Plumbing Nightmare

There are two things that strike fear in my heart; plumbing problems and car problems. In fact, a dear friend of mine and i agreed that the main reason to get married would be to have a husband to deal with these issues. Sadly, my husband is very good at relegating the problems back to me. The kitchen sink has reared its ugly head and backed up, thus causing the washing machine to overflow. I called the plumber who ran his little "snake machine" only to find that the plug was still there. Today he is running some other expensive machine through the pipes, but he has warned us that he thinks the pipe has deteriorated to the point of non-existence. We are now talking about jackhammers destroying whatever potion of my house that sits over the disgusting pipe. Dollar bill signs are dancing before my eyes. Also, with no washing machine, i am facing going to the laundry mat with tons of clothes to wash.. the picture doesn't get much grimmer as far as i am concerned. So are the joys of house ownership!