The Money Pit

All through my life all I ever heard was the following…you need:

1. A college education
2. A good job
3. A good partner
4. Several children
5. A house
6. A good pension plan
7. A good shrink

Okay…so I added the last one, and the 6th one is darn near impossible nowadays, but I’ve gotten through the first 5 and I have to say…it’s number 5 that has me thinking that whoever gave me that advice must have been an independent contractor.

I’m not going to badmouth the premise that owning a home is a good way to establish credit. And it is a more viable option when raising children. But anyone who thinks having a home is gonna make life so much easier because it’s YOUR property and you can do with it what YOU want is sorely mistaken.

Here’s the deal…bought this little house about 7 years ago. I say little ’cause it is. A measly 1800 square feet. It was built back about 70 years ago, so of course it’s starting to have a few problems. But now these little problems are escalating and I don’t even know where to begin to pay for it.

For example…we discovered that giant crack in our solarium. That’s gonna run a pretty penny. And while the guy I asked to give me an estimate on fixing it was checking it out, he also informed me that it would be a “really good idea” (meaning I better do it or he’s gonna kick my ass) to have all of the gutters and spouts replaced because they can’t handle the amount of water that is pouring off the roof during one of these crazy rainfalls that we’ve been having. Oh yeah…and while I’m fixing that, I also need to have a geotechnical consultant come over and give me an estimate on how much it will cost me to RAISE my house and reinforce my foundation because it is starting to slope. If I don’t get it fixed, apparently my home will slide into the house next door…which, I assume, would be a bad thing.

Now…look at this from MY perspective. I just wanted to have new windows and carpetting installed on my back porch! Now I have to RAISE my house??? WTF?

So I’m left with all of that, plus my downstairs bathroom has 2 holes in the ceiling (which make me feel more and more like a failure every time I take a shower), my yardwork hasn’t even begun yet, my kitchen needs to be regrouted and the counters replaced and my upstairs bath could really use an update considering the shower tile is pink and there is old flowered wallpaper peeling off.

Geezuz! It’s a MONEY PIT!

Okay…so now I’ve vented. There is no need to start a collection. I don’t need any money (well I do…but who doesn’t?) and I can’t imagine the money fairy is gonna be making any stops at my house anytime soon. All I’m doing is venting, and I imagine if you are a homeowner, you are having the same issues. So now I can breathe a little easier and pick up the phone and start dialing…’cause I got this yellow book with a lot of numbers in it and I got house issues. So…if you know anything about raising houses, gimme a call because these contractors are all about giving me advice, but not so easy to get to call back!