...for DH. They already gave him his per diem check for $230. He's hoping to have a fridge. In that case, he'll just get sandwich fixings and eat that all week. Another option is tuna packets. Apparently, they offer continental breakfast, so that'll keep costs down as well. He's going to a particularly swampy area, so we did get him some muck boots for $22 yesterday.
DH gets paid on Friday, and my paycheck comes in Monday. That check should get me under the $400 mark for my Mariner loan. I'll be so glad when that is gone! In addition, now that my brother is here, he will be paying us $400/month, plus $50 if he wants access to all of our food. I was still debating what we wanted to do with it, but I've decided. Half will go to our savings and half will go into our bank account until we get to next month's income. I'm still consistently about $800 short. Once that shortfall is eliminated and we have $1000 in savings, $350 will go to a home improvement fund and $100 will go to savings. (Note: These are long-term plans as it will likely take several months to reach each of these milestones)
We have a ton of home improvement things we'd like to start accomplishing including(the numbers are real estimates for my high COLA) :
1) Tree Removal - $1800
2) Backyard Enhancements (Regrading yard, adding drainage, reseeding) - $2400
3) Fencing - $6000-$8000
4) Hot Tub - $500
5) Fireplace - $700
Eventually, we'll need additional furniture, and I'd like to renovate the master bathroom within the next 2-3 years.
My car is in the shop this week. The other insurance company approved the estimate and cut me a check to pay for the repair. I declined the insurance on the rental car, so it worked out well that DH was sent out of town. I dropped him this morning and will just drive his car.
DH and I had plans to go to a movie tonight, but he obviously won't be here now. Fortunately, my brother wanted to see the movie anyway, so he'll come with me. He'll probably purchase the snacks since I already bought the tickets.
Car Repair and Unexpected Out of Town Work...
May 16th, 2017 at 11:40 am
May 16th, 2017 at 11:58 pm 1494979137
May 17th, 2017 at 10:46 am 1495018019
May 17th, 2017 at 04:46 pm 1495039613
PS, unfortunately yes. We have about 300 ft. of fence to put in, want gates at the front and the back and want a 6 ft. privacy fence. We've only gotten two quotes. The first one was about $5500 and the second one was $8k. The pricier was quote was due in large part to the detail. That contractor went through where exactly everything would go (even winding around the stupid trees on our property line) and even accounted for items like the post caps.
The hot tub and fireplace estimates are also real numbers. Both already exist. They just need repairs. The fireplace needs a flue cap and the back and floor panels replaced. The hot tub needs a new outdoor breaker panel and potentially a new circuit board.