Never ever EVER ask "what else could go wrong?"

[clevermanka]

Thanks to various things I've purchased in the past six weeks (supplements from Dr. Khosh, a chiropractic session, a quarter of a cow, yoga membership, a pair of shoes I probably shouldn't have purchased but they're clearance-ing out this line of Doc Marten's and they fit me so well), I am pretty broke. Due to some annual bills and a couple Chevelle parts purchases, mckitterick isn't exactly flush at the moment, either.

Wednesday I got a call from Parker Farms that my half-hog is butchered and ready for pick-up. I'd kind of forgotten I ordered a hog, but even so, I thought they said March before it would be ready. So there's another $200(ish) for the meat and processing fee. Oh, and add the cost of the gas it'll cost to get to Independence to pick up the meat. Not to mention how/when in the hell I'm going to be able to get it since the Crossfire is put away until the snow melts and the Saab isn't safe over 45mph thanks to a broken shock.

This morning I opened the washing machine door (we have a front-loader) and water started pouring out. I got towels down and managed to soak up most of what spilled out, then spent a long time bailing water (about six gallons) out of the washer. So it looks like we probably need a major repair to the washer, if not a new washer entirely. Luckily, the drier has been acting wonky for the past couple years, too, so hey.



Granted, this isn't the end of the world. I still have a teensy bit in my savings account. I shouldn't even have to carry a balance on this month's credit card bill if I pull half of what remains from savings to pay it off. But shit, man. Those shoes and two Qwertee tee shirts are the only impulse purchases I've made since fucking December. I don't count the multiple zill purchases 'cos mckitterick claimed those as a birthday present for me. Thanks, honey.

I knew when I made the financial commitment to my health that I wouldn't have a lot of disposable income anymore. The truth of that is just now becoming real to me.

March is a three-paycheck month. March is a three-paycheck month. March is a three-paycheck month.

Comments

[carmy-w.livejournal.com]

Oh, MAN. Rain, pour.

Have you guys at least got yourselves dug out?

Wish we were closer; we have a Maytag Neptune that we had to fix a few years ago; the circuit board went on the fritz. I literally googled the symptoms, and had an answer in 15 minutes! It was an expensive part (around $180), but once we had it, it took less than half an hour to repair.

I'd bet yours is either the drain pump dieing altogether, or loss of power to the pump.

Still, before you toss it entirely, make sure it's not something as simple as a broken wire. And all the schematics are available online (there may even be one glued to the inside of the front cover of the washer); makes for easy fixes.

Sweet of mckitterick to cover your new zills for you! <3

The one good thing about spring for me-LOTS OF OVERTIME.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we're dug out now. mckitterick actually made his weekly breakfast date with a friend, and we're hanging with some buddies tonight.

I'll mention the possible fix to him, but he sounds like he kinda wants to get a new washer/dryer anyway. Like I said, the current ones are kinda old, and the drier started failing a couple years ago.

Congrats on the overtime!

[anomali.livejournal.com]

Oy!

Will the farm hold onto the pork for a couple of weeks? The weather is expected to be frightful once again this week, so I can't (don't want to) imagine that they would expect you to make a cross-country trip in ice and snow.

I hope that you are able to hold off on fixing or replacing the washer until you are more flush. The washer and dryer seem to be the most malicious of appliances, despite the fact that those of us who lived for years without our own appreciate them ever so much. They seem to pick the worst times to stop working or start leaking (as we found out one Christmas morning years ago when we awoke to a couple of inches of water in our bedroom from our upstairs' neighbors' washer hose). I won't even bring up how many fires are caused by dryers! Hrumph!

Just on the off chance that it will help and the fix is free or cheap,here is a trouble shooting guide we've used with some success:

http://www.repairclinic.com/RepairHelp/Washing-Machine-Repair-Help

I hope that this February Stress Fest ends with the month. Gods, I do.

Edit: Never mind the guide. I hope you find a good set. We will be looking for new ones in the next month or two ourselves.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

The meat is already at the processor's, and they'll hold it for me for a couple weeks. Thank goodness.

