Upkeep and Maintenance on a House

When looking at houses to buy in Champaign, we've been trying to focus on newer houses - 2 to 7 years old, or so.  If they're older than that, we look for information about the things that have been replaced on the house, such as the roof, windows, or furnace. Otherwise, we could end up needing to replace some of those things sooner rather than later, and we don't really want to deal with that unless we have to.

After all, our house is practically brand new, even though it's 15 years old.  Because of the tornado, we've got a new roof, new siding, new gutters, new windows, a new garage door - practically the whole exterior has been redone - and the interior has been newly painted, and not in extreme colors in every room.  And because of the tornado, we didn't have to pay for all that - the insurance did!  Except for the cost of the windows that weren't broken or scratched and therefore didn't need to be replaced.  It was the time to do it, though, and we did get a nice tax credit for putting them in.

We've also done some upgrades on our own, like having ceramic tile put in the kitchen/dining room, front entry, and both of the bathrooms and adding a really nice deck on the back of the house.  And we did have to pay for a new hot water heater a few years ago, so our buyer won't need to call a company like Hot Water Heating Calgary any time soon.  That hot water heater should last for several more years.

So, while upkeep and maintenance may be part of owning a house, we'd like to avoid some of those expenses if at all possible.  We can paint those crazy colored rooms and eventually upgrade our flooring to ceramic tile and hard surfaces, but we don't want to have to replace the hot water heater or the roof or windows in the next few years.

Then again, maybe we'll get a super super deal, and it will be worth the risk.  We'll have to see what's available when we sell our house.  The people who buy it are going to be set and shouldn't have to worry about repairs for a quite a while. (Send them our way.  Thanks!)

The Car is Fixed, BUT...

Car keys on Khaki (Photo credit: Tattooed JJ)

I waited all day, but at least now the window works.  Again, I should have taken my computer and gotten some work done, but I figured that they knew what the problem was, and they had the part, so how long could it take?  6-1/2 hours, that's how long.

I would have been out of there sooner, but they originally said they would need two keys to program the windows or the new part, or whatever.  I didn't really understand it, but we only got one key when we bought the car, so we could really use a second key.  Then, today when they fixed the car, they didn't actually need the second key, so they didn't make one.

The serviceman I was working with at Honda said he would send it back to Ford to get one made, since he'd told me we would get a second key.  It would take another half hour or so.  And since I was already there...

So I waited another hour or so - it was a long half hour - and got the second key.  And before I left, we made sure that both keys would start the car.  And I was out of there.  I drove to the movie theater, just in time to see Trouble with the Curve, which I'd been wanting to see and was on the $5 movies this week.  (I'd already missed the 12:45, 1:45, and 3:40 showings.  I see now I was being very optimistic thinking I could make that 12:45 show, and here I was thinking I might have time to kill between leaving the dealership and going to the theater...)

When I got to the theater just in time for the 4:20 showing, I found that I could not lock the car doors with the key fob.  None of the buttons did anything.  Somewhere in all the programming and whatever it takes to make a new key, they forgot the fob, and now it does not work.  Thankfully the keys, as well as starting the car, also unlock the doors.  I didn't think to try that until after I had locked the car with the lock button on the door, and closed the door.  I could have been in big trouble and needed a calgary locksmith (Quick LockWorks, Ltd.. 104-3223 83 St. NW - Calgary - Alberta - T3B 5N1 - Canada - (403) 202-7656) to get back into the car.  Or just plain called Honda and told them to come get me and fix this thing.

As it is, I am going to need to take the car back.  Again.  So they can get everything programmed to work properly.  After spending all day waiting, drinking too much coffee, not really eating breakfast, or lunch, or dinner, I was just really tired and frustrated, and all I really wanted to do was cry.  Which I did when I got home and my husband called.

At least the movie was good.

How was your day?

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• If it Was ANY OTHER Window...

Waiting

it took them a while to find the part to fix the window on corys car. and then we went to the feast, and i didnt have time to get it in. i had packing and getting the house ready for an open house to do. so now we are back, and i made an appointment to get the car in today, and i have been here since nine thirty. and i am still waiting.

i hope they will be done soon. cory better love me.

.... posted from my phone which will not let me capitalize or use any punctuation except periods and commas. i do not know why. ...

So Much Stuff

I finally got the laundry done!  Washed, dried, folded, put away - except for the dresses hung in the basement because I didn't want to put them through the dryer and except for the shirts that need to be ironed.  But, for now, I'm done, and I took some time today to start going through stuff in the back room.

The thing with having room for storage in the basement is that we tend to accumulate a lot of stuff.  And we don't want to move any of that stuff that we don't really need, if we don't have to.  That means we need to go through things and sort, toss, donate, and decide what things we really want to keep - hopefully a small fraction of everything we have.  One day of going through boxes, and I'm already thinking it would be easier just to call junk removal edmonton, and have everything hauled away!


