My First Year of Being a Homeowner!

One year ago today I closed on my house and started the wonderful adventure of being a homeowner. I love it. It's a cute little townhouse in a cute little neighborhood, and it's just the right size for the Ozmister and me!  When you move out, you get the same questions over and over. Even a year later, I still get these questions! I'll answer some of them for you...

Q- "So, how do you like being on your own?"
A- Are you kidding? It's FABULOUS. I have always loved my me time, and now I get to have it for hours, every single day!  I get to do what I want, wear what I want, watch what I want, eat what I want...who wouldn't love that?

Q- "So, are you settling in your new house?"
A- I should hope so, it's been a year! If I'm not used to it by now, I probably need therapy.

Q- "Do you have everything you need?"
A- No, would you like to buy me something? I won't say no to that! But, if you're asking if I want your old furniture, thanks for the offer, but I'm set!
Seriously though, who has EVERYTHING they need? I just realized the other day that I don't have a potato peeler!  I also don't have those little things that you poke into the ends of corn on the cob.  Just some ideas. ;)

Q- "Do you get scared being alone?"
A- How can I possibly be scared when Ozzie barks at every single bump in the night? It's not necessarily a bark, but a quiet "woof.........woof" from under the covers. He is a good little guard dog, but I do take all the necessary precautions to keep us safe.  You know, I like...lock the doors?

Q- "*Insert financial question here*"
A- None of your biznazz! :D



I think that's enough! You get the point! I also get a lot of questions about Matt, but he doesn't live there! Don't get me wrong, I love talking about me...I mean my house, but I need some new questions to answer, y'all!



Right after I closed! :)

I only lived away from home for one year in 2008 when I attended Marshall University. Let's just say it didn't go as planned. I had a wonderful roommate, Zac, whom I still love dearly, but I just wasn't ready for all of that independence. I was still dealing with the loss of a friend, I had gained a ton of weight, I was not attending classes, I slept and ate ALL THE TIME, and I put entirely too much effort into making everyone around me think that I was fine. I can admit now that I was depressed, but at the time you didn't dare say that to me! Looking back I wish I would have waited a semester or maybe even a year before I started college. It would have saved me A LOT of money and problems, but I just thought getting away from Buffalo would be the answer. As they say, hindsight is always 20/20!

As my freshman year at MU was coming to an end, I was trying to figure out what I was going to do with my life, and then things just seemed to fall into place. A door was opened for me. I was lucky enough to land an internship at USDA Rural Development! At the time I really hated the way my life was going, and part of me knew this was God getting me out of Huntington. I packed up and moved back in with Helen and Jeff, or as I liked to call them, the best roomies EVER!

I lived with them for the next four years while I worked full time at RD, went to school full time at WVSU, and managed to sneak in teaching some Zumba classes. I honestly could not have maintained that schedule without the help and support of my awesome roomies! Living at home made all of the difference for me, especially financially. I saved money from each paycheck to pay my tuition, so I was able to graduate without any student loans from WVSU (again, wishing I hadn't wasted all that money at MU!). Because of this, I was able to set money aside for things like, oh, I don't know, buying a house! If you're wondering why I didn't rent an apartment, check out how much an apartment costs around the valley! It's almost double my house payment!

After I graduated, the hunt was really on! My Zumba classmate and friend, Kristi Fawcett, helped me search for houses! After a few offers and heartbreaks, we found the perfect one! By the way, I highly recommend Kristi if you are looking to buy or sell! She is fabulous! She even bought me a house warming present that matched my kitchen because she was listening when I talked about what I wanted to do with it! She's good! ;)



I wasn't in a big hurry to move in because there were so many things I wanted to do with the house! After Dad explained that my home repairs will me more of a marathon than a sprint, I decided to just repair the basics and move in! My dad worked non-stop throughout his entire spring break week helping me with my house! We painted, put in new sinks, new floor, new front doors, really, I could go on and on! My family is pretty amazing! Dad, Helen, Adam, Tara, Kathy, and Matt all helped me tremendously! Whether it was painting walls or moving furniture in and out of the house, they were all such a huge help! Poor Helen and I searched tirelessly for the perfect material for my curtains and pillows for weeks! She was about to kill me, but she sewed every stitch with love, I'm sure! :)

I love having my own house, but the responsibility that comes with it is a lot to handle at first.  Suddenly being completely responsible for paying bills, taking out the trash, and cleaning SUCKS.  Even things like changing light bulbs and buying toilet paper you never really had to worry about before!  All of the sudden it is all on you.  If I don't feed Ozzie, nobody else will (Not that I ever forget. I'm pretty obsessed with his eating and pooping habits. TMI?...) Another problem is that there is only one of me.  Half of the time I eat at either Helen's house or Matt's house, so when I go to the grocery store, I end up throwing away more food than I actually eat.  I also find myself saving EVERYTHING and couponing! (Not like the people on TV. I just can't make myself care that much.)  I am also becoming more thrifty! I steal paper clips from the office to use as chip bag clips, and I only buy the lunch meat that comes in the little plastic containers because I need tupperware! Don't judge!

So, life in the real world has definitely been an adjustment, but a fun and exciting adjustment!  In case you are one of those people that I'm friends with on Facebook and Twitter, but we would probably never hang out, I included just a few pictures! Some things have changed since, but that's okay! You get the idea!

 


Before and After of my chevron wall! Probably my favorite thing in my house! LOVE IT!

   

Before and After of the kitchen. Some more changes have been made since, but you get the idea!



This is when I first got my little pink table and super cute mirror!

 

If this were cribs they would say, "This is where the magic happens," but since this is Life with Helen, this is just where Oz and I sleep!