Three and a half years ago Mr. Money and I decided that we’d like to settle down and become homeowners. This was back in 2007 when the market was so-so and real estate was a buyers’ market, but not nearly as depressed as we are currently seeing. We decided in our heads an amount we felt comfortable spending, and went from there. We didn’t really sit down and figure out a budget and how a monthly payment would factor into it. While we certainly made some mistakes when it came to our first time purchasing a home, I have enjoyed the time we’ve lived in the house and all the improvements we have done to make it our own. I’m going to share some tips in hopes that it will help someone else who is searching for their first home. 1. Focus on the long term. We decided that we wanted to buy a house to put down some roots and have some stability in our lives. Unfortunately, we live in a state where we don’t have any family. That’s [...]

Our neighbor’s house is for sale.  Because I was curious, I looked up what they have the list price set at online.  It’s a 2800 square foot beautiful old farmhouse located on a little over an acre.  I have been in love with this house since we moved here.  Well, the price is now low enough that we could realistically buy this house and be able to afford it.  They’ve got it listed at about $70,000 than I thought they would list it for.  I almost threw up when I saw that.  I think they have listed the house at a much lower price than what it is worth.  I do know they are extremely motivated to sell. I’ve thought about us buying that house and moving next door.  How convenient would that be?!  We’d have a little more property, a much bigger garden, and a garage.  However, with the age and size of the house, I’ll bet the utilities on it would scare the pants off me.  Plus, we really don’t need 2800 square feet.  That would be a [...]

Before                                                               After We all know I like to take on home improvement projects that are just too big for me sometimes. That’s just my personality. A few weeks ago, I decided that I was sick and tired of our living room and having it feel like a cave. I wanted to brighten up the room, so I decided I would paint, especially before we replace the flooring. Using the Points I had accumulated, I redeemed them for a $50 gift card to Home Depot. I went there, picked out my primer and paint, and went home and got started. I spent many, many days off working on priming, taping, sanding, trimming, and finally painting. It took me a few weeks with me working off and on, but I love the end result. The best part for me? I didn’t have to spend anything out of pocket. Using my bank’s [...]