That’s right!  Operation move back to NOVA is in full effect!  Yesterday day the man and I decided that it would be best if we moved back to Northern VA.  I miss it terribly and so now starts the process of getting our home rent ready by June.

You may be asking why are we moving so soon after buying our first home back in 2007.  No, we aren’t walking away from our mortgage and we aren’t moving to find cheaper housing, though it would be nice.  We are just truly over the way that our current county government runs  right now.  Truly.  As young homeowners looking to buy a home 2-3 years ago we were mainly concerned with the neighborhood and finding a suitable home for our needs but less concerned about the county government and school system.

Well, as we near the point where we’re starting to plan a family within the next year or so these things start to matter more.  Especially the abysmal state of the school system and planned increase of property taxes when there will be a decrease in county services as proposed by our county executive who has gone to court to push it through.  According to our money grubbing county executive:

…..would have to lay off hundreds of workers, including police officers, if his proposal is not approved by the legislature.

“We would have to devastate our government. “We just don’t have the money to operate our government.”

…said the county has made enormous strides in the past few years, including seeing crime reduced and improved school test scores. He said if the county is unable to close the hole in its budget, public safety and education would suffer: “I want everybody to be clear on this: If we don’t raise taxes, we will be cutting police services, we’re going to be cutting fire/EMS.”

At the last community meeting to address the proposed tax increase, residents pushed back:

TH said she is tired of paying high county taxes and receiving what she said are inadequate public services. She complained about trash collection and said she goes to a hospital in Calvert County because it provides better service.

“I am embarrassed to say I live [here],” she said. “But you know what? I’m out. I’m going to Calvert County, where I can see how my money is spent.”

Many residents complained about what they see as excessive spending in the county government, citing county employees’ personal expense accounts, elected officials’ government-provided vehicles, the county school board’s decision to move its offices from Upper Marlboro to a new office building closer to the Beltway and [the executive's] recent trip to Africa in an effort to promote international trade at a cost of about $30,000.

[He] defended the school board move, explaining that the $36 million planned for the lease of the new building would be spread out over 10 years. Move-in costs would require an additional $8 million.

My question for them, with the school system being among one of the worst, how much worse can it get?  They were right about cutting public safety because I called 911 recently to report that someone went over the guard rails on the ramp going into DC, ladies and gentlemen they put me on hold.  HOLD.  4 MINUTES.  911 put me on hold before answering the call.  I was done.  Hung up.  That simple.

Now, don’t get me wrong, our neighborhood is great, I love our neighbors and the community is beautiful, but separate from the county government issues I’d prefer a community that is more tight knit, active and closer to shopping and other active lifestyle options.  I detest having to go to another county for Whole Foods, Harris Teeter or Moms Organic Market.  These are things we didn’t think about when we were buying the house but I guess it’s just a part of life and knowing what you want the next time around.  We’re also renting because we’re not at all interested in buying at this time because the idea of being tied to another home isn’t all that appealing.  Besides, the neighborhood where we’d like to move still has SFHs in the million dollar range.  Meh. We’ll pass.

But there are a few things we need to do first.

Property Taxes

We would like to start paying our property taxes on the home upfront instead of with our mortgage.  So we have to call the bank to figure out how this is done.  I know that our neighbour pays hers upfront as well and her reasoning is that she would rather get the interest on her money rather than give it to the bank upfront.  This will also enable us to me a bit more flexible with the rent because we wouldnt have to worry about the rent covering the property taxes.  The tax deduction is good enough to warrant doing this.  Even though the rent might not cover the mortgage (interest and principal), the tax deducation at the end of the year makes up for it.

Save $5000 Towards Emergency Fund For House

We plan to rent a similar home when we move back to VA and want potential landlords to know that we have an emergency fund should our home back in MD be vacant for a few months.  $5k should cover 3-4 months.  This will further indicate that we are serious about keeping above water financially just in case our home is vacant for a few months.

Pay Off Credit Cards

When potential landlords check our credit we want them to see ZERO balances on the credit cards.  That will happen by the end of March with miscellaneous accounts on track to be paid off by June/July.   This in turn frees up cash and decreases debt load substantially.

We know that there’s a possibility depending on how much we rent the place for that we might lose money, maybe $200? But staying here amidst a deepening recession dealing with the incompetent nincompoops who are the county government administrators along with an overall decreased quality of life here isn’t something I can further tolerate.  So instead of pissing and moaning about it, we decided to draw up a plan to make it happen.  You get one life and I live it knowing that if you ask, ye shall receive.

