Reality Check!

Check please! Reality check that is. I got just the one I have been needing today. Here's the situation: A few months ago, my husband lost a good portion of his paycheck due to cutbacks at work. We lost our house and let our cars go back as we moved somewhere that doesn't require a car to get around. All of those things combined freed up a lot of cash. Well of course rather than be frugal and intelligent with the extra cash, we did some dumb things. We did however set up a payment plan with GMAC to pay the remaining balance after the truck was sold at auction. On Wednesday of this week, Toyota's collectors call me to demand the balance, offered a settlement amount that we couldn't pay and told me I was a loser essentially. So fast forward to this morning, and I receive a phone call advising we are about to be sued by Toyota for the remaining balance. Yikes! So, I ask if the settlement amount can be put on my credit card because I just don't have that kind of money laying around in my checking account. So, a long story short, Toyota has been paid in full (settlement amount), GMAC will be paid shortly, and I'm now keenly aware of how little money is left over for the next 3 months while we go whole hog on paying off the credit card. An expensive lesson to be sure, but comforting to know that I now have my head on straight and the value of the dollar couldn't be more straightforward!