2011 is turning out to be a busy year for us! We are both extremely busy at work which is a good thing, but it makes us look forward to the weekends when we can spend more time together. We are determined more than ever to save money. Last night I went to my first coupon swap. I enjoyed talking to other people about how to save money by using coupons. After just over an hour of sorting through coupons, I went home with at least 50 coupons! It is my goal to spend less than $100 on groceries every 2 weeks, it will be difficult but using coupons will help. It would be amazing if we spent only $200 a month on groceries. It's a goal that is reached every month for extreme couponers. Believe it or not there are women that save lots of money on their groceries by using coupons on items that are on sale.
We are both enjoying our hobbies more than ever! We finally have a plan for our hobby room now we just need to put our plan into action so we can finally use our designated hobby room. Last weekend I just sat in our hobby room and looked through my scrapbooks. I really enjoyed looking through all my memories - college days, dating Nick, trips taken with family, and holidays celebrated with family. Last weekend I was able to scrapbook 6 pages in 2 days! Normally I'm happy if I get 2 pages done in 1 weekend so I was really pleased with my motivation and creativity to get that much done! Nick is enjoying his new helicopter. I gave him a helicopter for his birthday. It was on sale and I just couldn't pass it up, considering how expensive remote controlled helicopters are. It's an indoor helicopter and other than Nick hitting the wall with it, it's really cool.
We have reserved a cabin in Pigeon Forge to celebrate our 1 year anniversary! We are really excited about getting a few days away from our busy lives to enjoy time together in the mountains. The cabin we are renting has lots of enmities so we will likely spend most our time in the cabin enjoying the view. I am planning on going to the 2 scrapbook stores in Pigeon Forge to see if I can find some goodies! We are really amazed at how quickly our first year has gone by. Our anniversary is less than 2 months away, time has gone by so fast! When we got married I didn't believe there was anything new I would learn about Nick, now I can say it's really true when married people say, "you'll learn so much about each other, you'll never stop learning how to love each other." It sounds funny and unbelievable when people say that when you're engaged, but now speaking from experience that statement really is true. I haven't learned anything huge or life altering about Nick, but I've learned little things about him that help me love him. I thought I appreciated Nick's love for me when we got married, but now I appreciate it more. I can honestly say without a doubt that God made Nick for me to share my life with. There are constant ways that God affirms this for me. Mainly it's the fact that I am obnoxious, I cling to his side, and I ask annoying questions daily, like "what do you love about me?, what are you thinking about?" Never once has Nick yelled at me to go away or to stop asking questions nor has he ever called me names to get me to leave him alone. I think it's just amazing to watch him not just put up with me but to love me despite my strange personality. Don't get me wrong, I love who I am, but I realize not everyone does though.
Now that I've rambled on and on about my thoughts, I'll end this post by saying God's plan is perfect, never doubt it!
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Goodbye 2010! Hello New Year!
2010 was a big year for us. A lot happened in our life in 2010. In January 2010, I was added to Nick's cell phone plan. I had my bridal portraits done while it was snowing outside. Between January and February 2010 I had 3 wedding showers - lots of gifts and fun times with family and friends. On March 20th, 2010 we got married! We went to Jamaica on our honeymoon. It was the first time we flew together and the first time we used our passports; before that neither one of us had been out of the country - well I had been to Puerto Rico and Canada before Jamaica but I didn't have to use a passport. On April 1st we started the hunt for our house. We went to Nags Head for the first time a month into our marriage for our best man's wedding. We put in an offer on a house on April 22nd, offer was accepted and we were under contract. Walked away from the house and backed out of the contract. Less than 2 days later we put in an offer on a different house. Closed on our house on June 18th. Moved into our house the day before our 3 month wedding anniversary. Spent 6 weeks painting and making improvements on our house. Had my 25th birthday in July. We had the AC stop working in the upstairs two days before our housewarming party. We had it fixed that following Monday and the repair was covered under our home warranty. Had a housewarming party on August 14th. Got lots of gifts from friends and family to help us around the house. Nick's company announced that there were closing the RTP location and our comfortable world turned upside down. I started babysitting as a second job to make us feel more secured if Nick spent months on the job market. Thankfully, after 5 weeks of Nick searching for a new job, he accepted his current job on September 24th. Had a car accident on the way to work on September 27th. Car was deemed a total lost so we started our search for a newer vehicle. Spent 2 weeks car searching and finally got a 2006 Highlander on October 13th. Found out our neighborhood and house would be wiped out if the turnpike authority decided on an alternate route for 540. We along with 2,000 other people sent in their comments against the route that would wipe out our house and neighborhood so the turnpike authority announced in October that because of all the negative feedback, they decided not to put 540 in over our neighborhood so our house is safe for at least 3 years. Started having itchy skin problems in October lasted for 6 weeks with no relief. After 6 weeks of frustration, restless nights, and lots of crying, went to the doctor and was diagnosed with having a staph infection. Took antibiotics for 2 weeks and felt better. In November, discovered the propane tank in our backyard heats the downstairs so we had to go 2 days without heat before the propane tank was filled. Went through 125 gallons of propane in 3 weeks, talked to the propane company, had a leak test done, discovered there's a leak, leak was fixed by tightening nozzle, had to order more propane = more money. Had propane delivered just in time for Christmas and snow.
