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I am watching my cat walk across the ledge of the balcony. On one side is a short 3-foot drop onto carpet. On the other side is a 20-something foot drop onto a hard kitchen counter. This is not a spry cat. I don't even know how he vaulted up onto the ledge without going over the other side. And I don't want to startle him.
He's just walking back and forth like he doesn't know how to get down. Now he's sitting with his head hanging over the big drop.
I'll let you know how this turns out...
Back
It's harder than you think, to step away from blogging and then try to get back into it. Part of it is that I have so much to blog about--I don't know where to start! Part of it is that we're still getting settled in here. Here are a few random updates:
*Sorry if I offended any Oklahomans, but you have to remember I spent almost 10 years in DC--it really does feel like the middle of nowhere here!
- The movers arrived on the 14th with our truck and the last box (at home) was unpacked on the 18th. I am not one of those people that takes months to unpack boxes! I went to Mr. S's office on the 21st to unpack the last 78 boxes (his alphabetized books), which took all day but is definitively done. The movers also took three of our "house" boxes to the office, so Mr. S brought those back and I unpacked them in short order.
- We had a million boxes on our back porch. Thanks to Freecycle and Craigslist, we only have four left!
Weird: no cardboard recycling here. And no one recycles! Seriously. At first I thought that I put the recycling bin out on the wrong day, but no. It's just that only one other house in our neighborhood recycles. I guess it's not mandatory. And I have to throw away our moving boxes and cereal boxes and that sort of stuff. :(
- The good news: there are two CVS stores, a Super Walmart, a Target, a Walgreens, and an Aldi five minutes from our house. Not to mention the...Sonic!!
- The bad news: there is only ONE grocery store here (bye-bye Kroger, Harris Teeter, Food Lion, Lowe's Foods, and WHOLE FOODS! Can you believe it? No Whole Foods!), and they don't accept more than one coupon per item. What I'm saying--badly--is that if you want to buy two boxes of Cheerios and you have two coupons, forget it. You can only use one Cheerios coupon. How awful is that? Oh, and Coupon Mom doesn't cover Oklahoma, which means I have to figure out the deals on my own!
- More bad news: The New York Times doesn't deliver here. What is this? No NYT. No Whole Foods. This is civilization, right?!
- If you had asked me to design my dream house, I never would have thought to include an open ceiling (two-story ceiling) family room. However, I am really loving ours. There are high windows and they let in so much light and it feels so big and open. Definitely a plus.
*Sorry if I offended any Oklahomans, but you have to remember I spent almost 10 years in DC--it really does feel like the middle of nowhere here!
Kids Exchange Money
And the grand total is...$488.36 earned at the Kids Exchange.
I'm very happy with the amount. So between the $354 earned at the garage sale and the $488.36, we have $842.36, which will help defray the costs of carrying a mortgage and a rent.
In retrospect, I could have priced my items higher for the Kids Exchange--especially the non-clothing items.
I think I spent roughly 18 hours prepping for the Kids Exchange, so that was $27/hour earned.
Was it a lot of work? Yes. Was it worth it? An unqualified yes. I tried to sell some of the items that didn't sell at a local consignment store. They took two items and gave me $1 for each. At the garage sale I was selling clothes for $.50. I would not have made that much money without Kids Exchange. So even though they took 1/3, I'm happy with the return (as in, I sold $728 of items, Kids Exchange kept $240 and sent me $488).
I'm very happy with the amount. So between the $354 earned at the garage sale and the $488.36, we have $842.36, which will help defray the costs of carrying a mortgage and a rent.
In retrospect, I could have priced my items higher for the Kids Exchange--especially the non-clothing items.
I think I spent roughly 18 hours prepping for the Kids Exchange, so that was $27/hour earned.
Was it a lot of work? Yes. Was it worth it? An unqualified yes. I tried to sell some of the items that didn't sell at a local consignment store. They took two items and gave me $1 for each. At the garage sale I was selling clothes for $.50. I would not have made that much money without Kids Exchange. So even though they took 1/3, I'm happy with the return (as in, I sold $728 of items, Kids Exchange kept $240 and sent me $488).
Grandparents
What happens when you leave your mother alone with your children? You come home to find a new bike (!), new toys, new balls, new clothes, junk food...there's really only one thing to do in these situations. Ask how soon it will be before Grandma can come back to visit!
By the time you read this...
...we will be on the road again. We traveled halfway to OKC on Wednesday and the other half today. I'm meeting the real estate agent to get the keys today, the movers arrive on Friday, and my mother arrives on Saturday to help us unpack/corral kids (Praise God!), along with the DirecTV rep, the Cox internet rep, and our appliances.
More when we have an internet connection and time to write.
More when we have an internet connection and time to write.
