So, it looks like we will be getting an extra $1,100 in March! Yay!!!! Great timing, too, with the move! I have already budgeted it all out:

$200 for the move (truck rental and treating friends and family to dinner afterwards)
$100 extra to LBCC
$100 extra to ATTCC
$100 extra to grocery budget (after the move, we will need to restock basics)
$100 into the $20/Taxes account to replace the $100 I had to steal out of it for groceries this week
$100 for new apartment things (dinning room rug, computer desk)
and the big one...$400 to the EF!!

I am actually excited to get the $1,100 so I can start transferring it around! Who knew paying bills and saving could be so much fun?

We got the apartment!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!



(I'm very excited!)

Well, after MONTHS, we have finally found an apartment we love, that we can afford, and is a much better commute for me for work. As long as we get approved, we're in. I think we will, since it was not too long ago we were approved for a small mortgage for that condo we loved. Let's just keep our fingers crossed!!

The new apartment is a 2 bedroom in Quincy! It is only 7 miles from downtown Boston! That makes me commute about 1 1/2 hours shorter AND $180 cheaper!

The rent is more expensive, but it includes heat, electricity, and hot water, which we didn't have here. And then the money saved on the commute, plus the fact that we will use WAY less gas in the car because I will public transportation it the whole way to work, allows us to magage a bigger rent payment. So, it looks like as of March 1st, out new budget will be:

Rent/Electric/Heat 1095
Meds 150
Car Ins 82.08
Cable 53.27
Cell Phone 50
Home Phone/Internet 55
Gas (car) 100
Groceries 300
Communter Pass (for 2!) 120
LBCC 100
ATTCC 200
Total expenses 2,307.08

Since I paid first, last, and security when I moved in here 4 years ago, we can pay rent at the new place for March, and the rent for this place will have already been paid for our last month. So, we can either move out over the course of the month, or maybe be out by the 15th and get half that last months rent back. That's what I am really hoping to do, but I don't know if the landlord will agree to it. He's kinda a slumlord.

Anyways, I'm just VERY happy and VERY excited! Now, all the packing....*groan*

Yes, again. We are just SO ready to move away from psycho neighbors. We looked at a couple of places yesterday. One was kinda dumpy. The other one was nice, but I think too small. We'd have to cut out at least half of the furniture we have, and maybe more. Kinda sucks, cuz it was cheap and cute. Oh well, we'll keep looking. Called two more places today, we will see what happens with those.

On a sad(ish) note, the condo we wanted to buy this summer is still for sale. And we still can't afford it. I'm wondering if I will not be happy finding any new apartment because it will not be the condo. That's something for the Decemeber contest. I wish when I was in my late teens/early 20's wracking up CC debt on stupid shit instead of saving my money, it would lead to bad credit and not being able to afford a place of our own. *sigh* How stupid I was then...

Not much going on. Spent the day mostly looking online for some freelance work (there's very little right now). Listed a few things on ebay. I'm in a "Let's get rid of everything" mood, as well as a "Let's sell stuff because we need money" mood.

We also looked at 2 apartments today. Both are cheaper than where we are now, plus I'm sure quieter since we won't have the psycho neightbor next door. But I think I am spoiled by all the fancy features is this place. The others were OK; one was really cute, but there is no way we could fit everything we have there. We'd have to get rid of 1/2 our furniture, and I don't want to. I think we may keep looking...

Other than that, nothing much new. A book I ordered came in, but I am waiting til after X-mas to pick it up since I am getting a GC to the bookstore from Mums and Dad (they do one every year!). Today was a No Spender.

December No Spenders: 6

A while ago I posted about a fab apartment, with fireplaces and 11 ft high ceilings...well, we found out it is ours and we can move in on Oct 1st!!!! I'm so excited! Of course, we still have to see the inside to make sure we like it, LOL.

But really, it will be away from our crazy neighbors, a new place, a the first place me and BF have picked out together. Found out last night that we can paint whatever colors we want (yay!) and at least 1 if not both firepalces work (oooh, our heating bill will be LOW this winter!). Also, we get our ow little private entrance to our apartment (besides through the main door of the building) and a mini deck that is jus ours (besides the big porch everyone uses). We're the only apt that has a second entrance and a deck.

I CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Although we didn’t get the condo we wanted (interest rates on mortgages were just too high), we decided to keep looking for a new place. Where I lived in our current place myself for almost 4 years, BF doesn’t really feel like it is ours. More like mine he is living at. Once we get the rest of his stuff from Vegas, he’ll feel differently, but also moving into a place we pick out together will help. Plus, the neighbors are still crazy.

So, we’ve been looking for a new place, even if it is a new apartment and not a house or condo. Here comes the great story:

Last week we saw a place listed in the local paper we wanted to check out. Historic area, great price. When I called the number, turns out it was the wrong number listed. Bummer. Then Monday, BF was walking down the street and he passed a realtors. They had a sign in the window for 1 bedroom Historic apartments. So, I called them. We found an amazing place! We haven’t seen the inside yet, but the building the apartment is in is amazing! It is an old mansion in the historic district here, and was built in 1856. Used to belong to one person, now it is apartments. The apartment we are hoping to get has a living room with bow windows that form an alcove, a dining room, a large bedroom, kitchen and bathroom. It has 11 foot ceilings with crown molding. 2 marble fireplaces (LR and DR, not sure if they work, thinks one might). Our own private mini deck. All the other apartments share one large deck, but we get our own. Also, there is the main entrance and that is it for the other apartments. But ours has the main entrance and our own private entrance! Beautiful neighborhood. Accepts cats. Currently renting for $700 a month, will take $650 for it (we pay $625 now!).

