Moth and rust

Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. Matthew 6:19

Today's post begins with a quote from Jesus Christ and is taken from His Sermon on the Mount. Tomorrow's post particularly is going to have a spiritual bent to it. But, fear not, Discerning Pagan Reader, it is not my goal to proselytize you here, I'm not going to go all preachy on you and I won't be taking up an offering at the end.

But, hey, it's Christmas and I'm a Christian, so a little discussion of matters of faith are in keeping with the season and with how I am experiencing my Best Year Ever. Be sure to check back tomorrow for my exploration of all things theological. Today we're going to stay on safe and politically correct ground and consider something we can all agree on--how much it stinks when expensive stuff breaks.

Things have been falling apart at our house at an alarming rate in the last few days. The moths and rust have been busy, even if the thieves have stayed away.

First I drowned my iPod. I was scrubbing the bathroom while listening to the Film Sack podcast. I bent over and my pod slipped out of my breast pocket and into a full bucket of steaming water.

My poor pod didn't take well to its new aquatic environment, and it hasn't worked since. Sometimes it shows signs of life and random lines appear on my screen. Rarely a sketch of an anthropomorphic pod with a frowny face and x's for eyes pops up. Apple thinks of everything.

For me this is a real tragedy. Friends have been consoling and have offered all kinds of helpful advice on how to revive my iPod, but my pod apparently isn't the Lazarus model, and it has so far resisted all attempts at resuscitation.

Writer David Sedaris was recently interviewed about audio books and in passing said this about his iPod: "I often believe that nobody could appreciate the iPod more than me. I think that it was invented especially for me. I would fight for my iPod like I wouldn't fight for my freedom." That's how I feel too, but new iPods aren't in the BYE budget, so I'm going to be living pod-free for now.

Cost of dead iPod: $145.00

Then a headlight on the Hyundai burned out.

Cost to replace dead headlight: $21.79

Over the last few days the shower in the master bathroom has been dripping. This is the first plumbing issue I've faced in our three years in the Bayberry estate. I'm no handyman, but after arming myself with authoritative knowledge gained from a few short video clips done by some yahoos on YouTube, I thought I was ready to replace the cartridge myself. I didn't get far before I realized I was out of my depth. With visions of flooding dancing in my head, I called in a plumber. The job took him about five minutes and it really was as simple as the YouTube videos made it seem. The plumber was kind enough not to laugh at me when he saw the partially disassembled shower, and he told me to look over his shoulder so I do the job myself the next time.

Tuition for shower fixing school: $144

Total moth and rust damage this week: $310.79

As long as we're talking about debits and credits, let's take a look at the other side of the tally sheet. Recently I told you about our Thrift Store Christmas. Our accidental visit to a thrift store has made me fascinated and enchanted with them.

My "fat boy" jeans are now too big for me and my old "not-quite-so-fat boy" jeans are still a little tight, so I went to a nearby thrift store in search of "new" jeans. I found two pairs of jeans (Chaps and Izod) that were in mint condition and fit me perfectly.
While I was there, I also found a like-new Abercrombie and Fitch flannel shirt. The total for all three items was $16.64 with the shirt being the most expensive item by far. I priced all three items when I got home and determined that it would set me back about $130 to buy them new at a department store.

But I'm discovering that there's a strange kind of karmic bonus that goes along with shopping at these places. The last two times I've been to a thrift store, my already deeply discounted purchases have been further discounted in unusual ways.

The first time, the woman ahead of me was paying with a store credit slip, and she was in a hurry to pick up her daughter from ballet practice. She had a couple of dollars left on her credit after her purchase but couldn't wait for the store manager to come to the register to adjust the balance and issue a fresh credit slip. She asked the cashier to apply the remaining balance to my items.

Then yesterday when I got home with my "new" jeans, I noticed something was in one of the pockets. It was three dollars wrapped up in a drugstore receipt.

I'm winning!