Buyer Beware
We arrived in Clinton, LA on Sunday afternoon, and we've been here relaxing for a few days while our moving van makes its way to OKC. It's supposed to arrive on the 14th, though the movers do have a 48-hour window, so they could conceivably deliver the goods on the 15th. At any rate, it was either stay in hotels for a few days or visit relatives in LA. That was an easy choice.
Before we left Cary we purchased a roof top cargo bag to hold some of the goods that would not fit in the van. It seemed to be holding up well, though I did notice that it seemed to be deteriorating the day before we arrived in Clinton. At the time I thought it was the way it was made and didn't think too much of it.
On the road to Clinton we heard some flapping and thought that the contents of the bag were shifting. It rained off and on the whole way. When we arrived we started unloading and discovered the bag had shredded! A whole section was torn open and everything inside was soaked. It was a mess.
I had just purchased it at Target and thankfully saved the receipt, though I didn't save the box. Yesterday we went to Target and I girded my loins for a huge debate (because we didn't have the box). I was shocked when the customer service took it without question and happily refunded my money!
We've decided to pack more effectively (we didn't utilize the stow-n-go areas) and leave behind a few things if necessary instead of buying a new roof top carrier. What a pain that was!
Before we left Cary we purchased a roof top cargo bag to hold some of the goods that would not fit in the van. It seemed to be holding up well, though I did notice that it seemed to be deteriorating the day before we arrived in Clinton. At the time I thought it was the way it was made and didn't think too much of it.
On the road to Clinton we heard some flapping and thought that the contents of the bag were shifting. It rained off and on the whole way. When we arrived we started unloading and discovered the bag had shredded! A whole section was torn open and everything inside was soaked. It was a mess.
I had just purchased it at Target and thankfully saved the receipt, though I didn't save the box. Yesterday we went to Target and I girded my loins for a huge debate (because we didn't have the box). I was shocked when the customer service took it without question and happily refunded my money!
We've decided to pack more effectively (we didn't utilize the stow-n-go areas) and leave behind a few things if necessary instead of buying a new roof top carrier. What a pain that was!
Traveling & Cable
We set off on Thursday afternoon and made it to Greenville, SC, where we checked in to a brand new hotel. I don't think anyone had stayed in our room before--the entire hotel smelled new. It was quite pleasant (a Homewood Suites, if you're interested). The kids, of course, loved the Belgian Waffle maker (okay, okay, I enjoyed it too!) during breakfast.
Friday morning we got a late start--we had intended to drive straight through to Clinton, LA, but by the time we left we wouldn't have arrived until 11pm, which would have been hard on the kids. Plus we are traveling with Noah, our cat, and it would have been hard on him too.
Noah, by the way, is doing really well. He stays in his cat carrier in the car and meows occasionally, but for the most part is quite. When we get to the hotel we let him out and give him food and water and set up a disposable litter box for him. He hides for an hour and then comes out and makes himself comfortable. Then he sleeps at my feet. Getting him back in the carrier in the morning is getting harder and harder, though!
Anyway, we decided to stop in Birmingham for the night. We stayed outside the city at a Homewood Suites that was just a little bit older (and not quite as nice) as the one in Greenville, but it was comfortable.
That was when Mr. S got sick. We were able to get our doctor in NC to call in some medicine, but it takes 24 hours to take effect. So he had a pretty bad night.
Saturday we left for Clinton, LA. On the way I decided to get our utilities set up. Of course, most were closed on Saturday, but the cable places were open. Our choices were Cox, DirecTV, or Dish. Mr. S and I tried to think about why we would need a landline when we both have cell phones. The reason we had a landline in NC was because we had three floors and I couldn't hear the cell phone ring across all three floors. But in OK we only have two floors with a high, open ceiling on the first floor so I'll be able to hear the phone ring. We ultimately decided not to pay another $30-$40 a month for a landline.
I called Cox and was told that cable and internet would be $107 (including taxes) a month. That seemed a little high, so I called DirecTV. They were able to provide better service for less, so we signed up with them. It's our first time with a satellite dish instead of cable--I don't know how that's going to work for us, especially since we're renting and can only put the dish on the ground. We'll see how it goes!
Tomorrow: About our arrival in Clinton, LA and our experience with the roof top carrier.
Friday morning we got a late start--we had intended to drive straight through to Clinton, LA, but by the time we left we wouldn't have arrived until 11pm, which would have been hard on the kids. Plus we are traveling with Noah, our cat, and it would have been hard on him too.
Noah, by the way, is doing really well. He stays in his cat carrier in the car and meows occasionally, but for the most part is quite. When we get to the hotel we let him out and give him food and water and set up a disposable litter box for him. He hides for an hour and then comes out and makes himself comfortable. Then he sleeps at my feet. Getting him back in the carrier in the morning is getting harder and harder, though!
