Mortgage Update (Jan '13)

To contact us Click HERE

Principle paid down: $167.24
Interest: $483.40
Additional Principle: $54.22

New Balance: $110,300.47

The pay off date is still December 2038 which is 9 months ahead of the initial schedule. If I continue to pay the minimum on my loan, I will pay $111,392.68 in interest instead of the original $116,404.23. The extra $1,538.33 I've tossed at the mortgage over the life of the loan has saved us $5,011.55 in interest to date.

All in all, it took me $7,057.08 to get the keys to my condo... and another $17,672.29 to remodel and repair it...

In short, I was -$24,729.37 in the hole on day one...

But thankfully the hole is getting filled in a little bit each and every year.

• In 2009 I got the First Time Home buyer's Credit giving us $8,000.00. I also got to write off some of the property tax I paid in addition to taking the standard deduction. This gave us an extra $90.10... but then I had to pay an Electrician $95.00 to fix an outlet... We also ended 2009 with a refund from my botched tile job that gave us another $1,265.00.
• In 2010 I saved $1,087.00 on my federal taxes and $461.00 on my State taxes from itemizing my homeowners expenses. (This is what I received ABOVE what I would have with just the standard deduction).
• In 2011 I spent $12.97 at home depot, and $72.29 on a kitchen door, when we subtract those costs from what we saved by living in our condo instead of renting, we came out ahead $494.04 (See Mortgage Update + Condo Costs December '11 for that break down.)  We also received a small $70 refund check from over paid closing costs. Since we tied the knot in 2011 we won't be able to itemize our housing costs so there's no savings there for us.
• In 2012 we finished our Kitchen/Laundry door which cost us $103.24.. We also replaced both our glass slider doors which cost us $2,957.00... and repaired our dryer for $81.42....It ended up being $3,383.47 cheaper to OWN our condo than to rent an apartment on a monthly basis,  (See Housing Costs 2012 for the break down) so even after we subtract the windows and other minor repairs, we still came out ahead $241.81 by owning our condo instead of renting... 

Leaving us $13,115.42 in the hole...

If we assume our home is worth at least what we paid for it (which in this market you never really know...), then we have $9,699.53 in equity...

Leaving us only $3,415.89 in the hole after 3 years, 4 months.

For 2013, we will again assume our monthly mortgage payments are a wash since its cheaper to OWN our home then to RENT an apartment. Check out Housing Comps 2013 for how we figured that one out.

Thus far for 2013 we have spent $1,119.58 to live in our condo, instead of $1,361.00 to live in the apartment.

• Mortgage (including P&I, Property Taxes, MIP, & additional principle:) $857.08
• HOA:  $262.50
• Small Home Repairs/Improvements:
• Earthquake Insurance: $0
• Homeowners Insurance: $0

As of today, we have saved $241.42 by not renting.

If I sold the condo tomorrow, I'd have to sell the property for $121,006.97 to break even.

• This assumes a 6% total commission ($7,260.42)
• and enough money to refund the amount we are in the hole for ($3,415.89)

January Farmer's Market Rundown

To contact us Click HERE
South County Boy had another opportunity to sell his handmade crafts at the local farmers market in January... and again did really well!!! You can see from the picture off to the side that we now have more display stands and a larger table since we picked up the one he left in Utah at his parents house over Christmas (well technically his mom "bought" that one off us so we could buy a folding one so it would fit in our car for the drive home-- Thanks Mom).

SCB has been able to consistently sell around $100 in merchandise on each visit-- even when the weather has been temperamental and the crowds few and far between. This steady opportunity has allowed him to finally start slowly expanding the items he can make to now include pencils in addition to the pens and the custom order letter openers and the 2 types of bottle openers he makes. 

matching pen and pencil sets ($30 for the pair, or
$18 for pencils and $15 for pens)

We have also found the key chains he makes and sells for $5 have been popular, which is good for us since they don't cost us much to make, especially since we use odd ends of scrap wood or leftover blanks that shatter on him while he's turning. 
This month he debuted a new stylus pen and they seemed fairly popular. We have also been adding a clearance section where he has been selling some of his early work or slightly flawed work at a discount and this seems to help us move inventory along. We now have a good set of what we order and what we don't anymore, and he even gets to experiment with some new items every so often. 
What's really starting to be a blessing is that we are finally getting to a point where we don't have to make sure all our funds from our last sale are in the bank before placing an order for more materials ..  and that means that we can start to slowly stock up on supplies so we can keep a larger inventory so he can either create an Etsy account online and list his items there or pick up venues where he will need a larger inventory (like the 4th of July street fair or the holiday boutique at the community center)!

 So what did he sell at the market?

• 1 stylus pen
• 2 clearance pens
• 3 slimline pen
• 1 Key chain
• 1 Pencil

Pretty much at least one of everything in his regular inventory...

This month we also had a couple custom orders from some friends and people at our church which included:

• 1 Bolt action Pen
• 2 stylus pens
• Matching Pen/Pencil Set with Case
• 1 Fat-line pen

Not too bad if you ask me...and things might be looking up! Since the market has lost a lot of people due to the Friday morning time slot, it looks like they will be changing it to Saturdays in a month or so and then I can go with him and possibly sell some of my crochet items if I want to!
Here's a few sneak peek pictures from his live Etsy account! YUP!!! Were OPEN!!!

Lowering our internet bill

To contact us Click HERE
Normally I don't open my monthly cox statement. It's one of the few bills that actually comes in the mail because I can't seem to get their website to let me view my bill online successfully. We have auto pay and I normally just acknowledge it's arrival by handing it to my husband for his "shred" pile...

But this past month I opened the notice because I knew it had been almost a year since Cox had graciously given us a  "temporarily" rate reduction because SCB wasn't working. If you remember last year, I called them up to drop our internet speed to something slower to save money when they were increasing the fees and instead they offered us a discount to keep our current plan so we leaped on it.

So, I opened the bill and I was glad I read the fine print! 

They scheduled a rate increase not only to remove our "unemployed" discount-- but one that would be across the board for all cox subscribers.

Each month we used to pay a total of $35.14 for internet and for a cox service protection plan with our discount. If I hadn't opened that bill, the next time we would have been charged we would have been paying $49.98 ...

a 42% increase.

