I am not sure why I am letting stuff like mortgages bother me, but they do. I know I am getting way ahead of myself in too many ways; obsessing about how to get a down payment when I have a 700-mile move in my future, job change, calculating and estimating the nitty gritty details of ownership, including mortgage payments, maintenance, repairs, furnishing, insurance, taxes… it’s driving me nuts. I’m also way ahead of myself to think I’d want a house within the next 5-7 years. That's not even fitting a new-to-me car in the picture!
This may just be the result of the lack of activity on my part. From now until about mid next year, there won’t be much to occupy my mind, financially or otherwise. It is making me restless. I'm tired of doing the math on how quickly I could get a down payment by 2019 and things just arent matching. I may need a full time job and a part time job after I move, so adieu free time! "But it's for a good cause", I tell myself... "right?"
WAIT.
No. What happened here? It took me a few days to discover what had train-wrecked me. I read a random quote on one of those inspirational calendars and it reminded me of something important... keep your goals in mind. I had totally lost sight of them. I forgot about them. I was more preoccupied with what the after-after-next step was; about how monumental and how illogically urgent it had become. I needed another reminder. After putting my goals front-center again, things calmed down and the stress just dissipated. You know, I don't need a house by 2020. Would be nice, but I wont enslave myself for it, and I certainly don't need to stress now. A house isn't a goal. Yet.
True, my goals are not the most valid ones around, but they're mine and they are something that makes me fight this fight day in, day out. So here's to that!
(I do need to revisit my goals, for myself and my own understanding of them, and to simplify them for you guys... but that'll be later!)
WAIT.
No. What happened here? It took me a few days to discover what had train-wrecked me. I read a random quote on one of those inspirational calendars and it reminded me of something important... keep your goals in mind. I had totally lost sight of them. I forgot about them. I was more preoccupied with what the after-after-next step was; about how monumental and how illogically urgent it had become. I needed another reminder. After putting my goals front-center again, things calmed down and the stress just dissipated. You know, I don't need a house by 2020. Would be nice, but I wont enslave myself for it, and I certainly don't need to stress now. A house isn't a goal. Yet.True, my goals are not the most valid ones around, but they're mine and they are something that makes me fight this fight day in, day out. So here's to that!
(I do need to revisit my goals, for myself and my own understanding of them, and to simplify them for you guys... but that'll be later!)
I would say work the budget to start saving up for both the car and the down payment. Don't worry about reaching a goal by an arbitrary date. When you get closer to purchasing...then you can start putting the petal to the metal.
ReplyDeleteEven if it is $50 a month...it is more than $0.
OR....you hit your current debts hard, knowing that once those debts are gone, you can start saving for the BIG items.
I am guilty of looking too far into the future too!!! But I will tell you from experience, you will drive yourself nuts.