Our renovation budget is now just about zero. You see our ageing Saturn station wagon had to be smog tested and it failed big time. It would take two grand to fix it or we could get a grand from the state of California to retire it. Its got well over a hundred thousand hard miles on it so its going to have to be the later. We need a new car. Its got to carry four people plus cargo and be able to tow our trailer. Its got to be reliable and fuel efficient. There went the budget.
We have a $500 Home Depot gift card from cashing in American Express points. My plumber owes me work because I ended up double paying him (long story), but other than that we are pretty much out of money. Most of the gift card and the plummer's fees are going to getting a new water heater and installing it in a way that will actually meet code.
We will go forward because we must.
In 2010 a family of four sold their charming little condo in the increasingly fashionable neighborhood of University Heights. With the money they bought a stripped out house in East San Diego previously owned by human smugglers. Their goal was a radical change in lifestyle that would allow DIY Makerism, self reliance, alternative technology, permaculture, and urban homesteading into their lives in ways their HOA would have never allowed. The ideas that lead them to take this plunge came from the steampunk movement as it was during a brief shining period when art and philosophy seemed at least as important as brass, and great essays, speeches, and letters were written. These days they don't worry so much about what people call "steampunk." They call what they're doing the Greyshade Estate.
Comments are welcome but please read our policy.
When we would run out of funds we would do whatever we could without money - demolition, cleaning, gardening...ask the neighbours if they have any plants to share, dumpster diving for supplies to continue working, etc. Anything you can do will help keep up morale too.
ReplyDeleteThis post needs a a follow up. After months of trying to find an affordable replacement car we finally decided that we were going to have to fix what we have. I vented about cost to the owner of a corner liquor store we frequent and he put me in touch with another shop. Express auto service in La Mesa http://www.expressautoservice.net/. After a bit of experimenting they fixed the problem by replacing on sensor. Total cost: $200
ReplyDelete