My Gripe: Elisabeth's Hole-In-None Chance of Ever Owning A House

Hello, all!

So, I'm sitting here once again superivising Saturday School, at the behest of the vice principals who didn't have anyone to do it this week.

So, I've been looking around . . .again . . .and I have discovered the following:

At current housing prices, the absolute minimum amount of money I would need to buy a house "not-really-but-sort-of" in the area where I want to live would be $200,000. And that's for a modest house with lots of room for improvements. :) Here's a chart expressing how it goes: The cold truth:

A) To buy a house in the area I want to live (and, yes, I feel a sense of entitlement since this is also the area where I grew up)-- $275,000-$400,000 dollars (and that's for a very modest house)

B) To buy a house in a "gray zone" (not where I want to live but not so far away that I would rather die) -- $200,000 at the very least

B) To buy a house not in the area where I want to live but within a few miles: approx. $170,000 at the very least (Frankly, I would rather rent)

C) To buy a house out in Melba or anywhere else I would rather die instead of live -- $120,000

The amount I can afford based on how much I make (assuming I can afford about 3X my own annual income) -- $90,000

This is pathetic. But, for your own viewing clarity, here is a map expressing my "zones". This is really how it works for me.



As you can see, I am very picky, which makes things especially difficult. But this is reality. I'm totally spoiled by where I grew up, and I really don't want to move.

So . . .the possibilities.

I found an article expressing some creative ways of financing homes at http://articles.moneycentral.msn.com/Banking/HomebuyingGuide/7CreativeWaysToBuyYourFirstHouse.aspx

and have included those in this post:

A) I could get a different job.

Considering this. Looking into it. (Frankly, I'm offended at working this hard for $30,000 a year. Think I'm stuck up if you want, but that's how it is)

B) Buying a Fixer Upper.

Yup! I'm starting classes to learn how to do work with wood/fix things up soon.

C) Shared ownership dwelling

Do we have any in Boise?

Here's the catch with permanently setting myself up in a condo or apartment or a "shared ownership dwelling" as I'm sure it would be:

Wesley. He needs a yard. He's fine the way he is, I realize, and I also realize that he won't last as long as it would take for me to save the money necessary to buy my first home but, I don't intend to ever live without a dog. Having no yard/a very small yard would limit me in the following ways:

a) I could only get a small dog: I would be fine with this for selfish purposes, but what about all the rescue dogs out there? Part of me would like to keep the option of working with rescue dogs open. The rest of me says I could rescue a dachshund, so even a small/no yard could be a possibility -- but only for a few years. I would not be willing to do this permanently. At some point, I would need a house with a yard.

b)Buying a house with a friend

I'm open to this! Unfortunately, there are not any friends/roommates open to this right now! My sister has pretty consistently told me where to go when I've mentioned it to her. This option shows now signs of materializing, so, for the moment, it's going on the back burner

c)Cohousing communities

There is somebody trying to set one up, but I think he's trying to set one up in Nampa?

d)Living with parents until I have saved at least $110,000

Would my parents be open to this? I don't know. And I know it would not be the most healthy thing for me emotionally, and I don't know how healthy it would be for them. But this is a possibility. It would take me about 6 years to save this money assuming my expenses living with them would only add up to a few thousand a year. The most economical way to do this would be to

i) find a new job, and
ii) live with my parents

It would be drastic but it is a long-term possibility.

e) Buying a house no money down.

Are you kidding?! I'm not that stupid!

f)FHA -- You bet I'm going this option. But, I'm afraid, this sort of help would only supplement, not replace, drastic efforts on my part.

g) Waiting until I move up the salary scale.

This would help! But it wouldn't alone solve any problems. You max out in my district -- with A LOT of education and quite a bit of experience -- at about $55,000. That would certainly be nice, but it won't alone solve any problems.

SO, ENOUGH WITH THAT GRIPE. That sums up all my thoughts on this issue over the last several months.

