Last week, I broke down and finally bought that handheld scanner. Because of my Christmas gift card I only spent $43 "new" dollars on it.
Well that one purchase has opened the flood gates!
Hubs birthday was earlier this month. After we went window shopping last week for a new gas grill to replace the little one we have beat the life out of and it can't be resuscitated to get through another year of grilling season, he decided to go back out on Saturday and actually buy a grill.
We're calling it his birthday present so I don't have a fit over spending the money.
Hubs did use 3 x $50 Home Improvement Store gift cards I had gotten at Rite-Aid last Fall, so he only spent a little less than $50 in "new" money. I didn't get a discount on the gift cards but I did get free $10 in +Up Rewards for buying them.....so the gift card +Ups money was "new" money in a way. Look at it this way--we bought a grill on sale for $170 and got $30 in +Up Rewards to get $30 in free stuff.
And we have a nice new slightly larger shiny grill to destroy.....
Then an appliance went on strike. Well, really it stopped working a few weeks ago but after having to hand wash all those Easter dinner pots and dishes, Hubs has had enough and wants the dishwasher replaced.
But me, being the frugal and trying to be 'green' even though it's a dishwasher people....c'mon!lol.....I tried to figure out a repair.
Repair=greener.
Repair=cheaper than replacing.
I figured out the door latch/handle was broken.
I ordered a new replacement part.
It came on Saturday.
So on Sunday we commenced to replace the part. We got all the way through removing the panels to expose the guts of the operation and went to unscrew the broken component.
And it needed a specialized screwdriver.
The size we didn't have.
Ack.
So we put everything back together so we could turn the electricity back on.
But we had to tape the door closed, but not latched since if we had latched the door, we don't get it unlatched without the broken part inside.
What an elegant looking sight!lol
So Hubs picked up the right sized screwdriver Monday evening and we removed the broken part and replaced with the new component.
And then the door closed...yay!
But the handle is not quite the right size. They redesigned the part and it doesn't work in this model of dishwasher.
We don't know if the computer works too now. We can turn the dishwasher on and the lights come on and all but nothing happens....meaning no water gushes forth and fills the thing and actually moves around and washes the dishes.
There might be a reset or something you have to do with the computerize motherboard OR that might also need replacing. The lights/cycles indicate and the timer counts down but no water, no action.
At any rate, if it needs anything else done it is beyond our skill level and a real repair person will have to be called in.
A repair person will cost $100 just to walk into my kitchen.
I am already out $70+ on the part, shipping and screwdriver.
If he replaces the handle component with another one, that's an hour of work and another part with mark up, so about $230 and Up total. If it's the computer stuff it will cost much much more....more than a new "low end" dishwasher would cost.
Add in that the repair people aren't returning my calls so IF I can find one who will come, we'll be without a dishwasher for many days to come.
Which will make Hubs start cursing like he did when we tried to repair it ourselves.
Whoever said doing things together draws a married couple closer together is full of horseshit. Repairing appliances does NOT qualify as a "something to do together" if one of you isn't handy in any way shape or form.....and that non-handy person is male. ;-)
I can go buy a brand new dishwasher for $250. No cursing, no good money thrown after bad, no buying more tools that Hubs doesn't use and certainly doesn't keep tidy out in the garage.........and free delivery to boot!
Myself? I can live without a dishwasher....especially if it's just 2 or 3 people eating here. Once the kids are gone for good and it's just the 2 of us, I probably won't use the dishwasher except for holidays or when company is over.
But those days aren't quite here yet....especially once Daughter comes home for the foreseeable fortune.
We still need to finalize the 4 home improvement projects we had planned to do this year, but if the money keeps up like this, we might need to downsize the scope or turn 4 projects into 3.
Instead of the Year of Saving Money it's turning into the Year of Watching the Money Go Out with The Tide.
2012....you are getting on my bad side ya know!
Make me feel better and tell me about all your recent Unexpected "having to spend money" Life Events.
Sluggy
Well that one purchase has opened the flood gates!
Hubs birthday was earlier this month. After we went window shopping last week for a new gas grill to replace the little one we have beat the life out of and it can't be resuscitated to get through another year of grilling season, he decided to go back out on Saturday and actually buy a grill.
We're calling it his birthday present so I don't have a fit over spending the money.
Hubs did use 3 x $50 Home Improvement Store gift cards I had gotten at Rite-Aid last Fall, so he only spent a little less than $50 in "new" money. I didn't get a discount on the gift cards but I did get free $10 in +Up Rewards for buying them.....so the gift card +Ups money was "new" money in a way. Look at it this way--we bought a grill on sale for $170 and got $30 in +Up Rewards to get $30 in free stuff.
And we have a nice new slightly larger shiny grill to destroy.....
Then an appliance went on strike. Well, really it stopped working a few weeks ago but after having to hand wash all those Easter dinner pots and dishes, Hubs has had enough and wants the dishwasher replaced.
But me, being the frugal and trying to be 'green' even though it's a dishwasher people....c'mon!lol.....I tried to figure out a repair.
Repair=greener.
Repair=cheaper than replacing.
I figured out the door latch/handle was broken.
I ordered a new replacement part.
It came on Saturday.
And it needed a specialized screwdriver.
The size we didn't have.
Ack.
So we put everything back together so we could turn the electricity back on.
But we had to tape the door closed, but not latched since if we had latched the door, we don't get it unlatched without the broken part inside.
So Hubs picked up the right sized screwdriver Monday evening and we removed the broken part and replaced with the new component.
And then the door closed...yay!
But the handle is not quite the right size. They redesigned the part and it doesn't work in this model of dishwasher.