Anyway, we decided to stop in Birmingham for the night. We stayed outside the city at a Homewood Suites that was just a little bit older (and not quite as nice) as the one in Greenville, but it was comfortable.
That was when Mr. S got sick. We were able to get our doctor in NC to call in some medicine, but it takes 24 hours to take effect. So he had a pretty bad night.
Saturday we left for Clinton, LA. On the way I decided to get our utilities set up. Of course, most were closed on Saturday, but the cable places were open. Our choices were Cox, DirecTV, or Dish. Mr. S and I tried to think about why we would need a landline when we both have cell phones. The reason we had a landline in NC was because we had three floors and I couldn't hear the cell phone ring across all three floors. But in OK we only have two floors with a high, open ceiling on the first floor so I'll be able to hear the phone ring. We ultimately decided not to pay another $30-$40 a month for a landline.
I called Cox and was told that cable and internet would be $107 (including taxes) a month. That seemed a little high, so I called DirecTV. They were able to provide better service for less, so we signed up with them. It's our first time with a satellite dish instead of cable--I don't know how that's going to work for us, especially since we're renting and can only put the dish on the ground. We'll see how it goes!
Tomorrow: About our arrival in Clinton, LA and our experience with the roof top carrier.
Time Warner, continued
We all made it out of the house and onto the road in one piece.
Thursday morning two packers arrived at 8:15. They started packing up, and I corralled the kids into the playroom with me. At that point, we still had internet service (Time Warner hadn't disconnected it yet), so I spent that time updating our address with all of our banks, credit cards, magazines, utilities, etc.
Time Warner was supposed to come between 8 and 10am to pick up their equipment, so I called them at 10:15 to ask if they were still coming out. The gentleman I spoke with told me that the woman who had originally scheduled the appointment scheduled it with the wrong department (surprise, surprise). He rescheduled it and assured me someone would be out in the afternoon.
The workers kept packing and the internet was disconnected around noon. The kids and I spent the rest of the day staying out of the worker's way until 5pm, when I called Time Warner again. The representative I spoke to said yes, someone was coming out...in two days!! I expressed my surprise and disbelief (doesn't anyone communicate with one another over there?) and told the man we were leaving tomorrow morning, so someone needed to come and get the equipment. The gentleman told me that someone would try to come out today. I ignored the word "try" and thanked him for sending someone out.
Finally someone came out at 6:30 and picked up the equipment. I received a receipt with a $0 charge; we'll see what my final bill looks like. I don't want to see a "pick-up" charge or a termination fee or I'll have to get Consumerist involved.
Mr. S came home late Thursday night (how happy was I to see him!). Friday morning we stripped the beds and washed the linens and packed up everything else (cleaners, toiletries, etc.). Then Bradford and I went to Target to pick up a roof-top carrier (more on that later) and to PetSmart to pick up disposable litter pans and a cat carrier.
The movers arrived shortly thereafter and were astonished by the number of boxes. Rather, at the low weight that had been estimated for the boxes. Thankfully, we're not paying for the move, and even if we were we still have a binding, not-to-exceed contract. I'll be interested to see how much the actual weight exceeds the estimated weight.
Our pastor and one of his sons came over to see us and take us to lunch before we left. How sweet! We are really going to miss our church and friends. We were both sad after they left.
Everything proceeded relatively smoothly, though not without the occasional bump (one of the movers picked up our huge 27-year-old jade plant by the trunk (!) instead of the pot, damaging the root system), but we finally got everything loaded and ready to go. We actually left before the movers were done loading. They assured us they had everything in hand...let's hope nothing got left behind! But I'm glad we left earlier, because we had already reached our hotel in SC before they were finished moving.
Tomorrow: our travels across the South, our arrival in Louisiana, and the setting up of the new cable and internet services.
Thursday morning two packers arrived at 8:15. They started packing up, and I corralled the kids into the playroom with me. At that point, we still had internet service (Time Warner hadn't disconnected it yet), so I spent that time updating our address with all of our banks, credit cards, magazines, utilities, etc.
Time Warner was supposed to come between 8 and 10am to pick up their equipment, so I called them at 10:15 to ask if they were still coming out. The gentleman I spoke with told me that the woman who had originally scheduled the appointment scheduled it with the wrong department (surprise, surprise). He rescheduled it and assured me someone would be out in the afternoon.
The workers kept packing and the internet was disconnected around noon. The kids and I spent the rest of the day staying out of the worker's way until 5pm, when I called Time Warner again. The representative I spoke to said yes, someone was coming out...in two days!! I expressed my surprise and disbelief (doesn't anyone communicate with one another over there?) and told the man we were leaving tomorrow morning, so someone needed to come and get the equipment. The gentleman told me that someone would try to come out today. I ignored the word "try" and thanked him for sending someone out.
