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Friday, April 28, 2017

Well that was a lot of money and there is more spending to come


The credit card should be feeling the burn after this past 9 days!
- Plumbing repairs and (surprise) a new water heater
- New washer and dryer - but I have to say I was happy to be able to do laundry at home today. The laundromat was nice and faster to be sure, but I'm not into doing that each week.
- New HVAC system & thermostat today - still needs some work as they dislodged two ceiling can lights in the hallway and we aren't sure why or how to fix it.

Still to come
- A new printer
- Termite treatment
- Buying a bunch of miscellaneous household items at Home Depot
- Buying 2 beds and furniture for the den
- Some electrical work and fixtures
- Getting some drywall work done and some minor handyman type things as well

Undecided
- We got a quote of $3,000 for painting the entire house. We may learn to like the wall color more than we do right now lol. That would mean we could paint the 3 ceilings, one feature wall and one small room ourselves. We might also paint the inside of the closets.

What we haven't had to spend on, but thought we would
- Carpet cleaning - a bit of club soda and elbow grease removed the spots
- New shower head - it was just a loose at the connector
- Less annoying doorbell - the volume and type of ring could be adjusted on the existing one

Surprisingly more expensive here
- Food, especially produce. This is a shock as we live in a major produce producing area of California. I'm going to try the Saturday Farmer's Market next weekend to see if that is better in terms of price and selection. This weekend is full of family visits.
- Restaurant food.
- Toiletries.

Surprisingly less expensive here
- Auto insurance.
- Live theater tickets at small venues.
- Our cable/internet/phone bundle part of which is included in our HOA feed.

That is just what we have experienced in a little over a week.

I am pleasantly surprised at the exercise programs available in our community and will be spending less in that area. There are also lots of free or inexpensive entertainment options in the community. We are talking more walks. The response to a request for a repair of an item outside our house was swift. The city library is fabulous.

Our house is smaller, but feels larger as it is a relatively open floor plan on one level with attached garage while the house we sold was 2 stories and a partial basement with lot of rooms and a detached carport. That is a 1941 home vs a 1980 home reality. We have discovered that there is good storage space in the attic area over the garage with "Attic Master" pull down stairs and plywood flooring.
We are also seeing that this house dustier inside faster as we can have the screen doors open a lot. Trade offs.

I am trying to explore a bit each day now as I run errands and also to take different routes so I can learn my way around this city. I have found the post office, a bakery, restaurants, a pet store around the corner, an ATM for cash withdrawals without a charge within walking distance, a car wash, etc. In a few weeks it is onward to learning the adjacent cities.

Moving has certainly been an adventurous learning opportunity and full of unexpected financial consequences. I do think that it is going to turn out well for us physically, socially and financially.


10 comments:

  1. I buy all my produce for at Sprouts, which has fantastic prices. Looks like the closest one to you is in Ventura, so maybe an excuse to explore your first new city!

    Conversely, I find Farmers Markets here to be pricey - beautiful produce, but pricey.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks for the suggestion! Sprouts is opening here soon so I will check it out when it does.

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    2. I just checked and it opens 6/28. Put it on my calendar!

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    3. That is great news Julhi, because their prices are absolutely awesome! You'll never buy produce in a 'regular' market again!

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  2. All your planning and preparation are paying off. Wishing you a settling in that is as smooth as possible and many happy surprises along the way.

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    Replies
    1. Thanks! Tight now we feel like we ran a month long marathon but a weekend of family time will help with that.

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  3. Savour the present and family time :-) I'll have some spending in May to refresh my rental condo. Keeping my fingers crossed to find a good contractor to do the work on time.

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    Replies
    1. Definitely going to enjoy family time! Lovely visit with older son and DIL (and their dog) today. Talked to younger DIL but still feel far away from our granddaughter (7 hour drive). The time to get to her is the same but the cost a lot less LOL.

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  4. Do you have a Trader Joe's? They have very good produce prices even for organic. I also second Sprouts as my second favorite place for produce.

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    Replies
    1. We do have Trader Joe's although oddly the produce prices are higher there than in Georgia for some things. Vagaries of local markets. Sprouts opens 6/28 here and I'll be there soon after.

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