Trying to keep up

RIght now is the time several homeowner projects are demanding my time. I love my rain barrels, but before I could install them, I needed to paint the siding they block when in place. Why? The exterior paint was cracking and to keep my home in good shape for the future, I needed to scrape off the loose paint, prime the surface and then put on two coats of paint. Each time I went outside, that was 30 minutes invested in painting, not including set up, ensuring all the tools were there and mixing the primer and paint. Luckily, the weather cooperated so painting done in two days.

Then the rain barrels needed to be installed. No rain is predicted for the next two days, but my area is dry and I will need all the reserve supply I can get for my garden. However, I had not cleaned the gutters and organic debris in the rain water collection barrels is not a good thing. My elderly neighbor was kind enough to loan me his ladder so I carefully made my way up and down to remove the leaves and debris from my gutters. A quick rinse with the hose and I am ready for rain to arrive.

Of course, being spring, I have several seedlings in the greenhouse, garden beds to prepare and sown peas peaking through the soil. The tender greens mean I need to protect them from dastardly rabbits who enjoy seedlings as snacks. So after some grassy trimming and some moved fencing, I had successfully enclosed the garden bed.

All this work I have done demonstrated I was prepared for all the tasks I needed to perform. Since I had previously painted the exterior of my home, I had enough painting supplies to apply any primer or paint needed. I also had a gallon and a quarter of paint expressly for repainting the exterior because I need to maintain my home's wood siding. Thus, I just needed to retrieve the items from my basement and I was in the painting business. The rain barrels were washed last fall and stored in my garage. It was an easy task to switch the diverter on my downspout to active and hook up my rain barrels.

As for protecting my gardens, because there were plants last year I needed to protect that this year are more mature, I had enough fencing and posts to cover my newly planted peas by cannibalizing what I had. Having all the supplies I needed on hand (with additional items on hand) and a kind neighbor, I was able to just tell myself "get started on this task today" and the project was accomplished.

Now I just need more composted horse manure and some time before the rain and I will plant more of my garden!

Planning for a shady future

When people talk about the responsibilities of being a homeowner, items like mowing the lawn, cleaning out the gutters, replacing appliances and repairing roof shingles or siding are usually discussed. Still tangible but not directly related to the home are the trees around the property; specifically the mature trees. When I purchased my house, it had only one tree on the property, likely planted when the duplex was built. This means I have a ~40 year-old green ash tree on the southwestern corner of my house.

When I took ownership, one of the first things I did was plant another shade tree, Tilia americana or a basswood in Fall 2006. Aside from the Japanese beetles that like to defoliate the tree, my originally ~6 feet-tall tree is now nearly 9 feet tall. In the intervening years I have planted a total of four trees, all of different genuses and varying heights but always less than six feet. While some are slower than others (my Sorbus americana or mountain ash [excruciatingly slow] versus Ostrya virginiana or hophornbeam [definitely growing]), I knew I was planting for the future and to maximize the diversity on my small lot.

My first spring in the house, I had noticed that my mature tree had some dead branches and was worried the part overhanging my roof would pose a danger. After talking with three arborists, I hired one to trim my tree and lighten the load from the ends of the branches. The arborist I chose estimated I may have 20 good years left in the tree, assuming no other factors like weather intervene.

Last summer, I noticed the western side of my tree had leaves that looked scorched and were dropped early. While I had some concerns, I did not seek the advice of an arborist. In the face of slow leafing out and almost nothing on the western side this spring, I did ask an arborist to stop by and look at my tree. He diagnosed anthracnose, a fungal disease. While a healthy tree can live through this disease with some support, my tree is more like a shrub with no leader stem and many branches with leafy weight on the end. Furthermore, there is an open wound on the tree that may not be healing all that well. On top of all this, emerald ash borer is now present in my state. These factors lead the arborist I consulted to suggest I plant a tree right next to the green ash so there is an established tree when it needs to be taken down.

While there is no way to know if my tree will survive another five years or more, I was worried that the lone mature tree on my property was under threat if not in dire straits. Lacking a mature tree does affect the value of my home. However, I had already chosen another tree to plant just in case I had to select one to replace the ash tree. Therefore, I visited a local nursery, picked out an Acer saccharum (sugar maple) and planted it seven feet from my green ash tree. It stands about nine feet tall and based on my research, should be a good shade tree for the property.

I had hoped that my ash tree could last until I sold the property but having a new tree in place, ready to take over when other needs to be removed will help diminish the loss of my sole mature tree. If conditions are ideal, the sugar maple can grow up to 12 inches a year. If the ash tree lasts long enough, the sugar maple will make a worthy transition from small tree to shade tree.

