by Hope
I was so proud to be prepared for Princess college tuition this month. It is due at the end of this week, January 14th to be exact. Since I knew what last semester cost (almost $4,000), I saved all last fall to be ready for this semester. Go me! I am ready.
Then she mentioned, “oh, mom, for this class, they give us first day access for my online access for this cost? should i just take that or do you still want me to check the bookstore and amazon?” Ugh! I completely forgot to add some extra for the cost of books. And she’s taking 16 hours again so the price of books will probably be about the same as last semester…several hundred dollars.
Can’t believe I forgot about this expense. *slaps forehead
Anyways, we are going to pursue renting the textbooks again from Amazon which saved us a ton of money for books she wouldn’t need again. But it’s going to throw off my plan for this month by a few hundred dollars. And took my pride down a notch or two at being so prepared. But thankfully, unlike past times, it doesn’t cause a financial scramble and anxiety because I can cover it.
I guess I needed this lesson to remind me of how far I’ve come and also how the details matter.
If her dad kicks in for tuition, it might alleviate this mishap. He did pay $700 toward that semester’s tuition. But he’s been silent and inactive in contributing for this semester thusfar. But I’m prepared either way. Thank God!
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
At this point you should have a line item called “unexpected expenses” Hope. *sigh*
You have $100 buffer to use, cancel the gym membership since you’re already considering it and any extra comes from the $300 savings line item.
$300 a month and Princess can’t cover textbooks? Unless she’s a STEM major and/or needs every book on the first day of class, that should go a long way.