Sabby Ann

On Sunday Eric & I went grocery shopping. Although we’d picked up a few small items (milk, buns, etc.) here and there, it had been a full three weeks since our last real grocery shopping trip. Needless to say, we were running pretty low. We had plenty of pasta and canned goods, but very little in the way of junk food… and we had been out of it for awhile! 

Our grocery shopping total, split between three stores, was $200… with coupons. It used to shock me when we got above $150, but now I’m getting used to it. Anyways, here’s the list of snack-type items that made it into the cart: 

• 6-pack of Hershey milk chocolate bars
• 6-pack of Reeses peanut butter cups
• 2 bags of Lays Original potato chips
• 1 bag of Cheetos Crunchy
• 1/2 gallon of Homeade Mint Chocolate Chip ice-cream
• 4-pack of Nestle Cookies & Cream Drumstick (Sundae Cones)
• 2-pound bag of Strawberry Twizzlers
• 19.75 oz “Big Bag” of Hershey’s Kisses
• 2 boxes of Pillsbury’s Chocolate Fudge brownie mix
• 1 box of Betty Crocker’s Cookie-Brownie Bar mix
• 1 box of Betty Crocker’s Triple-Chunk brownie mix
• 1 jar of triple chocolate fudge chip frosting (for the brownies!) 
• 12-pack of Coca-Cola
• 12-pack of Faygo Red-pop

On Friday evening we discovered that our house had no water. Eric turned on the kitchen faucet and noticed that the water pressure was significantly lower than it usually is, and then I turned on the bathroom faucet & shower to check for myself. The water that was in the pipes emptied, and no more water came out…

The first thought was that a pipe had frozen, since temperatures in Michigan have been bitterly cold over the past week (hovering around zero, with windchill taking it well into the negatives - many schools were even cancelled last Friday, due to the cold temperatures!). This is the third winter that we’ve been in the house, and we’ve never had any problems with pipes freezing, but I don’t remember an extended cold spell like this either. I called my dad, and his first thought was also a frozen pipe. 

Eric went down into the crawl space to poke around, and it wasn’t that cold down there… probably in the 50s (our duct work is rather leaky, which means we’re paying to heat the crawl but at least our floors aren’t quite as cold as they would otherwise be). Based on that, we ruled out a frozen interior pipe as the cause. After a bit more poking around, Eric discovered that the top of the capacitor in the well control box had blown off, which would definitely cause the water to stop working. Unfortunately, it was also possible that is was just indicative of another problem, and wasn’t the root cause - but the only way to check would be to replace the capacitor and see what happens. 

On Saturday we drove over to a commercial/industrial electrical supply store and bought a replacement capacitor. Eric installed it, but the water problem persisted. 

The next step was to call in the pros. We debated whether to call a plumber or a well repair company. The plumber would be the cheaper option, and would be more than capable of finding and defrosting any frozen pipes. But since the only likely location for the frozen pipe is the lead between the well and the house, fixing it might be more complicated than what the typical plumber would do… and Eric wasn’t convinced that it was a frozen pipe. 

There were literally dozens of well drilling companies around, so I started checking out websites… and if the company didn’t have a website, I crossed them off my list!  I was primarily looking for companies that offered a 24/7 phone number and emergency service. I was also looking for companies that specifically stated they repair 4″ diameter wells (since 5″ seems to be the current standard for residential water wells).

Eric called three well companies, two of which he got ahold of. One was an answering service that took down his information, and then had an on-call person return his call. The guy indicated that he thought the likely cause was the well pump, but that he wouldn’t be able to get a crew out to check it out until Monday.

The other company, Adams Well Drilling, based in Howell, was the one we hired. The lady who took the call said that they’ve been getting a ton of service calls for frozen pipes, but said that the busted capacitor was not something she would expect to see in conjunction with a frozen pipe. She took down our information, and then her husband called back a little while later. He said that he thought it was probably the pump, but gave Eric a few suggestions for things to check (voltages and currents and such). He also suggested swapping out the control box, and made arrangements for us to pick one up from his home that evening (even though it was after 5PM on a Saturday night!). He also explained that, if it was the pump, odds are that they would be able to replace just the pump, and not the entire well (which was something we were concerned with, after reading dozens of stories online).  They definitely went “above & beyond”, and we were both quite impressed by them.

