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Catching up

April 26th, 2016 at 02:59 pm

I made it back from my visit with my aunt and uncle. We spent a lot of time crying together then laughing. I am glad I was able to go out and I know they appreciated me visiting. I feel very guilty that I don't get to see them more often. It is just us three now. I have got to figure out a way to go for a long weekend but I don't get much vacation time (I will already have to take unpaid time off this summer when we visit) and it takes 4.5 hours to fly there-if I can get a non-stop flight. Add in another 1.5 hours just to get to the airport, and then who knows how long to get to their house from that airport because SoCal traffic is a nightmare. It hardly seems worth it for a Friday-Sunday visit.

I brought my grandfather's ashes out with me so that he and nanny could be together again. That was an experience but only because I was so worried that TSA wouldn't let him on the plane. But they did and I had to carry him all over the place. Who knew ashes could be so heavy! We mixed nanny and papa's ashes (something I have never wanted to do in my life but my aunt needed me to be the one to do it) and we'll wait until my partner and I come out in July to scatter them. My aunt suggested the desert because nanny and papa loved to go rock hunting together out there, but the desert in July might be too unbearable. So maybe the mountains. We'll see.

Financially things are going really well. I want to quit the public library now that I'm back from bereavement leave but now there's a new snag. Tomorrow we're meeting with a mortgage lender about getting pre-approved for an investment property mortgage. It might be better to keep my extra job until we get the investment property (if we get it, that is). Certainly, the extra paychecks won't hurt but I am tired and would like to not work so much. There is the real possibility that we won't get approved for the house we're looking at. My credit has gone down a little because the renovation costs are on my credit cards (0% interest and they will be paid off before any interest accrues). Plus, the mortgage would only be $88,000 and no mortgage calculator's online will give me an estimate for that amount with my credit score. We'll find out tomorrow.

I've been amping up on mystery shopping in preparation for losing my extra paychecks and having more free time. I actually did one the afternoon I got into CA. I took the shuttle to my aunt and uncle's city, straight to a hotel where I mystery shopped a restaurant. They paid me $30 to have a cocktail with my lunch and watch a Cubs game (plus reimbursed all my charges) LIVING THE DREAM.

AirBnB was unusually great this month so I was able to use some of that money to put towards the roof costs. I am planning on paying it off this month! Hooray! Less than a year after it got put on Smile Next savings goal: 5-7k for a bathroom remodel. The pipes are old and we want to move where the tub/shower is so most of that cost will be labor. I don't have a great plan for how to save for it yet, but I am working on it.

5 Responses to “Catching up”

  1. LivingAlmostLarge Says:
    1461706561

    Where are you buying a vacation home? Do you have a primary residence?

  2. Laura S. Says:
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    Let me know if you need any help with the mystery shopping!

  3. jokeabee Says:
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    LAL- we do have a primary residence. This isn't a vacation home but an investment property. It is plot with two structures on it-one structure is a two bedroom house and the other is a 1 bedroom almost tiny house. We think that we can rent it out (once a little work is done to it) for enough for it to pay for itself and the mortgage and property taxes of the primary residence. Then we can use the money we make from AirBnB to start fixing up our kitchen and bathroom and also save for the next property.

    Eventually we want to move to a west coast beach (we're open to which one) and also have the option of quitting our jobs. Real estate in our town is relatively cheap compared to the rents it can generate (hooray for midwest college towns!)

  4. jokeabee Says:
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    Thanks Laura! I might start picking your brain soon!

  5. raul holder Says:
    1461786416


    Admin, if not okay please remove!

    Our facebook group “selfless” is spending this month spreading awareness on prostate cancer & research with a custom t-shirt design. Purchase proceeds will go to cancer.org, as listed on the shirt and shirt design.

    www.teespring.com/prostate-cancer-research

    Thanks

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