Stimulating The Economy

 Last week we received our stimulus payments of $2,800. After today's news, that payment is just about gone. Over the weekend I discovered our downstairs (basement) bathroom did not have a sewage pump but instead a sump pump to pump the sewer waste from the bathroom to our outside septic. 

We've lived here since 2007 but have rarely used that basement bathroom. I have my own bathroom of my bedroom which is the master (of course) bedroom. Bill chose for his bedroom a small room off to the side of the utility room in our finished basement. He likes rooms without windows. I like rooms with a lot of windows. Just another total difference in preferences that Bill and I have.

Bill didn't like to use the downstairs bathroom because the waste had to be pumped up through a sewer pipe to our outside septic tank. He almost always used the  upstairs bathroom in our bonus room on the second floor. Now that he's incapacitated he has difficulty climbing those stairs to the second floor, he uses the basement bathroom. 

Oh, by the way, I think I told  you that for years Bill has been using the bathroom sink to take his pees. I only discovered that interesting tidbit of information when he used our guest bathroom and I smelled that unmistakable overused gay bar bathroom urine smell. For years I wondered why his basement bathroom always stunk. I thought it was because he never used hot water in his sink. Here he was peeing in the sink.  When I confronted him about this awful habit of his he said "What does it matter? It all goes the small place?" Uh, not good Bill. Well, I talked him of using our guest bathroom in that matter and using his basement bathroom that way. He still doesn't pee in the toilet but does pee in one of those hospital jugs, which I empty several times a day. Perhaps too much information for some of my blog readers to absorb I understand but this is life here at Casa Tipton-Kelly. Bill is lazy as to his personal hygiene. Always has been. He's hardworking in other aspect but personal hygiene? Not so much. But he is working with me now, which I appreciate. And he also appreciates me taking care of him. 

Sunday the sump pump for our downstairs bathroom was running for hours. Reluctantly, I had to call our plumber, on a Sunday. Why is it all these emergencies are on weekends and holidays or the middle of the night? Fortunately I had just signed a service agreement with the plumbing company so I wasn't charged extra for the visit this Sunday. The plumber came and quickly discovered that the builder had installed the wrong kind of pump for our downstairs bathroom. He said a sewage sump pump shreds toilet paper and other matter (fecal) whereas a regular sump pump is for liquid only. Again, another case of our building putting cheaping out. One wouldn't think that for a half million dollar house but there it is. I have to replace the pump. My pluming company called me this morning with the cost, $1,300. That along with my auto insurance and homeowners' insurance and Ferdinand, my landscaper edging and mulching our flower beds now, there goes our stimulus package. Oh well, that's what it was for wasn't it folks?

 

Cutting Back

When you live on a fixed income (Social Security and small pension) such as I do, the steady rise of monthly bill is very noticeable and painful.  Thus recently I have been reviewing my bills and deciding what to cut back on.  

Our biggest expense is technology.  I have a very expensive Internet connection with Comcast. I can't cut back on that, I need my Internet connection.  Just this month they raised their modem rental fee from $7.00 to $8.00.  So far in the few years I've been with Comcast (reluctantly because I can't get FIOS where I live), their modem fee has risen from $6.00 to $8.00.  Same modem mind you.  

Now for Verizon.  I'm embarrassed to tell you what my total Verizon bill is so I shan't.  But we do have three iPads, two iPhones and DirecTV with four TV's.  How in the world my grandfather

Fieldon Jacob Tipton - my grandfather - farmer - uncomplicated life

survived without all this digital age stuff boggles my mind.  My Verizon account is ready for a cut back.  I've already disconnected the Internet connection from my iPad, Bill's iPad and I will disconnect his Internet connection from his iPhone.  We don't use any of those.  We use our house WiFi connection.  This alone is a $90 a month savings.  Just about enough to cover my every increasing supplemental insurance charge, that automatically goes up every six months.

Perhaps the main reason I moved to Delaware was to escape the ever increasing school taxes in my former home state of Pennsylvania.  Plus their township tax, the state income tax, the county tax, the per capita tax and the sales tax.  Here in Delaware I have the school tax that doesn't go up 16% to 22% a year like mine did in Pennsylvania. 

So I'll end this boring post about this retiree trying to make my limited income stretch.  I'm telling you folks, just surviving in this day and age is a challenge. I don't know what people do who are in a worse situation than me.