It’s tax time again. Are you all anxiously waiting to file so we can see how much of our hard-earned money we’re getting back? And are you all dreading the process of getting them filed? Blech.
This year there’s much more preparation involved, what with the house and the new small business to deal with. So I’ve been the receipt-organizing queen, and this activity has taught me a few things. For instance, we buy caulk every single time we go to Home Depot and should have enough paint in our possession to cover half the neighborhood. Also, although it has felt like we’ve been spending at a constant and steady rate, we really didn’t do too bad until November. And then, WOW, we shopped like fiends.
That’s because most of last year’s work focused on the basics. Plugging holes, fixing leaks, etc. So those are the projects we’re returning to – which is where we *should* have been all along I guess, but it’s not nearly as much fun.
Last night while I dug around JoAnne’s for cheap curtain fabric, Teague was busy getting rid of more knob and tube and adding a new overhead light to the living room. While he was at it, he found a squirrel-chewed wire in the entryway that had to get cut. It was old knob and tube, so we’re not too sad about it. Electrical one of our least favorite projects, but it makes a big difference. Not having to cross a room in the pitch dark (tripping on chew toys along the way) to turn on a light is AWESOME!
During rewiring, we have to add light switches to two more rooms downstairs, and everything but the bathroom upstairs. What I want to know is, how did the previous owners live in the house for 20 years without light switches and not seriously injure themselves??
Comments, Thoughts, and Feedback
I made a mistake on my taxes (even with computer software) and had to pay the government back $1500, and of course by the time they told me it was already spent. I hope we’re luckier this year with the tax return.
The last two years we had to PAY money to the government. Ugh. This year I hope we’ll get at least a little back. Heck, I’ll be happy if we break even.
I’m guessing they had to be lepers or diabetics. In either case, they probably couldn’t feel their extremities.
Good luck with the wiring. It’s not much fun, but I’d rather do wiring than do plumbing.
Actually, I grew up in a 1925 house in Connecticut and we had overhead lights in only a couple of rooms – kitchen, dining room, upstairs hallway, bathroom. Everything else was lit with lamps. It wasn’t that my father couldn’t have added switches, but I don’t know why he didn’t. Hang on to your hats for this one: There was also only one heat vent upstairs. It had a dual opening into the hallway and bathroom. So you could choose between privacy with a closed door or warmth with an open one! And lest you think this was ages ago, I’m talking the late 70s and 80s. :-)
I think there are bigger questions like, “How did they live with all the cat pee?”
:)
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