Lately, I have just been playing the guessing game when it comes to my finances here. I rented a place based on what I paid for my mortgage plus a few more hundred dollars I figured I had coming from my promotion. I used to think that Costco's produce was expensive and now I think it is as cheap as it gets around here. I also find it really hard to believe that I just paid $80 for an oil change, yes, it was synthetic for the record but still, that is crazy to me. I used to get away with $20 oil changes.
I decided to really figure out what my take home pay was going to be since my first paycheck was full of errors and then prepare a budget. After taking out all my monthly expenses, I still had $380 left over. Of course I wish it was more, I am glad to see that I have a tiny bit of wiggle room to survive out here. I might even be able to take a vacation here and there.
I went to an open house where they were showing five new homes for sale, just to get an idea of what the real estate market was like out here and they were selling for between $530 and $700 thousand dollars. I walked in them and they seemed more like modular homes than real sturdy homes. They seemed like they would just blow away in any sort of hurricane. Needless to say, I won't be buying anything like that anytime in the near future.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Sunday, January 17, 2016
Feeling Blessed
I am feeling so blessed to be here in Hawaii. Even though I have had to deal with mold and I have to pay an arm and a leg to live here, there are so many reasons to be happy here. The weather is usually gorgeous and when it isn't it just rains intermittently. So far my job is low stress. I am told that my job will get busier and more stressful but I don't think I will ever have to deal with some of the horror stories that many of my friends in Corporate America have to deal with. Even my friend Melanie at LDSBC is working 12 hours a day at busy times.
I went to an all day training Friday that was all about leading like the Savior. I met two other mid-single ladies and we all shared our stories about how we felt the Lord has lead us here. It made me reflect on when I was trying to decide if I should go back to school to finish my bachelor's degree, and I was worried that if I went to school online that no one would want to hire me. I prayed about if I should go back and when I prayed I had a very strong confirmation that going back to school would be a good thing for me and that great things would open up for me if I made the commitment. It is nice to see the fruits of my labors.
The other thing that is great is that my employer really appreciates me. He is so happy to have me and he wants to make sure I am happy working there so I don't want to leave anytime soon. If I have a concern he not only validates it but he fixes things. In my old position I felt appreciated by the people I helped over the phone but I didn't feel appreciated by management until I decided to leave. Once I made that decision, they realized how hard it was going to be to replace me and bring my replacement up to speed. Sadly it took me leaving to make them see that they have to work harder to keep good employees.
Yes, things aren't perfect but this is definitely the adventure I needed. Now I just need to convince my friends that they need to come and visit me. I shouldn't have to twist their arms too far this time of year. ;)
I went to an all day training Friday that was all about leading like the Savior. I met two other mid-single ladies and we all shared our stories about how we felt the Lord has lead us here. It made me reflect on when I was trying to decide if I should go back to school to finish my bachelor's degree, and I was worried that if I went to school online that no one would want to hire me. I prayed about if I should go back and when I prayed I had a very strong confirmation that going back to school would be a good thing for me and that great things would open up for me if I made the commitment. It is nice to see the fruits of my labors.
The other thing that is great is that my employer really appreciates me. He is so happy to have me and he wants to make sure I am happy working there so I don't want to leave anytime soon. If I have a concern he not only validates it but he fixes things. In my old position I felt appreciated by the people I helped over the phone but I didn't feel appreciated by management until I decided to leave. Once I made that decision, they realized how hard it was going to be to replace me and bring my replacement up to speed. Sadly it took me leaving to make them see that they have to work harder to keep good employees.
Wednesday, January 6, 2016
Yes! Yes! Yes!
I have been pretty frustrated with the mold in my apartment, and the lack of options in my price range. Monday I decided after seeing good places being snatched up before I had a chance to see them, that I needed to set up alerts on Craigslist so I could act fast on new places. Yesterday I got an alert for a new place and I knew I needed to be one of the first to respond. This is the studio I saw that comes furnished...
The ad said that she wanted a quiet professional with proof of employment. I thought this is ME! I texted her but when I didn't hear back I new I needed to call. I didn't get an answer, but I wanted this place SO bad so I called again because I knew she was getting bombarded with calls, and I finally got through.
Mercedes from Argentina said that I could come over at 5:00, I was the first to see it. I knew I needed to convince her that she needed to rent to me. She really seemed to like the fact that I didn't smoke or drink and that I had a verifiable job. I told her I would do everything I could to keep her place nice for her while she was gone. I looked in her fridge and noticed that it was loaded up with veggies, like mine and that she also shares my love for the Blendtec blender.
