PLAYGROUND COTTAGES HOME IS WHERE THE HEART IS.

Impending Car WoesPosted by admin on March 10th, 2010

The husband surprised me last weekend when he told me that from now on, he will be leaving our vehicle at home and he will just commute going to and from the office since he doesn’t go anywhere except there when he is in the city. If you know my husband, you would be shocked to hear this – he hates commuting via public transport. He would rather postpone an errand than commute if our car is in the repair shop of it’s number-coding day. So I didn’t stop asking him why the sudden change of heart. Well, it turns out he still hasn’t renewed his license (and he was supposed to have renewed it two months ago), and he thinks our car is going to give in anytime soon, so he thinks it would be best for it to stay here and be used for short travelling. He told me it also would be a great opportunity for me to finally learn how to drive, most especially now that we have so many plans for the kids’ activities. It will also help me a lot when I do errands when he is not around.

It doesn’t keep me from worrying though because it means that we really need to find a new car to replace it with soon. We are still saving for one and based from my projection, we can only afford to buy one at the end of the year but if the car breaks down, we are going to have a hard time going places. The husband said we just need to have it checked for repairs and schedule it for maintenance every now and then. There are jeep accessories we can replace it with too. But part of me doesn’t want to even try to restore it because I just want a new car already – we could just direct all the expenses to the new car we will be buying. Living in the suburbs really puts the need for a car on top of your list.

House Plans for Us.Posted by admin on March 10th, 2010

We might just push through with the impossible dream after all.

That is how determined the husband is to have us move out into a home we can call our own by next year. He is right, we are not getting any young and we need to make sure that whatever we invest now we can finish before we die. I do not want to burden our kids with loans we never got to fully pay. So we have been talking (sometimes, debating to be honest) over home plans and how we want to execute our house plan. We do not take this lightly, this is our home, something that we will be living with maybe for the rest of our lives!

And we are seriously considering doing that. We love talking about future plans. The things we like in a house, the style, the type of furniture. In fact, the husband even got architectural magazines for us to pore and browse over.

There are very nice prepared house plans at HousePlansandMore.com – you wouldn’t need an architect for it!

I really hope our house plans will push trough next year. If not next year, the year after next.

Go For Gold!Posted by admin on March 9th, 2010

This seems to be the mantra of investors these days. The usual investments are too risky: stocks and foreign currencies like the US dollar and Euro. It seems that the best investment these days is to buy gold coins. Gold has always been in demand, with its values never depreciating but it has taken a surge in value since the dollar depreciated. Gold and the US dollar have always been inversely proportional with each other. Remember how in ancient times Egyptians and Romans gauged wealth and traded with using gold? I see we are going to be going back that route very soon.

Go For Gold!Posted by admin on March 9th, 2010

This seems to be the mantra of investors these days. The usual investments are too risky: stocks and foreign currencies like the US dollar and Euro. It seems that the best investment these days is to buy gold coins. Gold has always been in demand, with its values never depreciating but it has taken a surge in value since the dollar depreciated. Gold and the US dollar have always been inversely proportional with each other. Remember how in ancient times Egyptians and Romans gauged wealth and traded with using gold? I see we are going to be going back that route very soon.

Building Houses with Green in MindPosted by admin on March 2nd, 2010

We are at the age of realizing that we need to be doing long-term investments now and risk more. We should be ready to retire in 20-30 years so now is the best time to invest on things that matter: a house to call our own, trust funds for the kids, insurance (if we don’t have one). On top of our lists is building a house we can call our own. We have looked at a sprawling village near where we live and my husband wants to buy our house there, the townhouse we specifically saw has three bedrooms and most importantly, fits into what we can afford right now (and pay 10 years down the road). As with other housing programs, work doesn’t start until you have paid the downpayment since you get to choose the colors, tiles and other customizable features in your house.

