Smilingcat, when I read your original post, it sounded like something I would write. I HATE spending money! Fortunately, I haven't had appliances issues, but I live in an eighty something year old house (no problem with door hardware and we have original cabinets in the kitchen still), but we need to upgrade the insulation (cha ching), and we put in a really efficient wood burning stove insert (our furnace is old and pretty much due to die at any time; while the wood burning stove is more a luxury than a necessity, it is a back up furnace and good peace of mind) (CHA CHING), then we got a great deal on a trip to Maui (free lodging and one plane ticket free from my credit card points) - let me tell you, there is NO good deal on a trip to Maui. The trip was great and fun and fabulous, but holy cow! It was EXPENSIVE! ....and we even cooked most of our own meals there! I laid awake last night ruminating over all the money I have spent in the last couple of months... now I'm sleepy and grumpy. Since misery loves company, I'm glad to hear others are frustrated about how much it costs to live.