Update on the Moving Budget.

Well, here we are, six weeks out, and I realized that while I've expounded on everything from gay marriage to hamburger helper, I haven't actually updated you on our moving budget.

I'm proud to say, I'm well on our way to coming up to the positive! (and no, I'm not using that very special fuzzy math known to politicians near and far).

We've sold several items on ebay, and our profits total over $145 dollars used. Now, if you remember, I had appliances and a new couch to purchase, a deposit to pay on electric service, a moving truck to pay for, and food for the moving party.

We've decreased our expenditures considerably by purchasing used appliances and a set of couches from my brother in law. That takes our out going budget down to a tenth of what it was... yay us! Those totalled $180, the truck is $150 up front, the electic is $200, and I think maybe $150 for food, beer, and soda for the day of.(The food budget is high, but that includes the cost of me possibly ordering pizza for everyone if I'm losing my mind that day.) So the whole budget is -680, I've added $140 in ebay sales, leaving me at -500. I'm sure I can make that up in the five or so yard sales it's going to take to get me through all this stuff!

What do you think? Can we do this?

The Myth of So-Called Deregulation

In 2010, the PP&L "rate caps" expired in PA. These kept the rates in PA at 1996 levels, with the promise of deregulation and competition in the future. Well, guess what? The future came yesterday. Along with a major headache and a waste of about four hours I'll never get back. And a savings of...$0!!!!!

The theory is, you are supposed to be able to shop for the lowest price in generation, encouraging competition and prices to drop...all things a good little conservative like me wants. Let the market regulate itself, right? Capitalism is something I firmly believe in.

Well, this time it bit me firmly in the bum. The prices went up, the demand stayed the same, and no new players came to the party to encourage this competition. So I've spent hours trying to find a lower price on our new electric service, only to find, there's only ONE electric service. The most expensive one on the block. *sigh*

So my beloved capitalism, I will wait patiently for you to work your magic. I will check, every two months, to see if another supplier is available for my energy. I will be relentless!!!!!

I will go back to packing, nursing my poor, aching head.