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

Sympathy. Sometimes it is very hard to just make do with the resources you have.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the sympathy.

[msmitti.livejournal.com]

I so feel you on the money thing. Whenever I seem to have a good plan in the works to get it straightened out, life happens. :/

How much meat will come from a hog? Will it fit in a civic trunk?

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

It'd fit, yes. Thank you for the offer! I might have something else in the works, but if that doesn't pan out, I'll take you up on it!

[shrijani.livejournal.com]

Ugh... I am so sorry about this! I feel you right now.

Oooh, don't I owe you fourteen dollars for a t-shirt? Have those arrived, yet?

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Tragically, those shirts take longer 'cos they're shipping from the UK.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

Well, you know we have weather-worthy vehicles, although the gas mileage is kinda sucky.
Is Parker the place that also has raw milk? I want some but find it hard to get anywhere near those farms.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I have no idea if they have raw milk. But I'm picking the meat up from the processor, not the farm, so I wouldn't be heading there anyway.

[alryssa.livejournal.com]

Augh! I feel like my appliance fail is contagious :/

Um... Paul Gross was in a large portion of Republic of Doyle this week and probably next if that helps? *hopeful*

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Ha! I thought of you, bb! =D

I don't think it was your bad juju, though. This washer/dryer set has been on a downhill slide for a long time.

[chronovore.livejournal.com]

Apologies in advance if this is something you're already doing, or unwelcome advice (inasmuch as all advice starts as unwelcome...), but do you budget your impulse buys?

I found that, without budgeting for them, I would feel guilty about the smallest indulgences, because they were just "useless" in the overall scheme. Sure, I wanted the things, but what about food and gas and rent and insurance and... So even $10 or $30 once or twice a month, and I'd feel miserable, second-guessing myself.

In my family, we have now an overall budget which includes a small amount of personal budget which is specifically for guilt free spending. I can buy ice cream or Star Wars cards or RPG books which I'll never play... and I don't have to feel guilty about it. It's just a small amount each month, but I feel free to spend that money without second-guessing myself.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I don't budget for them, but I also don't feel guilty for my occasional splurges. Honestly, I never feel guilty for anything. Erm.

BUT

I wonder if I should re-evaluate my finances to see if I could give myself a small monthly allowance for Fun Things. That would just be...well...nice.

Of course, I'm not sure what I could cut to ensure that. It's not like I can purchase less food or forgo my supplements. And I don't want to give up my yoga membership...hmmm.

[sherwood21.livejournal.com]

Hey. I have a spare washing machine. It stopped spinning, but my brother said that it is most likely a gear or a belt or some kind of something that would be easy and inexpensive to fix. (I don't remember what exactly he thought it was, but he's much more mechanically inclined than I am.) If this would help you in any way, you can have this washer.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

We figured out what was wrong with ours and I think I limp it through a few more months until we can afford a new set. THANK YOU though! That's very generous of you!!!

[carmy-w.livejournal.com]

Oh, MAN. Rain, pour.

Have you guys at least got yourselves dug out?

Wish we were closer; we have a Maytag Neptune that we had to fix a few years ago; the circuit board went on the fritz. I literally googled the symptoms, and had an answer in 15 minutes! It was an expensive part (around $180), but once we had it, it took less than half an hour to repair.

I'd bet yours is either the drain pump dieing altogether, or loss of power to the pump.

Still, before you toss it entirely, make sure it's not something as simple as a broken wire. And all the schematics are available online (there may even be one glued to the inside of the front cover of the washer); makes for easy fixes.

Sweet of mckitterick to cover your new zills for you! <3

The one good thing about spring for me-LOTS OF OVERTIME.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Yeah, we're dug out now. mckitterick actually made his weekly breakfast date with a friend, and we're hanging with some buddies tonight.

I'll mention the possible fix to him, but he sounds like he kinda wants to get a new washer/dryer anyway. Like I said, the current ones are kinda old, and the drier started failing a couple years ago.

Congrats on the overtime!

[anomali.livejournal.com]

Oy!

