The GC texted me this morning (as I was running out the door, hangry, because I had fasting bloodwork before my annual checkup) and laid out what else needed to be done.
Gave a rough estimate based on "I think there will be a lot of damage under the siding" and the cost for the residing/repair, repair to the kitchen floor (including replacing the floor treatment), and replacing the ceiling drywall in the sewing room.....comes to more money than I have
So, I am going to tell him - he's due here in a few minutes - to start on the siding and trim, which is the most urgent job, and "We'll see" after that. He suggested I could pay half of the estimate and work out a payment plan but holy heck, the full amount is just a little more than I make IN AN ENTIRE YEAR and while I do have over half that amount saved up, I also do not wish to take my savings down to $0, because I KNOW there will be some big emergency then.
Also, I have to live on what I currently have until the end of August; there is no July paycheck for people not teaching in the summer. (And currently: teaching in the summers pays a pittance unless your class is totally full)
So, I don't know. I hope he's okay with "let's start on the outside stuff and see how that goes" with the possibility of "I may have to call you back for the drywall repair next year" - because honestly, now that the roof leak has been stopped, the drywall problem is *mostly* cosmetic and I'm the only one who sees that room.
I spent the morning - after my bloodwork - doing cleaning again; my house is frankly cleaner now than it's been in a decade. I need to get better at keeping up with it, frankly.
The other thing I plan to suggest, since he seems to think they have to pop the windows out (guys in my house, eep!), is that I can move the stuff that needs to be moved MYSELF (with the exception of the piano, which I am not strong enough to budge). I have a lot of clutter and I'd feel more comfortable unloading the shelves and things myself, and putting the stuff in boxes, and setting those boxes in a room not currently being worked on, lather, rinse, repeat, while they work. Problem is, I need boxes.....oh no wait I have some big boxes from the rental unit place I never put together, score. (I can't afford to buy more Rubbermaid totes). Anyway, box up stuff and just SET it somewhere, and put it back when they're done. That might save a few bucks in labor, and might save them some time?
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Decided tomorrow is another "not-work but get stuff done" day. I need the second booster (cases are spiking up again here, largely because "largely unvaccinated population/no masking/people acting like it's the before-times" and while I am still careful and still do mask most places - I think it's time. Walgreens doesn't seem to do it any more but the little mom-and-pop pharmacy that I use for my prescriptions DOES, and they have both kinds of the mRNA booster. I thought you needed an appointment so I called and talked to a tech.
No, no appointment, just walk in. And yes, because I'm 53 and have asthma, they will happily give me a second booster.
I also need to take my car in for an oil change, will probably do that *first*. I also have the monthly meeting at church tomorrow night and if I time the booster right (early to mid afternoon), I probably won't start having any side effects (if I do*) until after it's over, and also Thursday is a day people are on campus so if I go in to the office and start feeling really bad, someone can help me. (This is always a consideration for those who live alone)
(*with the first booster, about 24 hours after I got it, I got chills and muscle aches and I ran a fever. I may be remembering it as worse than it was. I was at my mom's for Thanksgiving - got the booster at the Osco drug store - and she looked after me until I felt better. I probably better be sure I have simple food on hand to eat)
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While I was waiting on the guy's text (and I am still waiting for him to drive up), I sewed more on the current quilt top - this one is made of odd-colored pieces (I think of them as "70s style" but they really aren't, not exactly). The line is called Smol, and I guess it wasn't super popular because it seemed to come and go super fast, but it has colors I *like* in it - that sort of "acid" green, and a pale mauve, and that bright clear blue that makes me think of "1970s colors." I have two more rows to sew on and it will be done; I think I will try to finish it this afternoon since it's a little late to try to go in and work anyway.
I currently have two quilts in at the longarmer (to be done, fortunately, after my next paycheck comes in) and I need to economize anyway - I am considering digging out my handquilting supplies and starting up on that some again. I have a number of battings ahead (though I had to toss one or two where a mouse chewed through the wrapper) and I have backings for the two quilts I might want to hand quilt, so it would basically be a "free" activity. I need to figure out more "free" ways to spend my time, and anyway, I need to work down on the stash of EVERYTHING. (I also found a lot of those pillowcase kits you embroider, and in most cases, I have all the floss I need for them. And anyway, floss is cheap enough if there's a place locally that sells it. (Or even to mail order, I suppose. I'm guessing there are places that sell it online).
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Still, I would like to take a trip to the yarn shop some time - though maybe that waits for a Saturday in September or so, when I know how expensive the repairs were and maybe have a bit more in my checking account to spend discretionarily. I know I've railed against the "stop buying lattes" mindset (where they tell people "take that $5 you might spend once a week and put it into savings for retirement") because really that doesn't work, and no millennial missed out on buying a house because of a predilection for avocado toast, but I also find I do it to myself - "no, don't order a pizza! Make it at home, it's cheaper, you need that money in case the house repairs are more expensive or you have an emergency" Never mind that my mom's offered an interest-free loan, or that I could take a low-interest loan out against my TIAA account....my dad's teaching of "avoid debt for anything but a house and possibly an education" sunk deep in my head. (It's generally served me well, though. I just wonder what I'd do if I suddenly needed to replace my car - I'd probably get a pre-owned one and finance it, and pay it off month by month; car loans at least now seem fairly reasonable. I have credit cards but I've never done other than pay the thing off in full every month; I use them as a convenience to shop online or avoid carrying a lot of cash). I'll have to really budget, I guess, for at least the next year, and try to build my savings back up.
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