It’s now a week since my bat mitzvah crunch, and I’m blowing off synagogue tonight and relaxing. I worked all week, so the relaxing has to come about now. Especially since I had company until Monday morning.
The other big thing that was going on in my life was my exploration into homeowning. I’ve been looking at condos and townhouses in the area, and found one condo complex in particular that I absolutely love. So I went the pre-qualification route, and learned that I am prequalified by two banks (four, if you count Lending Tree) for the amount of the mortgage I’d need. The problem, however, is that I’m still paying down debt accrued from four years of under-and unemployment. (I wish I could say I had all kinds of neat things to show for it, but I don’t. I used the credit cards for things like paying the rent and the bills.) I don’t have an emergency fund, also due to the unemployment and underemployment. (REALLY longtime readers will remember that I started this blog on the heels of being laid off from my second programming job in six months when the tech bubble burst in 2001.)
I have been climbing steadily upward financially since the days when I was working three jobs, seven days a week. The past two years in particular have been good for me financially and jobwise. I now have a terrific job at Company in Northern VA, where I commute on Mondays and telecommute the rest of the week. Between this job, and the jobs I had the previous year, I have paid down over half my debt, and am steadily working my way towards solvency. I figure in about another eight months, I will be completely in the black, and able to start saving for that new home. Because I decided that I can’t buy a condo just yet. If I lost my job, or something happened requiring a large influx of cash, I’d be stuck. And at this stage of the game, I can’t afford bankruptcy. It takes seven years to recover financially from defaulting on a loan. I’d never own a home if something happened. Plus, I’m starting to like actually having money again.
The good news is, I feel really good about not buying a home this year. I just paid off one of the last of my credit card debts. I owe a bunch of money on two specific cards, and since I got really good at playing revolving balances between cards, my combined interest rates are about four and a half percent between the two cards.
So now I can start enjoying the fact that I’m earning a little extra money, and treat myself once in a while. I’m planning on buying that big-screen TV this month, as a birthday present to myself. I wanted the Samsung 42-inch DLP, but it’s not available any longer. I have to go up to the 50 inch. Bummer. Well, I’ll survive. Plus, I have at least $150 in Circuit City gift cards to spend via my rewards cards.
Any suggestions on speaker system to go with the TV? I want it to be good, but it doesn’t have to be great.
I am very much looking forward to sitting in The Chair That Swallows You Whole, watching Heroes on my brand-new big-screen HDTV. It won’t be as good as it would be in my own home, but that will come. I am undergoing a Meryl Renaissance. I am becoming the woman I used to be before I lost my job, with the state of mind I used to have, and with another six years of experience and wisdom.
And you know, for someone who’s turning fifty in less than a week, I don’t look half-bad, either. Maybe I’ll put up a bat mitzvah picture. I’ll have to get everyone to email them to me, of course. I was too busy enjoying myself to take any pictures.
Life is good right now.
Fifty?? My dear! I thought you were younger than I am, by a decade or so (which would put you in your mid-thirties). Yes, I’d say you look darned good for an almost fifty-year-old.
I’m glad things are going so well. Don’t forget to treat the kitties!
You sound much younger than that. I regarded you as young enough to be a daughter of mine
Sounds worthy of a celebration, indeed. Kol ha-kavod and mazal tov.
(Oh, and I have a great idea on how to celebrate. Has to do with kittypics. Just sayin’.)
Since you’re going for a nice big screen, let me offer one small piece of advice. Make sure it has an input suitable for using it as a computer display.
There is nothing quite as impressive as surfing the web on a 46″ plus screen.
Besides, it will obviate the need for reading glasses, which at 50 become almost obligatory…
Happy Birthday (next week)!
“50” ??!! I always sort of assume that everyone on the ‘net is the same age as me. Go get the big TV. Wow, an inch per year.
First off, good luck house-hunting. You may want to look into getting a pre-approval for the loan, however. Pre-qualification doesn’t mean very much to sellers, because they may still turn you down afterwards. A pre-approval is equivalent to cash, as far as the seller is concerned. That can sometimes convince a seller to choose you over another prospective buyer, even if yours isn’t the largest offer.
WRT speakers, that’s where you want to put your home-theater money. Cheap speakers and a good amplifier will sound a lot worse than good speakers and a cheap amplifier.
I recommend you go to a store that has a listening-room and give a listen to everything you can afford. The best is not always the most expensive, and your ears may prefer something different from an expert you’ve never met before.
Also, when shopping, bring along a few CDs/DVDs that are typical of what you listen to/watch and see if the store will let you play them on the demonstrators. Your favorite content may be different from what the store has on-hand, and that will make a difference. Speakers that are good for pop music may be lousy for reproducing classical or jazz. Speakers optimized for movies may be sub-optimal for music, and vice versa.
I recommend buying separate components (speakers, amplifier, DVD player, etc.) instead of an all-in-one system. This way, you can upgrade the parts individually as your budget and preferences allow. Many all-in-one-box systems use non-standard connections, making it difficult or impossible to swap-out just one component.
WRT actual brands, I’d prefer not to give a recommendation. You’re the one who will be listening, not me. I spent a lot of money on a Bose 5.1 surround system and I’m very happy with it, but I know other people who absolutely despise the sound from Bose products. If you start reading reviews, you’ll find similar differences of opinion regarding many other brands.