catching up is hard to do.

I know I'm behind on my posts, and I'm sorry.  I've not been myself these last 6 weeks and I'm not liking that I've allowed myself to get like this. My eating habits have gotten out of control and I've been stress eating.  I've not been working out and everything has been overwhelming with everything I've been trying to do.  I've been working 7 days a week since the end of August and after only a few short weeks I began to lose my balance.  I was working to hard and my body crashed into a depressive state.  I was spending so much time working and focusing on house hunting that I forgot about everything else. 

I've gained 6 lbs, which doesn't sound like a lot, but visually it's not a picture I like to see, and my shoulders and neck are so tight.  Last week my chiropractor told me this is the worst he's seen me and I have another appointment Thursday.  I did finally restore my gym membership last week, and I've been able to go twice.  It feels so good to run and some stress has been relieved, but I have so much stored in my shoulders and neck it's going to be awhile before I'm fully recovered.  

I'm excited for the weekend as this is going to be my first weekend that I'm not working since the end of August and I'll be spending all of it with friends.  Friday I'm going to a bonfire, Saturday I may be helping a friend paint her room, in the evening I'm going to a friends for Karaoke and Sunday I'll be attending our young adult service, which I've missed the last two months.   

Things are looking up in the house hunt and right now I'm just trying to be patient, but feeling anxious to hear news from my Realtor about a house I want to buy.  It's a numbers game right now and I'm not sure if the numbers will add up in my favor for this place.  The positive is since viewing this place on Friday I've stopped looking for other places, which is a good sign that I'm not looking for a way out like I've done with the previous two that I was close to putting an offer on.  Though my dad did help in my decision of not purchasing them.  It's been helpful and a blessing to have both my parents along with me on the house I have a high interest in and even better that they are not finding reasons to argue with each other.  I really appreciate their opinions and want their blessing in the house I decide to buy and I have that with with current house.

HERE'S A SNEAK PEAK THE DINING AREA   

I know I've got to get back on track with my eats and exercise so I'll be working on a plan tongiht so I don't try to add any more excuses to why I'm out of control and getting fat.

I plan on re-starting the Sexy is Strong Challenge, which I'm excited about.  This is a great challenge and I saw so much progress in the 5 weeks I was going strong.  I also plan on writing down my eats again.  This is a way for me to really see what I'm eating and when.  I'm also going to be good and start slow.  I'm going to be working out just 3 days a week, and only cardio.  My first, this week, I'll be working out at the gym in the evening doing only cardio.  Then next week I'll resume my morning workouts at the gym and hopefully catch up with a few of my workout buddies I haven't seen since June.  I'm also going to not turn on the computer after 9pm, so I'm not up past 10pm and I can get some sleep.  Last night I was proud of myself for shutting out the lights by 10pm and getting 8 hours of sleep.

10/10/11 HOUSE UPDATE
Turns out the taxes on the house (photo shown above) were to high for me to quality to buy it, so it's back to square one on looking.   Plus, the owners aren't willing to go down any further then their current listing price, which is far to high for the amount of work that needs to be done here.

beautifully serene

Strong is Sexy Fitness Challenge_visit Week6
Friday. I jump out of bed with energy and purpose!

Shockingly I sleep very well last night and was so glad to wake up feeling rested.  I still passed on getting up to workout this morning, I think now because it was what I'd done all week and it was comfortable and easy.  However, I did sneak in a Tone it Up! workout before lunch time.  Though I only went through it once. 

* Detention Workout– 2-3 Repeat Circuit by Tone it Up (only once through today)
   10 R-Lunges
   10 L-Lunges
   60 secs Plank
   20 Squat Jacks
   10 R-Side Crunches w/out medicine ball
   10 L-Side Crunches w/out medicine ball
   20 Tummy Tucks

I don't have an exercise ball so I can't write "I will tone it up!" with a medicine ball, so I'll just be in plank position for 60 seconds instead.

After work I plan on stopping by two places.  One I'm super excited just from the interior pictures, but not sure if I want to be that far north.  I think the drive by will be very helping in determining if this house is worth the drive.  

