OOOOOHHHH Did you say HOUSE MAKE OVER??

So, I love daydreaming about houses. I probably watch too much HGTV. I can't get enough Property Brothers, Love It or List It, or House Hunters International. (I especially like to watch them when I go to bed because they are not SO exciting that I have to stay awake till the end of them.)

Anyway, I ESPECIALLY love how on Property Brothers, they take a hideous old house and turn it into something magnificent. That got my wheels turning. I was thinking about how my house is too large for me, and that the idea of downsizing wouldn't be the worst idea I've ever had. If I had a smaller house, I would pay less in utilities, pay less in mortgage, and have less house to clean. More time + more money = more life optimization!! :)

 Currently, I love the home that I am in. The significant other and I have done quite a bit of work to it, and while it is not "completed" yet, it has that cozy, homey feeling that I cherish, and has my "touches" through out the house so I am not getting my knickers in a knot about the idea of selling it......but I'm a daydreamer.

So I started playing around on the internet. There are some CHEAP houses in Omaha, NE and Council Bluffs, IA. Now, these might not be beauties to look at, BUT....if you were in the position to downsize, or even if you were buying your first home, and you bought a house for, say, $60,000, and put another $30,000 in renovation into it making it the way YOU want it, you would have a cute, inexpensive, easy to maintain home!

This is a sample of my house hunt tonight. I wish I could show you the inside pictures or give you the links, but I am not that blog-savy yet.

This lakeside house in Bellevue, NE is for sale for $45,000!!  3 bed, 2 bath. While it is pretty plain to look at on the front, it's nothing some landscaping couldn't take care of! This house looks is tastefully decorated and well kept on the inside. This one is kind of a mystery to me, as in Aug. 2005, it sold for $97,000.

This 3 bed, 1 bath house is $77,000. Cute from the outside, looks like a band of gypsies on an acid trip on the inside. UGLY DECORATING! Easily fixed though!

This 2 bed 1 bath house is selling for $49,000. It has a new water heater, furnace, and electrical. Heck, for that price, through a new bathroom in there, fix it up, and call it home!

Welcome! To my FIRST Blog EVEEER!!

So, tonight I thought I should do something productive. I considered cleaning my house, but, meeehh, I wasn't feeling it. I had been toying around for some time with the idea of writing a blog, maybe even for about a year now, so I thought I could maybe take the opportunity to kick it off the ol' bucket list.

After much consideration about what I would write about (because I know a little about a lot of stuff, but the term "expert" might be held in questionable regard if I ever so claimed to be one), I thought I would make the topic of my blog about what I love most: Having Fun!! (without breaking the bank), meeting goals,  trying out new experiences, and in general, trying to make the most of my little pea pickin' life.

This whole thing came about recently due to some changes that have occurred which caused me to question what is most important to me. What do I REALLY want out of life? I'm 39 years old. The days of "When I grow up..." are done gone. I really need to step up to the plate and make it happen. After much deliberation, I came up with the following (in no particular order):

• I want my kids to be happy and healthy. For any parent, that's kind of a given, so I feel like a putz for listing it, or a schmuck if I left it off.
• To make a comfortable living at a job I enjoy. I don't need prestige. It's over-rated. You could work 40 years at a job and be the president of the company, but 2 years after you die, they won't even remember your name. And I don't want to be rich because I don't want to have to work that hard. 
• A strong social connection is important to me.
• Hobbies are important also, to keep me from being bored when I am alone. My worst enemies are loneliness and boredom. I used to HATE to be alone, but as I'm growing old and lame, I'm beginning to like it, as long as I don't let myself get bored. (When I get to be really old and bored someday, I plan to get a box of ferrets to keep me busy.) New experiences keep me from getting bored also, so I'm always craving a new experience.
• I want to be productive and I want to give back to the community. I really need to start some volunteer work, and I will when I get over this procrastination phase.
• Mega-mansions really aren't my style. I want to live someplace cozy and comfortable, preferably with bright colors and lots of sunlight.
• And I want to travel.

So THAT'S what this blog is going to be about. How I, and you, if you are so inclined, can work to achieve living an exciting, fulfilling, cozy, comfortable life without having to wait on old Uncle Harry to leave us his inheritance. MAYBE, once in a while, I will throw in my social commentary about why the world really MIGHT be better if I was the queen, but I will TRY to keep that to a minimum.

WELCOME! I hope you follow me on my journey!
     
                                                             Amanda