Financial disclosure statement

The price of gasoline has bumped back up to almost $3.20 around here. That is an increase of a dime overnight. Between the end of April and the end of May it went up about seventy cents -- almost 25%. Then it started dropping back down to a little over $3.00 for a few days, but now it's heading up again.

I figure about 20% of my expenditures are gasoline/car related -- and 80% of that is gasoline for commuting to and from work. My biggest expense is health: almost 60% of what I spend goes to insurance and prescriptions, even with my plan. There is a possibility -- slim, but possible -- that in the not-too-distant future Wisconsin will have a universal health plan for residents for which I would qualify. It would cost perhaps as much as I am paying now, but the coverage would be way better for doctor and hospital stuff. Probably the biggest financial impact of leaving the Carmelites was the loss of their amazing health coverage.

Fortunately, due to Tom's great generosity, my other living expenses are very low and I am still able to save a reasonable amount of my earnings. In addition to putting aside a chunk my regular paychecks, I try to put all of the money I earn from the Carmelite Institute -- teaching in the distance learning graduate program, writing and editing -- into my money market account.

Of course, if I ever get my mystery published, I am sure the movie rights alone will bring in a small fortune...

Seriously, one of the things I do for the lawyers is type up financial disclosure statements for clients, and that is often a sad job. By comparison, I not only have no cause for complaint, I have cause for gratitude.

I just need to remind myself of that more often.