I have been a stay at home mom for over five years now. In those five years I have learned a lot about ways to save money while still eating healthy, and without feeling like a penny pincher. I like to be called frugal, I don't want to be a tight wad! But even after five years I am still finding new ways to save money.
This year we bought a CSA share as a way to eat more organic products as well as support a local farm. It was more expensive that if we were to buy our vegetables in the store, but that is because we are getting more vegetables then if we were to buy them in a store and all of them are organic. But I need to constantly remind myself that I don't NEED to eat all of these vegetables fresh. Instead I need to learn how to can and freeze them for the winter. If I manage to freeze some of the food we get then I will also pay less on my grocery store bill in the winter. In addition to buying less fresh produce, I will also buy less frozen produce.
This year we are trying our hands at gardening again. Last year was my most successful year, but it can still be much improved. We doubled the size of our garden this year and it still only cost about $20 to start up. It should have cost less but I cannot manage to grow tomato or pepper plants from seed. At the farmers market this week we bought 4 tomato plants and 6 pepper plants for $12.50. The other $7.50 was spent on seeds. In my garden we are growing lettuce, tomatoes, peppers, corn, carrots, watermelons, zucchini, cucumbers, beans and peas. If I am lucky I will get a good harvest from it.
While our garden and CSA share will cut the weekly budget at the store down during the summer, this year my goal is to use it to cut down my winter budget as well. To do this I need to learn to can and freeze. In the past I have not taken advantage of canning or freezing vegetables like I should. Last year was my first real attempt. I made several containers of (not so great) spaghetti sauce and I froze several bags of peppers. That was it. Clearly I can do much better! To do this right Jon and I decided we should looking into canning kits and see how much they cost. We know we will be buying many jars this year, but we also know that everything we buy this year we will be able to use again and again. So last night I spent time looking online at canning sets and we found one that we like. It has good ratings and several people say it is perfect for beginners (which is what we are!). The price is right as well at $30. This is an amount we are willing to risk in case we are abysmal failures at this canning process. But before I buy it, does anyone have any recommendations for a good, inexpensive canning kit?
I am interested to see if I am able to can and freeze vegetables and fruit (something I never thought I would be doing) and how it effects both my summer and my winter grocery bill. If you have an helpful hints, links, or great spaghetti recipes, PLEASE share them with me!
Showing posts with label home projects. Show all posts
Showing posts with label home projects. Show all posts
Thursday, June 16, 2011
Thursday, May 13, 2010
Garden Update
Awhile ago on one of my money saving Tuesday posts I talked about having your own garden. We try each year to grow our vegetables in the summer. As you read here I am not blessed with a green thumb. I don't necessarily kill everything I touch, but I am not blessed with the talent of a blooming garden in any way.
From my original list of things to plant in the garden the following have made the transition and are beginning to grow well:
tomatoes
bean plants
peas
corn
zuchinni
cantaloupe
carrots
The lettuce is planted but not growing yet, the peppers failed miserably (but we will be buying a few plants to add to our garden soon) and the pumpkins are non-existant.
I got out there and weeded the other day, which was quite interesting at 33 weeks pregnant! but it was worth it if my garden grows. My goal is that I will have enough vegetables out of my garden that I can not only decrease my grocery bill but also try my hand at freezing and canning this year.
Here are some not-so-great pictures of the plants before I got them into the garden. The beans grew the best and the tomatos did pretty well. So far nothing that was transferred outside is dying!
Tuesday, April 13, 2010
29 weeks down, 11 to go
I am almost at 30 weeks. Something about the number 30 makes me feel like I am almost done. Then I look at the calendar and see that it is April. And June just feels so far away.
Of course, since there is absolutely NOTHING done for baby #3 it is probably a good thing I have almost 3 months left. And when I say nothing I really mean it. The baby's bedroom is still the office. The closet in the nursery/office is packed with Tupperware products that I need to sort and decided which items to keep and which to give away or sell. Owen is still sleeping in the crib that the baby will need. The bed we need for Owen is two hours away at Jon's parents' house. The bassinett that we will use for the first few months is 2 hours away at Jon's parents' house. The clothes? They are all still packed away in neatly labeled boxes.