Have you encountered similar tree-related issues?

Getting my bicycle in gear

Newer readers may not know, but just over a year ago I was on a quest to find a used bicycle. The reasons for this were twofold: 1) reduce the use of my car in my suburban neighborhood and 2) get some exercise. While I was thrilled to finally find a bike in the style I wanted at a modest price, I did incur further expenses for the bicycle. I paid $30 for a new bicycle helmet, $10 for a bicycle rack for my car, 25 cents for a cable with which I could lock my bike and recently, $13 for a folding bike rack to store the bike in my garage. In the scheme of things, paying ~$80 for a bike and accessories is not bad. However, I really only used my bike three times last year and the third time, I lost a gear. Since I only have three gears, this is a problem. Plus my physical condition was less than ideal for going very far on the bicycle.

Well, my bicycle has been sitting in the garage for several months, but I finally took it to the local bike shop. I thought the bicycle I had found was a good deal and the gentleman who looked over it for me confirmed it. He said everything looked good on it, no bent rims, the chain was fine, tires looked good and no issues with brakes or steering. He estimated the tune up damages for the gear shift to be ~$50. I told him the greater adventure was getting the bike rack onto my car, a 15-minute job sorting out direction and straps.

So, in two weeks, I will have my revitalized bike back in my life and no excuse not to use it. Except in rainy weather, worrying about my neighbors staring at me or being too tired to go around the block. One step at a time--a bike in good shape will get me started and eliminate a portion of my excuses. I will give bicycling another shot and see where it gets me. If it does not work out, I can always sell it on craigslist.

The autumn deadline looms

While I have many plans for the colder months, it is still early autumn and there are outdoor chores I need to finish. My tomato plants are still producing, strawberries are ripening, and my beans are blossoming and offering green pods. I am collecting this late bounty as long as it is produced as I do some final chores. The decreasing daylight makes it all more critical so I need to keep focused.

Finish constructing the new raised garden beds.
Since I enjoyed both gardening and processing my produce, I decided to add more garden space. Using salvage untreated wood, I have created two 8 feet by 4 feet by 7 inch beds on the south facing part of my lawn. These and the current 9 feet by 9 feet raised bed will be growing space for my vegetables. Furthermore, a 12 feet by 4 feet bed will be the new home of a black raspberry patch on the west side of my house. The new beds need to have soil added to them and this requires my dad, who is currently in the throes of harvesting soybeans. However, I have leaves and compost to add to the gardening space. Leaves are not a problem, but I need to finish raking what I have in the beds. The composted (or partially composted) horse manure will require a few more visits to the farm before I call it good enough prior to flying snow.

Mow the lawn at least once more.
I am a bit backed up in my plans. I wanted to use the leaves in the new raised beds, but since they are not finished, I could only do some minor raking. With leaves on the lawn, I did not want to mow especially as I have a mulching lawn mower. So once the beds are made and the leaves are gone, I will do one more pass on the lawn (hopefully the last time).

Empty the rain barrels.
Both 55 gallon rain barrels are full. I plan on storing some of the rain water in the basement to water my indoor plants over winter. After that, I will water my trees with the rest, clean out the barrels and store them for the winter. The diverter will also need to be prepared for the winter season and capped off after the diverter hoses are removed. I have to find space for two rain barrels this winter and that may mean my basement will play host to them rather than the garage. This is a definite drawback to a single-car garage.

Mulch the front rhubarb bed.
I planted some rhubarb on my front lawn as the first step in my plans to convert my lawn to more edible landscaping. The first planting is more vigorous than the second, but the sod I turned over did not eliminate unwanted green growth. As a result, I need to do some weed pulling, laying down of newspaper and then bark mulch. The bed is not large, about 10 square feet, but I plan to expand it with herbs and beans next year. Keeping the weed growth down for next year will be important as I add other plants to the garden space.

Prepare current gardening areas for winter.
I would like to put a nice layer of horse manure down on my 9' by 9' bed along with some mulch. This will add to its fertility and I will have one less step to take next spring before planting. Space around trees and any bare soil around the foundation will need an extra layer of mulch before cold really sets in.

Finish any started yard work.
This is my catchall point. I trimmed my rose bushes but left the branches out to dry. Getting these thorny bits into the composter prior to snow flying is important, but the leaves are taking up all the extra space I have. My new trees will need to be staked for the winter and tree spirals added. I have ~10 tulip bulbs to plant and need to clean up my garage prior to winter. And my strawberry plants will have to be protected before winter sets in (straw is just waiting to be piled on the bed). I also plan to plant five cloves of garlic before it gets too cold. My drip irrigation jugs around the trees will have to be removed and stored for the winter.

