finnime
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Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
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Post by finnime on Jun 26, 2020 9:26:45 GMT -5
Good for you, Malarky. Clear the decks and start anew.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jun 26, 2020 11:24:45 GMT -5
Heard from niece. She is working that day but she said not to worry her mom will take me. I hope she knows what she is talking about.
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Iggy aka IG
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Post by Iggy aka IG on Jun 26, 2020 12:57:33 GMT -5
Happy New Year! My first post of the year here. Saturday I "de-cluttered" about half a billion dust mites. Much to my rebellious chagrin, I decided to set up a routine of cleaning house Saturday mornings. IF we are in town, that is. This way I will do as much as possible that day, and then try and relax the rest of the week. Accomplished, week 1: [snip] This year I want am going to finish purging my home office desk and closet, and the coat closet shelves. Checking in with a mid-year report as I won't have time next week. As far as the Saturday routine goes, meh. I do what I have time for and feel like on the weekends, LOL. With DH down for a month and a half, I've been doing some of his chores, too, so there's that. I did purge and organize the desk and closet for the most part. Still need to organize photographs from the past 10+ years. The coat closet is finished, though there are several pairs of gloves and a few other duplicate items which can be tossed into the donate bin. And I bet I could find another bag or so of clothes to donate. And a few books.
Am pleased at how much has gone out of the house through Goodwill trips, specific items to specific friends, etc. I also stopped most magazine subscriptions so less paper is coming into the house.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jun 26, 2020 16:49:41 GMT -5
Cleaning ladies came today. She is back up to a crew of 3. I had removed everything from all surfaces. Didn't take them long to clean.
Wiped everything down after I came back in the house. Now to put everything back where it goes.
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Rukh O'Rorke
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Post by Rukh O'Rorke on Jun 27, 2020 7:41:39 GMT -5
I used to love cleaning person day! I have pretty much parted ways with our cleaning person - for a couple of reasons.
It is a lot of money, and I am being pretty miserly. With employment down in the household (both offspring with no income, my side RI income on hiatus). Since I am working from home, I can do small chores here and there usually on the daily, and I can't have the noise and bustle during conference calls, which are many every day, and sometimes back to back for hours. Unemployed offspring doing more too, and it seems we should be able to care of this all, given the lower level of employment for all of us. She was always powering thorough everything very quickly - which was good, mostly, but there were somethings that would be missed, consistently, week after week. Or just a general slap-dash kind of done. I was paying 80 for weekly cleaning, but she was done in about 2 hoursish, which would have been fine if not for things missed/done not too thoroughly. I think she wasn't too concerned about germ transfers - she had gloves on as usual practice, but I'd notice she would go from scrubbing the toilet to cleaning kitchen or changing linens without a thorough cleaning of the gloves. I think she got a little evasive after I first notice this as I intended to say something. But got me worried about the procedure when I wasn't there.
She is really good person, and I'm sure had best of intentions. but she would take on more and more clients, and then zoom through everything on a minimal basis. Then she'd lose some clients, and do a bit more thorough job for a while, then back to zooming.
Even so - I'm thinking of going back to her! I would try to renegotiate and have some stipulations, like whole house cleaned, and bathrooms last, and then toilets final? Is that reasonable?
I'd also like to stipulate that we get 3 whole hours. and what ever the charge is for that go with it. and no zooming. Maybe go every other week as it may be more than 80? IDK!
thoughts?
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Rukh O'Rorke
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Post by Rukh O'Rorke on Jun 27, 2020 7:46:42 GMT -5
So - the other piece of going back to cleaning person is that I finally applied to refi the mortgage - need to get ready for an inspection, and have a lot of a lot of a lot of chores to do, outside of 'regular' daily and weekly chores.
so - any particular advice on getting ready for inspection? I do want to maximize value as much as possible, getting money out, and hope for lower rate, depending on loan to value ratio.