And here I sit typing away at my blog. So you can see how concerned I am.
We did do one thing this weekend. Jon took apart the stroller that we will use in and washed it really well. So that is done. And nothing else.
Next week Jon is on vacation. And you should see the list of honey do's I have for him! I haven't even shown him yet, but here are a few of the top items:
*build another garden box (nothing to do with the baby, but something that needs to be done) in the backyard so that I can start transferring my plants outside.
*run the cable wires to the playroom (former garage) so that we can move the office out to a corner of the playroom
*move computer, desk, bookshelf, and craft drawers out to the playroom
*insulate the walls to the playroom
*touch up paint in the nursery
*set up bed for Owen with bed rails when Jon's parents bring the bed out late next week
*help me rearrange our bedroom
*dig out boxes of 0-3 and 3-6 month sized clothing to wash and start putting away
*find boxes of newborn sized cloth diapers and wash and dry
That is just a start. I know I will be adding to the list. And we need to really get a good start on things since after this there are no more breaks before this baby is born. I really don't want to bring the baby home without at least having a bed, clean diapers and some clothes for him/her.
I just feel like I have such a long time left that there really isn't an urge in me to get things done. I mean, I am due at the end of June. That is summer! And they are predicting snow here this weekend so even talking about summer being soon feels odd. But I will kick my own butt into gear soon. I really think that if I make a list and plan things out with Jon we will get quite a bit accomplished. I am hopeful to that he can plan some of the messier things (climbing into the attic and insulating walls) for days that I can take the kids out somewhere. I still want us to have at least one famly day, preferrably two. In order for everything to happen and for us not to feel like we are cramming things in I need to figure out some kind of schedule. At the end of his vacation we are having the kids' birthday party. Since we invite many of the same people we decided to have their party together this year. And since Madeline is a March kid and Owen is a May kid April seemed like a good time to celebrate. And I picked the end of April vacation becuase I figured everyone would be around.
At least I can't complain that I am bored and have nothing to do!
Of course, since there is absolutely NOTHING done for baby #3 it is probably a good thing I have almost 3 months left. And when I say nothing I really mean it. The baby's bedroom is still the office. The closet in the nursery/office is packed with Tupperware products that I need to sort and decided which items to keep and which to give away or sell. Owen is still sleeping in the crib that the baby will need. The bed we need for Owen is two hours away at Jon's parents' house. The bassinett that we will use for the first few months is 2 hours away at Jon's parents' house. The clothes? They are all still packed away in neatly labeled boxes.
And here I sit typing away at my blog. So you can see how concerned I am.
We did do one thing this weekend. Jon took apart the stroller that we will use in and washed it really well. So that is done. And nothing else.
Next week Jon is on vacation. And you should see the list of honey do's I have for him! I haven't even shown him yet, but here are a few of the top items:
*build another garden box (nothing to do with the baby, but something that needs to be done) in the backyard so that I can start transferring my plants outside.
*run the cable wires to the playroom (former garage) so that we can move the office out to a corner of the playroom
*move computer, desk, bookshelf, and craft drawers out to the playroom
*insulate the walls to the playroom
*touch up paint in the nursery
*set up bed for Owen with bed rails when Jon's parents bring the bed out late next week
*help me rearrange our bedroom
*dig out boxes of 0-3 and 3-6 month sized clothing to wash and start putting away
*find boxes of newborn sized cloth diapers and wash and dry
That is just a start. I know I will be adding to the list. And we need to really get a good start on things since after this there are no more breaks before this baby is born. I really don't want to bring the baby home without at least having a bed, clean diapers and some clothes for him/her.
