Recent unexpected expenses?

[nick__45]

I had to pay an emergency room bill of $6000 for my dh. I sent my FIL $2000 to pay his property tax and my little poodle had to have emergency surgery to the tune of $1000. All of this was paid within the last three weeks. I took the money out of my emergency fund.

That's 9000 dollars. It takes a long time to save that much for most working class Americans. It is easy for some folks because they have dual income and make about $150k or more but for most people making less than 20 dollars an hour, it takes forever. Maybe that's why illegals and lazies opt for the free services such as ER and others. Why pay when it is a hard thing to do.

[snafu]

Several unexpected expenses in the past 3 months. Annual pre-winter furnace inspection revealed a crack in the condenser resulting in $3,607. for inspection, remove and replace. HOA 'special assessment' to update the complex [paint, new fencing, road repair, deck repair on my & 2 other units] $3,000. paid from home maintenance fund. A spontaneous decision to buy the SUV DH wanted, $13,500. from M M Fund.

To be fair to HOA the sum set aside for maintenance was reduced by the decision to significantly increase the Emergency Fund beyond government requirements as requested by residents. Meanwhile the cost of supplies, equipment and qualified/certified/bonded workers increased.

[nick__45]

I am buying my cousin a watch for his college graduation present. That's is unexpected and will probably run 500 dollars. His mom has given us a lot so I can't complain.

[Shaabenanizer]

$2,940 for 2 dental crowns in the past few weeks. Because I paid in full (from my EF) I got a 5% discount which saved me about $140, still it hurts. It could have been 3 dental crowns, but one was barely a year old and I put up enough fuss and reminded them I had been coming every 6 months for checkups until the dentist agreed to replace the one crown for free.

[nick__45]

$2,940 for 2 dental crowns in the past few weeks. Because I paid in full (from my EF) I got a 5% discount which saved me about $140, still it hurts. It could have been 3 dental crowns, but one was barely a year old and I put up enough fuss and reminded them I had been coming every 6 months for checkups until the dentist agreed to replace the one crown for free.

I think I'll go without dental crown or take a trip to South America and get one for 1/5 the price.

[greenskeeper]

Our latest unexpected expense was a spring perch rusted out on our 13 year old pickup. Could have been over $1k repair but my neighbor is a mechanic and has a HYDRAULIC LIFT (like the ones in the auto shops)in his garage!

His labor charge was $360 for 6hrs of work, plus parts ($200) which came to $560 total.

[biff]

Nothing big lately, thank goodness, but we know we have to remodel our bathroom next spring. Floor seems like it is getting a little weak.... uh oh!

Trees.... I live in Redwood country and we had a huge pine taken down a few years ago after a severe storm locally. It cost us $1000.00. There is no way anyone takes down trees around here who are not professionals. They have to climb the trees and top them out a few times before actually taking down the tree. Yes we used the firewood. We have a wood burning stove and it heats the house wonderfully. In fact sometimes we end up opening windows.

Even though my indoor fireplace is gas, I have a wood burning fire pit in the back yard which we all love!

[LivingAlmostLarge]

$800 for two windows that broke this year.

[nick__45]

$800 for two windows that broke this year.

Do insurance cover it?

[disneysteve]

Do insurance cover it?

You asked the same question when I posted about fixing broken windows. Why would insurance cover this? And even if it did, it wouldn't make sense to file a claim for a small repair like this. Your deductible would be most of the cost and you don't want to file unnecessary insurance claims because most companies have a 2-claim-per-5-years policy so file 2 claims within 5 years and they will cancel your coverage. That is regardless of what the claims were for or how much (if anything) the company had to pay out.

[PMMM]

I have to buy tires for my wife's car. About $1100.00 out the door. I'm fairly new to budgeting and didn't budget for tires though I do budget for car maintenance. I just forgot to budget for tires. I'm paying for it out of the general fund and not our EF. I will be readjusting the budget.

PMMM

[LivingAlmostLarge]

no insurance its wear and tear and besides i would never claim it on my home insurance anyway. it's peanuts compared to the cost of the insurance going up.

[skydivingchic]

I got an estimate from Canon today to fix my digital camera. $150. A new camera with the same features would be ~$400-$450, so I'll get the repair done. The money will come from my personal savings.

[lrjohnson]

I paid $900 in car repairs; unexpected in a car with 53K miles that I take in for all the routine maintenance. Things happen. Paid out of checking account. Felt grateful.

[Redraidernurse]

We just found out our 18 month old is deaf in one ear. ONE hearing aid $4000 dollars, will be taken out of our EF. Im thankful we don't have to buy two hearing aids! How much did it cost to find out he's deaf? $3000 deductible met so far on our health insurance since he also had to get tubes in his ears. Expecting a new baby this coming July...lots of expenses there!