Good Things Times Three

They say that bad things come in threes, but sometimes good things do too. That happened to me yesterday actually, and could not have been at a better time.

Work had been slow since end of August, and it looked grim for me making my monthly housing payment for November. See, in order to get a special reduced rate, I have to pay ahead around the 7^th of each month (depending on if the month has 30 or 31 days). If you don’t make it by 11 am, you go back to the daily rate that is about 40% higher.

As I sat doing my finances Sunday night having worked through half a roll of toilet paper, after a day of sneezing – the harbinger of a nasty cold – I realized there was no way to work the payment out. I resigned myself to having to pay the high daily rate, which would mean I would be out of money by the 15^th – my next paycheck not coming in until after. 

Monday morning I discussed my situation with the manager, but she said there was nothing she could do because the monthly rate had went up by another hundred dollars as well since I had moved in, and since I was already on a grandfathered rate I was already enjoying benefits others did not. Making half the payment did not work either because, well it’s the way it works. So, I paid for one day and went out to my car (or as I call it: my plan B for housing) to think.

I went back in after 15 minutes and the manager stopped me, waving my mail at me that had arrived while I was in the car. And there it was, a check from the IRS. This was for my income taxes (yes, I filed them late, long story). Of course I knew it was coming, but the IRS website had told me not until November 22^nd. So, the government was two weeks early. Go figure.

I went upstairs in my room to double check my bank account online to make sure they would cash the check, and was surprised once again. My daughter and her room mate had sent me money on Friday to Paypal, but I had not transferred it til 2 minutes to midnight going into Saturday morning. Yet, here it was, at 11 am Monday morning. I have used Paypal for years and it’s never transferred that quickly, especially on a weekend. Well, that meant I had enough for my monthly payment, if I combined it with the tax refund.

I went downstairs, explained to the manager that I had to cash a check and could make my monthly payment and if she could make an exception. Well, she did. She let me back on the monthly rate again. While that was my one mulligan, it has bought me one more month to make it, find a cheaper place, whatever.

And my cold? Woke up Monday morning and it was totally gone. Normally the symptoms I had progress to four to six weeks of not being able to breathe and other nasty things, but the symptoms are totally gone.