Archive for the ‘Home Ownership’ Category

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Living the High Life on Less


13 May

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Posted in Finances, Home Ownership | Comments Off

This thread comes from an article about how to live a six-figure lifestyle on $30k/year. One thing this article does not address is cost of living. Nor, on his biggest purchase, does he offer definitions.

And it really is the housing purchase he talks about that gets to me. There are houses available in my neighborhood for $85k, when most of the houses average over $200k. But they are manufactured homes, or in such bad shape that you can’t move in right away, or they are tiny. That’s what I really want to know- how big is his “big home”?

Ode to a Quiet Saturday


01 May

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Posted in Anime, Dogs, Food, Home Ownership, House work, Pets | Comments Off

Every once in a while, its nice to have a quiet day. Yesterday we did laundry and dishes, changed the light fixture in our room. We only left the house to take the dogs to the dog park.  Dinner was simple pot stickers and rice, and the evening ended watching the anime series Fruit’s Basket.

It was just one of those days that we really needed to wind down, after a couple weeks of being really social and having places to be.

And, there is nothing that makes me smile at the end of a day more than sleeping puppies.

Life happens when its the most inconvenient


13 Apr

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Posted in Budgeting, Car repair, Finances, Home Ownership | Comments Off

I had a plan for this week, a very good plan. Then the work in the basement took a day longer to complete, and there was an error in the verification of our taxes, so those took a day longer to submit.

In addition, we had an appointment scheduled for the car to get an oil change on Thursday, because I need to do some running around for work today. But on Tuesday night, the check engine light came on. So now the car is going in to the shop today, and I’ll be getting a loaner from the dealership.

Rent vs Buy


25 Mar

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Posted in Finances, Home Ownership | Comments Off

I had a hard time trying to decide what to post about this week. I chose the “Never own a home again” thread because it addresses a question I think a lot of people are considering right now.

Each person should make their own decisions about owning vs. renting. We own. Part of that is peace of mind. Yes, we’ll have taxes and insurance, but having no other housing costs once we retire seems pretty ideal. In addition, we have dogs, which always makes it harder to get the deposit back when you rent, adding to the long term costs.

Home Invasion


24 Mar

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Posted in Home Ownership | Comments Off

We have ants. This is not new. Twice a year, spring and fall, they invade.

The problem with sugar ants is that while they do go after food, simply keeping the kitchen clean and food sealed away does not get rid of them or keep them away. They take over. We have ants in the kitchen, the bedrooms, and the bathroom.

Plus, they stink like crazy when you kill them.

We haven’t called an exterminator before because of the dogs, but this year, they’re really getting to me, and I’ve found a place that claims to use pet friendly techniques.

 

California Dreaming


23 Mar

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Posted in Budgeting, Finances, Home Ownership, Travel | Comments Off

I recently planned a vacation we will never take. Well, never may be a strong word, but the likelihood is probably 15% or less.

I like planning. I like dreaming. I know how much we can technically afford, and I love the idea of going places.

So why won’t we take the trip? Mostly because the money we have would be better spent preventing the basement from flooding, paying for college, or saving for a trip to Europe in a couple of years.

Still, I like my $1,000 dream, and will hold on to it for a day or two.

 

Oscar Alternatives


28 Feb

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Posted in Home Ownership, Television | Comments Off

I used to love award shows, especially the music award shows, but I watched them all. Now, I pretty much avoid award shows. I just do not find them that interesting. I can always look on the internet the next morning to find out who won what. And with youtube, I can generally go find any performance that I might have really wanted to see.

Luckily, other networks tend to show marathons during awards shows, so I get to watch Mike Holmes fix people’s houses, which I find a lot more interesting that finding out which movie Hollywood liked best.

 

I want a beach house


27 Jan

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Posted in Finances, Home Ownership | Comments Off

I have this love of looking at real estate. Not too far from where I live is the coast. And at the coast, the market is as depressed or more so than it is here. That means that when I do a search for houses that have at least 4 bedrooms and cost under $100k in that area, I get 20 results.

Most need some work. But a 1913, 5 bedroom, 2.75 bath house near the beach for $64,900- I’ll take that, thanks.

Then I remember that we’ve been hit by the recession too, and I go back to looking.

Flooding


22 Dec

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Posted in Home Ownership, House work, Yard Work | Comments Off

Hydrostatic water pressure is one of my least favorite phrases because if I’m using it, it means my basement has flooded, again. One of the first times it flooded, we thought a pipe had burst because water was geysering up around a pipe. No, just that much water pressure in the ground.

Two years ago the city made improvements to our neighborhood to help with flooding. It appears to have made it worse in our house. Now, we have water coming in from two places, the new one in the finished portion of the basement. Time for a professional opinion.

Being Thankful


25 Nov

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Posted in Finances, Food, Friendship, Home Ownership, Marriage, Pets, Relationships, Work | 1 Comment »

I am thankful for a wonderful husband, two sweet and cuddly (if not always good) dogs, loving parents, a brother who I may not always agree with, and good friends. I am thankful for the roof over our heads, the good job that helps keep it there, and the bounty in our lives that we are able to share with loved ones.

Recently I have been a little too stressed, too caught up in everything. Today, I take the time to remind myself exactly how wonderful my life is. Sometimes, 100 words isn’t  enough, but it will have to do.

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100 Words On

topics explored in exactly 100 words