A Picture's Worth a Thousand Words

Preservation North Carolina noticed my blog post about North Carolina preservation efforts on Twitter, and posted a response to let me know about a group of before and after pictures of renovated historic properties. It's a great collection, so I decided to share it here too! Enjoy!

Saving for a Downpayment

I've been increasing aware of how challenging it can be to save for a downpayment for my first house, especially with competing interests in the Savings Department! I just ran across an article called "10 Things You Should Know About Saving" on Yahoo Finance, and I thought it was good enough to share here.

Meanwhile, I've considered moonlighting, and while it's always a possibility, it's not the best option for an already full plate. I have decided to proceed with graduate school, and while that will a cost initially, here's hoping it will pay me back down the road with increased earning power.

I'm also looking into other ways to save. I've already lowered my cell phone bill, and George and I are working on lowering our electric bill, a good team effort there. My coupon clipping efforts come in and out like the tides, but maybe I can get better with that.

What are your favorite ways to save?

Here's One Way to Accommodate a Home Library

One of my Facebook friends, a fellow librarian, posted the link to an interesting article about a couple who bought the house next door, and renovated it to become their personal library! I love the before and after pictures, and am pretty intrigued by this idea. As a book lover with a budding interest in home renovation, the story put a smile on my face! Read the article here.

North Carolina Preservation Efforts

I just discovered the website for Preservation North Carolina, and have already had fun clicking on several links and dreaming about possibilities! The thought of owning and restoring an old home just makes me smile! Easy for me to say, right?! :) I'm sure there are plenty of heachaches, but still, it's fun to be in the dreaming stages. I'm not even sure if my first home will be an old home that needs renovating, but right now, this is definitely on my bucket list.

This Old House

Since writing my last post, Local Historic Preservation Efforts, I've become more and more intrigued at the thought of buying and restoring an old home. I've come across several more websites on historic preservation, enough that I've created a new category of links on this blog, "Historic Preservation." Take a look at them, and let me know if you have any suggested links to add!

Local Historic Preservation Efforts

This morning, I came across a website for the Historic Preservation Society of Durham (NC), and have really enjoyed glancing at it. There's even a link for local homes for sale that qualify for historic preservation tax credits. Boy, that would be quite a project, and I'm still a long way from considering it, but it makes me smile to think about this. It really does!

It's fun to dream, isn't it?! :) Can I make it a reality?









Photo (not in Durham) from www.flickr.com/photos/greenberryhouse/2393323964/