HOUSE #1 WICONISCO ST    

PROS * $89,900 * 3bed, 1.5 bath *  Super close to work * $0000 Taxes * detached garage * nice size fenced in yard

CONS - Galleyway Kitchen - Looks like a forest outfront - no central air - small bathroom - no central air

Listed on 08/27/11

HOUSE #2 BUTLER ST 

PROS * $89, 900 * 3bed, but only 1 bath * HW floors * $0000 Taxes * Nice size fenced in yard * Great open kitchen

CONS - A further drive - no central air -

Listed on 02/07/11

eats

were very good today.

Breakfast:
* 1/2 blueberry bagel w pb + chia seeds + strawberries
* cottage cheese
* coffee

snack:
* black seedless grapes
* almonds
* raisins

Lunch:  Salad Wrap + cherries

* pre-made salad in deli w tuna salad
* cucumber
* cherry tomatoes
* Giant Organic Italain Dressing
* Spinach Wrap

Snack:
* chocolate protein shake
* yellow apple

each day is a gift

Strong is Sexy Fitness Challenge_visit Week6
Thursday. Each day is a gift.

It was a pretty rough night again.  After the week I've had and the issues with sleep latency I need to find a way or two to help relax me so I'm not so wired before I turn out the lights.  After an hour I was finally able to fall asleep, but with some disrupted sleep and by the time my alarm went off my body was not fully rested.

I didn't get to my workout today or even yesterday, but hope sometime this evening I will get even a short workout in.  Laundry was one of the things I was able to get done this morning and glad that I only had enough for one load. 

I did however, get a chance to organize some house information and chose 4 from the printouts my Realtor gave me to review.  There were, as always, good and bad for each of them, but really some of the bad helped to eliminate them completely.

HOUSE #1 PENNWOOD. PILE: NO 

This house was a town house/row home that had some really great qualities, but also had a few things that distracted from the good.

PROS * $70, 900 * 3bed, but only 1 bath * Nicely kept neighborhood,    but just on that block * $1303 Taxes * Nice size fenced in yard

CONS - Railroad a block over - Furniture warehouse a block over - baseboards - older cabinets - pink tile in the only bathroom - no central air

HOUSE #2 GREEN.  PILE: NO  

As I made my way to this house I was getting a little nervous. the neighborhood just was to run down and dirty that there was no way I was going to even keep this a consideration. I parked for a quick second and then decided to just keep moving. Plus the road was really clogged up with vehicles and the roads were torn up.

HOUSE #3 N 3RD. PILE: REALTOR

PROS  * $94,900 * 4bed, but only 1 bath * Close to Italian Lake * Close to work * Laundry Room * Nice size fenced in yard * Includes Mic+DW+Fridge+W/D * beautiful layout and flooring * open and beautiful kitchen

CONS  - $2373 Taxes - Neighborhood could be cleaner - on street parking - window units - oil, radiator heat - asbestos shingles - back yard view

HOUSE #4 FULTON ST. PILE: REALTOR  

I was really excited about his place as it had so many great things going and in May they lowered the asking price by 35k.  It was a pretty sweet thought thinking that such a beautiful house with a 2 car garage was located in Harrisburg in my price range, but then I realized why when I drove by.  It was this beautiful bubble community surround by a whole lot of ugly.  I k now the city is trying to bring up the community, but why you would build such beautiful homes in that specific location I don't understand.  It really doesn't make me feel safe to walk outside of the bubble community and having a safe community I can walk freely in is high on my list.  With this I can definitely see why it hasn't sold and why they included a two car garage & a beautiful while privacy fence, because no one would be stupid enough to park their expensive car in such a neighborhood.  Plus, the privacy fence helps to hide the run down city around your home. 

Dispute how ugly the surrounding community is I'm still planning on making a visit., as it's like a needle in a hay stack home with all the amenities.    Really with all that it offers I would be silly not to at least walk inside and check it out.  Plus, it's the lesser priced of the ones for sale and it's the best looking as far as updates and space planned. 

