Friday, March 26, 2010

The Joy of Homeownership and Other Ways to Spend Money

We have had a record week of spending. Girls' clothing = lots of money. New transmission = lots of money. New dryer = some money (not as much as the clothing cost!) New refrigerator = 1/2 the cost of the transmission.

And we aren't finished yet. We are looking to upgrade the trailer to one that I can manage all on my own and one that is easier to winterproof and is more secure safety-wise. That's going to cost as much as I've already spent, plus more.

We've discussed how to manage all this spending; it's going to take a little buckling down on "going out to eat," managing how much we spend at the Rainforest (online, people, think), cutting down on groceries a bit, cutting down on the kid's acquisition of gaming paraphernalia. I really need to sell the books in the garage and dispose of the dead (and dying) appliances.

And (of course) I can think of more ways to spend!
  • new sofa and recliner (almost getting to the "necessary" stage)
  • new drop-in stove (ditto)
  • new back-splash in kitchen (the old one is getting "swollen" with repeated dousings of water from the sink -- I thought it was supposed to "splash it back" not absorb it!)
  • repair woodpecker holes in siding when the babies grow up. (Thank you Woody!)
  • remove yucky wallpaper in half bath and replace with something more durable.
  • cat door in laundry room wall to outside. (We have 7 cats -- need I say more?)
  • carpet the stairs and hall; maybe our bedroom. (15 year old builder grade carpet -- it's getting really bad; there's actually a couple of holes.)
And then there are the things I just want:
  • new handles on kitchen cabinets
  • new faucet in kitchen
  • new faucet in 1/2 bath
  • remove wallpaper in kitchen and paint
  • new countertops in kitchen
  • new microwave to match new fridge and new stove
  • new dishwasher (ditto)
  • new outside deck (actually, almost to the "necessary" stage)
  • new shrubs outside
  • desktop computer with huge monitor
Ah, the ways I could stimulate the economy!

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