Finally someone came out at 6:30 and picked up the equipment. I received a receipt with a $0 charge; we'll see what my final bill looks like. I don't want to see a "pick-up" charge or a termination fee or I'll have to get Consumerist involved.
Mr. S came home late Thursday night (how happy was I to see him!). Friday morning we stripped the beds and washed the linens and packed up everything else (cleaners, toiletries, etc.). Then Bradford and I went to Target to pick up a roof-top carrier (more on that later) and to PetSmart to pick up disposable litter pans and a cat carrier.
The movers arrived shortly thereafter and were astonished by the number of boxes. Rather, at the low weight that had been estimated for the boxes. Thankfully, we're not paying for the move, and even if we were we still have a binding, not-to-exceed contract. I'll be interested to see how much the actual weight exceeds the estimated weight.
Our pastor and one of his sons came over to see us and take us to lunch before we left. How sweet! We are really going to miss our church and friends. We were both sad after they left.
Everything proceeded relatively smoothly, though not without the occasional bump (one of the movers picked up our huge 27-year-old jade plant by the trunk (!) instead of the pot, damaging the root system), but we finally got everything loaded and ready to go. We actually left before the movers were done loading. They assured us they had everything in hand...let's hope nothing got left behind! But I'm glad we left earlier, because we had already reached our hotel in SC before they were finished moving.
Tomorrow: our travels across the South, our arrival in Louisiana, and the setting up of the new cable and internet services.
Out for a Bit
Posting will be very light (as in, none) for the next few days because we're moving. The cable/internet/phone gets turned off tomorrow, and I probably won't have access to the internet again until late Friday or early Saturday.
The good news is that the books are all packed (final tally: 19 of mine going to the house, 78 for Mr. S going to the office), the suitcases are mostly ready, and I'm caught up on my work for my part-time job.
I still need to run errands tomorrow, and I still need to find someone to mow the yard while we're selling the house. And call all of our banks/magazines/whatever to give them the new address. But that shouldn't be too much trouble.
Oh, and I took Anne to get her hair cut. Bradford cut off a bit off the front and more off the back, so Anne now has shoulder length hair with a sort-of side bang. It looks kind of cute, but much shorter than it was.
I'm very tired and can't really think straight, so I'll be going to bed now.
The good news is that the books are all packed (final tally: 19 of mine going to the house, 78 for Mr. S going to the office), the suitcases are mostly ready, and I'm caught up on my work for my part-time job.
I still need to run errands tomorrow, and I still need to find someone to mow the yard while we're selling the house. And call all of our banks/magazines/whatever to give them the new address. But that shouldn't be too much trouble.
Oh, and I took Anne to get her hair cut. Bradford cut off a bit off the front and more off the back, so Anne now has shoulder length hair with a sort-of side bang. It looks kind of cute, but much shorter than it was.
I'm very tired and can't really think straight, so I'll be going to bed now.
It Gets Worse
Remember when the kids tore apart the playroom and I spent the better part of a day sorting puzzle pieces?
I still remember the time when Bradford was a baby and smeared diaper rash cream everywhere.
Those pale in comparison to what happened today.
Question: What do you get when you mix a boy, a pair of scissors, and a girl with long hair?
Answer: A girl with short hair and a boy in a heap of trouble.
Lord, please let me get through this week. Preferably with my sanity.
I still remember the time when Bradford was a baby and smeared diaper rash cream everywhere.
Those pale in comparison to what happened today.
Question: What do you get when you mix a boy, a pair of scissors, and a girl with long hair?
Answer: A girl with short hair and a boy in a heap of trouble.
Lord, please let me get through this week. Preferably with my sanity.
Time Warner
I have always had a hate-hate relationship with Time Warner Cable. When we first moved in we didn't get even the most basic channels. When I called to schedule appointments for techs to come and fix the cable I was always on hold for at least 30 minutes. Unlike some states, NC doesn't have a law requiring cable providers to answer the phone (with a human) within 30 seconds.
It took about two months for everything to be sorted out, and in the mean time we had terrible service and couldn't watch much on TV.
The phone line has always been awful--lots of static. Everyone complains about it when I'm on the phone.
I just knew (and I was right) that it would be a hassle to cancel the service. I placed my first call this morning with a woman who told me that she could send someone out on the 8th and I would be charged a $120 cancellation fee! I was outraged and asked to speak to her supervisor. She told me she'd escalate the complaint.
After we hung up I realized that the 8th would not work--that we would already be gone. So I called again. After another long hold time I got a woman who did not speak English very well. She then must have pressed the mute button, because all of sudden I could hear her but she couldn't hear me. She hung up.
