I truly feel for you! Have you looked at everything you can do to reduce your utility bills? My phone company doesn't advertise it, or even show it on their rates and plans page, but most have a rate plan for people who don't make a lot of calls, also for those who qualify for "lifeline" service. I have a bare-bones, minimal service plan (30 calls/month) which is only $17/month after all taxes & fees. I buy a phone card ($0.03/min) to use for long distance. If I didn't need or want the landline, I would just have a prepaid cell phone ($15/month). Also if you are using a cable service and tell them that you are dropping it because you can't afford it, they will usually offer you a lower price. I can do without TV cable but wouldn't want to give up internet at home because of my job. If I weren't working, I could do without. Since you have access to the internet, it is worth it also to check www. (yourtown or state)gasprices.com to get the least expensive gas in your area, if it is available where you live. I have figured that for my car, it is worth it to drive 10 extra miles for a full fill-up if I can save over 12 cents/gallon. Prices around here routinely range 30-40 cents from cheapest to highest. There are companies that buy households of furniture as well -- usually they also will run tag sales. But, I don't think you would get as much from them as if you sold it for yourself. Don't forget your local newspaper classifieds. Also you can sell furniture on ebay. That is where I got my china cabinet and buffet. I drove about 75 miles to get them. If you go for listing on craigslist--go to gmail and set up an email that you will use just for that, and set it up so that it doesn't show your real name when you reply. You will get some obvious spam responses to your ads (don't even open those), as well as people who are not really interested but "just want to look". You can usually weed them out with a few questions before you set an appointment and give them directions. If you post good pictures (most people post horrible pictures that show no details; they need to be close-ups), and offer to send more if requested, you will get some who are sure that they want to buy the item; deal with those folks. Get some trusted help to move the item out to the porch or driveway for the buyer to see and pick up if at all possible. Avoid letting people into your house. Don't let people know that you live there alone -- mention your son whether he exists or not. I have had good luck selling excess plants and starts on craigslist; I just price at about half of the local nurseries. $1-$4 depending on the type and size of plant. I will usually make $200 before I get tired of the "just want to look"ers and no-shows and quit for the year. Hope some of that was helpful. Best wishes.

I have now disconnected the outlet. It will take a week or so for the cattle to figure out the fence is off. It only pulls 1/8 of an amp, but it can knock the balls off a bull. They'll leave it alone till one of the stupider ones says "Hey y'all watch this!" My pump is rated at 8.5/17A, With a meter I got 7A startup and 6A running on 240. I will get to work on reconnecting the wiring for 120 and see how the pump functions. Should I change to a 30A breaker at the box? The wiring is 10 AWG but the installed breaker is 20A DP. I keep hearing that the pump will run "better" on 240, but nobody seems to be able to tell me what is "better". Someone told me it would save energy at 240 since it draws half the amps, but it seems to me the watts would be the same. Someone else told me will run hot and burn up sooner on 120, but someone else told me that would only occur if I wired a pump designed for 240 as 120. This is an AO Smith motor designed to run on EITHER 120 or 240. I tried to get a solid answer from the manufacturer, but AO Smith doesn't answer inquiries for end users, they refer you to dealer/installers for advice. All of the disagreeeing "someones" above are AO Smith dealer/installers... BTW, the guy who added the illegal receptacle in the first place was an electrician. I'm learning not to trust local professionals, I get better advice from strangers on the internet. My dad used to say, when in doubt, ask a whole lot of people and average the answers. Thanks y'all!

Or because you trusted what you saw online vs. a chip in your hand and a sample in your own space, you missed out on a legitimate contender for a pretty gold. Because you have zero information about the quality of the actual photo, the camera used, the lighting or how the file was saved for the web - or even if the paint color was correctly identified. I can't say it enough, that there is absolutely nothing about viewing color on a monitor that is trustworthy or useful. Anything's possible of course but I think tell ten or so photos I looked at that all told the same story...were likely telling a similar story. I need all the help I can get and online research is the second tool in the toolbox after my fandecks. I look for multiple photos of any color I'm considering and use them to help me narrow down my options, since I'm not inclined to put up a million samples, especially since I'm now paying $10 a sample (!!!) Once my options are a bit narrower, I go to tool 3, start sampling. Unfortunately I can't commit to every chip... I'm now on my fourth gold sample...$40 down the drain already, and I haven't even lifted up a roller, all from small chips I thought looked perfectly nice in the space. I have an unfortunate combo of good color sensitivity and pickiness with low prediction of how a paint chip will translate to an entire room. And laziness over painting, which I detest.

I've taken a lot of risks with my life and career. I also work in a field that is "risky" in that it isn't that "safe"--the pay is low, and a lot of jobs dry up and there is big turnover as folks burn out. I've seen a lot of folks come and go professionally, so I would advise you to think carefully about what the risks really are in a job offer. Some places will sell you a song and dance about how exciting and "cutting edge" your job will be, and in reality, they are hanging by a thread financially and when the time comes, first hired, first cut. Does the job you are being offered have a history of constant turn over? If so, why? Do you have the stomach for what it might take to stick with it? For example, I once got a job offer at a place that had just gone through an awful, awful financial crisis and staff turnover. But the new guy they had hired to be in charge inspired in me a strong feeling of real confidence. So I made the decision based on that, and I have no regrets. To me, that one really wasn't that risky, but others on the outside might have seen it as such. Turned out to be the toughest yet best job I ever had. Creative, risk-taking folks will often hire someone out of the blue, maybe someone low on experience but high on naive enthusiasm. They will let you go just as impetuously, so watch out for that. If it sounds to good to be true, it probably is. I wouldn't recommend moving across country for a risky job if I had a home and a lot of belongings. A friend and I both took "jobs of a lifetime" to move back home from out East at about the same time, and in both cases it didn't pan out. Luckily, we both rented out our houses instead of selling them so we were able to push the "reset" button much more easily than if we had put all our eggs in the risky basket. So think about that aspect and come up with a plan for how you could handle that risk. When analyzing risk, IMHO, the biggest risks are with the team of folks you will be working with. Are they committed to you? If not, can you deal with that? Folks in stable work environments often are much more committed to each other than the high turnover professions. Always have a plan B, but dedicate yourself to plan A. Twice now I have quit jobs without having one to go to, which is a risky situation. But I evaluated the "cost" of staying, and I realized that the opportunities, reputation and time lost staying with those unprofessional organizations was too high a price to pay for the steady pay check. No matter what, I realized that in the long run I would be better cutting my losses. Both times everyone around me said it was "too risky" to quit a job without having one to go to. But having followed the course of the jobs I quit, I know for sure it was the right decision. Don't turn down a "risky" job because it is unconventional, but do turn down a great job offer if you don't feel a strong sense that you want to be part of the team offering you the job. Check out references for other folks who have worked for and with the team offering you the risky job. Or if you don't care about the team and want to go "lone wolf" then make sure you are up for the journey! In today's day and age, professional growth is always a good thing! I would say anything that promotes professional growth is a good risk, but that's not the same as evaluating a job offer. Be realistic about what you and the organization you would be working for can accomplish. Just make sure to look beyond the hype before you leap. Better IMHO to think about where you are in terms of professional growth instead of risks in jobs. I always try to keep my eye on where I am professionally--am I being creative, learning new things, feeling positive about going to work every day? If not, then whatever I can do to change that situation, I am going to give it a try! In that case, whatever the outcome, I have practically nothing to lose and much to gain. If the risky job doesn't pan out, you can still pursue the growth you desire along another channel that will open up.