Anyways, since we’d now been told that it was probably the pump by two well repair companies, we weren’t putting much hope that it would work… and it didn’t. The electrical check (all that current/voltage stuff!) also indicated that something was definitely amiss with the pump. Since we were staying at my parents, it made sense to just wait until Monday to have them come out and take a look.

Two technicians from Adam’s Well Drilling was at our house by 10AM, and they had the water working by 1:30PM. They pulled the old pump out, and commented that they were surprised that it hadn’t stopped working before now (I guess the screen had sort of imploded, and the entire thing was caked in built-up mineral deposits). They cleaned out the well (using an air compressor with some sort of attachment, I assume it works more as a vacuum but I’m not really sure), and then dropped in a new pump with PVC piping, added chlorine, flushed the system, and took a water sample. 

The old stand pipe was galvanized, but the technician said that they’ve had some problems with newer galvanized pipes only lasting 5 years or so (because the pipe manufacturers have changed the formulation, and the newer stuff is much more susceptible to chemical reactions with dissolved minerals in the area). Eric also decided to upgrade the pump to a 3/4hp pump (our old one was only 1/2hp) that can be easily converted to a constant-pressure system at a later date. The total cost, $1698, which was in the range of what we had expected. Here is the breakdown of charges: 

$285.00  = Service call + pump pulling fee (first 1.5 hrs)
$ 95.00   = Air compressor charge
$973.00  = 3/4hp Grundfos constant pressure pump
$ 78.75   = 35′ of 1″ PVC drop-pipe @ $2.25/ft
$ 48.75   = 39′ of 12-2 wire @ $1.25/ft
$187.50  = 1.5 hrs of additional labor @ $125/hr
$  30.00  = 4″ Cross-bar

It’s times like this that I’m glad we have a small amount of savings stashed away. In the past we’ve used our savings account to splurge on mini-vacations and home improvements, but I’ve been trying to convert the savings into a true emergency fund. My first thought was to not touch the savings account (in order to maintain as much as possible in liquid assets) and instead put the well repair onto a credit card, but Eric pointed out that not having running water ranks pretty high on the “If this doesn’t qualify as an emergency, what does?” list. 

On the plus side, we saved 3% by paying cash (and we would have had to pay a 3% fee if we paid by credit card, which is a 6% cost difference)…

A couple of years ago, when we purchased the first round of photography gear (Nikon D2X camera body, lenses, lighting kit, backdrop & stands, and some miscellaneous accessories), we tossed around the idea of turning photography into more than just a hobby. Eric had worked part-time for the university’s staff photographer while we were in college, so he had a pretty solid grasp of the basics… 

I, on the other hand, had no photography experience whatsoever. At that point, I was just using a simple point-and-shoot digital camera. And neither of us had any experience with wedding photography. But hey, why should that stop us? 

Fortunately, a close friend from school graciously allowed Eric to photograph her wedding. Her future uncle-in-law (a professional photographer) was shooting the main events, but Eric was able to take photos at the rehearsal and rehearsal dinner, while the bridal party was getting ready, and at the reception. He also took several during the ceremony (staying out of the way of the “real” photographer). The professional photographer was very friendly during the formal portraits, and even allowed Eric to plug his camera into the setup and take a few test shots. Since most wedding photography contracts have a “sole photographer” clause, the opportunity to get this sort of experience was especially valuable! 

Last summer, we started actively seeking out wedding photography gigs on Craigslist. Since we were looking to gain more experience and to expand our portfolio, we decided to set our initial price at only $200. We booked our first paid wedding, and then a second. A couple of months later, we landed a third wedding.  

This year, after having established a reasonable portfolio, I decided to start testing the waters. While I’m sticking with Craigslist as my source for leads, I’ve begun to play around with different price points. I know that summer is the busy season for weddings, and I suspect that we’ll be able to command a higher price during those few months. My next step is to work on business development - putting together a website, a printed portfolio, perhaps some promotional literature (a brochure?). Once that’s complete, I’ll look into a booth at one of the local bridal shows. 