Ya, you read that right. Our bill would have been 42% more because our service plan would have gone from $31.19 to $43.99 and the cox service protection plan from $3.95 to $5.99 a month.

So I called cox and asked them to take us out of "Internet Essential" and drop us into the first tier of internet they offer. Essentially we went one level lower than that what we currently had. Then I had them remove our cox protection plan policy... and then I had them lock us into a 2 year contract at our current price to prevent any future price increases from coming and spiking up our bill since they seem to come around every year.

If we cancel them before 2 years, we get hit with a $45 fee, which goes down each month you have the service. I figure if this rate hike alone was $15 the next will be higher and since we aren't moving or canceling our cox for 2 years, we will be okay having a contract.

So our bill should be around $30 even each month, so not only did we not have to eat the increase, we ended up saving around $5 a month from our service bill.

:)

The jobs I didn't get

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My husband often makes fun of me because I'm constantly cataloging events of the past and infusing them with meaning. Case in point: jobs I didn't get. There are several jobs in my career history that I applied for and really felt I should have gotten, but did not. In each case "not getting the job" paved the way for a bigger, better, or more interesting opportunities. Coincidence? You decide...

The first time around, I was a 22 year old promotion assistant at a TV station in Boston. After about a year on the job, I saw a listing for a position in the station's LA branch writing descriptions of TV for the blind. As a creative writing major and TV lover, I instantly thought it was the perfect job for me. Plus, I was dying to leave Boston. I interofficed my resume to HR and gave my boss a heads-up that I might be leaving soon (cocky, right?). A few weeks passed and nothing. Then, the job's no longer posted. Then, I found out someone else in my department got the job. So, I stayed in Boston and a mere two months later met my future husband at a birthday party (hey, it would have been impossible to attend if I was living in LA).

Next time around, I was a 25 year old cultural arts publicist looking for a new job (preferably one that did not mandate grueling weekend & night performance duty in addition to 9-5 office hours). I applied for a PR position at a local hospital. Made it past two rounds of interviews and felt primed to go all the way. Sent endearing, perfect thank-you cards to all involved. Two weeks later I found out they picked the other finalist. Darn. But then four weeks later, I was offered a PR job at another TV station. where I really wanted to be.

And finally there was last year, I was a 29 year old laid off mom pining over a position at a national broadcast agency. The job description felt like I had written it myself, that's how closely aligned it was with my goals and experience, but what I didn't realize (what I couldn't have known) was that the job was specific for a reason: they had an internal candidate. I didn't even make it past the first interview. The afternoon I got the email was one of my lowest in the job hunt. But (as mentioned in a previous post) a mere five hours later I was offered an invitation to apply for a position as COO of a multimedia non-profit. And you know where that got me...

In short, the universe acts in mysterious ways. Sometimes you just have to accept that what seems like the right fit, is not. There's something else in store for you.

What I'm Giving Up

To contact us Click HERE
Unemployment is a time to consider what's essential. Last year when I was laid off, I had a really generous severance package and with lots of job prospects, I felt pretty secure with moderate adjustments. I reduced my gym membership to a restricted hours plan. I cut my allowance in half. We ate out less.

This time around, I'm not quite as confident. For starters, it's possible I'll be out of work longer than the 3 months it took me last time. And without severance, things get real pretty fast. I'm erring on the side of caution and giving up as many non-essentials as I can stomach. In particular, my entire allowance and entire gym membership. If you read my entry about working out for less then you know giving up the gym is not a big deal. I'll run and lift weights at my house for free.

Allowance is the real sacrifice. When my husband and I first got married, we opened a joint checking & savings account, but also opted to each keep a private checking account. All individual purchases come out of this account: clothes, shoes, haircuts, makeup, dining out, classes, entertainment, gum, magazines, books, music, etc.

Luckily, I had a bit of reserve saved up before becoming unemployed, which should get me through the next couple of months if I'm frugal. In the meantime, it's a fascinating study in what is and isn't essential to spend money on in the short run.

• Clothes: I shouldn't need to buy new clothes. I have enough suits for interviews and jeans and t-shirts to wear around the house. Nonessential
  

• Hair: My hair is really short right now, but no job = no bob. I'll need one last trip to the salon to get things evened out and ready to grow. Semi-essential
  

• Makeup: I don't wear very much, but I stockpiled the expensive stuff at a Christmas sale. All the rest, I buy at the beauty bodega down the street for less than $6 a piece. Semi-essential
  

• Entertainment: First, DC's full of free museums and many lovely parks. Second, my bedside drawer is stacked with books I haven't read. Third, we've got NetFlix, TiVo and various online viewing options. Nonessential
  

• Eating out: This is both an easy & hard one. It's extremely easy for me to eat what's in the house. On the other hand, one expense that's always worth it (especially in unemployment) is connecting with people over lunch and drinks. Essential
  

All told, this is a pretty lush life. And while I guarantee there will be times when I am lusting after some object...be it shoes, clothes, or gadgetry...I'm going to try very hard to keep things in perspective and wait. I know what it's like to have credit card debt, and I don't want to experience that again.

I'm back (Part 2)

To contact us Click HERE

Our tree topper this year was a
panda, wearing a red Santa hat
that I made, holding
a Halo gun from the video game...
All because the star wouldn't stay
up and I decided it could play
second fiddle to the Panda.

I had to break the last post up because it was getting frightfully long. I last left you all about a week and a half before Christmas, and I have to say, it was a nice holiday season for the South County Family...

(hey look at that, I used the word "family" without gagging! 2013 is looking up already!)

I managed to get 2 weeks off from work and for the first time in I don't know how many years, I didn't have to work New Years Day. Christmas was festive. We went and saw a live demonstration of the Christmas story complete with real animals which really helped set the mood for me.

I really enjoyed being apart of the Christmas Concert at church, even if my mom didn't come. It was lovely, moving, and powerful... and I was proud of myself for putting myself out there and jumping into something new. I learned to read music, push myself to be a better singer, and really feel the holiday music the night of the performances... It was a moving experience.

We went to "Candy Cane Lane," one night and walked around the really drastically decorated homes (pictured below). They had fake snow falling from their houses, and even some kids were out selling cookies and coco to buy toys for kids who were in the hospital.

