Mortgage Update (August '12)

To contact us Click HERE
Mortgage Update:
Principle paid down: $163.38
Interest: $487.26
Additional Principle: $6.54

New Balance: $111,209.04

The pay off date is December 2038 which is 9 months ahead of the initial schedule. If I continue to pay the minimum on my loan, I will pay $111,623.75 in interest instead of the original $116,404.23. The extra $1,457.95 I've tossed at the mortgage over the life of the loan has saved us $4,780.48 in interest. 

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 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, but I received a small $70 refund check from over paid closing costs. We also saved $494.04 by living in our condo instead of renting (See Mortgage Update + Condo Costs December '11 for that break down.) 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.

so this leaves us $13,442.49 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 $8,790.96 in equity...

Leaving us about $4,651.53 in the hole after almost 3 years.

We also assume our monthly mortgage payments are a wash since its cheaper to OWN our home then to RENT an apartment. Check out Housing Comps 2012 for how we figured that one out.

Thus far for 2012 we have spent $8,671.93 to live in our condo (Instead of $11,150.80 for the apartment).

• All Mortgage Payments (including principle, interest, property taxes, MIP, and additional principle:) $6,468.69
• HOA: $2,100 ($262.50 a month)
• Home Repairs/Improvements: $103.24
• Earthquake Insurance: $0
• Homeowners Insurance: $0

As of today, we have saved $2,478.87 by not renting.

If I sold the condo tomorrow, I'd have to sell the property for $131,766.56 to break even.

• This assumes a 6% total commission ($7,905.99)
• Enough money to refund the amount i'm in the hole for ($4,651.53)
• and enough money to cover the first time homeowners tax credit i'd have to repay for not living in the property for 3 years. ($8,000.00)

But if I wait out the credit, in November of this year (just to be sure the $8k bill goes away) I'd be able to sell for $122,336.89

• This assumes a 6% total commission ($7,340.21)
• and enough money to refund the amount I would be in the hole for 3 months down the line assuming I make just the minimum payments till then ($4,157.07)

Farmer's Market Overview

To contact us Click HERE
While it wasn't our best showing (its hard to get people to browse in 90-100 degree weather), we ended up walking away with $100 in profit after all our fees from the market last week.

I ended up selling about $16 in crochet flower hair pins, we sold one custom letter opener (which SCB will make and ship out by Friday), 5 key chains (2 to our friends and 3 to the lady that buys something every time we are there), and 5 pens.

We collected $141.16 and paid $20.00 for the stall, $2.30 in Square credit card fees, and we will need to remit $10.16 to the state for sales taxes, so we netted $108.70 for the day.

But the great news is the feedback we got from the community.

We had a lot of requests for matching pencils and a few that would like to see matching pen pencil and letter opener sets!

Since we had a custom order to fulfill, we decided to reorder and expand the inventory again and reinvest our profits. While SCB's dad was in town he also paid him $50 for making a variety of decorative push pins that his mom's lace guild needs for an event next year. SCB still has to make 300 of these by next year, so that's more income for the business down the line.

We ordered the standard items we wanted to replace, things SCB has been dying to make that came back in stock, and are working on making some pen and pencil matching sets.

We also are going to have another venue to sell out up in Buena Park. There's a lace makers guild craft workshop and SCB's dad was offered a stall space to sell. Since the stall is only $10 and his parents just left California and want to be at home, we are going to go up and sell for them (15% commission on anything sold for our time) and we can sell SCB's pens too!

We also found a good home for some of the woodworking items that haven't gone over so well. In a few weeks we will be volunteering for Child Share at their annual gala and donating the last of our long neck bottle openers and a cork screw bottle stopper combos to their "Wall of Wine" displays. It will be good advertising for us to help get the word out there, was something we were going to to anyway, and this way it helps clear out the bottle openers that haven't been selling much (we will be keeping one of each-- Bottle opener and corkscrew stopper to display at the farmers market for our custom order table.)

So, after ordering our last bit, here's where we stand for the year thus far:

Expenses: $1033.83
Income: $575.48
Money left in the account: $55.86

Current standings: -$402.49

While we are still under for the year, we have a lot of inventory slowly building up (which means we can think about paying for a different venue and trying our luck elsewhere), I think were doing really good in terms of figuring out what we should stock.

After we get an idea for how much the letter opener will cost to ship, we will be able to work on setting up that ETSY account (I'm really behind on that...) and start to expand :)

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.

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.

