Thanks to all of you who chimed in regarding my TV/gift card dilemma. Although I still feel like it is a splurge since we are not yet out of debt, I feel a bit better about making the purchase. After talking it over with Hubs and taking JE’s advice to use a piece of cardboard to get a better idea of sizes, I am going with the next size up. Since I wear glasses, the larger screen will be better since I then won’t need them to see what I’m watching. I went ahead and redeemed for another $100 in Best Buy gift cards which should cover the cost of the new TV. After the past two horrible nights I’ve had dealing with my RLS, I’m eager for whatever relief I can get.
On Monday, we had our chimney cleaned. The last time we had this done was Fall of 2017, so it was needed. We were planning on getting this done before the 2018 burning season, but our regular chimney guy never called. Thanks to the new guy we hired, I now know why. He died! I found his obituary online and was surprised to learn that he was 73 years old. I wouldn’t have put him older than 60. I could tell by the conversations I had with him that he was highly educated. It turns out he had several degrees. Anyhow, this new guy is willing to add us to his list of yearly customers. The cost was comparable to what we had been paying. The bill came to $249, and that was with splitting a $60 distance surcharge with my neighbor. It gives me peace of mind knowing our chimney and woodstove are safe for burning.
After the chimney guy left, I went with my neighbor to our local township. She decided she did want to file a motion for reconsideration regarding the decision made by the tax tribunal. Since the assessor has yet to update the website, we both wanted to know what was on our property record cards. It turns out the cards are not up-to-date either. In January of 2019, the assessor had intended to raise my taxable value another $6,000 from what he had increased it by in 2018. He valued our house $50,000 more than what appraised value. What is weird is that when the assessment came out in March of this year, the numbers were much lower. Without a doubt, appealing our taxes (and winning!) has saved us hundreds of dollars each year. I think some $#!% is going to hit the fan in that office as we learned about an on-going investigation regarding our township assessor. Amongst other things, is the significantly reduced value he placed on his own home. Oh, such drama!
In other news, I scheduled a $300 payment to go to our Visa tomorrow. The balance will be down to $4,200. It also means I reached my initial goal of paying off $1,500 this month. Today I was able to see Hub’s weekly settlement for work. Providing next week is similar (it should be) I’m feeling good about paying off another $300 next week. I’m eager to see it below $4k.
I’m not sure if I’ve updated our deck repair. We are now supposedly on schedule for next month. At this point, I’ll believe it when I see it. Sigh.
I’m thinking about taking a trip to see my kids and grandkids. My daughter, especially, wants me to come for Halloween. If I can make it work with my job, I’m going to go. Hubs said he could be home to take care of our dog. The trip wouldn’t cost that much, mostly gas. I would combine it with seeing family on the other side of the state. I haven’t seen my dad since April, and given his advanced age, I feel it is time for another visit. Given his poor hearing and advancing dementia, phone conversations are now out of the question. Anyhow, I hope I can make this happen.
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