On Sunday I decided I had enough of my basement smelling gross and being damp. I saw one spot down there that had been growing mold, and I don’t know about you, but mold scares me. The reason I hadn’t bought a dehumidifier already was because we had one (albeit small) already and I thought it was doing a good job. Wrong. I sucked it up, went to my local Home Depot, and grabbed one off the shelf and lugged it to my cart. $190 later, and I was the proud owner of a large dehumidifier. I took it home, drug it downstairs, and set it up. That evening I went to check on it and the bucket was already full! I was amazed. I have emptied that bucket twice a day since I’ve had it!

After all the him-hawing I did with purchasing it, I decided I was going to look on the bright side of things and see how overall I will be saving money in the long run. First of all, I would have less moisture in the basement, which means less mold, which means less health problems. Less health problems equals less money spent on going to the doctor and taking time off. Then I decided that not only could I look at it that way, but I also could use that water that the dehumidifier extracted for other things. I can water my houseplants, water my garden, and even add it to the small pond out front. Not only am I being more “green”, but I’m saving money on water!

I still feel a little bad about spending that much money on one item, but I figure it is a necessity. We can’t live with the basement like that. It’s dangerous! I’m glad I was able to look on the bright side of things and realize that there is always some positives that can come out of a negative.

Posted under DIY, Home Ownership

With the current home values dropping record lows, it’s an obvious fact that you should stay in your current home unless it’s absolutely necessary to move. While I may not be 100% content with this, I’m going to follow my own advice and stay put for at least a couple more years. I have decided that since we’re staying, I’m going to do some more home improvements to make us happier with our current home and increase the value as much as I can.

Here’s our list of things we’d like to do in the next 1-2 years:

1. Finish installing the hardwood floors in our hallway, master bedroom, and living room.
2. Redo the kitchen flooring. Right now it is vinyl flooring and we haven’t decided if we’re going to do tile or hardwood.
3. Paint the office and hallway (easy).
4. Redo master bathroom. We’d like to rip out the shower, install a new one, along with a new vanity and light fixture. I’m going to tile the bathroom floor myself to save money.
5. Install new carpet into our extra bedroom and office.

That’s pretty much all I’ve got planned for the interior of the house. I think that every project I’ve got planned will increase our home’s value and we’ll get great joy out of it. If you are thinking about selling your house, you may want to consider just doing some basic home improvements to make yourself like it more. Kitchens and baths always bring the most return, so if you are unhappy with those areas, that’s where I would start. A lot of home improvement projects you can do yourself these days if you’re a little ambitious. I have successfully tiled one bathroom and installed a few rows of hardwood flooring. If I can do it, you can do it!

 What are some home improvement projects you’d like to do and are planning on doing to your house?

Posted under Economy, Home Ownership

With all the problems I’ve been having lately, I’ve been considering moving back home, or picking up and moving somewhere else. Anywhere else. Of course, this isn’t the smartest financial decision, but it sure feels like a good fix for the problem- momentarily. I’ve considered Colorado; Las Vegas, Nevada; Maui, Hawaii; and even other islands of Hawaii. When we went there for our honeymoon, I absolutely loved it. I have been wanting to go back there ever since we left!

Unfortunately, all this talk about having a baby and real life has put my plans on hold. While I’d love to have a tropical vacation, it’s just not doable right now. Maybe in a few years.  Lately I’ve become the queen of rash decisions, and thankfully I haven’t been fully acting on them.  Good thing!

A couple of my friends are suggesting that I look into selling our house and just picking up and moving back to Colorado. While I agree that would be wonderfully amazing, I can’t help but think logically about the financial crunch it would put on us.  Sometimes I wish I didn’t have responsibility!  I think our best bet is to stay put, ride out the economy, and maybe when things get better, seriously look into moving back home.  While we should have done that before we bought this house, you live and you learn.  And right now I’m just doing a lot of learning!

Posted under Economy, Home Ownership