Money For Nothing

My house came with an annoying thing in the garage. It was a water softener, which I had no use for. I drink tap water which I prefer without added salt, so I shut off the softener. It has sat in my garage for the last eight years.

It still annoyed me, though. It took up space and presented a challenge in maneuvering my car into the garage. I was also forced to park too close to my other car, which has resulted in my cars dinging each other.

I wanted to be rid of the softener, but I would have had to hire a plumber to disconnect it and someone else to haul it away. It was never a priority, plus I was too cheap to spend the money.

Then, one day I got a letter from the water company. They wanted to pay people to get rid of their water softeners. They would not only remove it for free, but pay the value of the machine. It sounded too good to be true. I downloaded a form, filled it out and mailed it to them. They responded that they would give me $275 for my worthless piece of junk water softener. Woohoo!

The annoying thing is now gone and I'm so happy about the extra room. Even if I never get the check, I'll be happy. It cost me nothing to do something that I've wanted to do for years. I do feel a little guilty, using the water company that way, but it won't stop me from cashing the check.