The Weight of Money

A four year relationship has come to an end, my wonderful laptop died on my today. I’m still a bit shocked, frustrated, and overwhelmed with the situation. Not having a laptop is unacceptable, replacing it will be painful. Funny thing is that the partner and I both see that replacement is the most logical step. Maybe I’ll go buy a new laptop tomorrow. I’m sad to see that my laptop is no longer available and that apple has already moved on to something different. Perhaps it’s better — but it’ll be a change I’m not looking for. But, I’m a bit committed to apple at this point, and buying something new for warranty reasons — though I’m sure there are far more frugal options out there. Maybe I’ll consider them, but really, replacing a laptop is the main consideration.

My posting may be even more sparse as I figure out what to do next. Also, all of my bookmarks and everything are gone, gone gone. Sigh — I’m trying to not think about how many things are gone. Didn’t I just have a conversation about back ups recently with my mom? Didn’t I just lose years worth of emails because I didn’t back them up? Perhaps this is the cluestick I needed bashed over my head — will do backups on this (the family) computer this week. If I can’t recover any data from my laptop, thats a lot of financial records lost since I get everything electronically these days. Oh, sigh, I shouldn’t think about these things right now.

This week is a bit scattered with school ending for the daughter, house repairs, and some major sewing projects taking over all of my time. I look forward to next week when I’ll have the time look at our numbers and get some more finance-focused articles posted.

Just letting yall know that I’ve not forgotten about you. :)

We’re in an awkward spot at the moment - the partner and I have different things that we “need” for the house. He’s been spending money on some items that don’t rank very high on my need list and I’ve just been putting my scrounging mode into high gear. We talk about it, after I was getting a little nervous about the items that were showing up after short trips to the home stores. I think we’re at least on a similar wavelength now and will both be very conscious of the items that we’re buying.

It’s just way too easy to justify items when there is a need within the next few months to buy them and hard to figure out which items we should purchase now. This month’s budget is a little tight because of all the closing costs - next month, when we’re not paying rent and a mortgage payment, life will be a touch easier — just a touch.

Of course, after mentioning all these concerns about the partner’s spending, I’m heading over to a green building supply store this morning to check out some items for the house. I’ve already decided that if it is only $5 more for some earth/person friendly paint/finish products, then I’ll spend the money and get them there. However, I’m not sure what my plan is if they are $10+ more than the less desirable (though still high quality) items at the home stores.

I’m also checking out some alternative flooring options for the craft room. The problem with finding an acceptable option, is that I’ll then have to actually do a better job of installing it — something that isn’t in the cards now. Current craft room floor plan: ignore the hills and valleys and upward/downward slope and just throw down a large scrap piece of vinyl flooring. If I find a greener alternative to the vinyl, I’ll have to rip up unsalvageable underlayment and then spend a long time quasi-leveling the floor before installation. Green materials are the long term solution, remnant piece is short term.

I’m also hitting up all four local freecycle lists, a task in itself due to heavy volume. I have already found us some tomato plant solutions (a $20 savings)! I’ve not posted a wanted for a vinyl remnant, but am thinking about it. My goal is to be a green and thrifty as possible and reasonable!

It looks like we’ve now joined another social circle, land-owning mongrels. :) Closing went beautifully, just a few thousand signatures and we’re the proud owners of an awesome 137 year old house - wow!

It didn’t really sink in yesterday but I woke up this morning thinking, we actually have a house! I’ve not been in it since buying it though because I decided to go to yoga instead. :) I needed some yoga to reconnect mind and body - my hand seemed to have forgotten not only how to write a date, but also how to write my name.

Wow, I’m excited! We’re going up there this evening to do who knows what. In the meantime, I need to get sewing - major customer project due on Sunday!

Here is a picture of Our House, oh what a beautiful phrase, taken last night:

I’ll enjoy the new house high and ignore the constantly increasing list of things we now need to do. Thats another post in itself and the serger is calling my name. Wow, a house!

As the house purchase approaches, I feel my inner tree-hugging, environmentalist freak coming on. Funny thing is that I don’t typically feel much like an earth loving, granola-crunching hippie, but it seems that all of my latent Save the Planet emotions are welling up big time now that we’re about to own .85 acres of land.

My frugal fanaticism is pretty earth friendly, especially when I see no reason to spend to spend or to own to own. Reduce, reuse, recycle are common phrases uttered weekly in our house – whether I’m whipping leftovers into something new and exciting or painstakingly dividing recyclable materials from non-recyclable.

Homeownership is bringing new passion to these actions and feelings. I’m wondering if all the “someday I’ll do that” thoughts I had when reading about natural home products have now found their day. Even though I’ve been the first to grab up the strongest, chemical laden cleaning products around, I’m suddenly looking at more people and earth friendly products and homemade recipes to take care of things. I feel like I’ve oversung the praises of the clothes line and how we don’t need a stinkin clothes dryer anyways. The partner cringes when I start touting energy saving practices that will reduce, and maybe (hopefully) even eliminate, the need for air conditioning.

Also, as we’re (thinking about) packing, I’m thinking about the day to day life in the new house. Where things will go, how will we use items? Suddenly I’m getting uppity about trash. I recall listening to some very nature-loving friends a few years ago about how they generate only a few bags of trash a year, a year! How things are packaged influences every purchase decision they make – including airfare, they won’t fly with carriers whose waste and recycling actions don’t meet their standards. Secretly, they’ve been my heroes and I’ve thought time and again how I can do the same. And now, that day has come, and I want to make that happen.

The partner and I are struggling with my near-constant push to leave my job and start a family. The major contention factor: we can’t afford either. I’ve had it with my job and want to leave, but we’ve not closed on the house so I need to wait until then. But what happens after we close on the house?

The partner thinks I need to wait much longer than just another week. At one point in today’s email exchanges, he commented on how we need to bring in as much as we can in the next few weeks and perhaps I should even reduce my 401K contributions. My response: perhaps I should double them instead.

The reality of the situation, to me, is not that we need to make more, it is that we need to function on less. However, as much as I hate it, he is right. I can’t replace my consistent income and we can’t do without it at the moment. But how long will this moment be? Another two weeks? Another four? The entire summer?

I want to run home, this instant, and run the numbers - but I know what they’ll say - tough it out for another day.