Candy Cane Lane....

We even enjoyed the time when my mom came over and we celebrated our own mini Christmas on Christmas Eve as planned. She came over at Noon and we had fun snacks and munchies. I prayed her "Christmas CD" and SCB and I stayed in our PJ's all day and had a nice visit. She only stayed for an hour and a half, but it was still nice and pleasant and left fond memories of a good and drama free Christmas. The mood wasn't even dampened when my mom would talk about or mention my sister.

Me embracing my inner Taylor Swift at the
Christmas Concert...
Red lipstick Required,
and yes, SCB went CraZY!

I didn't get bitter... or angry... or even sad...

Somewhere along this journey over the past month or so I just let it all go...

I'm not sure when it happened... or even when that moment came... or if it was even a single moment and not small moments all over the place... But I realized that things would be okay for me with or without my biological family members.

Simply removing the drama, stress, and worries that had always been in my life ... apart of my life... the center of my life--- just removing it all gave me such a sense of peace that I felt like I was finally living. Finally moving on and starting fresh and new.

I felt free and burden-less.

It was my holiday, on my terms. We were free to make new traditions, and to bring back some old ones.

When my mom left, my husband and I dragged out our mattress and put it on the floor in our living room right by the tree...  We turned on our fireplace DVD and listened to it crackle as we watched Christmas movies and camped out in the living room with every stuffed animal I owned crammed onto our couch.

The stuffed animal sleep over... Yes, I have a thing for
Pandas and bears...
I swear I only bought 2... the rest were all gifts.

As a firm believer in Santa I made my husband sit through miracle on 24th street too many times this year while I jumped up and down in my seat saying
"I Believe" ... "I Believe."

I even made him watch both versions of the Grinch even though he isn't a fan of the Jim Carrey version.

Ya, we forgot about a few things, like making Santa cookies, and reading from Luke 2 on Christmas eve, but we modified our traditions and left Santa some of the yummy peppermint bark a friend from church brought over randomly.

Christmas with my mom...
and the best stocking ever...

and I love that.

That someone would feel welcome to just knock on my door and say hi. I've always wanted to have friends that just show up at your door without feeling the need to call and see if you are at home just to spend time with you and participate in the thing we call life. I seriously love the church I go to and the people in it. I've never felt so welcomed and at home-- even as an "outsider."

They really restore my faith in human kind.

We had a night that can only be described as ours. And I liked it. I even liked the fact that the christmas bark we left out got nibbled on and while SCB swears it was him... I know it was Santa.

On Christmas Day we opened our home up to the missionaries again to open presents, skype their parents, and eat yummy breakfast sandwiches I made.

My favorite thing... playing in snow!!!
Its even fun to shovel it.

That afternoon when they left, we loaded up the car and headed straight to Utah. We arrived at 1:00 am the morning after Christmas, and by 3:00 am it started snowing and dropped a good 6 inches of fresh powder. Over the next week we got another 6 inches and it was like living in a snow globe.

Snow was a constant companion and I loved it. Snow is perfect. No one can convince me of anything different.

Ya, it's not a family trip without one
day of shooting.. This is my
brother-in-laws AR-15.

We spent time with family, friends, and had a wonderful vacation. We went to temple square via the new train that they have that runs locally and goes all the way up and back for less than the gas it would take for us to get to salt lake City and back. We got to see the lights at temple square and I made sure we revisited "the spot" where SCB proposed to me...

We went to our favorite Utah places... thrift shopped at the local D.I. stores where I found SCB an actual suit jacket for $10.00... It was also where I was reunited with a skirt I had gotten rid of 2 years ago because it was too small on me, only to found it in the now perfect size for me for $5!!!

We spent an afternoon doing the annual shooting gathering/experience... It was snowing the whole time we were out, but despite the cold, i'm pretty decent when I aim and each year i seem to get better and better. I shot mostly a 22 riffle and my sister-in-laws 28 special, but I did take a round or two on my brother-in-laws new AR-15... and hit my target on the first shot.    :)

My friends kid... isn't she cute???

All in all, it was just what we needed when we needed it.

Sure life hasn't been all that awesome at times, like in November when our Dryer heating element blew out and we thought Christmas was going to be cancelled as we tried to figure out how to replace it. But eventually SCB was able to find the part online, get the missionaries to come over and help him move the sucker out of the tiny storage area, and then later install and put the whole thing back together all on his own, --- all for $80 instead of the hundreds it would have cost us to replace the entire thing.

Reuniting with all my utah friends who moved away...

Oh ya, and then there was the fact that it cost us $700 to get my car fixed just days before we headed out to go to Utah (I needed new breaks and had 2 holes in my power steering line)... but that's what emergency funds are for, and why i'm glad I have one :) How else could I make memories with the people I care (like my good friends pictured above who I miss all the time).

Oh and then there was the fact that I spent an entire 24 hours over new years eve and new years day getting so violently that i literally rang in the New Year puking my guts out on the front porch of my Mother-in-Laws house right onto one of her frozen planter boxes because the bathroom was full of people and that was the closest acceptable location to get sick in... Which I did wearing only socks on my feet with snow on the ground and a high in the single digits.

But that's all just life, and we live it. Each day has opportunities to remember the good things and laugh at the bad and I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for us.
  

My favorite Utah Neighbor... Blue... Such a nice doggie!

SCB and his dad on the train back from temple square.

Pretty...

 Eating at Kneaders... Yum!

I didn't know it could go negative!

Post Christmas Sale finds for $5 each!!! Can't wait to put
these up next year.

Mortgage Update (Jan '13)

To contact us Click HERE

Principle paid down: $167.24
Interest: $483.40
Additional Principle: $54.22

New Balance: $110,300.47

The pay off date is still December 2038 which is 9 months ahead of the initial schedule. If I continue to pay the minimum on my loan, I will pay $111,392.68 in interest instead of the original $116,404.23. The extra $1,538.33 I've tossed at the mortgage over the life of the loan has saved us $5,011.55 in interest to date.

All in all, it took me $7,057.08 to get the keys to my condo... and another $17,672.29 to remodel and repair it...

In short, I was -$24,729.37 in the hole on day one...

