Time to pay the stupid tax!

[Ember]

*sigh*

DH and I went out for a lovely afternoon. Only to discover that we both left our keys at home. A call to the locksmith got us into our home, at a cost of $150.

Not a huge deal or a major crisis, but it was just really annoying to have to pay $150 because we apparently didn't turn on our brains before walking out the door!

Please make me feel better, when was the last time you had to pay the stupid tax?

 

[OrangeCountyCommuter]

I paid an electrician to discover my issue was I didn't plug something in

 

[Narnia_girl]

*sigh*

DH and I went out for a lovely afternoon. Only to discover that we both left our keys at home. A call to the locksmith got us into our home, at a cost of $150.

Not a huge deal or a major crisis, but it was just really annoying to have to pay $150 because we apparently didn't turn on our brains before walking out the door!

Please make me feel better, when was the last time you had to pay the stupid tax?

Sorry for that! When I was a summer intern at a newspaper, making $4 an hour I locked my keys in the car. It costs me $20 for a locksmith and all I could think of was how many hours I had to work to pay for it!

 

[si-am]

I paid an electrician to replace a hard-wired smoke detector that wouldn't stop beeping, only to discover it was the carbon monoxide detector (plugged into a wall socket) that was beeping because the battery was low. $150 gone when all I needed to do was replace the $4 batteries in the other alarm!

Beyond mad at the electrician who allowed the whole fiasco to happen, too!

 

[MomToOne]

I once paid $150 for a plumber to come find the source of a leak in my basement - on the 4th of July none the less - only to discover it was due to the neighbor's leaving a hose on overnight, flooding their backyard and it starting to seep into my basement. He found the "source" of the leak by looking over the fence

 

[Ember]

I paid an electrician to discover my issue was I didn't plug something in

My mother once called her brother over to look at her car because the car wouldn't start after a vacation. Turns out, she had been driving an automatic car while on holiday for two weeks and now that she was back in her standard she had forgotten to put the clutch in!

 

[teedisney]

I Paid $15 to efile a $12 state tax return.

 

[khaoskat]

I got locked out twice thanks to something like that. The second was also a result of my husband not putting the key box on the garage.

You can purchase a key lock box that has a combination code on it, that you can screw into your wood/frame of the house, and keep a spare key in that...

 

[dpswift]

I paid an electrician to discover my issue was I didn't plug something in

A similar thing happened with DH. He went to use his air compressor and when it did not work he loaded it into my car to take in. The repairman looked it over and said there was nothing wrong with it. The problem turned out to be the outlet DH used. Of course I was the one that looked stupid.

 

[Hofmanns4]

After DH kicked in the back door when we locked ourselves out, we bought the keypad deadbolts from Lowes. Now, we have not had house keys in over 6 years and could not be happier. We have one code that only we know and another in case of emergency that we can give someone to get in.

They are about $100 and I can't imagine having to carry a house key again.

 

[My3Princez]

I'm constantly locking my keys inside, so we have a realtor's lock box on our door. Cost about $25 at Target. Gets used REAGULARLY!

 

[hsmamato2]

those are good ideas...about the extra keys,etc. I don't always like Dave Ramsey, but that phrase "stupid Tax' is definitely a favorite! It's kind of a way to put the dumb thing into perspective, figure you have to pay for 'stupid' sometimes,and move on

 

[wiigirl]

I Paid $15 to efile a $12 state tax return.

Me too...

 

[hlg22]

Several years ago, I was moving across country after college and a friend decided to drive with me and make a trip out of it. We'd stopped somewhere in Idaho for lunch, and when we got back in the car, it wouldn't start. So I call AAA, we wait and wait, and finally the tow truck guy arrives. Two seconds later, my car is running, and he is chuckling. Turns out...the car wasn't totally in "Park," which is why it wouldn't start. My friend had actually suggested I make sure it was really in park when I was trying to start it, and I'd jiggled the gear shift and couldn't move it...because I didn't have my foot on the brake. Oops. At least it only cost me one of my yearly AAA visits.

 

[GusGus77]

Last night I went to leave the house and the key wouldn't turn in the ignition. Then the wheel locked up. I was imagining a very expensive bill and having to get the car towed. My Dh tried, too, and it didn't work. I needed to be somewhere, so I grabbed the keys for the other car. That car wouldn't unlock with the clicker. I was ready to have a meltdown when I looked at the keys. Um, wrong car. I was trying to open Dh's car with my keys and yup, you guessed it, start my car with dh's keys. No wonder they wouldn't turn in the ignition!!!!!! Glad we figured that out before we called to get the van towed!!!! So just got out of paying the stupid tax on that one, but I doubt Dh will let me forget it anytime soon!!!

 

[mommy2twingles]

went down to the basement the other week and saw water all over the floor appearing to come from the water heater. Replaced the water heater and thought everything was good. Turns out it was the air conditioning unit next to it that had tripped the circuit and was not draining.

 

[Claire&TheBoys]

Last fall we were at Animal Kingdom and my phone was in the bottom of my "park purse." The corner of my wallet or keys or something pushed some buttons and wound up going to some website. When I discovered it, I cancelled out, but got a text message back stating "thanks for subscribing, text STOP to end." Right away I texted back STOP and didn't think any more about it. When I got my next bill, it was higher than usual, so I looked and I'd been charged something like $20 for "subscribing" to the service, plus another few dollars for the data in the message. I planned to pay it as "stupid tax" but decided to call Verizon and have internet access blocked from my phone so it wouldn't accidentally happen again. The guy I talked to actually reversed the charges for me and was really nice about it - and I didn't even ask him to do it. He said he was happy to do it for me since I hadn't called mad and screaming about these charges.

I won't mention that he totally screwed up my phone settings and I had to go to my local Verizon office to have it straightened out.

 

[jodifla]

After DH kicked in the back door when we locked ourselves out, we bought the keypad deadbolts from Lowes. Now, we have not had house keys in over 6 years and could not be happier. We have one code that only we know and another in case of emergency that we can give someone to get in.

They are about $100 and I can't imagine having to carry a house key again.

yes, we have this too. Fabulous and can't believe we waited so long to put one in.

 

[LynnTH]

After DH kicked in the back door when we locked ourselves out, we bought the keypad deadbolts from Lowes. Now, we have not had house keys in over 6 years and could not be happier. We have one code that only we know and another in case of emergency that we can give someone to get in.

They are about $100 and I can't imagine having to carry a house key again.

We also have this. So nice. Especially don't have to worry about the kids always having a key. Have not used a key once for house. Best thing ever...

 

[LisaInNc]

I had to get into my house today through a random open window and a rickety ladder not once but TWICE!!!

My house is old and the front door lock randomly broke this morning. After doing a small errand at 6:30 I got him and could not unlock the front door. It was not going to yield with a key. I checked all the other doors hoping, praying someone had been irresponsible.

Nope!

Of course this is the ONE time I run out without my cell phone or I would have called a locksmith or a professional criminal if I knew one.

The house is like Fort Knox except for this one window. It's almost ever opened but I did it right before I left the house, almost like Karma was giving me a hand.

My heart was thumping I was sure I was going to kill myself but I got in safely.

Then in a flurry of trying to bring lunch hot to my husbands office I ran out at 12 and SLAMMED the DAMN DOOR SHUT again!

Ohhhhh good God I had to break in again. The ladder I used was a shabby sheik one I bought to hold plants not to break into houses. I did not think it would hold me.

There is a word for what happened twice but I refuse to use it. So yes....paid a tax. I did!

Feel free to laugh I completely deserve this one!

Lisa