Volunteers Work with ELL

To contact us Click HERE

The Center for Adult Learning at the Jacksonville Public Libraryrecruited 56 volunteers in 2011-2012 who provide conversational clubs andEnglish language instruction in seven locations. They developed their own howto manual which they plan to share with others across the state. The project is funded by a Library Technology and Services Act Grant. The next deadline for this grant is March 15, 2012.

Mortgage Update (August '12)

To contact us Click HERE
Mortgage Update:
Principle paid down: $163.38
Interest: $487.26
Additional Principle: $6.54

New Balance: $111,209.04

The pay off date is December 2038 which is 9 months ahead of the initial schedule. If I continue to pay the minimum on my loan, I will pay $111,623.75 in interest instead of the original $116,404.23. The extra $1,457.95 I've tossed at the mortgage over the life of the loan has saved us $4,780.48 in interest. 

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 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, but I received a small $70 refund check from over paid closing costs. We also saved $494.04 by living in our condo instead of renting (See Mortgage Update + Condo Costs December '11 for that break down.) 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.

so this leaves us $13,442.49 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 $8,790.96 in equity...

Leaving us about $4,651.53 in the hole after almost 3 years.

We also assume our monthly mortgage payments are a wash since its cheaper to OWN our home then to RENT an apartment. Check out Housing Comps 2012 for how we figured that one out.

Thus far for 2012 we have spent $8,671.93 to live in our condo (Instead of $11,150.80 for the apartment).

• All Mortgage Payments (including principle, interest, property taxes, MIP, and additional principle:) $6,468.69
• HOA: $2,100 ($262.50 a month)
• Home Repairs/Improvements: $103.24
• Earthquake Insurance: $0
• Homeowners Insurance: $0

As of today, we have saved $2,478.87 by not renting.

If I sold the condo tomorrow, I'd have to sell the property for $131,766.56 to break even.

• This assumes a 6% total commission ($7,905.99)
• Enough money to refund the amount i'm in the hole for ($4,651.53)
• and enough money to cover the first time homeowners tax credit i'd have to repay for not living in the property for 3 years. ($8,000.00)

But if I wait out the credit, in November of this year (just to be sure the $8k bill goes away) I'd be able to sell for $122,336.89

• This assumes a 6% total commission ($7,340.21)
• and enough money to refund the amount I would be in the hole for 3 months down the line assuming I make just the minimum payments till then ($4,157.07)

Farmer's Market Overview

To contact us Click HERE
While it wasn't our best showing (its hard to get people to browse in 90-100 degree weather), we ended up walking away with $100 in profit after all our fees from the market last week.

I ended up selling about $16 in crochet flower hair pins, we sold one custom letter opener (which SCB will make and ship out by Friday), 5 key chains (2 to our friends and 3 to the lady that buys something every time we are there), and 5 pens.

We collected $141.16 and paid $20.00 for the stall, $2.30 in Square credit card fees, and we will need to remit $10.16 to the state for sales taxes, so we netted $108.70 for the day.

But the great news is the feedback we got from the community.

We had a lot of requests for matching pencils and a few that would like to see matching pen pencil and letter opener sets!

Since we had a custom order to fulfill, we decided to reorder and expand the inventory again and reinvest our profits. While SCB's dad was in town he also paid him $50 for making a variety of decorative push pins that his mom's lace guild needs for an event next year. SCB still has to make 300 of these by next year, so that's more income for the business down the line.

We ordered the standard items we wanted to replace, things SCB has been dying to make that came back in stock, and are working on making some pen and pencil matching sets.

We also are going to have another venue to sell out up in Buena Park. There's a lace makers guild craft workshop and SCB's dad was offered a stall space to sell. Since the stall is only $10 and his parents just left California and want to be at home, we are going to go up and sell for them (15% commission on anything sold for our time) and we can sell SCB's pens too!

We also found a good home for some of the woodworking items that haven't gone over so well. In a few weeks we will be volunteering for Child Share at their annual gala and donating the last of our long neck bottle openers and a cork screw bottle stopper combos to their "Wall of Wine" displays. It will be good advertising for us to help get the word out there, was something we were going to to anyway, and this way it helps clear out the bottle openers that haven't been selling much (we will be keeping one of each-- Bottle opener and corkscrew stopper to display at the farmers market for our custom order table.)

So, after ordering our last bit, here's where we stand for the year thus far:

Expenses: $1033.83
Income: $575.48
Money left in the account: $55.86

Current standings: -$402.49

While we are still under for the year, we have a lot of inventory slowly building up (which means we can think about paying for a different venue and trying our luck elsewhere), I think were doing really good in terms of figuring out what we should stock.

