Tie It All Together

Have you noticed that I like to drop little bombs of information without much explanation and then come back and do a separate post about it? Because I just noticed that I do that and I had no idea. I just write and then when I re-read to edit I'm like, "oh, you mentioned purchases you are saving for and how you'd like to have get new seating for the living room. You should post about it!"

And yes, I did use the examples that I wrote about yesterday and am going to explain to you today and Monday. Because then, it becomes a full circle. I know you are just sitting on the edge of your seat thinking, "Oh, is she going to tell us about what she wants to save money for?" Because it's edge of the seat information! ...Okay, okay. Maybe not. But it is good to put it out there to try to hold yourself accountable. Which doesn't always work for me. (Like with my weekly goals.) 

The few major things that I want to purchase this year are the following:

1. A New Kitchen

2. Living Room Furniture

3. A Like-New Black Fridge

4. An Equipped Office For The Hubs

5. Bryan's Truck

6. Painting the House

A New Kitchen -

Bryan probably does not read this blog but if he is reading it now I assure you he is laughing at me. And shaking his head, thinking "Ain't gonna happen." I want to completely gut and redo our kitchen more than Lindsay Lohan needs to stay sober. Poor girl. I've been thinking and dreaming about what I want to do for the kitchen and I've been staying away from the Home Depot/Lowe's credit cards because if I have to, I'll use their 10% off and no interest for my kitchen and then make HUGE PAYMENTS (like we did on my wedding ring) to pay it off before the interest kicks in. Which is what I call "making the credit companies work for you instead of you working for them" I'm working on getting a shorter title. Regardless, it's the truth. Credit can be a good tool for people that utilize it the right way. Before we charge anything, Bryan and I think about what the monthly payment will be and how fast we can pay it off. We just refuse to be enslaved in credit. It's not worth it. 

Getting a new kitchen in 2011 is a pipe dream because if I invest in my kitchen, I'm not going to settle or go cheap. I'm going to be reasonable, but I'm also going to get an awesome kitchen that will be used as a major resell tool in ten years. I may have to wait until 2012, which is alright with me. 

Living Room Furniture -

Here is the deal. My sister, Alison and her husband Mark got married in 2003. Shortly after that (I honestly have no idea when) they purchased living room furniture, and had it until they moved to San Diego in like... 2007 or somewhere near there. I have a horrible memory. Then, they gave it to my sister Kari and her husband Adam in 2008 or 2009. Again, memory! Jeez. Well then Kari and Adam gave it to Bryan and I in 2009. It's been love, love loved. But, its old. And the pillows are starting to tear, and its a white couch and boy does it look dirty. DIRTAAAAY. (Which reminds me, I need to call that guy about cleaning it. Or do it myself since I don't, at the moment, have $150 bones to drop...) It's also just a couch and a chair, and with our really large living room, it doesn't "fit." All the Christmas cash I got is going to this purchase. This will be the next thing I buy. Unless I find a new-to-me black fridge first.

A Like-New Black Fridge -

Let's call a spade, a spade. If I can find a brand spanking new fridge at a good deal, I will snatch it up. The likelihood of that happening, however is slim to none. I want to spend no more than $350 on a fridge. And I really don't want anything fancy. I'd really just like either a normal refrigerator with an ice maker in the freezer or one of those spiffy nifty upside down fridges with the freezer on the bottom, but it still needs to have an ice maker. Obviously, if I'm able to purchase my kitchen, I'll buy a new fridge through that, but if not, I am so down with the respectfully used appliances. 

A Fully-Equipped Office for the Hubs -

You may be thinking that I want this for him. Let's remember that I am human and selfish and honestly, I need to hear some new music. I want Bryan to put out a new CD with some NEW SONGS so that I can groove to them. In order to do that though, he needs to have a working office where he can shut himself away for hours on end writing material and recording. Hours-on-end. Just enough time for me to get in some cheesey reality TV in. Love me some Kendra. Although I do like Hank more than Kendra. Hank is sweet and hot. She scored on that one. You like how I stay on point, huh? Bryan needs to get cracking on his music and I want him to have the tools to do so. This is a MUST this year. 

Bryan's Truck -

I can honestly say that Bryan and I have absolutely no other debt other than our house, his truck and my car. Actually, I'm lying, Bryan has a student loan but that loan was used to get the skills he has in Photoshop and those skills landed him his full time gig at a local credit union. So, it's the good kind of debt. Back to the bad debt we have, I don't want the bank to own our house and cars. And you have to start somewhere, right? I want to own his truck. By December 2011 I will have the pretty pink title in my hand and we'll be down to a car and a house. 2012, I will add to my pink pile with my car's title. I want to OWN our vehicles. Not the credit union. So it shall be. Just watch. :)

Painting Our House -

I have no recollection of posting about the horror we went through with this dude we hired and he jacked us over. But it happened. We paid him $1000 and all we got was an almost finished wood floor and some second-rate tools. Oh, and a really tall ladder. Which is handy for us short people... When we really wanted our house painted. Freaking jerk. Oh well. We were gracious and he'll have to answer for his decisions someday just like I will, and I'm going to take the high road. Now, Bryan and I still need to get the house painted and I'm hoping that Bryan will change his mind and he'll say that we should just do it. We have enough Vickers boys that can come over and help. We'll bribe them with pizza and beer. (Stop shaking your head "no" Bryan! It'll be cheaper!) Right now, our house is yellow, with white trim and red shutters. Except for the parts that we painted white because of our appraisal for the loan. Basically the house looks janky. And we're shooting to paint it in the early spring-time.

So, those are the big-money items I want to invest in this year. Obviously, lots of things can happen between now and then, but hopefully 2011 is a smooth year and we're able to knock all of this out! What a blessing that would be! 

You, Me, plus Three...

