Our New House

It has been a crazy few weeks. Apparently, I haven't been updating people on the house very well. Sorry Shere.

The process seemed to be going really smoothly until we got the inspection back. The Realtor didn't think we should get one, but I'm glad we didnt listen to her. The inspection said the furnace was bad and several other things like the electrical panel and roof have problems.
We got several different quotes from different companies on the furnace and the electrical panel. Steve's dad, who is does electrical work, said that the electrical panel is fine and that the inspector may have been wrong.

Steve and I sent a counter-offer to the bank with a request that they put in a new furnace before closing. They refused and said they only sell foreclosures "as is." Needless to say, I was pretty upset with that. We almost walked away from the deal because we dont really have the money for a new furnace. We could probably scrape it together out of our emergency fund, but i dont really want to do that. My dad has offered to pay for our new furnace and have it installed before closing. I am so greatful for that. I wish we didnt have to do that though. I hate borrowing money from my parents.

Our originally closing date was November 21st, but the bank changed it to December 3rd. I guess this is sort of a good thing for us because now we wont have a mortgage payment until February. It does make things busy for us during the Holidays though.

We are trying to plan our budget right now around all the work that needs to be done. Most of the work is cosmetic, except for the furnace. The previous owner left the place a big mess, tore all the light fixtures out of the ceiling and even stole the air conditioner. The biggest challenge right now is finding the time to get in the new house and clean up before we move in. With the original closing date, we would have had 2 weeks with both the house and the current apartment, but now we will only have a few days. The bank did say that we could get in and clean before closing but we wont have the utilities turned on yet.

Our budget is going to pretty tight for the next few months but we can survive. We have done this before. When Steve and I had our hours cut last summer, we lost almost $500 of monthly income and we managed to survive. It sure wasn't easy. Last month, Steve got a raise and they put him back to 40 hours. Thank God for that. I told Steve this is the last time I want to move during the Holidays. It just way to busy during the Holidays. I have this afternoon off from Sears, so I plan is to start cleaning and packing a bit. Anyone that's bored and wants to come over and visit, give me a call.

I'm still a little nervous about the whole process but I think we can get this done. Once we get started on the process I think I'll start to feel better. I do look forward to going to Lowes and picking out the light fixtures and sinks and stuff.
WWDRS? What would Dave Ramsey say? If we play our cards right and don't get to off tract, this should be a great thing for us in the long run.

Moving Again

I can't believe Steve and I are going to be moving at Thanksgiving again this year. I have decided that this is the last time we are going to move during the Holidays.

My dad's bank foreclosed on a house and he suggested that we buy it. After much thinking and praying and looking at our budget numbers, we decided to go for it. I know crazy, huh? The mortgage payment is will only be about $100 more than our current rent payment. Steve's theory is that when we are ready to move to Texas, we can sell it and make a killing in Equity. It is a 3 bedroom, 1 bath, with an attached garage. It has a nice big back yard too. The house was appraised before it was foreclosed on for $60,000 and we are buying is for $40,000 with a 20% down payment. My parents offered to gift us the down payment because their parents did that for them when they first started out. I love my parents.

I can't help but here Dave Ramsey in the back of my head. He says never buy a house until you have an Emergency Fund, you are out of debt, and have a good down payment. We have our Emergency Fund and are working on getting out of debt, and thanks to my parents we have a down payment.

The house is all electric, so unfortunetly we need to buy a new dryer and a new stove since they are gas. We are going to try and sell them. The house needs a little work, mostly cosmetic. Steve is excited because he gets to use his tools. Anyone surprised? It is going to be a busy couple months. Please keep us in your prayers, as we try get all the money together we need to make the move and to fix the new house. We also need to keep our heads together and prepare Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Memorial Day

Hi.

I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything. It's been a busy week or so. Memorial Day weekend Steve and I helped some friends move. Along with getting to hang out with their two adorable children and them sharing their toys with me, their youngest decided to share her cold with me too. I ran around after her most of the day with a kleenex wiping her face off. I came home from their new house on Saturday with a stuffy nose and a minor cold. Fun times for me.

Memorial was a paid Holiday for both me and Steve so it was nice to have the day off. We spent the afternoon at his brother's in Bourbon, Indiana. Then we ran home to clean up our apartment and get it all straightened up for a cookout we were having in the evening.

The evening cookout was great. We had about 10 people hanging around our smal apartment. It was great. It didnt feel cramped at all, probably we were surrounded by good friends. Steve and I were talking later and thought it was funny that almost half our Bridal party was over for Memorial day.

