Books, Books, Books

A goal I had for myself for 2011 was to read more books -which I am doing! I really enjoy spending time reading, and I didn't have any time in 2010 to read much for fun.

So far in 2011, I've read these three books:

Storyline:

They say you can't have your cake and eat it too. But who would want a cake they couldn't eat? Just ask Emma Rae Travis about that. She's a baker of confections who is diabetic and can't enjoy them. When Emma meets Jackson Drake, the escapee from Corporate America who is starting a wedding destination hotel to fulfill a dream that belonged to someone else, this twosome and their crazy family ties bring new meaning to the term "family circus." The Atlanta social scene will never be the same!

Kayla's Rating:

3.5 out of 5

It was a good chicky-lit read, but I could have stopped reading at any point and not felt the need to finish it. The storyline never really went much of anywhere, and when it did, it was stuff you were expecting to happen eventually.

Storyline:

(I seriously didn't know this was being made into a Katherine Heigl movie when I picked it out at the library ... I'll for sure go see it!)

Workaholic attorney Samantha Sweeting has just done the unthinkable. She's made a mistake so huge, it'll wreck any chance of a partnership. Going into utter meltdown, she walks out of her London office, gets on a train, and ends up in the middle of nowhere. Asking for directions at a big, beautiful house, she's mistaken for an interviewee and finds herself being offered a job as housekeeper. Her employers have no idea they've hired a lawyer-and Samantha has no idea how to work the oven. She can't sew on a button, bake a potato, or get the #@%# ironing board to open. How she takes a deep breath and begins to cope-and finds love-is a story as delicious as the bread she learns to bake. But will her old life ever catch up with her? And if it does…will she want it back?

Kayla's Rating:

3.5 out of 5

Same with this book, it was entertaining, but not "amazing." It was an unbelievable storyline; there is no way the Samantha from the beginning of the book would turn into the domestic Samantha. It happened too quickly to be believable. Same with her and Nathaniel's romance.

Storyline:

Maddie Faraday's life would be perfect--if it weren't for — her cheating husband — her suspicious daughter — her gossipy mother — her secretive best friend — her nosy neighbors, — and that guy she lost her virginity to twenty years ago... — If you think small-town life can be boring--think again. There are complex social rules: there are certain people with whom you fraternize and those you don't, and, of course, there is the all-powerful gossip. Everyone knows everything about everyone else. Don't they? That's what Maddie Farraday thinks until she finds a pair of black crotchless panties in her husband's car that don't belong to her. That's it; Maddie's had it. She's ready for change, and the first thing she's going to do is divorce her no-good, philandering husband Brent. But then everything goes haywire: Brent turns up dead, Maddie's daughter wants a dog, her best friend is suddenly acting very strange, and Maddie's secret boyhood crush, bad boy C. L. Sturgis, arrives in town after a 20-year hiatus--and he's as sexy as ever.

Kayla's Rating:

5 out of 5

I absolutely loved this book. I was expecting a light chick-lit book, but it was heavy, deep, and made me think. It's filled with so many emotions, heavy situations, has mystery, and at times, humor! A good, good, GOOD read.

In The Process...

of making these envelopes to start doing the "cash-only" purchases as recommended by Dave Ramsey. I told you I was serious about this!

Here's the link to the envelope download. It's kind of a hassle to download (even though it's FREE), because you have to "order" it thru the online store, sign up for an account, etc ... but it downloads as a PDF when it's done ... so the actual printing isn't so bad.

http://kelleighratzlaff.com/featured/free-envelope-template-and-a-tutorial/

I cut my patterned paper down to 8 1/2" x 11" and then just ran it thru the printer. You will want to print on the BACK side of the paper, so keep that in mind!

I selected the lowest quality print, since I'm just using the printed lines to cut on.

Enjoy!

Here We GO!

I'm usually pretty skeptical.

And you would think I would be after reading this book, front to back, in less than 24 hours and coming away with a life-changing revelation.

But I am not skeptical - at all.

I am 100% confident in our financial future, something I was NOT a mere 24 hours ago.

I am taking the Baby Steps seriously, and I am so excited to do this!

