I've been out of commission exercise-wise for about a week now. I finally did get to the doctor's on Wednesday and was told I had neck spasms (aka torticollis) that would only go away with muscle relaxers, high dosage ibuprofen and ice packs. Today is Saturday and my neck is still giving me fits. Wah!
To make things worse, hubby and I are going through a rough patch right now so I believe my stress level is partially to blame for my slow recovery time. I made a grave error in judgment, have taken full responsibility for the mistake and now it's just a matter of waiting to see if hubby is willing to meet me halfway. There were some good signs last night so I remain hopeful even while I feel deep hurt and pain caused by my actions.
As for the budget, I decided to pull $50 from my overdraft protection budget. I have about $300 I can use so I'm hoping this $50.00 will help me get through the month without needing to take any loans. I did spend $20.32 in the last 3 days, primarily on food for DH and I since I haven't really been able to stand up and cook for a long period of time without pain (or dizziness from the drugs).
Amount Spent: 20.32
Total Remaining: 33.11 ($50.00 added from overdraft protection account)
Saturday, February 6, 2010
Wednesday, February 3, 2010
Adventures in Extreme Budgeting - Days Five and Six
Day Five
Tuesdays are my 12 hour teaching days. I'm on campus from 10am to 10pm and by the end of the day, I'm usually exhausted, feet and head hurt and I'm ravenous. I had a hard time getting up because of my neck pain so I ended up leaving the house later than usual and I didn't eat breakfast which is a big no-no for me. I ended up stopping by McDonald's when I got close to my job and spent $3.75 on breakfast. I did pack lunch which was a Lean Pocket, apple and Fiber One bar. But I didn't eat the dinner I packed because I teach from 4-10pm straight through. I wanted to go straight to my car so I left my dinner in the office fridge and went to Jack in the Box for a Jumbo Combo (some of the worst shit you can have if you are supposed to be watching your caloric intake). Spent $4.01 and ended up with the farts for the entire drive home.
Amount Spent: $7.76
Total Remaining: $31.43
Day Six
I finally bit the bullet and went to see a doctor at Urgent Care about my aching neck. That was $15.00 for that visit. The doctor said I was suffering from torticollis (or twisted neck) which results in severe muscle spasms. He said there were any number of causes but torquing my neck seems to be the catalyst. I was given Flexeril (a muscle relaxer), high dosage ibuprofen and told to use ice packs to help reduce the inflammation and swelling. The medicine co-pays came to $10.00. Oh yeah, I also spent $4.00 on lunch since I started getting hungry in the doctor's office. Damn! I've got $3.43 of discretionary spending left. At least, I didn't blow most of it on junk. Health and medicine are expenses I can justify so if I have to pull a little money from one budget to my discretionary spending (without borrowing from anyone), I'll consider this move within the guidelines of the challenge. Normally, I blow discretionary income on magazines, food and other crap.
Amount Spent: 29.00
Total Remaining: $3.43
Tuesdays are my 12 hour teaching days. I'm on campus from 10am to 10pm and by the end of the day, I'm usually exhausted, feet and head hurt and I'm ravenous. I had a hard time getting up because of my neck pain so I ended up leaving the house later than usual and I didn't eat breakfast which is a big no-no for me. I ended up stopping by McDonald's when I got close to my job and spent $3.75 on breakfast. I did pack lunch which was a Lean Pocket, apple and Fiber One bar. But I didn't eat the dinner I packed because I teach from 4-10pm straight through. I wanted to go straight to my car so I left my dinner in the office fridge and went to Jack in the Box for a Jumbo Combo (some of the worst shit you can have if you are supposed to be watching your caloric intake). Spent $4.01 and ended up with the farts for the entire drive home.
Amount Spent: $7.76
Total Remaining: $31.43
Day Six
I finally bit the bullet and went to see a doctor at Urgent Care about my aching neck. That was $15.00 for that visit. The doctor said I was suffering from torticollis (or twisted neck) which results in severe muscle spasms. He said there were any number of causes but torquing my neck seems to be the catalyst. I was given Flexeril (a muscle relaxer), high dosage ibuprofen and told to use ice packs to help reduce the inflammation and swelling. The medicine co-pays came to $10.00. Oh yeah, I also spent $4.00 on lunch since I started getting hungry in the doctor's office. Damn! I've got $3.43 of discretionary spending left. At least, I didn't blow most of it on junk. Health and medicine are expenses I can justify so if I have to pull a little money from one budget to my discretionary spending (without borrowing from anyone), I'll consider this move within the guidelines of the challenge. Normally, I blow discretionary income on magazines, food and other crap.
Amount Spent: 29.00
Total Remaining: $3.43
Monday, February 1, 2010
Adventures in Extreme Budgeting - Day Four
No spending to report for Sunday (Day Three) as I was laid up in bed with a sore and stiff neck and shoulder. Today, I had to run some errands which included mailing a book. I am a member of Paperbackswap.com where I trade used books with other people. I post my books, mail them via media mail and receive credits to order more books. Today, I needed to mail off "Bootcamp for Brides" but I was short $1.00 on postage so I dipped into my "fun" budget to scrounge up a buck. I also had to mail a form extending my reduced payment on my student loans but I searched high and low for a stamp and envelope around the house. This month's budgeting is making me extremely aware of what I'm spending and if I can get away with spending next to nothing each day, so be it.
Day Four
Amount Spent: $1.00
Total Remaining: $39.19 (spent $10 less on my cell phone bill so I'm adding it to the discretionary spending)
Day Four
Amount Spent: $1.00
Total Remaining: $39.19 (spent $10 less on my cell phone bill so I'm adding it to the discretionary spending)
Sidelined with Injury
For the past three days, I've been suffering with intense neck and shoulder pain on my right side. I thought this was a simple strain brought up by sleeping in an awkward position but now that the pain is lingering (and in some cases, getting more intense), I've decided to make a date with the Not-So-Urgent Care clinic on Wednesday to see if I might have Frozen Neck Syndrome. Pain is radiating from the back of my ear through the middle of my upper back. I've tried Advil, heating pads, Icy/Hot cream all to no avail. Unfortunately, tomorrow is my 12-hour teaching day that I cannot miss and I've got a feeling that I'll be popping pills pretty much for the entire day.
Lingering pain, muscle and joint stiffness and longer general recovery time from the aches and strains of getting older is no joke. I exercise pretty regularly but if my body decides to lock up, there isn't much I can do to stop it. This is really one of the aspects of turning 30 (more like 35) that sucks beyond belief. I am more acutely aware of pain than I've ever been before. My recovery time just ain't what it used to be.
Lingering pain, muscle and joint stiffness and longer general recovery time from the aches and strains of getting older is no joke. I exercise pretty regularly but if my body decides to lock up, there isn't much I can do to stop it. This is really one of the aspects of turning 30 (more like 35) that sucks beyond belief. I am more acutely aware of pain than I've ever been before. My recovery time just ain't what it used to be.
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