Grownup Firsts: I Bought a Condo!
3:51 PMIf you had asked me what my goals were at age 21 I would have said "finding a cool job, being able to spend $5 on a latte and not care, and a sick collection of designer handbags and shoes." Fast forward to today; my 27th birthday is less than four months away and I've got a pretty cool job, still can't spent $5 on a latte and not cringe, and while I have a few new pairs of designer shoes (all purchased on sale) there's one thing I have been able to accomplish that never really occurred to me-- becoming a homeowner.
Sure, life as a renter had its perks; maintenance and repairs are easily attended to with a quick phone call, if the plumbing or electric needs work it's not your problem, and you can pick up and move whenever you want but after nine years paying rent in the Boston area (roughly $102,000) I decided I'd rather start putting that money to work for me instead of my landlord.
Enter Society of Grownups; I had attended one of their supper clubs previously to learn more about investing and saving for the future but buying a home was a whole new ball game! I ventured to Brookline for their "You're a Grownup (Don't Panic)!" class and it was just the motivation (and reassurance) I needed to wrap my mind around budgeting and responsible finances.
I'm pretty responsible with my finances. I have excellent credit (20 points away from a perfect score!), never use more than 30% of my available credit, I pay above the minimum every month on my credit card bills, and I'm pretty meticulous with my paperwork and tax records. The process of buying the condo was fairly simple but as a new homeowner it's important to me to start building a rainy day fund. Of course I want to paint, and put nice flooring in the bedroom, and get some nice furniture to fill my new living room too, and that's not cheap. Society of Grownups gave me a bit of a wake up call when it comes to my saving and spending and I feel more prepared for life as a homeowner with a solid plan for building my savings.
So here goes nothing! I move on the 30th. Wish me luck navigating this thing called being an adult...
This post was sponsored by Society of Grownups. All opinions expressed are my own. Thanks for supporting those who support Style-Wire.com!
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