52 Card Project 2022: Week 19: Risk
May. 13th, 2022 06:32 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
pegkerrI'm stressed out, as evidenced by the fact that I've read 14 books in the last seven days. I'm trying to dive into fiction to forget everything hovering ominously over me.
One source of stress is something that Elinor Dashwood is not talking about, so I'm not going into it.
The other is that I have been contacting contractors about replacing my roof, which is twenty-six years old. No leaks, but...it's time. And painters, because the upper dormers were not done by the painter I hired to repaint the house last year ("too tall, we don't paint that high"). Oh, and there's evidence of squirrel nests in the eaves. That has to be dealt with, too. And that is very, very expensive.
I talked with my financial planner, and...well, let's just say the last two years have been the two most expensive years I've had in a row in the almost thirty years I've lived here in the house. This is definitely exceeding my home repair budget for the year, and she has raised the question that maybe I should find a new job.
Plus there's reviewing contacts, and actually signing them without Rob, my resident lawyer, to look them over and advise me. One thing that really sucks about being a widow is making huge decisions, financial decisions, alone. I can ask for advice (and yes, I have looked into getting nonprofit help since I'm low income and struck out everywhere), but it's different to be asking for advice, but not making the decision in concert with someone, a partner, who has the same financial stake in the decision that you do.
I feel flooded by uncertainty, painfully aware of all the risks. Is this a necessary step for me to take? Have I found the right contractors--plural? If I sink this much money into the house, how will that affect my future money needs, my retirement?
I am, as I have remarked in the past, a Gryffindor with high-security needs. It's enough to make me break out in hives.
(No, I'm not asking or hinting for money from anyone. I just have to figure it out myself.)
This card came together very quickly: the images came easily to my mind, and I put it together in about fifteen minutes.
Image description: Against a background of roof shingles, a woman sits with her hand quizzically set to her chin, her face covered by a cloud, with question marks over the cloud. In front of her is a squirrel holding a nut, with a dollar sign over it. (The squirrel with the dollar sign over it is both a reference to the possibility of squirrels in the attic--expensive to remove--as well as a symbol for retirement, as in saving your nuts for the winter).
Risk
Click here to see the 2022 52 Card Project gallery.
Click here to see the 2021 gallery.
One source of stress is something that Elinor Dashwood is not talking about, so I'm not going into it.
The other is that I have been contacting contractors about replacing my roof, which is twenty-six years old. No leaks, but...it's time. And painters, because the upper dormers were not done by the painter I hired to repaint the house last year ("too tall, we don't paint that high"). Oh, and there's evidence of squirrel nests in the eaves. That has to be dealt with, too. And that is very, very expensive.
I talked with my financial planner, and...well, let's just say the last two years have been the two most expensive years I've had in a row in the almost thirty years I've lived here in the house. This is definitely exceeding my home repair budget for the year, and she has raised the question that maybe I should find a new job.
Plus there's reviewing contacts, and actually signing them without Rob, my resident lawyer, to look them over and advise me. One thing that really sucks about being a widow is making huge decisions, financial decisions, alone. I can ask for advice (and yes, I have looked into getting nonprofit help since I'm low income and struck out everywhere), but it's different to be asking for advice, but not making the decision in concert with someone, a partner, who has the same financial stake in the decision that you do.
I feel flooded by uncertainty, painfully aware of all the risks. Is this a necessary step for me to take? Have I found the right contractors--plural? If I sink this much money into the house, how will that affect my future money needs, my retirement?
I am, as I have remarked in the past, a Gryffindor with high-security needs. It's enough to make me break out in hives.
(No, I'm not asking or hinting for money from anyone. I just have to figure it out myself.)
This card came together very quickly: the images came easily to my mind, and I put it together in about fifteen minutes.
Image description: Against a background of roof shingles, a woman sits with her hand quizzically set to her chin, her face covered by a cloud, with question marks over the cloud. In front of her is a squirrel holding a nut, with a dollar sign over it. (The squirrel with the dollar sign over it is both a reference to the possibility of squirrels in the attic--expensive to remove--as well as a symbol for retirement, as in saving your nuts for the winter).
Click here to see the 2022 52 Card Project gallery.
Click here to see the 2021 gallery.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-05-14 12:02 am (UTC)I can't really recommend a great roofer but I would recommend Beast Wildlife for the squirrel situation. The longer you wait with squirrels, the more expensive it will get. If they haven't gnawed a lot of holes in the eaves and all you need is to have them trapped and removed it might not be as expensive as you fear. If you wait until they have chewed on all the electrical wiring - THEN you are talking big money. Take it from me. If you can only afford one of the two things this year, do the squirrels.
Although it wouldn't hurt to start looking for a roofer right now, with the understanding that you won't actually do the project until next year. Ask around. You must know somebody that was happy with their roofer.
(no subject)
Date: 2022-05-14 12:09 am (UTC)and the card is just right
Date: 2022-05-14 01:10 am (UTC)And being divorced is just as bad for having to learn to make huge financial decisions. You--strong girl--have handled your own finances and made your own plans for your whole adult life. I've had decades with someone who preferred to do it without my input. My learning curve is steep, and I fear I am failing rather badly.
K.