We had a great Christmas! We exchanged gifts the morning of Christmas Eve then had my parents, my brother, my in-laws, and Nick's sister over to our house for dinner and to exchange presents. We got a lot of nice things from our parents. Nick got 3 Wii games, 3 NC State t-shirts, R/C airplane stuff, Jeremy Camp CD, batteries, and a NC State bell tower ornament. I got 3 sets of hand towels for our bathroom, kitchen towels, 4 bottles of kitchen soap from Bath and Body Works, 6 Yankee candles, penguin travel mug, thank you cards, scrapbooking stickers, monogrammed T stationary, and candy. The best gift of all was from Nick's mom to us. She gave us an ornament that's 2 penguins with a street sign between them and she wrote our address on it and put "The Turners 2010" on it. I love it! I was super surprised when I saw what it was. It is my favorite ornament! I love personalized ornaments, they're so special. On Christmas Day we had my mom's side of the family over to our house for lunch and to exchange presents. We got even more stuff on Christmas Day! Nick got a remote controlled car and some tools. I got 3 flags for the outside of our house and some candy.
We experienced a lot of life changing events in 2010. The year was filled with making big decisions. It's been a rewarding year, we've grown in our marriage because of what God has accomplished in our lives and all we went through with His guidance. This year made us grateful for family and friends. Our family helped us move into our house, they gave us many useful gifts that have helped us as homeowners, they have worked in our yard with us, and they have encouraged us during stressful times, and they have supported us in many other countless ways. Our friends celebrated with us when we closed on our house, they helped us move, they prayed for us during times of stress and uncertainty, they laughed when we shared our adventures in marriage (still learning, we'll always be learning throughout our marriage) and they encouraged us during our search for a new church family. We're not sure what 2011 will bring. We know that our plans are not always God's plans which is good because God's plans are perfect! Happy New Year everyone!
We had a great Christmas! We exchanged gifts the morning of Christmas Eve then had my parents, my brother, my in-laws, and Nick's sister over to our house for dinner and to exchange presents. We got a lot of nice things from our parents. Nick got 3 Wii games, 3 NC State t-shirts, R/C airplane stuff, Jeremy Camp CD, batteries, and a NC State bell tower ornament. I got 3 sets of hand towels for our bathroom, kitchen towels, 4 bottles of kitchen soap from Bath and Body Works, 6 Yankee candles, penguin travel mug, thank you cards, scrapbooking stickers, monogrammed T stationary, and candy. The best gift of all was from Nick's mom to us. She gave us an ornament that's 2 penguins with a street sign between them and she wrote our address on it and put "The Turners 2010" on it. I love it! I was super surprised when I saw what it was. It is my favorite ornament! I love personalized ornaments, they're so special. On Christmas Day we had my mom's side of the family over to our house for lunch and to exchange presents. We got even more stuff on Christmas Day! Nick got a remote controlled car and some tools. I got 3 flags for the outside of our house and some candy.
