Thursday, January 31, 2008

How quickly time disappears with mundaneness of life

I haven't updated here in a long time. Where to start? Moving was SO MUCH WORK, owning a house is EVEN MORE WORK, and when you add starting a new job to that, there's really not a lot of time for blogging!

The house is really a work in progress. So many 'bits and pieces' I want to get done just to be happy to live there. For example, security (which is finally installed now!) because the original door was so insecure that even *I* could have kicked it in. Not any more. ;)

Then there's the pool. Even when I bought the house it wasn't in the best condition. A dead bird, a tonne of rainfall, a non-working pool cleaner and a pool novice (i.e. me) meant that turning it green was inevitable. Thankfully, after much trial and error and eventually paying someone to come out and look at it (who told me I was doing just fine -ugh- and had ONE switch wrong!) the water is now clear and sparkling. :D Of course, that means I can see the bottom for the first time ever (the original owners seemed happy with cloudy water, now I know why) and wow, the interior really does need repainting. I'll save that for the future when I have more $.

Because owning a house really DOES suck up $$$. Not just the little improvements, but all of the fees for buying it. Getting all of the new services connected. RATES - in the vicinity of $2K a year. All of this basic stuff which means my costs are so much more than renting! I know that millions of people own houses (well, mortgages) and now I'm one of them, but does it really suit my lifestyle?

I love being able to pick up and move at the drop of a hat. It does freak me out a bit, being tied down, however I tell myself that I just need to stay here long enough to qualify for the first home owner's grant/stamp duty discounts, and then I can go overseas again.

I still have very little in the way of furniture and you have no idea how tempted I am to go out and buy stuff. I am falling in love with Bunnings (eep! Domestic Nic! Unthinkable!). However, I must remind myself that if I rent out the house, people will either use my furniture OR I have to move it all and I HATE MOVING.

So I try not to buy.

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I can't believe an entire month of 2008 has passed me by and I don't have much to show for it. I had such great visions of starting my 'exciting new Brisbane life'! But with new job stress (it really does take a while to get used to it) and house stuff, and keeping up with the regular family/TFN social calendar, plus New Year's holiday and camping trips (CANOEING WAS AWESOME!) there really hasn't been a lot of spare time.

At least I have a great tan. ;)