Have any of you done this?  Bought a home and then decided to rent it out instead and move elsewhere?  Any ideas and advice?  Thank ya much!

It’s my fault, I totally didn’t budget for any off these expenses. I knew that my hair appointment was coming up but didnt factor that in, didnt think the cat would get sick again so soon, and decided on a whim that we needed to get the carpet cleaned in the whole house. *sigh* But I’m learning the important lesson of thinking/budgeting ahead, so read on.

Scotch, the Alpha Cat our beloved kitty

Scotch is quite the rambunctious cat, always has been.

[Exhibit A: , yes that would be Scotch on top of the closet door trying to get to the high shelf in the closet , mmhmmm yes ma'am ]

You can guarantee that he will get into something at least every 3-4 months. Well this time was no different. Since getting a new kitten, Max, we’ve been keeping Scotch and Max separate because Scotch is rather aggressive and often tries to hump Max when he thinks we aren’t looking. After a few solo nights in the cat room, Scotch in his infinite cat wisdom started digging up the carpet in an effort to dig under the door. All that is left are the exposed nails, and you guessed it, while digging for freedom he got a nasty little cut on his front paw. By the time we noticed, it was already swollen, smelly and crusted with blood and pus. We took him to our trusted vet, Capitol Hill Veterinary Clinic and they patched him up. [Sidebar: They are the absolute BEST vet in the DC area IMHO] My mom and best friend scoffed at the cost just to have him seen and given a few meds but after the scare we had in October I think the cost is well worth it. I wasn’t blogging back in October 2007 (well about personal finance) but we spent over $1000 on his vet bills in 6-8 weeks. No insurance because we just didnt think we would ever need it. But I am happy that we didnt resort to using the credit cards, all cash baby! However, its now February 2008 and we’ve already spent $237.50 on his new litter, meds, vet bill and shots. I want to rip my hair out for not getting the vet insurance sooner but we will sign up on our follow up visit on Monday.

Damage: $237.50

Lesson: Plan ahead for vet expenses, and sign up for pet insurance. We didn’t have pet (medical) care as a line item on our budget this year as we only factored in their food and toys. I think this will call for $40/month in an ING sub account for things like this but I want to see how much the vet insurance will cost us and what it covers. At this point we need it to cover routine visits and “I’m being a bad ass kitty and need help” visits. *sigh* While administering Scotch’s meds last night and treating Max for pink eye, my husband said “Baby, we’re parents now, LOL!”. He has a point, they are like our kids, never quite saw it like that, but hey I wouldn’t have it any other way.

Carpet Cleaning

We moved in here last June and we had the carpet cleaned with the Rug Doctor and another cheapie carpet cleaning service. At $8 a room, we got what we paid for and the Rug Doctor was garbage. I don’t think it made a significant difference in the overall carpet appearance. So I called up the company, Superior Fabric Cleaners, made the appointment and they came out yesterday. FABULOUS! They cleaned, sanitized, deodorized and treated the carpet, top to bottom! I came home and screamed! I can now say that we have a home and not a house. There’s something about having a CLEAN carpet that made everything else in here POP! So it was well worth it for me. Why is it a budget buster? It cost $450 not including tip But the house is rather large at 3000 square feet and the technicians had to factor that in.

Here are some pictures of the living room and basement:

Very pleased!

Damage: $550 including tip

Lesson Learned: PLAN PLAN PLAN for things like this. Could the carpet cleaning have waited? I’m sure, but with 2 animals and a broken vacuum cleaner it needed to be done.

Hair Salon

So I’ve had this appointment for months, LOL! This is one of the things I struggle with on my budget because it costs $150-$200 plus tip every 8 weeks. Sure, I could just do my own hair but yea not so much and I definitely wouldn’t change hairdressers because she does awesome work. If you’re a black woman reading this, then you know that we don’t switch hairdressers often and when you find someone you like, you stick with them. Nuff Said. BUT—>I should have factored this expense into the budget because with everything else it just hit me that this is way too much going on for one weekend.

Damage: $230 including tip

Lesson Learned: Budget hair appointments into monthly budget.