We experienced a lot of life changing events in 2010. The year was filled with making big decisions. It's been a rewarding year, we've grown in our marriage because of what God has accomplished in our lives and all we went through with His guidance. This year made us grateful for family and friends. Our family helped us move into our house, they gave us many useful gifts that have helped us as homeowners, they have worked in our yard with us, and they have encouraged us during stressful times, and they have supported us in many other countless ways. Our friends celebrated with us when we closed on our house, they helped us move, they prayed for us during times of stress and uncertainty, they laughed when we shared our adventures in marriage (still learning, we'll always be learning throughout our marriage) and they encouraged us during our search for a new church family. We're not sure what 2011 will bring. We know that our plans are not always God's plans which is good because God's plans are perfect! Happy New Year everyone!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Full of Thanks
Here's a run down of the last 6 weeks. Ready? Here we go! Extremely itchy skin started around October 15th. We thought the cause of my skin itching was eczema. I was diagnosed with eczema around age 3. I did research on eczema. Found out that eczema can flair up if you are stressed or experience changes in temperature. Wrecking my car at the end of September and then going through the car buying process...stressful. I was so stressed out during our car search that many nights I stayed awake asking thousands of questions in my head. And the weather was changing so eczema being the cause of my itchy skin made the most logical sense. I started using Dermasil in an attempt to relieve the itchiness. I went through the entire 10 ounces of Dermasil in a matter of 1 week only to still be itchy! Decided to switch to Eurcerin. Used Eurcerin day and night, still itchy. Finally went to the doctor the day before Thanksgiving. They said I have a staph infection and extreme eczema. They prescribed me 3 creams and 1 antibiotic to take. Wasn't thrilled with the diagnosis, but after 3 days of using the medicines I'm feeling better and looking lots better. Not sure where the staph infection was picked up, but I suspect it was from one of the families I babysit for since I've seen similar bumps on the kids.
While all that was happening we experienced what happens when the propane tank for the gas pack runs dry. Fortunately it was only 2 nights of no heat downstairs.
Thanksgiving morning was rough, didn't get much sleep due to itchiness. But to my dismay Nick convinced me to get up so we could go to his parents' for lunch. I'm glad I did. The food was good and I enjoyed seeing Nick happy that his dad helped him fix the gas trimmer and being able to fly the plane I gave him as a wedding gift. The best part of the trip was listening to our new Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas CD. Nick really enjoyed it, especially the songs he remembered from the tape he had as a kid. I also really enjoying talking to my mother-in-law.
Today we slept in and lounged around. Nick did some painting inside the house, then we did some of the Christmas decorating. Nick mulched the leaves in the front yard so we'll have more time on the weekend to find our Christmas tree and put it up. That's going to be an adventure, picking out our first Christmas tree! We're looking forward to the smell of a fresh pine tree in the house.
We've also found a church we want to visit more. We've been to Piney Grove Baptist Church in Fuquay Varina twice now. Come to find out Nick had classes in college with a guy there, so we've learned more about the church through this connection. Our first Sunday there the pastor preached about Christian marriage. They also had a marriage retreat earlier in the month, and starting in January on Sunday nights they're doing small group Bible Studies, one groups is for married couples. So it's encouraging to hear a church that has a ministry that helps grow marriages, that is so rare to find. For effective evangelism, it's important for a church to focus on its members, nurturing relationships within the church, and disciplining one another. We hope to find a church that has that mindset.
Well, that's about it for now.
While all that was happening we experienced what happens when the propane tank for the gas pack runs dry. Fortunately it was only 2 nights of no heat downstairs.
Thanksgiving morning was rough, didn't get much sleep due to itchiness. But to my dismay Nick convinced me to get up so we could go to his parents' for lunch. I'm glad I did. The food was good and I enjoyed seeing Nick happy that his dad helped him fix the gas trimmer and being able to fly the plane I gave him as a wedding gift. The best part of the trip was listening to our new Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas CD. Nick really enjoyed it, especially the songs he remembered from the tape he had as a kid. I also really enjoying talking to my mother-in-law.
Today we slept in and lounged around. Nick did some painting inside the house, then we did some of the Christmas decorating. Nick mulched the leaves in the front yard so we'll have more time on the weekend to find our Christmas tree and put it up. That's going to be an adventure, picking out our first Christmas tree! We're looking forward to the smell of a fresh pine tree in the house.
We've also found a church we want to visit more. We've been to Piney Grove Baptist Church in Fuquay Varina twice now. Come to find out Nick had classes in college with a guy there, so we've learned more about the church through this connection. Our first Sunday there the pastor preached about Christian marriage. They also had a marriage retreat earlier in the month, and starting in January on Sunday nights they're doing small group Bible Studies, one groups is for married couples. So it's encouraging to hear a church that has a ministry that helps grow marriages, that is so rare to find. For effective evangelism, it's important for a church to focus on its members, nurturing relationships within the church, and disciplining one another. We hope to find a church that has that mindset.
Well, that's about it for now.
