It was not a good day for the Erickson family yesterday. Don’t panic. Nobody got in a car accident or anything like that and our house is still here, but we did have a few other things pile up on us.
First, I had taken the van in on Monday to see if they could fix it. It’s been running really rough the past few weeks (and that darn check engine light has been bugging me) and I worried that it was going to stop running altogether. They told me they would “start with a tune-up” and see if that takes care of the problem. Well, even though a tune up sounds like a simple adjustment of a few car gadgets, it’s really at least two hours of labor to practically get the entire engine out to check wires, spark plugs,etc. The tune up (which it honestly needed at 136,000+ miles) itself was about $300. But that didn’t solve the problem. They tested a couple more things and I think it was the fuel injector that was causing all the trouble. Anyway, the total came to just over $500. Gulp.
Next, my dishwasher hasn’t been working very well, and this week I finally figured out a day I could be home for a few hours, so I called the repair man. He came yesterday and took apart my dishwasher enough to tell me that there was a problem with the main valve, and it wasn’t filling with water properly. He could order a new part, and for a mere $226 he’ll come back and install that part (on Monday). Gulp. Unfortunately, since he disconnected things, the dishwasher that was limping along but still worked, now doesn’t really work much, so that means we’ll be hand washing our dishes. Yes, I should have waited until I didn’t have 10 people living in my house before making this decision, but who knew?
Later, Ryan went to pay for the van’s mini-makeover and take it back to his work. As he was pulling out, he realized that the tire was flat. He pulled back over to fill it, and the repair guy came out and said, “I filled that tire earlier. It shouldn’t be flat already.” Shouldn’t be, but yet it is. Luckily, there is a tire place just around the corner, so Ryan went over there to see if he could get the flat repaired. It could not be repaired. Of course not. And the wear indicators were showing on the other tires to let us know that, “Dude, you’re driving on bald tires,” (my quote, not his). Gulp. Let’s plop down another $400 something on tires, shall we? (The good part of the story is that Ryan was actually the one who dealt with the tire problem, as I’ve already mentioned my claustrophobia and panic that comes from hanging out in repair places, let alone my total lack of knowledge when it comes to all things automotive. Or I could have been driving home late at night and had to deal with a flat tire. Hello? Triple A?)
Now I understand that repairs happen. But must they all happen in the same day?
After I got home from rehearsal last night, I sat down and opened the mail. Hmmm. What’s this letter from the IRS? . What the….? We’ve received a notice that informs us that we owe the IRS aprox. $3900 for a mistake in our taxes in 2005. Gulp. I handed it all over to my tax man (Ryan) and managed to not scream or swear or hit anyone. I think I handled it pretty well.
Meanwhile, I’ll be canceling all of our fun plans for the rest of the summer. And maybe selling all of my children’s belongings on ebay.
OH NO! That IRS thing at the end just really iced the cake! I am SO SORRY to hear about such a lousy day! Hope tomorrow brings some unexpected cash in the mail!
Oh, by the way, I have some friends that may be willing to buy those Disneyland passes from you, if you’re serious about staying home. . .
I’m guessing she’s kidding about cancelling *ALL* our fun summer plans.
I Hope.
RyanE
Oh! I am so sorry! However, at times like these, I always remind myself that at least, while things may be tight for awhile or our savings might be a little low, we have the money to pay for them and then the problem will be solved. Think about it. Now you don’t have bald tires, a limping along dishwasher, or a car with problems! All fixed!
Ouch! Double and triple ouch! I hope your week goes better!
It does seem to pile on all at the same time, doesn’t it? I was going to say that those things go in 3s, but the IRS made 4 and now you’d have to have a 5 and a 6 so I won’t mention that weird superstition I have.
Sooo, does this mean you’d like those spatulas back? Ugh. So sorry.
I’ve had one of those weeks as well. New transmission needed for car at a cost of $1400? Check. Car’s air conditioner blowing hot on one side (driver) and cold on the other? Check. Light switch out, so that at night the interior dash lights don’t come on? Check. Mysterious oil pan gasket leak? Check.
And we’ve already solved the problem where the air conditioner fan (and the daytime running lamps) only work when the fan is on high. That was the ignition switch!
I think I should just Google “Bizarre problems with ’97 Grand Prix” so I know what we’ll be up against next.