After the Memorial day fun was over, I realized my thought hurt ALOT. I could barely swallow. I took Tuesday off work hoping it was just a cold and would go away but I was still sick Tuesday night. So i stayed home again Wednesday and went to the doctor. The doctor told me i might have Strep Throat so I'm on Anti-biotics now.

I was really sad because I had to miss the Oasis Graduation. In 8 years, I have never missed a Graduation.
I am feeling better today but I still am not sleeping very well.

We're Moving!

We have been on the waiting list for a place since April and we finally got a place. I can't wait. We are going to right down the street from work now so it should save us alot of money on gas. Steve and I are also thinking about riding our bikes to work so we will be getting excersize too.

We get to look at the apartment this week and tell them if we are interested and put down the deposit. The only downside is that we have to bring our own appliances. We got a Fridge from my Aunt and maybe a Washer and dryer from her too. We need a Stove though.

I'm excited about this because we are on our way to being debt free. On top of having lower rent now, I am taken on a second job. It's a part time temp job with 1st Source. I found out about the job though someone from GCC.

Space Bags

This weekend, Steve and I are going to be spending most of the time cleaning and packing. You wouldn't think that would be fun, but it is. We are going through all our stuff and deciding what to get rid of, what to keep, and packing things away in boxes.

We got these space bag things. They are the coolest things. I'm sure you have seen the TV commercials for them. They are the bags that you fill full of stuff then stuck the air out and the bag gets really small. They actually really work and they are fun to use. They are not cheap but they are reusable and they should make moving easier. I'm sure we will get our money's worth out of them.

We haven't heard that we have an apartment yet, but we are still 2nd on the waiting list so it could be anytime. You don't realize how much stuff you have until you have to move it.

Moving Day For My Sister!

Yesterday was a busy day. I spent most of it cleaning. I was waiting for Steve to come over after he finished working on his car. He is still trying to fix it. Church was great. Rob always has a way to say exactly what you need being hearing right then. I started my cleaning yesterday in the kitchen. I started some dishes then detailed cleaned the fridge. I took out all the food and cleaned all the shelves with bleach to make them really shiny. Then I put all the food back in.

My sister moved out of my apartment yesterday. She is moving out a month earlier than we had planned so it is going to put an extra strain on my budget. That's ok, though, I guess. I will work something out. We had fun moving all of her stuff out and back to my parents house. She is moving back there until she can find somewhere else to live and a roommate to live with.

Afterwards, Steve and I went back to my apartment and cleaned a little. I washed all the rest of the dishes that were in the sink, had maintenance fix the dishwasher, and moved some furniture around. Steve moved the futon that was in the living room to the 'spare bed room', formally known as Erin's room. He moved the TV in there too, so now we have a little TV room. Tonight, we will probably work on cleaning the living room before we watch 24. It wouldnt be Monday without 24. I still have to pack up most of my stuff. I still have time though.

We are still looking for a house to rent for after we get married. We have had a few prospects come to our attention. We just have to sit down and make a decision. It is going to be a busy month. We have most of the big details done. Now it's just getting the final details on everything done. Only 5 more weeks left! :)

Wedding Planning: Only 36 days left!

Doesn't that look peaceful. Steve and I booked our honeymoon this weekend. I am so glad that is finished. It takes a huge load of stress off knowing that that is planned. We bought the plan tickets, rented the car, and booked the room. We are going to California just South of San Diego. From the pictures on the website it looks really nice. We are going to be right on the beach of the Pacific Ocean. I will take tons of pictures, don't worry. I bet it is going to gorgegous. Please pray that we have great weather for the weekend of the wedding and for the week after. Also please pray for safe travels since I really don't like to fly.

The only big things we have left are finalizing the reception, finishing my wedding ring, and getting a final count for the reception once we get all the RSVPs back (Hint Hint! for those that havent turned in yet. :) ). I'm sure we will think of things as the day gets closer. I still have to figure my hair and little details like that but those shouldnt take to much time. I have to work on cleaning and packing my room this weekend. I'm making a pile/box of garage sale and sell things so hopefully I can make a little extra money before I move. You don't realize how much stuff you have until you have to move it. Money is going to tight for the next few months, but I suppose thats what happens when you get married. Steve and I are putting ourselves on a strick budget so we can squeeze as much out of the next months incomes that we can.