Animal House the First

Only its actually the second, and it doesn't really have anything to do with animals, but... well, you know how it is when you're typing away and think of something to say but it doesn't come to fruition until you've hit "post"? Right? Don't you? Hmmmm. Maybe its just me.

I was sitting here wishing I were independently wealthy.

You see, we got our tax return today. Yesterday, after attacking the carpet in many varied and disgusting ways in an attempt to get the stains out from the pets the previous owners had (thinking that may be part of what is leading our own astray), we were wandering Costco and saw that they had laminate flooring for sale. The kind that looks like hardwood? Now, our tax return has been budgeted out and spent before we even knew how much we were getting. Not ACTUALLY spent, but on paper spent. But this flooring? It looks like we could do the whole house (excepting the baths and kitchen and laundry which get tile) for about the amount of our savings account plus that tax return. Do you see the dilemma? Easy to clean floors, that look nice, or Hubband's new computer to replace the one that died a month ago and paying off the refrigerator. It's a hard choice.

We've decided to sit down with the computer and the checkbook and the files of bills and make a budget for the FUTURE. We budget very well on the day to day and month to month stuff, but when it comes to knowing exactly what big things we need to have cash for at some time point in the future? We're not the best. So... the list has begun already... New car, pay off fridge and windows and renovation loan and credit cards and redo the offices so that one can be a nursery and the other an office for us both, headphones and a computer and software for hubband, a nintendo wii and a new HD television and an xbox360, money in savings, surgery for the kitty with the bad legs, yard work, tree removal....can you identify the "needs" and the "wants" yet?

I wish I were independently wealthy.