Yes it's true, we bought our own place! Nothing felt better than to sign on that dotted line (actually, many lines!) and know that something was OURS! We had been saving since we got married so we got to put a big chunk down and have a tiny little payment that we can swing no matter what happens. It's just a little single wide mobile with a HUGE two car garage and it's just shy of having 2 acres. Not the big farmhouse in the country I'd always envisioned, but do you know how much it costs to heat those? In all seriousness what we could get for a house with what we had was trash. We looked at a couple and they needed loads of work and were in such bad condition. I never thought I'd live in a mobile but when we walked in it just felt like home. It's definitely fine for the two of us. Most people have problems with storage in mobiles but between our 5 closets (seriously) and the giant garage we don't have enough stuff to fill the place up! We've had some issues (had to replace the water pump...TWICE) but that is just part of home ownership. We both really love the place though, and can't wait for the spring to come so we can dig in the dirt. I had a few little plots last year but this year I've already bought my seeds and we are planning on EXPANDING! Hooray! It's at the top of this giant hill and when we take the dogs for walks the view is amazing. You can see mountains, and the lake. We're also situated in between an old deserted garage and a giant field so we have a lot of privacy. Our only neighbor is really the older man across the street, Leo, who is retired and was in the Marine Corps during Vietnam. He is the nicest guy! He lets us use his snow blower and comes over to visit our animals. He is the best neighbor we could have asked for!
So, about those animals...first of all, we got another dog! We adopted him from a man who had recently gotten divorced and worked so many hours he really was neglecting his dog. He wanted to find him a home where he got the attention he deserved. So now he lives with us! He's a black lab and golden retriever mix, around 3 years old named Tito and he is a big ol' lovebug!
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Out in the yard we have three rabbits, two does and a buck, and one egg laying chicken along with four Silkie roosters. The funny story there is that my dad gave us a whole mess of the Silkies and a few died and one got eaten by something...and now all we have is roosters! Then he gave us some older laying hens and a rooster but the rooster just got out all the time and scratched up my garden and we only had one who laid and she always got picked on. So we sold those and now we just have one left, a Buckeye. We love her so much we're going to get a whole mess of Buckeye chicks come springtime from the hatchery. They are a rare breed so we can't find them around here. They are all so entertaining though! The rabbits are great and we've already put a bunch away in the freezer as well as selling some at the farmer's market. A lot of people get grossed out at the thought of eating rabbits but they are one of the easiest, cleanest, and cheapest meat animals to raise. We like them!
Buying a house can also be an incredibly expensive task even after you pay the mortgage. There are so many things you need that you really don't realize until you move in. Since it was May and warm when we moved in we went without a dryer until around October. Those things are expensive! Thankfully my father in law let us use his riding mower for a while since we have a big open yard. Then my husband's grandfather gave us a push mower and a weed whacker. Also we've gotten tons of animal housing from different people. One woman I work with gave us a chicken coop, and someone who I wait on every week at the credit union gave us two rabbit cages. Also when my brother in law moved into his place he gave us this walk in chicken coop but we ended up using it to hang our rabbit cages up in. It's really nice, and it was free! The stuff that my parents have given us has really helped us out too. My husband has a big toolbox on wheels and tons of tools thanks to my dad (plus a welder). My mom has given me tons of stuff for decorating and for the kitchen as well. Thank God for our family because we couldn't have been as frugal as we have without them.
As for my husband and I, we are doing pretty well. I work at the same place as I have and I love the women I work with and I love seeing the same people every week. My schedule has changed from four half days to three full days and that's really nice. I save on gas and have an extra day to do projects around the house. My husband has had a harder time of it with finding a good job and keeping that job. He's gotten laid off twice, which is expected in this economy, but really hurts when you've gone and served your country and then no one will hire you. Thankfully we found this amazing program through the VA called "Vocational Rehabilitation". They pay for your training, all your books and all you need for that training (including notebooks, printer ink, etc), give you a monthly stipend, and help after training to get you a job and keep that job. It has been a real blessing. The only downside is that my husband's school is about an hour away so on bad weather days it can sometimes take him over two hours to get home. When spring gets here it will be much better!
So, that's what has been going on since my blogging disappearance. I hope to be writing more often now! I welcome any questions or comments.
Until next time,
xoxo Stacie
yay you're back!!!!!!!
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