PROS  * Kitchen Size * 2 bed 1.5 ba * Beautiful community * Central Air/Heat * Laundry Room * Nice size fenced in yard * price reduced 35k in May * 2 car garage * built in 2004 * gas range, mic, dw, fridge, w/d

CONS  - $110K - Surrounding Neighborhood - $2000 taxes - back yard view - possible short sale

summary

I'm still no where near making an offer on any of the houses I've viewed and driven by and wont be for a little while as I still have a pretty sizable pile of homes to drive by and potentially visit.  I've only had one house and that's the one on 5th street that I was willing to place an offer, but currently it's still off the market going through the final foreclosure stage before it goes back on the market.  Though it's nice to see what else is out there and who knows I may find something else that says this is home

Currently, I have around 6 condos/homes I would like to attend a showing and so my official Realtor is hard at work scheduling those appointments for next Tuesday.  I'll continue to keep you updated on the process and posting photos of the places I drive by and what I like and don't like and hopefully be able to make a final decision in the next 30-60 days when I'll know if I qualify for first time home buyer help.

I have two that I want to drive by before I head off to Huntington tomorrow,  and about 8 near the Derry/Berryhill area that I'll visit either Monday or Thursday next week..

eats

were almost really good.  Had 2 donuts around lunch time and 3 chocolate chip cookies around dinner.

Breakfast:
* 1/2 blueberry bagel w pb + chia seeds + strawberries
* cottage cheese
* coffee

snack:
* 2 donuts (1) chocolate frosting on plain (1) chocolate glazed

Lunch:  Salad Wrap + yellow apple

* pre-made salad in deli w tuna salad
* cucumber
* cherry tomatoes
* Giant Organic Italain Dressing
* Spinach Wrap
* broccoli, mushrooms, onions (leftovers)

Snack:
* black seedless grapes
* almonds
* raisins

Dinner
* Kashi Autumn Wheat 
* soy milk
* strawberries
* 3 small Betty Crocker chocolate chip cookies

lights in the sky

Strong is Sexy Fitness Challenge_visit Week6
Wednesday. I can do anything I wish

I think maybe the run last night might have been overkill, but I'm still not regretting it.  Loved, almost, every minute of it.  Though not to happy about the sun coming in earlier now that fall is setting in.  Hoping tonight to go for another run, but not sure how long my meeting will go tongiht and if the sun will stay up long enough for me to run.  I'll I need is 2o minutes of good daylight to make me happy, please, please pretty please.

I finally got around to calling my hairdresser last night, but with it being after hours I left a message and knew they would call me back today.  I was surprised to set an appointment for next Friday.  My hairdresser is really hard to get an appointment with and you have to set it sometimes close to a month ahead in order to get a time that wont conflict with my work schedule.  I was expecting to set an appointment in October, but was surprised to hear that she had an opening next Friday at 6pm.  This would cause me to be late heading up to Huntingdon, but this was something I was willing to do, becasue I so really really need a trim.  My hair hasn't been cute in over 3 months and is so thick that it's hard to take care of.  It's going to take far less time to dry and flat iron once it's thinned and hoping that my hair will look longer.  It just seems like my hair should be or at least appear longer since I've been trying to grow it out the last 6 months.    Though the one thing I'll miss is being able to put my hair in a pony tail, because my hair wont be the same length once it's thinned. 

SIDE AND FRONT VIEW OF CURRENT HAIR LENGHT   

It rained off and on today and heavy when it was one.  I hoped that I would catch a run after my meeting, but the rain just didn't stop and an hour into the meeting a lightening storm began.  It caused a lot of chaos outside as several firetrucks made their way down the main street with police vehicles following behind.  We were uncertain what to think, especially when we peered outside to see what was going on and saw the lightening storm that seemed to stick to only two areas. 

We tried to keep the humor light, but you could feel the tension rise once the lights went out and the alarm starting to beep. After making a few phone calls and finding out there was nothing we could do about the alarm we headed back to the office with my flash light ap lighting the room we continued our meeting and closed shortly after the lights came back on and we had a plan for the next step. 

