by Andi B.
I drink so much tea my middle name should be oolong. As I've stated before I come from a long line of tea drinkers. I'm also absent minded. My mother has literally melted a tea kettle to the stove before and I'm not much better. When we moved I had to get rid of my old tea kettle, so we've had a few touch and go moments at the new house when I was boiling water in a small pot and forgot about it. Luckily the dog is as paranoid that I'll burn down the house as I was about my mother, so he alerts me to the stove I forgot.
I wanted to treat myself to a Keurig coffee maker. Many of my friends have one and it is such a treat! But I know I won't spend the money on those tiny coffee cups. We were at a local discount store and I saw exactly what I wanted, an electric kettle with automatic shut off. Pure heaven. Best, at the outlet center, our kettle was only $15!
In the long run, I would burn down the house in pursuit of a cup of tea if I did not purchase that kettle. $15 is well worth the value of my home. Sometimes it's interesting when you way expense vs. cost.
Sometimes Expenses are Guided by the Heart
by Andi B.
Since we bought the house I've been ever so careful about expenses. We've had to purchase appliances, and both my husband and I felt it was important not to go crazy just because we bought a house. Horror stories abound regarding people who racked up tens of thousand in debt furnishing their house just the way they want. We've made it our goal to furnish as much as we can either used, or under $50, never turning down anything free that we needed. In fact, we've been extremely rational until last night. Last night we committed to future expenses with our heart.
On Wednesday a kitten walked into my kitchen. She was malnourished, recently infested with fleas, had a bum leg, and such personality. When I saw kitten I realized that I haven't been anyone's second chance in a while, and the least I could do was find her home or find her a home. I posted an ad on craigslist and knocked on my neighbor's doors with no good response. (To the neighbor who came to the door, looked out the window, and walked away, if I do have your kitten you rescinded your right by being a jerk.)
Then, she started cuddling my dog, and the dog let her. Then, we went to the vet and took care of the flea treatments. Then she started cuddling my husband, and he wasn't allergic. He suggested putting her outside and seeing if she ran home....she ran back in the house. Finally, we realized that her bad leg created a special needs situation, and we didn't trust anyone to do right by kitten as she gets older.
While this shouldn't be ridiculously expensive, we do have to add food, litter, flea treatments, and spaying to our budget, with the potential for pain meds and vet visits down the road. There are ways to mitigate this with low-cost shot and spay clinics, and I just couldn't let her go. I couldn't risk the kitten that tries to pet my dog would go to a bad home, or get put down at the pound.
You see, three days before "kitten" came into my life I found out children are not in my future. I'm not obtuse enough to think I can replace children with animals, but the universe has a strange way of reminding me that there are infinite and unexpected opportunities to provide love and comfort, and that's priceless.
Since we bought the house I've been ever so careful about expenses. We've had to purchase appliances, and both my husband and I felt it was important not to go crazy just because we bought a house. Horror stories abound regarding people who racked up tens of thousand in debt furnishing their house just the way they want. We've made it our goal to furnish as much as we can either used, or under $50, never turning down anything free that we needed. In fact, we've been extremely rational until last night. Last night we committed to future expenses with our heart.
On Wednesday a kitten walked into my kitchen. She was malnourished, recently infested with fleas, had a bum leg, and such personality. When I saw kitten I realized that I haven't been anyone's second chance in a while, and the least I could do was find her home or find her a home. I posted an ad on craigslist and knocked on my neighbor's doors with no good response. (To the neighbor who came to the door, looked out the window, and walked away, if I do have your kitten you rescinded your right by being a jerk.)
Then, she started cuddling my dog, and the dog let her. Then, we went to the vet and took care of the flea treatments. Then she started cuddling my husband, and he wasn't allergic. He suggested putting her outside and seeing if she ran home....she ran back in the house. Finally, we realized that her bad leg created a special needs situation, and we didn't trust anyone to do right by kitten as she gets older.
While this shouldn't be ridiculously expensive, we do have to add food, litter, flea treatments, and spaying to our budget, with the potential for pain meds and vet visits down the road. There are ways to mitigate this with low-cost shot and spay clinics, and I just couldn't let her go. I couldn't risk the kitten that tries to pet my dog would go to a bad home, or get put down at the pound.
You see, three days before "kitten" came into my life I found out children are not in my future. I'm not obtuse enough to think I can replace children with animals, but the universe has a strange way of reminding me that there are infinite and unexpected opportunities to provide love and comfort, and that's priceless.
A House Is Just the Beginning
by Andi B.
So we made it...we purchased and moved into our house. The scary flower basket wallpaper and mint green paint had to be taken care of immediately, but we are very happy to be home owners.
People keep asking me what it's like to be a homeowner and to be honest I'm not sure I know. Nothing's broken yet. ;) There's really not much difference in being a renter and an owner until something breaks or falls apart.
We did take on a bit of extra debt which I'm not proud of (but apparently we can't live without a refrigerator), however since we were fortunate enough to have equity in the home we purchased, we actually have positive net worth for the first time in years. Our housing expense is also fixed and we don't have to worry about it doubling on a management company's whim.
It has already been a real gift, though. We were fortunate enough to buy a home with an apartment on the property. (Although since I've read my new favorite blog My Tenant From Hell, I'm not sure fortunate may be the right word.) We had family that needed a place to stay, and are able to provide a space that affords everyone privacy. It also gives a chance to see if we like having people stay there and we can always put a pool table in there and turn it into a woman cave if it doesn't work out.
I'd love to update more, but there's a god-awful wallpaper border that has to go. Thank you for checking in with me.
So we made it...we purchased and moved into our house. The scary flower basket wallpaper and mint green paint had to be taken care of immediately, but we are very happy to be home owners.
People keep asking me what it's like to be a homeowner and to be honest I'm not sure I know. Nothing's broken yet. ;) There's really not much difference in being a renter and an owner until something breaks or falls apart.
We did take on a bit of extra debt which I'm not proud of (but apparently we can't live without a refrigerator), however since we were fortunate enough to have equity in the home we purchased, we actually have positive net worth for the first time in years. Our housing expense is also fixed and we don't have to worry about it doubling on a management company's whim.
It has already been a real gift, though. We were fortunate enough to buy a home with an apartment on the property. (Although since I've read my new favorite blog My Tenant From Hell, I'm not sure fortunate may be the right word.) We had family that needed a place to stay, and are able to provide a space that affords everyone privacy. It also gives a chance to see if we like having people stay there and we can always put a pool table in there and turn it into a woman cave if it doesn't work out.
I'd love to update more, but there's a god-awful wallpaper border that has to go. Thank you for checking in with me.
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