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Rukh O'Rorke
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Post by Rukh O'Rorke on Jun 27, 2020 7:55:39 GMT -5
The final push to get the girls relocated into their new, fabulous abode is this weekend. I would have loved for their place to be my first landing in my grown up life. The big stuff-table, chairs, futon, beds, bureaus will all go by truck. And all the random boxes that didn't get moved last weekend. Thankfully we have a few really good friends who will help move the heavy stuff because I am totally useless on that front. I'm alternately excited and appalled. What will I do without them? They drive me nuts with their comings and goings and never quite knowing where they are. And I will miss them so much. Looking forward to/horrified by how quiet life could be without them. I've been eyeing all the stuff I can get rid of that I simply don't need once they're gone. I may have a fight on my hands with DH about some of the furniture, but I really want to cull the stash. Even stuff they aren't taking isn't strictly necessary for two people. I got a bit of a fight when I said they get the 4 kitchen chairs and I'm replacing them with two that match the kitchen table better. It isn't as if we don't eat in the living room these days anyway. And I got those two vintage Hitchcock chairs for free! I think I need to quietly remove stuff and explain later. I'm a bit of a hoarder/I may need that later person. Plus I really like that/it speaks to me. I've been better the last few years. I feel like I need to take advantage of my current state of mind-let it go, you aren't using it-and just get rid of stuff! I'm trying to make their new start my new start. sounds awesome Malaky! Get a slick and streamlined new start! I am also about to start tackling some major decluttering/household reorg. I am pyschy myself up to let it go... May need to rent Frozen for a bit of inspriation! then play the song on loop while I work
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Blonde Granny
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Post by Blonde Granny on Jun 27, 2020 8:02:17 GMT -5
Cleaning ladies!!! what a great short sentence that is.
I told my company that I would not be calling them again until sometime in Sept. Now our wondrous Gov. says this whole mess of his won't likely be ended until the end of Sept. If I don't get called back to the VA until January, I won't need them for a long long time. Plus maybe I need to save myself $142/week from now on.
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Rukh O'Rorke
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Post by Rukh O'Rorke on Jun 27, 2020 8:16:46 GMT -5
142 a week?? ??
That is a lot!
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jun 27, 2020 9:33:05 GMT -5
Mine comes once a month and charges me $85. Get a discount for being a regular customer.
It is a group of 3 people, so the jobs are split. The person who cleans the bathroom spends all of her time there. Same for the kitchen. The third person does all the vacuuming, dusting, mopping floors, etc.
The house looks so much better when they leave.
I am not a good house cleaner. I have hired it done since the late 1970's. I'm not going to suddenly become a good housekeeper. It's worth the money to me.
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moneysquirrel
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Post by moneysquirrel on Jun 27, 2020 9:46:19 GMT -5
Things are about the same. I ran several errands Thursday in advance of the looming Saharan dust blanket that we had yesterday. Did not want to be out in all of the dust and stayed inside yesterday. I worked on one the kits I ordered for myself and still have a bit to do on it. I also did the finishing touches on two bracelets I beaded this week. I will need to start a new little project to work on in addition to the kit currently in progress.
Because the kits are not my patterns I do not sell the finished projects from them. I value the new techniques I learn from doing them and frequently incorporate the methods in my own items. My skills have improved so much in the last several years from attending the retreats and working on the kits/classes introduced there. When I finish the current one I do have one additional one waiting in the wings.
Need to get moving, get some additional tea in me and get my day rocking. Take care all!
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saveinla
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Post by saveinla on Jun 27, 2020 10:42:37 GMT -5
Rukh O'Rorke, We have done a couple of refinances and we did not do anything special. We just cleaned the house. The first time we did that my DH asked about it and the guy said that the most important thing was the comparison values of the latest property sold close to you. You can point out what you have done, but they don't really need anything - except to make sure that there is no obvious damage or destruction. YMMV
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saveinla
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Post by saveinla on Jun 27, 2020 10:45:24 GMT -5
For comparison on the cleaner, I pay 100$ every 2 weeks, but I live in a 1200 Sqft condo and there are only the 2 of us.