The lightening storm was still occurring, but the rain had stopped so we were able to safely make our way to our vehicles and make it home without any delays. Once home I made my way to the kitchen to settle the grumbling in my stomach.  Luckily, I had my water with me to help fill my tummy, but by 9pm I was ready to fill it with something more solid.  I grabbed a box of autumn wheat by Kashi, soy milk and strawberries enjoyed a simple bowl of cereal.  I did decided to add a slice of cornbread after sampling a small piece that was leftover from my grandparent’s dinner. If I ate butter I would have added some to it, just to moisten it up a bit, but other then that it was delicious. 

I was surprised to see such an influx of houses to review when I checked my email and spent the next 2 hours to sort through the MLS listings along with comparing the houses that sparked an interest on Trulia.com and mapping out the directions from work to get a better idea of where they are location.  Once of the listings I'm really excited about and I plan on driving by it tomorrow to determine exactly what the neighborhood is like, because that will make it or break it.  The neighborhood is so important and I want to make sure it's safe and clean.  

ANOTHER HOUSE OF INTEREST.TOP OF LIST   

eats

were pretty on today.

I very much enjoyed my spinach wrap for lunch.  I'm going to cut up the extra cucumber tomorrow so I can add more of them to my salad.  I love cucumbers and cherry tomatoes, which I slice dinto 3 sections to fit better in the wrap.  Cherry tomatoes are my most favorite finger food. 

Breakfast:
* 1/2 blueberry bagel w pb + chia seeds + strawberries
* coffee

snack:
* black seedless grapes
* almonds
* raisins

Lunch:  Salad Wrap + yellow apple

* pre-made salad in deli w tuna salad
* cucumber
* cherry tomatoes
* Giant Organic Italain Dressing
* Spinach Wrap
* broccoli, mushrooms, onions (leftovers)

Snack:
* toast
* pb + jam + chia seeds
* 1/2 banana

dinner:
* kashi autumn wheat
* soy milk
* strawberries
* cornbread

drive by listings

Strong is Sexy Fitness Challenge_visit Week 5
Monday. I love my sexy body!

This morning was rough.  I was so tired and sore from all the work this weekend I called it an active rest day.  Plus, once we got to the office we had to put the office back together after clearing everything off the floor so in case we were flooded we would have minimal damage.  I thought about going for a run afterword, but decided instead to drive by a few houses I found on Trulia. It's good to start really looking at the locations of some of the houses that have caught my attention to see if they are worth looking into.  If I don't like the neighborhood then there's no need to make an appointment or even keep it as a potential.

The first house was on Penn St only two blocks from River Front and my infamous Kelker Street, but it was located down a paved alleyway that was crowded and parking was tight.  Decided this was enough of a reason not to look into it further.  Plus, the surround neighborhood wasn't the most cleanly. 

DRIVE BY #1: PENN ST. $110k 5bed-1ba 

The second house was definitely in a nice, cleaner area of downtown and still really close to River Front and is priced just under my budget.  It's also only a block away from Brick City a favorite hot spot of mine and Citgo Gas station. The parking here was still not ideal, but not bad for downtown.  In front of the house was a sign stating that the neighborhood is apart of the local Crime Watch so I'm not sure if I should be relived or worried. 

DRIVE BY #2: GREEN ST. $99,500 2bed-1ba 

The third house was my favorite, but I'm not sure with the HOA fees if I will be able to afford it, plus it's currently 10k over my budget. Though that may change depending on how much they want to sell it. I actually parked and walked up to the condo and chatted with one of the neighbors for a good 30 minutes. She was very nice and really likes living there. Her daughter lives in the same complex only a few buildings down. The area is near Messiah Village, which is my ideal location and also has an open parking lot so no worries on having guest over.

From the listing information I got the impression that this place came with a deck and a gated patio, which I thought would be perfect for Bain, but turns out that the patio goes with the 1 bedroom condo below the loft of this condo.  The first floor of these condos have a 1 bed 1 bath condo and above is the loft of the 2 bed 1-2 ba condos. 

The condo association fees also include your hot water and heat, so I'm not sure if that would make a difference in qualifying for this place. I really like the kitchen in this one, compared to most condos its updated and even though it's only a Galloway there is more room in the walk way so it doesn't seem so crowded. I also really like the loft area and the fireplace.  Nothing like a little time and a potentially a few price reductions for it to eventually be in my price range.  though it may sell before hand and it wouldn't surprise me.  There are 3 other condos here for sale and this one is definitely the nice and priced better.

