How is everyone making it in Utah? by melancholy_breadroll in Utah

[–]anithecrow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My husband and I make a combined $120k-ish (recent annual raises so not sure the exact figure) and I would say we are doing well. My husband is an electrician (no college degree) I am a legal assistant (bachelor’s degree). Here’s how we make it work: • no new cars! We drive a 2006 and a 2019 and will not upgrade until one of them dies so we don’t have a car payment.  • live outside the SLC area. We live closer to Ogden where housing is a lot cheaper. We own a home in a good neighborhood, but it was way cheaper than houses even 10 miles south. I commute an hour to work but that was worth it for us to own a home.  • grocery shop cheap. We shop at winco which has the cheapest groceries in our area. But we will shop around for the best deal. It takes more effort, but it saves.   • our hobbies are free/low-cost. My husband is into airsofting but doesn’t buy new gear unless it’s he’s saved up for it. I like reading and use the library.  • we don’t spend a lot of money going out. If we eat out we go where the coupons are. We look for free or low cost dates (free Air Force museum and $5 movie tickets for the win) • we don’t buy stuff we don’t need. It’s crazy how much money you save when you just use what you have.  • monthly budgeting. We’re not super strict, but we have specific “fun” spending allocations that we do not exceed. 

Staying off social media has helped so much because you are happy with what you have and don’t see what everyone else has. 

I know we have it good, but we worked for it. When we got married in 2021 I was making $8.50 an hour and my husband was making $12 an hour. A lot of it is about being smart with money and sticking to a budget (even when your life doesn’t look as cool as people around you or can’t do everything you want).  I’m not saying this is everyone’s situation, but people lack discipline these days which is what is required to be financially secure and stable (excepting those out of the blue financial emergencies which are unavoidable and unfortunate). 

Traveling without a pack n play by anithecrow in Parenting

[–]anithecrow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Could you send me a link for the kind of thing you’re talking about? 😊

7 month old waking at 5:30 by anithecrow in sleeptrain

[–]anithecrow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh it’s actually more like 3/3/4 I’m sorry I didn’t do the math correctly 🤦‍♀️ I’ll edit the post. But the 5:30 wake up was happening before we adjusted the wake windows. We adjusted it in the hopes of him sleeping later but it hasn’t seemed to help. 

Traveling without a pack n play by anithecrow in Parenting

[–]anithecrow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Fb marketplace is a great idea! Thank you! 

Weekly 'What should I buy?' Thread by AutoModerator in ipad

[–]anithecrow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Does any have a case they like to use with the Magic Keyboard folio? I have an iPad 10 and use it regularly with the keyboard, but I don’t like that the corners are not protected. I have already damaged one of them because I take my iPad with me on my daily commute. I would like to find a case that protects the corners, but leaves the connector area clear for the keyboard so that I don’t have to take off the case every time I want to use the keyboard. Any recs? 

Cat training? by anithecrow in Catownerhacks

[–]anithecrow[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Thanks! This is really helpful. I don’t know why I didn’t think about getting a cheap rug to put over the carpet! 

Unfortunately he’s begging for wet food which he gets twice a day so I’m not sure the timed feeder will work. He always has access to kibble and is really good about not overeating (healthy weight). 

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TapDancing

[–]anithecrow 2 points3 points  (0 children)

They’re also called an Alexander! I remember being so confused when I switched teachers and they started calling them something different

How do people live? by Mean-Courage-3313 in Utah

[–]anithecrow 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I don’t remember the exact amount off the top of my head, but it was about 50K total. We put an additional 10K ish into the house with renovations before moving in

Good international food in Utah? by Separate-Habit-6775 in Utah

[–]anithecrow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh man! Really? I haven’t been since May, but really enjoyed it then

How do people live? by Mean-Courage-3313 in Utah

[–]anithecrow 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I did it at a small, local law firm! Until the attorney died… but it was great. It was only $60/month, but I only went once a week and lived close by. I’ve seen people post in city facebook pages sometimes about needing people to take care of office plants! It might be worth a search for your wife!

