Going Through Financial Hard Times

It’s even harder for my friends with children — they have taught me lessons

Photo by Gorrin Bel on Unsplash

I am battling cancer right now. That means I have exorbitant medical bills even though I have insurance. But insurance doesn’t cover everything, and unless you can afford a premium plan, it REALLY doesn’t cover everything.

Add to the medical costs the rising cost of living due to inflation…

I realize that I’m in the same boat as many other people.

I’ve been in this boat before.

In my first semester of graduate school, I had a stipend of $600 a month that had to cover rent, utilities, and food. This was in 1995.

I managed by being very careful with my money. I ate a lot of rice and beans. My biggest expense was a half gallon of milk every week.

I stopped driving so I wouldn’t have to pay for insurance, gas or parking. Instead, I walked, biked, got rides from friends, or took public transport.

I didn’t have a TV, phone, internet or cable at home. If I wanted to watch something on TV, I visited a friend or went to the Student Union. I had internet access in my office or the library. I used the phone in my office when I needed to make a call. That meant my parents had to call me or…