Buying the Farm

I did it!  I’m officially a landowner!  Wahoo!!!

Me, with my giant set of the closing documents

Today was closing day, and although things did not go as smoothly as I would have liked them to, the deed is done and the land is mine.  It won’t be too long before I can move in and really get settled.  I think we’re in the home stretch!!!

I must thank (and would confidently recommend) Jim Stecker at Countryplace Mortgage.  If you’re looking to buy a mobile home in AR, MO or OK, then you just can’t do any better than Jim.  He did an outstanding job throughout the process, and displayed an attention to detail and a sense of patience that just never quit.  So.very.impressive.  On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, my appraiser was a piece of work; although my home appraised well, it took 5 weeks and listening to umpteen lies to actually get the report.  So if you’re looking to have an appraisal done and move in sometime this century, please comment or message me if you’d like to know who NOT to hire. 

Meanwhile, back at the ranch: Mom and Dad got the main gate installed on the driveway, we did a test run on the security system and we worked on getting the spot ready for the home and septic.  Mom bush-hogged with the tractor (I’m telling you, she loves driving that thing – there’s no getting the keys away from her!) and I followed on foot with the little one, getting in closer to trees and the marker stakes.  The big milestone for me this weekend was seeing a snake on the land for the first time – a decent size black one moving quickly through the long grass.  *shudder*  I’m sure it won’t be the last one I see slithering about, but I didn’t panic and run away screaming, so I claim victory.  Also, yuck!

Cheap Like Me… on Nails

I live on a budget, but I don’t want to look like I’m living on a budget.  Whether we like it or not, those who have a tidy appearance tend to make a better impression... and good impressions can sometimes give you the benefit of the doubt when you need it, give you leverage when negotiating, or even make people trust you more at work.   I read an article in the NY Times last year that said something as superficial as makeup can actually make others see you as more competent!  Bizarre and annoying, but there you go.  Regardless, I do think there’s something to be said for the confidence level you project when you aren’t embarrassed by your appearance – and confidence is key!

So what’s a budget savvy gal to do?  I tend to think there are 5 main areas to concentrate on when it comes to appearance (beyond good basic hygiene, which should go without saying):

1.       Hair

2.       Skin

3.       Nails

4.       Teeth

5.       Wardrobe

Rather than spending a fortune and driving myself crazy trying to look like I stepped out of a magazine (which is frankly never going to happen anyway), my personal philosophy is to target my time and money by investing in the 5 things above, which helps me feel pulled together and confident.   I use money-saving techniques in each of these areas, but today I’d like to start in the middle and talk nails.

Everybody loves a mani-pedi, but they’re costly and don’t last nearly long enough to justify the expense very often for most of us.  If you absolutely must go to the nail salon, I recommend squeezing every possible ounce of enjoyment out of it and considering it entertainment.  Bring coffee with you, put on your earbuds with your favorite relaxing playlist, make sure you have plenty of time, and just revel in it! 

Even splurging on salon nails, you still can save a few pennies:

1.     Buy a bottle of good OPI nail polish, write your initials on it and bring it to the salon for your technician to use on your nails.  Besides being more hygienic, this way as your nails grow out you can fill in the growth above your cuticles, as well as any chips in the polish. Lots of people bring their own polish for their own reasons, so don't be embarassed - your tech has seen it before, guaranteed.  (Just don't forget to bring your polish home with you!)

2.     If you get a French manicure, ask your tech to make the tips fairly wide.  As your nails grow between mani's, you can file them down yourself without filing off the pretty white tips, and you won't see the line where your nailbed ends. 

3.     Add a coat of clear polish periodically.  Nail polish dulls the longer it’s on; clear polish adds shine so your manicure always looks fresh, and it’ll help protect any weak spots in your polish that might be ready to chip.

$$$

Thrifty Tip

Use SensatioNail Instead

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To get the best bang for your buck, though, I have to recommend SensatioNail.  (There are other similar products to use at home, but I wasn't thrilled with them so I wouldn't feel right recommending.) 

