All at Once

Now that I’m (basically) done with getting my house the way I want it, living within my means has become easier most of the year, except in April, which many rulers apparently think is the best time for extracting tribute via collectivist rhetoric backed by threats of organized violence.  April 15th is of course the deadline for paying US income taxes, and because the US tax code was deliberately designed to be opaque and confusing, I’m never sure what the damage is going to be until my accountant sends the dreaded envelope.  In about 40% of years it’s dramatically higher than I expect, which is understandably upsetting; this was one of those years.  But that’s not the end of it, oh no; though the deadline for paying the first half of annual property taxes could be anytime between January and June (Oklahoma’s was June), Washington seems to think the very best time is a mere two weeks after the feds demand theirs.  And so every year both my business and household accounts are heavily bled in rapid succession, and it usually takes until the beginning of summer to get my depleted coffers back to a level that wouldn’t be entirely wiped out by one garden-variety disaster.

Unfortunately, this year I had one extra large bill; while having a 500-gallon propane tank is really convenient, it means filling it up is definitely not cheap.  Since our usage rates are pretty consistent (5% of total tank volume per month in warm months and 10% in cold months), I’ve known since the last fill that we’d be due around the beginning of April; what I didn’t expect was quite such a large shakedown from Uncle Sam.  So I was hoping to maybe stretch out our next delivery until later this month, but no such luck; when I checked the gauge on Monday it was at 25%, and the recommended reading for calling in an order is 30%.  It’s not merely academic, either, because on Sunday I noticed the pressure at the water heater (the farthest appliance from the tank) was already slightly lower than it should be, so I really couldn’t wait.

What all of this means is, money is a bit tight right now; I will need to do a bit of juggling from now until late June to keep everything running smoothly.  Unless we’re visited by catastrophe sometime this spring, I’m not actually in trouble; it’s just irritating and a bit stressful.  So, since it’s been about 3 months since I last reminded y’all that my writing depends upon reader support to keep it going, I figured I’d just post a gentle reminder.  If you appreciate my writing and would like to help me maintain the spiritual peace I’ve finally found after so many years of sturm und drang, please consider subscribing; if you can manage one of the higher levels, that would be especially nice.  But if you can’t, the regular subscription levels in the right-hand column will do nicely.  And if that’s still more than you can commit to, I do have an Amazon wishlist filled with things I really and truly want!  As always, thank you for reading and caring, and if you’re already a subscriber I cannot possibly thank you enough to match the gratitude I feel for your kindness and generosity.