Will the farm hold onto the pork for a couple of weeks? The weather is expected to be frightful once again this week, so I can't (don't want to) imagine that they would expect you to make a cross-country trip in ice and snow.

I hope that you are able to hold off on fixing or replacing the washer until you are more flush. The washer and dryer seem to be the most malicious of appliances, despite the fact that those of us who lived for years without our own appreciate them ever so much. They seem to pick the worst times to stop working or start leaking (as we found out one Christmas morning years ago when we awoke to a couple of inches of water in our bedroom from our upstairs' neighbors' washer hose). I won't even bring up how many fires are caused by dryers! Hrumph!

Just on the off chance that it will help and the fix is free or cheap,here is a trouble shooting guide we've used with some success:

http://www.repairclinic.com/RepairHelp/Washing-Machine-Repair-Help

I hope that this February Stress Fest ends with the month. Gods, I do.

Edit: Never mind the guide. I hope you find a good set. We will be looking for new ones in the next month or two ourselves.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

The meat is already at the processor's, and they'll hold it for me for a couple weeks. Thank goodness.

[kalimeg.livejournal.com]

Sympathy. Sometimes it is very hard to just make do with the resources you have.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the sympathy.

[msmitti.livejournal.com]

I so feel you on the money thing. Whenever I seem to have a good plan in the works to get it straightened out, life happens. :/

How much meat will come from a hog? Will it fit in a civic trunk?

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

It'd fit, yes. Thank you for the offer! I might have something else in the works, but if that doesn't pan out, I'll take you up on it!

[zitronenhai.livejournal.com]

Ugh... I am so sorry about this! I feel you right now.

Oooh, don't I owe you fourteen dollars for a t-shirt? Have those arrived, yet?

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Tragically, those shirts take longer 'cos they're shipping from the UK.

[redheadfae.livejournal.com]

Well, you know we have weather-worthy vehicles, although the gas mileage is kinda sucky.
Is Parker the place that also has raw milk? I want some but find it hard to get anywhere near those farms.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I have no idea if they have raw milk. But I'm picking the meat up from the processor, not the farm, so I wouldn't be heading there anyway.

[alryssa.livejournal.com]

Augh! I feel like my appliance fail is contagious :/

Um... Paul Gross was in a large portion of Republic of Doyle this week and probably next if that helps? *hopeful*

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

Ha! I thought of you, bb! =D

I don't think it was your bad juju, though. This washer/dryer set has been on a downhill slide for a long time.

[chronovore.livejournal.com]

Apologies in advance if this is something you're already doing, or unwelcome advice (inasmuch as all advice starts as unwelcome...), but do you budget your impulse buys?

I found that, without budgeting for them, I would feel guilty about the smallest indulgences, because they were just "useless" in the overall scheme. Sure, I wanted the things, but what about food and gas and rent and insurance and... So even $10 or $30 once or twice a month, and I'd feel miserable, second-guessing myself.

In my family, we have now an overall budget which includes a small amount of personal budget which is specifically for guilt free spending. I can buy ice cream or Star Wars cards or RPG books which I'll never play... and I don't have to feel guilty about it. It's just a small amount each month, but I feel free to spend that money without second-guessing myself.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

I don't budget for them, but I also don't feel guilty for my occasional splurges. Honestly, I never feel guilty for anything. Erm.

BUT

I wonder if I should re-evaluate my finances to see if I could give myself a small monthly allowance for Fun Things. That would just be...well...nice.

Of course, I'm not sure what I could cut to ensure that. It's not like I can purchase less food or forgo my supplements. And I don't want to give up my yoga membership...hmmm.

[sherwood21.livejournal.com]

Hey. I have a spare washing machine. It stopped spinning, but my brother said that it is most likely a gear or a belt or some kind of something that would be easy and inexpensive to fix. (I don't remember what exactly he thought it was, but he's much more mechanically inclined than I am.) If this would help you in any way, you can have this washer.

[clevermanka.livejournal.com]

We figured out what was wrong with ours and I think I limp it through a few more months until we can afford a new set. THANK YOU though! That's very generous of you!!!