Sunday Morning Link Love - The Hunt Begins Edition
The furnace hasn’t misbehaved since that second time, but still, we can’t trust that it will fire on when needed and fire off appropriately. This wouldn’t be as much of an issue if it was just the “heat” relay, but it seems that when the furnace gets stuck “on”, it won’t respond to anything until it decides to turn off. The second night it mysteriously turned on, we couldn’t get the a/c or the heat to come on at all, just the blower ran (and wouldn’t turn off). Once the blower turned off, then everything went back to responding as normal (including the blower). Odd. The last thing I need is for the a/c to be stuck on for days at a time. Hello, electric bill.
The good news is, we found the estimate that our service company did for the previous owners 4 years ago among the other house paperwork they left for us. The nice thing about that is not only do we have some idea of the price (although we are sure it has gone up) but also, we found out a furnace similar to ones we’ve been looking at online the past few days would be at 38% improvement in efficiency over the one we have now. Whoa. That rules. 38% improvement. Considering that, the furnace upgrade will pay for itself in less than 10 years based on our natural gas bills last year.
Not that I am looking forward to spending $4000-$5000 right this second, but we have a plan, a FIRM budget, a way to pay for it all (including some incredibly fortuitous timing as far as paychecks and stimulus payments) and it will be okay. We’ve got three different companies scheduled for next week to come give us estimates on the cost and show us different options as far as models. Now if it just wasn’t going to SNOW tonight I would be pretty mellow about the whole thing. April isn’t a bad time for a furnace to break down, all things considered.
On to the link love! My in-laws are visiting this week, so I haven’t had a chance to completely keep up with my reader, but here are some articles I browsed through this morning:
- My Two Dollars: Rules To Follow In Times Of Inflation. This kind of freaks me out. I’m supposed to keep debt and not save? Well, of course not completely, but I’m still confused.
- Plonkee Money: 21 Resources for Budget Travel. I want to travel, and I want to do it on a shoestring. Here are some idea how.
- Mrs. Micah: Learning To Love Water, the Frugal and Healthy Beverage. I actually have a very similar story. I used to drink gallons of milk. Now I drink a lot of water.
- Single Guy Money: When a Second Job is Not a Good Idea. This would be like me working at a scrapbook store! However, hmm. Maybe a job at a scrapbook store would be a good idea… I could generate a new income stream and get more stuff… oh, wait.
- Being Frugal: What Do You Make From Scratch? I used to make jam from scratch all the time, I really need to get into that again and paid it with homemade bread… yum.
- Cash Money Life: Do You Really Need a New Computer? Frugal Tips to Extend Your Computer’s Life. Adding more RAM to our computers and my parents iMac really extended all of their lives. I am a huge fan of RAM now. Although my computer is maxed out and starting to slow… bah.
- Gather Little By Little: The Secrets Credit Card Companies Don’t Want You To Know. Yikes. My brain now hurts.
- Moolanomy: 25 Ways to Save Money on Healthcare. Especially with health issues potentially looming, saving money in this arena is important for us. You might find a tip too!
- The Dough Roller: Home Equity Line of Credit May Evaporate in an Emergency. And here is why I refuse to even remember I have equity.
- No Credit Needed: Debt Reduction Guide: Getting Started. NCN has started a great new series of how to get out of debt - check it out!
- Blueprint for Financial Prosperity: My Best Financial Moves In College. Jim was an enterprising young man. I have to answer this meme too and I still haven’t come up with anything, but Jim was a bright guy.
Well, I am neglecting my visitors so I should return to being sociable! Have a wonderful Sunday!
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April 27th, 2008 at 11:24 am
Good luck on the furnace fix. That doesn’t sound like fun, but it the long run, it will definitely be a great move.
Thanks for the mention!
April 27th, 2008 at 12:19 pm
I thought your comment about not saving during times of inflation was interesting and, having read the ‘My Two Dollars’ entry, it makes perfect sense. What also makes perfect sense is that this is a better time than ever to pay off your debt, where you’ll get a guaranteed return higher than you can anyplace else.
Great list of links. Enjoy your company!
April 27th, 2008 at 1:11 pm
Have a fun time with the inlaws, I hope snow doesn’t get in the way.
With the price of fuels going up, it seems like an ideal time to get a new furnace anyway. That is, if you can get a 38% improvement. Better for the environment too!
April 27th, 2008 at 3:54 pm
Don’t know if this will help, but we have been hunting furnaces as well and have discovered that you can get dent and ding furnaces (just like washers or refrigerators) at substantially less. We’re in the PNW and have heard of a source near Portland. Even considering gas, the price of going to get it and paying someone to install it for us would be far less than the $5000 or so we’re looking at right now. (My husband’s co-worker just did it at tremendous savings.) Just thought I’d share.
April 27th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
Perfect timing for the What Do You Make From Scratch column…I want tacos for supper. I don’t have a taco mix packet so I looked up a recipe for the mix online. I have all the spices and will make my own. The wonders of the internet and saving me money too!
April 28th, 2008 at 4:33 pm
@ jinger I found a recipe a while back for a mexican rubbed steak, but I constantly use the rub for taco meat now. As long as I have the few required spices on hand, we’ll never resort to an overly salty taco spice mix again.