over baked

Just when I thought we can finally settle down and save money now that the wedding is over, boy, was I wrong.We were so excited now that we have  no more wedding stuff to pay for, and we are start anew with no credit card debts ( I've been carrying a balance for 4 years, well get into that on a later date). We bought a bed from Ikea for a little under $500, it has four drawers for storage, so we thought it was worth the money. It felt sturdy so we expect it to last. The next thing to buy is a mattress to go with it. However, were going sleep on old mattress a little long, because this happened.

Yup!  The oven is broken. It's a free standing range; I can still use the stove top. 

If you're wondering, yes, it's covered with foil. It's a little hack, if you will. I'm just too lazy to clean it everyday. This way, I can skip the cleaning to every week or two. I had the control panel covered, too. But, when I turn the oven on, it gets too hot and it burns off the clear cover (Saran wrap), that's why it has stains. A bit embarrassing to show. 

I actually have another blog for my baking and cooking, I guess that'll go on hold.
I've never really shopped for an oven before. So, I'm not sure what to look for.  I'm going with my guts and users review and is thinking about this Whirlpool 30 in. Freestanding Gas Range w/ AccuBake® Management System - Metallic. It's on sale at Sears for $630 and the review are great.

It's also black so the stains won't be that apparent, not that I'm going to let it stain. This is going to be the second major purchase we bought together. The first was the bed. Living in my parents house, I never had ot paid for anything like this. Even the T.V. in our room was a gift from my dad. I guess this is the responsibility comes with being a grown up.

Money buster, but totally worth it

I know when you plan to save money you should cut out the unnecessary things like eating out, don't buy things you don't need. But this weekend, we got something that I wasn't planning on getting until my future kids are toddlers. When my husband mentioned that he missed having a dog,  I couldn't stop looking for it and guess what? this weekend we bring home this little buster.

I found him on Craigslist, the owner gave him to us for $20 bucks. He's already 3 months old, and has not visit the vet. Therefore, no shots and is not neutered. He's going to cost us $350 just for the shots and neutering. His ongoing cost is going to lower our saving abilities, but we love him already, so it's worth it. 

He's adorable. He's still trying to get use to his new surroundings and family members. 

On another note. I've moved some money around, my current balance on my emergency account is $1100. :) 

let's begin

I've been married for a little over a month now, and my husband and I have been together for about 9 years. We're 28 and 29. He'll be 30 this month. Although, we've dated for a long time, we never really set our finances together. We opened a joined account with his credit union but found it to be very inconvenient, as credit unions are very much restricted with ATM access and I don't want to carry another bank card in my wallet. I initially thought their interest rates on savings would be higher, but it's no better than a regular bank.

The reason I want to start a blog is to document the progress of the goals we have for ourselves. I've try various ways to save money, extreme couponing, strict budgeting, and even growing a home garden to offset food costs.

Coupons are great, but it must be used with caution. Every rookie gets carried away in the beginning and  ends up with boxes and boxes of pastas and enough shampoo to last 5 years. My brother has this saying "going broke trying to save money."

I tried limiting my spending by putting a dollar limit to everything like, groceries, eating out and clothing. I sometimes feel deprived when I see that I've already used up our eating out budget at the beginning of the month. I do realize I'm very blessed. I have a stable job, a place to live with cheap rent (living at home, thanks Mom and Dad).

I try to live a healthy lifestyle.  But fresh fruits and vegetable is very expensive. An 8oz of cherry tomatoes for my bruschetta is $2.  So what do I do? I watch videos posted by people who grow their own vegetables to save money. I never thought I'd be one to garden, I can't stand dirt and seeing an earth worm will send me running.  I start small and grew a container garden instead, no worms! I had so much tomatoes. I didn't have to buy it from the stores for 2 months during the summer :)

Here are some of our major financial goals, all of which we're starting from $0:

Emergency fund:$10k, that's $5k each
house down payment in the next 3-5 years:  $60k
baby:$10k savings before having a baby.
personal loan: $26,500 from when I purchase a home this year