Well here I am! It feels like it has been ages and ages. I will have a real state of the frugal union for November, but for now our finances are a bit of a jumble. A few weeks ago I noticed that a sheet of shingles had blown off of our roof. I told hubby about it and then basically forgot about it. Fast forward a week and I notice that it smells musty in one daughter’s room. I then connect all the dots and realize that we have water coming in as her room is directly underneath where the missing shingles are. Frugal husband tries to climb up on the roof and he slides right off (safely). Our roof is extremely pitched and no matter what he tried he couldn’t get up there.
Sooo we took my parents roof rake, and pushed a rubber mat up over the spot with the missing shingles and called a guy who had done work for us in the past. He suggested we replace the roof and said that it was only a little bit more expensive to do a metal roof…. quote comes in…. 16k…ummmm what?! I knew metal roofs are expensive but we just don’t have that kind of money, like anywhere. Caveat here- our roof is 14 yrs old and the person who built our house used the cheapest possible materials for just about everything he did, so definitely not a shocker that it’s falling apart.
After that crazy quote, my cousin swooped in and saved the day, he has done lots of metal roofs for his job and our family and his quote was 6,500- thank GOD for family. Also, ummmmmm 6,500 is still a gigantic chunk of money that we don’t have. So here’s the plan- I happened to be getting a referral bonus this month of about 1k, so that will go to roof, I also was able to skip a month of preschool payments which is another 1k, and I think we’ll have about 500 of extra money from our extra jobs. The remaining 4k will have to go on a credit card, which I HATE. It feels like 2 steps forward and 75 steps back. I’m really really really hoping that we’ll get a good sized tax return- we will have 3 cards and my private student loans with small (under 5k) balances and if I could pay all 4 off, that would really make me feel better and give us some breathing room.
All that being said, it’s been a bit stressful around here. I would like nothing more than for both of us to never have to work our second jobs again, they’re really taking a toll, but as soon as I even consider it I know deep down that it’s not a good idea. Make hay while the sunshines and all that business right? So here are my 5 things:
- We’ve been doing a lot better meal planning, this I think has had a positive impact on how much we’re spending on food.
- Calling my cousin for a quote saved us a LOT of money.
- We’ve had our first woodstove fires of the season which means we’re not spending money on propane.
- I’ve started Christmas shopping- spreading it out and taking my time means I can wait for the best possible deal on items and make sure to pay for them in full. We’re talking small items under $10 nothing crazy 😉
- I worked my butt off at the craft fair and I made $200 more than last year! Woot!
Ok that’s it for me- how are y’all doing? It’s been awhile.
Oof, sorry to hear about the unexpected roofing expense! Those big expenses out of the blue are so disheartening. Great job at the craft fair!!!
Thanks Stephanie! It’s a bummer, but at least with a metal roof we know it’ll be good for a very long time.
I have had to resort to credit cards for a big ticket item but never pay the minimum payment. I pay as much as I can each month…$500 if I have it or more. If not that much I put the most I possibly can each month. Less time to pay off equals less interest rate and more in your pocket. You are doing a great job at being frugal. Even a new roof can be frugal when you think about how much money you are saving by not having to do major work on your house caused by a leaking roof.
I’m trying to look at it that way too! A big hiccup for sure, but we’ll keep chipping away.
It might not hurt to check with your homeowner’s insurance. If they determine the lost shingles are due to wind or weather, they may contribute some toward the cost of a new roof. They usually pro-rate the roof according to its age, but if you are paying premiums anyway, it wouldn’t hurt to check!
Thanks Cindi- we’ve had insurance cover a fewer big repairs in the last 2 years and I’m a bit concerned that they’ll cancel us if we make a claim again so soon. The roof needs replacing anyway, so we’re going to just eat the cost this time. 🙂
It’s been two months. Hope you are doing ok.