On the exterior, one would think that this 'branch' of the Vickers Family Tree is made up of just Bryan and I. The one who would think that would be wrong.

Bryan and I have children. Three to be exact. Are the human children? No. There are furry children. And over the past couple of weeks, I have had some serious mommy moments.

This all started around January 2, 2010. When we started looking for a new house to rent. The house we are in right now is so cute and I love it, but we've outgrown it already... And we can't have Cali here.

This is Cali.

Cali is our first born. She's a good, smart dog that talks a lot of crap to you when she doesn't like what you are saying. (I swear, I'll get it on video sometime so you can see her attitude. Girl is fierce!) We became her parents with a girl that I worked with at Mervyn's found her. She couldn't keep her and I told her that I knew just the person that would love her. Bryan adores German Shepherds. So we took her home the night we met her and she was ours ever since. When she was younger, Bryan refused to listen to me to take her to get her shots. So of course, she got really sick. She was so miserable. I was visiting in Salinas, and wouldn't leave my side. I just held her on the couch until I finally begged Bryan to take her to a vet. He didn't need much convincing. Luckily, she survived and she's our baby-girl. Even if she weighs as much as an elephant and always steps on my feet.

This is Danny.

Danny was born on May 5, 2005. When I moved in with Bryan and Rick in October of 2005, I was so homesick and lonely that I went to the SPCA, looking for a pet that could be a Farpella, with me. I wasn't looking for any pet in particular, my criteria was: cuddle-bug, nice, distinct personality. That's it. Danny's story was so sad. A bicyclist found Danny on an overpass bridge on the 168 outside of Salinas. He or she was passing by and saw a pet carrier tossed on the side of the road. When he/she stopped, there were multiple kitties in the carrier, but only Danny and one other cat was alive. The bicyclist grabbed the carrier and biked to the SPCA (which is miles up the 168, in the middle of no where) and handed them over. Danny was the only one that survived. When I first met him, Bryan was with me and he was perfect. He had such a

personality. He liked to be held, which made me hope that he'd be a cuddler and he played like CRAZY with the toys. I handed over the $65 dollars (which was and IS a small fortune for a cat, but whatever) and Danny became a Farpella. And yes... he is a cuddler......... but only on his terms.

Ps... He just bit me. I think he was reading over my shoulder.

This is Duey.

Duey's real name is Dumbledore. I first met him when Brian, an old high school friend of mine brought him up to Fresno with Denise and I were living together. Brian had found him and was trying to find his home but was having no luck. Duey (at the time called, Duder) was a puppy and I fell hard! I told Brian that I would adopt him if he was unsuccessful in finding the owners. And I did! When Duey has his hair grown out he is white and fluffy, which reminded me of Dumbledore. And since he now answered to Duder and Doody, I decided to call him Duey, since it was close enough that he wouldn't get confused. He is such a sweetheart. He's not very intelligent, but he makes up for it by being completely adorable and a snuggler!

So, now that you've formally met my entire family, I'm sure you can tell why I would have Mommy moments when people treat my animals unjustly.

Which brings me to the real reason for this post.

Bryan and I are trying to find a house to lease for the next year or two before we buy or build. We're looking for a nice house, of standard proportion, in a nice neighborhood. We've narrowed our search to a three bedroom, two bathroom house with a nice background for the pets.

Pretty standard right? And while there are things I would love - like his and her sinks in the master bathroom, I can live without it. There are things, however that I won't live without.

MY BABIES.

I have been so angry over the lack of houses that allow pets. AND, the budget range that we have set ourselves in is not overwhelming nor is it underwhelming. Its healthy for the area we live in. We're talking $1000-1200. Hanford is a small town folks, you should be able to get a pretty nice house in this area for that much.

Key word being, should. I can't believe the state of the rental houses I have been shown. Buying a home is the BIGGEST investment most people ever make. It is not to be taken lightly. And the decision of renting, who to rent to, and who to have as a property manager is not something that can just be picked out of a hat. It seems that so many people rented to people that should never had keys to a home and those people destroyed the houses.

We went into one house - in a pretty good neighborhood, that had fist holes all over the walls and doors. We went to another area in a very nice and coveted neighborhood that was missing the glassware on light fixtures, had boards missing out of the fences and the toilets were dirty. And the best part - both houses were advertised as $1100. No joke.

I have called every house (that fits our criteria) that is advertised online and in the newspaper. That's at least 50 houses. And I get more and more upset when this dialogue happens.

"Hi, I'm calling on the house advertised in the Hanford Sentinel. Is it still available?"

"Yes, it is. Its a three bedroom, two bathroom on (insert street). It has a two door garage with an automatic door, and lawn service is included."

"Oh, that sounds great. Do you have a pet policy?"

"Uhhh.... uhhmmmm... what kind of pets do you have?"

"Well, we have three rescued pets. A german shepherd, an outside cat and a maltese/poodle mix. And we do have Renter's insurance."

"Oh, yeah. No, no pets. Sorry."

"Ok. Well I hope you trip and fall down."

...Okay, I don't really say that last part. But I think it. Its house, after house, after house. It is very frustrating.

I understand that pets can be messy. They can have accidents. They make mistakes. But guess who else does? PEOPLE. Children! I say, if you allow families that have children you should allow pets. Its pretty much the same thing. And if they do chew something up or ruin something? Guess what - the renters are LIABLE. That is why there is something called a deposit and a pet deposit. Because if something should go wrong, you have an extra thousand or so dollars to fix it. And, the lease should state that the house should be returned as it was when it was leased, beside "normal" wearing over time. That's like... worn carpet on the constantly used paths.

So, the house hunt is pretty horrible. And I'm super discouraged. But Bryan is trying to be a little ray of sunshine by telling me that it will all work out.

I sure hope so.