I just feel like I have such a long time left that there really isn't an urge in me to get things done. I mean, I am due at the end of June. That is summer! And they are predicting snow here this weekend so even talking about summer being soon feels odd. But I will kick my own butt into gear soon. I really think that if I make a list and plan things out with Jon we will get quite a bit accomplished. I am hopeful to that he can plan some of the messier things (climbing into the attic and insulating walls) for days that I can take the kids out somewhere. I still want us to have at least one famly day, preferrably two. In order for everything to happen and for us not to feel like we are cramming things in I need to figure out some kind of schedule. At the end of his vacation we are having the kids' birthday party. Since we invite many of the same people we decided to have their party together this year. And since Madeline is a March kid and Owen is a May kid April seemed like a good time to celebrate. And I picked the end of April vacation becuase I figured everyone would be around.
At least I can't complain that I am bored and have nothing to do!
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Brithday Time
Madeline's birthday is Monday and we are having cake and ice cream tomorrow night to celebrate with her grandparents, great grandparents and one of her uncles (my brother is the only one who lives close by). She requested a princess castle cake and I LOVE to make birthday cakes so I gave it a shot. Here is what we have:
I will post more pictures of the birthday girl on Monday!
Monday, March 8, 2010
Money Saving Tuesday- Spring Fever Edition
I have spring fever. It happens every year when we get a hint of warm weather. I live in Massachusetts so any glimmer of warmth in March is wonderful! But it is also usually a tease. We have been known to have snow on Easter. And in 2002 when I graduated college in May it snowed. Even though it is March and yesterday the weather kissed 50 degrees today it snowed.
So spring fever is dangerous.
But now that I have it I have begun dreaming of my garden. I try to garden every year with varying degrees of success. One year all I managed to grow were tomatos. And we had so many I was giving them to everyone and anyone who would take them. Last year I got tons of beans and cucumbers galore. But not a single tomato ripened. Carrots and I do not get along. The best I have managed was one year I grew three as big as my pinky.
So as you can see I do not have a green thumb.
But I can dream. And for the minimal cost of a garden startup I am willing to try it every year. Last year was my most successful. We managed a lot of cucumbers, a few peppers, lots of grean beans and two SMALL cantaloupes. We at least know that the placement in the yard works. And we fenced it in so no squirrels or rabbits would eat my vegetables. So I am going to try AGAIN. Even with the startup money I still managed to save on my vegetable bills in the summertime. Although my goal is to freeze or can my vegetables and be able use them through the winter as well, which will save more money, if I can simply grow enough for the summer I will be happy.
This year Jon is going to double the size of the garden. He wants to attempt corn and knows it will take up a lot of space. Last year our garden was about 4 by 6 feet. Not big, but it was a start. This year we will have two 4 by 6 gardens. We also ran into the problem of the tomatos taking over the garden. I only had three plants but they took over the pepper plans which were then not able to grow. For those reasons we will have the second garden.
On my list of plants to grow are:
tomatos
peppers
string beans
corn
carrots (yup, trying it again!)
cucumbers (but only two plants this year, not three!)
pumpkins
watermelon
lettuce (never tried it before)
I do start my garden from seeds. I will start the indoor process in the next month. The startup usually runs less than $30. That includes an indoor greenhouse setup, seeds and soil. I watch the sales for the indoor greenhouse containers and grab them for $5 a piece, I can start about 18 plants in each one and will probably buy 3. I found seeds at my dollar store, 4 packets for $1. After about 6 weeks inside they will be ready to transfer outside.
Even if you start a garden from plants bought at your local garden store it is still cheaper in the long run than buying all vegetables at the store.
I am very excited to get started at my garden. I will share pictures of my kids helping this year and hopefully we will be more succesful in the past!
So spring fever is dangerous.
But now that I have it I have begun dreaming of my garden. I try to garden every year with varying degrees of success. One year all I managed to grow were tomatos. And we had so many I was giving them to everyone and anyone who would take them. Last year I got tons of beans and cucumbers galore. But not a single tomato ripened. Carrots and I do not get along. The best I have managed was one year I grew three as big as my pinky.
So as you can see I do not have a green thumb.
