This month just keeps getting better

I have to have some severe Karmic backlash going or something.

My fridge has been having issues for a while. When our last fridge died (the one that came with this house and was old and literally falling apart) my grandpa happened to be getting rid of his fridge, which was working and nicer than the one that just kicked the bucket. The only problem it had was the temperature control knobs were missing, so in turning them, nobody knows if they are going warmer or colder.

Things were working fine for a long time. We have had it for more than a year and except for our freezer being extra cold, making ice cream scooping a pain, it woked really well.

Over the last month, our fridge has slowly been getting colder. I have fresh produce in there that has been ruined because the items in my fridge are actually freezing. Mmmmmmm frozen lettuce...

My husband started messing with the dial. Didn't seem to help.

Last night, ice cream was actually scoopable. Weird, because he hasn't messed with the freezer temps lately, but it was still frozen so all was well.

Today it is worse. The banana I had in there for banana bread is completely thawed. The frozen waffles and the tater tots are feeling kind of soft, and my frozen veggies are not quite so frozen. The good news is it seems to be holding steady at whatever temp it's at and the ice cubes are still frozen, meat is still solid. As long as that ice holds, my meat is safe I am pretty sure.

The fridge too has defrosted in that nothing in there is frozen. It seems cold, so I think I am ok for now. Still all this temp fluxing makes me think that there are some serious issues going on, and that this fridge is heading to a dark place. Maybe it is planning it's own Day of the Dead finale.

If it goes, I won't lose much at this point. We are at the end of the month so groceries are running thin. I have plans however, to actually do something this coming payday...you know...like shop for food. I am not real big on the idea of filling my fridge and freezer if it is going to kick the bucket.

Now, my options are kind of limited at this point. Paying cash for a new one at this point? Yeah. Not going to happen. Maybe had we not gone over-budget on the roof and maybe if my husband didn't need new contacts and maybe if my younger kid didn't need two cavities filled. Next month is full of all kinds of fun expenses. SO

We can look on craigslist: Seems to be the best option in some ways as I can find one for anywhere from $100-$400. Some of them look really nice too. Cons: We don't know how long someone else's old fridge is going to last. Since this is how we have gotten the last 3 washing machines, that all worked well at first, then died, we know there is risk. Now, we have only paid a total of maybe $150 between the three washers, so we are still ahead on the last 5 years of washing clothes BUT when a washer dies, you suck it up and go to the laundry mat. When a fridge dies, you cry a million tears over the lost groceries. I think there was over $300 worth of food in our fridge last time. That hurt a little.

We can go with a rent to own place: Nice new fridge, make payments. Can probably manage to hit the 90 days same as cash and not pay the extra $1000 or so worth of financing charges and interest. However, all the fridges are higher end, so if we can't come up with the balance in 90 days, that is going to suck really really bad financially.

We can cross our fingers, maintain, and in a few weeks buy one cash: Probably more ideal than craigslist in the long run, but that is going to depend on the fridge making it that long. It might. I don't know. It's hard to say with a fridge. A fridge bought cash out is probably not going to be great, but it will work, and will work for a while. Goes back the price vs. quality thing. If we need it sooner we are going to have to go for price. Again.

Hire a fridge repairman and get it fixed: Another choice that is probably less costly overall, but the fridge is at least 10 years old. Is it worth it? Again, I don't know.

So tell me readers. What would you do in this scenario?

I am upside down and backwards

Weekend two of the roofing project. It's been interesting.

So, my total as of last weekend was $1614.97

I added

15 drip edge - $52.50
2 rolls ice guard - $120.58
3 rolls roof felt - $53.57
1 4x6x8 deck board - $2.97

The deck board is unrelated to the roof, but needed to be replaced for insurance reasons so I am adding it in.

I also had another trip to the dump - $30 Why $30 and not $20? Because I think the first guy, an older gentleman, thought I was a cute little girl doing man's work and gave me a break. Hey. I will take it. This time it was a younger guy who was all business, and charged me $10 extra which is probably where it should have been the first time.

The new total with tax is $1888.22

But wait! I over bought.

I took back
2 rolls of roof felt - $35.82
1 roll of ice guard - $60.29
2 boxes of roofing nails - $53.96
7 Drip edges - $24.36

Total back with tax - $184.90 dropping our total to $1703.32

It doesn't end there though. I overbought the nails on purpose because we owe the guy who loaned us the nailer a box of nails. The ones I bought were the wrong ones. The right ones unfortunately are more expensive. $44.50 with tax. I also bought my husband a pair of kneepads as he was getting pretty torn up. That was $16.94 with tax. That brings the total up to $1764.76

THEN

We ran out of shingles. Sigh. We also need more tar as we didn't buy any and we are almost out of what we had in the garage. I also took back all the drip edge and didn't realize we needed one more piece. We were also getting low on nails, but didn't need a box of 7200 especially since we don't own the nailer.

