Hooray for "Economic Stimulation"
Apr. 5th, 2008 08:48 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
mereilin.. which in our case means we'll spend just what we were going to have to spend anyway but if we're lucky the check will be big enough to keep us from sinking deeper into debt.
The beginning of the month is always a little hairy anyway since we're generally running a week behind our expenses and a lot of bills come due the first week of the month.
- Last month Jon hit a pothole and ripped the exhaust off the Nova to the tune of about $600 -- but since the full extent of the damage wasn't immediately apparent we got back on the road for half that and a bit less noise, but the front end of the exhaust still needs to be replaced.
- Broken tooth needs attention, but I can't really justify taking care of it when Jon's been ignoring broken teeth for literally years. Fair's fair -- do mine, do his. I don't even want to think about how much that's going to cost.
- Downstairs toilet needs to be replaced. We've been half planning this for some time because it's an ugly old waterhog. This week the pipe that connects the tank to the bowl started leaking; apparently it's rotted through. Now everybody troops upstairs to use the single functioning toilet.
- Last night on the way home from Concord the van broke. The speedometer abruptly dropped to zero and the odometer stopped counting miles. Also it felt funny to drive, but we limped on because we were nearly home. Half a mile from the house the check engine light came on and the engine smells burnt -- although the temperature gauge stayed in the normal range the whole drive home. This morning I had AAA tow it to the service station.
And let's add to that the summer programs that need to be registered and paid for within the next 2 months, $75 a week keeping the cars in gasoline, various doctor visits for kids who keep getting sick, and -- oh yes -- we all have to eat.
Yup, we didn't need any prodding to stimulate the economy, but we surely will appreciate having Uncle Sam foot some of the bills.
The beginning of the month is always a little hairy anyway since we're generally running a week behind our expenses and a lot of bills come due the first week of the month.
- Last month Jon hit a pothole and ripped the exhaust off the Nova to the tune of about $600 -- but since the full extent of the damage wasn't immediately apparent we got back on the road for half that and a bit less noise, but the front end of the exhaust still needs to be replaced.
- Broken tooth needs attention, but I can't really justify taking care of it when Jon's been ignoring broken teeth for literally years. Fair's fair -- do mine, do his. I don't even want to think about how much that's going to cost.
- Downstairs toilet needs to be replaced. We've been half planning this for some time because it's an ugly old waterhog. This week the pipe that connects the tank to the bowl started leaking; apparently it's rotted through. Now everybody troops upstairs to use the single functioning toilet.
- Last night on the way home from Concord the van broke. The speedometer abruptly dropped to zero and the odometer stopped counting miles. Also it felt funny to drive, but we limped on because we were nearly home. Half a mile from the house the check engine light came on and the engine smells burnt -- although the temperature gauge stayed in the normal range the whole drive home. This morning I had AAA tow it to the service station.
And let's add to that the summer programs that need to be registered and paid for within the next 2 months, $75 a week keeping the cars in gasoline, various doctor visits for kids who keep getting sick, and -- oh yes -- we all have to eat.
Yup, we didn't need any prodding to stimulate the economy, but we surely will appreciate having Uncle Sam foot some of the bills.
