I stopped by mom and dad's house last night. They live less than a mile away. They gave me a $550 check. It was a payment for labor at the maple woods. That was on top of a $2,100 check they gave me last summer. They said that the two checks added together was 1/2 of profit from 2011 syrup sales. They really didn't have to do that. When I protested, mom said that was how Grandpa and Grandma used to do it.

So, that $550 is very extremely close to the cost of materials for the fence that will be going up this weekend. Wow.

So the fence we picked out was a special order. We would receive it three weeks after order. We initially went with it, but changed our minds to one that is in stock. It's a good fence too, but maybe not quite as attractive. Our contractor will pick it up today, and start on it either Thursday, or early next week. He has another job lined up that he may or may not start this week, depending on his client's needs.

The fence that we went with is cedar. We'll need to get on a schedule to stain it. I would guess every two or three years. We might not need it beyond three years, or we might need it for the next eight. We'll see.

The fence is $760. The contractor is charging $500 to construct. So that's on the outer limits of our budget. Too bad. But, as I've already discussed, it is a need. So far we've met my goals - attractive as is possible, and it doesn't appear that it will break the bank. Only time will tell if it's sturdy enough to withstand the strength and persistence of our boys.

The fence guy stopped by yesterday. He's actually the same guy who put in our basement windows. We picked out the style of fence we wanted. We'll order from Menard's. It's nearly impossible to discern the cost of the fence, because they publish the cost of the sections, but you need to figure in posts, hardware, gates, etc. And the cost for those items are not as easy to find. We're figuring it will be $1,200 for an 18X24 fence (those dimensions will be expanded a bit by the posts). Our front porch will act as one of the fence "sides".

I'll probably dig the holes for the posts myself. We'll rent a gas powered auger. Hope to have it completed in a couple of weeks. We have real March weather again, so a couple of weeks is OK.

I've blogged about a couple major themes: debt reduction and the need to build cash reserves. One of my minor themes is that of a foster/adoptive parent. Both of our adoptive sons have special needs. You can read that as "they are difficult to parent."

Spring has sprung in Michigan. We like to go outside and job around, and do yard work, and generally enjoy ourselves. That is difficult with two boys with special needs when your yard has no fence. they tend to run away, In fact, I felt like a prisoner in my own home last summer because we couldn't take them out.

So, DW and I have decided that we will need to purchase and erect a fence for a play yard this spring. Of course, that will necessitate a side track from other goals. But, we need this fence for our own mental health. And, of course, we receive payments for care, and I think this fits nicely.

So, we begin researching fencing options. Something sturdy, and as attractive as is reasonable, and something that will not break the bank.

As always, I will keep you all posted on our progress.

I don't know how much snow you got this winter, but we got barely any, until the last couple of weeks of February. And, when the snow finally came, we learned quickly that we needed new tires on the van.

DW bought them yesterday. They were $85 each.

I sure am glad that we ended up getting our rent check this month, because we seem to be going through cash like water.

OK, remember how we had $1,200 set aside for replacing basement windows? And the contractor bid $800. And I was happy that it came $400 under bid?

Well... the new windows necessitated that we re-route our sump pump line. We hired a plumber to do that job, and a couple other odd jobs around the house that we had been putting off. The plumber bill came to $467. So, we actually ended up being $67 over budget. Not too bad, and the re-route of the sump pump line is a great improvement.

It's flowing ---- out. Tomorrow is pay day, so more will flow in.

Our window guy started yesterday, should finish today. We also called to have a plumber stop by. Long story, but with the new basement windows we needed to change the configuration of the sump pump, and needed a plumber.

Also, I ordered heating fuel again.

We have the cash set aside for all these bills, but it will nearly wipe out our savings. But, it's nice to be able to pay bills.

We got a bid for replacement windows for our basement. Acually, I called three other people for bids, and only one of them returned my call. He's booked through August.

So I contacted a friend of a friend (actually a friend of my sister) who works for a contractor, and does some jobs on the side. He put in a bid of $800. We had $1,200 set aside for the job.

They're not actually windows per se, but glass block. We have 5 windows, and are having him put glass block in 4 of them and a vinyl window in one of them.

So, that's 2/3 of what we had set aside. Great news! Too bad we didn't get any other bids for comparison. We could wait for another bid, orjust get it done. The price sounds right to us, actually better than alright.

DW and I will probably be looking in to getting a new mortgage on the house we're currently living in to pay family member toward Mort 2. We're looking at an April time frame to apply for the mortgage.

I thought it would be a good idea to get some pre-approval information. I made a spread sheet detailing our current net worth, our montly obligations, and projections of what our front end and back end DTI ratio would be after the new mortgage.

I took a print out of that spread sheet to a morgage originator yesterday. And boy was that interesting. I consider my situation to be "struggling financially". But it turns out that, as long as I can verify the information I submitted, and both our credit scores are considered good enough, that we will qualify with no problems. In fact the mortgage originator said that anyone with a DTI ratio (with the new mortgage payments calculated in) of any where at or below 45% - yes 45% - would qualify for a new mortgage. I couldn't believe what I was hearing. I wanted to scream "YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME! THAT'S WHAT GOT US INTO THIS TOXIC MORTGAGE BUSINESS TO BEGIN WITH!"

But, she did ask for verification of employment, W-2's and two years of tax returns. So, I guess it's better than the NINJA loan days of the recent past.

