Denouement on the Rocks...

[Daybreak]

Journaling...

A couple of interactions with STBEX the past few days have been interesting. She has expressed money concerns again - even though she makes over $20K more a year than I do. Now that the house is gone, she's been trying to figure out what the "new normal" is. We each had been carrying term life policies in case one of us dies before the house sold. With no house, no reason to keep the separate policies (we both are still covered through plans at our respective workplaces so it's not as if we're neglecting coverage).

So she e-mails me that she set the wheels in motion to lapse the current non-work policies - which I agreed to. She also mentioned that she's dipping into her non-work 401K to (and I am guessing here) clear away some credit card debt and was going to specify equal amounts be taken for Federal and state taxes. I replied back that I was a bit mystified at the tax set asides since state tax rates are quite a bit lower than Federal rates. I suggested that she might want to revisit that but it strictly her call to do so.

A couple of years ago, D went through orthodontia but hadn't been wearing her retainers as often as she really should have. Yesterday, our regular dentist said that her upper retainer was fine but the lower retainer was not fitting. When W picked up the kids for the evening, I relayed to her what the dentist said. W was in a bad mood about it initially - mainly because we hadn't set anything aside in the health savings account for it this year. Since S had an appt with the orthodontist today for an evaluation of his need for work, I said that I would inquire about an appt for D.

Anyway - S is not having anything done this year but the orthodontist did take some x-rays and photos to compare with ones he took last year. I asked about D's problem and he said that she should try wearing the lower retainer as much as possible before he sees D early next week. When I talked to W on the phone about this, she seemed to be in a much better frame of mind - especially if we don't have to pay anything out this year.

So finances are continuing to be a large concern for W even though she earns more than I do. As for me, it will take a couple of more months before I have a firm handle on my situation and know where to cut back...