by Hope
The final cost…$1,000 for a new kitchen ceiling. So worth it! Why didn’t I do this sooner?
It took a few short hours for the contractor to cover it. There was no “damage”, it was truly a cosmetic fix only. The patches in the ceiling are where the electric ran through previously to the stove that was in the middle of the floor.
Falling in Love All Over Again
My open concept kitchen with plenty of room for several cooks and multiple work stations brings joy every time I work in it. I feel truly blessed to have gotten to create a space and a home that is truly built for for what I hold dear. I do agree with commentors that the yellow is a bit much. But I dreamt of a yellow kitchen for years.
And now it has a beautiful, “farm house” style ceiling to match.
While the main motivation for getting to work on some lingering house projects is the real possibility of my decision to sell the house sometime in 2025. And the priorities come from the realtor’s observations and suggestions. I cannot say that I am not falling in love all over again with my home.
I always thought what a shame it was that my parents spent all the time and money to improve their home before they moved from Virginia and never enjoyed it. While I certainly lean toward selling most days, that decision is certainly not firmed up yet. And I will most definitely enjoy the improvements for as long as I am here.
Next up…refinishing my small stick original pine floors. I cannot wait to see the finish project.
Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.
But life has a way of rewriting your plans.
A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.
Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.
Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.
She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.
Since you’re taking the year slow, please, please, please hold do not sell the affordable, stable roof over your head. Take a breath. You know your contract is dicey, so pay off your debt, build an enormous emergency fund and just let life unfold without creating your own drama.
Also, the recommendation to find a therapist still stands. Any progress on that front?
The therapy and the mortgage as well. Why did it go up to 1,000 from 600 and is it going to stay there or did you have a temporary rise to pay off something else?
So you spent $1000 on your ceiling while you have consumer debt, an unstable job situation, no emergency fund and no clear plan? Are you expecting a positive response to this decision?
All of that is correct except for the “no emergency fund” – I have been saving consistently all year.
And this calculated decision was based on the very possible decision to sell my home and preparing for that.
But without thinking it through or having a plan, a selling seems a bad idea.
You have no idea what a house would cost in a different area. Since you are in a LCOL area now, it is almost a certainty you will not have a “profit” because housing will be even more expensive and you wind up with a higher mortgage payment.
Also, you haven’t been good with bills in the recent past. Are you sure you have the credit score necessary to purchase a home or even rent one? They check credit for apartments as well.
Believe me, I have LOTS of idea how much housing will cost other places. I’ve spent years watching housing prices, AirBNB prices and apartment sizes. And it is indeed frightening because housing most anywhere else is going to be at least 2x my cost here.
But the job market here is NOTHING. So if I want to get steady, corporate jobs…it won’t be here.
And my credit score is actually fair, not great by any means, but fair. And climbing as I keep paying off my credit cards.
I understand how you are trying to justify this spending. But, not only is selling your house right now a bad idea, you haven’t committed to it unless there is something you are not sharing with the community. Given that, investing money in fixing up the house for a reason that may not happen while you are carrying debt at 30% interest is a bad decision. It isn’t “what is right for you and your family”, its just a bad decision.
Step 1 – pay off your credit card debt
Step 2 – save an emergency fund
Step 3 – make a plan for life as an empty nester including retirement savings and health insurance
Spending money on house upgrades comes after these steps.