So, seriously, buying a house is so much more stressful and ridiculous than I ever would have imagined. Even getting all the utilities in my name seems to be a) expensive b) tedious and c) more difficult than it possibly should be.
The biggest issue with the purchase has been confirming the closing and move-out day with the sellers. I wanted to be flexible (since they had some changes to their plans), but I couldn’t really since I had made plans to have my parents in town to help me get settled. When it came down to it, I was willing to give them 2 extra days, only to find out that moving the closing date would mean losing my mortgage, which um… I’m not about to do with the credit market the way it is right now.
Now in our follow up walk-through with the inspector this afternoon, there appear to be things that I requested to get fixed (and they agreed to resolve) that were still, in fact, non-functional. Chances are that the service providers they paid to do the work just didn’t do it well, but I’m tired of fighting about it, and just want the whole thing done.
Today I worked on getting the electric in my name. It’s so expensive. I wish, if I’m going to be spending this much, that at least my money is going toward renewable energy (mostly wind in Texas), but I hear that the companies that offer wind energy are not very reliable. I feel so dumb about the whole thing, as I have ZERO experience with this, even at the age of 32. The other times when I’ve rented, there weren’t any choices… we just started getting the bills that our landlord put in our names! Texas has a million different electric provider choices, and it’s all just so muddy.
It’s hard to believe that I started the summer with $25,000 in my savings account, and after I finish the purchase of this home, I’ll have about $3,500 left. Granted, I bought a car, moved twice, lived without an income for 3 months, and now I’m buying a house with 5% downpayment, but still… I never would have imagined I could have spent that much money that quickly. So much for having lots of extra money to furnish the house… I think I’m going to be done after I pay for the washer and dryer and get a TV.
Once I get settled, I’m going to start a habit of regular social gatherings at my home. Hopefully each 2nd Friday of the month… starting with a housewarming party, then Christmas, then my birthday, then Valentine’s Day.. then… who knows. I’m excited about this because I hope it will give me a chance to connect with some of the people I’ve met in Waco that I want to get to know better, but don’t feel confident enough with to just ask out to lunch. Party invites are way less of a commitment than one-on-one time invites (in my mind anyway).
Gas is $2.58 here in Waco now. What the heck happened? (Not that I’m complaining.. just sortof dumbfounded).
I’m changing my phone number to 254.709.9856. Update your records.
And lastly…. had a great weekend in Glen Rose, TX with Mom and Day this past weekend. It was good to get away, and we explored some of the Dallas area as well. Remind me sometime soon to write about the ridiculous driving patterns of rural central Texas. I think I almost died about 4 times.
Happy Monday!

Hugs. The house stuff will get better.
Sorry today was so hard! If they don’t get those items fixed will there be some cash back for you? We’ll keep praying that the next two days go smoothly – and we’ll see you on Thursday!
Call if we can help with anything.
AND – the new number has been DULY noted! love you!
I just randomly came across your blog because it was included in my Google news alert for Texas wind energy. I wanted to let you know that purchasing renewable energy from your electric provider is 100% reliable. Because of how the electric grid operates, electricity will always be there when you flip the light switch – unless a tree falls on a power line or something like that, which effects all customers regardless of if you purchase wind energy or power from coal plants. Basically, when you choose to get your electricity from renewable sources, you are creating demand for wind energy and putting more wind power on the grid. That doesn’t mean that power from wind energy is flowing directly into your house. The grid is a mixture of electricity from all sources and the grid operators make sure there is always enough power supply on the grid to meet electric demand. Check out http://www.powertochoose.org/. You can type in your zip code and see a list of all providers in your area. You can search by fixed or variable rates and by 100% renewable, a mix of renewable and traditional fossil fuels, or all fossil fuels. Pick what makes sense for you based on your values and budget. Good luck with everything!
Hello Lara -
Congrats on buying your new home! We miss you at commuknity. The social gathering that you’re planning once a month sounds like a great plan. If I’m ever in Waco I hope it’s on a 2nd Friday. Maybe I’ll drop by just to get a tank of gas…. It’s more than a buck higher here in Santa Clara Valley.
Best regards, Tom