While the cost of a shellac manicure at the salon is at least $30 (plus gratuity), you  can buy the SensatioNail starter kit at Target for less than $50, including the LED lamp, and enough product for at least 10 manicures (and I've done more than 10 with mine).  Even with the initial expense of the kit, you're paying less than $5 per use.  Extra product kits, minus the lamp, are less than $20, and nail colors are about $10-12 each depending where you buy them.  Yes, they are slightly more than OPI, but each bottle goes further and you spend a lot less time doing maintenance on your nails - our time is worth something too...

Gel nails are surprisingly easy to do, and handily last 1-2 weeks without chipping... plus it is so strong and smooth that it really helps keep your nails from breaking or snagging.  The best part for me is that as soon as I'm done and have set the polish under the LED lamp, my nails are totally dry.  I’ve folded laundry seconds after giving myself a manicure without a single smudge!

You can even do your own French manicure using SensatioNail  - they have a white polish to use for the tips sold separately from the kit.  I try to do exactly as they do in the salon – I paint my tips white without worrying much about the shape, then I use a small brush dipped in acetone/remover to clean up the tips instead of trying to get it perfect when painting.  The polish does not dry until you set it under the light, so you have plenty of time to work with it.  (I do 1 base coat, 2 coats of the white, 1 clear coat over the whole nail, and then the top coat.)  Where the salon would charge an extra $5 for a French Manicure, you can do it at home for just the cost of the polish, which is much, much less expensive per use.  It takes a little practice, but don’t lose heart! 

My imperfect, yet perfectly fine, French Manicure

For me, I think a somewhat imperfect manicure is still better for my confidence than my natural snarly nails (and snarly they would be, from working on the farm) so I find this to be one area worth a little investment.

Germinating

Well, I took a week off.  Last weekend was rainy and cold, so I didn’t go out to the land.  I didn’t need to spend much time out there this weekend either, but I did take a couple pictures, because I’m so proud of my little seedlings! 

 

I had to improvise with the pvc pipes to keep the bird netting off the plants for now.  Hopefully I'll get to take those out and the netting off soon.  I thinned out the cucumbers (in the first row on the left) this weekend so there are only 2 per square foot now.  The peppers and lettuce seem to be growing pretty well, but some of my kale leaves are yellowing.  =( I’ll have to do a little research on why...

My grape tomatoes are getting so big, and they’re already blooming!  I pinched off the suckers on all the tomato plants while I was there admiring them, and in the other beds, I thinned out all the seedlings so they aren’t overcrowded.  It was just a lovely, relaxing time in the garden!

I can’t wait to be out there full time.  My appraisal finally came in last week, so I *should* finally get to close on the construction loan sometime this week.  (fingers crossed!)  Once we’re able to get started out there, they’ll have to put in my septic, level the land, pour my foundation, deliver the house, hook up the utilities, and finish the inside (so you can’t see the seam).  Hopefully it’ll just be another couple weeks after closing before I can move in, but we’ll see… So far every step of the process has taken much longer than anticipated.  It's all a waiting game - I'm waiting for seeds to grow in more ways than one!

In the meantime, I’m trying to condition myself for living on (much, much) less.  I’ve been so blessed to have been able to live with my parents this past year while I went through the divorce and got back on my feet, but real life begins again soon, with real bills.  My goal is to pay my car payment with the side businesses (I sell Paparazzi Accessories, Scentsy, and Scentsy’s new ‘Velata’ fondue line in my spare time) and get most of my groceries from the farm.  I may be living on eggs and tomatoes for the foreseeable future, though!  Ha. 

I don’t often miss being married, but when it comes to paying the bills… Well, it was nice having 2 salaries to draw from.  My expenses weren’t halved after the divorce, but the available income sure was.  Yet another adjustment.