WELCOME, AND WHY.

Oh look, it me.

// 37 FALL MUMS AND 78 PUMPKINS //

Soooo remember that time I said I was starting a blog. LOL I am and it's arrived. So here’s the thing. I thought I knew 'my why’ for starting this blog, but it’s becoming more and more clear to me. I’m really tired of Instagram portraying a perfectly decorated and happy life because let’s be honest that ain’t accurate. Don’t get me wrong, I am genuinely happy and love our little family, but that doesn’t that mean our living room is always perfectly styled, that Mount Laundry doesn’t exist upstairs or that I don’t feel the need to buy 37 fall mums and 78 pumpkins for our front porch because Instagram told me to!! ...Ya feel?! ...

// THE JONESES’ CAN’T DO MATH //

I guess what I’m getting at is that the lasssst thing I want to do is write a blog is makes you feel like you need to spend $10,000 at HomeSense, purchase 56 new fall candles and 120 new outfits because I told you to. We are living in a time where people are living and spending OUTSIDE of their means! And like, a guy you'll likely hear me mention often, Dave Ramsey says, “We do not want to be keeping up with the Joneses' because the Joneses' can't do math!"

// THE BOOK THAT SLAPPED ME IN THE FACE //

A little context...I first read ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ when I was 23 years old and you could say it slapped me in the face. HARD. It truly changed my money mindset. To read more about that click here. I was buried in student debt, paying hideously high rent and living pay check to pay check. It was my ‘THAT’S ENOUGH’ financial rock bottom moment and I was on a mission to get out of it. This may shock you but you actually don’t need those new fall booties, 13 Lululemon sweaters or a new car! Now, ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ is an awesome inspirational read… it gets you fired up and tells you the theory but doesn’t give you exact steps how to do it. A great book that gives you steps that anyone can do is Dave Ramsey’s ‘A Total Money Makeover’.  

// THE BOOK STRIKES AGAIN //

Let’s get a few things straight. From Instagram's perspective, I fear it looks like Dale and I got married, moved into a new house and popped out a baby, JUST LIKE THE JONESES’! Let me assure you, this is not the case. This was only possible because hubby was also hit with the book ‘Rich Dad Poor Dad’ and chose to purchase rental properties instead of a tricked-out, jacked-up pick-up truck. Long story short and some years later, this put us in the position where it was actually cheaper and made more financial sense for us to build a new house than it was to buy a house. 

// “NO ONE ACCIDENTALLY WINS AT ANYTHING” //

One catch, this meant we were building a house. Which neither one of us had ever done before. HAHA *nervous laughs* We weren’t just stepping out of our comfort zone, we were LEAPING. But... we put on our big girl panties and sought the information and professionals needed to make it happen. This meant spending evenings filling out paperwork, permits, figuring out financials, and more. This meant saying ‘no’ to A LOT of social events that year because of time and honestly, money. This meant going straight from our day jobs to the house to work until 10 pm for 8 months straight. I’m not writing this for a pat on the back, we CHOSE to do this to get ahead and actually ended up having a great time doing it. It was one of the most rewarding things we’ve ever undertaken. 

// ANYONE CAN DO THIS //

I hope to encourage you that anyone can do this. There is nothing special about us. We’re definitely a couple of weirdos, but we’re certainly in no way “special”. All I’m saying is Instagram can make everything look easy like it will somehow fall into your lap, or that maxing out your credit cards or being mortgaged to the nine’s will make it happen. As Dave Ramsey says, “No one accidentally wins at anything. You have to pay a price to win, and you don’t win if you don’t pay a price.”

// FINALLY, THE END //

Lastly, we moved in with a $5 sofa and chair, a $25 kitchen table that I refinished, two free chairs, our childhood dressers and a bed we were loaning! It was real echo-y up in here. I’m super excited to share how we cost-effectively furnished our home, my love for thrifting and how I recycle decor around the house to make it seem new again. I DO NOT want to inspire you to go out and buy a bunch of STUFF. I DO want to inspire you to love where you live using things you have or shop cost-effectively. I DO want to inspire you to unleash your inner Mackelmore and thrift shop like a boss. I DO want to inspire you to become financially literate, understand what assets and liabilities are, how to find good deals in real estate and more. Lastly, I in no way do I claim to be an expert at any of these things, but we’re continually learning and I’m excited to share the journey.

So welcome to #thiseggerhouse, where it maybe should have been titled #rantswithcheryl, sorry, not sorry! Also, I hope to post consistently, but I'm a momma to the sweetest little man, so no guarantees-- again sorry, not sorry! I DO look forward to connecting with all of you and hope you enjoy following along!

xx

Cheryl