Layout:
Home > Archive: March, 2010

Archive for March, 2010

Credit Card

March 26th, 2010 at 07:08 pm

We did end up getting the credit card, I will pay 200 a month with no interest for a year and it will be paid off. Decided that made more sense than letting a card with interest continue to hold a balance. This way we can pay stuff off faster and pay less interest. Right now we look to be debt free (except for the mortgage) in the next 3 years. I hope I never get into debt again!! Actually this isn't as bad as all that. We are probably holding less debt than most people especially if you consider that most of it is the car.

spent alot

March 23rd, 2010 at 06:09 pm

It could be worse however!! I checked with a friend who does construction for a living and he said he wouldn't tear out all the cabinets and reinstall them for the pice I was quoted so I am happy there. I walked around Menards for hours the other day, picking out my kitchen. I bought:
dishwasher 289.00
Sink 178.00
Cabinets 1309.15
Countertop 138.77
wall panels 135.20
backsplash 161.82
outside door 149.00
storm door 144.00
door frame 10.99
adhesive 45.36
knobs 66.40
screws .28
seam tape 23.97
light fixture 39.98
door know 47.92
paint 15.97
rollers 8.03
for a total with labor (2500) of 5364.84
i will also have to pay for the plumbing materials to attach the dishwasher and the materials to install 2 more electrical circuits. Now to start moving stuff so I can paint (ceiling) before the work starts. The counter was the only thing not in stock and should take 3 weeks to come in. Should be an interesting April!! I also bought a mini wrecking bar (under 3.00) so my 6 year old can help take stuff out.

Credit

March 18th, 2010 at 03:58 pm

We are considering getting a credit card for the remodeling stuff because the deal is no interest for a year. I do have the discipline to pay it off in a year and that way I can pay off one of our other credit cards completely (which would reduce the number we carry a balance on to 1. We have one for auto payments and one for use that gets paid off every month as well) i get upset with us because of the balance on one of the credit cards plus the balance still on the van but really we are doing ok. If we ignore the credit card with the biggest balance and pay 600 a month we will have it paid off in 3 years. I did use it for DH birthday present but then I promptly cut a check for the amount to make up for it. We are only in month one of ignoring it,35 to go!! The car is going slowly but in three years I may add some of what I have been paying that credit card and pay it off faster. The rest will go onto the house payment. As the years go by I hope to have it all remodeled by the time the 35 months are up. The kitchen is the biggest. Next we will do small jobs like the living room ceiling or the painting. I have some outside work to do too. Someone offered to move the brush in the back yard for 40 dollars but I think I can do it and then put the 40 into the emergency fund. Our emergency fund took a hit when the part of the tree blew down and we had to have the rest removed. It isn't even a month right now but we do add to it every month automatically.

Today's the day!!

March 18th, 2010 at 03:50 pm

I am so excited, I get to go to Menards and get all the stuff(or order it) for my kitchen remodel. They came and measured yesterday. I can't wait!!!

Long time no blog

March 15th, 2010 at 09:54 pm

It has been a bit shy of a year since my last entry. Life got real busy and facebook got real fun!!
As I prepare to remodel the kitchen however I decided to start blogging about the financial part of it. We are on a low budget for this as for anything we do. Our income tax check provided the money to do the kitchen and pay off one fo the credit cards we thought. That was of course before our DIL got stuck in AZ with her eldest and needed a bit of a hand. Ah well, at least it wasn't money earmarked for bills. So less of a budget and some rearranging of priorities. No regrets on how we spent the money tho. We are going to replace the cabinets, install a dishwasher, panel walls, put in a new counter, sink, faucet, 2 windows, back door, screen door, and paint the ceiling and replace the linoleum with a rug all for under 5500. Like I said small kitchen. I am going to take before and after photos too. I got two estimates. They were within 250 of each other. We went with the lower one because he is by far the more professional of the two. Besides he says he can put in a standard 32 inch door instead of my paying 600 for a "special" door. So 2500 is the estimate tear out what's there and install new. I am buying off the shelf cabinets although I am not staining them myself. i could save around 400 by staining them myself but I think doing that to 9 cabinets (with the help of a 5 and 6 year old) sounds like a nightmare. Besides the end goal is to sell the house so predone is probably a better option (my painting skills are a bit lacking). I am however painting the ceiling my self. I will post more as I spend more!