I know that many professionals detest wedding photography, but so far I really enjoy it. Yes, it’s somewhat stressful: … a mere moment to capture those “once in a lifetime” snapshots …  the occasional bridezilla… a flower girl or maid of honor who hates having their picture taken… uncooperative weather… 12 hours of near-continuous standing… 

But it’s also so magical! We get to witness all the special and intimate moments. It’s not just the ceremony itself though. It’s the last-minute jitters in the dressing room. It’s seeing the mother’s tear-streaked makeup. It’s all the little stuff that makes it so enjoyable.

I’m borderline obsessive-compulsive when it comes to personal finance. I maintain a balance tracking spreadsheet to keep track of credit card balances, trends, and interest rates. I login to online banking websites daily. I check to see how market fluctuations are affecting my 401(k) several times each week. But when it comes to household expenses, all the numbers just sort of magically float in my mind - I’ve never bothered to accurately track them on paper.

We set aside a certain amount each month for “joint” household bills & expenses - mortgage payments, utilities, groceries, etc.  The mortgage, which accounts for about 50% of that amount, is set up as an automatic payment at the beginning of the month (shortly after the Husband’s paycheck is deposited). Later in the month, after utilities and groceries have been paid and my check is deposited, there is usually about 15% left. Much of that is used for entertainment (primarily dining out), some goes to miscellaneous expenses (auto maintenance, clothing, house stuff, gifts, shortfalls in other bill categories), and anything left gets carried over to the next month. 

A few months back, when Eric tried to refigure our budgets, he asked me for a summary of expenses and due dates. The recurring monthly bills were a given - even with the seasonal fluctuations in utilities, the total amount stays roughly the same each month. The infrequent bills required a bit of thought though. 

Each month I mentally run through the list of upcoming non-monthly bills, figure out if we’re in good shape or if we need to cut back a little. I suppose I should keep a calendar of those expenses, but my brain seems to keep everything straight …

This month we had quite a few of those infrequent bills. Our homeowners association & garbage bill are due at the beginning of February each year. The registration/license tab fees for both vehicles correspond to Eric’s birthday, so those are also due in February. The quarterly sewer bill is due in a few weeks. Since we try to pay everything at least a couple of weeks in advance, these are all considered January expenses.  

We also had to pay our estimated quarterly tax payments to the State Treasury and IRS, to cover self-employment income, but we set aside tax money in a separate bank account. 

The next round of “major” bills is car insurance (paid every six months), followed by college tuition… but fortunately we’ve got a few more months to save up for those!  

As I’d mentioned in a previous post, I enrolled in an accounting course at the local community college. It’s a 1000-level course that’s required pre-requisite for admission to the Masters in Business Administration (MBA) program. I was able to get waived out of the introductory accounting class, which means I may need to study up on some of the basic concepts on my own, but if I can pass Calculus 2 & 3, this class should be no problem! ;) 

Anyways, I submitted my application online on December 11th, and immediately received a poorly worded confirmation email. Here’s an excerpt:  ”After processing is complete within two business days, OCC will send you an admissions letter.  This letter includes your student number, which will allow you to use Online Services to register for classes.”

I gave them a little over a week, then I started pestering the admissions department. I wanted to enroll in my class and pay my bill in 2008 (so that I could claim the tuition deduction on my ‘08 income taxes), and they were being too slow. I chose not to enter my social security number on my application (it was optional), so they had some difficulty locating me in their system (is it really that hard to do a search by name?). I eventually got someone who told me I had been admitted (was there any doubt?), and who was able to give me my username & default password so I could login and register. I did that (after a few more calls, to get them to waive the intro class), and then paid the bill. 

After that, I attempted to look up the textbook information online. Unfortunately, their online bookstore wasn’t working properly (I could select the winter term from a drop-down list, but it wouldn’t populate any courses or textbooks), and the physical bookstore was closed for two weeks for winter break. I emailed the instructor to find out what books were required (I couldn’t find any online syllabus or course webpage), but didn’t get a response until Monday, January 5th. By that point, the online bookstore had been fixed, so I already knew what books were required. 