I knew there was a chance that she would decide to go with someone else. Maybe the fact that I didn't drink made her think I was a freak or something, so I went back to check out some other cheaper units in her building today and I saw her in the parking lot. At first I tried to avoid her because I wasn't sure if it was going to be awkward, but she saw me and came right up to me. I told her I was going to check out some other units and she said that was fine, but she said she had one last question for me, and said let her know if I decided to go with another unit.
I saw the other units and I pretty much wanted to throw up. I didn't know how someone could live in those places even if they were cheap for Hawaii standards. They were rusted out and never updated from 1970. Come on, I'd rather sleep in my car! Throw in some upgrades or you will never get those places rented out to anyone decent. Before I left I texted her and told her that I was only interested in her place.
She called me shortly after and said that she didn't want to deal with the stress of interviewing any more potential renters and I think she felt like she could trust me. Maybe when she saw me looking at other places she was afraid I would take something else. She said that she would send over the rental application today and move forward with letting me rent so she didn't have to respond to anyone else. I pretty much screamed for joy when I hung up!
The ad said that she wanted a quiet professional with proof of employment. I thought this is ME! I texted her but when I didn't hear back I new I needed to call. I didn't get an answer, but I wanted this place SO bad so I called again because I knew she was getting bombarded with calls, and I finally got through.
Mercedes from Argentina said that I could come over at 5:00, I was the first to see it. I knew I needed to convince her that she needed to rent to me. She really seemed to like the fact that I didn't smoke or drink and that I had a verifiable job. I told her I would do everything I could to keep her place nice for her while she was gone. I looked in her fridge and noticed that it was loaded up with veggies, like mine and that she also shares my love for the Blendtec blender.
I knew there was a chance that she would decide to go with someone else. Maybe the fact that I didn't drink made her think I was a freak or something, so I went back to check out some other cheaper units in her building today and I saw her in the parking lot. At first I tried to avoid her because I wasn't sure if it was going to be awkward, but she saw me and came right up to me. I told her I was going to check out some other units and she said that was fine, but she said she had one last question for me, and said let her know if I decided to go with another unit.
I saw the other units and I pretty much wanted to throw up. I didn't know how someone could live in those places even if they were cheap for Hawaii standards. They were rusted out and never updated from 1970. Come on, I'd rather sleep in my car! Throw in some upgrades or you will never get those places rented out to anyone decent. Before I left I texted her and told her that I was only interested in her place.
She called me shortly after and said that she didn't want to deal with the stress of interviewing any more potential renters and I think she felt like she could trust me. Maybe when she saw me looking at other places she was afraid I would take something else. She said that she would send over the rental application today and move forward with letting me rent so she didn't have to respond to anyone else. I pretty much screamed for joy when I hung up!
Sunday, January 3, 2016
Trouble in Paradise
Well I think that I have narrowed down the smell in this place. I am pretty sure it is mold. I am sure that mold is very common in basement apartments here. I thought I could get rid of it myself by bleaching the place down. After four hours of cleaning yesterday, it is still here and I am finding that I am allergic to it. Lots of sneezing, head fogginess and congestion. I talked to my landlord today and he told me that he didn't want me to stay if I was going to be sick, so this means I am back on the house hunt. I am hoping to find something really soon, but that doesn't seem to be an easy task around here. It would be nice if I could find a cheaper place to rent even if it is just a studio.
Thursday, December 31, 2015
Pros and Cons
Okay, so let me just say that I am happy to be here in Hawaii. I should also say that there have been a few moments when I have asked myself, "What have I done?" I kept reaching these points where there was no backing out. I don't know if I had time to process what a huge commitment this move would be for me and how much work it was going to be to get here. I am living in a home that costs me 50% more per month and has about half the space. It is nowhere near as nice and I am earning zero equity in the mean time.
Yet somehow I feel like the Lord has led me here. When I looked at all of the places I could be happy with, everything led me here. It was the only place that seemed to really see the value in me as an employee, and allowed me to keep my pension and retirement insurance benefits. However, many of the locals seem to not be so happy that I am here. Locals in other departments have been very welcoming but the locals in my department have given me the cold shoulder.
Not sure what the dynamics are I stepped into exactly, but my department isn't exactly showing me their aloha spirit. I was forewarned that this would be the case. I have heard countless stories of racism against Caucasians here and somehow I was hoping that things would be different at BYUH or that the racial tensions would be a little less obvious.
Oh well I suppose it is just the price I pay to live in paradise. I LOVE breathing in all of this oxygen. It really does seem to relax me, which I totally NEED. I went for a short run this morning even though I am on the tail end of a cold and it felt so good to run without getting out of breath. I am not sure if life up in the mountains will be for me again. I don't know if I will be here past my 3 year commitment but if I am, I'd like to buy something, but I don't know if I will ever make enough for it to really make sense. Homes are CRAZY expensive compared to Utah but I really hate throwing my money away in rent.