The Baby Steps:

Step 1: $1,000 in an emergency fund.
Step 2: Pay off all debt except the house utilizing the debt snowball.
Step 3: Three to six months of savings in a fully funded emergency fund.
Step 4: Invest 15% of your household income into Roth IRAs and pre-tax retirement plans.
Step 5: College Funding
Step 6: Pay off your home early.
Step 7: Build wealth and give.

We have Step 1 done. We have Step 3 half done. We started Step 2 today. I learned that we HAVE TO TAKE THE STEPS IN ORDER, even if it doesn't make sense. Thus, Step 3's funds we already have will go towards Step 2, but I am confident Step 3 will be done in no time at all. I am hoping 18 months.

Now, I wouldn't say we are in total NEED of a money makeover - we do not live paycheck to paycheck, and already have a good amount in savings. However, I learned that we are doing it all wrong! OF COURSE it's good that we have savings, but the book made me realize how dumb we've been to be SAVING when we could be using some of that money to pay off our debt and student loans (the student loans make up 75% of the debt). And to help with some minor marital issues, the book has taught me that our debt is debt, no matter who acquired it. My new frame of mind is, "Let's just get this stuff all paid off for good and start making money from our money!"

Inside the book is filled with stories of everyday people, most couples who are making less than $70,000 a year combined, many of them far less than that...who are debt-free and who are investing and on their way to being millionaires 20-40 years from now. MULTI-millionaires.

My Total A-Ha We Have To Do This Moment:

One story hit me hard, and was so unbelievably inspiring, because the people are my age, and they've already made huge, huge, HUGE, gains. A young married couple, ages 22 & 24, a pastor and a nurse, who now have no debt (besides their mortgage) who are already investing ... and at the age of 65 ... their investments will have reached $12 million dollars if they continue to contribute as much as they are now ... and of course they'll end up making more and investing even more - UM HELLO! ... we CAN and we WILL do this!

It's so simple!

(Side Note: I am not completely blind to the fact that our money situation will change a lot when kids some some day, but at least we'll be more prepared financially, and can start preparing and making our goals happen NOW!)

We might not make the income to reach $12 million in investments by age 65, but we sure are going to try! We have advantages, still being young and starting our investments early. I'd be happy retiring with $2 million.

I do not ever need to be RICH/WEALTHY/etc, that is not why I am choosing to take this journey ... but what I do need is financial security for my myself, husband, and future kiddos. All I desire is enough funds to design a life where finances don't hold me back, or cause trouble. And, of course, I'd like to have a LITTLE FUN!

I seriously, seriously, seriously cannot wait to take part in this journey! And I guess I already have started, because Step 2 is already started. As in, a check for the full amount of what we owe on one item of debt is sitting in a sealed envelope, with a stamp on it, ready to be mailed and officially paid off forever...FOREVER! AND in the next week or so, we'll get our monthly Best Buy statement. We have a great purchase plan for our TV, and only have to pay $X a month to pay off $Z until December 2012. Weellll, since I am on a roll, I'm just going to write a check for that full amount too!

LOVE IT! THE DEBT SNOWBALL HAS BEGUN!

More Questions about 2010

Although the questions I answered already are similar to the ones I found on Nicole's blog, there were a few on her question list that weren't on mine. And since I LOVE looking back on my previous years' Yearly Q+A's, I'm going to answer the ones that weren't found on my original list.

What was the single most challenging thing that happened? I know a lot of my responses have to do with the house, but that's what is sticking out in 2010. I would say the challenging part was with getting all HUD work done on the house BEFORE we could actually buy it. We invested about $1,000 and endless hours on a house that wasn't even ours ... while having to keep a deadline for the inspection. Looking back, it really wasn't that terrible, and we got through it with help from our amazing friends and family, but at the moment, it was a big stressful deal.

What was an unexpected joy this past year? Dare I say it!? Our dog! It took me awhile to really bond with her because I honestly wasn't too fond of the idea of having a dog. It meant more responsibility for me. But, now that I'm not so crazy busy and the fact that she's settling down, I can't imagine her not being here! Love her.

What was an unexpected obstacle? Work. I became salaried this year, and was told I'd work 37.5 hours per week. I was soooo used to getting paid hourly, that it was a HUGE adjustment to work 50+ hours per week and only get paid for 37.5 hours ... it was a mind over matter thing, and now that I've adjusted to that, it's ok.

