When I went to college, I had a little nest egg and everything budgeted and planned out. I quit my job, drove to Austin to live with my sister and within a week, everything I owned started breaking down or falling apart, destroying all my careful budgetings.
Same here. I've been laid off a week and 1 day and within the last couple of days, I've had my toaster oven die (under warranty, but I have to spend $33 to mail it to another state to get it fixed), a flat tire ($92) and now my car wouldn't start after returning to my mother's house after driving her to a doctor's appointment.
Still despite the trouble, I thank all the gods I know that my mother wasn't with me when the car died. It's 100 degrees F out (38 degrees C) and I had driven across town to pick her up, driven back to my area of town to visit her doctor, driven back toward her part of town, stopped at a grocery store and arrived safely at her house. It was only when I tried to drive home that the car started acting up.
I have no idea what I would have done had my invalid mother in a wheelchair been with me.
Still, after a brief rest, the car started and I got to a repair shop on my own without needing a tow. But so far, the bill is $260 and possibly will go higher. But I have to have the car. Without it, I can't go to any interviews should anyone call.
So, again, just when I need to be so careful with my money, my life suddenly turns into a money pit.
The shroud of the Dark Side has fallen...