I’ll try to get a more substantive post up tomorrow. But I realized there are a few different updates, none of which really merit a full post. So prepare to be caught up on my life!
HVAC
I got quotes on Monday and Tuesday for the unit that will go in the guest house. (The in-laws are very excited.)
The first contractor suggested a one-ton Mitsubishi for $3,600, and I believe that would be eligible for a $250 rebate from the electric company.
The second guy doesn’t work through that program, and his bid was $4,000. Part of the issue is that he recommended a larger unit to compensate for the crappy insulation, and he told us to go with a Carrier/Toshiba model.
According to him, Mitsubishi has fallen behind and cheaped out on materials in recent years. But it offers healthy kickbacks, so contractors recommend it.
So I emailed the first guy back to see if there was a reason he recommended Mitsubishi and whether he was sure a one-ton would be enough. I don’t want to spend $3,500 to find out it doesn’t quite do the job.
I also called up the company we used last year to get a copy of that recommendation. I want to see what they suggested, which may help me decide whether the second guy is overselling.
Baby stuff
The blood (re-re-)test came back the same as the others: numbers just barely outside of the norm for (as I understand it) lupus-like antibodies. Which doesn’t mean I have lupus, just some of the antibodies.
What it does mean is that I had to get a referral to a hematologist. I have an appointment with that specialist next Wednesday.
If we’re very lucky, it’ll turn out that all I need is Heparin injections to carry to term.
Teeth stuff
Tim has appointments next week at two different dentists. We’ll finally have hard numbers for the dentures, which means we can have a more exact savings goal.
Speaking of which…
First steps toward $10,000
We’ve had a couple things help get us started on our road to $10,000.
Collection:
I decided to sell some items in my collection (nope, still not ready to say what it is) to a family member. It was a huge family discount, but it decluttered the space and got us $50 closer to our goal.
For the record, this was a one-time thing. I don’t have the wherewithal to buy and sell repeatedly.
AdSense:
I forgot to account for these payments in my original savings estimations. Namely because I’m lucky to get three a year.
I’ve been doing more commenting on other blogs, which has upped traffic a bit. I’m hoping to parlay that into higher AdSense numbers. Even one extra payment would be swell.
In the meantime, I’ll get $126 deposited in my account at the end of this month. Let’s hope that gets repeated soon!
Better-paid overtime:
This one is huge! My boss is so grateful that I am taking one weekend a month, he told me to bill for double time. That means $6,000 in overtime instead of $3,000.
Next steps:
- I’m going to take clothes I’m not wearing (and there are a lot of them) to some secondhand shops to see if we can make any money that way. Anything that doesn’t sell will go to Goodwill, thereby increasing our tax deduction for the year.
- At some point, Tim and I are going to paw through garage and look for other stuff to sell/give away.
- We’ll probably get a tax refund. We usually do. Maybe $200 from the IRS and $200 from Arizona? It’s hard to say until I get my business taxes back from the CPA. Anything we get will be thrown toward the goal.
How are your goals shaping up for the year? Anyone know anything about HVAC units?
Holly@ClubThrifty says
Great job on your extra income!
Ugh- I hate dealing with contractors. It is so hard to know who is giving good advice and plans to do the work well. We had some chimney work done last year and got four quotes- two were for $4,000, one was for $3,000, and the other was for $1,000. How does that happen?
Abigail says
Ha, I’m actually going to do a post about low bids, and dealing with bids in general. It’s amazing the disparity. And worrying.
We have a contracting company we prefer because they usually come in close to the lowest bid, and they’re very upfront about costs. Unfortunately, they don’t do HVAC.
Mrs. PoP says
Big Woohoo on the overtime. That’s awesome. =)
With the HVAC, as I understand it, one of the main considerations with how big the unit is isn’t the insulation, but rather the duct work. Unless you’re replacing the duct work, which from the size of the quotes it sounds like you’re not, then that will really determine how much air it can move more than anything else. So I’d be a little wary of the upsell to a bigger size.
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Abigail says
This is actually a mini-split, which is ductless. Sorry for not specifying that.
Still, I appreciate the input. One day — hopefully very far in the future — we’ll have to worry about our own unit. Good to keep in mind.
Christina @ Embracing Simple says
Nice job on the extra income, that’s always fantastic!
Working with contractors is always frustrating to me, I never know what is a good price or who is totally ripping me off. Wish I could say I knew something about HVACs…..I am completely clueless in that area! Hah.
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Abigail says
Well, I appreciate the empathy at least. I really wish our normal contracting company did it all. Our lives would be so much easier.
Robin @ The Thrifty Peach says
Holy cow, the deal on your over time! That’s pretty good incentive to keep that up!
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Abigail says
Yeah, there’s a reason he’s got the moniker World’s Best Boss.
Elroy says
I wouldn’t believe someone who trashes another company. If they say, “our unit has better quality materials because of this, this and this,” that’s something I can buy. But not, “they have crappy stuff, you’ll be sorry.” Mitsubishi probably has more AC units world wide, ever been to Hong Kong?
Last time I got some HVAC done, I had a quote for $18k and another for $8k […] and the lower one was suggested by a family friend who did HVAC for the school district.
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Abigail says
To be fair, this contractor wasn’t from Toshiba or Carrier. He’s not affiliated with any A/C-producing company. It’s just his preferred brand over Mistubishi for the reasons listed. And he didn’t say the units were crappy, just that replacement parts for the Carrier/Toshiba unit weren’t proprietary like Mistubishi and that he felt the quality and customer service was better.
That doesn’t necessarily mean he doesn’t have ulterior motives. Maybe the company has a higher profit margin on Toshiba so employees are encouraged to push that brand.
Right about now, I wish I had your friend. He or she would probably make things a lot easier.
