My Reality Dream Home and My Savings Tricks

Yall, if there has ever in the world been a "perfect home" for me, its this one!

I came across this gem and it literally makes my heart leap for joy!

If there was a way to buy it later in life, Id give them a baby down payment TOMORROW because  I LOVE it that much.

I should start out by saying that I am NOT a traditional home kinda girl. My heart skips beat for Industrial/Contemporary/Loft style homes. This isnt normal, I KNOW! But I LOVES it!

 

Now let me introduce you to... My reality dream home.

 

{The Entry Way = Love the full glass front door and that stairway! The open iron steps are amazing!}

 

{The Living Room captured my heart at first sight! Favorites = Those red columns, the ceilings (see next pic) and the sunken living room (I think its called recess flooring, not sure though).}

 

{Another view. Wall of windows = LOVE and that ceiling, oh words cannot explain the LOVE}

 

{Another view into the kitchen and dining areas! Love the thick black beams that line each line of the this area connected to the columns}

 

{Oh hello adorable modern fireplace and built in entertainment center!}

 

{This chandelier was made to be in my home! LOVE. Not a fan of their table but I love everything else!}

 

{Ill take the artwork too! Thanks}

 

{The perfect kitchen! I love the size and openess of this space! Im not one who wants an enormous kitchen. Its just more space to get dirty and catch junk! This is the PERFECT kitchen for me!}

 

{Perfection!}

 

{Im in LOVE with the open cabinets on that back wall.}

 

{Everything I NEED!!}

 

{Guest bathroom in the main living area. How cute is that mirror?!}

 

{Guest bedroom = LOVE the built in wardrobe! LOVE LOVE LOVE!}

 

{Master bathroom. I love the open shower and cabinets.}

 

{The Open Area at the top of the stairs. This has man cave written all over it.}

 

{Balcony off open area}

 

{Balcony view}

 

{Downtown view}

And there you have it, my dream home!! I couldnt find good pics of the master bedroom! :(

 

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A lot of you were asking me what I do to save money and here's your answer.

I have to have a GOAL to save. I will never be a person who just saves to save. Its just not in me. To be honest I think life is WAY too short to spend it being a penny pincher so I always keep enough in my checking account for emergencies (approx. $1000) and I spend the rest.

I have a HSA account for my health care, and a 401K, that gets a montly deposit straight out of my paycheck to cover my health needs and retirement. In addition to these two accounts, I have a savings account linked to my checking account which is what I use to save money for vacationing, shopping sprees, etc. The problem with this savings account is that its too easy to withdraw from. With a click of a button I can put my "savings" directly into my checking and spend it. This is what happens right before vacation or when I decide I "need" to go on a shopping spree. This is why Chris set up a High Yield Savings Account for me through American Express strictly for our house savings. This account is linked one way from by checking for deposits which makes it more difficult to spend. I would suggest this account if you are saving money for a long term goal or are SURE you dont want to withdraw from it.

So back to the goals. Set goals for yourself. When I say goals, I mean find something you want to save for. For example, I know we have 2 vacations coming up this summer. I know we will need airfare, lodging and spending money for both. So by October I will need approx. $2000 in my vacation account which means I need to be putting $200 a month in that account. Its simple math. By using this method you wont feel broke as a joke when vacation hits and you wont be putting it on a credit card. All together you will feel better about the vacation kowing that youre not putting yourself in debt or coming home broke.

As for the home fund, Chris and I spent some time looking at homes we would want to buy on a realtor website here in Houston. We agreed on the area we want to live in, the type of home we wanted to buy and then found a few that we would buy if we were going to purchase now. We then took the average price of these homes and found the price range we would be looking at. Chris figured in all the costs (taxes, closing cost, insurance) associated with buying a home and figured out what our montly mortgage would be. With this info we determined how much each of us would need to save for the down payment. We agreed to each deposit a set amount into our seperate home funds each month for our down payment. Planning ahead will quickly motivate you to set up a savings account and to start working toward your goal!

The home above was the home we would buy if we were to purchase tomorrow.

That ladies, will give you the insentive to save!

The one warning I will give you is this. DO NOT save yourself poor. If you feel like you are saving so much of your money that you never have money to spend on everyday life YOU WILL GIVE UP. Make sure you still have a little room in your budget to go to dinner with friends once a week or to buy a cute shirt on a Friday night. You need to set realistic savings goals. Save enough to be comfortable, NOT poor.

So there you have it. Set GOALS and work to save for them. You CAN do it! Promise!