Tax Time

I usually owe money around tax time. It makes me angry, simply because I know they've been stealing my money all year long and it feels like a kick in the proverbial nuts to have to give away even more money... especially if I know that other people are getting a refund. Granted, it's never been a large amount of money, but it was substantial enough to be annoying. Last year I owed the federal government $339, and the state gave me back $177. So, I was really only paying a little over 150 bucks, but that is enough money to be worth complaining about.

That was last year. Last year when I didn't own a home. Last year when taking the standard deduction was the best I could do.

This year I got to itemize my deductions. I have tons of student loans! I've paid what feels like only interest on my house! So this year, I'm getting a refund. A refund I'm sure that I wouldn't get if I was still renting.

I'm going to pay off my credit card with my refund.

And I'm really excited about it.

How lame!

I suppose home ownership has its perks. Maybe if I have any money left over, I will reward my house by buying it curtains.

I can't believe I did them already. They aren't even due until April. God, I sound so grown up and junk. Gross.

Boogers!


End Blog.

Fact: Everything You'll Ever Need is Already in Your Basement

Good thing I have a basement.

Sadly, my "fix" for my toilet did not last all that long. This really isn't all that surprising. I was hopeful, but didn't expect much. Although, the last flood did catch me off guard... again. But, as it turns out, I am a genius for the way I finally came about the part to fix it properly.

The toilet overflowed late at night. Late enough for all the hardware stores to be closed. I was angry. Mostly because I didn't want to buy the whole replacement part, but also in conjunction with the fact that my solution to the problem didn't work. The best part about this story is that the parts I "fixed" the toilet with went missing. I think they may have somehow gotten flushed down the toilet, or were stolen by toilet gnomes.

So, I'm sitting on my couch, being angry, when I have an epiphany and realize that I really am a super genius. You see, I have a toilet in my basement that is fully functional, but is never used because it's in an unfinished basement... and, who would want to go down there and drop their drawers? (I have used it twice before in dire circumstances. Don't judge me.)

Therefore, said toilet was eligible to become a spare parts superstore that late at night. And, as luck would have it, basement toilet and bathroom toilet are the same kind. They share the same types of parts! I have a basement full of replacement parts!

So, I pilfered the thing I needed and my toilet has been fixed ever since. If only I had thought of that in the first place! It would have been free.

So, anyway, on the off chance that you were entertaining the notion of using my basement bathroom... good luck.


End Blog.

They Don't Sell Magic

What a surprise. The part I need for my toilet tank mechanics isn't something that's sold by itself. And wouldn't you know it, all the major parts that I can buy are not similar to my own toilet, so I can't just buy the whole flush valve and only use the cap for the overflow tube because most of them don't have one. That's right, the part that seems to be so vital in my toilet isn't so vital in any other toilet because the part doesn't even really exist. Probably why mine committed suicide. It felt alone in the world.

I thought that I could just get a longer refill tube and stick it down into the overflow tube and all would be well. I mean, that's how all normal toilets seem to work. But, alas, no. I don't have one of those float ball type of toilets. No, mine has a different mechanism for stopping the water, and it broke. It's part of the flush valve. That is why the back of my toilet tank overfloweth, flooding the floor of my bathroom, and causing a super special leak into my basement.

So, I did what anyone would do in this situation. I made my own solution to the problem. I have fashioned something that seems to work, and work well. The troubling question is - how long is it going to work? I know I'll panic every time I have to flush in the next few days, but if it works, I'll forget about this mishap and then when I least expect it, my toilet will explode again.

I wish you could have seen my bathroom. Water sprayed all over the walls from the refill tube. It was like a cartoon hose flipping all about under pressure. Everything got wet, including me. It was pretty awesome.

Man, where is Hermione Granger when you need her? At least it's working now, albeit, not through magic.

My own ingenuity saves the day!


End Blog.


PS - The propane tank on my gas grill leaks. I'm afraid to fix it because it really MIGHT blow up, but I think all it needs is a new valve thing-a-ma-jig or some rubber gaskets or something. Did I think to look for anything to repair my grill? No. Of course not.

I wonder if I could hire a handyman who would also be a maid. That would be a splendid service.

I'll Probably Hate This Once it's Summer

I suppose the biggest headache about owning a home is the maintenance and upkeep. But you know what I learned today? I'd rather mow the lawn than vacuum. Or do laundry or clean in any manner. (Unless maybe it was my car...) A clean house or clothes do not give me nearly enough sense of accomplishment as short grass does. And fresh cut grass smells nicer than any cleaning supplies you can give me.

So, as you may have guessed, I bought a used lawnmower from my friend today. My grass really needed cutting. (I think the front yard may have been worse.)


I had a few different kind of flowers in my yard, mostly purple... so I kinda felt a little bad about cutting the lawn because the color was sort of pretty, since I have no other flowers growing at my house. (I had a dream last night that I went to Lowe's and bought a whole bunch of flowers and landscaped the front of my house.)


One of them looked like it was in the mint family, with its square stem... but I have no idea what kind of flowers they were. Minty ones.


