Everything Is Broken

One of the many things I find frustrating about my current financial situation is that there are so many things we have to do without because we don't have the money to pay for them. The other day, I made a list of all the things in my house that are broken, need repair or need attention, and the list was quite long. Some are big things, and some are small, but it's frustrating to have an growing list of problems that I can't address because it all costs money. The problem is compounded, too, by the fact that I'm completely hopeless at fixing things around the house. I've tried, many times, and only seem to make things worse.

1. I haven't been to the dentist in four years.
   
2. My partner hasn't been to the dentist in four years.
   
3. I own a 30-year old convertible that can't be driven because it needs a few minor engine repairs and needs new tires. Since I can't afford the tires or the insurance, I filed a certificate of non-operation on the car. It has sat in the garage for seven years. I kept hoping I'd have the money someday to get it back on the road.
   
4. My truck needs new tires and can't be driven. They are bald. We aren't talking worn tread here, we are talking no tread.
5. Our $500 junker station wagon needs a new radiator, fan and fan housing It's leaking coolant, so we have to check it whenever we drive it, and carry water with us.
   
6. Our house desperately needs an exterior paint job.
7. Our driveway is full of cracks.
8. Our yard looks like an overgrown jungle. We can't garden because we are terribly allergic, and the next door neighbor kid isn't capable of doing much more than mowing the grass. We really could use a lawn service.
9. We need new carpet. The house had white carpet, and we knew it would be a problem when we moved in. The carpet is now really gross-looking, even though we have a shampooer. A wood floor would be so much better.
10. The house could stand an interior paint job.
11. There's a leak in the master bathroom shower. Water is seeping out one corner onto the floor and into the ajoining cabinet.
12. The shower head in the guest bathroom is broken.
13. The tub in the guest bathroom needs to be re-glazed.
    
14. Our "home theater" system (if you can call it that) no longer works. It turned 20 years old this year. The amplifier no longer powers up and the tape deck is malfunctioning.
15. Our birds haven't been to the vet for their annual checkups this year.
16. My partner sometimes misses her asthma medication because we don't always have money for the Rx co-pay, even though we do have insurance.
17. Our dishwasher rack is rusted out and needs to be replaced. (Better, we need a new dishwasher, because this one doesn't clean worth a darn)
    
18. Our chimney needs a visit from the chimney sweeper.
19. Our front and back yards really could use some landscaping.
20. The springs and the recliners in both the sofa and loveseat are broken.
    
21. We can't sit on one side of the sofa because the springs are so broken down that it's like sitting in a hammock.
    
22. The loveseat's stitching is coming apart in several places.
23. I need a new pair of comfortable dress shoes.
24. Our furnace needs a new filter.
25. The RV has a leaky roof.
26. The RV needs a new battery.
27. The RV needs new tires
28. The RV's hitch is rusty and needs to be repainted.
29. The house is a mess and we could really use the services of a professional organizer. The place is really too small for our needs, so it's like trying to cram 10 pounds of $h*t into a 5-pound bag!
30. The lock is broken on the guest bathroom window.

And the list just keeps growing...

UPDATE 9/19/2005: Although the list is growing, I've managed to actually cross a few items off the list...