Women And Home Repairs

 I have been doing a lot of repairs and upgrades on our new Arkansas home. Today I was looking for a couple of books for some rewiring on electrical and plumbing. I came across a write up on things women should know about home repairs and was in shock at how little so many women know about home repairs. 

The beginning was mentioning tools a women should have. The tools was the simplest things that I have owned even before learning to do many home repairs. Things such as a hammer, pliers, and a screw driver. I personally recommend having your own tool set, even if you have a partner. 

I am a single mom. I have owned the last two homes I have lived in. I have also learned to do most of my own home repairs on those homes to save a lot of money. 

For example, today I am putting all new outlets and switches in my sons room. The outlets I am using are safer and have USB ports for electronics. They are also beautiful cosmetically, so it increases the home value over time. If I would have paid an electrician it would have cost me around $500. It could have takes a week or more to get an electrician here to do it also. So learning to do this project myself has only cost me around $50 in materials and about 4 hours of my time.

So how did I learn about home repairs and upgrades? I read a lot and watched a lot of videos. If I noticed a project that I would like to do, I would look up how to do it. As long as I was comfortable doing it, I purchased the supplies and did it myself. It is not always something you do correctly the first time, but it does save a lot of money and makes you feel accomplished once it is completed.

Things I have done myself to upgrade my new home so far;

- Piped in water for ice maker

- Mounted new vanity

- Replaced plain mirrors with cabinets in all of the bathrooms.

- Painted all the rooms and bathrooms

- Put up smoke detectors

- Replaced all faucets in bathrooms

- Replaced most outlets 

- Made a pathway in our yard with only rocks and gravel from the yard

- Replaced outdated light fixtures

The fixtures and old items removed from the house will all be cleaned up and resold, unless it is unsafe. So, I saved a few thousand dollars in labor by doing these things myself, while increasing my home value by a few thousand dollars. 

Never doubt the things you can do. Up until about 10 years ago I had never done most of this on my own. It took me time to learn. Do not get me wrong, I would love to have a man to help with a lot of these things, but I have been a single mom for a long time. I learned that I need to do things to save money and keep my home in proper repair. It is always good to know how to do things on your own. You never know what could happen.

Family Road Trip to the North East

 Last month we headed out on a road trip to the North East United States. During our three weeks away we had the enjoyment of seeing all of the New England states. We also saw New York, Ohio, Tennessee, and DC. It was a fun and educational trip for all of use. We found ways to cut costs and save money for the trip, so it was a budget road trip. To see all of the trip updates be sure to follow our blog, The Traveling Family Adventures or follow our YouTube Channel. They are both just getting going so please show support if you can.

We started our trip leaving our new home in Arkansas early in the morning. Our first stop was in Memphis, TN. I have always known who Elvis was, but my son actually learned who he was because of the new Elvis movie. We learned that it was free to walk up to Graceland and see The grave site of Elvis for free between 7:30am and 8am. Before leaving Memphis we made a stop by the Bass Pro Shop Pyramid and rode up the elevator to the top.

 Next we traveled through a few states to get to Niagara Falls, NY. We made it at night so we were able to see the amazing light show over the falls. I have never seen anything so amazing. The water and the colors made everything shine. It was mesmerizing to see. The video does not do it any justice.

Next we tent camped for a week in Bar Harbor Maine. It was in a central location of Maine, so we were able to see most of the coast of the state. I was even able to see the Creed house from Pet Semetary as well as Stephen Kings home. Of course we had to also have some Maine lobster and see the beautiful lighthouses that were there.

After the week in Maine, we headed down the coast to Salem, MA. On the way we made a stop by the Lizzie Borden house. In Salem, we spent a couple of days and were able to take a tour and see one of the museums. It was a great experience.

Along the route down to New York City we detoured through Plymouth, MA and Cape Cod, MA. I wanted to go over to Martha's Vinyard, but the ferry fees were crazy. If money was not an option I would have went because I am a huge Jaws fan. I was still able to swim close to where they filmed it.

New York City was the next stop. I had to also go to Amityville, NY. I am sure you are seeing that I personally love horror movies, but there is also a lot of interesting places to see if you look for horror movie locations. New York was interesting to say the least. We made it to Grand Central Station and Time Square, which was very fun to see in person. It is probably not a place I will be visiting again unless the kids are older.

After we left New York city we finished the trip through Centralia, PA and finally Washington DC. Check out our blog and Youtube for the rest of the trip.