Of course, if you know me at all, you know I could never do that.  I need to take the time to actually go through everything, so I can remember what we have and decide whether I want to keep it or not.  I go through old magazines and pull out recipes I want to try and articles I want to read.  I hold onto books I want to read someday.  I hold onto old clothes I haven't worn in years, because I try them on, and they still fit - and I forgot how much I liked them.   I hold onto old notebooks from my high school and college days, because you never know when I might need to refer to all those notes I took!  (Yeah, I think it's time to toss those - better get to that box before I change my mind!)

It really would be easier to get rid of stuff if I didn't take the time to look at it first...

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• Three Weeks' Worth

Do You Write Poetry?

I used to toy with writing poetry, or at least what I called poetry.  I'm not sure what really qualifies as poetry - though I'm sure I learned that in high school.  I do remember reading poems in class and being incredibly frustrated by questions like, "What is the author trying to say here?" because I always figured if the author wanted us to know what he was trying to say, then he should just come right out and say it.  I guess that might take all the fun out of it?

I don't think anything I wrote was ever all that good, but I did submit a couple to some poetry contests. Though I never won anything, they did tell me they were going to include my poems in a book of poetry they put together from all the submissions.  I choose to believe that they didn't include every submission, and that my poems were at least good enough to be printed.

If you write poetry, be sure to check out the free contest from World Poetry Movement.  Poems can be on any subject, in any style - and you could win $1000.  Winning poems will also be considered for publication.

I wonder if I should try writing poetry again?  Except that I read the last couple winning poems, and I still don't really get it - what were those authors trying to say, anyway?

Three Weeks' Worth

Laundry, laundry, and more laundry - three weeks worth!  That's what happens when we're not home for more than two weeks.

I did laundry the weekend of September 22-23, and I'm finally getting a chance to do my laundry today.  I guess the good news is I have enough clothes to go that long - and I have my own washer and dryer to wash and dry everything.  I'm really appreciating that last part, because I did Jeffrey's laundry at the laundromat on Thursday.  It's been ages since I've used a laundromat for anything.  But Jeffrey needed clean clothes, and we had a busy weekend planned, with no time to do laundry, so that's what I had to do.

There's a nice laundromat at the apartment now, which we did not have when we lived there, so I didn't have to go far.  Still, having to pay to wash clothes - and trying to figure out what the difference was between the $1.35 top-loading machines and the $1.85 front-loading machines, because the amount of clothes I could put in each was pretty much the same - was hard.  So I only did Jeffrey's clothes - two loads in the front-load washers, two dryers to dry, and then another $1 to run a dryer again because everything didn't get dry.  But, he got clean clothes, and I brought his sheets and towels home along with my clothes, and I'm washing everything today.  Last load is in the dryer now.

Yep, it does take a bit longer using my own washer and dryer, but that's OK.  I like it much better, and next weekend I can get back to a regular schedule, instead of waiting three weeks to do laundry.

(Note: my regular laundry schedule now means Saturday night and Sunday, so Jeffrey can bring his clothes home on the weekends, get them washed, and take clean ones back with him.  Sure, he could use the laundromat at the apartment, but why should he?)

Safer Than a Candle

I finally got a chance to see Jeffrey's apartment - except for just seeing the phone pics he showed me. We were in Iowa together (yay) for a while, and before heading back to Wisconsin, we both came to Champaign so he could go back to work, and so I could look at houses.  When we walked into his apartment, it smelled kind of odd.  Whether that was just how the apartment is or because it was shut up for more than a week, I don't know.  Whatever the reason, he lit a candle to help eliminate the odor.  It did help some, so that's good.

After unpacking and sorting out things that are going to stay at the apartment and things that are going back to Wisconsin, we headed out to look around the area and to get a bite to eat.  He made a point of putting out the candle before we left - because you do not want to leave a candle burning when you are not at home.  There was a time I did that, and I'm so thankful that nothing happened, and we did not burn down the place.  It freaked me out a bit when I realized it.

It reminds me of the time I was actually home and had an issue with a candle.  I put a candle on the windowsill in my kitchen and let it burn.  It was really pretty.  However, what I did not realize was that is was melting my miniblind which I had pulled up a bit in the window - but obviously not enough.  The heat from the candle was too hot for that vinyl miniblind.

I probably should have been using one of these led tea lights, though I'm not sure they had them back then. They're safe!  I could have put one on my windowsill, still enjoyed the look and feel of a real candle, because they're made to mimic that effect with what they call True Flicker®, but there would have been no heat and no melting.  The one click on/off switch and long-lasting lithium battery make them easy to use for over 72 hours of continuous use.  They're even safe to leave on when you leave the house - or around kids and pets (and miniblinds).

