Sheesh, what a month it has been! And its only half way into it!
It all began back in July actually, but this month it all tied together and crashed down on me. Maybe my problems are nothing compared to others here, but today I really just want to smash something. So I figured venting off steam would help me feel better.
My husband and I moved here to Nova Scotia a year ago, May. He got a good paying job and we discussed me not working. He said I should stay home for the kids. Which is a great idea, saves on gas and babysitting. At the time it seemed good. Anyhow, all year everything was fine. Until July, when I decided that the old house we live in needed a better wood stove. The old one was a big Enterprise stove from the early 50s...perhaps older. It smoked something awful and would get so hot that in the dead of winter with negative degree weather we had the doors open. The chimney was not up to code and we worried that the old thing might cause a fire.
So in July I sold the old wood stove and we went without a wood stove all summer. We bought a small one used, in good shape and put it in the garage for later installation. Fast forward to September. So its been getting colder now and we ordered our wood back in July after we bought the used stove. most of the summer we spent time splitting wood by hand...all 4 cords of it. It had been warm all summer, very warm and we were not concerned about getting cold any time soon, but then, like turning a page, August became September. And the cold weather set in. The nights have been dropping down into the low 40s F. Time to get the stove put in!!
This is where everything starts to go bad.
The stove needed to be certified....and then a new chimney put in because it was not to code....and new pipe and new flashing...and OMG the expense!!
I had no idea that it would cost so much to install the stove so it could be certified!!! Well it had to be done, we could not avoid it at this point. We have an oil furnace, but the flu was tied into the chimney, a big no no safety wise. So our furnace had to be disconnected. We could not afford to order oil anyhow.
So we hired a contractor to come in and do a bid for the installation. By this point my DH was tearing his hair out over the cost. We already had bills to cover with our credit card, and now we had to pay for this. It came to $1980 for installation, labour and parts. We were floored, it was way more than we had been bid, but we could not avoid it. We had to pay. But then the guy would not take a credit card...he only takes cash or check...he tells us this AFTER the chimney is installed. So we had to do a massive cash advance on our credit card....yay interest rates.
So at this point we are wondering how we are going to take care of Christmas for our 2 boys and pay off this stupid card. However, my husband and I took the challenge with chins up. I do some light housekeeping for some local folks and get paid a little which helps a little. I plan to get a job too, but this is a horribly economically depressed area, so Im erally hoping I can find something.
Then the cat goes and gets hurt. I dont know how the cat does it, but she ends up breaking her ball join clean off her femur. She is always a wild dare devil anyhow, so i can only imagine how she did it. So a quick drive to the local vet and BAM! $1k to do the operation. Well, we could not just let her suffer, so we set up the operation. Now we are even deeper in the hole. Septembers school shopping has not helped in the least either.
Then last night, I was out with the girls in the coop. I was checking on Crackers feet, who I have been trating for scaley leg mites.....and discover she has bumble foot....in both feet.......now I have to buy some stuff to get that fixed. Im sure my Dh is going to be thrilled about that.
Im waiting for a big bomb to drop on the house or something, or perhaps Godzilla to eat one of our cars.......I bet you anything the back axle will fall off the back of the car this week. I would not be surprised in the least!!!!
It all began back in July actually, but this month it all tied together and crashed down on me. Maybe my problems are nothing compared to others here, but today I really just want to smash something. So I figured venting off steam would help me feel better.
My husband and I moved here to Nova Scotia a year ago, May. He got a good paying job and we discussed me not working. He said I should stay home for the kids. Which is a great idea, saves on gas and babysitting. At the time it seemed good. Anyhow, all year everything was fine. Until July, when I decided that the old house we live in needed a better wood stove. The old one was a big Enterprise stove from the early 50s...perhaps older. It smoked something awful and would get so hot that in the dead of winter with negative degree weather we had the doors open. The chimney was not up to code and we worried that the old thing might cause a fire.
So in July I sold the old wood stove and we went without a wood stove all summer. We bought a small one used, in good shape and put it in the garage for later installation. Fast forward to September. So its been getting colder now and we ordered our wood back in July after we bought the used stove. most of the summer we spent time splitting wood by hand...all 4 cords of it. It had been warm all summer, very warm and we were not concerned about getting cold any time soon, but then, like turning a page, August became September. And the cold weather set in. The nights have been dropping down into the low 40s F. Time to get the stove put in!!
This is where everything starts to go bad.
The stove needed to be certified....and then a new chimney put in because it was not to code....and new pipe and new flashing...and OMG the expense!!
I had no idea that it would cost so much to install the stove so it could be certified!!! Well it had to be done, we could not avoid it at this point. We have an oil furnace, but the flu was tied into the chimney, a big no no safety wise. So our furnace had to be disconnected. We could not afford to order oil anyhow.
So we hired a contractor to come in and do a bid for the installation. By this point my DH was tearing his hair out over the cost. We already had bills to cover with our credit card, and now we had to pay for this. It came to $1980 for installation, labour and parts. We were floored, it was way more than we had been bid, but we could not avoid it. We had to pay. But then the guy would not take a credit card...he only takes cash or check...he tells us this AFTER the chimney is installed. So we had to do a massive cash advance on our credit card....yay interest rates.
So at this point we are wondering how we are going to take care of Christmas for our 2 boys and pay off this stupid card. However, my husband and I took the challenge with chins up. I do some light housekeeping for some local folks and get paid a little which helps a little. I plan to get a job too, but this is a horribly economically depressed area, so Im erally hoping I can find something.
Then the cat goes and gets hurt. I dont know how the cat does it, but she ends up breaking her ball join clean off her femur. She is always a wild dare devil anyhow, so i can only imagine how she did it. So a quick drive to the local vet and BAM! $1k to do the operation. Well, we could not just let her suffer, so we set up the operation. Now we are even deeper in the hole. Septembers school shopping has not helped in the least either.
Then last night, I was out with the girls in the coop. I was checking on Crackers feet, who I have been trating for scaley leg mites.....and discover she has bumble foot....in both feet.......now I have to buy some stuff to get that fixed. Im sure my Dh is going to be thrilled about that.
Im waiting for a big bomb to drop on the house or something, or perhaps Godzilla to eat one of our cars.......I bet you anything the back axle will fall off the back of the car this week. I would not be surprised in the least!!!!
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I think once I get into a new routine of a job I'll start feeling better, especially when the pay checks start rolling in!