After all this is done, I can turn my attention to my winter list--and plans for what I can grow next spring. To be honest, I am looking forward to growing more of my own food and being able to harvest and preserve it.

What to get done over the winter months

With the change of seasons showing in the falling leaves and few garden harvests, my mind turns to projects. Yes, if I kept myself gainfully employed redoing landscaping, crafting new raised garden beds and hauling compost, I need to find things to occupy my time once the snow begins to fly and I feel like hibernating. There are several projects that have wanted my attention, but of these, only the GFCI outlet in the garage was installed (and that just a week ago). So what are my plans?

Tackle the basement.
In my earlier post, I mentioned installing an indoor clothesline. This is still on my radar, but has been pushed aside in favor of using my solar dryer (or my outdoor umbrella clothesline). With freezing temperatures and snow weeks away, this pushes up the indoor clothesline priority.

I also want to take a few steps toward making the basement more livable since I am considering moving my sewing area there. Right now, I am looking for lamps to plug into the newly installed outlets in the basement. A nice craft table would be useful for quilting and sorting fabric plus I may use my newly won skills in wood construction to fashion some shelving to store said fabric.

In addition, I would like to fix the holes in the drywall that was installed. Oddly enough, the person who installed the drywall also took his or her anger out on the drywall with hammer and foot. The doorways to the storage and mechanicals would look better with doors so I would also like to install those. This would test the limits of my construction abilities since I have never installed a door. Gaining a new skill would make me feel accomplished so I haunt craigslist with hope.

Craft with confidence.
I owe my godson a doll, my niece is due hers in January and technically, I owe my brother and sister-in-law a quilt. Furthermore, I have collected fabric for at least three quilts, several clothing items and three sets of curtains. Now that all my windows have been rescued from beige plastic blinds, I should proudly construct curtains and valances. These will not only make the rooms more decorative, but also help with light and cold infiltration especially with my single-pane windows. Quilts for warmth in the winter are a good thing especially if I happen to have guests.

I intend to use what I have on hand for sewing and crafting. A few green living projects will likely be incorporated, helping me to dump some disposable and plastic items from my life. Plus, being forced to look at my fabric collection will hopefully inspire me to be creative and to finally craft that blue jean rug I have been wanting.

Manage inventory.
As hinted at with the fabric collection, I have excess stuff. Too many clothes, more books that I really use, a well-stocked pantry that needs rotating and boxes in the basement that need to be sorted. All this and more really need sorting, serious contemplation and more than likely, to be either sold or donated. This is not an easy nor straightforward task, but I want to try another no-spending challenge coupled with a decluttering goal. With few things coming in and stuff going out, I hope to decrease my net stuff and be better prepared to resist buying more.

Fix it and forget it.
I have a table top to strip and refinish, some wood trim that needs the same treatment, and some paint spots that need a touch up, especially around the replacement windows. Cold-enforced indoor time is perfect for getting those small, annoying projects out of the way. I have been lax about getting these things done, but they need to be done prior to either window installation or my house being put on the market. The latter is not intended to happen for another few years, but painting now means less to get done when trying to sell my house.

So there you have it--one giant ambitious list. In the next few weeks, I will look at the time I have and create a to-do list of when to accomplish these disparate items. For me, a list of what I need to do helps me get through the items. I am more successful when I know what I need to do on the weekend before Friday. That way, I will not need to run to the hardware store for stripper before I run out in the middle of the project.

The expensive reality of homeownership

When I started telling others I was planning on buying a house, I received my share of "You can write it off on your taxes" comments. My perception was my mortgage payment would be subtracted from my taxes, but the reality is the only items I can write off are my mortgage interest and my property taxes, and then only a percentage of these (based on my income tax rate).

When I bought my house, my mother said to me "Congratulations on owning a piece of real estate." However, signing up for paying a mortgage for 30 years did not prepare me for all the costs of homeownership. Here are a few things I knew about but did not truly think through the effect on my finances:

Landscaping and lawn mowing
Among the tree trimming (to keep the lone tree I had in good condition), shrub removal (because I hated what was on the property) and figuring out what plants and shrubs I wanted to install, the costs added up. I paid arborists to take care of my tree and remove unwanted shrubbery. While I may have planted the new landscaping myself, the costs were not cheap whether I purchased a plant, bare-root stock or bulbs. In addition, I had to spend extra money on appropriate amendments or fertilizers plus my time and energy to plant all these things around the house.

