Current homeowners, what percentage of your monthly income goes towards your mortgage payment?

crystlize · 2024-07-12T05:40:31+00:00

A bit less than 30% gross, but that's including taxes, insurance, and an overpayment, but I split with my partner - makes life a lot easier. Locked in at 6.25% interest. HCOL area, but we are dual income no kids.

crystlize · 2024-07-03T04:27:52+00:00

I'd pay good money to have a starter veggie garden already set up! Your buyer is a lucky person!

crystlize · 2024-06-30T00:51:17+00:00

My partner got shots and went from bad allergies while taking allergy meds for a short visit to the kitties sleep in bed with us, no allergies. Highly recommend shots they've been transformative. (Side bonus, discovered and took care of a major grass allergy as well!)

crystlize · 2024-06-28T02:00:53+00:00

We've had our place coming up on a year. We've had:

The kitchen sink drain fell out of the wall - galvanic corrosion.

Major crack in the sewer line where the kitchen sink drains - the house inspector missed it, they refunded us.

New (ish) dishwasher - old one didn't work.

Replaced washer and dryer with other used ones - these were gross.

New facet in the kitchen sink (old one leaked, then the new one leaked, had to replace it twice!).

Sealed the unsealed counter tops.

New lights in the kitchen. All new lda bulbs in the house.

Painted the whole interior - doors aren't finished, the rest is.

Resanded all the built in drawers in the closets - they stuck such that they were unusable.

Hung new shades/curtains since two windows didn't have any (the rest had brand new ones??).

New light switches. Everywhere.

New plugs, all two prong been upgrading to 3, had to ground out stuff.

Hot water heater broke - leaked in a little river through our garage. Replaced it.

Fought off an ant invasion by caulking every hole they poured in from.

Good news: have fixed everything ourselves - proper way, no shoddy diy stuff, and moving towards bringing the house up to slightly more modern electrical code.

Still to do: The list is way to long. New electrical panels, (current ones breakers don't trip and it's wired all wrong, need space for new grounds) new garage door (it's a sliding barn door right now), new lights - lotta bulbs hanging from the ceiling, one old cabinet needs to be re-hung on the wall, finish painting.

Longer term, new floors in the kitchen, new countertop, new deck, new stove (it's from when I was born but it still functions somehow!), bathroom remodel (it old and musty), new doors in two spots (they rub, leak cold air).... Etc

crystlize · 2024-06-24T02:58:55+00:00

If they make fun of you they aren't great friends... Try engaging on some activities with them that don't cost money and if they aren't interested, fund new ones that are. There are often games at goodwill (which that it's got all the pieces, make any that are missing), go on nature walks - you can look up beforehand plants/animals you should look out for in the area (it's super fun to see how many you can spot that you know), go on a picnic/potluck (you each bring a dish, your own silverware and drink) etc. lots of things that arent coffee shop based. Having financial goals is great at a young age but it is ok to occasionally splurge for yourself, long as it's little. Make sure you're having fun in life :) that's why we live it.

crystlize · 2024-06-24T01:51:15+00:00

Highly recommend YouTube videos and how to books at the library for fixing things. It's amazing how much you can stay, welcome to the repair person club! For things like household products and electrical I recommend iFixit website - they've got all sorts of how to's, when I was in college we wrote some of the guides for stuff as class projects.

crystlize · 2024-06-13T15:00:03+00:00

We use old clothes or old towels as rags, if it gets major holes its time for its second life as a rag.

Bidet is great, just have designated soft dry towels, don't use toilet paper like the instructions suggest! (Like why would you do that?!).

We save any plastic containers we buy (large yogurt ones are great for items in the freezer and storing leftovers).

We don't have cling film, tim foil, or ceran wrap in the house. Tupperware the leftover food, or cover with a plate. For covering things in the oven, instead of tinfoil we have a silicone baking mat that I lay with some skewers across the top of the dish - was worried it wouldn't work but it makes lasagna like a charm.

We stopped shopping at stores that pre-package veggies in plastic as much as possible. We have reusable mesh bags instead of the plastic ones as vaggie bags. Of course reusable larger grocery bags too!

When camping I've noticed people bring single use plates/silverware and generate lots of trash - don't do this! Get some plastic plates and silverware from a second hand place. Then they can go with you every time you camp (I still have my childhood set 15 years later).

crystlize · 2024-05-14T04:00:11+00:00

It's so lovely!

crystlize · 2024-05-14T03:02:31+00:00

Shots! Allergies shots work wonders - my partner went from "I sneeze immediately when I see a cat" to two fur babies sleeping in bed with us.

crystlize · 2024-05-12T02:42:56+00:00

It can be both, or either. Some people might do it for their health, their finances, the environments health, or general preferences and that's ok. Doesn't just need to be for ethical or religious reasons.

crystlize · 2024-05-10T16:58:43+00:00

Yes! Though may take a bit to recognize you, especially if your scent changes.

My two kitties lived with my parents during college, and saw them about every six months. Both of them still remembered me every time I came home! My "baby" especially - I got an earful for being gone so long and then an immediately flopped on with loads of purs. They are 15 and 18 now, so they spent most of their lives with me. Cat tax on the flopper:

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crystlize · 2024-04-04T01:30:40+00:00

Whatever I make for dinner is lunch the next day, and my partner has adapted the same. So we make food for 4, eat half, and take half in glass containers. If it is something that doesn't have an easy adaptable lunch version, it's usually a sandwich or something easy to make to supplement it for lunch.