My cleaner starts with the kitchen , then living room , 2 bedrooms and then the 2 baths. She is here for almost 4 hours and does a good job.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jun 28, 2020 2:13:19 GMT -5
malarky, i know you will miss your dds greatly, but i think you'll be surprised to see that you enjoy the calm too. you are so close to them, i'm sure they'll be over often! i have been feeling very low because of the pain/discomfort/lack of sleep/not being able to drive. yesterday ds2 asked us to meet him for lunch in paris and although i didn't feel like it, i agreed. all the kids came, and we had a great time. my IT guy (ds3) goes back to the uk tomorrow, so he helped me update my computer yesterday. then i did a back up. We are watching E this monday and friday. i'm barely working these days, just 2h/week. it'll stop completely in a week or so, till late aug. this week
- bottle bank (dh)/mon - pick up packages/mon - gift for baby s (dh)/tues - gift for v (dh)/tues - call electrician back/tues - shitepile
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Rukh O'Rorke
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Post by Rukh O'Rorke on Jun 28, 2020 9:37:26 GMT -5
Hope things get comfortable soon, debt!
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jun 28, 2020 11:09:22 GMT -5
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finnime
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Be kind. Everyone you meet is fighting a great battle.
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Post by finnime on Jun 28, 2020 11:11:03 GMT -5
debthaven, maybe you would benefit from a stronger pain reliever. THis should not keep you from sleeping well. JMHO
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Sharon
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Post by Sharon on Jun 28, 2020 11:15:05 GMT -5
Just a quick check in as I'm still spending a great deal of time at Mom's, including every night. Mom can get out of bed ok and can navigate the steps fine but can't really get herself back into bed. Yesterday I changed her sheets and cleaned her bathrooms. My brother decided to hold a birthday party at Mom's house this afternoon. That was because he knew Mom wouldn't be up to traveling to his house. Yes it is a milestone birthday but I still feel like we could have let it slide, especially since I haven't seen my brother over helping get the house ready. At first I had hoped to be home at night by this weekend, now it is maybe by next weekend. As of Wednesday it will be 2 weeks since I have spent the night in my own bed.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jun 28, 2020 18:17:05 GMT -5
finnime i should have asked for something stronger, but at this point it's because i generallly sleep on my side and now i have to sleep on my back (propped up because of my ribs). also i nap most days. the naps probably don't help my ability to sleep at night.
i cleaned out the office supply drawer in the desk today. tomorrow ds3 goes back to the uk, and we're watching E. dh said he'd take me to the post office to get the packages.
someone bought a plot of land on my tiny street. they started clearing the plot this week, and then they'll be building. so now our street is closed off at one end for several months. i realized that amazon isn't delivering with our street blocked off. what wonderful timing.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jun 29, 2020 10:02:28 GMT -5
this week- bottle bank (dh)/mon - pick up packages/mon- text electrician/mon- gift for baby s (dh)/tues - gift for v (dh)/tues - electrician/thurs - shitepile ETA: the espresso machine i ordered from amazon warehouse at 50% off came. the description said the packaging was damaged (they say why an item is cheaper/on amazon warehouse.) but the machine is in mint condition! :-) the old machine heard i had ordered its replacement and suddenly stopped leaking. ds3 will take it when he gets settled. dh is going into town tomorrow so he'll get the two gifts we need. the electrician is coming thurs for the two plugs in the guest room that don't work! hopefully the repair won't cost too much. i napped (dd came over to play w E) but today is the first day i finally felt a bit normal again. i'm grateful and relieved.
