Here's 500 CC in each side. 
Thursday, February 13, 2014
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
Initial House Cost
New house poor- Being broke after purchasing a new house.
We closed on our new house December 31, 2013. It was a goal of mine for the past 10 years and I was so proud of me and my husband. We purchased a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 2313 square foot house for $163,000. It was a previous foreclosed home and had some minor issues that needed correcting and missing items that needed purchasing upon closing.
Our first required purchase was new locks. Since this was a HUD home and all HUD homes have the same key we were required to change the locks moments after closing. We considered changing the locks but found it would be cheaper to have the locks re-keyed and 4 keys made. $149 an hour after closing.
The next purchase was a vent and appliances. The dishwasher was broken and the kitchen was missing a stove and vent. We owned a stove but decided to trade that stove for prorated rent for the extra week we stayed in our rental home. It was a 15 year old stove and not in the best condition. Lowes was having a 15% off appliance sale plus an additional 5% off if used our Lowes credit card. We decided to buy a used white fridge from a friend for $300 instead of spend close to $2,000 on a new fridge. On the other appliance we decide to buy new. We felt with the savings compared to use we wouldn't be making a wise long term purchase. My goal for purchasing items for this house is to think long term vs temporary. If I can make a quality long term wisely is my goal without breaking the break.
We purchased a microwave vent, stove/oven, and dishwasher. After saving we spent $1,665.34 for the 3 items.
The house was also missing the ggarage door opener- $162.75. We use the garage door opener as the primary entrance to our office. Especially for the kids after school.
Garage shelves. Going from a 3 car garage to a 2 car garage was going to be a challenge for us. Anybody who knows our garage knows that we have a messy garage! We were going to have to fit all that stuff into a smaller garage. Our solution was to purchase 4 gorilla shelves and plywood out the attic for storage. The shelves for the garage totaled $300.39 and the attic consisted of 5 sheets of plywood and attic stair totaled $247.00
We added an outside flood light out back. $50 from Home Depot.
Mini blinds. 6 of the windows were missing mini blinds. $159.42.
Linc pees on the carpet. We invested in a carpet cleaner. I'm refusing to let things settle and the carpet in this house to get damaged. $182.
Fire alarms. 5 alarms were missing. $50 (I believe)
Piping under the kitchen sink- $60
And I would guess approx $300 of odds and ends.
I've currently the Foursquare mayor of 2 Lowes in this town. I feel like we go there every weekend or multiple times a week.
And this is how a family becomes new house poor!
So what's next: We have a few items that we need to address from the inspection. Specifically Ethan's shower. Cost to repair approx $150. After that we are saving to pay off some debts. We have some debts that we want to pay off before this summer. We are going to put everything else from the house on hold until these debts are settled. Fixed emergency items only and save save save. After the debts are taken care of focus on the dock this summer. I would like to have it in by end summer. I think that is a more reasonable time frame.
We closed on our new house December 31, 2013. It was a goal of mine for the past 10 years and I was so proud of me and my husband. We purchased a 4 bedroom, 3 bathroom, 2313 square foot house for $163,000. It was a previous foreclosed home and had some minor issues that needed correcting and missing items that needed purchasing upon closing.
Our first required purchase was new locks. Since this was a HUD home and all HUD homes have the same key we were required to change the locks moments after closing. We considered changing the locks but found it would be cheaper to have the locks re-keyed and 4 keys made. $149 an hour after closing.
The next purchase was a vent and appliances. The dishwasher was broken and the kitchen was missing a stove and vent. We owned a stove but decided to trade that stove for prorated rent for the extra week we stayed in our rental home. It was a 15 year old stove and not in the best condition. Lowes was having a 15% off appliance sale plus an additional 5% off if used our Lowes credit card. We decided to buy a used white fridge from a friend for $300 instead of spend close to $2,000 on a new fridge. On the other appliance we decide to buy new. We felt with the savings compared to use we wouldn't be making a wise long term purchase. My goal for purchasing items for this house is to think long term vs temporary. If I can make a quality long term wisely is my goal without breaking the break.
We purchased a microwave vent, stove/oven, and dishwasher. After saving we spent $1,665.34 for the 3 items.
The house was also missing the ggarage door opener- $162.75. We use the garage door opener as the primary entrance to our office. Especially for the kids after school.
Garage shelves. Going from a 3 car garage to a 2 car garage was going to be a challenge for us. Anybody who knows our garage knows that we have a messy garage! We were going to have to fit all that stuff into a smaller garage. Our solution was to purchase 4 gorilla shelves and plywood out the attic for storage. The shelves for the garage totaled $300.39 and the attic consisted of 5 sheets of plywood and attic stair totaled $247.00
We added an outside flood light out back. $50 from Home Depot.
Mini blinds. 6 of the windows were missing mini blinds. $159.42.
Linc pees on the carpet. We invested in a carpet cleaner. I'm refusing to let things settle and the carpet in this house to get damaged. $182.