But I can dream. And for the minimal cost of a garden startup I am willing to try it every year. Last year was my most successful. We managed a lot of cucumbers, a few peppers, lots of grean beans and two SMALL cantaloupes. We at least know that the placement in the yard works. And we fenced it in so no squirrels or rabbits would eat my vegetables. So I am going to try AGAIN. Even with the startup money I still managed to save on my vegetable bills in the summertime. Although my goal is to freeze or can my vegetables and be able use them through the winter as well, which will save more money, if I can simply grow enough for the summer I will be happy.
This year Jon is going to double the size of the garden. He wants to attempt corn and knows it will take up a lot of space. Last year our garden was about 4 by 6 feet. Not big, but it was a start. This year we will have two 4 by 6 gardens. We also ran into the problem of the tomatos taking over the garden. I only had three plants but they took over the pepper plans which were then not able to grow. For those reasons we will have the second garden.
On my list of plants to grow are:
tomatos
peppers
string beans
corn
carrots (yup, trying it again!)
cucumbers (but only two plants this year, not three!)
pumpkins
watermelon
lettuce (never tried it before)
I do start my garden from seeds. I will start the indoor process in the next month. The startup usually runs less than $30. That includes an indoor greenhouse setup, seeds and soil. I watch the sales for the indoor greenhouse containers and grab them for $5 a piece, I can start about 18 plants in each one and will probably buy 3. I found seeds at my dollar store, 4 packets for $1. After about 6 weeks inside they will be ready to transfer outside.
Even if you start a garden from plants bought at your local garden store it is still cheaper in the long run than buying all vegetables at the store.
I am very excited to get started at my garden. I will share pictures of my kids helping this year and hopefully we will be more succesful in the past!
Friday, July 24, 2009
Mouse in the House
We caught a mouse in our house last week. This one was alive. We still have at least one more. I know because it ran across my feet while I was making lunch the other day.
Here are the pictures of the mouse that we caught. Miss M named him Piggy.
Miss M with Piggy
Piggy in his "house"
I swear my house is clean!
Here are the pictures of the mouse that we caught. Miss M named him Piggy.
Miss M with Piggy
Piggy in his "house"
I swear my house is clean!
Wednesday, July 8, 2009
Home Made Bread
I made my own bread!
Well, okay so far I have just made the dough and it is rising right now. But it was SO EASY. I borrowed the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day from the library. I wanted to try it before buying it since it is only in hardcover and not worthwhile if I won't use it.
Anyway it is great. I am buying this book. As soon as I can.
I used the basic recipe to make my dough. The dough, that your refrigerate, is good for two weeks and makes 4 1lb loaves. So much cheaper than store bread and so much better for you.
After you make the basic recipe, and there are a few variations, you can use it to make different types of breads- buscuits, pita (this is one I want to try) pizza dough, among others.
I had to make only 1/3 of the recipe beucase I forgot to check my flour level before shopping yesterday. But it took my literally ten minutes to measure, mix and set the dough. Part of that time was waiting for my yeast (I bought live active which needs to set in water before mixing) and reading the recipe.
Stay tuned for how it comes out!
Well, okay so far I have just made the dough and it is rising right now. But it was SO EASY. I borrowed the book Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day from the library. I wanted to try it before buying it since it is only in hardcover and not worthwhile if I won't use it.
Anyway it is great. I am buying this book. As soon as I can.
I used the basic recipe to make my dough. The dough, that your refrigerate, is good for two weeks and makes 4 1lb loaves. So much cheaper than store bread and so much better for you.
After you make the basic recipe, and there are a few variations, you can use it to make different types of breads- buscuits, pita (this is one I want to try) pizza dough, among others.
I had to make only 1/3 of the recipe beucase I forgot to check my flour level before shopping yesterday. But it took my literally ten minutes to measure, mix and set the dough. Part of that time was waiting for my yeast (I bought live active which needs to set in water before mixing) and reading the recipe.
Stay tuned for how it comes out!
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Wierd Wednesday
Well today is an odd day weather-wise. It totally looks and feels like it is going to rain. But it hasn't yet. And it isn't supposed to.