But thankfully the hole is getting filled in a little bit each and every year.

• In 2009 I got the First Time Home buyer's Credit giving us $8,000.00. I also got to write off some of the property tax I paid in addition to taking the standard deduction. This gave us an extra $90.10... but then I had to pay an Electrician $95.00 to fix an outlet... We also ended 2009 with a refund from my botched tile job that gave us another $1,265.00.
• In 2010 I saved $1,087.00 on my federal taxes and $461.00 on my State taxes from itemizing my homeowners expenses. (This is what I received ABOVE what I would have with just the standard deduction).
• In 2011 I spent $12.97 at home depot, and $72.29 on a kitchen door, when we subtract those costs from what we saved by living in our condo instead of renting, we came out ahead $494.04 (See Mortgage Update + Condo Costs December '11 for that break down.)  We also received a small $70 refund check from over paid closing costs. Since we tied the knot in 2011 we won't be able to itemize our housing costs so there's no savings there for us.
• In 2012 we finished our Kitchen/Laundry door which cost us $103.24.. We also replaced both our glass slider doors which cost us $2,957.00... and repaired our dryer for $81.42....It ended up being $3,383.47 cheaper to OWN our condo than to rent an apartment on a monthly basis,  (See Housing Costs 2012 for the break down) so even after we subtract the windows and other minor repairs, we still came out ahead $241.81 by owning our condo instead of renting... 

Leaving us $13,115.42 in the hole...

If we assume our home is worth at least what we paid for it (which in this market you never really know...), then we have $9,699.53 in equity...

Leaving us only $3,415.89 in the hole after 3 years, 4 months.

For 2013, we will again assume our monthly mortgage payments are a wash since its cheaper to OWN our home then to RENT an apartment. Check out Housing Comps 2013 for how we figured that one out.

Thus far for 2013 we have spent $1,119.58 to live in our condo, instead of $1,361.00 to live in the apartment.

• Mortgage (including P&I, Property Taxes, MIP, & additional principle:) $857.08
• HOA:  $262.50
• Small Home Repairs/Improvements:
• Earthquake Insurance: $0
• Homeowners Insurance: $0

As of today, we have saved $241.42 by not renting.

If I sold the condo tomorrow, I'd have to sell the property for $121,006.97 to break even.

• This assumes a 6% total commission ($7,260.42)
• and enough money to refund the amount we are in the hole for ($3,415.89)

January Farmer's Market Rundown

To contact us Click HERE
South County Boy had another opportunity to sell his handmade crafts at the local farmers market in January... and again did really well!!! You can see from the picture off to the side that we now have more display stands and a larger table since we picked up the one he left in Utah at his parents house over Christmas (well technically his mom "bought" that one off us so we could buy a folding one so it would fit in our car for the drive home-- Thanks Mom).

SCB has been able to consistently sell around $100 in merchandise on each visit-- even when the weather has been temperamental and the crowds few and far between. This steady opportunity has allowed him to finally start slowly expanding the items he can make to now include pencils in addition to the pens and the custom order letter openers and the 2 types of bottle openers he makes. 

matching pen and pencil sets ($30 for the pair, or
$18 for pencils and $15 for pens)

We have also found the key chains he makes and sells for $5 have been popular, which is good for us since they don't cost us much to make, especially since we use odd ends of scrap wood or leftover blanks that shatter on him while he's turning. 
This month he debuted a new stylus pen and they seemed fairly popular. We have also been adding a clearance section where he has been selling some of his early work or slightly flawed work at a discount and this seems to help us move inventory along. We now have a good set of what we order and what we don't anymore, and he even gets to experiment with some new items every so often. 
What's really starting to be a blessing is that we are finally getting to a point where we don't have to make sure all our funds from our last sale are in the bank before placing an order for more materials ..  and that means that we can start to slowly stock up on supplies so we can keep a larger inventory so he can either create an Etsy account online and list his items there or pick up venues where he will need a larger inventory (like the 4th of July street fair or the holiday boutique at the community center)!

 So what did he sell at the market?

• 1 stylus pen
• 2 clearance pens
• 3 slimline pen
• 1 Key chain
• 1 Pencil

Pretty much at least one of everything in his regular inventory...

This month we also had a couple custom orders from some friends and people at our church which included:

• 1 Bolt action Pen
• 2 stylus pens
• Matching Pen/Pencil Set with Case
• 1 Fat-line pen

Not too bad if you ask me...and things might be looking up! Since the market has lost a lot of people due to the Friday morning time slot, it looks like they will be changing it to Saturdays in a month or so and then I can go with him and possibly sell some of my crochet items if I want to!
Here's a few sneak peek pictures from his live Etsy account! YUP!!! Were OPEN!!!

The jobs I didn't get

To contact us Click HERE
My husband often makes fun of me because I'm constantly cataloging events of the past and infusing them with meaning. Case in point: jobs I didn't get. There are several jobs in my career history that I applied for and really felt I should have gotten, but did not. In each case "not getting the job" paved the way for a bigger, better, or more interesting opportunities. Coincidence? You decide...

The first time around, I was a 22 year old promotion assistant at a TV station in Boston. After about a year on the job, I saw a listing for a position in the station's LA branch writing descriptions of TV for the blind. As a creative writing major and TV lover, I instantly thought it was the perfect job for me. Plus, I was dying to leave Boston. I interofficed my resume to HR and gave my boss a heads-up that I might be leaving soon (cocky, right?). A few weeks passed and nothing. Then, the job's no longer posted. Then, I found out someone else in my department got the job. So, I stayed in Boston and a mere two months later met my future husband at a birthday party (hey, it would have been impossible to attend if I was living in LA).

Next time around, I was a 25 year old cultural arts publicist looking for a new job (preferably one that did not mandate grueling weekend & night performance duty in addition to 9-5 office hours). I applied for a PR position at a local hospital. Made it past two rounds of interviews and felt primed to go all the way. Sent endearing, perfect thank-you cards to all involved. Two weeks later I found out they picked the other finalist. Darn. But then four weeks later, I was offered a PR job at another TV station. where I really wanted to be.

