by Hope
A friend came over this past week to help me deal with a yellow jacket nest in my yard (discovered by the landscaper when he was cutting the grass.) Dealing with the nest was easy enough…wait until dusk and pour gas down the hole we had identified as the entry way to the underground nest.
He also took the time to sit and listen to me just “diarrhea of the mouth” about life, loss, and challenges. We are just that type of friends. We were sitting out on the deck.
And there was my hot tub. My splurge of last summer. Paid in full, cash.
For months, it gave me so much joy. I had this picture in my head last summer, a completely different reality than what I’m living now. My fiancé and I ended things at the end of November, all the kids decided to move (ok, I knew that was coming but not all this summer,) my job that was to go from contract to fulltime ended in February, and so on and so forth. Life is very different than what I anticipated when I purchased this splurge.
My sister and I in the hot tub last month
And now, in light of everything, I have a bit of buyer’s remorse.
As I wander around the house in the afternoons, I see more and more that I don’t have any attachment too. I think it’s time for another major purge.
I need the money. But I also want to be careful that I don’t purge things that my kids will want later…most of our furniture is from my grandparent’s homes.
But the hot tub…well, I think I’m ready to let that go. I know I won’t get near what I paid for it. I’m not sure what the resale on less than year old hot tubs is, but it’s worth a shot.
Have you ever purchased something and then had buyer’s remorse?
Read more from Hope
The Purge Begins – March, 2018
I’m Over the Quiet – March, 2021
Spring Cleaning or Purging – March, 2021
Hope is a creative, solutions-focused business manager helping clients grow their business and work more efficiently by leveraging expertise in project management, digital marketing, & tech solutions. She’s recently become an empty nester as her 5 foster/adoptive kids have spread their wings. She lives with her 3 dogs in a small town in NE Georgia and prefers the mountains to the beaches any day. She struggles with the travel bug and is doing her best to help each of her kids as their finish schooling and become independent (but it’s hard!) She has run her own consulting company for almost twenty years! Hope began sharing her journey with the BAD community in the Spring of 2015 and feels like she has finally in a place to really focus on making wise financial decisions.
….you are only working part time, are not bringing in enough money to cover your bare needs, and you have a landscaper?
I don’t have any yard equipment…so yes, someone comes and cuts the grass every two weeks.
you probably won’t get much for the hot tub, but it can’t hurt to try and sell it. plus you will save on the cost of upkeep (cleaning solutions, water, electric, etc)
you mentioned a landscaper. how much are you paying for this service?
True, I decided this weekend to list it on Facebook Marketplace and see what happens.
Yes, I pay $50 every two weeks for someone to come take care of the yard. We don’t own any landscaping equipment.
Have you asked the kids if they want the furniture? They very well may not. What happened to the furniture in a storage unit for Princess? If you aren’t using the hot tub selling it is a good idea. Another expense you can cut – the landscaper. Until your bills are caught up you should be doing your own yard work.
We don’t own any lawn equipment and I do not have the wherewithal to maintain any. (We have tried that in the past, especially when all the boys were here and would take turns cutting the grass.)
Princess furniture is still in storage. With Gymnast moving, I will most likely be able to bring everything in storage home and eliminate that expense since we will have an extra bedroom.
Hmm…I’ve had a lawn mower that cost $100 used and all I’ve done is add oil and gas. No maintenance has been needed so far. You could save that $100/month pretty easily!
You can often find free or very cheap lawn mowers on the side of the road or at garage sales. Might be worth looking into. Mowing the lawn can help you get your steps in!
We tried that FOR YEARS. And that was when the boys were all here. I do not have any luck with mechanical stuff. The carburetor goes, the oil leaks and so on and so forth. In fact, that’s how I met the man who came to help with me with the bees this past week. He came to help me get a lawn mower running. He spent HOURs and then finally just brought over his.
I just can’t. So stressful for me.
Greenworks electric lawn mower! It’ll pay itself off in a few months. No real need for other lawn equipment at this point.
Also, have you asked any neighbors if you can borrow theirs while you’re balancing expenses? If you were my neighbor I’d definitely be happy to lend.
You need to get a manual push mower on amazon for $100 and mow your own lawn, it is good exercise and will save you money. $100 a month is a massive luxury you cannot afford. As for purging furniture-ask you kids if there is anything they want. For the kids out on their own, give them 6 months to pick it up if you want it out. The furniture resale market is super low in any case. Im actually not sold on selling the hot tub. It is paid for, if you do the chemicals yourself and it is your happy place, keep it. You won’t be able to sell it for much and then you will want a new one when you are back on your feet again.
I agree about the hot tub, hopefully this is a temporary situation. I’d focus more on finding work, which I know you are doing.
You might think about clearing out the storage unit while Gymnast is still around for some extra muscle. Just a bit at a time makes a huge difference!
Great idea. I mentioned a trip to storage yesterday so we are going to start on that on Thursday. I don’t know that I can completely clean it out just yet as Sea Cadet left some furniture there too until the end of the summer. But we can definitely start. Then when Sea Cadet comes to get his stuff, I might can shut it down.
I hope you guys unearth some good memories and have some laughs while you’re going through things.
Kicking the storage unit is one more way to simplify your life.