2013 Resolution Bunch #1: Resources

Resources: time, money, energy, skills, talent.

For 2013, my resolutions include some management of my old favorites, those you can't ever completely "conquer."

• Pay off credit cards and maintain my good credit rating.
• Save some now and for retirement.
• Work smarter, not harder -- in terms of time.
• Cook smarter, not harder -- in terms of using time and money.
• Continue to develop frugal and minimalist habits and mind-set.

These are all rather general, of course, so let's be specific.

1. Make a current will, power of attorney, and other key documents, "just in case."
2. Meet with retirement reps and get a sense of my forward progress (changes?)
3. Save two months' worth of salary (for emergencies).
4. Develop/strengthen my freelance writing work-brand.
5. Develop six new habits of frugality (TBA).
6. Budget time to include work/job, work/freelance, community, health, solo time... and stick to it.  

And a new one for 2013: Take the first three steps to building my own house, which include

• talk to friends who have bought and sold houses
• meet with the company who make the pre-fab houses I want to build
• visit the Northwest and look at the area in detail, with the notion of buying land

Rent or Buy?

So this year I attacked my "living situation" by fixing an immediate problem (my landlord) and a long-term problem (lack of space).

Since April I have been living in a lovely apartment with what feels like twice the space (moving from 750 sq. ft. to 1050 sq. ft.), with more windows (only 1 more, to be honest--but better views, more light because not backed up on building), more green space (LOTS more green space, trees, grounds), a back porch/patio, and more quiet. It feels more open, more peaceful, more homelike.

I have rented since I was 21 and moved to NYC. Through grad schools--two degrees, two schools--and here in DFW. Even now, in what is really a boom market in Dallas for buying, I rent.

Why?

Every few years I yearn to buy a house. I look, I price, I think... but I don't.

1. I like the flexibility and freedom of renting. If the apartment gets too small/too expensive/too loud or the landlord gets too fussy/a crack habit/guns/too present or too absent, I can go. Moving is a pain, but the landlord who lives two doors away with a coke habit and handguns is no joke.

2. The plumbing is someone else's problem. Ditto landscaping, insurance, termites, and taxes.

3. "Fixer-Upper" is what I can afford in terms of price but not time... so there we are. I'm not buying to flip, I'm buying to nest.

4. I don't want to retire in DFW. But I'm thinking about retirement homes now, as vacation homes/rental properties, etc.

2012 will become the year of researching where I will build this house:

When I know where, I can plan when.

What the future location must have:

• access to major airport for ease of travel
• access to decent medical facilities (just in case!)
• no freezing winters, no muggy/100+ summers
• seasons: 4, not 2
• bookstores, restaurants, museums, theatre/performance venues (or university with same) within reason (4 places I spend my time)
• view of mountains or ocean... or both? + trees
• no extreme weather: hurricanes. tornedos, blizzards, droughts

Ideas? Anyone?

2011 Goal #4: Changing My Living Situation

Yesterday I signed the new lease and paid the new checks. Starting next month, I'll be transferring possessions from the tiny old apartment (with the #*%$@# landlord) to a larger new apartment with more sun, a back patio, a decent kitchen, a wet bar, and... a washer-dryer.

Sigh.

Goal #4: Done. Well, sort of. By April 1.

Now to call the movers, gather up boxes, and start the many, many trips to and fro...

Happiness!

Yesterday I took yoga class #3, handed over 3+ bags of clothes to Goodwill, handed in my application for a new/larger apartment, turned coins into cash at my grocery store, and exchanged a blouse at a store (for a smaller size!) without paying any attention to the looming SALES going on at same...

Feeling very virtuous... something bound to change!

Happy Wednesday!

My Favorite Things: Art & Decoration

I am a sucker for French design magazines. When in Paris I buy them by the armload, but here I only buy Art & Decoration. I had a subscription to it for a year, but that was ridiculously expensive. Now, I buy one every three months or so, but make the trip to the Borders in town that carries it to have a coffee and read it (without buying) more often.

The pictorial spreads are marvelous, very French. The particular sense of style here is delightful, and the editors feature as many small spaces and inexpensive rooms as they focus on chateaux and country homes. Sometimes they show apartments, sometimes suburban or vacation homes, sometimes historical houses.

The point seems to be creating a functional, elegant, comfortable home with a distinct sense of style -- not spending lots and lots of money or the homes of famous people.

They also offer articles on individual cities throughout the French-speaking world (last month, Bruges), historical periods of style and antiques, artists or craft schools, and great "where to buy" sections focusing on individual items shown by color and style.