And finally there was last year, I was a 29 year old laid off mom pining over a position at a national broadcast agency. The job description felt like I had written it myself, that's how closely aligned it was with my goals and experience, but what I didn't realize (what I couldn't have known) was that the job was specific for a reason: they had an internal candidate. I didn't even make it past the first interview. The afternoon I got the email was one of my lowest in the job hunt. But (as mentioned in a previous post) a mere five hours later I was offered an invitation to apply for a position as COO of a multimedia non-profit. And you know where that got me...

In short, the universe acts in mysterious ways. Sometimes you just have to accept that what seems like the right fit, is not. There's something else in store for you.

What I'm Giving Up

To contact us Click HERE
Unemployment is a time to consider what's essential. Last year when I was laid off, I had a really generous severance package and with lots of job prospects, I felt pretty secure with moderate adjustments. I reduced my gym membership to a restricted hours plan. I cut my allowance in half. We ate out less.

This time around, I'm not quite as confident. For starters, it's possible I'll be out of work longer than the 3 months it took me last time. And without severance, things get real pretty fast. I'm erring on the side of caution and giving up as many non-essentials as I can stomach. In particular, my entire allowance and entire gym membership. If you read my entry about working out for less then you know giving up the gym is not a big deal. I'll run and lift weights at my house for free.

Allowance is the real sacrifice. When my husband and I first got married, we opened a joint checking & savings account, but also opted to each keep a private checking account. All individual purchases come out of this account: clothes, shoes, haircuts, makeup, dining out, classes, entertainment, gum, magazines, books, music, etc.

Luckily, I had a bit of reserve saved up before becoming unemployed, which should get me through the next couple of months if I'm frugal. In the meantime, it's a fascinating study in what is and isn't essential to spend money on in the short run.

• Clothes: I shouldn't need to buy new clothes. I have enough suits for interviews and jeans and t-shirts to wear around the house. Nonessential
  

• Hair: My hair is really short right now, but no job = no bob. I'll need one last trip to the salon to get things evened out and ready to grow. Semi-essential
  

• Makeup: I don't wear very much, but I stockpiled the expensive stuff at a Christmas sale. All the rest, I buy at the beauty bodega down the street for less than $6 a piece. Semi-essential
  

• Entertainment: First, DC's full of free museums and many lovely parks. Second, my bedside drawer is stacked with books I haven't read. Third, we've got NetFlix, TiVo and various online viewing options. Nonessential
  

• Eating out: This is both an easy & hard one. It's extremely easy for me to eat what's in the house. On the other hand, one expense that's always worth it (especially in unemployment) is connecting with people over lunch and drinks. Essential
  

All told, this is a pretty lush life. And while I guarantee there will be times when I am lusting after some object...be it shoes, clothes, or gadgetry...I'm going to try very hard to keep things in perspective and wait. I know what it's like to have credit card debt, and I don't want to experience that again.

What I'm Giving Up

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Unemployment is a time to consider what's essential. Last year when I was laid off, I had a really generous severance package and with lots of job prospects, I felt pretty secure with moderate adjustments. I reduced my gym membership to a restricted hours plan. I cut my allowance in half. We ate out less.

This time around, I'm not quite as confident. For starters, it's possible I'll be out of work longer than the 3 months it took me last time. And without severance, things get real pretty fast. I'm erring on the side of caution and giving up as many non-essentials as I can stomach. In particular, my entire allowance and entire gym membership. If you read my entry about working out for less then you know giving up the gym is not a big deal. I'll run and lift weights at my house for free.

Allowance is the real sacrifice. When my husband and I first got married, we opened a joint checking & savings account, but also opted to each keep a private checking account. All individual purchases come out of this account: clothes, shoes, haircuts, makeup, dining out, classes, entertainment, gum, magazines, books, music, etc.

Luckily, I had a bit of reserve saved up before becoming unemployed, which should get me through the next couple of months if I'm frugal. In the meantime, it's a fascinating study in what is and isn't essential to spend money on in the short run.

• Clothes: I shouldn't need to buy new clothes. I have enough suits for interviews and jeans and t-shirts to wear around the house. Nonessential
  

• Hair: My hair is really short right now, but no job = no bob. I'll need one last trip to the salon to get things evened out and ready to grow. Semi-essential
  

• Makeup: I don't wear very much, but I stockpiled the expensive stuff at a Christmas sale. All the rest, I buy at the beauty bodega down the street for less than $6 a piece. Semi-essential
  

• Entertainment: First, DC's full of free museums and many lovely parks. Second, my bedside drawer is stacked with books I haven't read. Third, we've got NetFlix, TiVo and various online viewing options. Nonessential
  

• Eating out: This is both an easy & hard one. It's extremely easy for me to eat what's in the house. On the other hand, one expense that's always worth it (especially in unemployment) is connecting with people over lunch and drinks. Essential
  

All told, this is a pretty lush life. And while I guarantee there will be times when I am lusting after some object...be it shoes, clothes, or gadgetry...I'm going to try very hard to keep things in perspective and wait. I know what it's like to have credit card debt, and I don't want to experience that again.

I'm Back (part one)

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I know its taken me some time to return to the blog-o-sphere... (but rest assured-- I'm back and ready to come back regularly). Again, thank you for all the comments and the "I miss yous." I guess I just really needed time to let all of the events of the last 2 months happen and heal from them before reliving them for you all... so lets get to it shall we?

My amazing Turkey!!

Thanksgiving...
Since I last posted, my sister contacted me to "officially" invite us to thanksgiving at her house. She then followed up with a series of voice mails saying that "she probably won't call me again if I don't reach out to her" and that she needed us to "formally" let her know if we would be coming to thanksgiving or not and then later mentioned how we'd be "missing out" on all the "exciting" things going on in her life...

I didn't bother replying to anything, but since i'm polite (and knew it would irk her), SCB took pleasure in denying the invitation for us via text message.

I guess you can say I've hit the point where I've just become numb to her threats and pleas. I just have become so used to missing out on family events and feeling detached that I don't care if they set a date for their wedding, announce that they are starting a family, or if they decided to buy a house.