After we get an idea for how much the letter opener will cost to ship, we will be able to work on setting up that ETSY account (I'm really behind on that...) and start to expand :)

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.

Mortgage Update (August '12)

To contact us Click HERE
Mortgage Update:
Principle paid down: $163.38
Interest: $487.26
Additional Principle: $6.54

New Balance: $111,209.04

The pay off date is December 2038 which is 9 months ahead of the initial schedule. If I continue to pay the minimum on my loan, I will pay $111,623.75 in interest instead of the original $116,404.23. The extra $1,457.95 I've tossed at the mortgage over the life of the loan has saved us $4,780.48 in interest. 

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 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, but I received a small $70 refund check from over paid closing costs. We also saved $494.04 by living in our condo instead of renting (See Mortgage Update + Condo Costs December '11 for that break down.) 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.

so this leaves us $13,442.49 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 $8,790.96 in equity...

Leaving us about $4,651.53 in the hole after almost 3 years.

We also assume our monthly mortgage payments are a wash since its cheaper to OWN our home then to RENT an apartment. Check out Housing Comps 2012 for how we figured that one out.

Thus far for 2012 we have spent $8,671.93 to live in our condo (Instead of $11,150.80 for the apartment).

• All Mortgage Payments (including principle, interest, property taxes, MIP, and additional principle:) $6,468.69
• HOA: $2,100 ($262.50 a month)
• Home Repairs/Improvements: $103.24
• Earthquake Insurance: $0
• Homeowners Insurance: $0

As of today, we have saved $2,478.87 by not renting.

If I sold the condo tomorrow, I'd have to sell the property for $131,766.56 to break even.

• This assumes a 6% total commission ($7,905.99)
• Enough money to refund the amount i'm in the hole for ($4,651.53)
• and enough money to cover the first time homeowners tax credit i'd have to repay for not living in the property for 3 years. ($8,000.00)

But if I wait out the credit, in November of this year (just to be sure the $8k bill goes away) I'd be able to sell for $122,336.89

• This assumes a 6% total commission ($7,340.21)
• and enough money to refund the amount I would be in the hole for 3 months down the line assuming I make just the minimum payments till then ($4,157.07)

Farmer's Market Overview

To contact us Click HERE
While it wasn't our best showing (its hard to get people to browse in 90-100 degree weather), we ended up walking away with $100 in profit after all our fees from the market last week.

I ended up selling about $16 in crochet flower hair pins, we sold one custom letter opener (which SCB will make and ship out by Friday), 5 key chains (2 to our friends and 3 to the lady that buys something every time we are there), and 5 pens.

We collected $141.16 and paid $20.00 for the stall, $2.30 in Square credit card fees, and we will need to remit $10.16 to the state for sales taxes, so we netted $108.70 for the day.

But the great news is the feedback we got from the community.

We had a lot of requests for matching pencils and a few that would like to see matching pen pencil and letter opener sets!

Since we had a custom order to fulfill, we decided to reorder and expand the inventory again and reinvest our profits. While SCB's dad was in town he also paid him $50 for making a variety of decorative push pins that his mom's lace guild needs for an event next year. SCB still has to make 300 of these by next year, so that's more income for the business down the line.

We ordered the standard items we wanted to replace, things SCB has been dying to make that came back in stock, and are working on making some pen and pencil matching sets.

We also are going to have another venue to sell out up in Buena Park. There's a lace makers guild craft workshop and SCB's dad was offered a stall space to sell. Since the stall is only $10 and his parents just left California and want to be at home, we are going to go up and sell for them (15% commission on anything sold for our time) and we can sell SCB's pens too!

We also found a good home for some of the woodworking items that haven't gone over so well. In a few weeks we will be volunteering for Child Share at their annual gala and donating the last of our long neck bottle openers and a cork screw bottle stopper combos to their "Wall of Wine" displays. It will be good advertising for us to help get the word out there, was something we were going to to anyway, and this way it helps clear out the bottle openers that haven't been selling much (we will be keeping one of each-- Bottle opener and corkscrew stopper to display at the farmers market for our custom order table.)

So, after ordering our last bit, here's where we stand for the year thus far:

Expenses: $1033.83
Income: $575.48
Money left in the account: $55.86

Current standings: -$402.49

While we are still under for the year, we have a lot of inventory slowly building up (which means we can think about paying for a different venue and trying our luck elsewhere), I think were doing really good in terms of figuring out what we should stock.

After we get an idea for how much the letter opener will cost to ship, we will be able to work on setting up that ETSY account (I'm really behind on that...) and start to expand :)