A vinyl siding contractor stopped by my house to tell me that they would be in the area next month and wanted to know if I wanted a free estimate on what it would cost to install vinyl siding on my home. I figured since they said it was free, I might as well have them do it. I did not think that I could afford to have them do it, but at least I would know how much it might cost me if I could do it in the future.

This same kind of thing happened last year, when a contractor that installed replacement windows knocked on my door and explained that they were just out in the neighborhood doing free estimates. When he came back up to my door, from figuring how much it would cost to put in replacement windows, I knew that I could actually afford it, and he did the work later that week.

If the vinyl siding contractor comes up with a really low number, then I might be able to get my parents to loan me the money to have the siding put on until I get my end of the year bonus. It would only be a three month loan, and they know that I will pay them back.