In the warmer weather, lawn mowing is one of those neverending chores, and when I first moved into the house, I did not have a lawn mower. My first (and only dip) into the water of hiring a neighbor boy failed badly so I ended up buying my electric mower before I saved the money for it, and mowed the lawn myself. I do not like mowing grass, but am too cheap to hire someone else. This means I have to spend at least 1.5 hours mowing my small lot and grumbling about the work as I bat away insects. This was not highlighted during the home-purchase process.

Home maintenance
Taking care of the home is more than fixing things when they break; it is also preventing catastrophic failure. For example, I am painting the siding on my house because it is starting to crack and peel. While I do not perform the job of professional, I am doing a patch job until I can convince my neighbor, who owns the other half of the duplex, to have the entire structure painted. By painting in between professional repainting, I prevent any damage from occurring to the wood exterior.

I also have to do things like change the furnace filter regularly, add salt to the water softener, empty out the bucket on the dehumidifier and have the furnace and AC unit checked. Again, these are reasonable steps to take to keep the house working well, but not detailed in that homeownership document it took over an hour to sign.

Utility bills
In my apartments, I was responsible for heat, electric and phone. Sometimes heat and electric were the same thing. While I had a number for water, sewer and natural gas from the previous owner, I did not realize how much higher these numbers were until I started paying these bills. In winter, the natural gas-fueled furnace means a high bill; in summer, the electric-powered AC unit means the electric bill reaches untold heights. On average, I pay at least twice as much for utilities (which includes water and sewer) as I did when I was in an apartment.

Mortgage and property taxes
I did make sure I could afford my house with the escrow included. My monthly payment came in just under what I felt comfortable paying. However, my mortgage (plus escrow and PMI) was more than my rent and with the increase in my utility bills, I found more of my income was committed to fixed expenses. While I can pay my mortgage and other bills with nary a wince, I realize that with so much of my money dedicated to these expenses, I have fewer resources to save.

While property taxes can be subtracted from a tax bill, they can also be raised in a dramatic fashion. While the payment on my house will never change since I chose a 30-year-fixed-rate mortgage, the property taxes do vary from year to year. Depending on the assessment or the financial strength of the city I live in, my monthly payment may be more than I wanted to pay and pinch the spending plan even more.

While I am happy to have a home and be able to decorate and customize as I would like, I did not weigh all the financial consequences of the purchase. I had taken into account what I could afford and knew my utilities would be higher, but the more irregular maintenance and replacement expenses were not considered. Many people consider a home an asset, but it has great expense associated with its use and maintenance even when divided over time. Truly look at yourself and your finances before diving into homeownership. It is a tough (and expensive) job, but you may find such challenges rewarding.

Analyzing my net worth for May 2008

Yes, it is the beginning of a new month and thus, I reflect on the finances of the previous one. When I did my final calculation, I was surprised at the gain during May. I had a net worth gain of 2.61%, the highest I had seen since February 2008. How did I fare so much better than the last few months?

Economic stimulus e-check
As a single person with my AGI, I received $600 as an electronic deposit. Most of it ($500) was used to open a T. Rowe Price international index fund as part of my Roth IRA. Another $50 was deposited in my car savings fund and the remainder is available for spending. This was unexpected money I used to further my retirement fund and future car purchase. Both of these allocations and the currently unspent $50 all add to the amount of money on hand that are part of my assets.

Quarterly or annual statements
Since some of my retirement funds are in a rollover IRA or a pension plan, I receive the statements either quarterly or yearly. This means the change affects my net worth calculation only occasionally. Since I received my statements for the IRA and pension plan last month, the greatest effect is when the number changes. For the next few months, the IRA numbers will be unchanged and minimize any negative effect on my bottom line. The pension plan, while a positive increase, will only be reported once a year.

This is also true for my home assessment. This changes only once a year and is the number I use as the value of my home. The decrease had the greatest effect last month and will not change in my calculations until April 2009.

Cash reserves
The money I have in checking, savings, and CDs did decrease as I paid for some replacement windows and other house-related items. However, despite this decrease in available money, I did come out with an overall increase in my assets (0.11%). A greater share of my savings is in higher yielding savings accounts and CDs so I receive 2.5-3% APY versus 0.5% APY. I have a one-year CD at a 5.25% rate that is due in June, the last of the good rates we enjoyed such a short time ago.

Retirement accounts
Excluding the assessed worth of my house, my retirement funds have the most money in my portfolio. With my increased contributions to my Roth IRA, the extra $500 contribution from my stimulus check and the continued 10% contribution to my 401(k) plus modest market gains, I was able to counteract the decrease in my cash position.

I had a net worth gain of ~$2,400 from the month before, surprising despite my small increase in asset value. I continue to plug away at my mortgage with a small $42 additional payment to principle, and this will make incremental decreases to my mortgage. If these gains and contributions keep up, I will likely meet my $100,000 net worth goal before December 31, 2008.

