I stumbled into my apartment at 12:30 a.m. today, dragging/lugging about 60 pounds of luggage from the plane to the train to the downtown bus. It might have been half an hour sooner but I just missed the train, which meant I just missed the bus and had to wait another 37 minutes.
I just missed them because I stopped to help a young mother with her two-under-two kids when we got off the plane. They’d been sitting next to me, apparently on their way to what cartoonist Scott Adams called the Colicky Baby Convention. They were like family, especially since the 5-month-old had thrown up on me during the flight.
The house-sitter had decamped more than three weeks early, saying he’d gotten a job offer in a different state. But before he left, he’d made his mark on the place:
- Jammed all my clothes to the far right of the closet, and left them that way when he removed his own garments
- Cleared everything off my desk – I still can’t find my container of frugal note paper (i.e., cut-up junk mail)
- Moved my shopping cart from behind the couch to the entry closet – I have no idea why
- Took my stepladder from its spot near the front door and put it in a corner – ditto
- Rearranged a chair and a filing cabinet – maybe the feng shui was wrong?
Other things had been moved around, too – minor changes, really, but noticeable enough to disturb my own inner feng shui. Since I was too wired-up to sleep anyway – a late-night ride on the #358 will do that to you – I puttered around putting things back the way they should be. It was past 2 a.m. when I finally went to bed.
On the bright side, the house-sitter left the place clean and remembered to open a window for ventilation, as I’d asked. He also bought a knife to replace the one he somehow broke on a block of cheese. I don’t want any more details than that. You shouldn’t either.
Going through the mail I found a couple of frugal dammit! moments. Victoria’s Secret had sent its bimonthly coupon for a free pair of underpants, and it expired…Aug. 9. Additionally, I got a $3 rebate check that expired on July 23, just two months after it was issued – usually you get longer than that.
I may contact customer service to see if they’ll re-issue the check, and I may also take the VS coupon with me to the store with my boarding passes that show I was away all of June and July and didn’t return until the day the coupon expired. The worst that can happen is they’ll say “no.” Well, that’s the second-worst thing. The worst thing would be if they laughed hysterically before saying “no.”
Also in the mail were some coupons from Express, a place I never shop. Beats me why they sent them. One is good for $30 off a purchase of $75 or $15 off a $30 purchase, now through Aug. 29. The other is for $40 off a $100 purchase, Aug. 20-29 only. Both cards are good in-store or online.
But they’re no good for me because I don’t shop there. Anybody out there want them? If so, leave a comment below and I’ll let the random number generator sort it all out. Indicate whether you want one coupon or both. I’ll mail them out on Thursday.
Once I meet my deadlines and have picked some blackberries, I’ll be back to write some more. My arms will be scratched and my tongue will be purple, but that’s precisely the reason I’ll be in a much better mood.
Welcome home! BTW, if you shop Victoria’s Secret, that may be the reason you got the Express coupons. They used to both be owned by the same company, Limited Brands (VS is still owned by LB).
Stella: Thanks for clearing that up. 🙂
This post made me smile a lot. Glad you’re back! Even when you’re cranky you can make other people laugh.
I don’t shop at express either, so if your random number generator picks me, move on to the next person.
I don’t need the coupons either, but I did want to say Hi and Welcome back.
LOL! When my ex- and I used to travel (he liked to travel a lot) and we lived in the ever-yeasty downtown section of Phoenix, I used to say that every single time we came home, there would be SOMETHING.
The biggest set of somethings happened the time the house sitter got drunk, drove off the side of a road out in the desert, and killed himself and two young women who were in the car with him. Houses sitter was the ex-‘s lawfirm’s office manager.
Law partners, seeing that our cats were going to starve if something wasn’t done (we were in England for three months), put up a partner’s niece and her friend to stay in the house until we got back.
They stole checks out of my husband’s desk and cashed them for several hundred dollars. Stole a piece of luggage to pack for their own trip out of town. Trashed out house. Destroyed an expensive Copco dutch oven. And had a boyfriend who was a thief.
My father somehow got involved in this and became aware that they were a sleazy pair. He got wind that the girls were exiting shortly before we were due back in town. He realized they had clued the boyfriend about when the house would be vacant — and that they had given him a key. He stayed in the house without incident until we got home.
We get back; he tells us this story; my husband goes off to get us some food, since we realize we can’t leave the house unattended. And yup…within 20 minutes after the cars are gone from in front of the house, a guy shows up at the front door and tries to get in. He sure was surprised to find someone there!
Then there was the time we stupidly arranged for the painters to do the house while we were gone for a couple of days. They painted the black cat white.
I do want the express coupon…my bff is in love with an all wool jacket they have there and his b-day is coming up…..hoping the random generator picks me!
Would love the coupons! Could use some extra work clothes. Thanks for the offer!
If I win, please give to Sarah – she has an item already picked out to buy….meaningful purchases is what frugality is all about. I say, let’s support her!
@Susan: What a kind gesture. If I were there right now, I’d give you half of my chocolate-chip cookie. 🙂
Thanks for reading, and for leaving a comment.
Ahh… a frugal dammit minute!! As of late, I know all about those. My most fustrating was yesterday…. my little guy has been sick, so I let the mail stack up a few days…had to go and get him a perscription yesterday, and once he’s finally in bed, what do I see from CVS in that stack of mail? Get a perscription filled, get a $25 gift card… I nearly screamed. Luckily, I went in this morning, and they let me have it, anyway. Bless them. But those moments have happened too much as of late, especially with my overlooking coupons, and it just makes me so mad at myself.
Totally check on that VS coupon, I find a lot of places let you have the coupon even after the date by a day or two. A few even have things that say if they wern’t delivered in time, bring them in anyway. And call up that customer service for the rebate too, chances are they will reissue the check, that would be great!! I hope they do.
I hope my name is picked for the VS coupon and the other! Funny about Money, I loved your story. Donna, rest a few days if you can. I cannot understand your housesitter rearranging furniture for a few weeks stay. Weird.
It is 8:37 PM on August 11, 2010, not 1:37 am as my previous post states!
Even when things don’t quite go your way, you are witty and cute! The purple tongue thing made me smile!