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A work at home day today

October 1st, 2014 at 04:47 pm

I had to get a furnace cleaning so I was able to work at home today. Smile The furnace guy is here now. It's yet another reason to get gas heat when I eventually move. I'm paying $150 for the cleaning, and that's a "special" early season price. I do it every year for peace of mind purposes. My coworkers with gas heat informed me they never do "anything" to their gas heat lines. It's maintenance-free.

I scheduled a lot of things for the month of October. A routine dental visit. A trip to podiatrist for a longstanding sore foot problem. A free flu shot, courtesy of my employer. And I cleared 2 days off later in the month, along with my dishwasher installation on Columbus Day, which is a paid holiday for me. It's a new Whirlpool model I got at Lowes; with installation it will be $592. The old one is broken and being 12 years old, I didn't think it was worth it to repair it.

I'm concerned about much higher electric rates in the coming year. In Connecticut, electric rates were deregulated years back in an effort to increase competition and bring down consumer costs.The state maintains a website where you can compare rates. The rate I currently have locked in for me and my mother is good thru Nov. 30, 2014 but then it will likely increase. I've been checking the state website but right now all the different choices are quite a bit higher, per kilowatt hour, than what we're paying now. And they don't seem to be offering the fixed rate in a year-long contract. All I'm seeing is 3 months locked in and then variable rates, which I'm not comfortable with.

My friend R. agreed to go with me and mother to go car shopping for my mother. Her mechanic has been telling her for some time now that she needs to replace her 98 Subaru. Now he's telling her the tires need to be replaced. No sense replacing tires when the car itself is getting too old. I don't like the idea of my 80-year-old mother still driving at all, but she's not going to give it up. AT least she avoids the highway and the vast majority of her driving is probably limited to a 5-mile square radius. So we'll go to the local Subaru dealer to find another wagon in the $10,000 range. I did a quick search of the dealer site and Kelly Blue Book and saw that the dealer has 5 Subarus from about 2006 to 2008 with automatic steering in that price range. I honestly don't know how my mother can drive the one she has, with its extremely heavy steering and spongy brakes. Hopefully the newer models will be a big improvement for her.

There is no way my mother could negotiate a car purchase on her own with the car dealer sharks out there (I learned that myself last summer and felt very ill-equipped) so I'm hoping we can find a car in a few hours at this one dealer. I really don't anticipation that at her advanced age she will driving a whole lot longer. She does have a good mechanic who could also check out the car if we could arrange that somehow.

I may hit Kohl's on Saturday....it's the last day I can use my 30% coupon. I'll also go to mall to pick up my comforter set and towels at JC Penney, and since I'm in that area, I may browse Xmas Tree Shop just for the heck of it. And maybe Pier 1 as well.

I want to start getting active with the book club here in town. There are 3 of them, but the 1 i want to join meets in the evenings. They have a new book (Reconstructing Amelia) so I have to get it soon and start reading before the Oct. 16 meeting date! Basically, I will have 1 week to read it. Maybe I'll zip over there after 5 and get it tonight to give myself a few more days. Smile

3 Responses to “A work at home day today”

  1. rob62521 Says:
    1412203886

    One thing I have learned in car negotiations is go in prepared and be ready to walk away and go somewhere else. And check every single figure.

  2. snafu Says:
    1412276370

    hi, I hope it's ok to offer an opinion...

    Since Subaru's have such a good reputation, what is the plan for the '98 current car? Have you assessed value from KBB or a source like Lemon Aid? Would it be possible to discuss the plan to sell and evaluation with mom's mechanic? Does mom's mechanic specialize in Subaru or some other manufacturer? What vehicle would he recommend for mom's driving habits? Would he know anyone who might be interested in the '98 with all it's issues?

    Would you or perhaps R be willing to sell privately if Dealership low balls value? [I know it's a hassle]

    It might be helpful to do a quick search for Subaru models for sale at other, non Subaru dealerships as they may take one in trade-in but offer a better sale price or just comparative info. As a buyer, you're free to make demands and reject all the add ons the salesman or credit manager proposes or tell stories. They need your mom's money as not only their commission but to meet their sales targets.

  3. FrugalTexan75 Says:
    1412305833

    I hope the car shopping goes well!

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