There are a lot of smells I am getting used to, most of them are good but I think that something has died behind my fridge or stove. I smell it every time I walk in the door and I am afraid I am going to have to tell my landlord that I will be moving out if he can't figure out what it is and get rid of it. I am sure he knows that something doesn't smell right in here because he left me with two air fresheners that I can't really stand the smell of either. When he was helping me get moved in I asked him about the smell and he was in total denial. I guess he didn't really want to deal with it, but it isn't going away on its own. It could also be mold but nothing is really wet enough to grow mold as far as I can tell.
I have made two trips to Wal-Mart and Costco (I have to drive an hour to get to both) and one trip to TJ Maxx and I am starting to feel like I have what I need to function well, after spending close to $500. Now I just want a mop and a bucket and maybe a TV would be nice. I also found my old vacuum on Craigslist which I am looking forward to using today. My place needs a serious scrub down, and if I can find what is causing that smell, I will really feel good about this move.
I have learned that I drive too fast to blend in like a local, that locals like you more if you bring them good food, and that I can only afford produce if I get it at Costco. I still need to learn the ins and outs of recycling and how to read the waves and the currents so I don't die.
Yet somehow I feel like the Lord has led me here. When I looked at all of the places I could be happy with, everything led me here. It was the only place that seemed to really see the value in me as an employee, and allowed me to keep my pension and retirement insurance benefits. However, many of the locals seem to not be so happy that I am here. Locals in other departments have been very welcoming but the locals in my department have given me the cold shoulder.
Not sure what the dynamics are I stepped into exactly, but my department isn't exactly showing me their aloha spirit. I was forewarned that this would be the case. I have heard countless stories of racism against Caucasians here and somehow I was hoping that things would be different at BYUH or that the racial tensions would be a little less obvious.
Oh well I suppose it is just the price I pay to live in paradise. I LOVE breathing in all of this oxygen. It really does seem to relax me, which I totally NEED. I went for a short run this morning even though I am on the tail end of a cold and it felt so good to run without getting out of breath. I am not sure if life up in the mountains will be for me again. I don't know if I will be here past my 3 year commitment but if I am, I'd like to buy something, but I don't know if I will ever make enough for it to really make sense. Homes are CRAZY expensive compared to Utah but I really hate throwing my money away in rent.
There are a lot of smells I am getting used to, most of them are good but I think that something has died behind my fridge or stove. I smell it every time I walk in the door and I am afraid I am going to have to tell my landlord that I will be moving out if he can't figure out what it is and get rid of it. I am sure he knows that something doesn't smell right in here because he left me with two air fresheners that I can't really stand the smell of either. When he was helping me get moved in I asked him about the smell and he was in total denial. I guess he didn't really want to deal with it, but it isn't going away on its own. It could also be mold but nothing is really wet enough to grow mold as far as I can tell.
I have made two trips to Wal-Mart and Costco (I have to drive an hour to get to both) and one trip to TJ Maxx and I am starting to feel like I have what I need to function well, after spending close to $500. Now I just want a mop and a bucket and maybe a TV would be nice. I also found my old vacuum on Craigslist which I am looking forward to using today. My place needs a serious scrub down, and if I can find what is causing that smell, I will really feel good about this move.
I have learned that I drive too fast to blend in like a local, that locals like you more if you bring them good food, and that I can only afford produce if I get it at Costco. I still need to learn the ins and outs of recycling and how to read the waves and the currents so I don't die.
Saturday, December 12, 2015
Giveitaway Giveitaway Giveitaway Now
It seems like I am the least stressed about this whole move when I just give things away. It leaves me with so much less to deal with. My Christmas gifts this year may look more like unused laundry soap and toilet paper. I seem to have quite an attachment to things that I haven't used in years. I just don't want to let go of anything of value even if I will never use it. So I keep singing that song because sometimes you just need to let go.
I have worked myself up over this move to Hawaii. The funny thing is that despite my worries, everything is coming into place in ways that I couldn't have imagined. I found an apartment to rent with help from my friend Krystal (not that it was cheap). My home is under contract to sell and I should close at the end of January. All of my big furniture is sold or should be within the next few hours. The only big thing I have left to sell is my TV and TV table. Too bad I still have a LOT of small stuff.
Now it is just dealing with the little stuff. There is a part of me that feels like I have to place all my stuff in a good home. I keep telling myself that there are good people who shop at the DI and they need good stuff too.
Still waiting on an official start date. They really do move slow in Hawaii. Hopefully some of that will rub off on me and not make me crazy. Here is what my new place looks like. I can't wait till I get to live there.
