Pennies from heaven...

A friend of mine recently had problems acquiring a house.

She didn't have enough money.

It's not that she started off without enough money, but what she had was just enough to get her through. Naturally, no unexpected costs would creep up. I never thought I'd offer up Dave Barry as a source of wisdom, but his comments on home buying really grip the imagination.

I'll not be quoting him, lest he lack a sense of humor and sue, but the idea that he just walk in and hand over all liquid assets, including blood, at the closing bears a strong resemblance to mine own experience at the closing for my house.

Caveat Emptor. Loosely translated: "let the buyer empty his wallet."