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Day 2 was a decent day. I slept in late on the air mattress, mostly because I did not sleep well (probably a combination of new place and air mattress).
Still no hot water, so no showering. I got dressed, organized a list for the day, and headed out. First it was off to Lowe's to return the garage door opener remote and to purchase a few small items (door stops, screwdriver, and hammer). Then it was off to Sam's to look at beds and research delivery options. Lunch was at White Castle--yum! I then visited several offices in town in order to file a mortgage exemption for my property taxes--this went very smoothly and probably deserves its own entry later.
The selling real estate agent met me to look at the water heater--no luck. I've been promised that I will have a working water heater by the time I return from vacation.
After a quick trip to the bank, I installed the door stops on all doors in preparation for move-in day when I return. Then I packed up and hit the road for Ohio. Another long night drive, but good to be home for the holidays.
That's it for now. More to come after the holidays.
Friday, December 24, 2010
Wednesday, December 22, 2010
Homeowner: Day 1
I took possession of my house today--yay! Although I am officially "living" in the house, I won't actually be "moved into" the house until Dec. 30 when I come back from Ohio with movers and a giant truck. Yes, all of my stuff is still in storage. So, tonight includes an air mattress, camping chair, and iPod.
I've retreated to IHOP for dinner and internet access.
I attempted to be at work today, but was derailed more than anticipated. I moved out of my apartment Tuesday morning and spent Tuesday night in a hotel with my car COMPLETELY packed (the only place for my laptop was under my legs in front of the driver's seat). As such, I desperately needed to unload the car. I did that around 11am immediately after closing. At the very least, I wanted to get the water turned on and the water lines cleared. In retrospect, I should have better checked for hot water.
When I unpacked the car, it marked the first time having my car empty since July! Life on the road is over!
First hiccup--smoke detectors beeping. They are wired into the house, but the backup batteries were dead. So, it was off to Lowe's for batteries, a shovel, and salt for the driveway. I went to Lowe's because I also wanted to schedule delivery for my refrigerator (Dec. 31). I also purchased a programmable remote for my garage door opener. I really should have bought a step ladder, but I refuse since I already own two (in storage, in Ohio).
Back home, I used a cooler as a step stool and replaced the detector batteries: FIXED. I shoveled the driveway a bit and put down some salt. I attempted to program the garage remote, but no luck. Then it was off to work, but I stopped for lunch on the way (I had not eaten all day, and it was about 2pm).
Work was work--I was the only person on our floor, and I managed to finish a project.
Back home around 6pm. I christened the master bath, and quickly discovered that there was no hot water. In the morning, I *thought* I felt warm water as I was clearing the lines, but apparently not. I did everything I could to troubleshoot (which is not much with an electric heater), but no luck. Long story short, after a few phone calls, the selling agent agreed to come out tomorrow; I have an insurance policy for this problem, but they may not cover because one stipulation is that the item be in working order at the start of the policy--that is in question. So, no hot water tonight.
Amidst all of the evening phone calls, I discovered that my cell connection is *much* worse than I believed before. I suspect I will be highly reliant upon MagicJack for phone service at home.
I also continued efforts to program the garage remote. This involved phone calls to computers, and struggling with internet on my phone to get user manuals for my opener. It apparently is the wrong frequency--I just ordered a replacement online for almost the same price. Back to Lowe's for a return!
Oh, more story...during this process, a wire apparently came loose from the opener, so I could not open the garage door at all (and, yes, my car was in the garage). I quickly discovered the problem and used a knife from my golf bag to fix the problem. BROKEN and FIXED.
BTW, I'm very thankful for the golf-bag knife. My tools are in storage, and I did not buy any at Lowe's (yet).
That's probably enough excitement for one day. I'm going to finish my meal and head back home. I need to inflate my air mattress, put on some sheets, and then settle down for a long winters nap.
Tomorrow's excitement:
I've retreated to IHOP for dinner and internet access.
I attempted to be at work today, but was derailed more than anticipated. I moved out of my apartment Tuesday morning and spent Tuesday night in a hotel with my car COMPLETELY packed (the only place for my laptop was under my legs in front of the driver's seat). As such, I desperately needed to unload the car. I did that around 11am immediately after closing. At the very least, I wanted to get the water turned on and the water lines cleared. In retrospect, I should have better checked for hot water.
When I unpacked the car, it marked the first time having my car empty since July! Life on the road is over!
First hiccup--smoke detectors beeping. They are wired into the house, but the backup batteries were dead. So, it was off to Lowe's for batteries, a shovel, and salt for the driveway. I went to Lowe's because I also wanted to schedule delivery for my refrigerator (Dec. 31). I also purchased a programmable remote for my garage door opener. I really should have bought a step ladder, but I refuse since I already own two (in storage, in Ohio).
Back home, I used a cooler as a step stool and replaced the detector batteries: FIXED. I shoveled the driveway a bit and put down some salt. I attempted to program the garage remote, but no luck. Then it was off to work, but I stopped for lunch on the way (I had not eaten all day, and it was about 2pm).
