Annienygma

I paid my bills today. All $473 dollars worth. For this money I receive:

● A snug home to live in.
● Electric to heat with, keep the lights on, use the computer, etc.
● Water to wash with and septic to flush it away.
● Trash collection (mostly used by my neighbor).
● Internet for work, play and communication.

My bills are higher in the winter than in the summer because of the necessity of keeping warm. On some summer months I’ve managed to get my electric bill down to $13 though I’ve yet to manage it with this place. However, even with using the air conditioner in the summer I’ve never had a bill over $50 here for the summer months, a considerable change from the days I lived in a trailer.

Even with the electric heat I’m happy to announce that my usage went down over this same period last year. I’m not sure what caused the difference especially since I now have a washing machine but the electric company says I used 5 kwh less per day this year over last despite the fact that this year is colder.

Now that my bills are paid I can relax for another month; there is gas in the van, money in the bank and nowhere in particular I need to go because I did all of my shopping today while I was out.

Back in the days when I worked a public job things weren’t so easy. I was paid every two weeks so twice a month I looked at what was due and figured out what paycheck it would come out of.

When I got paid once a week the effort doubled because sometimes I had to save up just to pay a single bill.

Now I can pay them all in one fell swoop from money that comes in automagically. This means that I am free to spend my time doing much more enjoyable things like read a book or write this blog post.

Since my bills are so simple and low it means that I can easily pay them even if my income takes a dip. It means that I am able to put a few dollars away every month toward my goal of owning a home of my own again.  I’m not sure of my next step after my epiphany. For now I’m putting home ownership on hold while I think these sensations through.

It means that instead of working for someone else at a public job I can stay at home and write instead.

If you have a moment, take a slip of paper and write down all of your bills. Put down your mortgage, utilities, storage fees, credit cards, car payments and the student loans. Include the Fingerhut payment and the big screen TV you’re renting to own. Add these numbers together. If you’re honest with yourself that number may surprise you.

Now calculate how many hours you have to work in order to pay everything on that list. This is how much of your life you will lose in exchange.

Close your eyes and imagine your life with less bills. Imagine you have my bills if you need a number. How much of your life would you regain with this simple change?

What would you do with your time if you suddenly didn’t have so many bills to pay?

If you have a moment please share this post on Facebook or Twitter. Perhaps you could leave a comment about how your life would change if your bills were drastically reduced. Thank you. Your shares and comments may be just the thing needed by someone out there searching for answers and I deeply appreciate your effort.