Our mortgage is $3200/month here and rent is even worse if you can actually believe it. We do have a very big house but a duplex is $3000 a month so we bought. Starter houses are $400,000. The joys of the oil patch cities! The prices are grossly inflated.
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MD here. Our mortgage is $1100 for a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath townhouse. 2 bedroom apartments are $750-900 in a bad neighborhood, which is most of the reason we decided to buy.
Also MD but closer to Baltimore. We pay $1600 for a 2 bed/2 bath plus den. We couldn't get 3 b/2b single family home with a yard for less than $350k unless it needs major work and even then it will likely need upgrades or cosmetic attention.
Me: 32 & DH: 37
Married: November 2014
TTC #1 Since: October 2015
BFP #1: 11/18/15 - CP BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16 IT'S A BOY!!!! DS Born 10/16/16
My brother just moved to a 3 bed 3 bath townhouse in Howard County (MD) and paid 430,000. It's a beautiful house, but since everyone wants him to move back home (no one else moved away) we were showing him listings that were 5 bedrooms and 36 acres for less then his townhouse. It didn't work, they like it there. Haha.
My brother just moved to a 3 bed 3 bath townhouse in Howard County (MD) and paid 430,000. It's a beautiful house, but since everyone wants him to move back home (no one else moved away) we were showing him listings that were 5 bedrooms and 36 acres for less then his townhouse. It didn't work, they like it there. Haha.
We're hoping to move to Howard County in about a year and a half. We both work in HoCo and commute about 40 mins from one county over. Howard has GREAT schools compared to where we live!
Me: 32 & DH: 37
Married: November 2014
TTC #1 Since: October 2015
BFP #1: 11/18/15 - CP BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16 IT'S A BOY!!!! DS Born 10/16/16
I live 30 min north of Seattle and we bought our 3br 2.5ba townhome for $220k ($1100/mo mortgage plus HOA dues). We're not in a great part if town, but definitely not the worst. In King County, where Seattle is, *starting* home costs average $425k+ (think tiny, shithole homes), thank you Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing.
Oh, and my super random random for the day is that my colostrum is in and I'm stupid excited! Nursing DS this morning wasn't nearly as unpleasant as it has been recently. Hooray!!!
The schools where we live are shit.... like really, this baby will grow up learning how to tag his first ABC's on a wall if he goes to school locally. And it would be crazy to try and get him enrolled in a charter school or private school (how would we ever afford that?!) So while he's still a tiny baby, we are going to formulate a 5 year plan to figure something out... my stepdaughters live in San Diego, so we can't just move somewhere and be so far away from them.
Oh well, time will tell! I hate that we pay so high for rent.... but for now, I'll just try and focus on the positives: 5 minute commute to work, and 10 minute commute to the beach.
My brother just moved to a 3 bed 3 bath townhouse in Howard County (MD) and paid 430,000. It's a beautiful house, but since everyone wants him to move back home (no one else moved away) we were showing him listings that were 5 bedrooms and 36 acres for less then his townhouse. It didn't work, they like it there. Haha.
We're hoping to move to Howard County in about a year and a half. We both work in HoCo and commute about 40 mins from one county over. Howard has GREAT schools compared to where we live!
I love HoCo! My company's home office is in Columbia so I'm there a few times per year. I always tell my husband that if we had to move north, I'd want to move to that area.
Side note- have you eaten at Victoria's Gatropub? If not, you need to. It's delicious!
I live in a very small town 35 miles away from OKC and I also rent from my aunt so I am a bit spoiled. This would cost any other renter $600/mo. Which is still astronomically cheaper than the numbers you guys are throwing out there! On the other hand, you're not going to make anything above $15/hr without a college degree unless you are in the manufacturing industry. I made more money working in a factory than our school teachers and college professors as well as a huge variety of other professional jobs make =/
While it seems like the prices are cheaper, it is also because the pay is less. For instance I live in VA, and while the cost of living seems to be a lot less where my friends are in SC and NC, they also get paid quite a few thousand less (teacher salaries in better counties...). I'm guessing in CA, the pay/salaries are much higher. I think where I am is fairly average, but I remember being in grad school paying $450/month for a mini apartment above a garage. It's crazy to see the housing cost differences!
My brother just moved to a 3 bed 3 bath townhouse in Howard County (MD) and paid 430,000. It's a beautiful house, but since everyone wants him to move back home (no one else moved away) we were showing him listings that were 5 bedrooms and 36 acres for less then his townhouse. It didn't work, they like it there. Haha.
We're hoping to move to Howard County in about a year and a half. We both work in HoCo and commute about 40 mins from one county over. Howard has GREAT schools compared to where we live!
