Don'tcha just love the mail?
The school tax bill came - all $8,265.00 of it.
Can you say "Ouch"? C'mon, say it with me now - Ouch! Come on; louder! With feeling! (like if part of you just got caught in your zipper - you fella's out there know what I'm talking about)
OUCH!!!!!!
I actually got this bill last week, but it took me this long to be able to talk about it without falling into The Pit Of Despair. I used to suffer from some pretty severe depression, but have found over the past few years that laughter honestly is good medicine (not the best medicine, as many have been led to believe - that would, of course be tequila, but I can't afford that at the moment). So, I've gotten to the point now where I can laugh about this a bit - it's a kind of maniacal laugh - more of a hilarious cackle really, and I think it scares my wife a little, but it's a start.
So, I've gotta scramble..again. I did the numbers when I got the bill and determined that, if I made $200 every single day for the next 26 days (bill is due at the end of September), combined that with my wife's salary and applied that entire amount to the current bills and the tax bill, I would only be $2,000 short. I just ran the numbers again and, to break even, I need to make $500 every day for the next 18 days. (Insert maniacal laughter here)
So, re-think. Re-scramble. Lather, Rinse, Re-peat. And try to dismiss Gene Wilder's voice in my head mumbling, "Now Way Out, No Way Out, No Way Out".
That's probably the most frustrating part of this entire process - I know that there is a way out - I know with the utmost certainty that there is a way by which I can get all this paid off and put this debt behind me - I just haven't figured out what that is yet.
Still, I know that it's there. The Answer. At the moment, it's much like a huge, scattered jigsaw puzzle in my mind, with only the beginnings of an edge completed, but I know that it can be completed and the picture will be clear. There is a solution for every problem, an answer for every question - there is always a way out. I truly believe this. It just requires careful thought and deliberate action, both of which are hard to muster when you have a huge dungheap of debt hanging by a thread directly above you.
A good dose of divine inspiration is also quite helpful to the process, and that's where y'all come in, if you would be so kind. What's the craziest thing you ever did to make money? The most bizarre job you've ever had? The biggest risk you've ever taken that turned out to be profitable? The oddest way to stretch a dollar? Whatever you've got, I'd love to hear it. Sometimes, all it takes is seeing things from a different angle to push me through a mental block and man - I could sure use a push right now.
Please leave some comments on this. I haven't been around blogland long, but it seems to me that good blogs are like good sex - it's always much better when there's more than one person participating. With your help, we could turn this into an absolute blog orgy.
C'mon...join me...it'll be blogeriffic! (Insert maniacal laughter here)
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2 comments:
First of all, what the heck is a school tax bill? Second, can you do a payment plan? There's gotta be something else you can do other than kill yourself trying to come up with 8K by the end of the month. Good luck!
Hi Hilda,
In New York, your taxes on your home are broken down between property tax and school tax. The total taxes on my property are over $13,000. Ridiculously high, huh? See my post
entitled "Location, Location, Location" for my take on that.
While the "property tax" can be done in installments, the school tax is a once a year payment, due in full by the end of the month. If you can't do that, they will give you until the end of October, but that comes with a $413 late payment fee. Not my favorite option, but it may have to serve as my fallback position.
In any case, thanks for your comments and your support. :)
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