Track the small, real costs after a car crash with one clear page

# Why the small costs matter After a crash the body-shop estimate and hospital bill dominate conversation. Smaller, day-to-day expenses usually change how your week actually goes: a rideshare to a follow-up, parking at a clinic, a rotisserie chicken because nobody can cook. Those are easy to miss and hard to reconstruct later. They also become the items insurers, billing offices, employers, or relatives ask about.

# One page instead of a shoebox A receipt only shows what you bought. A single running page records context: who paid, what was extra, and where proof lives. The page should list each payment once and keep unpaid help in a separate section. That makes it easier to ask focused questions later — for example, whether your policy covers replacing a child seat and what documentation the insurer needs.

# What belongs on the page

# Typical small expenses to watch for

• Transport to appointments: rideshares, bus fare, gas for a friend, mileage on a borrowed car
• Parking and tolls at clinics, hospitals, tow yards or repair shops
• Prescription copays and drugstore purchases like ice packs or braces
• Child care or extended aftercare hours you don't normally buy
• Prepared food and delivery when cooking stops
• Laundry, cleaning, or yard help that the household usually does itself

• Paperwork costs: records fees, postage, printing, notary
• Late fees or returned-payment charges when autopay hits a short week

# Distinctions that matter

# The unpaid-help column

# How the page helps conversations With the page in front of you, you can ask specific, answerable questions. Ask insurers, employers, repair shops, and card issuers for written terms or the exact documentation they need. A phone yes is more useful when it's paired with the name, date, and a clear record of the expense.

# Simple upkeep Use a spreadsheet or a notebook on the counter. Ten minutes on Sunday night is usually enough to capture the week. Don't skip prescriptions, meals, or appointments to keep numbers small — care comes first. The page exists to describe what happened, not to argue you out of it.