We don't know if the computer works too now. We can turn the dishwasher on and the lights come on and all but nothing happens....meaning no water gushes forth and fills the thing and actually moves around and washes the dishes.
There might be a reset or something you have to do with the computerize motherboard OR that might also need replacing. The lights/cycles indicate and the timer counts down but no water, no action.
At any rate, if it needs anything else done it is beyond our skill level and a real repair person will have to be called in.
A repair person will cost $100 just to walk into my kitchen.
I am already out $70+ on the part, shipping and screwdriver.
If he replaces the handle component with another one, that's an hour of work and another part with mark up, so about $230 and Up total. If it's the computer stuff it will cost much much more....more than a new "low end" dishwasher would cost.
Add in that the repair people aren't returning my calls so IF I can find one who will come, we'll be without a dishwasher for many days to come.
Which will make Hubs start cursing like he did when we tried to repair it ourselves.
Whoever said doing things together draws a married couple closer together is full of horseshit. Repairing appliances does NOT qualify as a "something to do together" if one of you isn't handy in any way shape or form.....and that non-handy person is male. ;-)
I can go buy a brand new dishwasher for $250. No cursing, no good money thrown after bad, no buying more tools that Hubs doesn't use and certainly doesn't keep tidy out in the garage.........and free delivery to boot!
Myself? I can live without a dishwasher....especially if it's just 2 or 3 people eating here. Once the kids are gone for good and it's just the 2 of us, I probably won't use the dishwasher except for holidays or when company is over.
But those days aren't quite here yet....especially once Daughter comes home for the foreseeable fortune.
We still need to finalize the 4 home improvement projects we had planned to do this year, but if the money keeps up like this, we might need to downsize the scope or turn 4 projects into 3.
Instead of the Year of Saving Money it's turning into the Year of Watching the Money Go Out with The Tide.
2012....you are getting on my bad side ya know!
Make me feel better and tell me about all your recent Unexpected "having to spend money" Life Events.
Sluggy
I guess this will qualify. Shane is working out of town and I ordered new work boots for him, literally as he was walking out the door. I found a sale on the kind he prefers for $122.
ReplyDeleteThis afternoon he called and said one of his boots had a blow-out. IF he could find a repair shop, they'd probably charge $30 to stitch them back up pronto, but there isn't $30 worth of wear left in them, so he had to buy a pair where he's working (Bass Pro) for $105. We know little to nothing about this new brand and hope they hold up for the 6 months he's used to.
Meanwhile, the first pair is en route. We won't send them back because he'll need them in about 6 months anyway, and by then, they may not be on sale anymore.
Just consider us "stocked piled" on work boots.
"And we have a nice new slightly larger shiny grill to destroy....."-We like to destroy $hit here too. Made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteThe flood gates open and out goes the money. I know the feeling. It's either the cars or the house. Suck you dry!
'There gose the money"?????
ReplyDeletewhat does 'gose' mean?
Unless you meant: there 'goes' the money.
Sorry I didn't read the rest of your post. You lost me at 'hello'.
Whoever you are don't be rude.....
DeleteSonyaAnn--Yah, life has been sucking on my last financial teat lately...lol
ReplyDeleteAnonymous--Thanks for bringing that to my attention. I'm a bit preoccupied with more important stuff lately but thanks for stopping by.
ReplyDeleteNothing like a good appliance horror story to make me feel ambivalent about buying a house! Our most recent unplanned-yet-planned expense was a home and sewer inspection. I've been saving to buy a house for many years, but it took a recent rent increase notice to spur us into action and get us to really look at real estate. We found a place we really liked much sooner than we thought we would and hopefully it will be ours by the summer. It's hard to spend this money even though it's always been earmarked for this particular occasion.
ReplyDeleteYour working together story reminds me of when Kazi had to do her road test and told me the night before that one of the headlights wasn't working and it had to be fixed before her road test in the morning. Gee kid, thanks for the short notice. So I picked up the part at Canadian tire and michael and I tried to figure out how to replace it. Oh, did I mention it was pitch dark and there was a thunderstorm going on? Oh, and let's not forget that while michael can cook and clean and iron he's not mechanically inclined. So picture me holding an umbrella and a flashlight while michael valiantly took the headlight apart and dug around the innards to get the old bulb mechanism out and the new one in. There was much cursing involved, no bonding, we lucky ther was no fisticuffs!
ReplyDeleteAnyhow, thanks for the laughs and the lovely trip down memory lane!
Dear anonymous- seriously??? You lost me at '
Really, Anonymous, really?
ReplyDeleteSluggy, sorry to hear about the money sucking happenings. Hope it gets better soon.
My new tires lasted three months after car repair and realignment. Here is how it happened--The car repair (end of axle and tie rods and other stuff) guy shipped my car over to the Havoline realignment place. The Havoline guy just realigned without looking to see if parts were worn. So, I bought new tires that lasted three months before they were bald, the kind of bald that comes from bad alignment. No one is willing to admit he screwed up, so I am going to be out over $800 for new tires, balancing, new wheel, realignment, and parts that car will most likely need to make the realignment....and something else, some sort of thing where they rotate the tires all the time.
ReplyDeleteI KNEW that parts might be needed for a 2000 car, but obviously the guy did not look, just performed an alignment that was destined to fail as soon my car was backed out of the bay.
NO one told me I had a severely bent wheel!
I may bring Charle in on this because he has a booming voice and will go nutso on them and will probably make them sooooo angry.I really don't care how angry they get because I am right on this. 3 months for tires? The guy said, "Well, you put 5000 miles on the car, what do you expect." Not a true statement of my mileage and not what tires should give me in terms of mileage.
Oh, I make less that $800/month!
You make me laugh every day and make me think about what we spend..... Thank you Thank you
ReplyDelete