Total damage: $1017.50

As you can see my overall lesson here was to plan for things that I don’t normally think about with regards to our budget. They aren’t emergencies so it didn’t warrant dipping into the emergency fund but situations which sorta kinda warranted immediate action, well except for the carpet ad hair salon appointment. I’ve been bad I know, but February will be better. Wait, this all happened in February. Well, I’ll do better for the rest of the month, how’s that?

We still have to go to Lowes or Home Dept to get some stuff in order to increase our energy efficiency because Washington Gas and Pepco are getting out of control, more on that in another post. We’re going to seal all the windows and *gasp* turn down the thermostat to see how much of a difference it makes in next month’s bill. We do have friends staying with us so we are accounting for 4 people living here and not just 2. We also have random, somewhat planned trips to go down to the wharf and get crabs for the game later. SSHHH!!! This is soo not a good way to start February.
January spending coming up soon!

(Source: FrugalFashionista)

Happy New Year!

Ive given a lot of thought to my look for the new year. Whike I think my style has evolved over the last few years, its time to take it to the next level in every area. I have already began updating my handbag collection to only include bags or purses that fits my style, not simply because it the new “it” bag. Ive fallen prey to that a couple times in 2007. I could have kicked myself when I saw that Zara had a similar version of the Yves St. Laurent Muse bag in their store a few weeks ago. Needless to say I was pissed. My name is Ginger and I have a problem. Moving on—-> Last year I threw out LOTS of clothes in an effort to revamp my wardrobe and its coming along nicely. I learned the hard lesson of shopping at cheapie stores like Newport News and La Redoute and never again. While I am on a budget, I am not willing to buy clothes that will fall apart after only a few washes. I would rather save and spend money on classic, quality clothing that will last me a while.

I plan to revamp in the following areas:

Hair

Im rather stubborn in this area as I just reached my hair length goals. I am currently an inch past armpit when stretched/straightened and not so open permanent color. So I havent quite decided yet. Whatever I choose probabaly won’t involve me cutting MY hair because I need my cury kinkies in the summr as they love to roam free. Tracee Eillis Ross is my hair idol so I need to work this out!

Makeup

I am not a fan of the wild and bright makeup color choices. Over the years I stuck with the more earthy neutral tones with an occasional pop when going out. Ive been a Mary Kay girl for a few years now and I really do like their foundations. However, I found an even cheaper alternative, Milan Minerals. They are toted to be the best mineral makeup for African American skin and since trying them out I must concur! The application is smooth and easy, almost like brushing on a new clear, even, bright layer of skin. I have yellow undertones and get about 4 shades lighter in the winter so I only have to mix in a new shade when I change seasons. Why is this a change for me? I don’t look as made up as I do with Mary Kaywhich gives my skin a cleaner look. I also plan to order a few of their shadows, brushes and colored pencils. As a treat to myself I an going to ask the makeup artist who did my wedding makeup to come over and give me a few tips. Ive yet to learn the art of placing eyeliner on my bottom lid without looking like a hooker on New York Ave.

Clothing:

I think I can do way better in this area by only purchasing quality, classic clothing that fits my body shape and personal style. As of late, I havent been one to stay with every trend but I like to remain up to date with each season. While I am still trying to figure out my personal style, I’d like it to evolve into classy-chic. I have the former but working on the latter, LOL! My issue in the past is that Ive shopped for clothes that didnt hold up after a few washes and had to throw those out with the last batch. I also need to take care of my clothes better than I do now. Since revamping my wardrobe, most items are Dry Clean Only so whereas I used to take a chance in the washer with those items, now I know I need to either hand wash or take them to the cleaners.

Shoes

Right now I have the basics with a few trendy pairs here and there. I am not a shoe fetish kinda gal but I need an update in this area. This season I was in love with the color block platforms:

(Source: Steal Style)

Still, I don’t think Im doing too bad, but I need an upgrade.

House and Home

I dont have too much to finish in this area. In the master bedroom we need a piece art to fill up the wall space and paint the walls. Otherwise it looks rather clean and contemporary, which I love. We still need a dining room set but my mom is sending us a table so we just have to get the chairs. I have a few things here and here to get but I don’t see myself focusing on it during the spring because I will be so busy. We have a furniture “fund” set up so we’re just going to save for it all and then at the end of the semester go shopping. Why not just buy it now? Because we have other priorities such as paying down more debt and I often take a while to obsess over something to make sure I like it. If only I could do this when it comes to clothes, LOL

But I plan to be better this year than I have in previous years, so no worries!

Happy New Year!