My family doesn’t go out to eat very often.
I live with my wife, and our three kids, but her parents also live with us.
Taking 7 people out for a nice dinner is shockingly expensive these days, which means all of our big meals are made right here at home. Thankfully my wife and her father are both amazing cooks, so the meals always taste great. A few months ago we started having problems with the ventilation system in the kitchen. The air ducts leading out of the range hood were so old and dirty they were basically useless. I tried my hand at cleaning the ductwork, but when pieces of it started breaking off in my hands I knew we needed professional help. It turned out that the ductwork in the kitchen was as old as the house, meaning it was 40 years old. The house itself is still in amazing condition, but the ductwork should have been replaced many years ago. Sadly, the cost to have the air ducts in the kitchen replaced was more than I anticipated. The HVAC contractor I worked with offered me a payment plan, so I could pay for half the cost up front, and make monthly payments on the balance. It only took him one day to remove the range hood, take out the air ducts and air vents, and replace everything with brand new equipment and parts. The new ventilation system in the kitchen was a hefty expense, but considering how much we cook at home, I like to think of it as an investment.