We received the first bid for replacing our deck that collapsed under heavy snow. It came in at a little over $15,000. Keep in mind that this is a large deck, measuring 8 x 40 feet. The work would also involve removing (and disposing of) the old one plus take care of the damage to the side of our house. The total also includes replacing the crushed stainless steel venting pipe from our furnace. Honestly, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect. The adjuster wants a second bid, so Hubs has been calling around for another contractor to come out and give us that. I hope the adjuster quits dragging his feet as building time is short where we live.
Our furnace debt received another $500 this week. We are now down to $3200. I’ve been ultra-focused with applying the Dime at a Time mentality in that every little bit does help. The finish line for paying it off is within sight, and I’m feeling it! I want this debt gone so we can start battling our next target-our Visa.
A couple of months ago, I joined a freebies group on facebook. Amazon sellers often give away free or highly discounted items in exchange for a review. So far, I’ve received nine items from various sellers totaling $202.07. Looking over these transactions, I am out less than $10. Some sellers cover the PayPal fee while others don’t. The majority of these items I am saving for gifts. One thing I did opt to keep for myself was two mountable solar lights. I’m going to attach these to our woodshed as they are amazingly bright. My cost? $1.02 and a review. Not too shabby for something I had on my list of wants.
Our zero-turn mower needs some work. It is a commercial grade, so not a cheap machine. We bought it new 12 years ago to the tune of around $8,000-and that was with also trading another piece of equipment. Given the number of acres we cut at our old place, it was a need. At our current home, not quite so much. While we still intend to repair it, we have decided to hold off doing so until next year. I can’t justify the expense given that we also have a self-propelled push mower that will do the job. It took me a lot longer (two hours of nonstop mowing!), but the grass got cut. Our property is very hilly, which also gave me a good workout.
Our little bare-root trees are starting to show some signs of life. The rain and warmer temperatures have helped. Now, to keep the critters away. Only moments ago I looked outside and saw a deer. Usually, I love seeing the wildlife. With newly planted trees, not so much!
at least insurance will be covering it (or most of it). Those deer can sure strip a tree fast! I do’nt know why DH didn’t want to keep the riding lawn mower (Deere) we had for several years, but he sold it with the house, LOL. Now we have to buy another one, at some point. We had gotten taht one used off of craigslist and I’m hoping we can come across another deal like that.
OneFamily recently posted…Dining table love
I’m thankful for replacement value, especially with the adjuster trying to give us some grief about the age of the deck. Your DH should have kept the mower! We had debated about selling ours (also a Deere) but I’m thankful we kept it-even with its current problems. Hopefully, you find a good deal on another one…or wait to plant grass. Lol
The deer have been crazy thick around here lately. But we somehow (accidentally) have plants and trees they don’t like. They sure like the neighbor’s flowers, though. Yay for another 500 at that furnace!
Priscilla Bettis recently posted…I’m not good enough to write like that.
Lucky you! I need to research some deer-proof plants for around our house. These deer sure can do damage.
Critters are not a problem we have around here unless you count mountain lions, wolves, and the occasional bear but the MINUTE one is spotted animal control is called. We do have an issue with, believe it or not, wild turkeys – they get up on the roof and ruin the shingles – we haven’t had an issue, but I know plenty of people have.
So hopefully the insurance company will cover the entire deck – it seems like THEY should have people coming in to bid on it, doesn’t it? We’ve never had a claim on our homeowners (KNOCK ON WOOD) so I don’t know how Geiko would do, but when we had the car “issue” they were FANTASTIC – took care of the whole thing (although the car was totaled, so maybe that made things easier) and we didn’t have to do anything. I HOPE this will be like that for you!!!!!
I’ve done a couple of in-home tests and I LOVE doing them – one was for cat food and I thought they were going to send a can – they sent 10 cans which saved me a weeks worth of cat food!!!!
Good that animal control takes care of the critters! I’ve heard reports of bears at the state park 3 miles from us getting relocated when they become too bothersome. I wonder what turkeys want with shingles. Lol
I’m not quite sure what to expect with this deck situation. At some point, I’ll need to contact our mortgage company since they will likely also be named on any check we receive. I don’t like making claims, but this was too big to fix on our own. Glad your insurance company was so good to work with for your car issue.
I must say, it has been fun getting these freebies! Today I was able to get in on a hair dryer deal. The retail cost was almost $50. I’ll only be out $3.60 ($2 + PP fees) so not bad! It will make a good gift for my daughter. Any time we can save (even with a week’s worth of cat food!) is a good thing!