So.

One 4"x150' tar membrane thing (I don't actually know what it is called) - $12.36
4 tubes of tar - $9.48
2 small boxes of nails - $13.76
6 bundles of shingles - $94.44
1 drip edge - $3.48

New total with tax - $141.53 + $1764.76 = $1906.29

We overbought LOL

We didn't need the nails at all. Unfortunately they came in plastic boxes and one broke on the way home, so we can only return one.

We still have at least one bundle of shingles, maybe 2 left.

In either case, I am not convinced that a trip back to Ohio is worth what we would get back. We are going to have to do the garage at some point in the future so maybe we will just save them.

We do still have one more trip to the dump to make. That is $20-$30 depending on who is there LOL

We came in under budget. Barely. Honestly, if you count what we spent in gas and food/drinks to feed the people helping we went over. Either way, it is 99% done. The tar work still needs to be done. We did meet our deadline.

I have never in my life been so happy to put a project behind me.

The roofing project breakdown

My husband, the hero of the day managed to get half the roof scraped and cleared, and about 30% of the total shingles on today. Not bad. He had some help from his dad and brother, but I tell you, when that man gets a project on his mind, he moves like a freight train. Nobody keeps up with him.

Overall, so far so good. The budget for this project was $2000.

62 bundles of 3 tab fiberglass shingles - $975.88
3 50' rolls Weather Watch underlayment (need along eaves to make code) - $200.97
5 rolls of 15 lb roofing felt - $99.50
3 boxes 1 1/4 inch coil nailer roofing nails 7200 ct - $80.94
16 10' sections aluminum drip edge - $55.68
1 staple gun - $36.99
2 rolls 14" x 10' aluminum flashing - $17.44
2 square roof vents - $11.92
1 box 5000 ct 1/2" staples - $9.97
3 pair gloves - $5.91
Tax for above items - $99.77
1 trip to the dump - $20

Grand total - $1614.97

Well under budget! That is the good news. Here is the bad news.

We need still more drip edge, another roll of ice guard, which will give us enough for the roof valleys as well, another 2-3 rolls of roofing felt and one more trip to the dump. I am hoping the measurements were close enough that the shingles were right. So far we are looking at another $216 or so. The good news is, that is still under budget. I might be able to pull some gutters out of this deal.

The dump trip was by far the best surprise. I was expecting to spend much more on disposal. It's a drive but to dump locally would have been about $75. We spent maybe $10 in gas, and the $20 at the dump. We are still way ahead.

Tomorrow is another long day, but it is looking good so far.

How far would you go

I spent most of today shopping prices for roofing material. There are two layers of shingles up there so it all has to come off and we have to start from the beginning. That includes shingles, felt paper, ice guard, venting, and drip edges. My husband can usually get a better deal on fasteners through his work, so I didn't include any of that in the price workup.

My first stop today was a local lumber yard. I took in my measurements (hard won out in the rain with a busted tape measure) and they were kind enough to do all the work for me. I ended up with a quote just under $2000. Since $2000 is our budget, that left no room for nails or disposal fees for the old roof.

My second stop was Lowes. They could match the prices I had from the lumber yard but they could not get the price any lower.

I did know from online research that Home Depot had the shingles at the very least significantly cheaper. The problem is the nearest Home Depot is an hour away. Still, for the type of savings we need, after my husband got out of work we made the trip to Ohio.

The cheapest shingles in our area were $20.49 a bundle. We bought them at Home Depot for $15.97 a bundle.


We also learned that the ridge vent is not the only option, and in many cases not the best option so we bought the square roof vents instead.

We brought home 32 bundles of shingles tonight and have 30 waiting to be picked up tomorrow. In total, we spent a couple hours on the road but we saved $450 off our original quote between shingles and changing our roof venting. We might actually be able to pull this off.

Price vs. quality, part 2

Ohhhh, I should have known that the first post on this subject would come back to bite me. I forgot to add a little important piece of information. Buying quality is cheaper than buying cheap in the long run, assuming you have the money to buy quality to begin with.

We have been inspected. We have until 11/02/09 to put a new roof on our residence or they can, and will drop our home insurance.

Now we knew the roof was bad. We actually had a plan and a budget to replace it next spring. We were going to go with a steel roof. Why steel? They last forever, they are hail, fire, rain, etc resistant, and the insulation properties rock. The problem is that steel is more expensive than fiberglass shingles. It was all price vs. quality. However, with the new deadline, guess who is going to end up going with price? We are about to end up with 25 year fiberglass shingles. No energy star rating. Definitely not going to last forever. It breaks my heart just a little.

I am also not about to spend $1500-2000 now and then redo it in steel in the spring. I can't afford the double blow, nor am I prepared to waste materials like that.

So there you have it. I concede. Sometimes price makes a huge difference.