Anne - Money Propeller says
WHOA Overtime Win!! That’s amazing 🙂
I hate making big house decisions like that, best of luck determining the truth from the fiction.
Having a solid number for the teeth will be nice, too. You’ve been working toward those forever.
Abigail says
Yeah, there are many days that I miss being a renter. Til I remember how one day we’ll be done with the mortgage. Also, down here it’s very difficult to control cockroaches in apartment settings.
kay ~ lifestylevoices.com says
My hubby’s been an HVAC tech/installer since 1980. Email me if you have any specific questions. He’s always happy to help. You can find my address on my contact page. Best wishes on everything! 🙂
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Abigail says
Thanks, I’ll definitely do that!
Tonya@Budget and the Beach says
awesome job on the extra income!! BTW could you give me a GPS to that road where you are saving 10k? 🙂
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Abigail says
As soon as I get the coordinates, I’ll let you know!
Catherine says
Have you looked into a denturist as well? I’ll often refer to one especially when people are paying out of pocket (ie no insurance) the advantage they have over a dentist is that they have an in-house lab to make them where a DDS has to send the impression out to be made and carries a lab cost. Just a thought.
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Abigail says
Huh, I definitely didn’t think of that. I’ll see where the two quotes fall. One will be my dentist. I like her, and she doesn’t insist on unnecessary procedure. Instills faith. The second will be one of the dentist the oral surgeon suggested. That way we can see who he’s more comfortable with and whether one place is trying to gouge us.
But yeah I may have to find out how much a denturist would cost, assuming I found one that people seemed to trust.
DC @ Young Adult Money says
Ah HVAC systems are expensive. From the limited amount I know, Carrier is a great brand. We have one and we’re really happy with it (knock on wood). I hope we get a tax refund. We got killed on taxes the past couple of years, paying in nearly $10k last year due to side income taxes and not paying enough in quarterly estimated taxes.
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Abigail says
Yeah, I know Carrier is a well-liked brand. So I guess we’ll just see what shakes down.
Sorry to hear about taxes. I’m always terrified of underpayment on my quarterlies. But I usually get a bonus at the end of the year, so I can always attribute any underpayment to quarter 4 — meaning no interest builds up. In the end, though, I just shunt about 20% of the yearly bonus straight into taxes, which means we haven’t underpaid yet.
Brian @ Debtless in Texas says
Nice work with the overtime…that is awesome. Oh the days of the baby blood testing for the wife, I hope the stress doesn’t get y’all down. When is the due date?
Ugh, I feel for you with the HVAC. We will have to deal with that at some point and will be following to see how it works out for you. Contractors are the worst. We finally found a plumber who we love (and did 2 emergency jobs for us for FREE). We live in a nice neighborhood and they are more than happy to overcharge based on where we live.
Keep us informed, these ‘none of which merit a full post’ posts are fun!
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Abigail says
Glad you enjoyed it. I’m not currently pregnant. We’re trying to find out if there are any issues before we try the sixth, and last, time. There’s some hope about the antibodies they found. If it’s just a matter of clotting, the Heparin should allow me to carry to term.
If that’s not the issue, I have to decide if I want to go in for one more probably heartbreak. I guess we’ll see.
Jason @ Islands of Investing says
Sounds like plenty going on in your life Abigail! That bonus is awesome, but even the Adsense income is a fantastic little addition to have too! Good luck on the road to $10,000!
Cheers,
Jason
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Abigail says
Thanks! And yes every little bit is awesome. I was psyched for the $50, so $126 sounds pretty good too.
Nancy says
What a great, fun column/article. A little bit of everything.
Dawn says
Have you checked into possible government energy rebates for HVAC units? I remember qualifying for Energy Star rebates for replacing my washing machine and dryer a few years ago.
Abigail says
I’ll have to look into that. One of the contractors is through our electric company’s program that would mean a $250 rebate, so there’s that.
MiningFrugal says
-Dental work: At $10k worth of work, I’d definitely consider medical tourism. One of my former coworkers in Japan flew to the Philippines to get a full set of dentures. If I recall correctly, he paid about $500 and was really impressed with the quality. The spare $9,500 would easily cover the airfare. May be worth a look.
I pulled the site below up off a quick search. It may give you an idea of whether it’s something worth looking in to.
http://www.health-tourism.com/dentures/philippine…
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Abigail says
I’ll take a look thanks.
The oral surgery is $14,200. The dentures will be, I’m hoping, under $6,000. Definitely more than $500. But there’s also the issue of my taking time off (no paid vacation), and navigating a foreign country. We’re right by Mexico, but my Spanish isn’t what it used to be. Plus passports. Plus the stress of travel and the cost just to go down there and see if we can find someone he trusts…
Apparently, there’s a whole dentistry industry in Mexico that’s set up for foreigners. In the end, though, I don’t know if I’m up for it.
Tennille says
Congrats on the huge bump in your overtime!
Have you thought about having a yard sale instead of donating the items? I hold a yard sale every year and the past two years I have earned over $2,500 combined. The first year I did have some bigger things, but the second year I just had small household good and baby items, craft stuff ect.
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Abigail says
It depends what in all we find. I’m not a big fan of trying to sell clothes at garage sales. I guess we could give it a shot, but I’d really only hold a yard sale if we found a significant amount of other stuff to toss.
But it’s always a thought.
Jill says
You may want to chat/check out Sluggy’s blog “Don’t read this, it’s boring” (http://simpleslug.blogspot.com/) as I think she has one of the units you are looking at. She has had some issues, but it may only be due to cold not hot, but her research and experience may help you.
Sorry, I don’t remember the date when she wrote about the units, but I think maybe she has talked with your mom and/or you, so maybe you already know her. Just a suggestion.