BTW, our DTI ratio, with the new loan would be 34%, which I consider to be plenty high.

Our state of Michigan income tax refund was direct deposited into our account today. $603.

DW and I have different opinions as to what to do with it. I, of course, want to put it all toward debt immediately. She wants new basement windows. We do, of course, need new basement windows. They'll keep water (and cats) out of the basement, and help to some extent keep the house warmer.

My sense is to wait, her sense is to fix them now.

We'll be getting our federal refund shortly, and the money will be enough to get new windows, and take a sizeable chunk out of the debt balance.

My wife and I met while we were undergraduates at Michigan State University. We would, as would be expected, like for our children to follow in our footsteps. The following was copied directly from the msu.edu admissions website:

In-State Freshmen
•Tuition and fees (15 credits/semester): $12,822
•Housing (double room/Silver Meal Plan): $8,204

Total for two semesters: $21,026

How are we going to afford that?

That's just an estimate for one child for one year. For the 2011/2012 year. Our oldest won't be ready for college for another 10 years.

My oh my. One financial crisis just follows another.

The tank that holds the fuel oil that heats our house sits in the corner of our unfinished basement. Not exactly a place that i find myself going a lot. Well, yesterday I thought I better check the level in the tank. When I had it filled this summer, I expected that the fuel would last through December.

The level was between 3/8 and 1/2 full! We'll get at least through December.

It's been a while since I updated this blog. I've been busy with work.

So, our roof project is complete. We hired an Amish crew of four for the job. They began Nov. 1 and finished Nov. 4. It actually took three days of work, but Thursday was rainy. Thankfully, a tear-off wasn't necessary, so the rain was no problem.

The best news is that labor was over-estimated by about $1,500, and materials were over-estimated by almost $500, so the whole project was about $1,500 less expensive than our budget.

The results are great - a new shiny steel roof!

Well, I guess you do anyway. I paid $3.229 this morning. It's heading in the right direction, as it usually does this time of year.

I remember when gas first hit the $2.00 mark. My wife, and not-quite 1 year old infant and I were heading to my cousin's high school graduation party. If my daughter was not quite one, then that was June 2003. $2.00 seemed like the most extremely exorbitant price imaginable. Now that would seem like peanuts.

Around the time my wife and I graduated college, and were just starting out (1997 or 1998 timeframe) gas was around $1.20. I knew that was extremely cheap and wouldn't last, because I also remember when I was a young kid in the '70s that gas was around $1.15. But I never imagined that gas would triple or more over the course of the next dozen years.

It just seems like gas is volatile with wide and dramatic swings. I know that there are a lot of geo-political factors in effect (Arab Spring, demand from China and India, and world-wide markets all playing a part), but it sure would be nice if we could reach some sort of stable price point.

We turned our furnace on Friday. That's Firday, September 30. I usually like to wait until Oct. 1, but, it was cold Friday.

It would have been turned on Thursday, but our two young boys had thrown a number of toys, sippy cups, bottles, and other assorted items down into our duct system. I reached down and grabbed out everything I could from the ducts, and my wife screwed the register covers down on Thursday, solving half the problem. There were still some items that had to be recovered from the far end of the ducts in the basement.

So, on Friday, I bought some of the very large zip strips that attach the flexible ducts to the main. When I got home from work on Friday, I went down to the basement, and cut the existing zip strips, removed the various debris from three different ducts, reattached them with the zip strips, and turned on the heat.

Hopefully we have enough fuel oil to last through the end of December. We'll probably need another two $750+ fill-ups before heating season is over.

I've blogged on and off about a new roof we need. Well, we've decided to bite the bullet, and get it done sooner rather than later.

We met with the roofer on Friday. He can get to it the first or second week of November. It's a metal roof, so we don't need the heat of summer to make the tar shingles stick better (or at least that't what I've heard you need with tar shingles.)

This mis not the best of moves financially. We will dry our saving almost completely up, with a very small EF. We did decide to peel $1,400 off the estimate by choosing against the standing seam roof, and for a barn-type metal.

My wife has been pushing for a new roof for a year now. I've been trying to hold off - we would have plenty saved if we waited until next March. But, alas, I've come to accept that it would be better to not endure another Michigan freeze-thaw cycle on this 25+ year roof.

So, November 2011 is a comprimise between October 2010 and March 2012. I'll still have two paydays (Sept. 30 and Oct. 31) to put some money away, but I'm afraid the well will be dry once we've paid for the roof.

What to do with my income tax refund? With federal and state combined, it's about $6,200. (and before you ask, yes, I have changed my withholding allowances so that I won't be getting such a large refund next year).

Well, Bob, you just started a blog about your personal journey toward debt reduction, didn't you? The answer is simple: pay off your 16.99% CC, and put the rest toward your 12.9% CC.

Well we need a new roof. It isn't leaking - yet. But the shingles are curling, and everytime the wind blows hard we get a new crop of blown-off shingle pieces on our yard. And it's been at least 25 years since the roof was last replaced. So, it is time for a new roof, before we damage the inside of our house.

The estimates should start coming in this week. I hope $6,200 is enough. It's a fairly simple roof - not a lot of peaks and valleys. And the pitch isn't very steep. But the cost of materials is way up - thanks Col. Gadaffi. So, we'll see.

As to the diversion from debt reduction. We're not going on vacation, or buying new clothes or any of a number of other things we've been putting off. We're buying a new roof to protect our investment in our house. Please forgive me.