Searching for a House

Nothing is better than knowing you are financially safe and sound. Moving out of state for college really helped me gain my financial freedom. Yes, I started out on the Ramen Noodle every night budget with some peanut butter jelly sandwiches thrown in but I eventually learned the basics of financial management and success. Living in an apartment with friends and then eventually my fiancé (we moved in together because our leases had both expired at the same time and wanted to sign a new contract together) helped as we split costs but there is nothing that makes you appreciate financial freedom more than being at rock bottom.

Now, after renting a few years, we are looking at buying our first house. Sure we are not quite there yet but we are closer than ever. We want to wait until our current lease expires and until we pay off student loans. But sometime within 2014, we will most likely set our roots down for a bit and build the first ever true Ewing household.

Renting gets expensive. It is not a waste of resources but if you are living in a place for awhile and plan to settle there for at least 5 years, it is time to buy. You waste so many monthly loan payments by renting. Buying does come with more responsibility - you have to have pay property taxes, repairs, and it is officially yours financially.

But the searching is fun. I am looking for a big southern home. Daniel and I want kids. Not right away but in 5 years or so, we are thinking about family. I want a porch, a swing, and some land to grow. The shopping is fun and so is are realtor who somehow manages to put together tempting packages. We have always thought that we could buy a starter house and then upgrade once family comes, but we know how much moving can cost. I have moved to different states twice and have moved from apartment to apartment and each time you move can cost you up to $2,000 as you put in moving trucks and rental deposits. That is a lot of money we have dedicated to it. And we have the loan and financial resources now to build what we want first, so why go through this hassle twice?

We are looking to get our money back out of this property eventually. Daniel and I are restless. We love to move and travel and have discussed the prospects of Germany a little later in our careers. But we are in the perfect area for return. Raleigh is supposed to double in size in the next 5 years and that makes land cheap now but the demand for it later high. Talking with financial advisors, we have a great chance of actually making money in this step, especially if we buy a home that many modern families desire (4 bedrooms, large living areas, etc.).

I am so excited and welcome your thoughts on this new adventure. So what is your advice for this first time to be homeowner?

Routers and Subnetting

Today, I learned about router tables and subnets. Both were easier concepts to me, especially since I could relate them to my life.

Routing tables are information routers hold to deliver data with the most efficient path possible. Obviously, a router has to know how and where to forward data and so routing tables comprise that information. There is an exception to data forwarding if you are in the same subnetwork as you can just forward data directly to the computer without bothering the router.

Routers learn routes from neighboring routers. They are also responsible for keeping the list up-to-date in case a path becomes blocked or terminates. If there is more than one route available, the router chooses the most efficient path.

Routing is a lot like networking with people. You learn things from people you associate with. You also try to keep up-to-date with these people and sometimes, unfortunately, a relationship is terminated like a route. You also want to be efficient so you choose the best route possible.

Subnets allow you to take a class A,B, or C network (all determined by size) and divide it into smaller networks. Class C is reserved for larger networks due to the availability of hosts per network. Class A is reserved for smaller ones since they have less possibilities for hosts per network. But, for example, subnetting allows you to take a large class C network and divide it into smaller subnetworks separated by routers. This allows less IP addresses to go to waste. In an IP address, you can always tell what the subnetwork is by looking at the third octet. 200.200.1 is within the same Class C network as 200.200.2 but the subnet is different, meaning it is on a different router within the network.

I cannot wait to learn more about Layer 3! It is by far the coolest layer I have read about.

Searching for a Job: The Number One Mistake

I really want a job. I have been sending application after application out of the door and trying to network with anyone in the area.

But as I submit Resume after cover letter after project example, I realized that I forgot one main thing. One thing that I think the company cares about above all else. And that one thing is... Why I think I would be a good fit for their company.

My cover letter was basically my Resume in a long winded form. Someone could easily pick up my cover letter and Resume and get the same information out of the two. As I revised it this morning, I added a few things that I think will make the company understand what I can do for them. Ultimately, I need to revise it for different applications as each position and company is searching for different goals. However, there are a few general things to point out to each company that a general format is okay until I research more about the company and the position offered.

People could care less about what you did than what you learned and gained from the role. Don't pull this and expect to get hired without some sort of reflection: "During my position at KOMU, I reported and anchored for the newscasts." That should just be your intro to: "My reporting allowed me to interact with different members of the community. My ability to communicate with different groups of the population will help your company reach out to different markets."

This is an example of what I first did in my cover letter and recently added. I also talked about my pursuit of lifelong learning, as that is the number one thing I loved about reporting. Each day I came home knowing more about one topic because I did a story on it. I had to work fast and accurately but I know more statistics and information because of it. And I love the pursuit of learning and teaching.

As you look for jobs, make sure you really think what you can offer because companies are looking for an individual, not for someone who can blend in the crowd. And customize the delivery of your cover letter and Resume by doing a little research on the company (find out the company goals, motto, or purpose) and sell yourself to them and their purpose, not just yours.

Vehicle Purchases: Is it all worth it?

Vehicles come in many shapes, sizes, forms, and colors. We can customize them down to the very last detail, making them one-of-a-kind.

I recently bought a truck with my husband after our older vehicle started to show signs of major aging. The repair costs were adding up. It was a family vehicle however and still was drivable so our loving grandma told us to try to keep it in the family. We sold it to my husband's parents, who both had vehicles a lot older and a lot more problematic than the one we sold them.

After, we felt a sense of nostalgia for selling something that gave us so many memories and had gotten us to so many places. But we still headed to the Chevy dealership with a hefty list of package options in mind. We wanted another truck but this time, it was going to be newer, better, and something that we could be proud to roll down the street in.

We did a great job negotiating a price. The dealership only made $600, which is incredible. We were brand new owners of a Chevy 1500 Silverado LTZ with leather heated seats, 4 doors, sun roof, back window, upgraded sound system, and more. We fought over the steering wheel for a few months until we realized how expensive that beast really was to drive.

The gas guzzling beast made us realize a few things. Is getting a car with the latest package deal really worth it?

We paid so much extra for options that it is ridiculous. And they didn't really make an impact on the driving ability. That wood trim, add a thousand. Leather heated seats, add another thousand. I realized I just flushed money down the toilet. Our truck lost its value the day we drove it off the lot and I did not need those feature comforts even if my wallet book could afford it.

I don't drive the thing that often when I have two motorcycles and a car. The other options are so much cheaper to drive. And so the the truck often sits, losing value. I could have spent the truck money on improving my house, which would have gained equity instead of just losing it after I bought it. And did we really need a truck if it sat unused? Not really but again, it was handy when we did use it.

Do I regret purchasing the truck? No. But I may think about this the next time I buy a vehicle because the status appeal definitely is not worth burning a hole in my wallet. The wood trim is not worth the extra hundred dollars in yearly property tax either.