I suppose it's not too late to get me some - just in case my brain goes on vacation again, and I want to burn a candle on a windowsill, or forget to put it out when I leave the house.  Six of them are less than $5, which is not bad at all, and they get cheaper the more you order.

Paying for School

I was eating lunch with one of my friends the other day.  Her nephew came by, and they started talking about how he was an expert in finding money for school.  He put himself through college and didn't have a huge loan to pay off when he was done.  He has a cousin who is a junior in high school and starting to think about college - applying and paying for it - and they're going to get together so he can share his knowledge.  I wish Cory had had some help in that area.  He is definitely going to have a loan to pay off when he gets out of college.

I wish he had spent more time researching scholarships and grants.  And he does have another year after this one, so he still could...

There are plenty of online resources to help with the search.  Scholarshipsonline.org is one such site.  Every year, hundreds of companies, foundations, non-profit organizations and government agencies give millions of dollars away in scholarships and education grants to needy students to help them pay for college, and Scholarshipsonline.org collect and list them on the site.  Students can search for available scholarships based on major, age group, ethnic background, geographic location, etc.  There is information about each opportunity and how to apply.  Definitely worth a look if you've got a young person in college or planning to go to college.

Kmart's Big Layaway Giveaway

This is a sponsored post, I am a Kmart Layaway blogger, though all opinions are my own.

It's getting to be that time of year when people are starting to think about buying holiday gifts.  That makes it a good time to think about Kmart Layaway.  Instead of maxing out the credit cards and going into debt, shoppers can pay a small down payment ($15 or 10%, whichever is greater) and make regular biweekly payments until their items are paid for.  Payments can be made online or at any Kmart register.  I could find plenty of items to  put on Kmart Layaway, like the Barnes & Noble NOOK Color, a Green+Life 10PC Ceramic Cookware Set, the Ninja Kitchen System, and a Hamilton Beach Big Mouth Pro Juice Extractor, to name a few.  I'm not so sure I'd be willing to give any of those things away, though.
 
Why Kmart Layaway and not Walmart, Best Buy, or some other store?  Check out the benefits of the Kmart Layaway system that those other stores don't have, like the online layaway option (how convenient is that?), no minimum transaction amount, the ability to pay online and pick up in store, and more.

Ordinarily there is a fee to put something on layaway, but right now Kmart is waiving the service fees and offering free layaway on contracts initiated from 9/9/2012 through 11/17/12.  There's also a chance you could have the remaining balance of your layaway purchase paid for with Kmart's Big Layaway Giveaway.  There will be one layaway giveaway per store per week every week from 9/9/12 through 11/17/12.  That's a lot of winners!  I know I'd love to win.

There is no purchase required to enter the giveaway.  For more information about how to enter, whether you make a purchase or not, and to get the Official Rules, visit a participating Kmart location or www.kmart.com/layawaygiveaway.

Good luck and happy shopping.

My Well-Being

This is a Sponsored post written by me on behalf of My Well-Being Powered by Humana for SocialSpark. All opinions are 100% mine.

Any time is a good time to think about your well-being, not just health, but peace of mind, family, finances, and just over-all contentment with life.  Yes, there will always be things in your life that you can and should change, but a big part of life is learning to embrace, enjoy and appreciate what you have.  Of course, that is always going to be a challenge because our society is so much about keeping up with the Joneses and wanting what we do not have, but it's a worthy goal.

There's a very comprehensive site from Humana called My Well-Being that is designed to help people do just that.  Start by taking the My Well-Being Assessment to evaluate your well-being today, and get the tools you need to improve it.  The site offers expert articles on everything from health and wellness to saving money and organizing your family.  There are also online games to play, polls to take, and special offers and discounts available just for members.  Since well-being means something different for everyone, it's easy to customize the content you want to see and get the things that will be most useful for you personally.  For instance, I probably won't spend too much time looking at the articles and content on saving money, because those kinds of articles usually just tell me stuff I already know.  But I'm hoping to find some content on life after the kids grow up and move out, because I could use some help figuring out what comes next.

Watch this video for more information about My Well-Being from Humana:

About MyWell-Being from mywell-being on Vimeo.


Be sure to check it out and see what kind of tools and resources My Well-Being has for your well-being.  It's free to register, and all of the content is free.  You'll also get a FREE Dummies book mailed to you just for signing up.  Choose from - Retirement for Dummies, Well-Being for Dummies, and Living the Boomer Life for Dummies.  Whichever book you choose, you can read the other ones too if you want - they're available as e-books on the site.