DRIVE BY #3: MESSIAH VILLAGE AREA. $109,500 2bed-2ba 

I also stopped at TJ Maxx and found a few cute items I wanted to take home, but decided to snap pictures instead.   I'll post these pictures either Wednesday or Thursday.   I didn't bring my charger and my battery is halfway gone and I need the rest for my run after work. 
* Owl platter
* Coffee Cups
* sweet purse on clearance (just not sure if it's going to be to bulky)

eats
were pretty on today. nothing crazy other than a 1/2 cup of soy ice cream I had with lunch.

saved by the bank

Today I came face to face with a realization that I had not fully laid down my desire for this house as my heart sunk to the floor after viewing the words

status: off market.

I was viewing new listings sent by my realtor and had opened up my trulia icon link (truila and zillow  have been very helpful, because their information is more home-buyer friendly ind typically include more photos), but it's also directly linked to "my favorite: house four" (see journey to my first place) so I stay focused on my dream and why I'm working so hard in the  next 60 days .  However, today was not one of those inspirational days as those 3 ugly words stared right at me as the page loaded, causing me to forget how to breath.

It's hard to remember sometimes, especially when your heart is so set on a dream to truly let it go, because without first laying down your desires God will be unable to fill you with His, which from experience is far better and more satisfying then anything I'd ever imagined.

IMAGE SOURCE  

Once I was able to regroup I called my Realtor to hear it straight from him.  He called me back once he spoke with the listing agent and to my relief, the listing has been temporarily removed for the next 30-60 days.  The owners have chosen to go forward with a full foreclosure now that the price has been lowered significantly.  During this time the bank will take full ownership of the property and will be setting up an appraisal and inspection before re-listing. 

I'm believing that this is God's way of showing me that this house has been reserved for me, because now no one can make an offer while the bank is performing their inspections and appraisals, which leaves plenty of time for me to have everything I need.  You can be sure that I'll still be checking up on the property on a regular basis and as soon as the status has changed I'll be calling my Realtor to write up the contract.   

p.s.

I'm also believing that the bank is going to re-list it at a lower price point.

I'm pretty confident that I'm blessed, because He is the way, the truth and the light of my life and with Him I will walk and not stumble as He leads me down the path of righteousness.

journey to my first place

My life is pretty amazing, considering where my life was just a year and a half ago.  You would never know that I was worried about my financial standing and unable to pay any of my bills.  On April 1, 2009, yep April Fool’s Day, I was let go from my job as an Interior Designer.  This was the start of my transformation journey….

I had moved back to Pennsylvania in January of 2010 after being unemployed for 9 months and finally found employed through a temp agency when I came home to visit in November of 2009.  It was not my first choice to move back here, but every step felt like I was going in the right direction.  After taking this job it became evident that even though I was working I was still unable to catch up on all of my expenses and was determined to find a part time job.  I applied for a total of 3 jobs within a weeks time and was hired for 2 of them.  Yep, after not having any job I now had 3 and even though it meant sacrificing my Saturday's and working almost 60 hours every week I knew it was a blessing and that it would give me freedom in the long run. I made several spreadsheets to track my progress and keep me focused.  Sunday's were my day to rest and re-energize.  Every time I was paid I immediately deposited it and made a check out to the next bill that was on my spreadsheet and before I knew it I had caught up on all my bills and even started paying down my debt.  By having the separate paychecks it made it easy for me to use it for my bills instead of keeping it tucked in my checking account ready for me to spend it on something that wasn't going to move me forward in my goal.  

I am so proud of where I am today and I am so close to being at zero with my debt.  I have 3 cards left all with very little balances.  

CARD ONE
was supposed to be paid off on the 5th, but I keep running into speed bumps.  It was supposed to come out again on the 19th, but it still hasn't debited.  This is my largest card left and I really want it be be ZERO so my credit score will improve so I can benefit from the higher score. 

CARD TWO
is a very tiny balance of $60, which will be paid off next week once T-Mobile finally returns the money they owe me.  