To save money on the trip we tent camped and slept in the truck a few nights. We did get a hotel about seven of the 21 days. If we stayed in a hotel we searched for deals online and we made sure it was a place that had ice and a hot breakfast in the morning. That would help us put ice in the coolers, fill everyone up for most of the day, and have a few snacks for later. We also checked gas prices through gas buddy to plan the fill ups.

Story of How we Went From a 600 sq Foot House to a 2200 sq Foot Home

 If you have read any of my posts you will know some of my story. One thing I have not shared is how we have been living over the past seven (7) years. It has been kept from many people because it would be considered illegal in most areas and would have been looked down upon by many others. Finally I can share it with everyone because I have worked very hard to fix our situation and provide my kids with the life they deserve. 

 

 

In 2015 I had finally improved my credit enough to qualify for a home loan. It took a lot of time and effort to get my credit score high enough to get this approval but with my income I was only approved for $100000. (Read my book 420 to 700 Credit Score) In the Colorado market, even back then, it was almost impossible to find a home for that amount. Finally after a few long months of dealing with USDA and a realtor, as well as being homeless with everyone. We found a great place, but it was a very small place.

 We found a beautiful A-Framed home on close to an acre. It only had a loft bedroom but plenty of storage outside. It would have been an amazing home for a couple or even a couple with a small child, but at that time there was my mom, two teen nieces, my son, and myself. Due to the small house we had to make things work for everyone. It ended up being myself making a spot in a camper. The girls and my son in the room and my mom in the living room. It was an extremely tight place, but we were blessed to have it. It is now for sale and I am going to miss it so much. It is actually the home of my dreams if there was not so many people. You can actually see the auction listing here, or the Zillow listing here. The home for sale is located in Florissant, CO.

We have had a lot of ups and downs in that home, but in all we had a great life. It took some adjusting to get things somewhat organized through the years. We have also lost a lot of things due to temporary storage collapsing. Unfortunately, we lost a lot of antiques and items from family members that have passed away. Even with the bad things that have happened, we made our lives work. We succeeded in having a happy life in a small home.

 After deep thought and a lot of work, we decided to buy a house in Arkansas and move. Taking this step took a lot of thought and planning. During this process I had to refinance the Colorado home, then pay off everything and have a down payment for the new home. In March we signed on our new home in Arkansas. It is a 2200 sq ft two story home on about seven acres. After several trips back and forth, (15 hour drive) we finally got everything moved and are living in our huge home. It is crazy that it is taking so much adjusting for my kids, because they have their own areas. Neither of them will sleep in their own rooms yet, but I know they will one day. The biggest thing is that we all have our own space and we are all under the same roof all the time. 

I am still scared of the big move, but we did it. I have already put out close to $30000 on septic and updating a lot in the home. That was not what I was planning on spending when moving, but I am still happy. I pray that the other home will sell with a large enough profit to pay off what I have spent then allow me to stay home with my kids to start my home business that I have been trying to plan for years. Even with the issues, I am so happy with what we did. Never be scared of going for something you want, and do not let fear keep you from doing it!

Doing Home Projects to Save Money

 

 As you have read from recent posts on my blog, we purchased a home in Arkansas and have been moving everything in recently. We will have everything completely moved, and we will be permanent Arkansas residents. We took a trip last week and have been discovering projects that either need to be completed, or updates that we want to complete. Now I am not the best at DIY projects, but I have learned a lot through the years. There has been three huge influential people that has helped with that; my mom, my very good friend Chris, and his absolutely wonderful wife, Ella. Each of these people have taught me a lot about accomplishing things on my own. If someone else can do it, you can generally learn to do it yourself. Now in that you should also know your limits. If you are unsure of something or uncomfortable with working on a certain thing, get a professional.

There are several things we have started planning on the new home. The flooring has carpet in each of the bedrooms, and honestly I am not a fan of carpet due to the dirt that builds up in it. It just makes it worse when it is someone else's dirt in the carpet. The home is a log built home, built by the previous owners. There is some gaping in the interior wood that needs to be repaired. A couple of spots with electrical I want to get checked (a professional will do that). Loose faucets in all three bathrooms, a vanity in a half bath, running new water lines because of the pressure being low, and a big project of replacing a large bathtub and stand alone shower with a walk in shower and a linen closet. This is just to name a few projects, and most I will be doing myself and share my progress with everyone on here.

BIG PROJECT AREA WE ARE LOOKING AT

I began the home renovation process by starting with my moms room, which is the most important room in my home because she takes care of us all. I pulled all of the carpet off of a concrete floor, pulled all of the tacking, and scrubbed the floors and walls. On my next trip down I will be repairing the concrete and doing measurements to determine whether I want to put peel and stick flooring or paint the concrete. With just the pulling of the carpet I saved about $175 from the average costs I have found online. I spent about four hours on this project, so that is paying myself $43 an hour. 