Work was work--I was the only person on our floor, and I managed to finish a project.
Back home around 6pm. I christened the master bath, and quickly discovered that there was no hot water. In the morning, I *thought* I felt warm water as I was clearing the lines, but apparently not. I did everything I could to troubleshoot (which is not much with an electric heater), but no luck. Long story short, after a few phone calls, the selling agent agreed to come out tomorrow; I have an insurance policy for this problem, but they may not cover because one stipulation is that the item be in working order at the start of the policy--that is in question. So, no hot water tonight.
Amidst all of the evening phone calls, I discovered that my cell connection is *much* worse than I believed before. I suspect I will be highly reliant upon MagicJack for phone service at home.
I also continued efforts to program the garage remote. This involved phone calls to computers, and struggling with internet on my phone to get user manuals for my opener. It apparently is the wrong frequency--I just ordered a replacement online for almost the same price. Back to Lowe's for a return!
Oh, more story...during this process, a wire apparently came loose from the opener, so I could not open the garage door at all (and, yes, my car was in the garage). I quickly discovered the problem and used a knife from my golf bag to fix the problem. BROKEN and FIXED.
BTW, I'm very thankful for the golf-bag knife. My tools are in storage, and I did not buy any at Lowe's (yet).
That's probably enough excitement for one day. I'm going to finish my meal and head back home. I need to inflate my air mattress, put on some sheets, and then settle down for a long winters nap.
Tomorrow's excitement:
- hope that the water heater problem is resolved
- return the garage opener remote
- buy light bulbs
- attempt to resolve a property tax issue before leaving town
- buy a bed for the guest room?
- make a decision on whether or not to purchase cable tv along with my internet
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
Single at Sam's
For the first time in my life, I'm working a full-time job without a college meal plan. I've had plenty of experience shopping and cooking over breaks and summers, and also during my most recent unemployment Winter-Summer 2010. Still, mixing it together with the job is...well, it's adult.
Anyway, after years of tagging along with my parents at Sam's Club and piggy-backing on their membership, I decided to take the membership dive. So, now come the two questions: will I actually save money, and can I make it worth my while as a single consumer. Answering the first question involves a boring spreadsheet, but I did save over $11 in week one.
As for the second question, I'm thinking there might be some writing material regarding my creativity with bulk foods. Keep in mind that I am currently living in a small apartment with a limited number of dishes, spices, etc.
Week 1: Pot Roast (sorry, I can't find a pic of the actual product)
This puppy is pre-cooked and serves 8 people. The first night started out as straight-forward pot roast with pierogies (I love pierogies). The leftovers were too plentiful for a storage container, so they went into the fridge in a cooking pot (for easy re-heating, too). After a few little snack nibbles, the next roast meal was a breakfast--pot roast omelet. Although it turned out more like scrambled eggs, mmmmm tasty! The third roast meal was burritos--correction, fried tacos. I used flat tortillas and fried them in a skillet to make two very meaty tacos. Three meals down, more meat to use. Tonight (meal four) was beef and pasta--a variation on beef tips and noodles but using shredded beef and rotini pasta. I'm not sure I would have made it quite this way for guests, but I was very pleased! There's going to be a meal five, but I mixed all of the meat in with pasta, so #5 will be leftovers of #4.
Not very glamorous, but 5 single-person meals (4 unique) out of one Sam's entree that cost less than $12. If only it had less sodium.
Fortunately, the meatballs I purchased were packaged in two separate sealed bags ;-)
Anyway, after years of tagging along with my parents at Sam's Club and piggy-backing on their membership, I decided to take the membership dive. So, now come the two questions: will I actually save money, and can I make it worth my while as a single consumer. Answering the first question involves a boring spreadsheet, but I did save over $11 in week one.
As for the second question, I'm thinking there might be some writing material regarding my creativity with bulk foods. Keep in mind that I am currently living in a small apartment with a limited number of dishes, spices, etc.
This puppy is pre-cooked and serves 8 people. The first night started out as straight-forward pot roast with pierogies (I love pierogies). The leftovers were too plentiful for a storage container, so they went into the fridge in a cooking pot (for easy re-heating, too). After a few little snack nibbles, the next roast meal was a breakfast--pot roast omelet. Although it turned out more like scrambled eggs, mmmmm tasty! The third roast meal was burritos--correction, fried tacos. I used flat tortillas and fried them in a skillet to make two very meaty tacos. Three meals down, more meat to use. Tonight (meal four) was beef and pasta--a variation on beef tips and noodles but using shredded beef and rotini pasta. I'm not sure I would have made it quite this way for guests, but I was very pleased! There's going to be a meal five, but I mixed all of the meat in with pasta, so #5 will be leftovers of #4.
Not very glamorous, but 5 single-person meals (4 unique) out of one Sam's entree that cost less than $12. If only it had less sodium.
Fortunately, the meatballs I purchased were packaged in two separate sealed bags ;-)
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