to go to Millersport
Sweet Corn Fest. Got
home around 5:00PM.
The kids had fun.
Christopher only rode
one ride while
Jonathan got on many.
He's the daredevil of
the family.
Me and Tony got some sausages with all
the fixins. Told the guy we
wanted mild but I'm telling
you I think I was cryin' eating
that sucker it was so hot! I
was determined to eat it considering
it was $4.00 a piece. The kids
had pulled chicken sandwiches.
Jonathan played a game where
you toss ping pong balls at
fish bowls and got a ball in
one and won a fish. Christopher
didn't and was upset about that.
After the festival we drove by
Buckeye Lake. Came home the long
way, through Pataskala and Gahanna.
We did stop in the Hebron area by the
truck stops at the Marathon gas station.
We found they had bags of mulch
(1.5 cubic foot)
marked down to $1.00!! This is
just like the mulch they sell
around here for about $3.33.
We loaded 20 bags in the back
end of the truck and hauled them
home. We gave 5 bags to mom.
The rest will go around the front
of the house and maybe the driveway
flower bed.
Oh yeah, while in this gas station
I noticed a crap load of Pepsi
coupons hanging off 2 liter
bottles. I snatched up a bunch
because of them going on sale
next week at Kroger for .88
cents each.
Once home I don't think we stayed
here very long. We left about
6pm to go to Kroger. I got 3
more packages of those cheese
slices while still a buck. Also
found some wheat bread for
.49 cents each.
We then headed over to Petland
and bought Christopher a
.20 cent goldfish and some
food all for less than $2.00.
This way he didn't feel left
out because Jonathan got
a fish earlier at the festival.
And that's how our day went.
Here's pictures and videos
I took.
Jonathan peeking over side
of the Hurricane ride.
________________________________
My gripe for today...
My head has been spinning today
trying to learn about owning
a home.
I was doing bills today and
about flipped out when I saw
our house payment went up $60.
In 2 years time it has gone
up $90!! Our interest rate is
fixed. What if it continues
to go up $90 every 2 years?
We won't be able to afford our
home at that rate!!
I thought
I had it all planned out to have
this house paid off by the time
Tony retires. In other words
to pay it off in 17 years
instead of 30 by making
3 extra house payments a year.
At this rate of them increasing
our payments I am now worried
I won't be able to reach that goal.
And I am sometimes called gloomy
guss because I think about
the future, what could go wrong,
and try to plan ahead and think
about the what ifs.
Can we afford a house payment
when we retire? NO! That's
why I want it paid off before
then.
I don't understand and I am so confused.
I read in the paperwork it all
is due to an escrow shortage.
Now I have the option of paying
this shortage with one lump sum
to lower my house payments OR
I can choose to spread that
shortage out in the next 12
months raising the house payment
$60.
Why in the world we have a
shortage to begin with is beyond
me. I thought the loan company
was taking out the appropriate
amounts every month.
I have always paid the house
payment on time with an additional
principal.
Our taxes also took a jump.
They went from $900 to $1300
in 2 years time.
So yeah I am freaking out about
what is going on.
If owning a home is cheaper then
rent then why am I becoming worried.
My rent only increased a couple
dollars every year. This home
payment has increased $90 in 2 years.
I am considering paying the lump
sum of the escrow shortage
to eliminate paying that extra
$60 a month. Which sucks because
that'll almost be like an extra
house payment I could have made.
There is no way
I can make extra principal payments
without struggling if I don't.
If I don't then my monthly
payments with the extra I usually
pay would be somewhere around
$850 to $900!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Hell that's half our income each
month, maybe more!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And what's to say this won't
happen again next year!
I have also been researching damn
neart every house on our street
exactly like ours through the
auditor's web site.
Tell me why it is that we have
the lowest valued home priced
$10-$20,000 lower compared to identical
homes on this street.
Some of which have never
been updated inside unlike ours,
and ours has a bigger lot than
others due to being a corner lot.
Our house value dropped $8,200
in the 2 years of living here BUT
everyone elses remained the same.
Now when we bought the house it
was actually valued at $90,000
and we got it for $10,100 under
appraised value.
Now it says on the auditors
web site it's value is $71,700.
That's a drop of $18,300
in 2 years.
Why is our home the only home on
this street that has a value
in the $70,000's while everyone
elses is around $80,000 to $93,000???
Everyone I ask doesn't seem to
have an answer. I'm no mortgage
lender, bank, realtor or anything
of the sort, hell I'm not too knowledgeable
with buying or selling homes, but
to me something doesn't sound right.
I'm sure this probably makes no
sense to no one but myself.
But it felt good to get off
my chest.
