Preparing to pack up and move........What an adventure!

One month to get packed up and ready to move!

Sort and purge. Go through every room of your house and decide what you’d like to keep and what you can get rid of. This will prevent you from carrying old junk into your new home or new life!

Create a moving binder. Use this binder to keep track of everything—all your estimates, your receipts, and an inventory of all the items you’re moving.

Order supplies. Order boxes and other supplies such as tape, Bubble Wrap, and permanent markers.

Use it or lose it. Start using up things that you don’t want to move, like frozen or perishable foods and cleaning supplies.

Begin packing. Start packing the things that you use most infrequently, such as the waffle iron and croquet set.

Label. Clearly label and number each box with its contents and the room it’s destined for. This will help you to keep an inventory of your belongings. Pack and label “essentials” boxes of items you’ll need right away.

a change of address. Go to your local post office and fill out a change-of-address form, or do it online at usps.gov.

Notify important parties. Alert the following of your move: banks, brokerage firms, your employer’s human resources department, magazine and newspapers you subscribe to, and credit card, insurance, and utility companies.

Forward medical records. Arrange for medical records to be sent to any new health-care providers or obtain copies of them yourself. Don't forget your pets vet records as well!

Arrange to be off from work on moving day. Notify your office that you plan to supervise the move and therefore need the day off.

Negotiating...........

Sometimes doing something new feels a little bit scary! However, scary can also be exciting at the same time! For the last few months I have been house hunting. I have been trying to find a perfect little house that would be the perfect fit for my life and NaKoda and after months of hunting I think we finally found out place!

Now, the negotiating starts. When buying a home negotiation is the name of the game and one must know how to handle themselves in order to get the best deal for their money! Not everyone is great at negotiating. I have to admit that it is one of my least favorite things to do, but as a single woman I have learned that there are certain tricks to it and what may appear to be a negative can end up actually being a positive when negotiating!

I remember the first time I bought a brand new vehicle. I was so proud of myself because I was finally in a position to be able to afford a new vehicle. I went to dealerships looking for just the right vehicle. I knew I wanted a truck and I knew exactly what I wanted. At every dealership I was ignored. I actually had to find the sales associate to have my questions answered. I was so offended. A couple of times I took my boyfriend with me and I noticed during those visits that the sales associate would ignore me and speak to him......hello people who work on commission..I am the one with the money! It just so happened that that boyfriend couldn't have bought his way out of a wet paper bag because his credit was so bad! It became so bad, that I actually had to make the comment to a couple of the sales associates, "hey fellas I am the one with the money to spend - he has nothing to do with this truck purchase!"

Here I am again about to make another major purchase! I found an adorable 2 bedroom house that is exactly what I have been looking for! Now, that I have found the place how do I get it at a good price?

1) Information - gather information on the com parables in the area. These comparables are called Comparable Market Analysis (CMAs). CMAs list houses in a location that are currently on the market, have sales pending on them, have expired from the market, and have sold. It is primarily the SOLD properties that you need to be concerned with. What houses are on the market for is not always a good indication of what their value is, those that have pending sales will only tell you what the listing price is (not what it is going to sell for) and those that have expired because they haven't sold may indicate that they didn't move because they were overpriced.

2) Preparation - always be prepared! Arm yourself with information such as

Condition - does the home your interested in glow in comparison to others? What type of visible repairs exist? What's the reason for selling? Have you been pre approved? Sometimes being pre approved by a lender will show the sellers that you are a viable buyer and that they need to pay attention because you want their home! Have an inspection done of the home before making an offer. What kind of "hidden" problems exist such as electrical problems, plumbing problems, energy efficiency issues, foundation issues, etc.? All issues such as the ones listed above can be used as negotiating pieces when trying to agree on a price.

3) Realism - be realistic. Some sellers are firm on their price and won't budge or won't budge enough. In the event this happens, DO NOT be afraid to walk away. Sometimes this is also an excellent negotiating tools, because if a home has been on the market for awhile they may stop you before you hit the door and meet your price!

Starting A New Chapter in the Random Life

Last year I decided, after being away from home for 14 years, it was time to move home. I moved away because I had so many issues with family that I couldn't deal with them and heal at the same time. I needed space. I need time away to think. I need room to breathe.

Now, after years of trying to heal and start over I have found myself divorced, friendless and alone in a town I have no ties to. There is absolutely no reason for me to stay here any longer.

I am excited about the next chapter in my life. I will be doing Spring cleaning both externally and internally! Not only will I shed old belongings and furniture when I move home, but I also feel like I am shedding all the issues I have had and returning to a place that I once believed to be the dark, bottomless, pit of hell and now realize it was never the town, it was a select few people that I now do not have to allow to have any control over me and I can freely move about without concern towards them and the lies they made up about me or the many ways in which they judge me! I believe that God has judged them far more than I could ever have done!

My next chapter will be brighter, more free, less stressful and full of wonderful friends who have become my family though out my life time!

Another Restless Night

Late at night when I can't sleep, it's usually because my mind won't settle down. Thoughts race through my head like a pin ball bouncing from point to point ringing bells and sounding off alarms. I toss and turn, I channel surf, trying to locate something that will help settle my mind and send me off to dream land, but most of the time nothing works. It's not so bad when this happens on the weekends because I can sleep in, but when this happens during the week, (which is when it usually does) things get even more stressful.

What am I stressed out about? Well, about Karen's cancer....I worry I am going to lose her to the same disease I lost my mother to 20 years ago, I worry about my bills, I worry if I have made the right decision for work, I worry if I am doing well at work, I worry if I am going to find a renter for my house or be able to sell it, I worry if my trucks going to stay in running order, I worry if I am going t have money to buy groceries, I worry about Koda, I worry about my niece, I worry about everything.....sometimes I can't stop worrying. Then I worry that I worry too much. I try to "give it to God" as others tell me to do, but then I worry is God going to take care of my worries? Sometimes I think if I didn't worry ....would I worry about not worrying?