if someone could do me up a chart of what extra expenses I'll have as a homeowner, that would be helpful.

A year later, I'm still hoping for this. I know it doesn't really help much, but we've run into stuff that looked small that turned out to be big (rearranging the whole HVAC system plus springing the dog from the pound when the heating guys let him out! on valentines day! when the original problem we called in with was a $75 fan!), and counterbalancing that, stuff that looked really big but turned out small (Dead AC in a 105 deg. heat wave -- all the cow-orkers were sharing horror stories of needing a new unit but it turned out to be a loose wire. And the priceless knowledge that we are now notorious with the HVAC guys.) IMverylimitedE, it's never easy when something goes wrong, but it balances out. And it helps to have friends you can buy off for the cost of a pizza.

how much does stuff cost?

My new dinning room/possible kitchen floor is 600.00 dollars. plus so far a new saw blade. We are making this floor from raw lumber ( think sliced up tree) . so add a millionbillion hours of labor. thank goodness for neighbors with some of the tools we need. and for the neighbor that has been jackhammering out his backyard . ( every time we thought today's labor was hard, K would start the jackhammer , and suddenly, are work felt easier) Our floor will be black acacia - there is a picture here

[link]

I'll have better ones later.

We have a second savings account( i put in like 1% of our paychecks , gift dollars, and 1/2 of other unexpected money) , not a lot of money in it, but it is where we save money for the next project. That's how I keep from charging things like paint,lawn mowers, sofas , etc.

better picture of what the wood looks like when finished

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beth, that's a good idea. Those floors sound like they'll be gorgeous.

My dad tore out the concrete patio and grill at our first house with a sledgehammer. It took forever. Built great arms, but holy hell that was a nightmare. It really had to go, though. It was cracking up and settling all wrong, diverting water towards the house.

Someone is putting on a helluva fireworks show somewhere northwest of me. Given the other night when I heard pops, they were accompanied by a police helicopter, it was a bit of a relief when the booms started and I saw the reflections in a neighbor's windows.

Ridiculous question: I'm watching a movie from TV, and I just realized it's letterboxed, even though I have the new wide TV. Do I have to be watching HD channels (or DVDs?) to get the full-screen action?

msbelle, my house used to have one of those square clotheslines. It still has the concrete base in the front yard. I've often wondered if I can just put a new clothesline int eh old base.

Things that I've spent money on in my house (besides the little bit of electrical work and getting the bedroom floors done.):

Paint--probably about $350 so far and god knows how much on rollers (Evey time I let one dry out (usually by accident) and not wash it out to be reused I feel the stinkeye of my very emvrionmentally and budget conscious TD in theatre school.) that paint is enough for the lalmost all of the two main floors in my story and a half house. Only the bathroom hasn't been dealt with.
Window coverings and curtain rods--I've reused a good portion of what I had, made some of the curtains, and even still have the old mangy roller blinds in the bedroom.
Furniture-- I've done pretty well here, because I haven't had to but a lot new, and most of what I have bought has been second hand. My bed was my biggest expense.
Shelving and storage--I've bought a bit, but most cheap stuff for the basement.
Outdoor stuff--I bought a tiny storage shed for my lawn mower (that's all it would fit.) and it was still close to $300 with delivery. Damn those utility sheds are expensive. Lawn mower another $200. Rake, shovel, garden implements, soil, compost, plants can all add up. And I still have to get someone to trim or (maybe cut down) my tree.

My next big expense will be insulating the attic, if I ever hear back from my energy audit. I shudder to think of the costs, but the audit guy said it has the potential to cut my heating costs in half, so I'll make it back pretty soon, I hope.

We have a second savings account( i put in like 1% of our paychecks , gift dollars, and 1/2 of other unexpected money) , not a lot of money in it, but it is where we save money for the next project. That's how I keep from charging things like paint,lawn mowers, sofas , etc.

I have one of these accounts. Waaay more money has been going out than going in though.

Those floors will be gorgeous, beth!

That's going to be a gorgeous floor.

My sheets reflect the vagaries of inheritance. My father was the only child in his mother's family, so we got a hodgepodge of household goods like sheets and dishes. Then we've wrapped antiques in sheets to transport them, and the sheets have gone back and forth between here and Nashville. The result is that I have way too many sheets, mostly top sheets. I'm in the process of trying to sort some into sets to give to a group that works with homeless families. That means that there will be sheets strewn about my living room for the next couple of months. My favorite sheets, because they're the softest, have blue machine embroidery that my mother did and have "Clark" written on them in indelible ink. That puts them at at least 30 years old, because that's my great-aunt.

Come to think of it, I probably still have my extra-long dorm sheets. I kept the top sheet in the back of the car for impromtu picnics or whatever. The only use it has seen was as a privacy curtain for a pee-in-a-cup emergency (poor kid had to go so bad she was sobbing) in a parking garage where we were trapped due to traffic.

My dorm sheets were given to my by this old lady who my mom used to visit. She also gave me her trunk form when she was a nurse in WW II. From the floral and ribbon design on those sheets, I wouldn't be surprised if they were from the same era.

Ridiculous question: I'm watching a movie from TV, and I just realized it's letterboxed, even though I have the new wide TV. Do I have to be watching HD channels (or DVDs?) to get the full-screen action?

Do you have a HD box from TW? I can press the "#" button on the remote to change the picture size.