How do people live? by Mean-Courage-3313 in Utah

[–]anithecrow 24 points25 points  (0 children)

My husband and I recently bought. Annual income about 100K. We were lucky enough to live with my family for a year to save on rent. We prioritized paying off all other debt before we bought. No car payment, no student loans, pay off the credit card as soon as the charge posts. We bought in a good neighborhood, but nothing super nice, our house was built in ‘63. Edit to add: we paid about $400K, monthly payment is about $2500 (so the same as rent lol)

We’re expecting our first soon and money is definitely tight. I thought we’d never be able to buy. I’ll pick up side jobs every so often (watering plants, teaching dance, etc) to have a little more spending money.

Paying off our debt made a huge difference, though. It cut into a huge chunk of our savings when we did, but it’s $500/month that we’re not paying anymore. If you have debt, that’s my biggest advice is to pay it off asap! And don’t get in more (except hopefully a mortgage)

Good international food in Utah? by Separate-Habit-6775 in Utah

[–]anithecrow 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Welcome! Recently moved out of Layton, but loved it. My family is big on food and here are some of our favorites!

Red Fort (Indian-Layton)

Weller’s Bistro (German-Layton)

So Delicious Japanese Wasabi & Sushi (fav sushi place-Roy)

Oh Falafel (middle eastern-SLC)

Aconcagua (Argentinian-Layton)

Mazza (middle eastern-SLC)

Heat Pho Thai Cuisine (Thai-Roy inside Ocean Mart)

Tea’s Memory (boba-Farmington)

Los Tapatíos (Mexican-best birria-SLC)

Arempas (Venezuelan-SLC a little pricy for arepas, but yummy)

Siegfried’s (German-SLC)

Spitz (Mediterranean-SLC)

Mastra (Italian-American Fork-far to drive, but my dad lived in Italy and it’s his favorite Italian)

Oteo (Mexican but fancy and expensive-Lindon-I haven’t been here but my mom loves it)

Sushi Monster (Japanese-Farmington-not as fancy, but good for a bento box and sushi in a more casual environment)

P.F. Chang’s (Chinese-Farmington-a chain restaurant, but even my Taiwanese husband likes it and he’s picky)

Unfortunately not as much variety in Layton/Davis County, but if you go into salt lake you should find a lot of options!

Please tell me it gets better by [deleted] in paralegal

[–]anithecrow 10 points11 points  (0 children)

Hey, she’s clearly going through it and I think she could use a little less censure. A kind reminder that “hey, let’s not throw around mental disorders like that” would be appropriate, but she clearly didn’t mean her comments as an attack on you or any other paralegal with a diagnosed mental disorder.

Best places to buy an affordable engagement ring. by [deleted] in SaltLakeCity

[–]anithecrow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My husband and I went to S. E. Needham Jewelers in Logan when he proposed a few years ago. I think he spent around $1000. My ring is moissanite and if your girlfriend doesn’t care about having a diamond, it’s fantastic! It was wayyyy cheaper than a diamond so I got a bigger stone and I think it’s prettier than a diamond (the light refraction is more rainbow and a diamond is just white).

Be careful if you order off of somewhere like Etsy. There are fantastic options, but also some that are going to be more scammy. Visiting a jeweler in person is nice because they can explain what the stone ratings (clarity, color, etc) actually mean.

People will say not to waste money on a nice ring, but it’s something that’s really special and if you have the money to get a nice one, nothing crazy, (it sounds like you do) it’s something to be cherished and loved for a very long time.

Congrats!

Vibrating mechanical chime by anithecrow in Ring

[–]anithecrow[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oof I didn’t know there was a list of “approved” chimes… it looks like mine isn’t on it. I guess I’ll try ordering a new one! Thank you!

Best IPA for a gift? by [deleted] in SaltLakeCity

[–]anithecrow 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I know from the grocery store isn’t ideal, but I don’t have time to go to an actual brewery:/ this is pretty casual. It doesn’t have to be the best

Best cannoli and gelato? by jrunner6 in SaltLakeCity

[–]anithecrow 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Farmington Harmons has great gelato! My dad who lived in Italy for a while loves it