We started our day at 6:30 (totally skipped getting up for the gym today). I was in the shower and could hear big rugrat banging on her door to let me know she was awake. I love my kids but I get up at 6:30 to have a little me time. I guess I need to back the wake up time to 6 (shudder) on non-gym days.
We had to drive downtown to get a permit to have a tag sale this weekend. I don't know if other towns do this, but ours requires you to take out a permit (no more than two per year) to have a tag sale and pay $5 to do so. Okay, whatever. That entailed a trip down to city hall with the kids in tow since we are having the tag sale this weekend. We decided that last night, nothing like last minute stuff around her.
Then big rugrat went off with Nana to their music class and little rugrat and I just played. I love having alone time with him. He is just such a happy kid and LOVES having mama to himself for a little bit of time.
Then since it didn't rain we actually made it to the park after lunch. Thank goodness since my kids are going a little crazy from being stuck inside all day yesterday. And they need to be well behaved this afternoon when our realtor comes over. We are officially putting our house on the market today.
Tonight's dinner is easy, since we are meeting at 4:30. Breakfast for dinner will consist of scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage and homemade pancakes. Total cost for the meal=$3.48 to feed four people. Not bad!
We started our day at 6:30 (totally skipped getting up for the gym today). I was in the shower and could hear big rugrat banging on her door to let me know she was awake. I love my kids but I get up at 6:30 to have a little me time. I guess I need to back the wake up time to 6 (shudder) on non-gym days.
We had to drive downtown to get a permit to have a tag sale this weekend. I don't know if other towns do this, but ours requires you to take out a permit (no more than two per year) to have a tag sale and pay $5 to do so. Okay, whatever. That entailed a trip down to city hall with the kids in tow since we are having the tag sale this weekend. We decided that last night, nothing like last minute stuff around her.
Then big rugrat went off with Nana to their music class and little rugrat and I just played. I love having alone time with him. He is just such a happy kid and LOVES having mama to himself for a little bit of time.
Then since it didn't rain we actually made it to the park after lunch. Thank goodness since my kids are going a little crazy from being stuck inside all day yesterday. And they need to be well behaved this afternoon when our realtor comes over. We are officially putting our house on the market today.
Tonight's dinner is easy, since we are meeting at 4:30. Breakfast for dinner will consist of scrambled eggs, breakfast sausage and homemade pancakes. Total cost for the meal=$3.48 to feed four people. Not bad!
Thursday, April 23, 2009
The bathroom is done...well almost
The bathroom is done. At least we can shower in it again as of tomorrow morning WITHOUT plastic covering the walls.
Thank goodness.
I love that my husband can do these type of projects himself. I really do. He works hard and gets it done and for much less than it would cost to pay someone else (which I why we can do home improvement projects). However, it usually takes longer. This started out as a 2 day project. Which is good since we do not have a second bathroom. Then it became a three day project. And then a four day. Technically it is not DONE done since we still need to sand and paint, but I can live with unpainted walls.
I cannot live without a shower. And most people would prefer that I do not.
One of the problems was that even though husband is on vacation this week, I am not because college and middle school vacations are not the same. So while I was at work husband planned to get work done while the kids napped.
Go ahead and laugh. I know I did.
Now this was after I took the kids out of the house for the entire morning on Monday just to give him time to get things started. What does he do? He cleans and puts laundry away. I appreciate the effort, but really what needed to be done was to gut the shower. Especially since we then found out that the tile was to dark. That was set back #1.
Then Tuesday while I was at work he was going to do more work. Little rugrat did not follow through on the nap plan and wanted daddy to cuddle with him. That was setback #2 which kept husband up until midnight playing catchup.