What I really like is the sense of style featured here. It is definitely not an American sensibility, but I am not certain I can describe what they do. Sometimes the rooms are incredibly contemporary, sometimes historical--but each one shows a definite use of color and texture, a sense of the smallest detail in terms of design and function, and a lack of crowding that is so completely part of borth American and British design magazines, where every surface is loaded with knick-knacks, collections, plants and flowers, mementos, and "stuff." And yet there is usually a sense of warmth in the rooms, a welcoming sense of comfort as well.

I have a few lurking around the house, and unlike the rest of my magazines, I hang on to these. I think of them as research, rather than clutter. For future reference.

2011 Goal #2: Change my living situation

This one entails buying a house and/or moving to a new apartment. Life in the 'hood has gotten interesting, frankly, and moving makes sense.

Ugh, moving. It is always crazy-making, isn't it? Maybe a house will be a good thing, instead of another apartment--I'm kind of thinking so, but such a big commitment. There was a time when I thought buying an apartment in Paris would be my dream--and when it was affordable. Not so much, any more.

Philosophically, I know moving means getting rid of the excess "stuff" in my closets and my life, so I don't drag it with me yet again. It's been a pleasure since October to be in de-cluttering mode; the results have been so positive, and I plan to continue. I need to finish the Big Project I am on right now so I can move into selling or donating the items I've decided to release.

This also means I have to stop lurking on the 'net and actually do things like find a realtor, get pre-approved for a mortgage, and scout houses. I do know what I want in a house, but taking these steps means choosing a house, which seems so deliberate in some ways. The process makes me discover that, for me, buying a house or renting an apartment is philosophical.

But that's why it is a 12-month goal, something that will require lots of little steps and change and commitment on my part. A good thing, I think. At my age, I am also deciding whether I want to buy a "now" house here in town which is for the next few years, or a "future" house that will be about retirement. I've got a couple decades to go before retirement, but that house could be a vacation house, a rental, a part-time house, if I plan it well. Which is very appealing, in many ways.

On the other hand, given events around here, I may have to move quickly--like within the next two months. Which in some time would be a blessing: quick move, quick sales, quick decluttering... Boom!

Moving is a shake-up, given that one must find and adapt a new environment. Shake-ups are good, every once in a while.

Buy a House? Moi?

Yes, I am indeed thinking about buying a house. I have been on and off since I moved to Big D, but am still uncertain whether it is here in the Metroplex where I will buy or, instead, move toward buying or building where I hope to retire. (A long time from now!)

I have always been a renter. When I graduated from college and moved to NYC, it was obvious that renting was the way to go. Barely. Both places I rented there were small and old, walk-ups. Hey, I was in book publishing, right?

Again, I rented all through grad school, in the small midwestern towns where I studied. The best one was the second floor of a frame house in a tiny near-by town. The first floor was a real estate office--closed at night and weekends. These were the first years I lived alone.

Since moving to Big D, I've lived near My U in a series of four different apartments. When I didn't have tenure, there was no way I could afford a house. Now... I am conflicted. Part of me would like to buy a house, especially since values are good here and rates are loooooow. Part of me says, why add hassle to my life, which is what a house brings along: yard hassles, plumbing hassles, decorating hassles, ownership hassles.

For the last couple of months, I have been looking into the house sitchew here in town. I have also been discovering my profile was a looker-buyer. For example, I do not want to live in a condo or townhouse: I actually want a house with a yard. But... a relatively small yard that I plan to transform by xeriscaping it. No grass, no mowing. Check!

Also, I do not want to commute a long way via highway. Ugh--not in this town! Which means neighborhoods that are not too far and where I can get to My U quickly by surface streets.

Three bedrooms and two baths seems a good size: my bedroom, guest bedroom, office. And yes, bath for me and one for guests. And one bath with a tub.

Mature trees that shade the roof... or room for solar panels.

A back screen/enclosed porch... or room to build one.

Good flow, which is something one knows only when seen/felt in a house.

So I am looking at houses online and, once narrowed down, seeing them in person. Mostly for reference. And reading a book on buying your first house...

Alernatively, I am very interested in modular houses, specifically those made by Rocio Romero, fabulously stunning pre-fab houses. I like the LVL series, which is a 3-bedroom, slightly larger house. I LOVE IT. Here's the link: http://www.rocioromero.com/LVseries/LVL

This would of course require buying a lot, levelling it, and adding plumbing, electrics, and various other things beyond the $42.5K kit and shipping prices (from MO). Right now, this is my dream house.