Monday, November 01, 2010
Getting Away from the World's View of Christmas
Halloween came and went. Can't believe it's already November. We didn't have a single trick-or-treater come to our house. We bought 3 bags of candy for the occasion and now we are stuck eating all of it by ourselves, it will be hard, but we're up for the task. I think eating a piece of chocolate for lunch and dinner over the next few days will ensure all the candy gets eaten before the holidays. Speaking of the holidays, I am really excited about Christmas. I get excited about Christmas every year, but this year is different. Not only will it be our first married Christmas, but it will also be our first Christmas in our house! Trust me when I say we are already looking for "first Christmas together" and "our first house" ornaments to mark the occasion. I am looking forward to Christmas morning that feeling of being with the one you love. We are not planning on getting each other much for Christmas, we have already set our price limit and most people would probably disagree with our low price limit. We are not big on giving gifts, in fact, I would rather not get anything for Christmas. This year has been a whirlwind of celebrations for us and with those celebrations we have received lots of gifts from friends and family members. I probably couldn't tell you who gave us what as wedding gifts or housewarming gifts, but I can tell you that with every gift we became more humble and aware of the fact that there are thousands of people in the world that don't receive gifts, not on their birthday, wedding day, and not even on Christmas. We live in a world that is obsessed with consumption and materialism. Just take a glimpse on social network sites and it's easy to find out what someone had for breakfast, what someone wants for Christmas, how they love their new iPhone, or how they can't wait to fill their house with Christmas decorations. What would happen if all of our material processions were striped away from us? Would we know how to just be with friends and family? What happened to the old days when just sitting around and talking with people was enough? I don't have all the answers to these questions. Just something for us all to ponder. How will you spend your Christmas? We will celebrate Christmas by reflecting on all that God has given us. God has given us unconditional love and forgiveness of sins. God made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could know what true love and grace is.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Being Negative
Hey Ya'll!
It's been on my heart the past 24-36 hours to write a post about being real, being Christian.
Mel and I have learned a lot in the past 3 years about Christianity, well let me rephrase that. Churchism or Churchology
What do I mean? I mean we've learned how churches and groups within churches behave and think. Essentially the stereotype of churches and church groups has been verified and shown to us.
Where do I start? Well, I'll go back to about 3 years ago when the Recession started to hit the church we were attending. I was on the Missions and Evangelism Council as the Technology person for the purpose of helping gear the website to my generation as an outreach. I was invited to 2 council meetings, after the second one I was never invited back. Why? Because I spoke up in opposition, well I wasn't afraid to say what everyone was thinking. Who else truly agreed with cutting our budget by 25%-50% while giving all paid staff a 4% raise? (We're talking 15-20 salaries!!!!!)
During Sunday School sessions we would openly disagree with people, with an understanding of it being okay to agree to disagree. We would even be real with many answers we gave concerning the Church's perception to the world, worldly views on Christian matters, etc... And the more we were real, the more ostracized we became.
Is compromising your opinions, beliefs, or personality worth having more friends? For us, the answer is simple, no. We stand by our beliefs and opinions and we are proud of who God has made us to be so no, we will not change ourselves to have more friends. We do not look for acceptance from people, we look for acceptance and love from God. The only motive, the right motive, for us to change will be from God. No person, Christian or non-Christian can make us change our beliefs, opinions, or personality.
Recently we told our old Sunday School class we were going to be looking for a new church, one closer to our house, but we thought we still had friends there. I expected to stop getting communications about events and invitations. Sure enough, it happened immediately, but yet the class still said they were inviting and wanted people outside their group to go to events......... hrmmmmmmm we haven't transferred membership yet, so technically we're still members. So explain that one to me....
Well, the straw that broke the camel's back happened extremely recently. I won't go into details but it was quite interesting hearing how one person could invite their outside friends to events, but when we wanted to and did it was a shock that someone was inviting "outsiders". Double standard there if you ask me.
I'm ranting now, but all this has confirmed to me that church and church groups like it when everyone just blindly nods their heads and agree. Nobody understands/knows how to handle real people. Real people who say what the mean, mean what they say, tell the truth (even the ugly truth). It's one thing to be a Christian, hope in the Lord, and believe every Christian thinks and acts like you. It's another to be a Christian, hope in the Lord, and be real in knowing you're unique and it's okay to disagree.
What type of Christian are you? Real or stereotype? Sure it's easy to say real, but seriously study yourself, do you expect all Christians to behave like you, think like you, agree with you?
Anyways, so I'm not writing a completely "negative" post I'll leave with some good news.
Ever since middle school I've had a desire to use my R/C hobby to the benefit of God's Kingdom. I've always wondered if a Christian group existed within the R/C world. Well, last week I accidentally discovered such a group does exist! After reading their website (http://www.fcmodelers.com/fcmindex.htm) I joined. I got my member package yesterday and am stoked! We lead devotions at R/C events, offer prayer while at events, and have a huge email list for prayer requests. Even though the membership is free and I got a great T-shirt for free, I just feel and know this is going to be a great group. This completely confirms what I taught my RAs at church, we are missionaries at home doing what we like to do.
