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| Local oven repair guys |
One of the joys of running a household is the guaranteed breakdown of equipment to maintain our comfortable first world lifestyle. The latest repair here at Casa Tipton-Kelly is that our wall oven (GE Profile) isn't working. I haven't had French Fries for three weeks now.
I use my wall oven almost every day. Even during these hot summer days.
I often make casseroles for myself (Bill only eats oatmeal, he has no teeth) which I freeze for future meals. I reheat those partitioned casseroles at a later date in the oven. And of course I almost always have oven baked French Fries. I also reheat my Royal Farms biscuits in my conviction oven.
It seems once I get one thing fixed, then something else crops up. Pat's having trouble with his central air conditioning in his Hamilton, Ontario penthouse. Thank goodness I don't have any problems with my central air conditioning (knock on wood)! Oh for sure I did have problems with my central air conditioner a few years ago. I had to replace the whole unit which was builder grade and only lasted about seven years. That cost me a cool $10,000.
Last year I had a leak in my basement wall where the sewer pipe goes out to my septic tank. Seems the seal around the pipe wasn't there and groundwater leaked in. That fix cost me about $2,500.
No car troubles.....yet. But then I have a Subaru Forester (2010). My second one. I had my previous Subaru Forester about twelve years. Traded it in just because I got tired of it and the steering wheel was starting to pull to the left. I didn't want to go down that route of fixing up patches. I figured I would trade it in while I still got a good trade in (I did, I got $4,000 trade in for a twelve year old Subaru).
My latest big expense is the eye drops for my upcoming cataract surgery next week. I get my medications through the VA but my eye doctor prefers a specific prescription of three brand name eye drops for the best results of my cataract surgery. I decided to bite the bullet and pay out of pocket for this expense. I'll have to pay that again for my second eye. I'm thankful I have the funds to pay for it. Whenever I feel "poor me" I think this is only a first world problem. I could live in Ukraine.
Life goes on here at Casa Tipton-Kelly.
8 comments:
Uggh. Homeownership is definitely not for the meek or penny pinchers. There is always something that needs repairing or replacing.
Sassybear
https://idleeyesandadormy.com/
I bet Bill could have fixed that oven himself in his younger days.
Jim
I can certainly relate. In the last few months, we've had to replace the microwave, washer/dryer (the dryer was still working but its days were numbered, so we got a new one to be on the safe side), 2 new tires for the car, a new HVAC system and a vet bill over $800. You get to the point where you're just waiting for the other shoe to drop. It is what it is as they say. Hope your oven is working well now and you get your French fries!
Paranormal John
I always had a home warranty. Yes it is another monthly/yearly expense. Forty years ago I paid $30.00 a month. I had to pay the actual service call fee direct to the service provider. It's original purpose was to cover the big ticket items. It was common practice to replace your own filters, appliance light bulbs and washers or what you would call normal home maintenance. I went along with no major problems for 8 years. I did the common home owner D-I-Y maintenance things and had a HVAC company service the heating and cooling twice a year. Then one day I had no hot water. I looked at the installed date on the side of the water heater and it said 10 years ago and that it was a 5 year warranty. I called home warranty and they sent a local service company out that I happened to know. The service call was $75.00 but was free if you bought the replacement from them. Well it turned out to be a major replacement job. When it was over I had some new plumbing, repairs to damage caused getting the new unit in and a brand new 10 year warranty heater. They also discovered the water softner needed replacement and that was also taken care of. While the service men were there they replaced washers and filters, fixed a leaky sink trap and a leaky outdoor faucet. Because the service call was knocked off the price if the work was done by them and the products purchased from them I paid zero $ for about $3,000.00 in work and merchandise. That first incident was a huge return on the anual fees I had paid. A few years later the 15 year warranted HVAC sytem failed and I got a new HVAC system and paid only $125.00 out of pocket. Then over 18 months the appliances failed and I got knew ones. Again no out of pocket cost to me. I decided to sell the house with all the upgrades and purchase a new one. As part of the sale of the home I paid for the buyers home warranty. The month after the buyer family of 5 moved in the mechanicals that operated the sewage system failed. There had been a whole house inspection paid for by the buyer and nothing was found wrong at that time. Well the buyer got a new sewage chewer and pump for the $250.00 service call fee. The buyer was happy. The home I moved into was new but the display model for 2 years. I was in the home 6 months and the Viking gas range needed servicing. It turned out that the problem was major and the Viking warranty had been voided by the sellers misuse and neglect and I got a new gas range for no cost. Now fast forward 21 years and gas range is no longer repairable and I get a $23K replacement for the cost of a $300.00 service fee. For me the home warranty was worth every penny I ever paid over the years. I sold my home for top dollars and basically because of the home warranty company. Ron, I have simplifid my experiences but look into a home warranty plan that could be the best purchase you ever made. When there is a loss of a loved one and the loss of any income derived from the loved every penny you can save now and in the future will make a huge difference. I know because I have been through the loss a partner a few times. Weigh out the benefit to you and it might be a good purchase on your part, too. Depending on the warranty plans and the warranty company and the age of your roof you might wnt to get a warranty that includes roof repair/replacement of some type. All warranty companies do not cover all states. The reason for this is that they could have sold too many warranty in a particular state and the liability risk is too great for them to be in your state. Just a suggestion from one young man to another. Have a great rest of the week my friend. Adieu!
Woody,
I know about home warranties. My friend Larry had one. It worked for awhile with him then he ran into problems. Also, Pat had a home warranty for the condo he bought in Palm Springs. Nothing but headaches. I think the key is getting the right home warranty company. I don't trust the ones I see advertised on TV all the time. Thanks for the advice but I'll take my chances for the time being here.
Ron
Sassybear,
So true! I get one thing fixed then another happens.
Ron
Jim,
Bill could fix a lot of things. I was lucky to have that knowledge in our household for so many years. Unfortunately now, since he can't see and get easily confused, those days are long gone.I can fix somethings but I'm lost when it comes to building or electronics. I can blog though. He can't.
Ron
If Ed Wright's team can't fix it, it can't be fixed. And I always get great advice from them.
For your pricey eye drops, check out Good Rx. We have Part D insurance, but sometimes GoodRx saves me a lot. One needs to have the app on one's phone, because when a doctor tells you s/he'll prescribe something, and asks which pharmacy to send the scrip to, you'll want to see which local pharmacy gives you the best price.
My eyedrop regimen was so confusing I had to make myself a chart, and check off each dose as I took it. Got worse when I decided, at my 7-days-after check-up, to have the 2nd eye done the following week. Both regimens changed for every week.
We get most of our meds at Costco, and for the few that aren't generic and cheap, I check GoodRx, and they'll shift from our Part D to GoodRx, if it is substantially less. (Takes them 10 or 15 minutes, but they're always nice about it. And then the cost doesn't contribute toward progress toward the donut hole.)
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