My house is a disaster for the first time in two weeks. I've been trying to keep it close to showing-ready so we don't have to scramble to clean when the time comes. Guess what The Guy called me about today. Just guess.
Yeah, showing tomorrow afternoon.
That, and to remind me a guy from a moving company was coming over today to take inventory on our stuff.
It was actually perfect timing. I got a bunch of stuff done that should have been done days ago. Picking up and organizing, *moistly. Took some donations to the local thrift store and picked up some long underwear for myself and some lengths of fabric to make curtains while I was at it.
(*"Mostly," that should read. My favorite typos in weeks.)
The peeling paint in our dining room is still not taken care of, and even though every single dish was clean yesterday afternoon, there's huge pile of dishes on the counter. I have no idea where they come from, since I use hardly any dishes during the day. Like rabbits, they are.
So, this evening and tomorrow morning, I'll be doing the more hefty chores.
I have only used a light twice today. The first time was while feeding the baby this morning. I should have fed her downstairs. I am a little bleary in the mornings.
The second time was to show the moving guy the baby's room. I'm content to stumble around in the dark, but I didn't think he'd appreciate it.
I'm wearing the same outfit I wore yesterday, and the toddler has gone with training pants for a good part of the day.
I figure I've saved us a dollar today. Didn't get around to lowering the thermostat, but I did close all the radiator covers upstairs (they're the kind that run along the wall, about 6" high, not the funky old-timey ones that look so neat; these look very... institutional, like a church basement). Now I just need to find some insulation that's safe for hot exposed pipes. We must bleed out a ton of heat in the yards (yes, yards; I don't know what these people were thinking) of exposed pipe.
What to do about the radiators that do have covers, and I still want to insulate? This is a conundrum. I think we could get away with covering all of the radiators upstairs. It'd be chillier up there, but it's bedrooms anyway, and that's what blankets and sleepers are for. We can use the space heater in the bathroom. The radiators don't get terribly hot, not even hot enough to cause mild pain. I wonder if it would be safe to simply cover them with towels or extra blankets? Don't worry; I won't try it without checking with someone first.
Time for me to get back to work. The baby is diligently tearing apart the living room again. Joy.
I had the old school type radiators when I lived in MNPLS and I lived in a room in the attic. Third floor. It got WAY too hot. I put a folded blanket on top of it and when it was too hot just let the blanket down. It was just a throw fleece but it made the room MUCH MUCH cooler. Not sure how that would work out with radiators along the floor and obviously you don't want that there while your house is being shown. People will think there's something wrong with the heat.
ReplyDeleteMoistly was my favorite type-o as well and I'm sad you caught it. Moist. That's a great word.
I like this blog! I like hearing from you more often! When we were getting ready to move I packed up most of our dishes. I kept out the cheap plastic plates and a few bowls. Whenever we were going to be REALLY busy I pulled out the paper. I would say that saving money is good but on a showing day...use paper. It was so nice to have things packed up ahead of time too! Just don't pack your can opener...that was my issue when we moved a yr into our marriage... ;)
ReplyDeleteWe even used plastic toss away cups (I had a lot left over from MJ's bday) and set them by the sink to reuse if it was just water. Then if you have a showing...Just toss 'em, pull the garbage, and you're set!
Oh, hey, do you know about that clear plastic you can put over your windows to insulate them better during the winter? It's great stuff. My husband grew up in Minneapolis and is a great fan of that stuff. 3M makes it.
ReplyDeleteWe've used them the last two years, but they honestly don't see to help much. Our windows themselves are new and don't bleed much heat at all. It's the tiny little cracks and things all over the house that are the problem. That and the basement, which is freezing all the time. We're rebuilding the back entry to the basement and hoping that will help keep the house warmer. It was in really, really sorry condition, and we think that's where a lot of the cold comes in. Now we just need a break in this crazy weather to finish it!
ReplyDeleteI'm also going to hang a curtain across the entrance to the kitchen. It's an addition on the back of the house, and it's always at least a few degrees colder in there (and hotter in the summer). This summer, when I tacked a blanket over that doorway, the temperature difference was usually ten degrees or more. Now I just need to get off my butt and make the stupid curtain. I bought some fabric at a thrift store a couple of days ago, so I just need to motivate myself to do that instead of watching my shows while the girls nap.
Oh, and another reason is that I don't think the house will sell very well with plastic all over the windows. I don't mind the look, but if people don't know what it is, they're going to think something's wrong.
ReplyDelete