May, already!

I can’t believe that it is May. I am both amazed and a bit overwhelmed.

I started this year with a couple of major projects planned: a new gate to my backyard and seeding my front yard. Then there was the usual maintenance of car and central air system and seeding the backyard.

The new gate required moving the gate to a new place, building a new fence and removing the old part…as well as shoring up the back fence by replacing a post. This project is now completed.

The front yard required clearing out all the miscellaneous grasses and weeds and dead grasses that had accumulated over the past year, testing the soil, getting the seed and top soil, etc. It is a big project. So far the dead stuff is removed, the ground is tilled and aerated, fertilizer has been applied to repair the deficiencies, top soil has been applied and gently tilled. BUT, no seeding is done, since the lime and other fertilizers needed to help the new grass grow needed to be done first. All is ready for the seeding after we wait another month for the fertilizer to do its work.

Backyard was aerated, over-seeded and now straw has been applied to the bare spots.

Those two projects cost me a couple of thousand dollars each.

What I didn’t expect was that the central air system would fail and a new one need to be bought…especially after spending another thousand plus on maintenance. Nor did I expect that routine maintenance on my car would result in several thousand dollars to repair some issues. And, I had multiple issues with my icemaker and refrig…thankfully it was covered by the home warranty insurance and did not require more outlay of funds. Oh, and my gym membership price went up…

It really began to feel like every time I turned around someone had their hands out for $2000-$3000!

Now I am ready to settle down and pay off the bills…and have no further major issues with house or yard! And it is only May!!!

I can only hope the rest of the year goes more smoothly and at less expense. Does anyone else have a life like mine?