Home Owner Woes…Hello, Mr. Oil Delivery Man!

It's days like these that make me wonder why we decided to buy a house when renting was so much easier. I write this as I patiently wait for Ness Oil to come by and basically fill the oil tank. We called yesterday and asked for $600 in oil. I also asked how many gallons that worked out to, they told me 174 point something. We like Ness Oil because the prices are competitive and they give you 30 days to pay and if you pay within 5 days you save 10 cents a gallon. They also are the previous owners oil company and know the furnace and set-up. Ness Oil also has great people and service.

Don't get me wrong, it's nice to be able to make decisions about what to do with your place cosmetically but when you wrap the taxes, heating, water/sewage and snow removal in, you get jealous of people who rent. When we left our good sized two bedroom apartment six months ago we paid $600 a month, which included water/sewage, heat, lawn care and plowing. Heating a home is just another reason I can't stand winter. I know there is no equity in renting but it makes you sometimes wonder if owning is worth it. I guess I'll grin and bear it through the winter months and enjoy the summer.

We bought mostly because the timing was right. We had very little debt and the housing market was down and houses were cheap. Not to mention we seriously outgrew the apartment and there were no four bedroom apartments or at least that we could find. It was going to be a house whether bought or rented and the bills are the same whether you rent or buy, so we bought. Peter and Paul will be fighting it out until income tax time. All in all I guess things could be worse, like not having the essentials like food, health or place to live or not having heat.

I will finish with this, I am truly blessed in other ways. I have a family who loves me, a job I do love at the core, and a place to call home even though it's causing me such frustration right now.