Our newest toy!

I was lucky enough to receive a partial bonus from NYIF for the work that we did in 2008. We didn't make our sales target, but we were close enough to that sales target, and met several other goals that we'd set for ourselves, that we received about 70% of our bonus target.

In an earlier post, I mentioned that Carey had used some of that money on home improvements. While he was out on paternity leave, Carey attended a home show and won a free Home Energy Audit. Someone from our local power company came to the house and did a thorough inspection of our heating system and appliances for efficiency, and looked at our attic and windows/doors to determine where, if anywhere, we were losing heat. The HEA was eye-opening, to say the least. We received an Engineer's Report when we purchased our home, and in that report we were told that our attic could use some additional insulation, but it was not too urgent. Well, the Auditor took one look at our attic and said that the insulation was of such a low-grade that it was like we had no insulation at all. Carey crawled around in the attic with the Auditor, and he agreed that it was obvious that the insulation was thin and of low quality, not to mention that there were spots with no insulation at all!

So, when we found out that I would be receiving a bonus from work, we decided that having new insulation installed in the attic was a worthwhile investment and a good use of my bonus. Carey had a few contractors visit the house, and he received a very fair quote from a reputable local company who could install the new insulation on a day that worked for us. Perfect! So, on the day that I brought Abby into the city with me, Carey stayed home and had: contractors install new insulation in the attic; our furnace repairman install a new liner in the chimney (our old liner was breaking down, leaking heat and putting us at risk for a carbon dioxide leak); a septic tank specialist inspect and pump our septic tank; and our oil guy come with an oil delivery (we have oil heat). Carey said that, at one point in the morning, our entire street was blocked off because of the trucks sitting in front of our house! (Luckily for us, we have a short street that doesn't see much traffic...)

I can tell you with complete honesty: these home improvements have made a HUGE difference in our home. We noticed right away that our furnace doesn't kick on as much. We have a programmable thermostat that lowers the house temperature during the times when we're not home. We've noticed that, even when we lower the temperature on thermostat, the house temperature lowers at a much slower rate than it used to. Most obvious, however, is the fact that we are using oil at a much slower rate than we were before. Carey always says that he doesn't mind spending money if he knows that it will be saving us money in the future. I have to say, after seeing the outcome of the improvement made after our Home Energy Audit, I absolutely agree! If you're a home owner, I strongly suggest that you have an audit done for yourself. Certain parts of the audit are better performed during the winter months (it's easier to see heat escaping when it's below freezing outside), but the benefits of added insulation, etc. help maintain the temperature in your house throughout the year. (The Auditor said that improved insulation will lower the temperature in our house by approximately 5 degree during the summertime. The sun was beating down on our roof last summer, and that super heated air was seeping into the house. Now, the insulation will keep that hot air out of the house, thereby lowering our need to run our air conditioner all the time.)

After these home improvement projects and a small deposit into Abby's college fund, we still had some money leftover. Well, I had been begging Carey for a Nintendo Wii for at least a year and a half, and by the power of my negotiation skills (and the fact that I think he wanted it, too), I was able to convince Carey to let me buy a Wii! All I can say is: I LOVE IT! I also picked up a Wii Fit, so Carey and I are bowling, hula-hooping, boxing, skiing, and playing tennis several nights a week. It really is so much fun, and I love how, once you create your Mii, the Wii tracks your progress and helps you set goals for yourself. (Funny enough, when Bart and Melissa came over to the house before Easter, they each created a Mii, and Bart's looks EXACTLY like him. It's a bit scary!!!) So, below are a few pictures of Carey and I embarrassing ourselves while hula-hooping. Anyone who lives in our area: you're always welcome to stop by for a Wii party! :-)