Household Expenses

I love my spot in the Catskills - breathtaking views of mountains peaks, fresh air moved constantly by stiff breezes, a stream nearby that provides a soothing background hum for a good night's sleep, enough stars on a clear night to fill the telescope lens to overflowing.  My dogs don't need a leash, my clothes don't need a dry cleaner and my shoes don't need to be shined on the way to the office for a staff meeting.  In the GNC, well worn, muddy boots are a badge of honor.

When I first moved here, I bought into the promise of a low cost of living - independence, as much "off the grid" as possible, low taxes and a homestead. This part of the GNC promise has not turned out as promoted.  There are plenty of expenses that brochures, government officials and friends who came before don't tell you about when they are trying to convince you to join them "upstate" full-time.  Here is a list of ten of them, right off the top of my head:

1. removal of dead trees that can fall onto the house or on a power line, causing power failure or fire
2. pump out the septic tank before it backs up into the house, causing bad, bad, bad ramifications
3. remove 50 year old insulation from attic; replace with new, high efficiency insulation
4. remove pests from attic who liked the old insulation - ants, raccoon, spiders, wasps,  mice, unknown insect species
5. install kitchen renovations - counter tops without pot holes, base cove, faucets that don't drip
6. install heavy duty shelves in garage to provide storage for all the heavy duty equipment I have purchased, such as:
7. snow blower, leaf blower, lawn mower, weed whacker, chain saw, kerosene stove for emergency heat when pellet stove and electric baseboard heat are inoperable due to power failure;
8. pellets for stove, cords of wood for fireplace, propane, kerosene
9. hurricane preparation and recovery equipment: perforated pipe, dehumidifiers, sheet rock, bleach
10. purchase and spread one ton of  Item 4 for driveway, annually. Cover it with ice-melting-salt in winter and weed killer in summer.

All my years in NYC, I never incurred even one of those expense items.  I did call the roach exterminator a few times, but the building always paid for it.

I could list a few more items, but the contractor just arrived to replace the well pump, so I've got to go. For readers in the city, a well pump pumps water from your private well to a pressure tank in your basement where it is held before it enters the water heater, which heats and stores it for when you want a hot shower.  This is one of the things the Superintendent in your high-rise knows about.  You could live your entire life in NYC and never see one.  But in the GNC, they come in several sizes.