Fun fact: It’s only 42 days until Black Friday. But we’re not focusing (or trying desperately not to focus) on that today. Instead, let’s look at more recent events.
A bit of history
Regular readers know that I’ve been dealing with some vision problems for the better part of two years now.
I started getting double vision and was told to stay out of contacts for three months in the winter of 2016. That didn’t help much, so then they suspected I had keratoconus. Last February I was told to get it looked at, but life then intervened.
I finally got around to seeing an ophthalmologist last fall, and he required a second visit (three months later) for comparison. Taking us to this past January, when I was pronounced keratoconus-free.
He suggested scleral lenses, which are huge. So I spent a few months practicing with my contacts, getting ready for huge, most-of-my-eye-covering lenses.
Back to the optometrist in the summer to get fitted for those, only to be tested again for keratoconus. After which, he said that he didn’t think scleral lenses would help enough to be worth the cost. And upon looking, he discovered what appeared to be the beginnings of a cataract.
See where this is headed?
The optometrist told me to go get seen by a specialty eye center that deals in lasik, cataracts, etc. Alas, life intervened again, so it was a couple of months before I called the specialist center. But I was finally seen on Tuesday.
I got to take yet another vision exam — probably my sixth one since this all started — only to be told that, surprise surprise, my left eye was startlingly bad.
Then they numbed my eye (which is a weeeeiiiiird feeling) and dilated my pupils to do more examinations. Oh, and they asked fun (by which I mean scary) questions like, “Does anyone in your family have a history of macular degeneration?” Thereby getting me very paranoid about how maybe that was the issue.
When I finally got to see the doctor himself, he took a quick look at the chart, shone a painfully bright light in my eyes, and said, “Yep, you have a cataract.”
I was both relieved — no macular degeneration! — and a little freaked out. I mean, I knew that it was going to be a cataract. And out of all the potential eye problems, it’s a good one to have: fixable, non-recurring and a procedure that the doctors do all the time.
Still, finding out that you definitely have a cataract is… Sobering, I guess. I got a little teary (and it wasn’t just all the bright lights shone into dilated pupils). I guess that, as someone who makes a living reading emails, I find the concept a little terrifying, even though I know it’ll be okay.
I have the surgery scheduled for November 2nd. I have to stay out of my contacts for the next two weeks so that they can take measurements about 10 days before the actual procedure. And you guys know how much I love wearing my glasses. Sigh.
But at least I can look forward, as it were, to seeing clearly out of my left eye for the first time in about two years. Something I’m not looking forward to: the $1,382.82 bill for the surgery. Stupid deductible.
September in review
On a more neutral note, September finances were… Well, they were okay. Specifically, we broke even. That means no money in the main savings account, though it does mean putting money into various subaccounts, like the car and vacation funds and saving toward our yearly car insurance premium. In fact, now that the car is getting older, I’ve increased our “car payment” to $300 a month.
Normally, I’d be aggravated that we’re not putting anything into the main savings account, but I’m counting this month as a win. Why? Because we managed to break even despite having almost $900 less in income than usual.
For reasons too long to get into now, we’re giving Tim’s parents a pass on rent for a couple of months. (I’ll explain more at a later date.) In addition, September had fewer workdays than usual. Between the two, we took quite the hit income-wise.
We also had a mixed bag with expenses. Overall, they were way down, but the balance was still a little under $1,550.
That’s because I had two $611 health insurance premiums on the same statement (the timing of FinCon made it necessary to pay October’s premium early) plus another $232 for my Medicare premium.* This means that there were (for a change) barely any expenses on the credit card besides health insurance, which is a definite novelty.
And in good news, this means that the next statement should be significantly lower than usual because there won’t be a health insurance premium on it and the eye surgery will be on the following statement. Plus October has an extra workday in it, so the check will be larger than normal. Which means I hope to put away plenty of money next month to make up for this month’s lackluster performance.
Persistence pays off
It’s been weirdly rainy in Phoenix lately, and the front and back yards are showing that all too well. Given our history of getting the city called on us (it’s been a few years but once bitten, twice shy) I’m trying to make upkeep a priority. The problem is that our usual yard guy has been incommunicado.
As best I could understand from an August call I had with him (his accent is pretty thick), he was on vacation and I was supposed to call him back in about a week. But when I did, the calls all went straight to voice mail.
I ended up getting someone from Craigslist to come out and take care of the yard before the birthday party, but it cost $40 more than our guy charges — and no chemicals were applied to avoid regrowth.
So this month I was hoping against hope that we’d be able to get a hold of our usual guy. But he didn’t return either of the voice mails we left.
I went, phone in hand, to call a yard service — one that would cost probably $180 with chemicals — but I figured I’d give the guy one more try. And voila! He answered after the first ring and scheduled an appointment for the following day. Using him will save us around $100. Given that we’re just barely breaking even this month, that’s an even bigger deal than usual.
Have you had your persistence pay off lately? How did your September go?
