I Got Cocky

The month of reduction is going really well so far.  I've been much more sensible with spending in general, clothing in particular, and have had many a no-spend day.  Also, my recent student loan payment took a cool $3.50 off the principle! Chipping away!

November is a three-paycheck month, which I'm totally stoked about.  I was planning to refortify my savings accounts and stick a lump sum in my Roth IRA.  Maybe I'll pay ever more toward my student loan, I thought!  I had all these great ideas and was doing tabulations and feeling pretty damn smug.

BUT

I keep running into the unexpected and un-fun expenses.

1. Car tax of $84 was due end of October (I paid it early because I do not trust Rhode Island to not stick me with a late fee).
2. My windshield wipers broke necessitating a $65 repair
3. I still need to get my oil changed (ugh)
4. I just got a bill for my car registration
5. Car insurance is due December 6th and I haven't saved up anything for it
6. I needed to get two pairs of shoes re-soled, which is going to cost $80.  It's worth it because they're great shoes and now I'll be able to wear them that much longer, but it sucks to pay that much!  BUT, I'm supporting a local business and being green by repairing what I already have.  I'm also supporting an industry that needs to exist and is rapidly dying off (I assume, but I've been actually waiting a while, so maybe they're really busy).  Still sucks though.

Aside from the cobbler expense, it's all car stuff, which leads me to believe that karma is paying me back for telling some people that I didn't have jumper cables on Sunday when I totally did. In my defense, we were in a packed parking lot (bound to be someone else with jumper cables), I'd just run a half marathon, and I was feeling sick and bedraggled.  I didn't want to hang around and be a good samaritan, and now I have a bunch of unexpected car expenditures to make--not the fun kind.

Remember last year when I failed to help that woman stuck outside of my apartment and then immediately broke my power steering? Well fool me once shame on you, fool me twice, shame on me.  Yes, I know that my registration would be due regardless, but this doesn't seem like some simple coincidence.

If you need me anytime soon, I'll likely be changing someone's tire in the pouring rain, or driving around looking for someone with a dead car battery and no cell phone.