So I held my ground and had the best thanksgiving of my life. I even got my mom to come over for a half hour for some munchies on her way to my sister's house. I tackled a 21 lb turkey to perfection, spent time with my husband and let our house be "home base" for the missionaries for both lunch and dinner, sending them on their way piled high with to-go boxes (the 21 lb turkey was made for only 4 people so there was plenty to go around). When they left, we went Black Friday shopping, hitting all the stores we wanted and made it home in time to crash and get some zzz's before I went to work for the closing shift to get some nice overtime.

After the holiday when we were dropping off things we picked up on black Friday for my mom, she admitted she was quite sad that she hadn't spent more time with me on thanksgiving. I call that a victory.  

Cause this picture is better than the
story I'm about to spew. 

My Sister's Birthday... 
My sister's birthday was in December... and I knew it was going to cause trouble. If I ignored it, I was evil... If I did something, no matter what it wouldn't be good enough... and I was at a conundrum.

The birthday situation escalated further when we found out that my sister would in fact be in town for the Christmas holidays (their trip to El Salvador was cancelled because they ended up closing escrow on a town home and couldn't afford both), but this meant we knew we wouldn't be able to go over to my mom's house on Christmas morning now...

Quite frankly, I wasn't sure how far i'd be able to "push" my mom in a small time span of a week or two without getting disowned and branded the evil child, for now there was a birthday and Christmas gathering that I was not going to attend.

But I owed it to myself, and I owed it to my husband. I couldn't let my sister ruin another holiday. It was hard fighting off my mom's protests. After all, it was "her year" for Christmas since we spent last year in Utah... and she kept mentioning how the festivities would be at her house so my sister "would have to" behave... my sister's birthday wasn't mentioned much, but I knew it would come when my mom relented and agreed to celebrate with us on Christmas Eve... a concession that was made right before my sister's birthday... (oh the cunning of my family...)

You see, my sister was going to be spending her birthday alone because her fiance was going to be on a work assignment traveling (something he couldn't say no to with them buying a house so suddenly), and my sister can't stand being alone and not feeling special and that the world revolves around her... especially on her birthday. So my mom decided to try a new angle with me... guilt.

She tried to guilt me into talking to my sister because it was her birthday. First she wanted me to stop by her house and wish her happy birthday, which I flat out refused to do... and when she finally figured out that I was serious, she then begged me just to call her (how awkward would that be??? Hey, we haven't been speaking for 2 plus months, but happy birthday, bye!).... then she begged me to text her and there was no way i'd touch mode of communication with a three foot pole considering they have this great habit of taking things out of context....

So I told my mom that nothing I did would be right with the current situation and environment but i'd think about it because I knew it was important to her... and in the end I ended up buying her a birthday card and writing a note inside, a note I had SCB read and re-read to make sure it couldn't be taken the wrong way... even then knowing that it would... I even picked a nice $5 card so she couldn't complain that I bought a cheap one... Instead of just signing my name and happy birthday (which I knew i'd get yelled at for doing--- you can here it now: "Really SCG, you couldn't just write something nice inside it-- it wouldn't kill you ya know!!!???")... So with that in mind, I wrote this in the card,

Dear ________,  I know we aren't speaking right now, but I didn't want to let your birthday pass by without doing something. I hope you have a wonderful day and that you take some time to really enjoy your birthday. Congratulations on the new house and I wish you all the best. Happy birthday, ---SCG

2 days later I got a call from my mom complaining about how I ruined my sister's birthday, reduced her to tears, and how dare I write anything so negative in a card.... there were mentions about how I could have just wrote happy birthday and my name and left it at that... and that I was mean and how my mom had to spend the next day trying to console my sister in her loneliness...

I took it in stride... told her no matter what I did it wouldn't have been good enough...and tried to make her see reason... I think I failed because a few days later my mom hadn't called me about carpooling or coming to the Christmas Concert I was performing in at Church... a concert I had been rehearsing for since October that required matching outfits and hours upon hours of rehearsal.

Again, a better "happy" picture to make this
more uplifting. He keeps me sane... I
heart him.

Another Family Let down...
When I called my mom up to remind her, she went off about how she had just got back from my sisters house, helping her move and trying to deal with her being so upset about her birthday that I ruined, that she wasn't coming... She made excuses that contradicted herself... and she didn't show. Over 1,200 people came between the two performances (there was even a blurb about it in the local paper), but my mom didn't show up. Instead I came home to a half apology, half "your probably just refusing my calls and ignoring me" voice mail from my mom. I returned it that night after the concert when I had access to my phone again and left her a message telling her that my phone had to be off during the concert and that I wasn't avoiding her...

She apparently didn't get that message because I got 2 missed calls and a voice mail in the span of one hour at work while I was life-guarding outside. It was a sad message. She was on the verge of tears begging me to call her and not let all the "progress" we had made over the past year or two dissolve..

When I called her, she was so thrilled to hear me on the phone that I didn't know who I was talking to at first, nor what to expect... When I pointed out the voice mail message I left her, she went sheepish. I told her that while I was pissed that she chose not to come to the concert I'd been working on since October just to be mean to me on purpose that it hurt... but I realized she was sorry since she had called to apologize and then I stayed on the phone and let her apologize. She went on and on about how she was just wrapped up in the moment of my sister and was sorry. I told her that i accepted her apology and she was bonkers happy when I told her "of course were still having Christmas together on Christmas Eve..."

I then used the next few moments to tie everything together in a happy little bow.

I told my mom that unlike my sister and I, that we (my mom and me) had a more adult relationship where people can admit they are wrong, forgive one another, and move forward... but that my sister and I were not capable of having an adult relationship together because there was no respect there. I reiterated how I didn't want to do anything for my sister's birthday because nothing I did would have gone over well. If I had just signed my name to a card, it would have caused a verbal frenzy.... and instead writing a nice note was thrown in my face.

and she agreed.

She agreed with me and then admitted that my sister hadn't really "changed" at all these last 2 months, despite her claims to me that she was sorry--- and truly didn't know why I was upset.... and wanted to change.

She admitted that she had just been trying so hard to believe that my sister could change and convince me of that that she didn't really see what my sister was trying to do. Still trying to get my mom mad at me and side with her.

I was then able to let my mom know that the only adult thing to do with the present situation was to let my sister and I just have space from one another since we cannot act appropriately together... and she agreed to back off and not try and shove us into an agreement. It also helped that I told my mom that I wish no ill will towards my sister and that I hope everything works out well for her, but its just best for us to lead separate lives until she comes to a place where she can see why what she's doing in hurtful and make steps towards making amends.