The cost of replacement windows--wood trim

In an earlier post, I discussed the various window treatments I have added to my replacement windows and those purchased in anticipation of replacement windows. Without due consideration, these costs can break many budgets as window coverings are as much about fashion as about functionality, with similar price tags. I chose the latter criterion and my purchases reflected that, but these items can add 10% to the cost of the new window.

However, there is more to window replacement than the coverings--there is also the wood trim and the wood of the window itself. Unless you select vinyl windows, wood or fiberglass windows with wood grain need to be stained. This means that either the color can be added at the factory, a cost in addition to construction of the replacement window, or you can choose to stain the wood or simulated wood grain yourself.

Since my mom is an expert on wood refinishing, I decided to do it myself after asking her what I needed to purchase and how I needed to treat the unfinished wood. The color of the wood trim in my house is quite dark, but I did not want the new windows and trim that color. Based on my mom's recommendation, I tried to get a color that used on the new wood, would get close to the color but be a few shades lighter. The drawback is even if I use the same wood type, color is unlikely to look identical to the wood already in the house.

So I hit the lumberyard in my city for the first time, found that 2" trim is no longer made (the size used in my house), and had 2.5" trim cut to the lengths I wanted, about 6" longer than the area the trim would go around. Since the people installing the windows would cut the trim on mitered corners, they needed extra length to cut those corners correctly. Exact measurements of the current trim would make the trim shorter than the window frame.

Including the cost of supplies (wood trim, wood to finish between windows, varnish, stain, steel wool, sandpaper, foam brushes), I spend another 4% on my replacement windows. This does not include the time it took to put two coats of stain on the bare wood to get the color darker but not too dark, putting one coat of varnish on, staining the windows once installed (damn those tiny corners!) and then applying two coats of varnish. Be prepared to spend a lot of time on this and if you can, recruit some help. It took me over two hours to apply a coat of stain or varnish just on the windows and another 30 minutes or so to get the varnish or stain off the glass each time. (My window is made of four individual units, two casement, two nonfunctional.) My stained windows look great but I was not completely prepared for the time it took to complete the task. Staining the trim is nothing compared to the time invested in the window with its nooks and crannies.

However, one of the windows slated for replacement this year will reuse trim that was removed from my front window. While I have eliminated the cost of the wood, I needed to purchase additional items to remove the old finish (e.g., stripper, stripping gloves, coarse steel wool). In the end, I think the cost is a wash, but I wanted to reuse wood instead of throwing it away. The old trim is several inches larger than the window opening to be trimmed, again, a good thing for cutting mitered corners.

While both stripping, staining and varnishing require a well-ventilated space, stripper can be especially pungent and you may want to perform this task in an area like a garage. For most of the staining and varnishing, two saw horses in my basement with an open window sufficed. A similar setup will likely be useful if you choose to stain your own trim.

As for staining windows in place, open at least one window in the room where the finishing occurs and have a drop cloth on the floor to catch any drips. Believe me, you will have stain or varnish drip on the floor. A rag and some mineral spirits will help, but not so much on wood, laminate or rug.

Budgeting for the cost of replacement windows means more than the purchase price of the windows and paying two or more men to install them. It means debating how much to take on yourself--do you put on stain and varnish or let the factory apply a finish, do you put up new window treatments and then do you buy or make them? These costs can be 15% or more on top of the window purchase price and should be added into the budget when considering replacement windows for your home.

The cost of replacement windows--window treatments

I just had three more windows in my home measured for replacement. My house came with single-pane windows with the exception of the front window, which while double paned, came with broken seals and were fogging up. In fact, I did not know how badly my view was obstructed until the window was replaced and I noticed it looked a lot different from before, realizing after several minutes that my view was crystal clear!

The windows slated for replacement face the south in my living room and dining area/kitchen. The one in the living room is so damaged, I need a board to prop up the top sash. Both sets of windows are so leaky, a breeze comes through the windows. Yesterday, the wind was strong and cold, and I could clearly feel it in my house.

However, there are more costs than just the windows themselves and the labor to install them. There is also the trim around the window (which needs to be stained and varnished prior to installation), staining and varnishing of the window, and new window treatments. This can add at least 15% cost on top of the cost of the windows alone and depending on your choice, either quite a bit of time on your part or additional expenses. Today, I will cover the issue of window coverings.

When I bought my house, all the windows were covered with neutral-colored blinds--unexciting but functional. However, between the lack of functionality of the windows and the barely adequate window coverings, I had a lot of heat gain in the summer and not enough darkness during the night.