CARD THREE
is a TJ MAXX card that I used to buy a patio set that I am returning  on the 19th.  Hopefully, there will be no complications and I'll receive my full-money back refund and not a store credit.  

So by the end of this month I will have no credit card debt!!!  It's so worth every sacrifice I had to make in the last year just to have the feeling of knowing I am free of this debt and I can finally start enjoying living in today.  It's also been exciting watching my credit score increase thanks to CreditKarma, a free credit score program available for free online.    I joined in July this year and my score was 666. They send you reminder emails every few weeks to update your score and I received one last week.   When I signed on and hit  update score it INCREASED!! I know have a 671 score! It's still Fair, but it's going up and that's all that matters.

the apartment life isn't for me

I had been searching for apartments for several months and was not able to find any place that I truly wanted to call home.  There was one thing or another wrong with each apartment that was such a downer.  The apartment layout was great, but the kitchen was so tiny or the lack of parking, etc.   There wasn't one that really stood out to me, until I saw a for rent sign along Trindle and immediately I pulled over and called the number.  The lady gave me information about the place and that it would be ready for viewing in a week.  My mom was in town and I decided to take her for a drive there so she could see the grounds and location and it was pretty awesome that same night we were able to view the apartment.  The lady seemed very nice, but also very particular.  She was looking for someone who would fit into her little apartment community and was committed to stay there for the long hall as the lease terms were a minimum of 2 years.  It was a beautiful remodeled apartment on the first floor and  was so excited to find something so well laid out, minus the especially small bedrooms.   

We looked at the apartments on Friday and I had been even more excited about the apartments after seeing the interior, however, there was so much paperwork she required that it felt like I was  getting ready to buy a house.  When Sunday came around I had an easy feeling that even though the apartment was lovely, it was not where I was supposed to call home.  Especially, since there were so many uncertainties with us that seemed to unease the landlord and I knew that I would feel anxious and worried about how perfect I would need to be and that wasn't a way I wanted to live.

I fell off my chair:
A few people had mentioned that I should look into buying a house and inside I laughed, because why would someone let me buy a house with how my credit history has been the last few years.  I eventually caved to the idea and posted an inquiry about a Realtor someone recommended on my fb page.  I had a few people who respond and I took the initiative to call the Realtor who then recommended me to a broker  who could pre-qualify me.  I struggled internally when I was talking to the broker, because I so felt like looking into buying was a waste of time my and the brokers time.  However, after gathering all the information he needed to run the number I almost fell of my chair when he told me I pre-qualified for 100k.   I couldn't believe it, who would have thought that I would be allowed to even qualify for any loan amount, but God was showing me His favor.  He knew what I needed to do with me so I could be ready for where He wanted me now.  He took the time to walk me through and light a fire under me and I'm thankful for that.

house hunting:
Since being approved I've been reviewing listings online that my realitor has been sending me and sending him feedback on the one's I liked.

Last Saturday he took me to view a few of my favorite listings.
Adams St: house one

I liked the exterior, kitchen and living area of this house, but the backyard, bedrooms and attack left me thinking how much money needed to go into this place.

Green St: house two

This house was nothing less than exquisite, until you walked outside.  The neighborhood was very dirty and my adjoining neighbors were just o close.  The yard needed a lot of work, which I was fine with that, but the house lacked central air and open parkingand it was already at the top of my budget.

N. 5th St: house three

This house was so adorable and just enough space for two, but after seeing the other larger homes I was leaning more towards a 3 or 4 bedroom.  Though the neighborhood was nicer, it was not enough to make living across from a school with the basketball court and child playground was facing my house.  

my favorite: house four

I will refrain from posting any photos right now, as this is the one I want to make an offer on, but am financially unable to for at least 30 days when I can secure half of my down-payment.  I am very excited about this house as it has a large country kitchen, laminate wood floors in the living and dining room, 4 bedrooms and 1.5 baths.  As a bonus it has a back yard that wont overwhelm me, a large deck to do yoga and have amazing bbq's on, a shed and central air.  This house is at the top of my budget, but it's pretty much move in ready and their aren't any changes I would make, well other than putting in a garage.

