Fit

It seems much of my days lately have been trying to figure out the "right fit."

Yesterday, it was how to fit all the dishes in the dishwasher.  I failed on this one.  It's amazing how if the maid (me) goes on strike for a meal or two that the dishes don't get done!  I used to go on dishes-strike occasionally, but had Adam around to help watch the kids so I could wash them, or he'd wash some dishes.  No.  Lots of dishes.  He washed lots of dishes.  I hate dishes.  Almost as much as cleaning toilets.

And then it's about finding the right clothes that fit for each member of our family.  Kids grow out of things so quickly, I just don't understand it!  Justin got some new shoes for church last week, they were much needed.  I was trying to remember if his old ones he'd maybe been wearing for a year?  Hmm.  Thankfully (sort of) Spencer has remained somewhat stable.  It sort of makes me wonder how his little legs are growing (if at all?), I'm wondering how that all works when his legs are made of metal.  Time will tell.

*Sigh*

And me.  Clothes that fit.  Up and down, up and down.  If I can make the gym start to fit into my routine again I will be happy.

Today (like everyday) I was browsing jobs.  And today I made some calls to daycare facilities.  Trying to make these things fit into life is going to be...well, a pain.  I'm amazed at the cost of daycare!!  Truly.  Most of my paycheck will go to pay for daycare costs.  Translation:  Nurses aren't paid anything.  No joke.  Most people think otherwise, and it's a terrible secret about healthcare.  While there ARE nursing jobs out there (and I don't worry about finding a nursing job of some sort)....well, my working at McDonald's is fairly comparable since I'll be putting all the kiddos in daycare to some extent.  That's probably the main reason that my dad would like to have us closer-by, so I get that.  The thing with "that" fit (moving) is that a part of me is scared.

I don't trust anyone or anything right now--my parents will die at some point, it's a fact.  What IF THEY die soon too?  Do I really want to uproot my family just to have them die on me, and then be stuck in the frozen tundra by myself?  I know, maybe that's a little irrational.  Or not.  We'll all die sooner or later.  Fact.

The question remains, how do we live our lives such that we are "enjoying" (or maybe just "tolerating" sometimes) life as it is, yet NOT leave our family members a giant mess when we die?  Truly!  Here are a few helpful hints I've come up with.  And since I know most won't listen to these hints per se....know what you'll be doing to your family someday--lots of stress and heartache in addition to leaving them sad that you're gone (if you didn't prepare).  For we'll all die eventually.

List for those who want to leave life "fit" for their descendants:

1.  You need to have roughly $8,000 set aside for funeral/burial costs.  More like $11,000 if you are going to buried out of state and will need flown to that destination.  It's a fact.  Plus headstone costs.  Since trying to get access to accounts and/or life insurance money doesn't occur until after a death certificate is available, have this money easily accessable for your family members.  FYI, I didn't get a death certificate for about 6 weeks.

2.  Make sure you have a trusted family member/friend/neighbor/someone who knows ALL your passwords (or where they can be found) to your various online (and not) business dealings.

3.  Silly things that you don't think about as being important that you need copies of:  taxes--including online tax company passwords AND usernames to accounts.  Important to know if your joint return is done by your spouse and they die, you need to know how to obtain access to this information.

4.  Make sure someone knows where all your financial information (ie. banks where you bank/account numbers, stocks, bonds, real estate) is located.  I read a statistic that A LOT of peoples' money is unaccounted for simply because their heirs don't know where to find life insurance policies, and bank information.  So silly!

5.  Have a will.

6.  Don't think that "some" life insurance will cut it--ESPECIALLY if you die young because that's when you REALLY need the money.  Factor in healthcare costs in addition to living expenses.  Realize that Medicare does not kick in until 65+ years old, and that even if it IS in place that there are supplemental costs--it's NOT free, despite popular belief.  And COBRA laws don't cover dependents (survivors) forever, there are laws that exist for this too, limiting coverage to a couple of years.  COBRA is very expensive because you are paying your contribution and your employers contribution to your health insurance costs.  You might not even be aware of how much money your employer pays to cover your health insurance plan--because you only generally see what your monthly contribution is to this plan.  It might be a good idea to find out this information, just for your own "food for thought."

7.  Plan ahead.  Fit in all the "what-ifs" of life into a real discussion with your spouse.

8.  PLAN AHEAD.  EVERYONE.