unexpected $5,454 bill? No problem.

[johnintaiwan]

I was hit today with an unexpected bill for $5,454. Okay, so it is Taiwan dollars, about $180 US, but still a decent chunk of change. It was a cable/Internet bill (I know I know why do I have cable?). I had forgotten that it is not paid monthly, but every six months. It wasn't a big deal, I just went ahead and paid it. But then I started thinking about how this would have been an emergency for many people. I would expect that most people would not be able to come up with the extra cash to deal with this bill (people on this site excluded). That simultaneously made me feel sad for them and proud to be able to handle this situation the way I feel an adult should be.

Have you had any experiences where an unexpected expense was a non-event for you, but that you feel would be a major problem for most people?

[2527]

Yes.  One thing I really enjoy is the serenity of being able to take surprising events in stride. 

[lexie2000]

When we first started our post-college careers, our first order of business was to build an EF.  We've never had an unexpected expense that we couldn't handle.

[anisotropy]

cable is 30 dollars a month in Taiwan? oh man I am missing out.

[MicroRN]

We spent about $1200 for dental surgery on one of our cats, paid from cash on hand. (Actually, paid it on my rewards CC, then turned around and paid the CC from cash on hand.) The vet office folks were very apologetic and were letting us know about CareCredit and other payment options, and the vet was trying to come up with less expensive options for us, but the effectiveness of those was very limited.  It's great to be able to say "Is this the best option for his health and happiness?  Yes?  Ok then, we'll do it today." 

[clarkfan1979]

I just replaced my A/C for a total of 5,700. New outside unit, air handler and half of the ducting was re-routed and replaced. Yes, it hurt, but I had the money. It wasn't totally unexpected. I had been saving up for 2 years. However, when it finally gave out, I needed to act fast. I've told a few people at work and they act like someone died. Oh my gosh, how are you doing? When I tell them it was no big deal they are often confused. I think the weird part is when someone buys a 20K-30K, it's normal. Nobody is like, how could you afford a Honda accord? 

[tmac]

Last July, we had to replace our HVAC unit ($5K) and get a new-to-us car ($5k). So happy to be able to just write those checks.

[johnintaiwan]

cable is 30 dollars a month in Taiwan? oh man I am missing out.

cable and internet for 30 bucks. The internet is super fast, but the cable is pretty bad, about 5 english channels and they all suck. But the wife loves to watch the chinese dramas and talk shows, so I guess we will be keeping it for a while.

[Shor]

Argh! You totally fooled me with $5,454 which are not dollars despite the leading dollar symbol!

That being said, a $6k bill would be my absolute limit in terms of cash on hand. Posting to CC, (for a fancy $60+ reward :D) and then paid off in cash across the month: totally doable! Though such an expense would definitely break multiple budget estimates... monthly... quarterly...annual...

[Exflyboy]

I just sent the Government nearly $7000 (US).. My employers wern't deducting enough.

stung a little but the effect on NW was trivial.

Frank

[TheDude]

Ha before I clicked on this fourm I saw you username and wondered if that was twd or usd. Where do you live in Taiwan? My wife and I lived in Hsinchu for a year.

[James]

My wife got hit in the parking lot last week, and since she was moving (slowly) at the time she got hit, our insurance is saying it probably won't matter that the other guy was going fast and came around the corner and hit her while she was backing up, his insurance probably won't cover our damages. So with our high deductible that means $1000 may be needed to fix the car. Surely that would be a big shock to most budgets, but for us it is only frustrating to not be able to put that money in savings, it certainly isn't something to worry about financially. That kind of peace of mind is sure nice. :)

[naturelover]

When getting bigger ticket things like new HVAC units, there is a certain pleasure in seeing the sales people look confused when you say that you don't need or want financing.

[skunkfunk]

My wife, a teacher, had a full time summer job in which they took out all of $36 in taxes. I now have to write a check for $3000 dollars.

Not a huge deal, but it did require me to cash out $3k from my taxable Vanguard account.

My wife got hit in the parking lot last week, and since she was moving (slowly) at the time she got hit, our insurance is saying it probably won't matter that the other guy was going fast and came around the corner and hit her while she was backing up, his insurance probably won't cover our damages. So with our high deductible that means $1000 may be needed to fix the car. Surely that would be a big shock to most budgets, but for us it is only frustrating to not be able to put that money in savings, it certainly isn't something to worry about financially. That kind of peace of mind is sure nice. :)

You have full coverage? Is this mandatory for some reason?

[johnintaiwan]

Ha before I clicked on this fourm I saw you username and wondered if that was twd or usd. Where do you live in Taiwan? My wife and I lived in Hsinchu for a year.

I live near the other big science park outside of Tainan City

[tmac]

When getting bigger ticket things like new HVAC units, there is a certain pleasure in seeing the sales people look confused when you say that you don't need or want financing.

Yes! This is how our conversation went:

"If we get started right away on the financing, we can do the installation next week."

"No, that's OK. Since we're going to pay for it ourselves, when could you start?

"But it'll take even longer if you use another lender."

"No, I mean, we're going to just write a check. From our bank account."

"Oh!... Really?!? In that case, we can come tomorrow."

[greenmimama]

Good for you, Since I was 16 which was cough cough, a while ago, I have always been able to handle at least a $1,000 emergency, I can't think of anytime that would have been a problem, I have just always been a saver and felt comfortable with a savings, Now if I had been saving more aggressively MMM style, then I would be a whole lot happier :) but I can't even imagine this whole, OMGosh how can we possibly afford this $400 expense on the car, as if we can't expect to have to need repairs on a car?

[kendallf]

Funny how your mindset changes.  My anecdote:  For a few years now, my wife's taxes have been significantly under-withheld, resulting in our owing at tax time each year.  Before I set out to get my shit together, this would be a major impact.  We would have fights about it, I'd yell at her about getting her withholding changed, yada yada.

This year I started doing our taxes and realized we owed again.  I was all set to get angry.. and then I realized.  WTH.  I can actually pay this.  Better yet, we didn't give the gov't any interest-free loans this year.  :-)

[naturelover]

"No, I mean, we're going to just write a check. From our bank account."

Sales person might have said: "Just write a check?! Who does that?!"

Mustachians, that's who. We're a rare breed. :)