I love HoCo! My company's home office is in Columbia so I'm there a few times per year. I always tell my husband that if we had to move north, I'd want to move to that area.
Side note- have you eaten at Victoria's Gatropub? If not, you need to. It's delicious!
Yes! It's around the corner from my office. DUCK FAT FRIES FOR LIFE!
Me: 32 & DH: 37
Married: November 2014
TTC #1 Since: October 2015
BFP #1: 11/18/15 - CP BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16 IT'S A BOY!!!! DS Born 10/16/16
@MRSCORKER... YES! I literally talk about those ALL THE TIME! Not sure if they still have it but they had poutine using the duck fat fries... OMG... they're to die for. Also... same here! My office is off of Dobbin near the Wegmans there. Small world
@MRSCORKER... YES! I literally talk about those ALL THE TIME! Not sure if they still have it but they had poutine using the duck fat fries... OMG... they're to die for. Also... same here! My office is off of Dobbin near the Wegmans there. Small world
I was just at that Wegmans on my lunch break
Me: 32 & DH: 37
Married: November 2014
TTC #1 Since: October 2015
BFP #1: 11/18/15 - CP BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16 IT'S A BOY!!!! DS Born 10/16/16
@MRSCORKER that's one of the reasons they moved into the county. They started in Baltimore then Annapolis but my SIL is a teacher in Howard county so now that they are having a baby (she's due a month before me) they made the jump!
@MRSCORKER that's one of the reasons they moved into the county. They started in Baltimore then Annapolis but my SIL is a teacher in Howard county so now that they are having a baby (she's due a month before me) they made the jump!
Annapolis is super expensive, more so than HoCo. I'm in Baltimore County which varies price wise. Where we are currently, it's affordable but the schools are shit. I'd love to move to northern Balto. County where the schools are great but it's just as expensive as Ho Co and further away from our jobs. We'll see! It's great they were able to find something closer to her work! That's the goal!
Me: 32 & DH: 37
Married: November 2014
TTC #1 Since: October 2015
BFP #1: 11/18/15 - CP BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16 IT'S A BOY!!!! DS Born 10/16/16
MD here. Our mortgage is $1100 for a 3 bedroom, 2.5 bath townhouse. 2 bedroom apartments are $750-900 in a bad neighborhood, which is most of the reason we decided to buy.
Also MD but closer to Baltimore. We pay $1600 for a 2 bed/2 bath plus den. We couldn't get 3 b/2b single family home with a yard for less than $350k unless it needs major work and even then it will likely need upgrades or cosmetic attention.
Yeah, things are quite different on either side of the bridge
I live 30 min north of Seattle and we bought our 3br 2.5ba townhome for $220k ($1100/mo mortgage plus HOA dues). We're not in a great part if town, but definitely not the worst. In King County, where Seattle is, *starting* home costs average $425k+ (think tiny, shithole homes), thank you Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing.
We bought our house in Seattle in a (very brief) lull in the market three years ago. We ended up getting a 1920s Tudor with three bedrooms and 1 1/2 bath for the low, low price of $525,000. The taxed value has gone up $150,000 in the three years we've lived here, so I guess it's a decent investment. We thought about getting a house with another bedroom and/or bathroom, but we live in a really good school district and can't afford anything bigger in this district. Most of my family lives in Wisconsin and they think we were insane to pay so much for a house, but like @piperella said, incomes are higher here. Plus, before we moved here, we were living in New York, so this house doesn't seem so expensive (compared to a tiny one-bedroom condo on the Upper East Side).
While it seems like the prices are cheaper, it is also because the pay is less. For instance I live in VA, and while the cost of living seems to be a lot less where my friends are in SC and NC, they also get paid quite a few thousand less (teacher salaries in better counties...). I'm guessing in CA, the pay/salaries are much higher. I think where I am is fairly average, but I remember being in grad school paying $450/month for a mini apartment above a garage. It's crazy to see the housing cost differences!
I wish the cost of living would be comparable to what people make here in CA... sadly not the truth. The minimum wage here is 9/hr (for now, although it was voted to raise it 15 over the next 5 years), but the average cost to rent an average 1 bedroom apartment is about 2300/mo. Even at 15/hr that's not a living wage in LA. One of the many reasons we're gettin' the heck outta dodge... that and the big one is going to eventually hit and break us off into the ocean.
@AllyTheKid I love reading them, but at the same time it really really freaks me out to know allllllllllllllll the things that can go wrong. I feel like each birth story makes me more scared for October to come haha
@AllyTheKid I love reading them, but at the same time it really really freaks me out to know allllllllllllllll the things that can go wrong. I feel like each birth story makes me more scared for October to come haha
This. They make me happy, but also anxious as all get out!