After a LONG time on hold I reached my third person of the day. This man was incredibly irritating. He asked the same questions everyone else asked, but instead of accepting my replies (No, I don't want the mover's hotline number), he went on and on about the benefits. I told him I didn't need the number. Then he got snippy: "Well, I have to do my job and blah blah blah..." Finally he let me tell him why I was calling. And he told me there was no possible way to schedule the disconnect for the 6th--the soonest available date was the 10th! What?! I told him that the first person had scheduled it for the 8th. He told me there was no way to schedule it for that date. I asked to speak to his supervisor, and he put me on hold for 20 minutes before disconnecting me.
On my fourth call to Time Warner I reached a woman who said yes, my disconnect was scheduled for the 10th. I wanted to change it? No problem. It's on the 6th. Oh, and there is a $9.95 disconnect fee in addition to the $71 account balance. What?! She was the first person to mention that! And no mention of a $120 disconnect fee.
Time Warner needs to work on uniformly training the employees. Every single employee gave me different information. I should have taken down their names, but alas I did not. I can tell already that this is going to be an ongoing pain for the next few months. What makes it worse is they automatically bill my AmEx for the monthly charges. I'm going to have to cancel that, and, I'm sure, dispute charges soon.
It reminds me of the time we moved from VA to MD. Comcast came and picked up the equipment and left me with a receipt noting they had received everything. A year later we received a letter from a collections agency saying we hadn't returned the equipment! That took a month to resolve.
I really, really, really dislike cable companies. We only have cable so we can get Fox News. I have a feeling this is going to become an ongoing saga with Time Warner with monthly rants. Ugh.
It took about two months for everything to be sorted out, and in the mean time we had terrible service and couldn't watch much on TV.
The phone line has always been awful--lots of static. Everyone complains about it when I'm on the phone.
I just knew (and I was right) that it would be a hassle to cancel the service. I placed my first call this morning with a woman who told me that she could send someone out on the 8th and I would be charged a $120 cancellation fee! I was outraged and asked to speak to her supervisor. She told me she'd escalate the complaint.
After we hung up I realized that the 8th would not work--that we would already be gone. So I called again. After another long hold time I got a woman who did not speak English very well. She then must have pressed the mute button, because all of sudden I could hear her but she couldn't hear me. She hung up.
After a LONG time on hold I reached my third person of the day. This man was incredibly irritating. He asked the same questions everyone else asked, but instead of accepting my replies (No, I don't want the mover's hotline number), he went on and on about the benefits. I told him I didn't need the number. Then he got snippy: "Well, I have to do my job and blah blah blah..." Finally he let me tell him why I was calling. And he told me there was no possible way to schedule the disconnect for the 6th--the soonest available date was the 10th! What?! I told him that the first person had scheduled it for the 8th. He told me there was no way to schedule it for that date. I asked to speak to his supervisor, and he put me on hold for 20 minutes before disconnecting me.
On my fourth call to Time Warner I reached a woman who said yes, my disconnect was scheduled for the 10th. I wanted to change it? No problem. It's on the 6th. Oh, and there is a $9.95 disconnect fee in addition to the $71 account balance. What?! She was the first person to mention that! And no mention of a $120 disconnect fee.
Time Warner needs to work on uniformly training the employees. Every single employee gave me different information. I should have taken down their names, but alas I did not. I can tell already that this is going to be an ongoing pain for the next few months. What makes it worse is they automatically bill my AmEx for the monthly charges. I'm going to have to cancel that, and, I'm sure, dispute charges soon.
It reminds me of the time we moved from VA to MD. Comcast came and picked up the equipment and left me with a receipt noting they had received everything. A year later we received a letter from a collections agency saying we hadn't returned the equipment! That took a month to resolve.
I really, really, really dislike cable companies. We only have cable so we can get Fox News. I have a feeling this is going to become an ongoing saga with Time Warner with monthly rants. Ugh.
Packing
It's almost 4pm and I've put together, filled and sealed 31 boxes. Five bookshelves down, 15 to go. The hard part is over because I first had to separate my books from Mr. S's--his are going to the office while mine are going to our house. That took some time. Now I can just throw books in boxes (carefully and alphabetically, of course).
I'm stopping because I have to put in a few hours for my other job tonight--I'll start up again tomorrow morning. I hope I have enough boxes.
Guess what I did with the kids today? After spending my morning and early afternoon coming up from the basement to sort out fights and help clean up messes (and the upstairs still looks like a disaster area), I bundled the kids in the care and dropped them off at an hourly play center. The barely qualified workers watch your kids play so you can do whatever it is you need to do. Isn't that awful? I feel like such a bad mother. But I did get a lot more done in the 1 1/2 hours of kid-free packing than I did the whole morning.
Here's hoping I get more done tomorrow so I can have Wednesday to plan and pack something other than books.
