June
2008
Good Grief
While we were still up at the PICU, at the beginning of April, our furnace died. The guy came and fixed it, to the tune of $ridiculous-amt-for-30m-work (… reminding me I’d better check if I actually saw that bill and paid it) but told us probably we would need a new furnace and suggested it would cost us on the order of $4500. The fix lasted about a week before it went kablooey again, but we just do not have $4500 lying around. It being the beginning of summer, we elected not to replace it immediately.
Toward the end of May, some debris at the bottom of our oven was causing some concerning sparks so I tried to clean it up. It is self cleaning, but there was enough junk that it seemed like it would need some assistance. But as it turns out, the heating element at the bottom of the oven had somehow disintegrated and pretty much fell apart as soon as I touched it. Lovely. So we used the microwave and the grill for several weeks, until one of us could finally get out and price new stoves. We finally got a replacement last week to the tune of $420 which we also did not really have.
And now, the dryer may be acting up. Or rather, is definitely acting up. Why, I do not know. Unlike the furnace and the oven, the dryer we actually purchased new when we moved in. It’s only 5 years old, so it shouldn’t really be on the verge of collapse. Probably we’ll have to replace it too (with what money?).
My biggest fear is that the AC will die, and to get that repaired/replaced will probably cost not quite as much as the new furnace, but close. Being up at Dartmouth for 8 months out of the past 11 has been a real financial strain on us, and even though some family members have been more than generous, it’s still very stressful to have to worry about replacing all of these big items one after another.
When added to all the puking this weekend, which is enough on its own to have us tearing our hair out, it’s just not shaping up to be the best of weeks.
Ugh. Just one thing after another, isn’t it? We have a Sears card, which is usually empty and is helpful for things like dead lawnmowers and dishwashers (our own recent purchases).
In Florida, we don’t have separate furnaces. There’s just one unit that heats and cools. I guess it never has to pull off any heavy-duty feats of heating, so whatever its capabilities are is sufficient.
Yeah. The oven is on our Sears card, so we don’t have to pay for it just yet. But we still need to pay off the carpet for Dorrie’s room (purchased before all this other stuff) on the Home Depot card sometime before Dec.
I’m just tired of stuff breaking. And I’m tired of puking. I guess if I had to pick I would rather the puking go away.
Yeah, it doesn’t sound like fun. Does Dorrie’s nudity result in any less laundry? That might be at least one plus side. :)
It’s too bad you are 3,000 miles away! Someone on a twin list I am subscribed to is giving away a dryer in good working order because they needed a new washer and wanted the dryer to match. Anyway, maybe you should check on Craig’s List in the “free” section. This is not so uncommon among the wealthier types. Could work for the oven too if someone is doing a kitchen remodel. Don’t think there is any chance for finding a furnace. Maybe people are more frugal in MA, but it’s something to possibly check out.
Not a bad suggestion, that. I’m not sure how likely it is that we’ll be able to snap something like that up, but it can’t hurt to look.
The dryer had a broken belt, and I was able to replace it. Turned out it wasn’t all that hard.
Huzzah!
Happy Fathers Day!