My front replacement window came with a low-emissivity (low-E) coating as I requested. With no tree in front of this East-facing window, my living room heated up quite quickly in the summer. The low-E coating has made a difference, but I also installed thermal-backed curtains as my window covering of choice. They would keep out the unwanted heat in the summer and help protect against cold in the winter. Since my living room also has a South-facing window, I believed the thermal curtains would be useful there even if it was a single pane window.

However, this purchase required me to do more than choose curtains that would work well with the colors in my furniture and that of my wall. I also needed to purchase and install a traverse rod for the curtain. This required a stud finder, measuring tape and a power drill, the most use I have gotten out of my drill since my dad gifted it to me five years ago. This was tougher than I expected, but I did manage to install a large rod spanning a 116" window and one for a 45" window.

With kitchen window replacement looming, I realized I needed to make a decision about with what to replace the cream-colored plastic blinds currently installed. I cringed when I realized the person who installed all these blinds choose to screw them into the wood trim. I refused to damage woodwork in my quest for new window treatments. However, curtains would not work in the space as the window trim is a few inches from a door and from a corner. After a lot of searching on the JCPenney web site, my source for window treatments, I decided on a cordless Roman shade.

I had installed two Roman shades in my bedroom, which really cut down in the light coming into the room. I also knew they did a decent job at insulating the window, but with a cord, it made it difficult to deal with in the tight space I had in the kitchen. The cordless Roman shade seemed like the answer and I chose a light neutral color.

Aside from the time needed to install the new window treatments, there is also the cost associated. If you make curtains or other window treatments, you are likely to save money. As it stands, my window treatments cost between 8-10% of the windows themselves. I chose to buy my window treatments for convenience. Plus, I am not confident in my ability to sew thermal curtains or shades. Window treatments can also be more expensive than what I chose, but I selected items I could afford and fit both my windows and my wall color.

In my second post, I discuss the issues involved with buying new trim (or stripping old trim), staining and varnishing both trim and windows.

The long view of home maintenance

During my first year of homeownership, I was covered by a home warranty. As a first-time home buyer, this was a nice security blanket. If there was an issue with any of the mechanicals (e.g., furnace or hot water heater), I would contact the home warranty company and they would call the appropriate approved company to come out and deal with the issue. There was a $100 deductible I had to pay but if the item would need to be replaced, that would be all I needed to pay. While the furnace in my home was new, most of the other large items were not.

One of the first items I had an issue with was my water softener. The nice gentleman came out, diagnosed the issue and replaced the mechanism that sets up the softener to run. Being the thorough person I am, I contacted the warranty company and asked who they usually send out for plumbing and heating and cooling issues. With these names in hand, I set up appointments to have my major mechanicals inspected.

My water heater was pushing ten years, but unlike most energy conservation recommendations, the plumber did not advocate putting a blanket on the gas water heater. However, he advised me it was getting to the end of its lifetime and when prompted, said it would cost $800 (including installation) to replace the heater. Not really what I wanted to hear, but I did know what a replacement was going to be.

I also had my air conditioning unit checked out. The home inspector said it was around 12 years old and the service technician agreed. He looked it over, made sure it worked correctly and that coolant was present. When asked about the cost of a new central air unit, he said installation plus the unit would run $2,500. I was hoping that it would break during the warranty coverage, but the unit is a trooper and it ran just fine.

Other than the inspection visits and the water softener repair, the only home maintenance I performed during the first year I lived in my home was painting the sun-damaged south side of the house. The paint was peeling and I worked a three-day weekend to scrape the loose paint from the house, prime it and paint two coats of color-matched paint on the house. This way, I protected the wood and extended the paint job until I could get the exterior professionally done. Since I own a half of a duplex, I need to have agreement with my neighbor before such a job can occur.

Lots of people seem to have grand plans as soon as they purchase a new home. I found something sound that worked well for me and worked up to the major improvements. During my second year of homeownership, I replaced the front window, the largest one in the house, as well as the exterior door on the garage. Since light was visible through the wood of the latter, this was a great improvement. I also patched up some peeling parts of the house's exterior with plans to finish off the rest of my portion of the building this year. The window, the door and the paint were all paid for using money from savings. I also had an exterior outlet put on my home since it would make it easier for me to mow using my electric mower.

Plans this year include replacing two more windows and some electrical work in the basement. I am replacing all my single-pane windows with double-paned ones on a three-year plan so 2009 will see the last of the window replacements with the possible painting of the exterior in 2009 or 2010, pending my neighbor's agreement. Otherwise, I am planning on refurbishing the bathroom, hopefully on a small budget (<$3,000) and considering what I would like a kitchen remodel to look like. Again, all these projects I intend to pay for using cash rather than a home improvement loan. If financial circumstances change, it is easy enough to keep the cash and live with outdated but functional cabinets and vanity.

