuck corporate america and their bailouts. They screwed around and made it impossible for our government to not give them money for fear of the collapse of our economy. Whereas to not pay for the bank fuck ups would be more costly than paying for them, I have been put in a position where to fight this bill would be more costly than paying it.

Plus, I have been taught to always see my own responsibility in situations. I put an offer in on the house with the understanding that there was a monthly HOA that covered expenses/maintenance for my house from the studs out. I was pleasantly surprised when the title company informed me that it was not monthly, but yearly. I did not look into it further to notice that the yearly HOA did not cover insurance on the exterior of the home, but only the maintenance of the neighborhood commons. I suppose I should count myself lucky that nothing tragic happened that would require me to try to make a claim on the insurance that I thought I had paid for because ProComm, I am sure, would not have approved payment for anything because the policy had not been paid for. And that is another way they have me by the balls. I would hate to have my insurance for the inside of my home to find out that I did not have exterior insurance as required by my the terms of my mortgage. They would probably try to up the price of my policy for those months knowing my luck. I know that it is unlikely that they could/would do that, but the way my luck is going lately I can't believe I am putting this on the internet. Oh well, call me a dumb ass. I would have to agree with you lately.

These financial woes in addition to my irritation at living with a roommate who feels that since she pays rent she should not have to do any house work or take care of any of the animals that live in it is incredibly irritating. I know that I should be thankful for when she does the dishes occasionally and for the money that comes in from having a roommate because it has allowed me to not touch the small savings I do have in order to pay these unexpected expenses, but sometimes I wonder...I think I would be happier just getting a second job instead of feeling like I'm a mother. I am incredibly glad for Brittney's successes lately and I sincerely hope that she will feel confident enough to go out into the world on her own in the near future. I fear that our reliance/codependency on one another has caused a rift in our relationship as sisters. I am just trying to keep myself together.

I now know the real reason people get married. Two incomes is better than one. Two incomes will pay for groceries, needed medications, and gas money that is not available if you have only one income some months. Good luck to you all. I know that we shouldn't bitch about going without since our depression does not even begin to compare to the 1st depression, but sometimes you feel like having a pity party. Thanks for listening, any advice is welcome, wishing you the best year ever...Mel