Fire alarms. 5 alarms were missing. $50 (I believe)
Piping under the kitchen sink- $60
And I would guess approx $300 of odds and ends.
I've currently the Foursquare mayor of 2 Lowes in this town. I feel like we go there every weekend or multiple times a week.
And this is how a family becomes new house poor!
So what's next: We have a few items that we need to address from the inspection. Specifically Ethan's shower. Cost to repair approx $150. After that we are saving to pay off some debts. We have some debts that we want to pay off before this summer. We are going to put everything else from the house on hold until these debts are settled. Fixed emergency items only and save save save. After the debts are taken care of focus on the dock this summer. I would like to have it in by end summer. I think that is a more reasonable time frame.
Saturday, February 8, 2014
Kitchen hardware...all about the bling
This weekend with the help of a friend my husband finally installed our kitchen hardware. I thought for sure this would be one of those jobs that stayed in the box for months but I was proven wrong. Originally Nate and I thought we would wait to hang the hardware. It's an expensive item that wasn't a necessity however after living in the house for a few eeks we realized that it was necessary. Our cabinets and drawers are very large and close together. Getting them opened without the hardware was been very difficult. You have to wedge your fingers into the tiny spaces and try to hook it open. The cabinets about the microwave was the worse and the silverware drawer. My concern was that we would damage them while trying to open them.
So I started looking at hardware options. I knew from my dear friend Kristi that I wanted silver hardware. See Kristi owns her own kitchen and bath design company (lucky me) and has done beautiful work for clients like the previous owners of the Jaguars and several players. My kitchen was small scale to her but she was kind enough to let me pick her brain! When we originally purchased the home I thought because of our dark sink and faucet I would go with black appliances and hardware. Kristi recommended the opposite. To go with stainless appliances and silver hardware. And boy was she right! I love how it has lighten the kitchen up. All the dark stuff would have been too much.
Kristi send me several ideas that she liked from a magazine and I instantly was drawn to this knob.
This image was loosely my inspiration for the pulls. I liked the way the cherry cabinets looked with the stainless appliances and pulls. So, I was ready to order! 10 knobs, 14 6" pulls, & 8 8" pulls...total of almost $400!!!! eek! I waited a few days and searched for coupon codes or alternative sites to help reduce the cost. I had no luck. Kristi, text me one day to check on my final choices and I told her I was still searching for a cheaper price. She them told me I could order from her company and pay direct prices..new grand total $188!!! I ordered them!
Once they arrived we both got very nervous. We were going to have to drill into the cabinets to add the pulls and then the knobs required 2 small holes instead of one. The thought of drilling into the cabinets scared the crap out of of. The typical hardware templates did not match our cabinets or hardware. After several YouTube videos my husband figured out that he was going to need to make his own jig as the template.
Our friend Chris offered to come help. Together they made the jig you can see below and started adding the hardware. It was love at first install! It took several hours and of course some of the existing holes weren't even but the guys figured it out! I was very impressed by my handy man and his skills. He's done such a great job of getting stuff done around here and I'm very proud of him!
Our kitchen is almost semi complete for now. We want to add 3 bar stools to add extra seating and then we will be done for now.
This is what we are on the hunt for in terms of bar stools.
Cover up!
Added blinds to the bedroom. They were $20 off at Lowes this week. $27 x 6 plus free shipping. I love the texture it's going to add to each finished room.
Friday, February 7, 2014
A family of 4?
This morning while getting ready for work Debra mentioned me having another baby and Nate replied, "No, she's having a tummy tuck. We won't have anymore children." I guess I had forgotten that. This surgery makes it final. That I wouldn't go through this just to gain weight again and stretch out my stomach. I asked Nate if he was okay with that and he said yes. Then he said I don't know and then he said yes. We both have had the urge to have another child at one point or another. Especially when I see how quickly my daughter is growing up. Or that the car I just paid off today will be Ethan's in 3 years. But then the majority of the time I feel like our family is complete. The 4 of us. We are able to provide a good life for our children and ourselves and why push that. We were also blessed with 2 healthy children so why risk that? Then sometimes I think about the baby that could have been but wasn't. He or she would be running around with Lorelei right now. The best of buddies. I wonder if Nate wonders about that too. If he's urge to have another child is stronger than he's letting on. And again I start to wonder if I'm being selfish. He can't have another child without me and if my choice is no and his is I don't know then should I wait until he is on the exact same page as me? Will he resent me for going through with this and not having another child. I know that I need to sit down with him and talk about it. I don't want to move forward until I know that my husband sees our future as I do.
Tuesday, February 4, 2014
Went to the doc...now what?