*Still pending Part B acceptance so I can get rid of that damn $611 premium.
Sam says
Our yard is out of control, and needs some fall love before winter. We can still do most ourselves, but not a favorite activity, and I’ll be hurting all next week. Some months breaking even feels like winning the lottery-we are there right now.
Abigail says
Yep, yard work can be back-breaking stuff. Tim has a severe grass allergy, and we’re not sure which weeds would potentially set that off too. My fatigue means my energies are better spent elsewhere so… We pay for the convenience.
Glad you at least broke even this month. Sometimes that’s all you can shoot for.
Opal says
My mother had cataract surgery and stopped having to wear glasses except for drugstore reading glasses. This, after a lifetime of stunningly bad vision. If this happens for you, maybe you can console yourself with the knowledge that you won’t be paying as much for everyday lenses going forward?
(For me, the frames are the cheap part. My lenses are crazy expensive.)
Sam says
Aren’t the lenses insane? Even with something like Glasses USA, a decent pair are well over $250.
Abigail says
It just doesn’t pay to be myopic, I guess.
Abigail says
I didn’t wear disposable contacts, so it wasn’t an issue there. But it will be nice to be able to see out of my left eye without a contact lens. But I’ll have to figure out reading glasses because I’ll still have a contact in my right eye, so having a lens on that side could be a problem. I’ll also need them to pop out the lens for my regular glasses so that just the right side has one. On the bright side, I don’t have to upgrade my glasses prescription (only the left side was outdated), so that did save me probably $200 for a new set of frames and lenses.
Bethany D says
I hope everything goes smoothly for you! Make sure they explain your lens options thoroughly before you pick anything permanent. My mom had cataract surgery last year and didn’t understand what the difference was between the types of artificial lenses they could insert. So she chose distance lenses – but now MUST use reading glasses for ALL close-up work, which she didn’t have to deal with before the surgery. 🙁
Abigail says
Yikes, thanks for the warning! I’ll be sure to discuss it with the surgery counselor at my next appointment.
Ruby says
They might be able to put a clear lens in that side. My eye doc did that for me because the ear pieces of my glasses attached directly to the lenses. Without it, the glasses were unwearable.
The surgery is an easy recovery. I had cataracts in both eyes, the consequence of very severe myopia, and was thrilled to be able to read the alarm clock across the room the second night.
Abigail says
Good to know, thanks!
Jessica Bittner says
My September was slightly expensive. Had a preventative procedure done and still waiting for the bills for the parts that insurance won’t cover and been helping out a friend who has been in a bind financially for the past month or so. Hope October is better for you!
Abigail says
It’s good of your to help your friend. And I hope the uncovered expenses aren’t too bad for you!
Donna Freedman says
What Abby said: You’re a good friend.
Donna Freedman recently posted…The dollar-an-hour rule.
freddy smidlap says
persistence is key. we went down to just my full time income in april ’17 and once unemployment ran out mrs. me has been hustling for a year. opportunities came and she checked them out but they were less than ideal for our schedule (we could live off my income with a couple of very small sacrifices). she just stayed with the jobs because that’s how she is and then…a better opportunity popped up. we’ll see where it leads.
glasses are crazy expensive. the mrs. has terrible vision so we’re very familiar. good luck with everything.
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Abigail says
I’m so glad a better opportunity finally popped up for you guys. It must have been at least a little harrowing in the meantime, even though you knew you could survive one one income. I bet you’re breathing a lot easier now!
Caroline says
September was pretty expensive for me with extra cost such as my legal bill in regards to my severance package negotiation.
We do our yard work ourselves but it’s very minimum. My son’s job is to cut the lawn and the rest gets done when I feel like it (not often).
Good luck with the surgery.
Cheers
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Telyn says
I have keratoconus and it’s more than mildly inconvenient. My vision is correctable with glasses, and due to some other eye issues, I don’t really wear my contacts as often as I should. I hope your surgery goes well!
September went well for me. It was nice and uneventful.
Telyn says
**isn’t correctable with glasses.
Telyn recently posted…Net Worth Update – September 2018
Abigail says
I’m sorry to hear about the keratoconus. I was pretty freaked out when I thought I might have it, though at least one of the treatments is contact lenses (which I prefer). Still, if you don’t like contacts, it’s an especially bad condition obviously. I guess I should be thankful my condition is correctable… Even if it’s an icky, icky surgery.
Caroline at Costa Rica FIRE says
Good luck on the surgery! I’m glad you got multiple opinions as many times doctors don’t agree on the diagnosis or even the treatment. I have a lot of issues with my teeth and recommendations and costs can vary widely there. I’m considering medical tourism (i.e., getting the work done abroad) which would make an interesting blog. It would also help with expenses, as medical cost swings can really break a monthly budget.
On the budget front, September is always a tough month for us as it’s when a lot of our kid’s activity expenses hit for the year. We didn’t take an August vacation but that also hits in September typically. We’re excited to get a breather for Oct/ Nov and then December is high again with the holidays.