Monday Night and All is Swell

So . . .I had a three-day weekend this weekend and I didn't have to go to work today! It's been really nice.

But, true to form, I didn't take the entire weekend off. Saturday, I spent most of the day emptying my parents' garage of stuff. It was so full of crap that you literally couldn't walk around in there! Now, at least, it's organized! We took everything out of the garage, covered it with tarps overnight, then sorted through crap to throw away, stuff to give away, and stuff to keep. We then took the stuff to keep and put it back in the garage, careful to give each "category" a space. The thing we can't get around, though, is that the garage is very small, and even the stuff we need to keep takes up most of the space. Organizing the garage, though, will be an on-going project. Here's my to-do list for the garage:

Stage 1:
1) Fix the broken chairs that are still taking up precious space in the garage.
(I called "Woodcraft" today and they have a special glue I can use that will be sure to keep the legs together)(I'll probably be able to do that next weekend)

2) Call Hazardous Waste to get rid of all the old enamels, paint, and cleaning products that have been sitting in the garage for who knows how long.

Stage 2:

3) Someday, get someone with a truck to come help my dad and I get rid of all the old wood in the garage -- at least the stuff we can't use

Stage 3:
4) Get to organizing the garage and giving everything its own space. (That's a "this summer when I have more time" project.)

Adventures in Refinishing

So, I was getting really frustrated trying to strip the top of this French nightstand. It seemed like all I was doing was redistributing the brown paint so it smeared all over the place! Well, today I spoke with Fairy about it, and she informed me that I was doing it all wrong! THANK GOODNESS! I would never finish the project if progress continued like it had been going!

So, here is my plan:

A) Tomorrow after work, I will go by and pick up a brush on stripper, a plastic putty knife (not too abrasive!), some cleaning rags (nobody told me I needed those!), and a better face mask. (The one I have isn't working. I can tell because I still feel really funny if I accidentally get a whiff of the stripper stuff. I don't want to compromise any more brain cells for this project, so I'll buy one of the fancy face masks tomorrow.)

B) Try it again This time, I will cover one very deliberate portion of the table at a time, cover it with aluminum foil so it doesn't evaporate as fast, leave it for 25-30 minutes, and then just scrape all the stuff right off one end. . .no brushing or just mixing the paint around like I have been doing. Hopefully, that will make the job much quicker and less frustrating!!

THE END OF MY SWEETS

The biggest challenge to my eating healthy is my addiction to sweets! Today, I officially gave up sweets! And I did it! That's awesome!

And . . .I can't believe I'm telling you this . . .at the urging of some friends, I signed up for a month of "Eharmony.com" yesterday. That's kind of funny considering my commitment to the MFZ, but, honestly, I don't feel like it goes against it. Except in one sense: the MFZ thing was sort of giddy and sort of fun for a while, but now it's just kind of lonely. . .to an extent. I really enjoy treating everyone as a friend and letting men take the initiative. (I'm done taking initiative. It doesn't work.) I like getting to know people for who they are, and, if I do end up meeting anyone through this eharmony process, that's the way I will treat them too. I don't know how many of them will be okay with that, but that's the way it has to be. I'm not going on the stupid dating roller coaster anymore! And that simply means we have to be friends first . . .and that he has to take the initiative.

So, anyway, that's about it . . .

WAIT, no it's not!

I went to Woodcraft yesterday to see Mr. Rudkin and to sign up for some classes. I signed up for a)a craft on how to work with Crown moulding. In the class, you build a little crown moulding shelf. It's nothing fancy, but at least you get to learn how to do it from scratch!

I also signed up for a class in April about how to use a table saw. According to Mr. Rudkin, there are a lot of people who have lost fingers from safety mistakes with table saws. He encouraged me to take the class so I could learn safety techniques. I'm taking the class for that reason and also just so I can see how they work and get more familiar with them. If I am going to (and I'm not saying I will!) blow 250 bucks on a table saw, I better know that I really want it.