And I also had weeds hanging out with them... So, I mowed them all down.


I got the lawnmower out of my car by Blackwell ingenuity. I had help getting it into my car and realized that it would be too heavy for me to lift out of there alone. So I stacked up some different sized moving boxes still laying around in my garage, and I sort of eased it down stepwise out of the back of the SUV. Come to think of it, it might not be Blackwell ingenuity, but rather the fact that I've been playing a lot of Lego Star Wars...


Either way, I got it out of the car and had no problem starting it up. I got to cutting the grass and stalled the engine several times on high, thick portions of grass. The good news is that I didn't dislocate my shoulder trying to pull the mower start cord thing. I got about... four passes through the back lawn (I started in back so it looked like I knew what I was doing by the time I made it to the front yard where people could see me) when I ran out of gas.

I was really smart and went out to pick up the mower without my gas can. So I couldn't fill it up before I came home so that I had some ready for the mower. I thought I'd start and see how far I got before I had to put gas in the thing. Turns out, not too long.


This is what the grass looked like when I went to get gas.

I got gas, came home, and finished the job. It took a while, I stalled it quite a few times, and I missed a couple spots that I had to go back over. Then I tackled the front yard and my neighbors with the loud bass in their pickup stood at their front door and watched me. Which kinda weirded me out a bit. But it was the old lady that lives over there and then the, like, 1 year old. Sometimes I wonder how many people live in that house. It's at least a three generation family.

Anyway, when I was done, I felt pretty good about it, regardless of the staring. Also, as probably anyone with a lawn feels after cutting the grass, my lawn is bigger than I thought. Here is Remy outside, making sure it was still her yard, and grumbling something about everything smelling different.


But it looked much better after I was done. And I was in good company, I heard four other people mowing their lawns today too. And there is a weed whacker going outside right now. However, there is one downfall to cutting the lawn.


I think these have just become my lawn shoes... and I have to go buy new sneakers. Which, I've had these for over two years so I probably need a new pair of sneakers, but I hadn't really planned on buying them. Until now.

So, there's my Sunday. Now I have to do something less rewarding - laundry.

Don't you dare post a comment about how I missed a spot, or you shall become fertilizer.


End Blog.

Merry Spring

Happy first day of spring, y'all. We had a lovely day today. So lovely in fact, I swindled my friend into holding the base of her own ladder for me while I finally took down my Christmas lights. Yes, you read that right. I finally undecorated the house. What? They were only up since the day after Thanksgiving...

That can't be right. Man... four months? That's like a third of the year! I'm a horrible homeowner.

You know what I need? A tenant... who pays rent... and has a ladder.

Wanted:
Quiet, unobtrusive dog lover seeking home filled with dirty dishes, dog hair, and obnoxiously large video game equipment for the few games actually owned. Must own ladder, garden hose, and install own window coverings in available room. Large DVD collection and ability to cook a plus. No cats, smokers, drug users, snorers, light sleepers, felons, mental health patients, vegetarians, hypochondriacs, or generally freaky people need apply. I reserve the right to evict from premises without notice, at any time. And I'm not kidding about the ladder.


End Blog.

But I Still Need Curtains

One more room down. And I imagine it will take me a very long time to fix up the guest bedroom unless I have some really good motivation to do so.






Yay. I can sleep in my bed tonight.


End Blog.

Home Sweet Home

Here are some pictures of my new house with my things actually inside of it.





I've moved my computer to the living room because I have too much other furniture to have it fit nicely in either the guest room or my bedroom. Now, for the first time in a few years, I can watch TV and be on the internet at the same time! Not only that, but I have a remote set up that actually works my DVR, DVD, VCR, and TV all at the same time. The cable is set up any everything. I do need curtains or something though because my giant window produces a nice glare on my television.

Anyway, I'm planning on getting a couch from my boss who has one he's trying to get rid of, and I'm going to put it on the wall in front of the window, that's why nothing is there yet. I hope it fits in the space I have for it because I never measured it. Maybe someday I'll actually get slipcovers for them too so that they look alike.





So, the refrigerator that I bought kinda sticks out a little bit... Maybe that was something I didn't think necessary to measure. That's okay. I still like it. I mean... look at how wonderful it is! (and how little food I have to put in it.)





So, I took my first shower here today. Without checking what the hot water heater was set at. Let's just say I cranked that sucker up as soon as I got out of the shower and hope to never be a popsicle in there again.






And... well, there are the two rooms I haven't really touched. I slept on the couch last night because I didn't want to deal with my bed. Plus, I fell asleep at like 8:30 or something ridiculously early. But, I worked hard all day and I only have 5 hours of sleep the night before.

So, there you have it. The new house. Semi-unpacked and mostly livable. It's good to be home.

End Blog.

(If you click on these pictures, they somehow got linked to a picture that was not the same one... so... I don't know how that happened and I don't feel like trying to fix it. They might all be there... maybe. Look at them small. I have no answers for you!)

New Digs

I just signed about a million pieces of paperwork (where often times I forgot to put in my middle initial since I hardly use it and had to go back and fix it) and got keys to the house.