Well, this is a huge post and probably makes no sense at all.
Hasta Luego,
NT
It's been on my heart the past 24-36 hours to write a post about being real, being Christian.
Mel and I have learned a lot in the past 3 years about Christianity, well let me rephrase that. Churchism or Churchology
What do I mean? I mean we've learned how churches and groups within churches behave and think. Essentially the stereotype of churches and church groups has been verified and shown to us.
Where do I start? Well, I'll go back to about 3 years ago when the Recession started to hit the church we were attending. I was on the Missions and Evangelism Council as the Technology person for the purpose of helping gear the website to my generation as an outreach. I was invited to 2 council meetings, after the second one I was never invited back. Why? Because I spoke up in opposition, well I wasn't afraid to say what everyone was thinking. Who else truly agreed with cutting our budget by 25%-50% while giving all paid staff a 4% raise? (We're talking 15-20 salaries!!!!!)
During Sunday School sessions we would openly disagree with people, with an understanding of it being okay to agree to disagree. We would even be real with many answers we gave concerning the Church's perception to the world, worldly views on Christian matters, etc... And the more we were real, the more ostracized we became.
Is compromising your opinions, beliefs, or personality worth having more friends? For us, the answer is simple, no. We stand by our beliefs and opinions and we are proud of who God has made us to be so no, we will not change ourselves to have more friends. We do not look for acceptance from people, we look for acceptance and love from God. The only motive, the right motive, for us to change will be from God. No person, Christian or non-Christian can make us change our beliefs, opinions, or personality.
Recently we told our old Sunday School class we were going to be looking for a new church, one closer to our house, but we thought we still had friends there. I expected to stop getting communications about events and invitations. Sure enough, it happened immediately, but yet the class still said they were inviting and wanted people outside their group to go to events......... hrmmmmmmm we haven't transferred membership yet, so technically we're still members. So explain that one to me....
Well, the straw that broke the camel's back happened extremely recently. I won't go into details but it was quite interesting hearing how one person could invite their outside friends to events, but when we wanted to and did it was a shock that someone was inviting "outsiders". Double standard there if you ask me.
I'm ranting now, but all this has confirmed to me that church and church groups like it when everyone just blindly nods their heads and agree. Nobody understands/knows how to handle real people. Real people who say what the mean, mean what they say, tell the truth (even the ugly truth). It's one thing to be a Christian, hope in the Lord, and believe every Christian thinks and acts like you. It's another to be a Christian, hope in the Lord, and be real in knowing you're unique and it's okay to disagree.
What type of Christian are you? Real or stereotype? Sure it's easy to say real, but seriously study yourself, do you expect all Christians to behave like you, think like you, agree with you?
Anyways, so I'm not writing a completely "negative" post I'll leave with some good news.
Ever since middle school I've had a desire to use my R/C hobby to the benefit of God's Kingdom. I've always wondered if a Christian group existed within the R/C world. Well, last week I accidentally discovered such a group does exist! After reading their website (http://www.fcmodelers.com/fcmindex.htm) I joined. I got my member package yesterday and am stoked! We lead devotions at R/C events, offer prayer while at events, and have a huge email list for prayer requests. Even though the membership is free and I got a great T-shirt for free, I just feel and know this is going to be a great group. This completely confirms what I taught my RAs at church, we are missionaries at home doing what we like to do.
Well, this is a huge post and probably makes no sense at all.
Hasta Luego,
NT
Monday, October 18, 2010
Fighting to Save our Dream Home
So I'm being told it's been a long time since I put an entry in the blog. So I need to type something. This is my something.....
Well, honestly I don't have too much to talk about that Melanie hasn't mentioned already. Last week I was off between jobs, but it wasn't as productive as I had hoped it would be. Spending 3 days dealing with the car search and finalizing the papers with the insurance company contributed to the lack of productivity.
Perhaps the most significant update is that we may be at risk of losing our house, our dream house. We found out via a nice, caring neighbor that the NC Turnpike Authority is considering at least 2 new alternatives to the I-540 Southern Expressway. Apparently the original route (orange route) that has been protected for about 20 years is no longer sufficient for the Turnpike Authority. Last week they informed the public that they are considering two new alternatives (blue and purple routes) that take 540 further south. After studying the maps and the paper work, if the blue route is chosen we'd lose our house and the entire neighborhood we live in would be demolished.