Abigail says
The expenses thing definitely makes sense. I know kids tend to be active all summer and parents either pay through the nose throughout the summer or at the very end of it. I’m glad you’ll get something of a respite for the next couple of months.
Regarding teeth issues, I feel ya. Tim had a calcium deficiency and a ton of exposure to steroids for health conditions from infancy. By the time we met, most of his teeth were gone, so we had to get him dentures and then two or three years ago he got dental implants. They weren’t painfully expensive, but for a few reasons we decided that we weren’t comfortable with medical tourism. But that’s just us. I’ve heard that plenty of people swear by it. Given the cost of dental procedures, I think it’s definitely a smart alternative.
Gary @ Super Saving Tips says
So sorry to hear about your eye problems, but at least now you know what it is and it can be corrected.
I’m glad you were able to get a hold of your usual yard guy. Yard work is tough, and that’s one of the reasons I bought a condo. You still pay for that yard work in your HOA fees, but at least you don’t have to do it yourself.
My September was good. So good in fact that we had to double-check that we didn’t make any mistakes on our budget report. But we’ve just recently finished up payments on several things (like our car) and those extra bucks add up to make quite a difference.
Gary @ Super Saving Tips recently posted…How to Save $25,000/Year Just By Retiring!
Abigail says
Hooray for extra bucks!
catseye says
I’m relieved to hear that the problem is “only” a cataract. Yeah, I know the procedure sounds scary, but I’ve mentioned in the past that my late mom, who LOVED to complain about her ailments, went through it like it was no big deal. If she could do it, I know you can!
I don’t know about persistence paying off – I’m still getting used to my new computer because it has all these features the old one lacked. I haven’t heard of some of them! I tried to get used to the new smaller keyboard, but had to go back to the old one.
As for how last month went, where should I start? I had to go to a new optometrist last month and it took 3 bleeping visits before I got the right scrip. I hate going to new doctors, but when you’re on Medicaid… At least the general physician I saw listened to me and issued my scrips with only a single visit.
This entire year has been very stressful, I’m hoping 2019 is better. For all of us.
Abigail says
Sorry to hear about the optometrist. I hate when you have to keep being seen for the same problem. Good luck with your new computer. I hope next year is better for you!
LindaT says
I had cataract surgery on my left eye. The surgery went well and wasn’t scary or anything complicated. I chose an intermediate lens because I’ve always been nearsighted and I wanted to read without glasses. Unfortunately the surgery didn’t improve my vision. In fact my optometrist said not to get the right eye done until later. We still haven’t figured out the vision problem. I have dry eyes which doesn’t help and glare really bothers me. Going in a store(like Costco) with lots of bright, overhead lights almost hurts my eyes. So we’re trying sunglasses which I hope will help and I can wear all the time.
But I am an exception; several people I know had cataract surgery with no problem and great vision afterwards.
Abigail says
Good to know. I wouldn’t care if I still have to wear a contact in my left eye — as long as it meant I could actually see things in focus with it — but it’d be neat not to have to wear one at all!
SherryH says
MrH had cataract surgery on his left eye this past Tuesday, and the right eye two weeks before that. He didn’t have any difficulty, except some light sensitivity in the affected eye the following day. He says everything is really clear now, and colors are so bright it’s amazing. I hope your procedure goes equally well. He is using some lubricating drops when his eyes get dry, and he says that helps, too.
‘How did your September go?’
Well…we had this hurricane… I think Florence is the worst one I’ve been through, though from the sounds of it Michael was horrendous. We got off fairly light, with just some roof damage and a few other minor damages. We have a check from the insurance company, but so far we haven’t even been able to get a roofer out to give us an estimate–they’re pretty busy.
Budgetwise, MrH lost two weeks of work, which hit us hard. We applied for and received one-time disaster SNAP benefit, which replaced food lost while the power was out and added a little wiggle room to this month’s budget. MrH applied for emergency unemployment, but the automated system said his earning potential for those weeks was $0. Funny, we’ve been living on his income for quite a while now… He’s trying to call, but of course he can’t get through.
On the plus side, thanks to the EF* (and yes, the credit card) we’re current with almost everyone and have made payment arrangements with the rest. And thanks to all the repairs and rebuilding, it looks like there’s going to be plenty of work for MrH going forward.
*A hurricane counts as an emergency, right?
SherryH says
I meant to add, it’s been a little over five weeks now, and I still don’t think the impact fully sunk in yet.
Abigail says
A hurricane *definitely* counts as an emergency. I’m glad you were able to get SNAP benefits given the situation, and that the insurance has already cut a check. I bet the roofers are pretty busy, but if there’s any exposed spots be sure to scall your insurance. They’ll at least get someone out there to put a tarp securely over that area to avoid any further damage.
I hope Mr.H gets the unemployment situation dealt with. Unfortunately, when it comes to government bureaucracy, perseverance is the name of the game.