While you might find this a bit odd, but everything in the above paragraph isn't B.S. I have finally come to a place and a period in my life where I can let go and forgive her for the rotten crap she's pulled--- but that doesn't mean I will sit down and let it continue to happen... Which is why she doesn't need to be in my life right now.

I'm back (Part 2)

To contact us Click HERE

Our tree topper this year was a
panda, wearing a red Santa hat
that I made, holding
a Halo gun from the video game...
All because the star wouldn't stay
up and I decided it could play
second fiddle to the Panda.

I had to break the last post up because it was getting frightfully long. I last left you all about a week and a half before Christmas, and I have to say, it was a nice holiday season for the South County Family...

(hey look at that, I used the word "family" without gagging! 2013 is looking up already!)

I managed to get 2 weeks off from work and for the first time in I don't know how many years, I didn't have to work New Years Day. Christmas was festive. We went and saw a live demonstration of the Christmas story complete with real animals which really helped set the mood for me.

I really enjoyed being apart of the Christmas Concert at church, even if my mom didn't come. It was lovely, moving, and powerful... and I was proud of myself for putting myself out there and jumping into something new. I learned to read music, push myself to be a better singer, and really feel the holiday music the night of the performances... It was a moving experience.

We went to "Candy Cane Lane," one night and walked around the really drastically decorated homes (pictured below). They had fake snow falling from their houses, and even some kids were out selling cookies and coco to buy toys for kids who were in the hospital.

Candy Cane Lane....

We even enjoyed the time when my mom came over and we celebrated our own mini Christmas on Christmas Eve as planned. She came over at Noon and we had fun snacks and munchies. I prayed her "Christmas CD" and SCB and I stayed in our PJ's all day and had a nice visit. She only stayed for an hour and a half, but it was still nice and pleasant and left fond memories of a good and drama free Christmas. The mood wasn't even dampened when my mom would talk about or mention my sister.

Me embracing my inner Taylor Swift at the
Christmas Concert...
Red lipstick Required,
and yes, SCB went CraZY!

I didn't get bitter... or angry... or even sad...

Somewhere along this journey over the past month or so I just let it all go...

I'm not sure when it happened... or even when that moment came... or if it was even a single moment and not small moments all over the place... But I realized that things would be okay for me with or without my biological family members.

Simply removing the drama, stress, and worries that had always been in my life ... apart of my life... the center of my life--- just removing it all gave me such a sense of peace that I felt like I was finally living. Finally moving on and starting fresh and new.

I felt free and burden-less.

It was my holiday, on my terms. We were free to make new traditions, and to bring back some old ones.

When my mom left, my husband and I dragged out our mattress and put it on the floor in our living room right by the tree...  We turned on our fireplace DVD and listened to it crackle as we watched Christmas movies and camped out in the living room with every stuffed animal I owned crammed onto our couch.

The stuffed animal sleep over... Yes, I have a thing for
Pandas and bears...
I swear I only bought 2... the rest were all gifts.

As a firm believer in Santa I made my husband sit through miracle on 24th street too many times this year while I jumped up and down in my seat saying
"I Believe" ... "I Believe."

I even made him watch both versions of the Grinch even though he isn't a fan of the Jim Carrey version.

Ya, we forgot about a few things, like making Santa cookies, and reading from Luke 2 on Christmas eve, but we modified our traditions and left Santa some of the yummy peppermint bark a friend from church brought over randomly.

Christmas with my mom...
and the best stocking ever...

and I love that.

That someone would feel welcome to just knock on my door and say hi. I've always wanted to have friends that just show up at your door without feeling the need to call and see if you are at home just to spend time with you and participate in the thing we call life. I seriously love the church I go to and the people in it. I've never felt so welcomed and at home-- even as an "outsider."

They really restore my faith in human kind.

We had a night that can only be described as ours. And I liked it. I even liked the fact that the christmas bark we left out got nibbled on and while SCB swears it was him... I know it was Santa.

On Christmas Day we opened our home up to the missionaries again to open presents, skype their parents, and eat yummy breakfast sandwiches I made.

My favorite thing... playing in snow!!!
Its even fun to shovel it.

That afternoon when they left, we loaded up the car and headed straight to Utah. We arrived at 1:00 am the morning after Christmas, and by 3:00 am it started snowing and dropped a good 6 inches of fresh powder. Over the next week we got another 6 inches and it was like living in a snow globe.

Snow was a constant companion and I loved it. Snow is perfect. No one can convince me of anything different.

Ya, it's not a family trip without one
day of shooting.. This is my
brother-in-laws AR-15.

We spent time with family, friends, and had a wonderful vacation. We went to temple square via the new train that they have that runs locally and goes all the way up and back for less than the gas it would take for us to get to salt lake City and back. We got to see the lights at temple square and I made sure we revisited "the spot" where SCB proposed to me...

We went to our favorite Utah places... thrift shopped at the local D.I. stores where I found SCB an actual suit jacket for $10.00... It was also where I was reunited with a skirt I had gotten rid of 2 years ago because it was too small on me, only to found it in the now perfect size for me for $5!!!

We spent an afternoon doing the annual shooting gathering/experience... It was snowing the whole time we were out, but despite the cold, i'm pretty decent when I aim and each year i seem to get better and better. I shot mostly a 22 riffle and my sister-in-laws 28 special, but I did take a round or two on my brother-in-laws new AR-15... and hit my target on the first shot.    :)

My friends kid... isn't she cute???

All in all, it was just what we needed when we needed it.

Sure life hasn't been all that awesome at times, like in November when our Dryer heating element blew out and we thought Christmas was going to be cancelled as we tried to figure out how to replace it. But eventually SCB was able to find the part online, get the missionaries to come over and help him move the sucker out of the tiny storage area, and then later install and put the whole thing back together all on his own, --- all for $80 instead of the hundreds it would have cost us to replace the entire thing.

Reuniting with all my utah friends who moved away...

Oh ya, and then there was the fact that it cost us $700 to get my car fixed just days before we headed out to go to Utah (I needed new breaks and had 2 holes in my power steering line)... but that's what emergency funds are for, and why i'm glad I have one :) How else could I make memories with the people I care (like my good friends pictured above who I miss all the time).