Last week I was finally able to meet with the plastic surgeon and have my consult. I had planned on meeting with 2 different doctors. One recommended by my bariatrics group and that I had watched a seminar from and then one recommended by a girl with big boobs at a bar! The first plastic surgeon Dr. C put me through the runaround and made me come to the appointment, pay $2.00 for parking and then was able to see me. I wasn't impressed. Dr. D. was the next doctor. He came to one of our monthly bariatric meetings and was recommended by our lead, Jodi. After waiting an hour my blood was boiling. I'm so impatient. When it was finally my turn the staff was very friendly and apologetic for my long wait. Dr D. was very nice and asked me questions about my desired size and overall appearance. I explained to him that neither one of us know the exactly what we wanted except for my stomach to be flat and my boobs to be up and womanly. We discussed the difference between silicone and saline. I decided to go with silicone. And then it came to the size. My instructions were womanly, professional, but not porn star professional. We looked at a few images online and then I got undressed.
First the tummy tuck. Easy peasy. I would have a scare similar to my c-section but from hip bone to hip bone. I would pull on the skin down but leave a little soft spot about 5 inches from my belly button. That skin is stretched but can only be fixed with a vertical scar but he said he thought that was too much of a scar for the minor area. Then it was onto the fun part. Boobs.
I don't need a lift with is excellent. That less surgery and less money out of my pocket. The sizing was next. I put on a cross your heart on bra and he gave me the first pair of fake boobs to try on. From the pictures Nate and I flipped through we thought around 350cc would be perfect. So in goes the 350cc and I put my sweater back on. They looked exactly the same as the bra I've been wearing the for past year that's empty (My boobs don't fill it at all!). Boo! Nate and I both say no. He hands me 450cc pair next. I slide those bad boys in and take a look. Errr. better but not it. Nate confirms. He hands me the next pair 550cc and explains to me that I'm 5'9" with a medium frame I can handle a higher CC. I take a step back and look in the mirror. Not exactly Laura Croft but perfect! Nate also gave it 2 thumbs up. The doctor asked if he could use his discretion during surgery to see how my skin fills the 550cc and aim between 500-550cc. Nate and I told him yes. 500-550cc would equate to a small D. He said big enough but not to big to bother me when running or excersising. Here are some examples. First 2 girls are 5'9"
The next step was the pricing lady. She came in with her type up proposal and it was much less than Nate and I were thinking. Still an investment but not the price of a new car. I left feeling very excited. I could have it done as early as February! I could be on the road to feeling skinny and better about myself.
Let me just take a moment to say that I know that I'm skinny. I know that I'm no longer fat. I know that I'm a size 8 and shit even fit into a size 4 the other day at Express. But as long as my stomach looks like this I won't feel as good as I could.
Okay back to boobs and tummy. When am I going to do it? I'm thinking May 28th. It works out with Lorelei's schedule and I could take 2 weeks off to recoup. The only problem I'm having is the money. Do I really want to spend $10,000 on myself? Can I justify doing something so selfish? Is it selfish? Would it put us in a financial bind? Am I making the right choice? That is what I'm struggling with now. Am I making the right financial choice for me and my family? I'll let you know what I decide.
First the tummy tuck. Easy peasy. I would have a scare similar to my c-section but from hip bone to hip bone. I would pull on the skin down but leave a little soft spot about 5 inches from my belly button. That skin is stretched but can only be fixed with a vertical scar but he said he thought that was too much of a scar for the minor area. Then it was onto the fun part. Boobs.
I don't need a lift with is excellent. That less surgery and less money out of my pocket. The sizing was next. I put on a cross your heart on bra and he gave me the first pair of fake boobs to try on. From the pictures Nate and I flipped through we thought around 350cc would be perfect. So in goes the 350cc and I put my sweater back on. They looked exactly the same as the bra I've been wearing the for past year that's empty (My boobs don't fill it at all!). Boo! Nate and I both say no. He hands me 450cc pair next. I slide those bad boys in and take a look. Errr. better but not it. Nate confirms. He hands me the next pair 550cc and explains to me that I'm 5'9" with a medium frame I can handle a higher CC. I take a step back and look in the mirror. Not exactly Laura Croft but perfect! Nate also gave it 2 thumbs up. The doctor asked if he could use his discretion during surgery to see how my skin fills the 550cc and aim between 500-550cc. Nate and I told him yes. 500-550cc would equate to a small D. He said big enough but not to big to bother me when running or excersising. Here are some examples. First 2 girls are 5'9"
Now this girl is 5'5" and has 550cc. See the difference? Way to big in my opinion.
The next step was the pricing lady. She came in with her type up proposal and it was much less than Nate and I were thinking. Still an investment but not the price of a new car. I left feeling very excited. I could have it done as early as February! I could be on the road to feeling skinny and better about myself.
Let me just take a moment to say that I know that I'm skinny. I know that I'm no longer fat. I know that I'm a size 8 and shit even fit into a size 4 the other day at Express. But as long as my stomach looks like this I won't feel as good as I could.
Okay back to boobs and tummy. When am I going to do it? I'm thinking May 28th. It works out with Lorelei's schedule and I could take 2 weeks off to recoup. The only problem I'm having is the money. Do I really want to spend $10,000 on myself? Can I justify doing something so selfish? Is it selfish? Would it put us in a financial bind? Am I making the right choice? That is what I'm struggling with now. Am I making the right financial choice for me and my family? I'll let you know what I decide.
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