On Wednesday I again took the kids out of the house (to bathe at my parents who have TWO working bathrooms as well as get myself in the shower so my students would not object to sitting near me) and husband ran into issues with his drill. As in it kept overheating. Then while I was at work that afternoon his drill bit the dust. Before he finished drilling holes. He culdn't leave the house to buy a new one (another cost we hadn't factored in) because he cannot put the kids in his truck and I cannot drive his truck (stick shift) and had the jeep at work. Luckily my dad was able to drop HIS drill off (brave man) but again husband lost out on nap time work and had to wait until I got home when he then proceeded to run out to the store AGAIN. He was up until 1 this morning grouting the shower.
Today was wait day. As in wait for it to dry. Tonight he caulked the shower.
And tomorrow I can SHOWER at home!!!
WOOHOO.
And we will not be doing any home projects for at least a few months while I settle from this one. I do NOT do well with my house in chaos. Which even the tiniest project seems to do.
But the end result is BEAUTIFUL new shower walls and a very proud and exhuasted husband.
Oh yes, husband looks at me today and says "I told you my sister and her family are coming for dinner tomorrow night on there way home right?" Uh no you did NOT tell me that! Good thing he mentioned it since I do not have enough of anything in the house to feed an additional five people. At least I have a working bathroom no longer filled with dangerous tools and breakable tiles.
Next up is new carpets. We will be having them professionally installed.
Thank goodness.
I love that my husband can do these type of projects himself. I really do. He works hard and gets it done and for much less than it would cost to pay someone else (which I why we can do home improvement projects). However, it usually takes longer. This started out as a 2 day project. Which is good since we do not have a second bathroom. Then it became a three day project. And then a four day. Technically it is not DONE done since we still need to sand and paint, but I can live with unpainted walls.
I cannot live without a shower. And most people would prefer that I do not.
One of the problems was that even though husband is on vacation this week, I am not because college and middle school vacations are not the same. So while I was at work husband planned to get work done while the kids napped.
Go ahead and laugh. I know I did.
Now this was after I took the kids out of the house for the entire morning on Monday just to give him time to get things started. What does he do? He cleans and puts laundry away. I appreciate the effort, but really what needed to be done was to gut the shower. Especially since we then found out that the tile was to dark. That was set back #1.
Then Tuesday while I was at work he was going to do more work. Little rugrat did not follow through on the nap plan and wanted daddy to cuddle with him. That was setback #2 which kept husband up until midnight playing catchup.
On Wednesday I again took the kids out of the house (to bathe at my parents who have TWO working bathrooms as well as get myself in the shower so my students would not object to sitting near me) and husband ran into issues with his drill. As in it kept overheating. Then while I was at work that afternoon his drill bit the dust. Before he finished drilling holes. He culdn't leave the house to buy a new one (another cost we hadn't factored in) because he cannot put the kids in his truck and I cannot drive his truck (stick shift) and had the jeep at work. Luckily my dad was able to drop HIS drill off (brave man) but again husband lost out on nap time work and had to wait until I got home when he then proceeded to run out to the store AGAIN. He was up until 1 this morning grouting the shower.
Today was wait day. As in wait for it to dry. Tonight he caulked the shower.
And tomorrow I can SHOWER at home!!!
WOOHOO.
And we will not be doing any home projects for at least a few months while I settle from this one. I do NOT do well with my house in chaos. Which even the tiniest project seems to do.
But the end result is BEAUTIFUL new shower walls and a very proud and exhuasted husband.
Oh yes, husband looks at me today and says "I told you my sister and her family are coming for dinner tomorrow night on there way home right?" Uh no you did NOT tell me that! Good thing he mentioned it since I do not have enough of anything in the house to feed an additional five people. At least I have a working bathroom no longer filled with dangerous tools and breakable tiles.
Next up is new carpets. We will be having them professionally installed.
Monday, April 20, 2009
Home Projects
We are redoing our shower walls.
They need it.
Badly.
Husband is on vacation from school this week so it is the perfect time. This weekend we went to Home Depot and after much debating agreed on a tile. WE purchased said tile and brought it home. today afer the old walls have been demolished I hear a voice from the bathroom saying "I am afraid these are too dark." And they are. So now after the kids get up we go back to the store and return the old tiles and buy new tiles. The problem? Well, it took us quite a while to pick out this set of tiles (we have strong opinions on colors and they are very different opinions). Now we have no shower walls and we NEED to pick out tiles TODAY.