I'm stopping because I have to put in a few hours for my other job tonight--I'll start up again tomorrow morning. I hope I have enough boxes.
Guess what I did with the kids today? After spending my morning and early afternoon coming up from the basement to sort out fights and help clean up messes (and the upstairs still looks like a disaster area), I bundled the kids in the care and dropped them off at an hourly play center. The barely qualified workers watch your kids play so you can do whatever it is you need to do. Isn't that awful? I feel like such a bad mother. But I did get a lot more done in the 1 1/2 hours of kid-free packing than I did the whole morning.
Here's hoping I get more done tomorrow so I can have Wednesday to plan and pack something other than books.
Onward and Upward
The movers dropped off a bunch of boxes for me (112 to be exact) to pack up the books. Except they left them in the garage. Which isn't really convenient since the books are in the basement. Which means I have to take them up the garage stairs and down the basement stairs into the house. And they're not put together, so I need to tape them. Pack them. Seal them. Label them.
3700 books. Me. Two small "helpers."
I told a friend I'm quietly panicking...I'll probably be vocal by Wednesday.
Anyway, if posting is light, you know why.
3700 books. Me. Two small "helpers."
I told a friend I'm quietly panicking...I'll probably be vocal by Wednesday.
Anyway, if posting is light, you know why.
Hard
It was my last Sunday in our church today. I was totally unprepared for the emotions. I spent most of the service not concentrating on the service, but trying not to cry!
I wanted to say goodbye to a bunch of people, but in the end I ended up rushing out with the kids so I wouldn't burst into tears in public.
I'm going to miss my church family. A lot.
I wanted to say goodbye to a bunch of people, but in the end I ended up rushing out with the kids so I wouldn't burst into tears in public.
I'm going to miss my church family. A lot.
Appliances
As you know, I have to purchase a washer, dryer, and fridge for our new place in OKC.
I started out by consulting my trusty Consumer Reports, looking first at the washers. Did you know that Maytag and GE are the most prone to repairs? And you can spend a ridiculous amount of money on a washing machine. The top rated model (a Samsung) is $1500!!!
I then looked at dryers. The only important thing about dryers (apparently) is that they need to have a moisture sensor. The other features are just icing on the cake. There aren't any brands that are particularly bad when it comes to dryers.
Finally, when it comes to refrigerators, you don't want a Maytag or a GE. I was looking for a bottom freezer because we have a side-by-side right now and it's really inconvenient. It's hard to fit stuff into the freezer, and even the fridge seems a little cramped. I didn't want a top freezer because it makes sense to me to have what you use the most at a convenient height. And I ruled out fridges with icemakers and water dispensers in the door because those added at least $500 to the price.
I did the research, looking at the major retailers and focused on Home Depot, because they offer free installation (Sears and Best Buy charge) and they have a 12 month 0% finance offer going on (Lowe's only offers 6 months). I went to Home Depot armed with Mr. S's iPhone so I could consult Consumer Reports, if necessary. It took awhile because I compared and went back and forth and back and forth. But finally I settled on an LG washer and dryer.
But I didn't like any of the refrigerators they had so I just bought the washer/dryer.
I came home and did more research on fridges. I narrowed it down to three specific models: one Kenmore, one Samsung, and one Whirlpool Gold. I was either going to buy it at Lowe's (which had the disadvantage of a 6 month 0% finance offer and the advantage of free delivery) and Sears (which had the disadvantage of a delivery charge and the advantage of a 12 month 0% offer). It looked like the prices were lower at Sears, so even though I've read horror story after horror story about their customer service and delivery problems on Consumerist, I went over.
It turns out they did have the specific Samsung model I wanted, cheaper than Lowes, and much cheaper than the Kenmore and Whirlpool Gold models. I couldn't find anything discernibly lacking in the Samsung model compared with the Kenmore and Whirlpool models, and since Consumer Reports recommends it as a Best Buy, I placed the order.
All of the appliances will be delivered on the 15th in OKC. I ordered them here instead of OKC for two reasons: Delivery takes at least five days, and I didn't want to be five days without a fridge, and sales tax is lower here.
So that's taken care of, and I don't have to worry about that until the 15th. I'm pretty satisfied with the purchases. I didn't pay full price and spent 20% less than I budgeted. And we have all of the items on 12-month 0% offers, which is nice. We'll be able to put that money into a savings account, accrue interest, and then pay it next year.*
It was a lot of money, but the appliances are high quality and should last awhile. I could have saved money by buying a top-loader instead of a front loading washer, but we should recoup that cost in a year or so.
The funniest moment came when I was verifying my identity at Home Depot, answering security questions so I could get the credit card. They wanted to know where my father lived! I've been married for almost six years, and they still have me associated with my father. Weird.