BEFORE ON MOMS ROOM

                DURING CARPET PULL MOMS ROOM

 

AFTER PULLING CARPET IN MOMS ROOM

Another small project that we completed was to reset the key less Quiklock keypad for the door. I have to say this was all my six year old sons doing. He looked everything up, tried different options, and finally figured it out to have a all new codes and delete all of the old codes. We also ordered a rekey tool and will be rekeying this door to match a new lock we ordered for the back door of the home. 

The next couple of weeks we will be working on both homes, getting the Colorado home ready to sell and the Arkansas home ready to live in. At least be comfortable in the Arkansas home, because it is going to take a lot of work to get it to the point that we want. The one thing I will say is that home is a blessing. We have lived in a small A-Framed home that only has a loft bedroom. I have lived in a camper and the rest of the family in the home. Now we can all life together under one roof. 

As I work on projects I will share the progress and savings that I have for doing projects myself. I will also share any tips or ideas I come across during this time. I hope my experience can help others in their homes. Remember, I am a single mom raising two young kids. I have a bad back, bad knees and bad wrists, but I can complete these projects. I know you can as well!

Saving money on Gas

 In recent weeks the gas prices have soared. This can be very hard on those of us struggling to make ends meet. I have worked at a convenience store for the last 11 years and I have seen a lot during those years. One of the biggest myths I have heard about gas prices is that they always change during the first of the week. That is completely incorrect. I have personally had to change gas prices on almost every day f the week, including Sundays. There are a few other things that I have learned over the years, and I recent wrote a Hub on the topic. Please take the time and check it out. These are things that I have learned that will help you beat rising gas prices. 

 

Bear rising gas prices by saving money!

I have read many articles about gas prices and a lot have provided misguided advice. So why should you listen to me? Well first, I am a single mom that has to watch her money in every way. I find deals and learn tricks to save in every aspect of life. Next, I have learned how to work on my own vehicles and am sure to keep them properly maintained. Finally, I have managed a convenience store for the last 11 years.

Continue article here

Moving from Colorado to Arkansas

 

Since my last post about moving to Arkansas there has been a lot that has happened. We did not get the house we had made an offer on with the 20 acres, but we did finally find the perfect house.It is a 2200 sq foot home on almost six acres. We got it at an amazing price of $180000. A house like that would go for close to $800000 in Colorado. We signed on the house Thursday and will be moving soon.

The hardest part of all of this is putting in my notice at my job. I have been employed at the same place for more then 10 years. I have grown a lot with the company and I have loved my job for years. I put my official notice in today, so May 1st will be my last day.

So what will I do next? I am thankful that home prices in my area are extremely high at the moment. If we sell the home at the price the realtor said, even at the low end, we will have close to $100000. That will give me enough to take a great vacation with my family and then focus more on my home business.  

The first thing I am going to do is get my notary license. This is just something I can do in addition to my other home income opportunities. The other thing I want to do next year, is get my tax license. I do not want to do accounting even though I am only a few credits away from having my degree in it, in addition to my business degree. I would rather work for a company part time during tax season so that I have some stable, and taxable, income each year.

For the first time in many years, I feel completely at ease with where my life is going. I feel blessed and guided by God in my future. I can finally spend time with my kids before they grow up to much, and make a real future for all of us. Thank you to everyone that is reading my posts, and hopefully I will be sharing many more positive posts about our future!

My Stock and Crypto Trading Progress

 I have been trading stocks and crypto  for a while, but focused more in 2021. Recently I did my taxes for 2021 and learned I profited over $10000 on trading. To me this was a huge deal. Let me share why with those that are wondering.

I am a single mom on a tight budget, and up till 2020 I had never made over $45000 in a year. So the money I am investing is only small amounts. The most my portfolio held at one time was roughly $10000. I made the profit off of short term trading on a few stocks. No huge investments, generally at most I would do $100 at a time. I have certain investments. I hold for the dividends or for long term. The trading has only been small amounts.

What I have learned is that someone with little knowledge can take time to learn the process. There are so many different trading options available to use. I personally use Webull for most of my every day trading. Then I use Stash for my long term investments. Both are fairly user friendly platforms, and I have advanced in using both by learning.

What I am trying to explain to everyone interested is that you can learn to trade stocks or crypto. Begin my learning about stocks you would be interested in trading. Start small with only a couple of stocks. Then once you learn more you can invest more. It does take time, and their is a chance for loss, but you can learn to trade. 

*This post does include referral links