Let me explain a little bit more. At this point the NC Turnpike Authority is informing the public of their intent to choose one of the two new alternative routes to study further and compare it to the original route's impact. The decision will be made in November. So during this time the NC Turnpike is asking for our feedback as to which route will be the best route. They'll read every comment and then make the decision. After the decision of which route to study is made, they'll study the impact of putting the road in, but won't make a decision about construction until 2013 with starting construction in 2013.
Needless to say, we were very pissed off because these routes were not posted anywhere until the last week or two so we couldn't have known when we bought the house.
Please, join our fight by submitting your feedback. Visit http://www.ncturnpike.org/projects/southeast/contact.asp and tell them you don't want your friends and family to lose their houses!
Unfortunately we only have until October 22nd to submit feedback. Help us save our house and home!!!!!!!
We'll keep you updated on our fight.
Despite the anger, I channeled it to finish cutting down a tree in the front yard. My parents came down and help Saturday with some yard work. My dad helped me replace the mailbox post. It's amazing how much difference a nice, clean looking mailbox post makes! While Dad was helping me, Mom and Melanie were digging up the HUGE juniper bush in the front yard. At the end of the day we got 3/4 of the bush dug up and Dad also helped me start clearing out the clogged culvert pip under the driveway. During our efforts on the bush, we had 2 neighbors stop by and thank us for digging up the bush and for actually caring for our house and property. These comments only strengthened our believe that the previous owners didn't care to up keep their yard. We found so much random trash under the Juniper bush. Doing yard work in our yard is like going on a treasure hunt, you never know what you're going to find.
Well, that's enough about those adventures. I started my new job today and it's pretty exciting.
Well, that's it from me today.
-NT
Well, honestly I don't have too much to talk about that Melanie hasn't mentioned already. Last week I was off between jobs, but it wasn't as productive as I had hoped it would be. Spending 3 days dealing with the car search and finalizing the papers with the insurance company contributed to the lack of productivity.
Perhaps the most significant update is that we may be at risk of losing our house, our dream house. We found out via a nice, caring neighbor that the NC Turnpike Authority is considering at least 2 new alternatives to the I-540 Southern Expressway. Apparently the original route (orange route) that has been protected for about 20 years is no longer sufficient for the Turnpike Authority. Last week they informed the public that they are considering two new alternatives (blue and purple routes) that take 540 further south. After studying the maps and the paper work, if the blue route is chosen we'd lose our house and the entire neighborhood we live in would be demolished.
Let me explain a little bit more. At this point the NC Turnpike Authority is informing the public of their intent to choose one of the two new alternative routes to study further and compare it to the original route's impact. The decision will be made in November. So during this time the NC Turnpike is asking for our feedback as to which route will be the best route. They'll read every comment and then make the decision. After the decision of which route to study is made, they'll study the impact of putting the road in, but won't make a decision about construction until 2013 with starting construction in 2013.
Needless to say, we were very pissed off because these routes were not posted anywhere until the last week or two so we couldn't have known when we bought the house.
Please, join our fight by submitting your feedback. Visit http://www.ncturnpike.org/projects/southeast/contact.asp and tell them you don't want your friends and family to lose their houses!
Unfortunately we only have until October 22nd to submit feedback. Help us save our house and home!!!!!!!
We'll keep you updated on our fight.
Despite the anger, I channeled it to finish cutting down a tree in the front yard. My parents came down and help Saturday with some yard work. My dad helped me replace the mailbox post. It's amazing how much difference a nice, clean looking mailbox post makes! While Dad was helping me, Mom and Melanie were digging up the HUGE juniper bush in the front yard. At the end of the day we got 3/4 of the bush dug up and Dad also helped me start clearing out the clogged culvert pip under the driveway. During our efforts on the bush, we had 2 neighbors stop by and thank us for digging up the bush and for actually caring for our house and property. These comments only strengthened our believe that the previous owners didn't care to up keep their yard. We found so much random trash under the Juniper bush. Doing yard work in our yard is like going on a treasure hunt, you never know what you're going to find.
Well, that's enough about those adventures. I started my new job today and it's pretty exciting.
Well, that's it from me today.
