Another day, another dollar goes the old saying. But in my case, most of the dollars seem to be going outward instead of coming inward.

I don't mind, considering the fact that the dollars have to be in my possession before they can go outward. Having dollars at one's disposal for any length of time certainly is more desirous than the alternative possibility, in my estimation.

So I suppose that makes me sort of a money distributor, which should be useful in one way or another to a number of people-especially those who come by every so often with their hands out. This past week was a good one for me. The long overdue property deal finally closed, allowing me to pay off a loan that is coming due. The last three months were spent waiting on the bank and getting past various hurdles imposed by new lending requirements. It was a learning experience to me, to say the least. Waiting for any length of time for such things seems to be an eternity for both parties. The buyer has a hard time waiting to move in, while the one waiting for the money-me in this case-obviously has his own problems.

I learned in economics class that there is a ‘time value' to money and that the longer one has it, the more it's worth. The theory there being to get the money as quickly as you can and keep it as long as possible. As I said earlier, I do try hard to do the first part of that equation and get my money in the bank as fast as I can, but I also tend to try and pay my bills and spend as fast as I can as well. So, as you might imagine, the second part hasn't worked out nearly so well for me. But it's getting better all the time.

I even restarted my stalled savings account last month, with a small, but weekly, contribution. Even a small amount of money, contributed over time, can add up to a significant amount over the long run. If I can leave it alone, that is.

In the past, I've always built up a small nest egg only to have it wiped out. Some of those circumstances have included more-expensive-than-expected home repairs and even buying property or vehicles.

I'm hoping this time will be different. While I don't plan on being able to retire on the proceeds from my savings account any time soon or even take a vacation on the interest, I do think I'll be better off for having it.

Last year I had a little money saved and I spent it on heating fuel and a set of tires. While tires may not sound very expensive to some of you, the ones I recently had to put on my pickup set me back nearly $600. I'm sure everyone knows exactly what it costs to fill an oil tank these days, especially with the winter we've just had. Most likely the fuel delivery trucks have worn through a set or two of tires just keeping people's tanks from going dry.

It's hard to think about finances without remembering that I recently started working on a piece of property in Piney Creek. I hadn't ever spent much time in Piney Creek, since I never lived there. I do have several friends up that way, but I didn't visit very often, unless one counts newspaper coverage assignments at the fire house or the school.

As for the house that I've started working on, I told a fellow the other day that the place I'm at is a place you'd never get to unless you were going there.

Piney Creek is very rural and quiet, but it still has most of the things one would need to get by, provided one could get to town twice a year for 100 pounds of sugar and some copper line. Of course, I'm kidding.

The place I've purchased needs quite a bit of work, but it's nothing I can't do. And after being sort of stalled for the past month or two, I'm honestly looking forward to having a little something to do on weekends other than twiddle my thumbs.

I spent this past weekend running new plumbing lines, which I somehow managed to underestimate the total length of, despite thinking the home was 10 feet longer than it is. I ran out of pipe with only a few feet left to go, but did manage to get to a reasonable stopping point. I split the house in two with a pair of shutoff valves and tested one end, which apparently worked out pretty well. Thankfully, the water heater, the toilet and the sink all worked. With those three things, a fellow can get by pretty well.

The old plumbing was hard plastic and had frozen and busted in numerous places over this past very cold winter we've experienced. Instead of patching it, I just replaced it all with a flexible tubing that usually doesn't burst even if it freezes.

As usual, the main problem will be paying for the materials around the first of next month. But plumbing's not the only thing I've been doing (along with a fellow I've hired to help). The damaged underpinning has been removed, the tub and sink fixtures have been updated, some of the light fixtures have been updated and some of the ceilings have been repainted. As for the paint colors on the walls, they were changed from bright colors to more muted and calm colors. I didn't work on the white rooms yet. The way I usually look at it, I don't want the people who have visited the house to remember what color anything was-just that it was fresh and clean. Since I have plywood floors showing in most of the rooms, I think the next big visual change will come to pass when I put down some new flooring. I've been making pretty good time, so hopefully that will come to pass in the next few weeks. Just like everything else, it's all a matter of time and money-I'm usually short on both.
 

Get the whole story - read this week's edition of The Alleghany News!