@AllyTheKid@MRSCORKER earlier in this pregnancy I had a phase that I watched ID any chance I got, I later find out so much that DH would get home and start feeling suspicious that I was plotting to murder him lol
@AllyTheKid I love reading them, but at the same time it really really freaks me out to know allllllllllllllll the things that can go wrong. I feel like each birth story makes me more scared for October to come haha
This. They make me happy, but also anxious as all get out!
The way I look at it in that case is "knowledge is power".
@UponAStar16 FI has made multiple comments about thinking I'm plotting to murder him and cover it up haha
I live 30 min north of Seattle and we bought our 3br 2.5ba townhome for $220k ($1100/mo mortgage plus HOA dues). We're not in a great part if town, but definitely not the worst. In King County, where Seattle is, *starting* home costs average $425k+ (think tiny, shithole homes), thank you Amazon, Microsoft and Boeing.
We bought our house in Seattle in a (very brief) lull in the market three years ago. We ended up getting a 1920s Tudor with three bedrooms and 1 1/2 bath for the low, low price of $525,000. The taxed value has gone up $150,000 in the three years we've lived here, so I guess it's a decent investment. We thought about getting a house with another bedroom and/or bathroom, but we live in a really good school district and can't afford anything bigger in this district. Most of my family lives in Wisconsin and they think we were insane to pay so much for a house, but like @piperella said, incomes are higher here. Plus, before we moved here, we were living in New York, so this house doesn't seem so expensive (compared to a tiny one-bedroom condo on the Upper East Side).
$525k?! Holy socks!
Mukilteo School District is pretty good, too. Originally, I wanted to live closer to my parents in Federal Way but King County is way too expensive for us and DH works in Kirkland. Shitty commute but oh well.
All my dad's family is from the San Jose (CA) area and laugh when we complain about housing costs, lol.
I couldn't be more obsessed with DH right now... he just bought me a prenatal massage at a super wonderful resort while we're away for our babymoon in a couple of weeks. I realize our money is all the same, but to have him hear me griping about my achy back and do something about it
I just spent WAY too much money on OPI polish. Sometimes I wish it wasn't so cheap for professionals. I'd be a lot richer and have way more space in my bathroom. Lol
I'm in east TX (about 100 miles southeast of Dallas) and we pay $1250 for a 3 bed/2 bath with a shop. The same house in Dallas would easily be $5000 a month.
All my randoms today are food related:
I took cottage cheese to work today & just found it in my bag. Oops.
All day I've been craving boiled red potatoes with butter (so random)! DH doesn't care for those though so I roasted potatoes instead & then he ended up not eating them & now I'm bitter.
I was was cleaning out my freezer & spotted a piece of leftover wedding cake from almost 2 years ago. Just thawed out that bitch & devoured it!! My H told be it looked disgusting and wouldn't touch it, but it was actually amazing! A little dry on the outside but fantastic & delicious in the middle.
Hopefully some of the etiquette experts will see this and chime in because my mother and I were debating proper etiquette on wedding invitations. Here's what happened:
We both just received our invitations to my cousin's wedding in September. There was an inner envelope, but it was left blank. At the bottom of the invitation, after the location and everything, it says "No children please." My mom rolled her eyes and said "Wow."
Now when I got married, I didn't want children at my wedding either. My venue only sat 100 and MANY people would have had to been cut if children had been included. However, I was taught that the purpose of the inner envelope was to explicitly state who in the household is invited. So the outer envelope would say "Mr & Mrs Smith" and the inner would say "Christine & Josh" which would imply that my husband and I are invited, not our son.
But is the way my cousin did it considered rude? My mother was saying that the way I did it simply implies that only the couple is invited, whereas the way my cousin did it implies that our child isn't welcome.
It doesn't really matter to me since 1) my family's manners are atrocious and 2) I can't go anyway. I was just curious what you all thought since we've had numerous heated debates about etiquette around here....
@krzyriver I don't know what etiquette dictates in this situation but I have no problem with the way your cousin did it. We did it the traditional way where the envelope was addressed to the invitee and we still had numerous people calling asking about their kids and even had a few people just show up with dates who were not given a +1. The way your cousin did it, there is no confusion. I'm all for it.
