We Made An Offer

by Andi B.

So this morning we put in an offer on a house. We've been attempting the house-hunting process essentially since September with limited to no success, but I'm really hopeful that this will be the end of our journey...at least the "find a house" stage.

There is nothing sane about buying a house in the current financial industry. When we lived in Vegas we knew we had no business buying a house, but no one cared and kept trying to sell us million-dollar condos. (Because they were only going to keep going up in value and we were going to be priced out of EVER getting a home.) We did everything right, and now when we've gone to buy a home we've been pooped on at every turn by a mortgage industry attempting to look intelligent.

Luckily, we have a wonderful broker and excellent realtor who have really gone out of their way to make our home buying happen. We're attempting to use funds from a special down payment assistance program, but there's a whopping four loans available for the entire county! We really need those funds so if you can keep a good thought for us we'd really appreciate it. :)

So we tried to put an offer in on "the" house, but someone else got their first. We found another house, that meets all of our qualification (although not all our dreams), and it's within our price range. A little dollhouse on a large lot that still looks like it's in 1950, it needs some work, but has a lot of potential. It will take at least a week for the bank to decide if they want to take our offer, so I'll keep you posted.

The Strangest Things Make Me Happy

by Andi B.

So today I realized grocery shopping makes me happy. Who knew? I've been incredibly stressed out with house hunting, preparing to launch Meal Plan Rescue, and once the dog puked on the carpet I had to get out of the house. Luckily, I needed to grocery shopping. As I walked back and forth through the aisles I felt an odd sense of calm. Everything around me was going crazy, but everything started to coalesce from random aisles and sales into meals and days and evenings with friends. I didn't even really care that I got a wedgie on the second aisle.

Luckily the grocery store buzz lasted through when I got home and discovered the garbage disposal broke and the sink was backing up. It's been a day, to say the least.

I wonder what other random things make people happy.

No more clues...we have a winner!

by Andi B.

After clues that led to additional responses of "couponing" and "a shopping list" came, Judy got the closest with "having a plan." My friend and I are launching a company on March 1st that offers seasonal weekly meal plans to the public for $5-8 a month. Each week, a meal plan based on healthy, in-season produce, containing 7 dinners and a dessert appears in your inbox. A shopping checklist is included for total convenience. We will have a vegetarian option, and plans designed around store sales to save you the most money.

So for guessing the closest, Judy Lee will receive a 3-month subscription to her choice of meal plans, and for guessing a shopping list (which is part of the plan) Crystal will get a 1-month subscription to a meal plan of her choice.

Over the next couple weeks we'll preview some of our favorite website features and tastiest recipes building up to our grand launch of Meal Plan Rescue, LLC. Thank you for your support!

Super Secret, Wonderful, Money-Saving Project and Giveaway Second Clue

by Andi B.

So far we've had some great guesses on our Super Secret, Wonderful, Money-Saving Project and Giveaway. Crystal from Budgeting in the Fun Stuff guessed cooking, food or grocery shopping, and Patti guessed cooking. The next clue is:

There's something important you should do before you go to the grocery store.

Super Secret, Wonderful, Money-Saving Project and Giveaway

by Andi B.

So Modern Tightwad has been a bit quiet because we've been working on a super secret, wonderful, money-saving project. Our project can help anyone save money and be healthier. If you can guess what it is, you'll get a free crack at it. In fact, the person who comes closest will.

Here are the hints:
1. We all spend money on it.
2. We all wish we took a healthier approach.
3. Most people wish they were as good at it as their mother.
4. You get something every Wednesday and Sunday that helps you with it.

We'll add another hint everyday until someone gets it or we launch.

Would it be Cheaper?

by Andi B.

So my husband and I have started the househunting journey. My husband's excited, and I'm having panic attacks and nightmares. Last night I had three separate dreams where I was househunting on a space station, in an underwater ocean colony, and in the middle of nowhere. Each time I found nothing.

The insanity is because I've been thinking about how much our lives will change when we become homeowners. A lot of people have tried to impress on me how expensive owning a home will be which is not helping my mental stability. But today as we were walking through houses I was struck as to how owning a home will provide money-saving opportunities.

Yes, utilities may be higher and we'll have to make our own repairs. However, when considering our situation there are some interesting things that pop up. We live in a 480 sf studio with a tiny kitchen, and a small refrigerator/freezer combo. Because of this I end up getting lazy and going out/ordering in, and I can't take real advantage of the sales. The cost of getting and running a chest freezer will be more than offset by the savings I'll get from being able to buy meat in bulk. I just had a beautiful thought...bulk toilet paper.

Laundry is a huge issue for us. I have to launder linens for my work and that costs us $2.25 a load right now. We spend almost $50 a month in laundry! Also, our particular apartment isn't insulated very well, and we've spent more in electricity during the winter months than several of our friends with houses. It's like we're paying to heat our neighbors' homes.

I've come to discover that we only get to trade one set of expenses for another. Some may increase, and others may drop. It's a mind-numbing ebb and flow. I now understand the "bean exercise" from the homebuyer class I attended. The real estate agent gave us a bunch of beans and a sheet with a bunch of different home options. You got to place the beans according to your priorities and you got to rearrange them depending on your budget. The same applies to the choice to buy or rent. Would we rather spend more money on laundry and food or on utilities?

Based on my budget crunching, house vs. apartment will be a financial wash, so it comes down to our preference. In short, I'm looking forward to our new house...whatever it may be.

The Happiness Quotient

by Andi B.

Yesterday as I was taking my husband to work "bright and ugly," I grumbled my usual, "Nothing good happens at 5:30 in the morning." Then in a rare moment of thought not centered on my own life, I thought of the people headed up the mountain to snowboard. And then I remembered leaving around this same time in the morning to go to Sears Point or Laguna Seca Raceways with my dad. I would be so excited I could hardly get to sleep, and I would wake up moments before the alarm ready to roll.

I wondered why the difference. Was it because I knew something good was going to happen that day? Or did I just suppose something good would happen? Any one of horrific things could have happened, but I could only focus on the undivided time I would have with my dad, the fun I would have riding around the racetrack on the back of the Course Marshall crew truck. How does purposeful happiness affect reality?

I don't believe I could possibly intend happiness everyday; I'm just not that sort of person. If the world were still high school, I'd be the nerdy cynic. That doesn't mean I can't decide to focus on at least one positive thing that will happen in the day. For example, today is payday, and I can honestly say income is better than not, so that's a happy thing.

We've started house hunting again. My fellow editor and I have started a new project that I hope some of you will be as excited about as we are. I'm extremely happy about all of the things in our life. I could focus on the moments where things aren't progressing or on the work at hand and the positive changes.

How do you implement the happiness quotient in your life? Do you think that choosing to be happy can change the way you live? Or is it even possible to choose to be happy?

Netflix-ercise

by Andi B.

So in theory, I'd really like to join a gym. Unlike most of humanity I regularly used my gym membership back when I had one, but with a possible home purchase on the horizon, I've cut myself off from all major purchases. So I was pretty stoked when I discovered that Netflix has exercise videos.

I figure if I do at least one session of 10 minute Pilates a day, it's better than nothing (although my abs may currently disagree). Options on Netflix Instant include dance workouts, pilates, yoga, cardio, and special workouts for people injured or pregnant so there's also a considerable variety.

Cost for Netflix: $0 Additional

Savings: $50/month

I can live with that.