866 Financial Fussing

Tuesday, September 5, 2006

Piper called this morning while I was out, left a message that he was going to be out of town off and on over most of the next two weeks, so if I need anything, I'd have to catch him today or tomorrow. Since I'm going to have to ask for more money to pay the estimated taxes on the 15th, and it takes a week for the check to arrive, I guess I'm going to have to figure out today how much I need. This is embarrassing. The check I got last month when I bought the car was supposed to be enough to cover the taxes, too.

I've been trying this year to live on just the Company retirement check and the SS widow's pension, to see if I could do it, to see how much I really need. I guess I need more than those two. Piper says I'm doing fine, that I haven't withdrawn any principal, it's all interest, and that I should consider the roof replacement as an unusual expense, but really, when you own a house, stuff like that has to be figured into the budget. Next year it'll be replacing the air conditioning and the deck, and landscaping of the woods, and eventually I won't be able to ignore the driveway any longer. It's frustrating.

Ok, now I feel guilty for fussing over money. There are people who live paycheck to paycheck, and if they lose their job they're in big trouble. Daughter might point out that if I'm really so concerned, I didn't REALLY have to fly first class to Florida. I didn't even really have to go to Florida. "It's false fussing. It's unbecoming. Shut up."

Yeah, I've got enough that I don't have to worry about anything. And now enough of it is in safe investments that I don't have to worry about it disappearing. But fussing like this is precisely why I have it in the first place!

Some of the clothes in my closet are over 30 years old, and I still wear them. I've never paid more than $30 for a pair of shoes. I've never paid more than $15 for a watch. I buy a lot of my clothes at Wal-Mart or on eBay. I don't understand nail salons - they have created a market where no need exists. I'm smart enough to not pay a small fortune for fads and show and competition, stuff that loses value. I'll pay for real value. I'll pay for comfort and convenience. I won't pay to impress someone else, or for flash. And I'll especially pay for investment (that explains wearing an estate-auction diamond ring with Salvation Army resale clothes). I've never understood why a middle class woman would spend more than $20 for a purse. That makes no absolutely no sense to me. I hear about someone paying $350 for a purse (a purse!), and my immediate thought is that she should have paid $20 and invested the other $330 in a decent blue chip stock.

So, I fuss.

Piper has seen the house (outside). He's all excited about the location, layout, and grounds. He says he can tell me where I can invest $30,000, and it will increase the value of the house by $100,000 or more. (For some strange reason, he wants me to replace the siding.) I asked him why would I want to increase the value? All that will do is increase the taxes, and that makes absolutely no sense. I can't see any reason to increase the value if I'm not planning to sell, and I don't plan to sell. So all that would do is cost me $30,000, plus an additional $7,000 a year in taxes every year thereafter, all to impress the neighbors? No thanks. (This from my money manager? Sheesh! I'm glad he's good at picking bonds and mutual funds.)

Maybe it's my blood heritage.