Mortgage Monday: The Next Purchases

Another purchase down and many more to go... 

Now that the lawn has been taken care of and the property is in a state where we can actually enjoy some time outside it is time to start looking for all the other things that we previously avoided. While there was some outdoor space at our last rental we pretty much didn’t spend any significant time outside on the small patio and opted to take advantage of the spaces maintained by the homeowners association. Of course, we didn’t really have the time to plan anything especially since we considered that place a stopgap.

While we previously bought a tractor and already had a few other items necessary to maintain the property (i.e. snow blower, rakes, trailer for the tractor, leaf blower, etc.) we have still been needing a few other things to round out the tool shed. And thanks to a $100 refund on the tractor, we did cover a few of those things by picking up a weed eater and other small items. However, that is only a small part of the long list of things that we need for our outdoor space. Thankfully, the other items are more about relaxation rather than work.

Having purchased a lot of furniture late last year just prior to settlement I am not really looking forward to buying any more but that is the situation that we are in now. Thankfully, this is a much smaller endeavor this time around as we are looking for something to complete the patio. While we have one adirondack chair out there now for relaxing and we will be purchasing another shortly, we need to find a decent table and chairs that is also toddler friendly. We did take a quick look at a few things this past weekend but didn’t end up buying anything… some of the options at the big retailers are really expensive!

This is going to be one of those searches that both needs to get done rather quickly but that is also going to require some online investigation and, possibly, some trips to various consignment stores and thrift shops. It all comes down to finding some outdoor furniture that will allow us to enjoy the outdoor space that we now have while, at the same time, keeping it budget friendly. After all, we have had a lot of expected and unexpected costs lately and we want to retain some semblance of financial sanity. This is not an unmanageable task and we are all looking forward to making the outdoors part of our home.

A Hodgepodge of Resolutions

For many this is the time of year when resolutions are made. Some of these are to finish project that have long been dormant. Sometimes it is a matter of getting things started. Other things on most lists usually revolve around improving yourself in one way or another. Overall, resolutions generally have one thing in common to make the coming year better than the last. For me, in this seemingly mandatory post for bloggers, my list is a hodgepodge containing a little from every category.

On the personal improvement side of things I would really like to lose some weight, quit smoking, find more time to relax, and generally improve my health. I think I will focus on that last part and let everything else fall into place so I am going to simplify things a bit. My goal this year is to go to the doctor (once I find one) and follow their instructions. This includes a general family physician, optometrist, and dentist. Others might be added down the line but those are the ones that I will focus on first.

This is also time to finish at least some of the things on my long list of projects that has been teasing my on my computer screen every week. This includes completing builds, submitting manuscripts, pulling applications together, scanning the photos and family documents that I have stored throughout my office, organizing all aspects of the house, and a variety of other things. Just like the last category, we need to simplify this so I am going to focus on completing one project a month (more if time permits) while working on others if they happen to overlap. Expect to see some post in the future on this little smorgasbord of items.

The last of the three mentioned above is to get things started, to get project off the ground. I have already started a few which I cannot mention at this time but there are still plenty of others that need to be done. There are a variety of outlines that I recently discovered forgotten on some flash drives dug up during our move. It is time to write. It is also time to start the other application that have been put on the back burner for the last 2+ years. And it is time to start the small projects around the house that I have been meaning to work on since we moved in. It is a long list which will certainly grow so expect to see this rehashed in future years. The simple approach to this is that as one project mentioned in the previous paragraph comes to an end another begins… one per month.

However, the most important aspect of the New Year that I need to focus on is to keep things going. I can’t stop, I have to keep moving forward. There are a lot of commitments that are already built into my schedule and I make sure to spend as much time as possible with my family (this could be improved upon so add it to the list). The most important things I can do is to keep myself busy, keep things moving in the right direction at work, continue writing honest daily posts, maintain the growth that we are seeing at the lodge, continue to explore during various day and overnight family excursions, further my genealogical research (hopefully more discoveries/documents are on the way), and, most importantly, enjoy and love my family, what we have, and the good aspects of the life that we enjoy every day. That is the real resolution and promise that I am making to myself for 2016!