Ah! March was such a hectic, anxiety-inducing month that I pretty much lost all motivation to keep the blog updated.

The first two weeks of March were actually fine. I even started writing my recap of my first 5K, the training I did, and my future running goals but didn’t end up finishing it when things went crazy all of a sudden. I might still post that but a lot has changed since.

I was hit with major hives of unknown origin all over my entire body lasting over a week(!), stomach flu, and Covid scare on the health side. All these things happening after I turned the big 3-0 didn’t make me feel any better about entering my 30s.

The bad luck continued as I was hit with a flat tire which was made more complicated when I found out my tire was in backorder and I had to search around to even find a compatible replacement. 

It didn’t help that apparently I had planned all my annual doctor’s appointments (dentist, annual physical, etc) all in the same month. I also went on some pre-planned weekend trips to hike and to explore the city which were fun but definitely contributed to the feeling that I didn’t have any “down” time. 

Home Updates

In the midst of a busy month, the biggest news of all hit! I received my closing date! After endless delays on the closing date (first it was the end of 2021, then early Spring 2022, then Summer 2022), I was honestly expecting Fall of 2022. But surprise, surprise Spring 2022 it is! I will be closing in a month!

So of course, I had to get busy shopping for interest rate quotes which as we know has risen quite considerably since last year.

My home sales associate is also not the best. Let’s put it that way. She’s not the most responsive so I’m constantly having to follow up.

I know that compared to other builders in my community for similarly styled homes, my builder offers the cheapest pricing. And I believe it’s also reflected in the work. 

I have noticed defects and have had to continually follow up to get those fixed as I do not trust them nor whatever quality control “assessment” they do internally.

I currently live in a home that was built by the same builder and already had two water damages in the last 5 years I lived there and I’ve noticed minor defects around the home although the home is less than 10 years old. So now I’m being extra diligent to note any defects in the building process.

I know I’m only going to get busier as I start looking for home insurance and internet services and selecting/ordering appliances. I have absolutely no motivation to even do any furniture shopping.

It’s sad to say but the idea just doesn’t sound as exciting anymore. Owning my own home has been such a dream for so long that I don’t think reality could ever match my expectation.

March Budget

Fixed Spending

My parents and I agreed that I would postpone any monthly payments to them while I am in the midst of the home-buying process. I will instead continue to save up and resume payments once the home-buying process is complete.

Other than that, my cell phone bill and Netflix make up the rest of my fixed spending.

Variable Spending

Gas – Surprisingly under budget considering the rising gas prices. I guess the sickness really took me out for a couple of weeks.

Entertainment/dining out – Over budget. I ate well this month 🙂

Groceries – Under budget because I kept eating out.

Shopping – Under budget. Just picked up some home goods.

Miscellaneous

Tire Replacement – Ugh, can’t believe my bad luck. Luckily they were able to apply the remainder of my warranty so I got back around $80.

Savings

I am done with front-loading my 401k! Right now I am on par to max my 401k with only contributing the minimum to get the full company max until the end of the year. I’m quite enjoying the extra take home pay and just keeping it in my checking account for now as a buffer for home costs.

Student Debt

Student debt paid this month: $880.77

Student debt remaining: $34,149.42

Business as usual on the student debt side. Just continuing with my minimum payments to my private loan. I’m also continuing to take advantage of the COVID-19 forbearance. Looks like the forbearance has been extended yet again until the end of August so no payments to my federal loan until then.

My goal is still to pay this off prior to the end of forbearance to finally get rid of my Nelnet loan once and for all!

Took a screenshot of my Debt Progress page progress bar and it looks like I’m finally 80% done with my student loans!

Net Worth Update

I’ll be completely honest. I almost wanted to skip this month’s recap except I really wanted to do a net worth update as this will be (fingers crossed) the last month that my net worth will be free of home-ownership influence.

2022 1st Quarter Net Worth: $238,171

Year-to-Date Change: +$36,809

It’ll be nice to hit $250k before I close on the home to get to that even landmark of a quarter of a mil (I can’t believe I’m writing that!) but overall I’m really happy considering the market downturn we’re currently in.

I’m thinking that big spike in March came from a combination of my yearly bonus finally hitting my paycheck and some kind of glitch in Personal Capital where it finally updated some of my accounts after a few weeks of not logging on.

Now to the bad news. I won’t sugarcoat it. My cost of living will actually go up as a homeowner. It’s the price I’ll pay for wanting to own my home. 

Hopefully owning real estate will be an investment in the future. But comparing my current rent of $500 (what I should be paying but have actually been paying $0 while I’m in the home-buying process), the cost of renting is far below what I’d be paying as a homeowner (monthly mortgage, HOA, property tax, home insurance, etc).

Of course, my $500 rent would never have been sustainable anyways considering I’m 30 and can’t keep living with my parents.

I know with my increased monthly spending that I won’t be able to invest as much money in the market as I had in the past but I’m hoping that my strategy of bulking up my investments the past few years will carry me through the next years of lower investment.

I’m hoping that my invested money will now work for me.

Goals for Next Month

Personally, I’m hoping that I can sleep better next month as I’ve been very anxious lately which is reflected in my sleep.

I also hope I can pick up running again (spoiler: I also got a little injured while running this month to add to my bad luck).

Last and most importantly, I’m hoping that closing goes well! Here’s to expecting the worst but hoping for the best!