At this point I just have to wait and hope that if this house is for me that it will still be available in 30 days and possibly a few thousand less then it is now. 

running around town

This week has been pretty long and crazy once Tuesday night hit. I had dropped my phone and spent 4 hours at Best Buy trying to get a temporary phone until my replacement arrives. I'm not looking forward to being without my phone for over a week, especially since it's more than just my phone. It's my portal to so many things and life was far simpler when I didn't have a droid phone.

I was pretty much home late every night this week, except Thursday so I didn't have much time or energy to put anything away so my room was looking pretty disastrous. Though I did have a fun night out with the girls and even made it out hiking with one of my meet-up groups and made some new friends.

My 2nd job is now back up and running with extra hours and so I worked this weekend and have several days next week already on the calendar. This is going to be a huge help in saving for my future house.

I still feel like I'm flying on a cloud when I think about being approved to buy a house. This week it's become more of a realization after my Realtor sent me several listings to review. I'm getting a little closer to owning my own house.   Though I am trying to remember that their is far more responsibility in owning a house then renting and keep praying that I'm moving in the right direction. 

planned weekly eats
breakfast: bagel w pb + chia seeds + strawberries
snacks: cereal + soy milk
lunch:   Cucumber & Sprouted Sandwich w tomato soup

snack: Chia Pudding

dinner: Quinoa Summer Salad

workout
 I did not workout today, but will be posting a new routine Monday I'll be working on.

ready, set, goal

It still seems unreal how things are unfolding in my life. It was only last week I was wondering if buying a house was even an option for me and now I'm super excited to say IT IS! Just Tuesday a friend recommended a real estate agent, who then referred me to a broker who worked his magic. I almost fell off my seat when he told me I was pre-qualified for a 100k.  I know it's not much, but it's all I need for what I'm looking for.  I'm not looking for a family home, just a 2 bedroom with all the modern features. and it's more then I thought I would qualify for.  I  don't much a year, especially working for a non-profit then tack on my student loans and credit card debt and I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to qualify for anything especially on my own. Luckily, I've been paying down my debt, which in turn has been creating a better credit report/score (now 666), which has definitely been a huge benefit. God knows your path even when you don't. I would never have qualified if I hadn't paid off as I did this last year.

The broker gave me 2 requirements before I can actually buy a home.
1) pay down all my credit cards to $0 and DO NOT close them.
2) have 3% in cash, whether by gift or savings

After paying a few bills and zeroing out 2 credit cards with my tax return I still had some left over, which I decided to use as a buffer, since my evening job wasn't producing any hours.  When we began searching for an apartment I knew it would come in handy for a security deposit.  Then when my mom and I started talking about buying she felt it would be best used for part of the down payment.  I had in mind what I wanted to do, but wanted to see what my broker felt would be the best way to use my savings.  He advised me to zero out my cards now that way while I'm saving for my down payment my credit report/score can be repairing itself.  He strongly advised me NOT TO CLOSE my cards, as it would hurt my score.  I took his advise and used the $800 I had left over to pay off  my larger and older cards and what I had left over I used to make a payment on my newer ones (see table below).  Once our hours begin up again in August I'll be  working extra hard to raise enough money in the next few months for my down payment and selling a few things to help add up the balance. 

I'm so proud of the progress I've made only in the span of 1 day and it's so beautiful to finally see my lasik balance zero'd out and eliminate the $40 a month I was paying the consolidation company that I can now put in my own pocket.   Here is my current progress and the pay down date I have scheduled.

card	balance	payment	new balance	date of payment
best buy	$181.44	$181.44	$0	08/01/11
bill me later	$120.36	$60	$60.36	07/28/11
TJ Maxx	$133.53	$0	$133.53	-
lasik	$715.21	$715.21	$0	08/02/11
totals	$1150.54	$956.65	$193.89

My TJ Maxx card I sadly just got.  I saw a patio set there that I sooo wanted and it would have been perfect for the apartment we were looking at off Trindle, but now that I'm looking at buying I'm most likely going to just return it.  Though depending on how many hours I can get I may just pay if off and keep it.  Still undecided on that one.  I'll try to post a pick soon so you can understand why.