What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year? Hmm....good question. I guess I am not totally sure on this one. Nothing sticks out, but I guess I have begun to "really" settle into adulthood. The past couple years have been this transition of feeling like "grown-up" one day, and then totally feeling like I'm still a kid the next. (Gosh darn it, I'm going to be 25 this year, hopefully I have more grown up days than kid days, hey!?). I think with the house, and then the dog, I've really begun to think about the "bigger" things in life ... the idea of having kids has become more of a reality now than it would have been back in January.

What was the most enjoyable area of managing your home? Hmm ... I planted a very small garden this summer, and it was really fun to watch it and take care of it. Looking forward to that this coming spring ... I learned a lot from my little patch of zucchini, summer squash, and tomatoes!

What was your most challenging area of home management? Oh, lots of things. I guess just general organization. With a house, there is more area to set stuff down and forget about it...aka the dining room or the table right where we come in as we get home. And this is kind of funny, but my last two living spaces (apartments) were "open concept," so the living space was directly open to the kitchen. There, I cleaned up the kitchen right away, so I didn't have to see the mess. But at the house, the rooms are separate, and I tend to forget about the dinner mess if I head to the living room after we eat. I know, how silly, right? So yeah ... hopefully I can get on that kitchen thing right away in 2011. (But I just want to sit and chill after work, lol!)

What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year? Ironically, the Internet! Must get off of this thing ...

What was the best way you used your time this past year? Makin' moola! I was SO stressed out when I had my 50+ hours a week school job PLUS 50+ hours a week photography work to do! BEYOND STRESSED! However, my bank account was nice and full ... and got replenished very nicely every Saturday as payments would come in. Totally stressful, but it really was worth it.

That's it! Happy 2011!

Bathroom Reno Inspiration

I'm in renovation dream land. Our upstairs bathroom is in need of some help.

We'll see what happens this new year. Possibly a reno?

The photo below is what the room looked like before we moved in. I'm too lazy right now to take a picture of it's current condition, but the difference now is that the walls are a dark latte color, all the trim has been ripped off, curtain down, flying fish down. We planned to replace the base after painting, but hubby decided not to put fresh trim on because "we're going to just rip it apart anyway." One sentence description it's current state?

--> Not much better, perhaps worse.

No, this room doesn't APPEAR to be in need of a complete re-do. And I agree with that partially...it's not a "must do right now" type of thing. However, I have a few points to make:

• The door you see leads to an upper deck. It's an old door, and if the wind blows hard enough, the door flies open. Not good if we aren't home. To replace the door, we would need to re-frame the door. Behind that wall is plaster. Plaster doesn't come off nicely...so we figure if we're going to make a mess, let's just make a BIG mess at all at once and get this room taken care of for good.
• The tub and surround needs replacing ... again, doesn't look bad in the pic, but its old and the paint is chipping away. The previous owners decided to paint (PAINT!?) the old tub instead of replacing. (Why OH why!?)
• Moving forward, those lights are hideous. Once we take those down, there will have to be lots of repair to that bulkhead, and from what we discovered in regards to the other bathroom's electrical situation, I'd say we have some electrical work to do under there, too.
• More lighting, there is a light/fan unit on the ceiling that you can't see in this picture. Again, from the condition the other bathroom was in, I'm sure this needs full-out replacing as well. I wonder if this one even vents outside? The last one just vented into the ceiling. NICE.
• The floor. After moving in, we found drip pans full of water in the drop ceiling of our kitchen. EEK. Which is directly below this bathroom. So, I'm willing to bet the floor underneath the nasty vinyl is not in very good condition. We wonder if the water came from A) The door blowing open and water getting in and leaking thru the floor, or B) The toilet, which we had a heck of a time getting to work because of leaking issues. Either way, my money is on the floor being just nasty under there.
• Lastly, can a girl just ask for a pretty bathroom? Marble or granite counter? Yes please! Double hung mirrors instead of an out-dated full mirror? YES PLEASE! New plumbing to accommodate double sinks? HECK YES! Open linen closet? Wooo hoo, see below for inspiration!

Hello, Inspiration:

And in case you're at all interested, this is our lower level full bath reno project from this past summer: