It's Been Awhile

I haven't updated since I was able to have other distractions lately. Its been almost three months and I still haven't been able to start on the kitchen, yet. My insurance company sent me a check for $15,000, but that will scarcely cover the $30,000 worth of damage that was done.

I haven't really been able to cook a meal at home since the storm. My diet has been suffering as a result of it. I will be sharing my Post-Hurricane survival tips in the comings days and weeks.

Since the weather has finally started to turn, I have been using the wood burning stove in my shop as a primary source of heat. I haven't returned to using the interior of my home for much of anything except sleep, shower, laundry, and potty. The upside of this is that the majority of my bills have plummeted. Everything except my phone and internet. It is constant no matter how much you use.

I also learned that you can save a ton of money if you have a hot water heater. Every morning, I wake up at 6am, turn the knob on my gas water heater to on and go back to bed. In 30 minutes, at 6:30am, I get up and take a hot shower. Once I'm done, I go back and shut the knob to vacation (or down) and effectively turn it off. The water stays hot enough for my evening shower and doesn't run all day long! My gas bill went from $38-$85/mo to $7.87 last month. Of course, I can't use my stove, but still! If you have an electric water heater, you save money by having an electrician install an electric timer.