I also am leaning towards contractors who use Cemex Air Quality to build their houses. The company (CEMEX) is the largest building materials producer and one of the biggest cement companies in the United States. With their reputation untainted (even with their millions of customer), CEMEX is also very eco-friendly. They use alternative fuel to reduce carbon dioxide emissions. Just recently, they began using a 6.5 million (in British pounds) dust abatement system which cuts emissions by 80 percent. CEMEX produces blended cement which reduces carbon dioxide level and landfill emission.

With all that is happening with us right now (global warming, floods, droughts, tsunamis and earthquakes), I am sure we need a bit of green in mind in everything we do.

CollectiblesPosted by admin on February 23rd, 2010

I am a collector at heart. I have been collecting knick knacks and all sorts of things since I was little, from stickers to stationeries to pocketbooks then letters, clothes, shoes and bags. Now that I am married, I try to control my collector side because it usually translates to clutter all over the house. I married a collector/clutterer as well, that’s why! I am thinking of starting a collection that will be invaluable (in terms of money) in the future, like coins or designer bags or jewelry! These lladro collectibles can qualify as such.

I am sure Disney die-hard fans would love to get their hands on this collection! This is the all Swarovski Disney Snow White collection valued at $1,025.00!! In ten years, who knows how much would this set cost!

You can invest on anything Mickey Mouse too. This is valued at $125.00 (Dimensions: 1 13/16 x 2 3/8 inches.)

Project: HousePosted by admin on February 6th, 2010

I am so inspired by a friend who really worked hard to get their house this year. They lovingly called it their little mansion and come summer, they would see their hard work bear fruit! Before it really wasn’t in our short-term (or long-term) plans – we were just focused on surviving and we were lost on whether we try our luck overseas or stay here. But now it’s on our short-term goal list. I know it would take more than a payday loan for this to push through. It requires a lot of planning and penny-pinching. But I am sure it will be worth it when the time comes! We already have a prospective location but I am still pushing for a bigger house. I know we can’t afford it now – but as the saying goes, “When you dream, dream BIG!” – we can never tell, we might get lucky!

InvestmentsPosted by admin on February 4th, 2010

When I was single, I had two goals I wanted to have by the times I turn 30: a house and a car. I’m turning 30 next  year and I am nowhere near owning a car, more so, a house. I have been careless with my money and I have learned my lesson well, albeit a little too late. It seems I am starting from scratch again.

These days instead of buying unnecessary things I save, I hope soon I can save enough so I can invest and buy gold bullion. It has been a great investment as what I learned from friends. Instead of stocks, they invest in gold as they say it never depreciates in value.

Debt and More Debt.Posted by admin on January 7th, 2010

To be honest, I really dont understand how the global financial crisis came to be. It just don’t understand why multi-billion financial companies can go belly up without warning! I understand the economy of the US is in the down low for months but I guess I never fully came to grasp the whole situation up until I read an article that people are losing their homes because they can’t pay their mortgages anymore (This has happened to a few family friends, unfortunately). And where do they need to pay the mortgages? BANKS. When banks do not get paid on loans, where would they get their money? It doesnt even help that they have invested their stocks and money on REAL ESTATE! How ironic is that, right? Debt Collection must have hard for financial companies – they would need to get the services of a Collection Agency . Now, I do not understand the pros and cons of the government bail-out and why citizens of America feel strongly for it (I guess they should, it is essentially THEIR money) but I really hope that it will help solve the crisis. The US is a strong and powerful country and seeing it go through a financial crisis speaks of impending doom for third world countries like ours.

This is a sponsored post.

AppliancesPosted by admin on January 5th, 2010

We seriously need a new washing machine. I was able to accomplish getting the set of furniture we need for our rooms (save for my dresser/vanity table and my son’s study table), so we are moving on to other things. I actually just need a dryer but the husband wants a new washing machine that is automatic (tub, dryer) so I can have an easier workload. It is more expensive but we can avail of the small one and let the payment depend on the approval of payday loans we can apply for. We can pay for it in a month so the interest would not be that high.