We’re broke.  There’s plenty to be done and no money to pay anyone to do it.  I don’t want to sound like a whiner.  We have a beautiful home and studio. It’s livable and can be made even more livable with just a little sweat equity.  But, we’ve got to slow down a bit and pay off some debt and put our financial house in order.  Lisa is on it and encouraging me to spend as little as possible.  We have pretty much stopped dining out.  I’m using freecycle like crazy getting rid of stuff and getting stuff that we need.  I’m thinking more creatively about how to reuse wood and cabinets and materials.  I’m keeping my eyes peeled on craigslist and ebay for things we need... and I’m loving it.

It feels kinda cool to avoid buying things (although I desperately need an iPhone-- if anybody wants to get me one, just shoot me an email and I’ll tell you where to send it)  Don’t worry, we’ve been fully engaged in the economy for a full year during this remodel, buying everything in sight.  Probably bought about $300,000 worth but now it’s time to stop and start using what’s already here.  It feels great!  I shoulda been doing this for the last 20 years, I’d be rich.