Not yet, which would do it -- I'm watching the old-style TV on the new-fangled screen. The idea of paying even more for cable makes me sad.

They don't charge any extra for HD service.

Really? I thought it was like $8/mo more. In that case, I'll go to the cable store next week!

They have a $8.95 "HD extra" package, for 4 or 5 channels that are HD only. But if there's an HD version of a cable channel that you're already paying for, then it doesn't cost any more.

Right ON, man!

house expenses - when I bought, it took basically all my money, so I only did painting in the two rooms I desperately wanted changed (bathroom and kitchen). I painted myself and I think the paint and supplies ran a few hundred. New furniture I bought (couch, big chair) was from Salvation Army and less than $200. 3 New rugs I bought at auction and at cheapo stores $250.

A few years later - water damage which led to wall repair (covered by building), new countertops, re-painting, and one new cabinet - that was 4 or 5 hundred more. Then I hired a wall built for mac's room, I think that was $600.

Now almost 5 years in, I replaced 1 carpet a year ago $100, regrouted shower twice and bathroom floor once ($150), replaced couch ($1000) and replaced cheapo carpet ($150).

The big thing I wish I had done before moving in was re-do the floors. My cats have now stained them in 3 places, but doing them WHILE living in the place is next to impossible. I also don't like the color of my bedroom, but know that re-doing it will reveal plaster work and possibly needing to sheetrock 1 whole wall. scary.

or the stray iron left on the bed all day....

or, say, a flatiron . . .

Paint stores must be staffed by highway robbers in the northeast. When I was painting my bedrooms a few years back I spent $84 on paint and maybe $12 on pans and rollers at Sherwin Williams. And had most of a can of paint (out of 3) left over when I was done.

well, I was painting over dark colors, not white. So I had to do the full primer, which almost doubled the amount of paint I had to buy.

My paint's been all $24-30 a gallon. I've used some really deep colours so I've had to get two gallons in cases where 1 would have been fine for a lighter shade. (I also like to have extra paint, jsut in case) I'm painting all the trim too, in contrasting colours (it's all painted out the shade of the walls right now) so that's more paint.

The big thing I wish I had done before moving in was re-do the floors.

Me too. I had to do the ones in the bedrooms, but I wish I had done the downstairs at the same time, when the house was empty.

I am dreaming of doing the livingroom and mac's room next summer - pileing all the furniture in my bedroom and the kitchen, leaving town for a week and having the work done.