Rock on.

Now I shall pack up the kitchen boxes and the dog and go hang out in the house whilst unpacking and setting up the kitchen as I wait for ye old cable man to come hook my house up with that new fangled technology all the kids are talking about. Seriously, I didn't even know that houses without cable still existed. I can't believe I bought one.

Nikki, making life a better place, buying houses and installing cable into them one at a time...

I'm gonna go take my "BLACKWELL" welcome mat and place it on my front stoop. Welcome home to me and Remy.


End Blog.

Icebox

I just bought this refrigerator. I'm picking it up on Saturday during moving day. Yaaaaaaaay!

All the appliances in my kitchen are now stainless steel. I also am non-discriminatory because I think I have like, every single major appliance brand now: KitchenAid, GE, Whirlpool, and Kenmore.

I close on the house in 14 hours! Hmmm... maybe I should pack the rest of my things. After I go to Beth's for dinner! mwahahahahaaaa


End Blog.

Ownership

I'm not sure why I continue to try to be a homeowner. I've been looking at houses since early summer, and yet, I still do not own one. My lease will be up at the end of November and I have sworn to be moved out by then. I even have "get out of jail free" paperwork that releases me from my lease with no penalties as long as I give them 30 days notice. And all I had to do was file two police reports to get it!

I currently have broken wood around my back storm door and a missing window screen because the CSIs took it as evidence eons ago. I'm wondering if these things will come out of my security deposit. It's not like that money provided me with any security, whatsoever.

Although, it's really funny that I'm even worrying about it... because I have come to realize that I am NEVER going to own a house. Granted, the first house I made an offer on was a little impulsive, but it was a nice house with a great location, although the neighborhood probably could have been nicer. But, in my opinion, they wanted too much money for the house. When they finally did sell it, it sold for $3,000 over my final offer, so I guess they made out okay.

The second house I put an offer on was in a slightly less desirable location - and by this, I mean that it makes my commute longer. But it had a finished basement that was pretty darn sweet. And as an added bonus, he was leaving his refrigerator behind, so I wasn't going to have to purchase one of those. I tried to work the washer and dryer into the deal. No go. Even though I gave him a full priced offer for his house and only asked him to pay $2,000 in closing costs, he decided that the deal was not favorable enough for him. Even dropping the washer and dryer from the deal, he was not happy.

Three days later he's asking my realtor why I didn't take his "counter offer" of no closing costs while I pay full price for his home. It's a super deal! FOR HIM. Needless to say, he's not getting a Christmas card from me this year.

It reminds me of the Calvin and Hobbes comic (I tried to find it but was unable to) where Calvin's Dad says, "The world isn't fair, Calvin," to which he replies, "I know Dad, but why isn't it ever unfair in my favor?"

Which brings me to house number three. Third time's a charm? Well... maybe. If you jump through these hoops first.

House three completely changes my commute, which I was not thrilled about until I drove home from work to house number three. It took me 24 minutes, which is quite comparable to the time it currently takes me. I will have to learn the area a little better, but it's the nicest neighborhood I've looked in, and has the best school district of all of them as well. (Not that I plan on sending kiddies off to school, ever, but it's good for resale value.) Of course, that also means this house has the highest taxes as well. Long story short, I made the third offer.

Today, I heard nothing all day. No counters, no refusals, nothing. One hour before the offer was to expire, I get this story from my agent:

The seller's agent is in California. His office emailed my faxed offer to the wrong email address and he spent the day not knowing that an offer existed. After my agent got into contact with him in California, we found all of this out. So, another email was sent to the correct email address. But he needs to look the offer over before he shows it to his sellers and gee-golly-whiz, couldn't we extend the offer until tomorrow? Okay, sure. I'd still like for them to counter offer me (who am I kidding, I want them to flat out just freaking accept the thing already).

So, I sit and wait another day before I figure out what is going on with house number three. It'd be super nice if they felt guilty about making me wait over 24 hours with this whole thing and just signed off on it, but this is me here... that's not going to happen.

I have so little faith in this whole house buying process. I'm not sure why I'm still looking, other than the fact that I don't want to have to struggle to find a parking space outside of my apartment, I don't want my apartment broken into, I'd really like a house with a yard for my dog to play, and a place to stick my car so that I have a winter free of scraping ice from the windshield. Oh, and the number one reason: I don't throw money away on rent every month and actually own something 30 years from now.

So I wait.

Needless to say, should I get this house, I will be spending a ton of money. I'll need a refrigerator, a washer, and a dryer... and some lamps for the living room because there are no overhead lights. And eventually some area rugs, smoke detectors, cable installation (who are we kidding, I'd get this put in when I closed on the house!), window coverings, a garage door opener, and a small portion of fence to completely enclose the back yard. And with all those things, I still want a house.

I am sick of living in an apartment when I could be in a real house for an additional $200 a month. Totally worth it.

Dear people who probably still don't know I made an offer on your house...
Please let me buy it.
Thank you.


End Blog.