This will be an interesting trip.
Thankfully husband is good at thhis home repair stuff. We couldn't do half of what we have done to this house if he wasn't. Well we could, it just would have cost a whole lot more.
Cross your fingers that we find something. The old walls were in pretty bad shape, but they were better then the nothing that is left!
They need it.
Badly.
Husband is on vacation from school this week so it is the perfect time. This weekend we went to Home Depot and after much debating agreed on a tile. WE purchased said tile and brought it home. today afer the old walls have been demolished I hear a voice from the bathroom saying "I am afraid these are too dark." And they are. So now after the kids get up we go back to the store and return the old tiles and buy new tiles. The problem? Well, it took us quite a while to pick out this set of tiles (we have strong opinions on colors and they are very different opinions). Now we have no shower walls and we NEED to pick out tiles TODAY.
This will be an interesting trip.
Thankfully husband is good at thhis home repair stuff. We couldn't do half of what we have done to this house if he wasn't. Well we could, it just would have cost a whole lot more.
Cross your fingers that we find something. The old walls were in pretty bad shape, but they were better then the nothing that is left!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Choices to Make
Okay, I am going to rant for a minute. And if anyone ever reads this and gets offended I am sorry. But I don't get how so many people spend so much more than they have. I get that things happen- medical issues, job loss, something catastrophic that you just didn't plan for. But to have so many people so much in debt over things. Just things.
Husband and I do not lead the life of luxury. I don't say that to complain or so people feel bad for me. I love my life (98% of the time). But we don't have a lot of things. And that is okay. I have a home, a loving husband, two healthy rugrats, a decent neighborhood, two cars, a dog and a backyard. My bills are paid on time. I know I have more than some do and that makes me lucky. But what gets me is how many people want more.
Husband and I live in a city. We live in the suburbs of the city, but it is a city. And like some other cities the schools are not great. So someday we will have to move because a good education is important to us. For now, we have a decent house in a safe neighborhood so we stay.
Right now our biggest worry is that we would like to move sooner than originally planned. Our goal is to get out of the city before big rugrat hits 3rd grade (this is the magic number in my mind). However, we have a three bedroom house and would like more room before we have a third kid. Right now the rugrats share a room so that we can have an office/playroom. But if we have rugrat number three, we lose a spare room. Not the end of the world, but not ideal. (You can tell we didn't think that through when we purchased the house 5 years ago. But then again we were 23, planning our wedding, and kids weren't exactly in the front of our minds) Our house has no basement (bummer) so finishing it isn't an option. Our hope is to find a house in our price range that is bigger (read: fixer upper) that is move in ready. Not the easiest thing on a teacher's salary. Oh yeah, it needs to be in a nicer town as well.
Not impossible, but certainly not easy.
So what happens if we don't find something? We don't move. And that is okay. Because we have a backup plan! =) We will take our garage and turn it into another room. Right now it serves as storage. We don't park cars in it (I have a automatic start and husband doesn't keep the garage clean enough to park in) so it isn't a big loss. The hard part is that if we convert we lose a good selling point- attached garage. So now we have to figure out a way to budget the renovation and still make it so when we go to sell (years from now) the new owners could convert back into a garage fairly easily. Easier said than done.
We would also like a second bathroom but that is a wish and a dream.
Yup I rambled a little today, but I have been up with little rugrat since 5 am. Finally got him back to sleep at 7 and guess what happens? If you said big rugrat woke up you win the prize. Then little rugrat woke back up and the day progressed.
What does this have to do with budgeting and living on 1 and 1/4 incomes? It is possible to own a house, you just need a really good mortgage, and be willing to buy a fixer upper. It helps if you have a husband who can do a lot of the work himself. Lucky me. Because that cuts WAY down on cost.