Knowing my mechanicals are sound if aging with cost of replacement in mind, I feel better about my home, extend the life of the mechanicals I have with regular maintenance and slowly but surely improve the home by updating windows and planning for future projects.

Maintaining my car for the long haul

My goal for my car: to make it to the average lifetime of 150,000 miles. Not an insignificant goal, but one I have not achieved quite yet. This is only the second car I have owned. In college, my parents loaned me their car so I could drive to work and home on the occasional weekends (they got tired of picking me up, driving me home and then driving me back to my dorm). My parents actually purchased my first car outright, a 1988 white Chevy Beretta for $2,200. (After seeing my dad in action, I will not go car shopping without him!) However, my parents did require me to pay them back and charged me interest. It took me some time as I was in graduate school, had only had a small stipend and therefore, my car payment was small. The advantage of getting a loan from First National Mom and Dad: if I skipped a payment, my car would not be repossessed.

My memory is hazy, but I do not think I skipped a payment but I may have paid less sometimes depending on how tight the money was. I owned that car for 6.5 years and sold the 14-year-old car to my sister who totaled it in less than six months. It was a good little car, but I did want something newer for my new industry job--and a few more creature comforts.

For this second car purchase, I intended on taking out a car loan. I knew what I could afford as a monthly payment and my goal was to find something under 100,000 miles. My first car I purchased with 112,000 miles and sold it to my sister at 135,000 miles. My dad suggested I look at minivans, but I adamantly refused. Instead, we ended up eying a 1997 Dodge Stratus, Candy Apple Red. Can you say pretty? Can you say "it's not white!" The drawback--it was not immediately available. I bought the car from a man who purchases salvage cars, fixes them up and resells them. He had been in business for nearly 20 years when I bought my car and my dad was willing to bargain with him so I felt like this was a good situation. I certainly purchased my car for cheaper than a similar mileage car on a lot and it had 74,000 miles on it, meeting my goal. My engine was also upgraded to a V6 so I did not mind the horsepower increase.

Nearly six years later, it is running well, just over 115,000 miles and still going strong. The car loan was paid off six months sooner than the term of the loan so I have owned it free and clear for nearly four years. I have been conscientious about maintenance and hope to make it last until I have the cash saved to buy a vehicle outright. Here is how I do it:

I take the car into an trusted auto shop twice a year, once in spring and once in autumn. By taking my car in for its twice yearly checkup, I can head off problems before they create dangerous situations. I trust my mechanics to tell my the car is in good condition or inform me if something that needs to be repaired. Of course, usually something does need to be fixed or replaced, but they have caught issues that could have become serious. For example, part of the rotor on my rear brakes was wearing unevenly, costing me braking power and could potentially give out at the wrong time. This is not something that squeaky brakes would inform you that it needs to be replaced. This is why I like my shop: the mechanic showed me the part and it was obviously not working correctly, answered all my questions and went ahead with the repair immediately. This is why I also set aside money each month for car repairs. Sometimes it is a quick fix and sometimes an expensive fix, but I usually can cover most of it from my car maintenance fund and savings for the rest.

I change the oil regularly. Until now, I have changed the oil every 3,000 miles or 3 months as the adage goes. However, I finally looked at my manual and it recommends changing this often only if I stress the engine with lots of stop-and-start traffic or towing heavy items. Otherwise, it suggests changing the oil every 7,500 miles. I am compromising and changing around every 5,000-6,000 miles or every time I visit my mechanic. Most of my driving is on the highway (50-55 mph) with only occasional city or stop-and-go traffic. I also have an engine with higher miles on it so I do not think I want to wait to hit the 7,500 mile mark. Again, this cost is covered by my car maintenance fund.

I keep at least a half a tank of gas in my car. I understand that this is not practical for everyone. However, I live in the Midwest where it gets cold, below zero cold, in the winter. More liquid in the tank means lower chance of freezing. It also means less air in the tank and decreased chance of water vapor condensing onto the gasoline, causing engine problems. I use some of the fuel additive two or three times a year to help with the water issue. I do not know how many miles my car can go when the needle is on "E" unlike my dad and my brothers. I do not intend to find out and will continue to keep my tank at half full or more regardless of the season.

I check the air in my tires every three to four weeks. Keeping the tires properly inflated not only maximizes fuel efficiency but keeps the best traction on the road. In winter, traction may not account for much, but I want to make sure my tires make the best contact with the road they can. I always take a gas mileage hit in the winter. If my tires are inflated properly, I can get the most out of the gasoline I use.

