Back to the basic$ of financial neuroplasticity.

    After several months of implementing the principles of Feldenkrais to help us move more easily through our financial environment, we were ready to enjoy the fruits of our effortless saving. It was time for a few home improvement projects.

    We carefully planned a few things, including our projected budget for each project.  First on the list was updating the master bathroom. What girl doesn’t just love the idea of a new bathroom? Since the plumber was coming and the dogs were safely tucked away at Little Doggie Day Care, we arranged for a window cleaner to come the same day. To round off the day, we had the electrician come to give us an estimate on two small jobs. What fun!

    I was having a great time until we received a shock. A really big shock. You may even say an electrical shock. It appeared that our fuse box had to be replaced and the entire house rewired. Yikes! Our electrician meticulously explained the problem to us and showed us where we had already had something called a burn. I didn’t understand what that meant, but I knew it didn’t sound good. What I did understand was that my new bathroom just went down the toilet. But at least my house would be safe, from an electrical stand point. And my windows were clean. What more could I ask for?

    The cost of the work left me speechless. Which has not happened more than a few times in my life. But I recovered from the shock (so to speak) and was ready to move forward. You would think that such a huge expense would break the bank. The truth is, it did take a hit. But, thanks to our new sense of financial neuroplasticity and our new habits of saving and spending, I could figure out how to recover. I went back to the drawing board. Time to make a few adjustments. I looked back at the budget I had written up last summer. I made a few changes, still allowing for the most important things like food, gas, wine and hair color.

    The good news is that our electrician told us that if we had been considering replacing any light fixtures, now was the time. Since they had to pull all of the fixtures anyway, they would replace any upgrades free of charge. Keep in mind “free” is a relative term considering the cost of the entire project. Hmmm….time to go shopping, at least if it fits in the budget. I may not be getting my bathroom as of yet, but I’ll get a new light fixture and I already have a clean window. At least I’ll see my bathroom in a whole new light, so to speak. That’s a start.

    When one of my sisters commiserated with me, she assured me how pleased I would be that the work was done. But, unfortunately, for all that money, I wouldn’t even have anything nice to look at. Oh, contra ire, I told her. Once all the work was completed, I was going to go through the entire house, turn on every light, go outside and admire the show through my sparkling clean windows.

    So, just in case you see a strange light from the Rocky Mountains, no worries, it’s just me enjoying my home improvements. And, don’t worry, it will be a brief light show that doesn’t last long. After all, I am on a budget!

Be healthy!
Cheryl Ilov, PT, GCFP