Apr 14 Money Monday

Our oven was decades old.  Several repairs had happened over the last few years, most recently in March.  Last Tuesday she gave her notice.  Wednesday I researched and found four viable candidates, made a spreadsheet of their stats and highlighted my top pick.  While I was out kid-running, Husband checked them over, agreed with me, ordered a new one, which was delivered Friday.  Rather than pay $50 to have the old oven hauled away, we called a local scrapper.  He picked up the old oven Sunday.  We saved a bit, he'll earn a bit, seemed a good trade.

Saturday, the lawn tractor also resigned. argh  Also after two decades of service, but ARGH!  It wasn't totally unexpected.  For the past five years, it's been 'hope she starts' for the first mowing of the season.  For two years, she's needed the jump box to start *every* week.  Last year she started leaking a bit of gas.  This year, she said 'nope, I'm done'.

April already has two kid birthdays in it, but this is becoming a VERY expensive April.

I did/do NOT want to spend that money for a new oven or lawn tractor, but I am happy our savings is fat enough that it is an annoyance, not a crisis.  We have been where it would have been a crisis and it's far less stressful having a cushion for *when* a big expense pops up unexpectedly.  This is why we save the bits!