What is SO COOL is that there are also classes that teach you how to make such cool things as end tables and chairs for your dining room table. I hope to take those when they come up. Unfortunately, I'm afraid they may be really expensive. We're just going to have to take those classes on a case-by-case basis and see what's possible at the time.

That's enough! Have a good night!

Elisabeth

Happy Singleness Awareness Day!

Welcome, All, to the one day of the year when those of us forging the path of adult singleness are most aware that we're without romance!

So, for all you others out there braving Valentine's Day alone, here are some ideas I got from http://thefuntimesguide.com/2006/02/funbeingsingle.php on things to do on Valentine's Day.

"When you're single you have to pick your own roses and count your own blessings."
Source: M.P. Dunleavey


Fun Activities For Single People

So, without further ado, the following activities can be enjoyed solo on Valentine's Day... or any time of the year.

1. GO TO A MOVIE... ALONE. (YES, ALONE!)

2. GO CAMPING... YES, ALONE.

3. TAKE A ROADTRIP.

4. TAKE A BIKE RIDE.

5. TRY SOMETHING NEW, like,

Yoga... there's nothing like it for making you feel great in a short amount of time -- with very little effort on your part!

Snow Skiing... on-site lessons are the way to go. They're cheap, they don't try to humiliate you, and the instructor just might be cute!

Parasailing (ELISABETH'S COMMENT: I SO WANT TO PARASAIL!)

6. COOK UP SOMETHING INTERESTING... LITERALLY.

7. TAKE SOME PICTURES.

8. PURSUE YOUR PASSION.

9. GET A PUPPY... OR, IF YOU ALREADY HAVE A DOG, THEN WALK IT. (ELISABETH'S COMMENT: IF I HAD TO WRITE A "HOW TO BE SINGLE" GUIDE, GETTING A PUPPY WOULD BE ON PAGE 1)

10. CELEBRATE BEING SINGLE.

Whether you choose to have other single people over to celebrate by playing these one-of-a-kind singles games, or whether you prefer to soak in the glory of being single on your own, the goal is simply to make today your day!

Take a How Comfortable Are You Being Single Quiz

Elisabeth's Results:

"36 - 65
You are fairly ensconced in a comfortable single life, although you have your moments when you pine for that special someone. Take heart--your ability to go with the flow only makes you more attractive."


Actually, I have had a great day, and I look forward to a great evening! My folks and I are getting together at 5:30 for a nice family dinner. I think my sister (my chosen special valentine for this year) will be there too. So, I am definitely looking forward to hanging out with them! I'll get someone to bring a camera (maybe) if they can find it!

Does anyone else have interesting Valentine's Day stories? Submit em to me!

Elisabeth

Phew . . .Done. Now I can talk

So, today I went a little berserko.

After mass at 9 this morning, the last thing I wanted to do was to come home and devote the rest of my day to planning, since I devote most of every day to planning.

Instead, I went to Home Depot and, as I said before, bought supplies to strip my nightstand. I also looked at Tiffany-style lamps (since I want two). They were about 130 bucks a piece! What a rip off!

When I told the Home Depot employee who was hanging out near the staple guns that I wanted to make my own end tables, he suggested that I go to the local woodcrafter's shop. I did so immediately.

And there, in a little green smock selling woodworking supplies to a customer was none other than Mr. Rudkin! My high school physics teacher! We talked about old times. He explained that he is in retirement. He took me to the shop in the back of the store and showed me the beautiful chair he just finished last night. He had me sit in it. It was so nice! He also suggested that I take some woodworking classes through their shop, and practically made me promise to come back to the shop and see him. He's such an incredible sweetheart. He always was.

So, that was the great stuff today. Plus, I got all the painting supplies from Hubert. I can paint my apartment this week! Woohoo!

:) Elisabeth

My First Time Stripping

Now . . .get ready for the first installment of an exciting new narrative called . . .