-NT
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Another Fun Experience in Our Marriage
On Monday, September 27th I wrecked our car on the way to work. It was raining and since it hadn't rained in months, there were a lot of dumb, crazy drivers on the road that day. I collided with a mini van and thankfully their vehicle only had minor damage, my car on the other hand was deemed a total loss by our insurance company. Hours after the wreck, after the initial shock wore off, I was really excited about getting a newer vehicle. Here's just a short list of what was wrong with my car - the driver's side lock would not work so I had to unlock the car from the passenger side and walk around, the AC was broken, the cassette tape player did not work (no CD player either), the antenna did not retract like it was meant to, and tape was holding up one of the back windows. Aside from those minor "luxuries" the car was great! We bought it in January and we were really hoping it would last us 2-3 years, but it's obvious now that God had other plans. Starting our car search was fairly easy, we agreed on the make, model, and price and then we just searched on the Internet. I wanted to write this blog a few days ago, but then I thought I should wait until we successful bought a car so then I could share some car buying tips with you!
So here are my car buying tips -
1. Determine exactly what you're looking for. If you're an indecisive person like me, limit yourself to a type of car first and then determine the make and model you want. For us we knew we wanted an SUV and then we determined that we like Toyota so then determining what model was fairly easy.
2. Face the facts! Buying a vehicle is a big purchase, no matter how you pay for it, so it's important to like everything about the vehicle before you purchase it. Make sure you do all the research - look at crash test videos, consumer reviews, and see what different features are offered based on year and trim.
3. Know your price range and your price limit. The number 1 question a sales person will ask you is "what's your price range?" You can have your answer to that question and then your real answer that you don't share with sales people. It's no secret that sales people will ask your price range and then show you a car that is just out of reach of your price range so by telling them a lower price, you can feel happy once you look at a slightly higher priced car and secretly know that you can afford it. Look at your monthly expenses and determine what you can afford as monthly payments. Most interest rates are between 3.25-4.75% so play around with #s to determine your price range.
4. Don't be afraid to not answer questions and/or avoid questions that dealers or sales people ask you. For us we decided we would not tell them what we do, where we work, or that we had a possible trade in. Never ever tell them you have a trade in until after you have agreed on the price for the vehicle you're purchasing. We decided not to trade my car so there was no worry there. Know up front what answers you're going to give for tough questions. For example, a lot of dealers will ask you "what do you want your monthly payments to be?" Never ever answer this question! Even if you know you can't afford anything over $200 a month, do not tell them that! Once you tell them your limit on monthly payments, they will get you down to that figure but you pay more interest and more money because they got you down to your monthly payment. It's about overall price, not monthly payments.
4. Ask what the fees are up front! I cannot tell you how outrageous doc fees, dealer fees, and other made up fees are. If you don't ask up front then the sales person could make up the fees and you would never know it. By knowing what the fees are up front you can factor those figures into your negotiation of the sticker price. You could get $300 off the sticker price and think you're at your price limit and then find out you have to pay $900 in fees. In NC the law states that a dealer cannot collect a documentation fee if it is not disclosed on their website or posted in their building. If you do not see a posted sign disclosing what the doc fee is then call them out on it and stand by the fact that you will not pay a fee that is illegal for them to collect. You could always ask for your lawyer to be present, that would get their attention.
5. Negotiate - always negotiate, always negotiate. First rule of negotiating - never let the sales person know that you love the car. We became professional actors during our car search. The dealers could not read us and it was funny! As soon as you show that you love the car and have to have it, you have lost all negotiating power. So during test drives calm down your excitement and only make minimal comments. Before you start negotiating - do your homework beforehand. Find out the Fair Market Value for the vehicle - this figure is fairly accepted by dealers. Look at other dealerships for identical or similar vehicles at lower prices and print out the ad to bring with you. When it comes to actually negotiating the price - always start your offer with a figure that is lower than your maximum price limit. If you get the car for less than your maximum price, great! Once the sales person goes to show your offer to his manager - walk away! You heard me right, walk away. If you're inside, go outside and walk around the parking lot. By walking away and not waiting on pins and needles to hear if they've accepted your offer, you show that you don't have to have the car and you're open to actually walking away if the deal doesn't go your way. I highly suggest this move if your offer is way less than the sticker price. If you can't get them to come down on the price then find an identical vehicle at a lower price at their competitor's store and ask if they can match it or beat it. If that doesn't work then negotiate for a free extended warranty or even gas in the car. I strongly believe in not paying the sticker price so I would stand strong and walk away if they won't come down on the price.
6. If you're buying as a couple or if you take someone with you, don't argue in front of the sales person. If they see you argue then they'll think that you're not serious buyers and that they could sway you on the type of vehicle you're looking at.
