I’m currently experiencing one of those rare (and probably fleeting) times when I feel like I am not in financial ruin. This unfamiliar sensation started on Thursday, when I found out from my loan officer that my appraisal had been revised and now shows a higher value for my home. This change means my refinance can go through as planned, and a $200 monthly savings is in my near future. (Take that, bitch-cow appraiser!)

To make a good situation even better, when the loan officer was updating my loan, she made what appears to be a clerical error and now, for reasons that are slightly fuzzy to me, I’ll be getting $1200 back at closing. I probably should look into this a little more, but at the moment I am content to keep my mouth shut, pay $6 more a month for my loan, and pocket the cash. And speaking of cash, it also appears that when the loan closes that magical thing will happen where I somehow don’t have to make a mortgage payment for one month. Add to all of this the fact that I got my tax refund on Friday, and I’m basically rolling in money.

Historically, I am not good at rolling in money. The urge to spend becomes overwhelming, and while I haven’t done anything too rash (yet) the desire is certainly there. For example, I suddenly feel like I can’t go another minute without an iPhone.

Side note: Interestingly, an iPhone wouldn’t be the worst thing for me to buy. I get a reimbursement from work for my cell phone bill and, because of some administrative screw up by AT&T that I have tried in vain to sort out, every month I pay my bill, and every month they send me a check refunding it. So, between the reimbursement and the refund, I am actually making money each month on my cell phone.

(The above side note is clearly the groundwork of an elaborate effort to ultimately justify the purchase of an iPhone).

What I really should, and hopefully will, use this money for is to deal with the issues in the main bathroom of my house. A full remodel would be great. Fixing the gaping hole in the wall and repairing the broken pipe so I could, I don’t know, actually shower in it is pretty much a necessity.

Even knowing that I must use my money for this bathroom project, I couldn’t help but sign Kabluey and I up for an year-long membership to the Hopworks Mug Club. We go to Hopworks pretty frequently, and will probably increase our appearances there over the summer, when we can walk the pups there and sit outside while we drink a beer. There are assorted perks to the club, including 21oz beers for the price of 16oz, special parties and exclusive beers. But best of all, we both got free (loose interpretation of that word) t-shirts! And anyone who knows me knows that I will do just about anything for a t-shirt.

Tags: Home refinance, Hopworks, tax refund