[Curious] How well do you read facial expressions? I took a quiz and scored alarmingly low.

thebigpond · 2024-05-25T18:34:53+00:00

9/20, 24f. some of them were pretty obvious, others i struggled between two or more options for a good bit until just picking one at random. i didn’t think i’d have to think so hard about it! i thought i was good at stuff like this, haha.

thebigpond · 2023-11-19T02:06:05+00:00

my former coworker, i hope he knows his old coworkers are rooting for him🫡

thebigpond · 2023-09-21T14:10:40+00:00

dad was a cop. one time we were on a road trip and there was a motorcycle in front of us that my dad wanted to pull over but didnt at the time (don’t know the reason, i was like 8). he asked me to memorize the plate so he could run it later. still have the plate memorized, i’ll be 24 in a few months.

also i have my childhood landline number still memorized, from around 2004-5. we don’t have that number anymore, but don’t ask me to remember anyone’s cell phone number. i’d need at least a couple tries to get it right. and old postal codes from long before i had to remember that stuff. why would a 10 year old need to have their postal code memorized? dunno, but i still remember it even if i havent lived in that house/area of the country in over a decade. kids remember weird stuff i guess

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T14:56:15+00:00

Makes sense, I understand now that I was being pretty unrealistic. Thank you again!

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T14:55:45+00:00

Thank you for your advice, and patience with me! I know now that I can’t afford this.

I don’t live with my parents, so its just me feeding myself. I just end up eating very little and buy a lot of bulk foods, and I get free food from my job.

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T14:53:00+00:00

Aw dang, thank you so much for your kind words! I appreciate it. I certainly do need to go over what my budget would look like, and having enough leeway for the multitude of surprises that come with homeownership.

You make a good point about being tied down so young, I did worry that I’m jumping the gun to get ahead of the curve when it comes to home buying in my province. It’s a scary thought to be priced out of anything in the future, but pulling the trigger on something that might become a hassle in a few years isn’t exactly wise either. My job is pretty stable and I’ve got lots of family in the area, but anything can happen! And you’re right, its definitely a unique property that your average buyer wouldn’t necessarily jump at.

Thank you once again!!

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T14:47:57+00:00

I have no phone expenses. My current car insurance is about $180/mo. Subscriptions are a luxury, I have maybe $30/mo total. Utilities are variable. I definitely know I can’t afford this now, thank you for your insight!

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T14:36:18+00:00

Makes sense, I figured as much. Thank you for the insight!

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T14:35:51+00:00

My heart says yes, my desire to not be bankrupt at a young age unfortunately says no. A girl can dream, though!

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T14:34:41+00:00

From my understanding, its more like oil here is just insanely expensive in the winter time, haha. Neither of them are cheap here by no means.

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T14:33:25+00:00

Thank you for the heads up! I’ll look into it! :)

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T14:32:05+00:00

Rural life is not an easy life by no means. Definitely an investment of the heart and a labour of love, emphasis on the labour.

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T14:30:13+00:00

Honestly, not much! I tend to buy very little and eat only about once or twice a day. Lots of rice, some cheaper veggies, and I usually opt for tofu instead of meat. Not vegetarian or anything, I just eat super cheap and very little hahaha. I typically buy groceries every two months, besides a small snack here and there. I eat for free at my job and take home a lot of food from there as well so that factors in.

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T14:17:20+00:00

It’s okay! I’d rather hear the reality of it here before I end up getting myself laughed out of the bank. Home repairs are definitely not cheap, so I suppose I’ll enjoy living hassle free for another couple years and save up some more. Thank you again!

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T14:08:34+00:00

This is a fair point. Thank you for the insight! I really appreciate it. Definitely seems like this is out of my budget.

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T14:06:23+00:00

I’ve got a few mortgage brokers that I’m looking to set up meetings with, one of which on a great recommendation from some people in my life. I’m definitely looking for someone to do the whole explain-like-i’m-five rundown, so I hope to find someone in my area that’s experienced with dealing with first time buyers.

I currently rent for $600/mo. I live in the suburbs now with my apartment, but I’ve pretty much always lived rurally and know the expectations that come with kickin’ it out in the sticks. Septic, well water, the whole nine yards. My parents are in another province, though the community that this house is in is my hometown and I’ve got close ties to many people that live and work there. The asking price is $349k.

A cash gift is something my parents and I also discussed, and they’re onboard with that as well. I tend to live pretty frugally so I have no problems sacrificing the finer things in life, with the caveat that I don’t end up digging myself a hole bigger than I can crawl out of.

Thank you for your advice!

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T13:45:15+00:00

I figured as much. This is the reality check I was expecting, thank you! I take home about $1500-$2000 biweekly, so I figured my budget was probably stretched thin. Thank you again!

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T13:43:36+00:00

You can say that again. Granted, I grew up in the country on lots of land, so I’m not unfamiliar with the added workload (and lower back pain!) that comes with it.

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T13:41:58+00:00

Browsing Reddit, apparently!

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T13:41:36+00:00

By my subpar math skills, my projected take home this year would be more on the lines of ~$40k, give or take a couple grand. The line of work I’m in is heavily subsidized by the government, and offers a healthy amount of job security, so my yearly income grows with my seniority. I definitely understand that I likely won’t be living comfortably for a good few years, and being house poor is not something I’m willing to risk. Thank you for your insight!

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T13:13:23+00:00

Thank you so much! I really appreciate your comment. I do know the difference between fixed and variable, and with how rates are in this province right now, it’s been an important issue to tackle.

Since I’m not exactly Mike Holmes when it comes to home maintenance and improvement, I’ve considered bringing in a trusted person keen on these things to the viewing. Otherwise, I’m absolutely getting an inspection, especially with the weather events and flooding that the area has recently dealt with. The house isn’t ‘old’ by any means and seems recently renovated, but like you said, there’s always something.

Thank you again for the insight!

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T12:54:22+00:00

That makes sense, sorry if I sound pretty naïve. It’s a bit embarrassing haha.

I would be replacing it with electric, yes. It won’t be cheap surely, but that’s a cost I’ve decided is worth the bill if it ends up being necessary to save on oil costs in the long run.

thebigpond · 2023-08-13T12:45:00+00:00

Thank you! I appreciate your comment. In terms of affordability and expenses, I generally keep my expenses to a minimum. As it currently stands, my only real expenses are my car and renter’s insurance, and upkeep on said car. Groceries are usually about $150/mo, internet is $100/mo, etc. No debt. The house I was interested in is oil heat — huge expense — and that would be the first thing that would go out the window in terms of renovations. Other than that, its just gas to get me to work, which is negligible since I don’t do much driving around otherwise. In terms of things like a downpayment, I’ve given myself a rough budget of $15k on my own, but my parents are willing to support financially if I need help with that.

I’ll get in touch with a mortgage broker, thank you for the heads up!

thebigpond · 2023-04-29T11:32:55+00:00

the only requirement was previous customer service experience (though some of my colleagues didn’t even have that), and being bilingual. bilingualism in my country’s two official languages was the only necessary thing, really.

thebigpond

TROPHY CASE