When your house is 100 years old (which it will be in 2023), there are issues that arise. When I bought the house, I knew changes would need to be made. Two years ago, life went a little sideways with the unexpected addition of two more kids to the household. With those additons there were also additional expenses. Contrary to popular belief, when you aren’t a foster parent and you take kids on an emergency safety plan, THERE IS NO MONEY involved to help with their expenses. Clothing, food, the increase in utilities, bedding, toiletries, school supplies – all of it came out of my pocket. Fortunately, I had a few friends who helped out with some items, but the majority of their care fell on my shoulders. Then there were legal fees when I decided to file for custody.
I say this not because I’m looking for kudos. I say this because sometimes you have to do what is right even when it costs you.
These expenses waylaid my plans to renovate the house. I tried to do what I could with what I had, but it was at a snails pace. Things have calmed down at this point in time — to a degree. In addition to the lack of funds, the almost crawling pace at which I had to work was very depressing. Then there was the child who (I would swear on a stack of Bibles) was breaking things purposely. Breaking furniture, digging gouges into the wood floors, plumbing fixtures that mysteriously snapped – I couldn’t set funds aside due to constantly having to replace parts and pay for plumbers.
The bathroom is the biggest need at the moment – removing the mirror, the vanity, the toilet, the linoleum, scraping latex paint off of plaster walls, removing the tub surround. The replacement vanity is purchased, as is the sink. Wayfair is in the running for the tub. Heritage Tile has beautiful and affordable tile for the floor and around the tub. The window is caked with paint and needs to be restored. Between kids and the full-time job, free time is at a minimum.
The Road Back Home 