And I almost forgot - always ask for the latest Carfax report. There may not be flood damage or accidents on the Carfax if the owner did not report it to their insurance company. Lots of drivers will hit someone from behind and since minimal damage was done to their vehicle they don't report it to their insurance company so inspect the car yourself. There was a car we wanted to see but after seeing that the vehicle was registered in Tennessee where there were some major floods we decided not to even look at the vehicle. Play it safe and trust your instincts, if you see touch up paint or see that the vehicle was registered where there was flooding then investigate further to make the smartest decision.
So here are my car buying tips -
1. Determine exactly what you're looking for. If you're an indecisive person like me, limit yourself to a type of car first and then determine the make and model you want. For us we knew we wanted an SUV and then we determined that we like Toyota so then determining what model was fairly easy.
2. Face the facts! Buying a vehicle is a big purchase, no matter how you pay for it, so it's important to like everything about the vehicle before you purchase it. Make sure you do all the research - look at crash test videos, consumer reviews, and see what different features are offered based on year and trim.
3. Know your price range and your price limit. The number 1 question a sales person will ask you is "what's your price range?" You can have your answer to that question and then your real answer that you don't share with sales people. It's no secret that sales people will ask your price range and then show you a car that is just out of reach of your price range so by telling them a lower price, you can feel happy once you look at a slightly higher priced car and secretly know that you can afford it. Look at your monthly expenses and determine what you can afford as monthly payments. Most interest rates are between 3.25-4.75% so play around with #s to determine your price range.
4. Don't be afraid to not answer questions and/or avoid questions that dealers or sales people ask you. For us we decided we would not tell them what we do, where we work, or that we had a possible trade in. Never ever tell them you have a trade in until after you have agreed on the price for the vehicle you're purchasing. We decided not to trade my car so there was no worry there. Know up front what answers you're going to give for tough questions. For example, a lot of dealers will ask you "what do you want your monthly payments to be?" Never ever answer this question! Even if you know you can't afford anything over $200 a month, do not tell them that! Once you tell them your limit on monthly payments, they will get you down to that figure but you pay more interest and more money because they got you down to your monthly payment. It's about overall price, not monthly payments.
4. Ask what the fees are up front! I cannot tell you how outrageous doc fees, dealer fees, and other made up fees are. If you don't ask up front then the sales person could make up the fees and you would never know it. By knowing what the fees are up front you can factor those figures into your negotiation of the sticker price. You could get $300 off the sticker price and think you're at your price limit and then find out you have to pay $900 in fees. In NC the law states that a dealer cannot collect a documentation fee if it is not disclosed on their website or posted in their building. If you do not see a posted sign disclosing what the doc fee is then call them out on it and stand by the fact that you will not pay a fee that is illegal for them to collect. You could always ask for your lawyer to be present, that would get their attention.
5. Negotiate - always negotiate, always negotiate. First rule of negotiating - never let the sales person know that you love the car. We became professional actors during our car search. The dealers could not read us and it was funny! As soon as you show that you love the car and have to have it, you have lost all negotiating power. So during test drives calm down your excitement and only make minimal comments. Before you start negotiating - do your homework beforehand. Find out the Fair Market Value for the vehicle - this figure is fairly accepted by dealers. Look at other dealerships for identical or similar vehicles at lower prices and print out the ad to bring with you. When it comes to actually negotiating the price - always start your offer with a figure that is lower than your maximum price limit. If you get the car for less than your maximum price, great! Once the sales person goes to show your offer to his manager - walk away! You heard me right, walk away. If you're inside, go outside and walk around the parking lot. By walking away and not waiting on pins and needles to hear if they've accepted your offer, you show that you don't have to have the car and you're open to actually walking away if the deal doesn't go your way. I highly suggest this move if your offer is way less than the sticker price. If you can't get them to come down on the price then find an identical vehicle at a lower price at their competitor's store and ask if they can match it or beat it. If that doesn't work then negotiate for a free extended warranty or even gas in the car. I strongly believe in not paying the sticker price so I would stand strong and walk away if they won't come down on the price.
6. If you're buying as a couple or if you take someone with you, don't argue in front of the sales person. If they see you argue then they'll think that you're not serious buyers and that they could sway you on the type of vehicle you're looking at.
And I almost forgot - always ask for the latest Carfax report. There may not be flood damage or accidents on the Carfax if the owner did not report it to their insurance company. Lots of drivers will hit someone from behind and since minimal damage was done to their vehicle they don't report it to their insurance company so inspect the car yourself. There was a car we wanted to see but after seeing that the vehicle was registered in Tennessee where there were some major floods we decided not to even look at the vehicle. Play it safe and trust your instincts, if you see touch up paint or see that the vehicle was registered where there was flooding then investigate further to make the smartest decision.
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