Oh and then there was the fact that I spent an entire 24 hours over new years eve and new years day getting so violently that i literally rang in the New Year puking my guts out on the front porch of my Mother-in-Laws house right onto one of her frozen planter boxes because the bathroom was full of people and that was the closest acceptable location to get sick in... Which I did wearing only socks on my feet with snow on the ground and a high in the single digits.

But that's all just life, and we live it. Each day has opportunities to remember the good things and laugh at the bad and I can't wait to see what 2013 has in store for us.
  

My favorite Utah Neighbor... Blue... Such a nice doggie!

SCB and his dad on the train back from temple square.

Pretty...

 Eating at Kneaders... Yum!

I didn't know it could go negative!

Post Christmas Sale finds for $5 each!!! Can't wait to put
these up next year.

Mortgage Update (Jan '13)

To contact us Click HERE

Principle paid down: $167.24
Interest: $483.40
Additional Principle: $54.22

New Balance: $110,300.47

The pay off date is still December 2038 which is 9 months ahead of the initial schedule. If I continue to pay the minimum on my loan, I will pay $111,392.68 in interest instead of the original $116,404.23. The extra $1,538.33 I've tossed at the mortgage over the life of the loan has saved us $5,011.55 in interest to date.

All in all, it took me $7,057.08 to get the keys to my condo... and another $17,672.29 to remodel and repair it...

In short, I was -$24,729.37 in the hole on day one...

But thankfully the hole is getting filled in a little bit each and every year.

• In 2009 I got the First Time Home buyer's Credit giving us $8,000.00. I also got to write off some of the property tax I paid in addition to taking the standard deduction. This gave us an extra $90.10... but then I had to pay an Electrician $95.00 to fix an outlet... We also ended 2009 with a refund from my botched tile job that gave us another $1,265.00.
• In 2010 I saved $1,087.00 on my federal taxes and $461.00 on my State taxes from itemizing my homeowners expenses. (This is what I received ABOVE what I would have with just the standard deduction).
• In 2011 I spent $12.97 at home depot, and $72.29 on a kitchen door, when we subtract those costs from what we saved by living in our condo instead of renting, we came out ahead $494.04 (See Mortgage Update + Condo Costs December '11 for that break down.)  We also received a small $70 refund check from over paid closing costs. Since we tied the knot in 2011 we won't be able to itemize our housing costs so there's no savings there for us.
• In 2012 we finished our Kitchen/Laundry door which cost us $103.24.. We also replaced both our glass slider doors which cost us $2,957.00... and repaired our dryer for $81.42....It ended up being $3,383.47 cheaper to OWN our condo than to rent an apartment on a monthly basis,  (See Housing Costs 2012 for the break down) so even after we subtract the windows and other minor repairs, we still came out ahead $241.81 by owning our condo instead of renting... 

Leaving us $13,115.42 in the hole...

If we assume our home is worth at least what we paid for it (which in this market you never really know...), then we have $9,699.53 in equity...

Leaving us only $3,415.89 in the hole after 3 years, 4 months.

For 2013, we will again assume our monthly mortgage payments are a wash since its cheaper to OWN our home then to RENT an apartment. Check out Housing Comps 2013 for how we figured that one out.

Thus far for 2013 we have spent $1,119.58 to live in our condo, instead of $1,361.00 to live in the apartment.

• Mortgage (including P&I, Property Taxes, MIP, & additional principle:) $857.08
• HOA:  $262.50
• Small Home Repairs/Improvements:
• Earthquake Insurance: $0
• Homeowners Insurance: $0

As of today, we have saved $241.42 by not renting.

If I sold the condo tomorrow, I'd have to sell the property for $121,006.97 to break even.

• This assumes a 6% total commission ($7,260.42)
• and enough money to refund the amount we are in the hole for ($3,415.89)

January Farmer's Market Rundown

To contact us Click HERE
South County Boy had another opportunity to sell his handmade crafts at the local farmers market in January... and again did really well!!! You can see from the picture off to the side that we now have more display stands and a larger table since we picked up the one he left in Utah at his parents house over Christmas (well technically his mom "bought" that one off us so we could buy a folding one so it would fit in our car for the drive home-- Thanks Mom).

SCB has been able to consistently sell around $100 in merchandise on each visit-- even when the weather has been temperamental and the crowds few and far between. This steady opportunity has allowed him to finally start slowly expanding the items he can make to now include pencils in addition to the pens and the custom order letter openers and the 2 types of bottle openers he makes. 

matching pen and pencil sets ($30 for the pair, or
$18 for pencils and $15 for pens)

We have also found the key chains he makes and sells for $5 have been popular, which is good for us since they don't cost us much to make, especially since we use odd ends of scrap wood or leftover blanks that shatter on him while he's turning. 
This month he debuted a new stylus pen and they seemed fairly popular. We have also been adding a clearance section where he has been selling some of his early work or slightly flawed work at a discount and this seems to help us move inventory along. We now have a good set of what we order and what we don't anymore, and he even gets to experiment with some new items every so often. 
What's really starting to be a blessing is that we are finally getting to a point where we don't have to make sure all our funds from our last sale are in the bank before placing an order for more materials ..  and that means that we can start to slowly stock up on supplies so we can keep a larger inventory so he can either create an Etsy account online and list his items there or pick up venues where he will need a larger inventory (like the 4th of July street fair or the holiday boutique at the community center)!

 So what did he sell at the market?

• 1 stylus pen
• 2 clearance pens
• 3 slimline pen
• 1 Key chain
• 1 Pencil

Pretty much at least one of everything in his regular inventory...

This month we also had a couple custom orders from some friends and people at our church which included:

• 1 Bolt action Pen
• 2 stylus pens
• Matching Pen/Pencil Set with Case
• 1 Fat-line pen

Not too bad if you ask me...and things might be looking up! Since the market has lost a lot of people due to the Friday morning time slot, it looks like they will be changing it to Saturdays in a month or so and then I can go with him and possibly sell some of my crochet items if I want to!
Here's a few sneak peek pictures from his live Etsy account! YUP!!! Were OPEN!!!