*Word of caution: NEVER take a 0% offer without being positive of your ability to pay it in full before the due date. The interest rates are horrendous. Don't do it unless you have the money!
I started out by consulting my trusty Consumer Reports, looking first at the washers. Did you know that Maytag and GE are the most prone to repairs? And you can spend a ridiculous amount of money on a washing machine. The top rated model (a Samsung) is $1500!!!
I then looked at dryers. The only important thing about dryers (apparently) is that they need to have a moisture sensor. The other features are just icing on the cake. There aren't any brands that are particularly bad when it comes to dryers.
Finally, when it comes to refrigerators, you don't want a Maytag or a GE. I was looking for a bottom freezer because we have a side-by-side right now and it's really inconvenient. It's hard to fit stuff into the freezer, and even the fridge seems a little cramped. I didn't want a top freezer because it makes sense to me to have what you use the most at a convenient height. And I ruled out fridges with icemakers and water dispensers in the door because those added at least $500 to the price.
I did the research, looking at the major retailers and focused on Home Depot, because they offer free installation (Sears and Best Buy charge) and they have a 12 month 0% finance offer going on (Lowe's only offers 6 months). I went to Home Depot armed with Mr. S's iPhone so I could consult Consumer Reports, if necessary. It took awhile because I compared and went back and forth and back and forth. But finally I settled on an LG washer and dryer.
But I didn't like any of the refrigerators they had so I just bought the washer/dryer.
I came home and did more research on fridges. I narrowed it down to three specific models: one Kenmore, one Samsung, and one Whirlpool Gold. I was either going to buy it at Lowe's (which had the disadvantage of a 6 month 0% finance offer and the advantage of free delivery) and Sears (which had the disadvantage of a delivery charge and the advantage of a 12 month 0% offer). It looked like the prices were lower at Sears, so even though I've read horror story after horror story about their customer service and delivery problems on Consumerist, I went over.
It turns out they did have the specific Samsung model I wanted, cheaper than Lowes, and much cheaper than the Kenmore and Whirlpool Gold models. I couldn't find anything discernibly lacking in the Samsung model compared with the Kenmore and Whirlpool models, and since Consumer Reports recommends it as a Best Buy, I placed the order.
All of the appliances will be delivered on the 15th in OKC. I ordered them here instead of OKC for two reasons: Delivery takes at least five days, and I didn't want to be five days without a fridge, and sales tax is lower here.
So that's taken care of, and I don't have to worry about that until the 15th. I'm pretty satisfied with the purchases. I didn't pay full price and spent 20% less than I budgeted. And we have all of the items on 12-month 0% offers, which is nice. We'll be able to put that money into a savings account, accrue interest, and then pay it next year.*
It was a lot of money, but the appliances are high quality and should last awhile. I could have saved money by buying a top-loader instead of a front loading washer, but we should recoup that cost in a year or so.
The funniest moment came when I was verifying my identity at Home Depot, answering security questions so I could get the credit card. They wanted to know where my father lived! I've been married for almost six years, and they still have me associated with my father. Weird.
*Word of caution: NEVER take a 0% offer without being positive of your ability to pay it in full before the due date. The interest rates are horrendous. Don't do it unless you have the money!
Post-Garage Sale Cleanup
Mr. S loaded up all of the kids/baby items in the car and I'll take them to church tomorrow (though that should be fun, with kids to shepherd by myself!).
The big items that Mr. S didn't take to Goodwill included shutters, white primer, a semi-broken vacuum, a semi-broken bike, Pepsi Max, a bunch of medicine, some cleaners, and some toiletries.
I listed the shutters, primer, vacuum, and bike on Freecycle, and everything but the bike was picked up tonight. The family picking up the bike is going to be at church tomorrow, but they homeschool, so they can come any time on Monday. Isn't that great? I love that it's going to a believer.
I listed the Pepsi Max 12-packs on Craigslist for $2.50 each, and some smart aleck emailed and told me he'd take them for $3 total! I don't think so! At first I was going to brush him off but I finally came around and told him he could have them for $4. He's picking them up tomorrow.
I listed the six cleaners/air fresheners I have left on Craigslist for $5, and someone is supposed to pick those up tomorrow afternoon.
I haven't had any bites on the medicine or toiletries, but it's only been an hour since I posted. And if no one wants them, we'll take them to OKC and sell them there!
I know I could have listed the free items on Craigslist, but I prefer using Freecycle. I don't know why--maybe it's the idea that I'm connecting with more frugal people instead of people who just want free stuff? Do my loyal readers feel the same?
So the garage is looking pretty clean. I will say this--if we were paying for the movers instead of Mr. S's employer, I probably would have been even more motivated to find items to sell/give away. I just haven't had time to really go through our stuff. Don't get me wrong--we're pretty pared down right now. But I know I could eliminate more if I tried.