ADVENTURES IN REFINISHING

As the scene opens, our hero, Elisabeth, is trying, for the first time, to refinish a French-style night table she just bought. Unfortunately, the nightstand has been painted yellow and brown. Elisabeth's mission is to strip the nightstand of all color and refinish it a nice dark brown. Can she do it? Will she be able to open the canister of paint stripper without breaking her hand? Let's find out now on . . .

ADVENTURES IN REFINISHING

So, I bought a yellow and brown French-style nightstand off craigslist for 50 bucks. It's really nice, but the yellow and brown doesn't do it for me. (The paint is hideous.) Today, I went to home depot and bought paint stripper, a plastic scraper, some gloves, and one of those surgical masks to help with the life-snuffing fumes coming from the paint stripper.

Well, I was so excited to start, that I immediately set everything up in my parents' driveway. After three solid minutes of trying desperately to open the paint stripper can -- and yelling at it the entire time -- I finally called a man who was walking across the street to come help me. It turns out he's the guy who just moved into the house I liked up the street. (When it was for sale, I made a deal with myself that if they cut the price in half and then took an additional 30% off -- thus bringing the price down the top of my price range--I would buy it.)He couldn't get it open, so he took it home and used a tool to clamp it and open it. It was cool, because he's a single/divorced/widowed guy with a little girl. He's dating the woman who lives across from my parents. (Oh well, can't win 'em all) Even so, it was nice to meet him.

After the can-opening fiasco was over, I sprayed some paint stripper on the back of my nightstand, covered it with a tarp, and took my dog for a walk. As we were walking, there was a cloud burst, which sent torrents of rain onto the ground, onto my dog, and onto my pants and shoes. (I picked up an umbrella at my apartment during our walk) When I came home, the nightstand was nice and dry under the tarp, but its drawer, which I left sitting a short distance away, was soaked. After going inside and drying off the dog with a towel, I came back out and moved the whole operation into the tiny clear space in the front part of my parents' garage. I then tried to scrape the little part on the back where I had first put the paint thinner. Beautiful! The hideous yellow paint came off easily to reveal wood underneath. Heartened, I sprayed the entire surface of the top of the nightstand, coming back a few minutes later to scrape it off. Cripes! How many coats of paint is under there??? I scraped and scraped. The top chocolate brown layer came off pretty easily, revealing sub layers of pink, green, and white paint. Honestly! So, I scraped and scraped, until the top of my nightstand looked like someone had smeared different colors of frosting all over it. I sprayed it again, went inside, and then came out a few minutes later to try again. Once again, the paint teased me. It came off in little clumps, but, for the most part, it stood fast -- too gummy and sticky and thick to come off easily. After several minutes of fitful scraping, I came back inside and called it a night. I wonder how many scrapers I will have to ruin before the top of that nightstand is ready to sand and refinish. ugh.

I'll keep you posted. And, as soon as I can find my parents' digital camera (my mom reorganized and hid everything), I will provide you with pictures.

FUN FRIDAY

Friday was fun! Hubert came with my family to our church's dinner theatre. Then I went to see a band with Axun!

I'll write more about that later. I wish I had taken pictures!

This week we are painting my humble abode! I can't wait!

I need to send pictures of that, too.

There's a lot to say but I need to finish planning before it gets too late!

Elisabeth

Saturday School

Hello, all!

I'm sitting here at Saturday school. The thoroughly bored students are being silent -- like they're supposed to. So, I'm going to take this opportunity to write a post.

Well, I got the pictures of the dresser scarf I embroidered for Deniz from Ryan, and here they are!





Well, I'm supposed to go look at a living room set today that a family in town is selling for $750. I think It's probably exactly what I have been looking for, but I also think that it's probably way too big to fit through my apartment door. If I can get off work in time to get an appointment to come see it before its sold, then we'll have to see.

I had better get back to these munchkins!