More advice

Yesterday I glanced through the 3rd edition of the book 100 Questions Every First-Time Home Buyer Should Ask: With Answers From Top Brokers Around the Country, by Ilyce Glink. It's a pretty thick book, and not one that I'd want to read cover-to-cover at this point, but it would make a good reference book. (I checked it out of the Wake County Library. ) Just in the flipping though that I did, it made me realize how much I need to get my ducks in a row. Okay, that and the fact that I spent more time yesterday shredding old financial documents. Doing that made me feel like I'm making some progress, BUT....I have a lot more organizing and goal-setting and saving to do. The thought of buying a new home is both exciting and overwhelming. I'm wishing I'd done a better job of keeping my ducks in a row before. All the paper shredding bummed me out a little, I must admit.

Things I need to work on including consolidating some accounts (I have several little accounts left over from credit unions and retirement accounts at former jobs) because bank balances count when applying for a mortgage, paying off credit balances, and stepping up my savings a notch.

Financial Goals

Recent unpacking and (especially) reading have urged me to set five financial goals for the next year, and not wait until January 1 to make such goals. Of course, one of my financial goals is to increase my home downpayment account. I'm using an online bank for this and a few other savings goals, partly for the better interest rates, and partly to make it a little harder to have access to the money. (Last time I transfered money back to my brick-and-mortar bank, it took a couple of days.)

Weekend progress

This weekend I spent some time getting my financial papers and information in order. Saturday I started a notebook of various accounts and balances, and last evening I spent a couple hours shredding old documents to help with consolidating and organizing current and important papers. Every time I've started getting organized with my finances, it's always been an eye-opening experience. I think I'm going to need to purchase a 2-drawer filing cabinet, would help me feel more organized than having various portable filing units around.

I started reading David Bach's Smart Couples Finish Rich over the weekend. I've had it on my bookshelves for a while, and decided it would be a good thing to read since George and I have made the commitment to move in together. I haven't shared the book with him yet. I feel like I should get my own financial ducks in a row anyway. My thinking it that he'll look to me as an example in all of this...what's working for me, and how I'm doing, and why it's important to be financially organized and all.

New apartment

George and I moved in together a couple of weeks ago. We like our new apartment, though we've had some glitches, including a change of address and a delay in getting our washer and dryer. We're on a cleaning schedule that's pretty rigorous, but so far it's working out pretty well. I imagine it will need some tweaking to make it ideal.

We have our share of doubles, especially in the kitchen--double pots, double silverware, double cleaning supplies, double George Foreman grills (!)--since we've moved two apartments into one. It's causing some space issues at the moment, but I'm sure we'll work it out.