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Iggy aka IG
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Post by Iggy aka IG on Jun 29, 2020 13:39:41 GMT -5
debthaven, so glad you are feeling a bit better. Regarding house cleaners, I had one before the recession. She came in once a month, and I paid $20/hour. When things became financially tight, that was one of the first things to go. I miss it greatly, and have put a few feelers out for recommendations in our new neighborhood, but haven't pulled the trigger. Speaking of cleaning, I've started to tackle the procrastination list here at the office. I'll do one thing after closing time when I have the energy to stick around. Last Friday evening I put fresh potting soil, food spikes and spray on the plants. This had been on the list since last summer. This means the bag of soil, food and hand tools had been in the back area for that long. I used up the soil and food spikes, which cleared up some space, and the remaining food spray has been stored in a cupboard for another time. One thing down, several to go. Yesterday at home I did the usual dishes, 3 loads laundry including sheets, scrubbed all 3 toilets, emptied 3 garbage cans, restocked TP, put out fresh towels, and filled the hummingbird feeders. I also worked out for the first time in longer than I can remember. Felt so good!
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jun 29, 2020 13:42:15 GMT -5
i just conjured my inner Iggy aka IG and went 'shopping in the basement'. i found two small, identical lamps from ikea that will be perfect for the guest room (if the electrician can repair or replace those plugs, but i'm assuming he can). ETA: iggy, with your dh out of commission, i wish you'd pull the trigger on the cleaner. :-) our cleaner charges 15 euros ($17) per hour. she comes 3h/week so it costs 120 euros ($135) most months. (some months have an "extra week".) when she raised her rates we asked her to come every other week, but she refused. tbh i was sort of relieved she said no.
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Iggy aka IG
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Post by Iggy aka IG on Jun 29, 2020 14:26:50 GMT -5
LOL, thanks, debthaven! Sounds like it might be successful for you. Shopping in the basement (and elsewhere) has also worked when things weren't available at the grocery store in recent months. Extra TP and Clorox wipes from the downstairs bathroom, single serving bottles of water from the rec room mini fridge, etc. And when we run out of a health item we look elsewhere before putting it on the list. Most recently I checked all of my bags for a fem product, and DH grabbed his extra bottle of Ibuprofen from his laptop bag. This helps to keep shopping trips to a minimum. And, yes, I agree. I need to look more seriously into finding a new cleaner.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jun 29, 2020 14:57:19 GMT -5
I store all my extra paper products in the garage. Furniture I no longer use ends up there, too. That is where I could do some shopping.
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startsmart
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Post by startsmart on Jun 29, 2020 15:10:52 GMT -5
I close on my new home in a week! Today I wired the money to the title company and once they confirm it’s in their account I should be “done” except signing the papers.
That’s the good news.
Bad news is that my truck is still in the shop and no idea when it’ll be ready. I have some furniture and boxes in the Bay Area to pick up and leave with the dogs sometime Thursday or Friday, depending on trucks and stuff.
I am very anxious to get on the road and move in and SUPER excited not to need a mortgage!
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CCL
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Post by CCL on Jun 29, 2020 15:52:14 GMT -5
Almost done with my pantry. If I can come up with any pics I'll post a link later.
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debthaven
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Post by debthaven on Jun 29, 2020 16:02:01 GMT -5
yay ccl! i'd love to see pix!!!
congrats startsmart! omg, no mortgage?! that's amazing, especially at your age!!! any chance of you telling us the general area, if not the state? (feel free to ignore this of course.) good luck with the truck!
we hadn't heard anything from the RE agent or RE lawyer about the sale of our studio for a while. i was worried the buyer had backed out, but apparently things are still backlogged here because of the lockdown. that's a relief.
ds1/ddil/E moved out last mon. we kept E on wed and fri, spent sat together, and kept E again today (mon). i feel a bit guilty but frankly i'm looking forward to the break till E comes back again on fri lol.
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Iggy aka IG
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Post by Iggy aka IG on Jun 29, 2020 16:09:30 GMT -5
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startsmart
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Post by startsmart on Jun 29, 2020 16:49:35 GMT -5
Debthaven - the new house is in Kansas! I’ll be 36 this year and it’s all still very surreal to me 😃 of course the house does need work which I am VERY excited to do but I have a lot of dreams and plans.
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TheOtherMe
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Post by TheOtherMe on Jun 29, 2020 16:51:32 GMT -5
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