This is the style we’re aiming for, and we absolutely loved this house. It’s right by a lake.
Happy Monday, everyone! The weekend flew by, and I didn’t get nearly as much done as I wanted to. There’s still a lot on my to-do list.
Over the weekend, we checked out some neighborhoods to see where we might want to buy a house. We found a few spots we like. We have a general idea of the type of house we want—we’re pretty flexible but really love older and southern-style homes.
We’re still figuring out our budget, which depends on how much we can save. We’re also debating whether to take on a fixer-upper and renovate it ourselves or buy something that’s already to our liking. Another decision is whether we want a house in an HOA or one with a lot of land.
I suspect this house hunt will take a lot longer than when we bought our first house at 20. Does anyone else feel the same way on their second go-round? It just seems harder to find something perfect this time.
I should probably write a detailed post about what we’re looking for in a house so I can refer back to it. What do you consider “must-haves” in a house? Let me know because I might be missing something important. We plan to stay in our next house for a while and don’t want to overlook anything.
I’m also looking for guest posters. Since I’m close to paying off my student loans, I’m thinking about starting a debt payoff series. Interested? Topics can include how you’re paying off debt quickly, your strategies, and your thoughts on good vs. bad debt.
I’ve been updating my blog post on How To Start A Blog with new tips and instructions to make it easier for you. I also have posts in the works about transferring your blog from Blogger to WordPress.
Don’t forget to check out my sister’s blog, FITnancials. I’m helping her run it while she writes. The blog is doing well, and she’s getting the hang of it. She recently achieved a Page Rank of 2!
Spending:
I don’t think we bought anything significant last week.
Extra Income:
I made $1,635 in the first 10 days of February, not including $325 from my sister or any expected affiliate income. If you add just the $1,635, rent payment, and some additional affiliate income, I’ve made $2,420 so far this month. It feels like a slow start, but I’m hopeful.
I’m focusing on increasing my affiliate income, which is one of my main goals for 2013. If you have any tips or opinions on affiliate income, I’d love to hear them.
For dinner on Friday, we had chicken in vodka sauce, toasted ravioli, and toast. Delicious!
Food:
No meal plan for this week, but we’ve been good about eating at home. We ate out a few times last week but used coupons each time. Buy one get one free dinners at our favorite spots? Yes, please! It was W’s birthday last week, so we had lots of free coupons.
Wedding:
No new updates on the wedding. We’ve chosen photographers, and I love them! There’s still a lot to do, but I’m not feeling too rushed or worried.
Our home gym in the basement is complete!
Being Healthy:
The treadmill arrived last week, and we put it together ourselves in about two hours. We considered paying for assembly but decided it wasn’t worth the extra $250.
One thing we didn’t consider was the ceiling height. The gym fits, but we can’t do pull-ups because the ceiling is too low. Luckily, I’m only 5’4″, so I have about a foot of clearance when running on the treadmill.
I’ve only run on it twice so far because I’ve been swamped, but my goal is to run five days this week, at least five miles each time. Wish me luck!
How are your spending, workouts, and extra income going?