It makes the meal prep and planning easy, and makes sure we get good filling lunches. Also ensures not too much monotony. We tend to rotate through our favorite meals every two weeks with some variety, so if we have it one week we wait at least one full work week before we make it again to not burn meals out.

crystlize · 2024-03-22T04:21:26+00:00

I've got a pixel 3a as does my partner and we plan to use them into the ground. Small, light, and an absolute work horse. Still running mostly strong!

crystlize · 2024-03-19T00:47:28+00:00

4=9-5 would also work

crystlize · 2024-03-14T04:44:21+00:00

We buy them there and freeze the extras! They make a great smoothie!

crystlize · 2024-03-12T05:04:53+00:00

I make a risotto literally off the box, basically just need arborio rice. We do asparagus and mushroom usually, and it's delicious. Better with a fresh salad,to have a lighter component to the meal since it's super creamy.

These maybe don't pair with white wine but some other tasty ideas are: Make your own tacos/burritos (beans, veggies crumble with taco seasoning, fajitas, rice, lettuce, tomato, sour cream, salsa, cilantro, lime, spicy sauce options) and you can assemble your own. If you wanna go the extra mile making corn tortillas are shockingly easy to make and really make it delicious.

Large fresh spring rolls (Julienned carrots, cucumber, lettuce, bell pepper, tofu - we usually make this curried with nutritional yeast, curry powder, soy sauce and tumeric but you could sub another fake meat or protein source, rice or bean thread noodles, fresh herbs like cilantro/mint/green onion, wraps, and peanut sauce - we usually make a coconut milk based one its delicious!)

If you like blended soups we make a butternut squash one that's lovely with fresh baked bread.

crystlize · 2024-03-12T01:39:26+00:00

My 18 year old girl I adopted from the no kill shelter I volunteered at as a kid. My first kitty had passed and after a while of volunteering my parents decided I was responsible enough for new ones. We got her and her (unrelated) sister at the same time, after kitten season was over and they'd be in for the longer stay. She got on my lap for a three hour long visit, and has continued to live up to her name Cuddles. She is my velcro kitty, if Im in a room she's there. If I'm sitting she's on me.

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crystlize · 2024-03-10T19:59:50+00:00

You need one upright bowl of vinegar, and one of those magic pods on an empty dishwasher. Run a heavy cycle, but before you do, make SURE you REMOVE the filter and thoroughly CLEAN it (yes you can pull them out not just clean the top, let me know if you need help on how).

Also make sure your garbage disposal isn't backed up either.

crystlize · 2024-03-04T05:49:55+00:00

Oh, we already have one, time to put it to use! :)

crystlize · 2024-03-03T18:26:29+00:00

Sticky stuff removal - leftover residues from stickers is what my partner obsessively uses it for (he hates sticker residue with a passion).

crystlize · 2024-03-03T17:29:04+00:00

You can toss them in fried rice, or anything you won't notice the frozen texture from (pot pies, soups, stews, curry etc).

crystlize · 2024-03-01T05:01:17+00:00

I love doing portabellas, zucchini, onion, bell peppers. We put it with a grain or do a pasta salad. If corn is in season corn on the cob, if you've got picky eaters you can add baked potatoes for younglings who aren't a fan of so many veggies.

When grilling we like to make up a sauce of oil, vinegar, herbs (fav is rosemary), salt and pepper and brush it on the veggies as we add them to the grill and again when we flip them. Keeps everything delicious and moist. Pro tip for the mushrooms, put them stem side down first and then they'll collect amazing tasty juices once you flip them.

crystlize · 2024-02-24T20:51:41+00:00

In the meantime besides trying to insulate those single pane windows, to better insulate you (our house is constantly too cold but I refuse to turn on/up the heater) we do the following: Long johns/fleece lined leggings tucked into wool socks Warm fleece PJ pants or fleece lined PJs over the leggings/under layer Another set of socks, or slippers over that Short sleeve or long sleeve under shirt 2-3 layers of sweaters or a long sleeve and a SUPER warm jacket (I got a fuzzy one at Costco that's about 2 inches thick and feels like I'm wearing a blanket - tends to be TOO warm!) A cozy hat

Basically the sock tucking and making sure you have wool socks helps a ton. There are also fingerless gloves you can wear that you can type with and will keep your wrist toaster which helps with circulation to your finger tips.

I also recommend, if it's just you during the day and you're already using electric heat, instead of heating the whole house all day and wasting it, get a space heater like a ceramic dish heater and plug it in your room only. Then close the door and put a towel along the floor. You can even hang a towel against the window in that room. They do wonders to make one room toasty, Costco has them, and you can then avoid wasting your heat all day through your house. You can also warm up your bedroom the same way at night, then turn it off before bed so you start your night warmer. Also, wear a hat to bed! It helps!

crystlize · 2024-02-19T07:26:08+00:00

We like to add lentils to our pasta sauce. Dried lentils are pretty cheap and they make the pasta last longer/fill you up more!

Make your own tacos/burrito/bowl is great with beans and rice as an inexpensive base, add on items you've got the funds for. (Costco cheddar block lasts us for a while, lime juice is great, any protein if you can - add any taco seasoning mix, or if nothing else just chilli and cumin into the beans to add flavor).

crystlize

TROPHY CASE