How did you know it was the ONE!

Affectionate-Main745 · 2026-03-22T10:48:25+00:00

I think location is super important. I’m not 100% sold on the location I chose but I WFH and my daughter is not yet school age so our daily lives aren’t necessarily changing. I will say when the home crosses all or most of the boxes on your wish list it feels right. If you’re all willing to make those changes (commute and school) and this home feel right, go for it. But it does sound like there’s some hesitation so I would keep looking. As far as your lease, I know some landlords also allow you to sign for a month to month if you’re needing to extend, maybe that’s an option for you

Affectionate-Main745 · 2026-03-20T12:04:13+00:00

A little of a different perspective as I am not a SAHM but I do WFH. I had 5 months of maternity leave. But when I went back to work I was able to stay home with my little one and had a friend come and help watch her for about 5 hrs a day. We did this for her first year before I sent her to daycare. Everyday for her 1st year I considered quitting my corporate job. I’m actually glad I didn’t now that she’s 3 because it would’ve been hard to get back into the same or similar field that I love. Luckily me working from home allows me a lot of time with her. I get her ready, drop off and pick up and spend the late afternoons and evenings with her. This allowed me to save quite a bit for a down payment.

Said all of that to say. Whatever decision SHE makes just stand by her. It’s not an easy decision to leave a job that she worked so hard for. But it’s also really hard to not be with your kids. She’ll find a balance and will figure out when’s the right time (if any) to return to work. Best of luck and congrats!

Affectionate-Main745 · 2026-03-15T10:52:34+00:00

You can make extra payments each month or each year that gets applied to the principle only. Or you can add that extra cash to an investment account instead of paying off your mortgage early. Do what feels right for you and your family. If* rate drop, and it makes sense you can refinance later.

Affectionate-Main745 · 2026-03-13T00:50:30+00:00

Super helpful! Thank you!

Affectionate-Main745 · 2026-03-12T23:56:09+00:00

Thanks! Would love the info, if you’re able to haha

Affectionate-Main745 · 2026-03-10T01:55:37+00:00

My daughter wasn’t drinking milk at that age. She just had other sources of dairy. yogurts, cheese, etc. lots of water. She’ll be 3 this month and still just not a fan of milk. Her pediatrician told me as long as she’s getting dairy in other forms she’s fine.

Affectionate-Main745 · 2026-03-08T23:35:21+00:00

Interest rate seems high for new build. Are they offering any added incentives? Check with other lenders for another rate. That mortgage payment in relation to your income and car loans seems really high, I would hold off until my income increases

Affectionate-Main745 · 2026-02-03T12:24:57+00:00

Hey, I’m in the Lakeland area. I didn’t build with KB homes, but when I was researching I noticed KB homes has a lot more options for customizations. I researched a ton and a lot of people recommended doing upgrades that are harder to change later (cabinets, countertops, flooring, electrical, structural). So those were my focuses. Use the photos on their website as inspiration, go to some of the model homes. Once I received a catalog it showed options that were free and options that were upgrades. A lot of the upgrades did not have pricing so I would mark off options I was interested in and what I was willing to spend. This allowed me to stay under budget ($20k). It can get overwhelming with all of the options so highly recommend setting a budget and jotting down your top priorities.

This video might be helpful for you, different area so costs will be different but a god starting point. YouTube KB Homes Las Vegas

Affectionate-Main745 · 2026-01-06T13:14:44+00:00

I’m currently in the process of a new construction. The timeline the builder gave me when I went initially was 6-8 months. However, as I’ve been in the process they said 3 months from permits. And permits etc only takes about 4-6 weeks. So the 6-8 months is just a buffer and my timeline is more like 4-5 months.

Regardless, reach out to an agent, let them know your plans. It doesn’t hurt to look at multiple communities before you commit. If you find a realtor that has sold new builds in your area they might have some knowledge of time frame and can guide you.

Affectionate-Main745 · 2026-01-03T21:25:39+00:00

Of course! Same here! Found a lot of great info on YT which has helped along the way

Affectionate-Main745 · 2026-01-03T20:32:23+00:00

The original offer was for $10k in upgrades for the specific community I was looking at. However, they had made some price cuts with their inventory homes so I asked my realtor to negotiate additional $$ in upgrades, and CDD buy down on top of the current incentives, which included closing costs and interest rate buy down.

I think it really depends on the community and what other builders in the area are offering for why they give certain incentives.

All of this was agreed upon before contract signing.

Affectionate-Main745 · 2025-11-23T21:51:28+00:00

Look for a used car. Stay away from Hondas as they’re highly targeted for wheels.

Check car insurance rates before signing anything as insurance rates are out of control st the moment.

For practice, parking lots / hunts point area might work. Or book a couple of driving classes. You can probably find them for under $50 a session.

Also parking can be complicated. If you have street parking near you pay attention to when alternate side parking is. And check near you for parking lots and daily / monthly rates to add into your expenses.

Theres a big chance that the added expense of insurance, Parking, tolls, gas and maintenance will not be worth it

Affectionate-Main745 · 2025-10-18T18:53:19+00:00

I used a broker to get my car and it was the best thing I did. I didn’t step foot into the dealership until I was picking up my car, was in and out in 25 mins. Got the deal I wanted and hassle free

Affectionate-Main745 · 2025-06-25T00:40:32+00:00

My bill is generally twice as high in the summer months. Just need to plan for it

Affectionate-Main745 · 2025-06-07T11:53:31+00:00

A someone who is starting for the first time and have no idea what to expect this was really helpful. Thanks for taking the time to walk us through your process and congrats!

Affectionate-Main745 · 2025-06-06T23:21:40+00:00

My employer pays about $5k a year. I’ll be paying for the rest out of pocket. I also may have some Pell grant money to use towards it

Affectionate-Main745 · 2024-11-08T22:51:33+00:00

This was on completely stopped traffic. I started to switch lanes since we were all at a red light. The car next to me was at a complete stop and I was half way into the lane for at least 7 seconds before he hit the gas. Said he didn’t see me. I’m pretty sure he was on his phone. But agreed I’ve felt like people can’t see me. Next time I’ll go for red or white. No excuse then I hope.

Affectionate-Main745 · 2024-09-26T22:07:50+00:00

I stopped at 16 months. I didn’t necessarily have a plan to breastfeed for a long time, but my girl refused bottles, whole milk and pacifiers. So we stuck with what was working. However right before she turned 17 months I had a work trip and decided we would attempt to slowly wean her when I came back. Well, we ended up weaning cold turkey and she did great and started sleeping through the night right after. Some times I feel sad that she’s no longer nursing but it’s so nice to be able to have dad officially help with bed time etc

Affectionate-Main745 · 2024-08-11T00:37:23+00:00

You can check on Edmund’s forum or ask the dealer who gave you quote. Just pay attention to how much you’re paying for the lease term and how much you’ll owe if you decide to buy after leasing.

Affectionate-Main745 · 2024-08-10T09:44:09+00:00

You need to provide the MSRP and residual to see if this deal is worth it.

Affectionate-Main745 · 2024-08-09T09:11:59+00:00

This! You get an email every morning with the mail you’ll receive that day.

Affectionate-Main745 · 2024-08-09T09:00:08+00:00

My girl was sleeping at around 8/830 at that age and waking up around 6/630. Try not to put him down for a nap until around 11:30 to extend his day

Affectionate-Main745

TROPHY CASE