Me: 32 & DH: 37
Married: November 2014
TTC #1 Since: October 2015
BFP #1: 11/18/15 - CP BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16 IT'S A BOY!!!! DS Born 10/16/16
After looking at my HDBD, I am really wanting a nose job. It has been broken 4 times and looks crooked as shit from my left side profile but not my right =(
@krzyriver Yeah you and your mom are both correct. The whole point of the inner envelope is to specifically indicate who all is invited. We didn't have children at our wedding and didn't have an issue. There was one couple who RSVPed for 4 people (their two kids) so I just called and said, "Oh I'm so glad y'all can come but unfortunately we can accommodate Johnny and Sally.' If they would have said they couldn't come without them, then oh well.
Re: Weekly Randoms 07.04.2016
Me: 32 & DH: 37
BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16
IT'S A BOY!!!!
DS Born 10/16/16
Me: 32 & DH: 37
BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16
IT'S A BOY!!!!
DS Born 10/16/16
Oh well, time will tell! I hate that we pay so high for rent.... but for now, I'll just try and focus on the positives: 5 minute commute to work, and 10 minute commute to the beach.
Side note- have you eaten at Victoria's Gatropub? If not, you need to. It's delicious!
Me: 32 & DH: 37
BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16
IT'S A BOY!!!!
DS Born 10/16/16
Me: 32 & DH: 37
BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16
IT'S A BOY!!!!
DS Born 10/16/16
Me: 32 & DH: 37
BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16
IT'S A BOY!!!!
DS Born 10/16/16
Speaking of concerts, I see Paul McCartney in FOUR DAYS and I am having trouble concentrating at work.
Me: 32 & DH: 37
BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16
IT'S A BOY!!!!
DS Born 10/16/16
https://gma.yahoo.com/seattle-preschool-nursing-home-transforms-elderly-residents-201932520--abc-news-parenting.html#
We bought our house in Seattle in a (very brief) lull in the market three years ago. We ended up getting a 1920s Tudor with three bedrooms and 1 1/2 bath for the low, low price of $525,000. The taxed value has gone up $150,000 in the three years we've lived here, so I guess it's a decent investment. We thought about getting a house with another bedroom and/or bathroom, but we live in a really good school district and can't afford anything bigger in this district. Most of my family lives in Wisconsin and they think we were insane to pay so much for a house, but like @piperella said, incomes are higher here. Plus, before we moved here, we were living in New York, so this house doesn't seem so expensive (compared to a tiny one-bedroom condo on the Upper East Side).
BFP #1: 7/15/15, SB: 11/14/15
Rainbow baby DS born 9/29/16!!
BFP #3 3/26/18 | Due 12/3/18
Edit because apparently my feelz affect my spellz.
@UponAStar16 FI has made multiple comments about thinking I'm plotting to murder him and cover it up haha
Mukilteo School District is pretty good, too. Originally, I wanted to live closer to my parents in Federal Way but King County is way too expensive for us and DH works in Kirkland. Shitty commute but oh well.
All my dad's family is from the San Jose (CA) area and laugh when we complain about housing costs, lol.
All my randoms today are food related:
I took cottage cheese to work today & just found it in my bag. Oops.
All day I've been craving boiled red potatoes with butter (so random)! DH doesn't care for those though so I roasted potatoes instead & then he ended up not eating them & now I'm bitter.
I was was cleaning out my freezer & spotted a piece of leftover wedding cake from almost 2 years ago. Just thawed out that bitch & devoured it!! My H told be it looked disgusting and wouldn't touch it, but it was actually amazing! A little dry on the outside but fantastic & delicious in the middle.
Need to get my hands on the Amazon freebies for when you sign up for their registry.
We both just received our invitations to my cousin's wedding in September. There was an inner envelope, but it was left blank. At the bottom of the invitation, after the location and everything, it says "No children please." My mom rolled her eyes and said "Wow."
Now when I got married, I didn't want children at my wedding either. My venue only sat 100 and MANY people would have had to been cut if children had been included. However, I was taught that the purpose of the inner envelope was to explicitly state who in the household is invited. So the outer envelope would say "Mr & Mrs Smith" and the inner would say "Christine & Josh" which would imply that my husband and I are invited, not our son.
But is the way my cousin did it considered rude? My mother was saying that the way I did it simply implies that only the couple is invited, whereas the way my cousin did it implies that our child isn't welcome.
It doesn't really matter to me since 1) my family's manners are atrocious and 2) I can't go anyway. I was just curious what you all thought since we've had numerous heated debates about etiquette around here....
Me: 32 & DH: 37
BFP #2: 2/8/16 - EDD 10/20/16
IT'S A BOY!!!!
DS Born 10/16/16
Dating: 10/3/08 | Married: 12/27/14
TTC #1: August 2015 | BFP: 2/3/16 | EDD: 10/7/16
DD: 10/5/16
TTC #2: September 2017 | BFP: 4/28/18 | EDD: 1/7/19
DS: 1/9/19