House Hunting

We went out and looked at some condos yesterday.  We currently live in a 1 bedroom apartment.  I know it must sound crazy looking for ways to get my name on a mortgage in this economy.  I know my job isn't guaranteed, and I know I'm very lucky to be working at a company I may one day own.

The condo we have our hearts set on isn't too pricey, but it does require some FHA regulations since we don't have a big down payment saved up.  We were banking on using the VA loan guarantee, but we found out yesterday that the VA was out of the question.  Since my boyfriend and I aren't married, we could only use the VA if he was going on the mortgage alone. His salary is too low, and his credit score is too low.  The VA allowed us to skip a down payment and to skip the mortgage insurance.

The condo we want happens to be discounted heavily because it's the only one remaining in a building that's already sold. In order to continue new construction, they want to make sure all the other buildings are 100% sold.

I don't know where we're coming up with this down payment money. I don't even have $1000 for the earnest check.

Waiting on Change

Since Obama's win, I have been eager to see what changes would immediately come about throughout this country. Other than the drop in gas prices, there hasn't been a whole lot of good. I thought the stock market would jump up. It hasn't. I thought business would pick up. It hasn't.

I know things like that take time, but there was a sense that once the election was over, people could again concentrate on their lives. The fear of the unknown was somehow preventing anyone from spending their budgets, buying homes, and investing again.

Our business is still slow. We had a talk yesterday about what we'll all do if this place ever goes under. I know for sure that I'm running away with my boyfriend. I will do everything in my power to help this place become profitable, but I just don't know how our small business is going to make it in this dying economy. In past economic downturns, we've somehow hunkered down and survived. Now, our business is already in the middle of a transitional period, and I just don't think we're going to make it.

Barack Obama Elected President of the USA!

 

What a wonderful conclusion to such a long campaign process! We've been glued to CNN all night watching their election coverage. The holograms and the electoral maps were used as the perfect tool to get the numbers and opinions across to the viewers.


John McCain is giving his concession speech right now, and every time he compliments the Democratic ticket, his faithful followers protest and boo.  It's one thing to feel sad, disappointed, and let down from John McCain's failure to win the campaign.  It's another thing to disrespect the winning party by shouting obscenities.


Now, I'm just staying up in eager anticipation of Barack Obama's upcoming speech. This is an exciting time for not only the US but for the rest of the world. I can't wait to see what the stock market does tomorrow!

I Love My Pretty Prius

Many of you don't know this fact about me, but I happen to own a Toyota Prius. I bought mine in 2007 before the gas prices jumped to extreme highs. Anyway, I want to spread my message of GOING GREEN by recommending you go out and find a car that cuts down on foreign fuel intake.

If you happen to own a Prius like me, I found a website on Cafepress tailored to women drivers of the Prius. It's called "I Love My Pretty Prius", and you can click on the logo below to go to that storefront. I'm thinking about ordering the license plate cover.

I Voted Today Stickers

If you've read my previous posts, you'll know that I've already voted for the upcoming election. I've read articles about Ben and Jerry's giving away free ice cream to anyone that votes. I've read articles about Starbucks giving away free coffee to anyone that votes. I've read articles about Krispy Kreme giving away free donuts to people who voted. What's the catch? You have to have the, "I Voted Today" sticker in order to qualify.

What's my problem? I barely received a, "Thank you!" from the voter booth admin before leaving much less did I receive any stickers thanking me for my contribution to the election.

Trying To Be Social on Meetup.com

A co-worker of mine told me about all the fun things he does after work and on weekends.  Knowing that he just moved here from out of state, I had to ask how he already had such a wide social network.  He then told me about meetup.com.  He uses it to find people nearby with similar interests.  He goes biking, plays frizbee, and has garage band meetups with absolute strangers.

I decided to give this website a try.  I currently belong to two different groups of people that don't really live near my home.  My zip code produced very little results, so I had to expand my search range.  I'm excited at the idea of finally having things to do with people who have the time and money to do them. No more will I sit and wait for old high school friends to remember my phone number.  I'll keep you posted on how this Meetup website works as the weeks progress.