My husband completed a bathroom remodel job today. The customer had ordered a $5,000 24k gold-plated and crystal bathroom sink. They also ordered a $1,500 shower fixture. DH was sweating bullets while handling and installing these and other expensive items, afraid he would scratch or damage them. I can't imagine us having to replace them if he had damaged them. That would have been seriously depressing. Thankfully, nothing happened.

I also can't imagine how rich I'd have to be before I felt like spending that much money on a sink. Don't think I'd ever want to, no matter how much I had.

The bill for the local builders' exchange membership came due, and I finally decided to cancel our membership rather than pay it. We'd been members for many years. Except for one or two small jobs they referred to us quite a long time ago, we haven't acquired any work through them. The only benefit we have been receiving through them is a discounted group rate on our workers comp. insurance. The other day I pulled up a report in Quickbooks and did some math. I calculated that, because we haven't had much payroll the past six or so years and, therefore, didn't get much of a workers comp. discount, we could have been saving about $375/year by NOT being a member of the builders' exchange and switching our workers comp. to an individual policy. I've been kicking myself for not bothering to do the math sooner. But what's done is done, and all I can do is add this to my list of financial blunders and move on. At least it felt good ripping up the membership bill and tossing it in the garbage.