I have worked myself up over this move to Hawaii. The funny thing is that despite my worries, everything is coming into place in ways that I couldn't have imagined. I found an apartment to rent with help from my friend Krystal (not that it was cheap). My home is under contract to sell and I should close at the end of January. All of my big furniture is sold or should be within the next few hours. The only big thing I have left to sell is my TV and TV table. Too bad I still have a LOT of small stuff.
Now it is just dealing with the little stuff. There is a part of me that feels like I have to place all my stuff in a good home. I keep telling myself that there are good people who shop at the DI and they need good stuff too.
Still waiting on an official start date. They really do move slow in Hawaii. Hopefully some of that will rub off on me and not make me crazy. Here is what my new place looks like. I can't wait till I get to live there.
Sunday, December 6, 2015
Trail of Faith?
I like to think that my faith has been tried in this whole job process. I was offered two good accounting jobs since I finished my degree but both times I felt very strongly that both jobs were not the right jobs for me even though both came with a promotion and a pay raise. I fasted and I prayed a lot to know if my decision was correct. My answer was very clear in my mind but many shook their heads at me, thinking that I was foolish not to take advantage of the opportunities that had come my way. The answers were just too clear to deny, and I didn't feel like I could accept the jobs if I wanted to when it came down to it. I like to believe that those two opportunities were trials of my faith to see if I was able to follow the spirit.
Then the blessings followed those trials. I was given a better job offer than I could have expected to find here in Salt Lake City and especially working for the LDS Church. It is far too competitive for accountants who want to work there.
My latest trial seems to be around selling my place. I got an offer yesterday and I was a little surprised to see that it was a friend of mine and she didn't even mention that she had come to see my place let alone let me know that she wanted to make an offer. Well, the offer was pretty low. She offered me $10,000 than I was asking (after I just lowered my price $10,000) and she wanted me to pay $4,900 in closing costs and she wanted $500 for a home owners insurance policy for the 1st year. My realtor seemed to think that they just offered low because they planned for us to counter offer. I did counteroffer and I gave her half of what she was asking for.
I just didn't feel good about it from the moment I saw her name on the offer. I feel like when you are selling to friends, if you want to remain friends after the deal is over you need to be honest with each other. I almost want to be too honest. I told my realtor that she needed to know that due to my HOA policy she couldn't have a roommate. My realtor didn't think it was an issue, she just seemed to want to close the deal anyway and get her commission. I didn't want to take my house off the market for a month just to have the deal fall apart a month later. I didn't want her to hate me for not telling her the stipulations of the HOA policy before she signed on the dotted line.
Well I knew I needed to talk to her and as much as I would like to sell my house and be done with it, I learned that she was barely scrapping together the money for the very low offer she gave in the first place and if she was going to pay what I was asking for in the counter offer she was going to need to get a roommate. I just knew that my place wasn't right for her. The rejection letter of my counter offer came back shortly after I got home from church. My realtor didn't seem happy that I talked to her.
Here's hoping that doing the right thing pays off. I guess it doesn't always pay off right a way but it sure is nice when you are rewarded quickly. I guess I can just hold on to the fact that Heavenly Father would be proud of me.
Then the blessings followed those trials. I was given a better job offer than I could have expected to find here in Salt Lake City and especially working for the LDS Church. It is far too competitive for accountants who want to work there.
My latest trial seems to be around selling my place. I got an offer yesterday and I was a little surprised to see that it was a friend of mine and she didn't even mention that she had come to see my place let alone let me know that she wanted to make an offer. Well, the offer was pretty low. She offered me $10,000 than I was asking (after I just lowered my price $10,000) and she wanted me to pay $4,900 in closing costs and she wanted $500 for a home owners insurance policy for the 1st year. My realtor seemed to think that they just offered low because they planned for us to counter offer. I did counteroffer and I gave her half of what she was asking for.
I just didn't feel good about it from the moment I saw her name on the offer. I feel like when you are selling to friends, if you want to remain friends after the deal is over you need to be honest with each other. I almost want to be too honest. I told my realtor that she needed to know that due to my HOA policy she couldn't have a roommate. My realtor didn't think it was an issue, she just seemed to want to close the deal anyway and get her commission. I didn't want to take my house off the market for a month just to have the deal fall apart a month later. I didn't want her to hate me for not telling her the stipulations of the HOA policy before she signed on the dotted line.
Well I knew I needed to talk to her and as much as I would like to sell my house and be done with it, I learned that she was barely scrapping together the money for the very low offer she gave in the first place and if she was going to pay what I was asking for in the counter offer she was going to need to get a roommate. I just knew that my place wasn't right for her. The rejection letter of my counter offer came back shortly after I got home from church. My realtor didn't seem happy that I talked to her.
Here's hoping that doing the right thing pays off. I guess it doesn't always pay off right a way but it sure is nice when you are rewarded quickly. I guess I can just hold on to the fact that Heavenly Father would be proud of me.
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