Husband and I do not lead the life of luxury. I don't say that to complain or so people feel bad for me. I love my life (98% of the time). But we don't have a lot of things. And that is okay. I have a home, a loving husband, two healthy rugrats, a decent neighborhood, two cars, a dog and a backyard. My bills are paid on time. I know I have more than some do and that makes me lucky. But what gets me is how many people want more.
Husband and I live in a city. We live in the suburbs of the city, but it is a city. And like some other cities the schools are not great. So someday we will have to move because a good education is important to us. For now, we have a decent house in a safe neighborhood so we stay.
Right now our biggest worry is that we would like to move sooner than originally planned. Our goal is to get out of the city before big rugrat hits 3rd grade (this is the magic number in my mind). However, we have a three bedroom house and would like more room before we have a third kid. Right now the rugrats share a room so that we can have an office/playroom. But if we have rugrat number three, we lose a spare room. Not the end of the world, but not ideal. (You can tell we didn't think that through when we purchased the house 5 years ago. But then again we were 23, planning our wedding, and kids weren't exactly in the front of our minds) Our house has no basement (bummer) so finishing it isn't an option. Our hope is to find a house in our price range that is bigger (read: fixer upper) that is move in ready. Not the easiest thing on a teacher's salary. Oh yeah, it needs to be in a nicer town as well.
Not impossible, but certainly not easy.
So what happens if we don't find something? We don't move. And that is okay. Because we have a backup plan! =) We will take our garage and turn it into another room. Right now it serves as storage. We don't park cars in it (I have a automatic start and husband doesn't keep the garage clean enough to park in) so it isn't a big loss. The hard part is that if we convert we lose a good selling point- attached garage. So now we have to figure out a way to budget the renovation and still make it so when we go to sell (years from now) the new owners could convert back into a garage fairly easily. Easier said than done.
We would also like a second bathroom but that is a wish and a dream.
Yup I rambled a little today, but I have been up with little rugrat since 5 am. Finally got him back to sleep at 7 and guess what happens? If you said big rugrat woke up you win the prize. Then little rugrat woke back up and the day progressed.
What does this have to do with budgeting and living on 1 and 1/4 incomes? It is possible to own a house, you just need a really good mortgage, and be willing to buy a fixer upper. It helps if you have a husband who can do a lot of the work himself. Lucky me. Because that cuts WAY down on cost.
Friday, January 30, 2009
stuck with pmi
so husband and i have been paying pmi on our mortgage since we bought the house 5 years ago. pmi is mortgage insurance that you pay when you do not have 20% to put down on a house when you buy it. (i am not sure why 20$ is the magic number, or who came up with it but that is the number they gave us) as 24 year old first time home buyers (one a catholic school teacher and one a teachers aide) we did not have that magic number of 20%, we barely had 3%. over time we have done a lot of work to the house. so about a week ago i called to bank to see if our house is now worth more than when we bought it, enough more that we can lose the pmi we pay each month. this week we had the house appraised and YEAY it is worth enough to drop pmi. but wait...the TYPE of mortgage we have (a special first time home buyers) does not allow you to drop pmi until you have payed off 25% of the principal on the house. so, yea we have about another $10000 or so before we get there. the bank says, well you can pay another $10 or so each month directly to the principal and that will get your there quicker...umm it take a lot of $10 payments to add up to $10000. ugh!
now we may look into refinancing and see if that is an affordable option. that was going to be another $50 in our pocket each month. crossing my fingers that this will be affordable, and with interest rates now maybe we will save even more each month!!! of course we are kind of looking at other houses to move into so we have to weigh how much refinancing will cost us and how long it will take us to recoup it...ugh. more number crunching
off to get the little rugrat to take his nap so mommy can have some quiet time
now we may look into refinancing and see if that is an affordable option. that was going to be another $50 in our pocket each month. crossing my fingers that this will be affordable, and with interest rates now maybe we will save even more each month!!! of course we are kind of looking at other houses to move into so we have to weigh how much refinancing will cost us and how long it will take us to recoup it...ugh. more number crunching
off to get the little rugrat to take his nap so mommy can have some quiet time
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