There is one required textbook, and it costs $194 new or $145 used. There is also an optional workbook, and that is $69 new (not available used). By comparison, tuition for the course was only $275!  College textbooks are an absolute rip-off! 

Fortunately, I’ve become an expert at finding cheap used textbooks. I hit up my usual websites - namely Amazon and Half.com - and was able to find the required book for $29 and the workbook for $25. With shipping it was just over $60 for both, which seemed pretty reasonable…  And I expect that I’ll be able to re-sell them afterwards, and recoup at least half of that back (heck, I might be able to get all of it back if I don’t write in the workbook!). 

Anyways, it wasn’t until this Thursday (January 8th) that OCC sent me a letter indicating I had been admitted. It didn’t contain my username, student ID #, information about how to access email or register, anything! It didn’t even indicate that I’d receive that information in a separate mailing. 

I’m not sure if this is representative of most community colleges, or if it’s just OCC, but I’m quite disappointed in their lack of communication so far! While I’m quite comfortable contacting the school to get what I need, and can figure out where to go for what, I imagine that a first-time student would be absolutely clueless.

I’ve been watching Jon & Kate Plus 8 on TLC for awhile now, but the ever-present advertisements have caused the show to lose much of its appeal. I’m more interested in seeing the day-to-day stuff, and wish I could fast-forward through all the product placement…

Anyway, on the latest episode, “Soup and a Surprise”, the Gosselin’s told the kids that they would be moving into a bigger house. They didn’t really give any details on the show (I’m guessing they’ll save that for future episodes!), so I decided to do a little Googling to find out more. 

Their old house, in Elizabethtown, comes up immediately in the search results. The house has been marked in Google Earth (just search for “Jon & Kate Plus 8″), and the address is published in the White Pages. For more information about their old house, I also checked out the Lancaster County online property assessment tool. 

Finding information about their new house was slightly more involved, but still pretty easy. My initial Google search yielded information on several gossip websites, like GWOP. The blog author(s) had posted some photos of the new house, taken from the realtor’s online listing, but withheld the address. 

Still, there was an aerial view of the property included, and the city was posted… so I tried the online Berks County parcel search. No match found. That might be a dead end for some, but not for me. Armed with the city and an aerial view, I was able to find the rumored property by browsing on Google Earth (I knew all those childhood “Where’s Waldo” books would eventually be useful!)… which meant I also had a street name, and could approximate the address! 

Then I went back to the Berks County website, searching for public information using the street name. The property came up as being owned by a revocable trust (with no immediately apparent link to the Gosselin’s), with the trustee’s name and an out-of-town mailing address listed. There was also the usual assortment of public information (deed date, acreage, assessed value, purchase price, etc). My next step, of course, was to look up the trustee and address. 

It turns out that the trustee is a lawyer with in Wyomissing PA (one of the cities where Jon & Kate previously lived), and specializes in estate planning, among other things. The mailing address was for a rented postal mail box at a UPS store in Sinking Spring PA. 

Although I’ll refrain from actually posting an address for Jon & Kate’s new house on this blog, I was able to find out quite a bit of information in well under an hour, using only free software and online searches… and it was obvious that they had at least put *some* effort into concealing the location and protecting their privacy. 

It seems like most adults, especially those in the over-35 category, are “against” putting personal information online. Perhaps it’s just a generational taboo (like not talking about your salary with friends), or possibly a result of the scores of scare-mongering articles discussing the latest round of students who were suspended over Facebook pictures or sexual predators on MySpace… but for me, opening up my personal life online just seems normal. I have a blog, I use instant-messenger, I’m on several social networking websites. 

Even for those that try to minimize personal exposure on the web, there’s a great deal of information that gets posted online anyways. The white pages and services like Intelius compile all sorts of  information. Genealogy websites often list familial connections. Property sales are a matter of public record. Churches post their weekly bulletins online. And the list goes on… schools, sporting teams, local government, community organizations, and employers… just to name a few. 

The fact that I was able to track down the location of the Gosselin’s new house with relatively little effort speaks to just how much information is available online….