The big items that Mr. S didn't take to Goodwill included shutters, white primer, a semi-broken vacuum, a semi-broken bike, Pepsi Max, a bunch of medicine, some cleaners, and some toiletries.
I listed the shutters, primer, vacuum, and bike on Freecycle, and everything but the bike was picked up tonight. The family picking up the bike is going to be at church tomorrow, but they homeschool, so they can come any time on Monday. Isn't that great? I love that it's going to a believer.
I listed the Pepsi Max 12-packs on Craigslist for $2.50 each, and some smart aleck emailed and told me he'd take them for $3 total! I don't think so! At first I was going to brush him off but I finally came around and told him he could have them for $4. He's picking them up tomorrow.
I listed the six cleaners/air fresheners I have left on Craigslist for $5, and someone is supposed to pick those up tomorrow afternoon.
I haven't had any bites on the medicine or toiletries, but it's only been an hour since I posted. And if no one wants them, we'll take them to OKC and sell them there!
I know I could have listed the free items on Craigslist, but I prefer using Freecycle. I don't know why--maybe it's the idea that I'm connecting with more frugal people instead of people who just want free stuff? Do my loyal readers feel the same?
So the garage is looking pretty clean. I will say this--if we were paying for the movers instead of Mr. S's employer, I probably would have been even more motivated to find items to sell/give away. I just haven't had time to really go through our stuff. Don't get me wrong--we're pretty pared down right now. But I know I could eliminate more if I tried.
Garage Sale
We're done with the garage sale. It technically lasted from 8am-1pm but our last buyer came at 12:30pm, and no one came for an hour before him. So it was more like 8am-11pm. We had people in the cars waiting outside our house at 7:15am.
The big sellers weren't a surprise to me: I was cleaned out of cleaning supplies (ha ha) and beauty products. All of the Pepsi Ones (we had 7) sold, but I still have 2 Pepsi Maxes left. I was surprised that the stuffed animals didn't sell, the baby clothes were barely touched, the vacuum cleaner and chandelier didn't sell...I thought those items would definitely go. Some stuff that I only thought to put out at the last minute--including potting soil, tomato stakes, an unopened can of paint, Round Up, old socks, an old burlap sack, and a yicky pair of shoes--sold. Odd, what sells and what doesn't. I even sold a set of Mr. S's weights (with his permission) that I hadn't intended to sell but received an offer for!
We had some friends come over to help us with the sale (thank you!) and I was able to unload some of the leftovers on them. I even cleaned out my freezer--we don't be able to take those items with us when we move. Can you believe that? The freezer looks so bare and it makes the move seem all that more real. There was just no way we were going to finish everything by Thursday.
Mr. S took a bunch to Goodwill, and we'll bring the rest of the baby items to church for donation.
Of course, after the sale I found a whole bunch of cleaning supplies that I had set aside to sell, but forgot to put out. :( That would have brought an extra $20 or so.
I also had two people come by to pick up the changing table and the glider. Over the past few weeks we've sold the crib, changing table, glider, and everything at the garage sale. Those items have netted us $354. I also expect a check of around $200 (pretty much a wild guess) from the Kids Exchange.
Hopefully this will help defray the costs of paying a rent and a mortgage!
The big sellers weren't a surprise to me: I was cleaned out of cleaning supplies (ha ha) and beauty products. All of the Pepsi Ones (we had 7) sold, but I still have 2 Pepsi Maxes left. I was surprised that the stuffed animals didn't sell, the baby clothes were barely touched, the vacuum cleaner and chandelier didn't sell...I thought those items would definitely go. Some stuff that I only thought to put out at the last minute--including potting soil, tomato stakes, an unopened can of paint, Round Up, old socks, an old burlap sack, and a yicky pair of shoes--sold. Odd, what sells and what doesn't. I even sold a set of Mr. S's weights (with his permission) that I hadn't intended to sell but received an offer for!
We had some friends come over to help us with the sale (thank you!) and I was able to unload some of the leftovers on them. I even cleaned out my freezer--we don't be able to take those items with us when we move. Can you believe that? The freezer looks so bare and it makes the move seem all that more real. There was just no way we were going to finish everything by Thursday.
Mr. S took a bunch to Goodwill, and we'll bring the rest of the baby items to church for donation.
Of course, after the sale I found a whole bunch of cleaning supplies that I had set aside to sell, but forgot to put out. :( That would have brought an extra $20 or so.
I also had two people come by to pick up the changing table and the glider. Over the past few weeks we've sold the crib, changing table, glider, and everything at the garage sale. Those items have netted us $354. I also expect a check of around $200 (pretty much a wild guess) from the Kids Exchange.
Hopefully this will help defray the costs of paying a rent and a mortgage!
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