My Christmas Tree is Not Up Yet

While it was nice to cough up $400 less than we did last year, it was still painful to write the nearly $2500 check for our bi-annual property taxes this morning. I suppose we are lucky to pay only 1.1% of our assessed value - other states pay a heck of a lot more, but this month has been especially painful with the whole kitchen remodel. I just keep telling myself that the worst will be over after we pay this month's bills. Until we have to tackle the floor and start replacing windows. It never ends.

Anyway, so the electrician came on Saturday morning and decided that the easiest thing to do would be to take that unused circuit and make it the dishwasher/disposal circuit and then leave the over-loaded circuit to control the refrigerator wall of outlets, thus no longer over-loaded. This was one of the options that had been rolling around in my head, as well; the only crappy thing was that it resulted in 20 more drywall holes we have to patch. Not huge ones, but just before every joist, he had to cut a hole in order to to thread the wire through. While he already he the ceiling open (again) we figured he might as well run a line across to the family room ceiling so we could install a fan-light combo. Pretty much every room in the house except the kitchen and dining room has no overhead lighting. We have those STUPID switch-controlled outlets. I hate them. Eventually I am going to do the bedrooms, too, because those are the rooms where a fan can be a necessity in the summer. Right now, we just sweat our nuts off for a few weeks. It's not ideal. And I don't really sweat MY nuts off, per se. Since I don't have "nuts." Whatever.

So, this last electrical bill was $325. In the end, cost to fix Incompetent Contractor's electrical work is $570. In the end, we spent as much as if we would have just had this guy do the whole thing from the get-go. I wish I had gotten the referral before him before we embarked on the project. Oh well.

[nonsequiter alert] How 'bout this for a strange gas station name? Chevron Three Wives. I just logged into my Amex account since I am a little OCD with monitoring the moola and saw that entry from when I gassed up last week. I'm still trying to figure that out. Why would you name it "Three Wives"? Like, back in the Old Country, did you have three wives and felt the need to name your gas station after that fact? Or are you Mormon polygamist? No? Or is that three wives are running the gas station together? Either way. It's a weird-ass name for a business. And did anyone watch 60 Minutes last night about Saudi Arabia and oil? About how they want oil to be $75 a barrel. Today it's around $43. How about screw off? I literally said that out loud. I actually said, "how about fuck off?" while I was watching it. We so need to get off foreign oil, it is ridiculous. We really shouldn't be at the mercy of these people. Another country having so much control over our economy is effing scary. I remember the pain of paying $4.50 a gallon back in August. Just three months ago. I hope we don't get complacent and forget that pain. Now is definitely the time to find alternative energy, make more hybrid vehicles, and get that ball rolling.

Alright, off my soap box.

Still haven't found a sewing machine...

Comments

  1. Your electrician is going to have a Merry Christmas...

    I personally will never forget the pain of $4/gallon gas. Ever.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Oh girl. As my mom used to say about the dentist, "Well, looks like he needed a new car this year."

    ReplyDelete
  3. Amen Sister! I hate OPEC and I'm tired of being raped every time I fill up my gas guzzler.

    ...And I hate shoddy POS contractors! Is there no possibility to stop payment on a check or hurt the first "electrician" in some kind of way?

    Maybe you could post your experience online somewhere.

    ReplyDelete

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