I have been very pleased with my car. It has been quite reliable but, as with many items that depreciate, costs me money. However, it has not been expensive to maintain and the gas mileage averages 26 mpg (lower in winter, higher in summer). I believe it will get me to 150,000 miles and beyond before I need to purchase a newer used car.

How I use those hardware store rewards and coupons to my advantage

While I tend to use few coupons for grocery shopping, I am mailed several coupons a year from my two local hardware stores including for my birthday! Some of the coupons I receive because I have earned enough points purchasing items in the store and they mail one as a reward. Usually, they are $10 off my next purchase. The rest are to entice me to spend money in the hardware store.

As a new homeowner, I have visited these stores for various needs so it is to my benefit to sign up for the rewards cards. It was one of the first things I did when I arrived in my new residence and I brandish them consistently to maximize my rewards. I highly recommend the rewards cards not only for the future earnings but also for immediate discounts as some stores give price breaks for having the rewards cards.

It seems easy enough to spend a coupon for $10 off your purchase in the hardware store. However, this is when I decide what I want and need to purchase. In my latest shopping spree, I ended up buying foam pipe insulation, freezer paper and a door sweep. I would have bought the first item even without the coupon, but the second two items I upgraded from my normal purchase.

My previous door sweep purchases were the self-adhesive kind. While they work, they also pull away from the door until the adhesive no longer sticks. Not a great way to keep out cold air in the winter. I purchased a door sweep that screws into the door hoping that it would be a more permanent solution to my air infiltration.

I bought the freezer paper because it would make portioning and freezing meat easier. I can buy larger quantities and then freeze in smaller portions for single meal. My mom did this when I lived at home and if I get a chest freezer, I would like to buy large quantities of meat and freeze them into usable portions.

I also keep to using the discount coupons on items I would already want to purchase. Higher-grade pleated furnace filters, window film insulation, garden soaker hoses and other items were both wanted and needed for the house and bought using "Get $5 off your purchase of $20 or more". I maximized the savings by buying items that total around $20.

I am by no means perfect. I needed to buy mouse traps when I found a mouse drowned in my cat's water dish in the basement. However, I happened to buy the mousetraps when there was a rebate so I saved some money later. And there will always be other situations where purchases will have to be made regardless of price. However, putting a bit of thought into the use of the coupons will help save some money on home maintenance and that can only be to your benefit.

Practical purchases I have not used (but should)

Generally, I am frugal and consider the effect spending time and money on a particular item or project will have on my comfort or my home. However, I know there are more than a few things in my house that sit around waiting for me to take that last step and make them functional. Maybe you do as well. The following is a list of projects that would benefit me to have finished:

Install a indoor clothes line. I do have one in the basement but it is only eight feet long, not enough to put much on it. It is a travel one a previous resident put up and has its uses but I need more space. I purchased a retractable clothes line that goes to 40 feet, but it sits in my basement waiting for its time to flourish. This could save me some energy as I would have to run my dryer less even in the winter.

Sew curtains. This has been a to-do project since I moved into the house. For two years, I have had precut and washed fabric just waiting for me to sew into lined curtains for my bedroom and office. The finished curtains would not only add more color and vibrancy to the rooms but they would block light, heat and cold. For my bedroom, the roman shades do a great job but for the office, the blinds are not so good. I have curtain rods and hardware--I just need to make the curtains.

Recaulk the bathtub. I did some recaulking when I first moved into the house. There were some very obvious gaps where the caulk was applied too thinly to cover. I also noticed that when the previous owner had the ceramic tile installed, a new subfloor was put in as there is old water damage around where the bathtub is. However, I have noticed some of the older caulk is now molding and pulling away from the side of the tub. I have the tools to remove the old caulk and put in nice new caulk but have not done it yet. Making sure the tub is tightly sealed to the surround keeps it water tight and minimizes rot.

Install a GFCI outlet in the garage. I have several outlets in the garage, none of which are ground-fault circuit interruptable. Depending on the direction of rain or the amount of snow on my car, I do have water that collects in the garage. While I tend not to mix electricity with water, the potential is there especially with my electric snowthrower. In addition, one of the outlets is broken right where the third prong rests. This means the outlet cannot even hold a three-pronged cord. I did buy a GFCI outlet to replace it but it sits in the garage waiting for that perfect sunny, warm (but not too hot) day. That is at least three months away.

I do have some projects in mind for this weekend. I doubt any of these will make the list, but this post is a reminder that I need to get these practical purchases to their final destination. Protecting my home and making a more comfortable place to live is only to my benefit.