Sheila invited me to a preliminary meeting with a landscape architectural firm she has hired to revamp their yard. Part of the plan includes a new fence which separates our yards. We’ve been repairing the existing fence for the last few years hoping to extend its life. The time has come to replace the fence which has started to look rather sad. Tom and Sheila are in a better financial position now that new tenants are moving into their office building. They’ve pulled the trigger on updating the landscape. I would prefer to wait a bit longer since it seems like I’m constantly dealing with outbound cash flow. The new fence comes on the cusp of spending thousands for the new roof and the upcoming tax bill.
The meeting went well. Sheila has some great ideas for a really cool fence. The designer expects the fence to cost at least $100 per linear foot. Yikes! The current fence between the yards is ninety-six feet long. Do the math. It’s a lot of money. The fence will be a good investment and will add a certain panache to the back yard. I will have three different fence styles unless I spend the extra money to replace the existing north and south fences. Keeping the existing north and south fences could make the yard look like a dog’s breakfast when the new fence is installed. The new fence endeavor could turn into a major expense that I was not planning on incurring this year.
The good thing is that I can raid my savings account for the new fence without touching my emergency fund. The bad thing is I’ve haven’t been able to replenish my savings after buying K out of the house. I’ve always been a saver so I get anxious when funds keep flying out the door. I guess I have to get used to it.