HOME SWEET HOME COSTS MONEY Buying a house to make a home for you and your family can be a stressful time for anyone, especially when it’s your first home. We no longer wanted to rent any more so looking for our first home was something that came fast and furious for us. With that comes the urgency to own a home and sometimes you overlook some of the obvious concerns. I certainly won’t be making some of these mistakes next time around. I can remember the endless trolling through MLS listings online and then booking an appointment with our real estate agent to go and view them. Some houses definitely viewed better through photos rather than real life, but it’s always something every house hunter has to endure. When buying a house everyone has a list of wants and needs and a general style that they are looking for. For us, a more modern house was an easier choice due to lower maintenance costs and less chance that there was going to be hidden problems. The trouble for any couple or family starts when they discover hidden issues with the house they thought was perfectly fine. Other life events can throw […]
Reader question: When should you renovate your new home?
Renovate Your Home When It Is Right For You A fan sent me an email the other day and asked me the question, When should you renovate your new home? He said that him and his wife had just bought a home and they weren’t sure if they should renovate before they moved in or after they moved and wanted to know what we did when we bought our house. Home renovation checklist It was a question that I really didn’t have to think much about because we are in this position now. We did not renovate before we moved in and preferred to save the cash first before renovating. When we bought our home I created a checklist so I knew exactly what I needed to do although over the years it seems the list keeps growing. It was easier to read my list as I was going along rather than trying to remember in my head. Every smart planner will have a list so they have information to fall back on. There is no custom list here, you design your own. Grab a piece of paper and start making notes. I also wanted to have the opportunity to […]
A Love Letter And Life Lessons: Money Fool To A Budgeting Money Saver!
A love letter taught me a life lesson steering me away from becoming a money fool and into a budgeting money saver. I know what you are thinking and you are probably right. What did Mr.CBB get himself into this time. Well the morale of the story is always the icing on the cake so I’ll save that until you get deeper into the thick of things. A Fool And His Money If you’ve ever considered yourself a money fool which to me means someone who spends without a care in the world then you may learn a lesson or two here. You may be someone who doesn’t worry much about what’s right and wrong but you know that at some point you have to make decisions you might not want to face. You are spending cash to impress others or to make yourself feel better but there comes a time when you must pay for those pleasures. If you spent money you didn’t have or too much money then you have to decide what your next financial step will be. I often think back to when I was younger and ponder what I might have done or experienced that […]
Growing A Garden In A Small Space
This is the year that I am finally going to grow my own garden and you can too, even if you have a small space to work with! My kids are at the ages now where I can spend more time working outside which is a passion of mine. Unfortunately, my property is not quite ready for my garden, so most of my gardening will have to be based around containers and hanging baskets. While thinking about what I’m going to grow, I also have to consider where I am going to grow them! Over the years, I have seen many innovative and creative ways that you can grow a flourishing garden without digging a hole in the ground. These ideas got me thinking about how they could be used to grow a garden in a small space. I’ve lost count a long time ago how many times I’ve heard, ‘I don’t have the space for a garden’, or ‘I live in an apartment, I can’t grow a garden’. With the exception of individuals who have balconies that get absolutely no sunlight, this is not true! Adopting the ideas of going vertical, and hanging plants such as tomatoes and strawberries can turn that […]