Only downfall? Someone is still there, and although they are moving out, they could be there as late as October. We told them we want it, and to let us know as soon as it is available. He told us it’s ours.

So, now we just have to wait. I’m so excited! Unless there is some major issue, we’ll be moving in a few months. Oh, another bonus? It’s only 6 blocks away from our current place! Short moving trip! Same work commute! I hope this works out. We were both so disappointed over the condo. I hope we don’t get disappointed again.

As I mentioned before, we are looking to get a mortgage so we can buy the condo we found. I went to 3 banks this week. I still have a few other places I am going to check out, as well.

Heard back from Bank S. The good news in, we were approved for a mortgage for the amount we need to buy the condo! The bad news is we can’t afford what the monthly payment will be.

We were hoping for a 30-year mortgage of about $70,000 with 7% interest. We were told he would accept an offer for $65,000 so the extra $5,000 was for closing fees and all that good stuff. Taxes are about $600 a year, but do not have to be paid monthly, and we know we can save $600 a year for them. Taking all that into consideration, the monthly mortgage amount and condo fees are pretty much equal to what we pay now for rent.

However, Bank S offered us a mortgage with 7.9% interest. They also want us to pay the closing fees separate (about $2,500), and then want us to pay $50 a month towards taxes. Add all this together and it comes out to be about $150 more a month that we can afford.

Bastards.

Also heard from Bank C. Same deal pretty much. We were approved, but the interest is so high the monthly payments will be more than what we can afford.

So, I don’t know what to do. They won’t go lower on the interest because 1. We have no down payment, 2. Our credit score isn’t really high, and 3. Our “debt to income” ration is high. Well, hello?? Making us pay $150 more a month doesn’t help that! I guess we just wait until we hear back from some of the other places we applied and keep looking for a better deal.

It’s hard. I am very excited to know that we can get approved for a mortgage. But it is disheartening to know we really can’t afford the one they are offering us.

The only option we have, besides waiting to hear back from Bank B, is to have a small down payment. With a down payment (even only 5%), we can get a different loan from either if these banks with a lower interest rate. Problem is, where do we just randomly get $3,500?

Mums offered to loan it to us. But I’m not sure how I feel about that considering how much I already owe her. I really wanted to do this on our own. I totally appreciate her offer, but I hate doing that: taking more money from her. Her and Dads are hoping to retire in a few years (they’re already 60 and 61!) and I do NOT want to take money from their retirement.

Damn-it-all.

GOOD! HA! Never though I'd see that again!

I went to a few places yesterday to apply for a mortgage and one place was able to run a credit check on my right away. My credit report came back with this:

1 CC in very good standing (!)
1 CC in good standing (!)
3 student loans in very good standing (!)

and that's it! No more open cc accounts that I forgot to close, no more late notices, no more deliquint notes. FINALLY, my credit report is getting better! YAY!!!

And, I found out my credit scores from 3 different places:
604
609
676!

I thought they would be way lower. I'm so hapy, especially ince I need a credit score of 660 for one of the mortgages I am applying for. I know they usually take the middle score, but maybe they will take the high one.

So, as mentioned in a pp, we are looking for a condo. Not as great as a house (I want me own yard) but better than an apartment (maintenance and security, we’re not throwing money away on rent but putting money towards owning something, and, did I mention this before, we can decorate as we want! Yay! Paint! Colors on the walls!).

We found one listed in the city we live in, about 20 mins more North of where we live now. About the same commute for me for work, maybe even a little shorter, def. a shorter trip into Boston and Providence. It’s a 2 bedroom unit, w/living room, bathroom, and kitchen. 635 sq. feet. All appliances are included and (so they say) new: fridge, dishwasher, disposal unit, microwave, AC unit, and range/oven. Also supposedly new is the carpet, entry door, bathroom, kitchen, and ceiling (w/remote controlled lights). There is off-street assigned parking (yay! No more fighting over parking spaces!), tennis courts, a swimming pool outside, laundry in each basement, on site security and security safe doors (you can only get in the main building door if you live there or someone buzzes you in).

One bonus is that the condo was originally built to be a 1 bedroom deluxe condo and the previous owners turned it into a 2 bedroom. Since it was built as a 1 bedroom, the condo fee is the 1 bedroom condo fee ($208 a month) as opposed to the 2 bedroom condo fee ($310 a month).

Not sure about the neighborhood. Have heard some negative things about it but not necessarily from people I trust (they are kinda snobby). Def will check into local police reports and activity there before we make a deal.

Price was $70,900, but they just dropped it to $69,900. With no down payment and a 30 year mortgage at 6% interest, it will be about $440 - 460 a month, plus the condo fee ($208 each month) for a total of about $650 – 675 a month. We pay $625 for rent now.

However, there is another unit on the ground that is a 2 bedroom, and 950 or so square feet. It is selling for … $69,900! So we are going to try to use that as a bargaining tool to get them to lower the price (we’d love it to come down to $65,000).

So, that is our condo news. We are going to meet with the real estate agent and look at it tomorrow night when I get home from work. I’m really excited. I’m trying not to get my hopes up too high, in case the area sucks or we can’t get a mortgage, or it is way more than we can handle w/fees and such, but I can’t help being a little excited. Just the thought of moving into a place we own (or will own after 30 years, LOL) is so exciting. Wish us luck!