money Archives - Memos and Mirth

The Condo Circus

February 6, 2013

Remember how I was tut-tutting buying a condo just a little over a year ago? Well! How things have changed…

My lease is up in August and I am terrified of being stuck in another apartment of horrors because of the rental restrictions on Rottweilers. So I’m investigating the condo market again!
I am slowly pestering my condo-dwelling friends for advice – from association fees to warning signs.
It is extremely early in the process, but here is the advice that I have received so far:

Buying a short sale can be painful
Previously owned units are preferable to new construction
Management companies and building culture are important
Ultra-modern buildings will probably look ridiculous in 15 years
A ton of condo buildings have Rottweiler restrictions
If a condo seems too cheap, there’s a reason
If a listing isn’t showing interior shots, there’s a reason
Association fees vary widely
Prices and quality can vary widely within a single building

Am I missing anything?

Edit: The discussion on this Consumerist post is fascinating.

Life / unsolicited advice

The power of change…

November 26, 2008

Grandmother has a saying:

“Wer den Pfennig nicht ehrt, ist die Mark nicht wert!”

(Who doesn’t value the penny isn’t worth the dollar.)

I didn’t give the phrase much thought until 7th grade, when my mother, (a waitress at the time) bought a $2000 computer for me with the spare change she saved from her tips.

Yesterday was a reiteration of the power of change (No, not the Obama kind…); My spare change bowl was filling up, so I threw the coins in my string backpack and took them to the TCF change counting machine at school.

The total was $86. Cha-ching!

The lesson? Shit adds up. Be it bad loans, lack of sleep, or quarters in a change jar…

0L / Life

Patience is a virtue m’dear…

July 28, 2008

I laugh at the high school seniors who sit at home weasel-faced with angst…but, hm. I sometimes wonder if I should look in the mirror.

I eventually found the ‘real’ financial aid page on OneStop, and it reads:
Step 1 – Your FAFSA was received.

Step 2 – You do not need to complete any additional requirements.

Step 3 – Wait . . . your financial aid is under review. You will receive an e-mail notice beginning late July in your University e-mail account when your awards are available for your online response.
Erm… it’s the 28th. They were not kidding when they said late July. And once I accept these loans that I will supposedly receive, how long will it take for me to get the disbursement?

Is SallieMae just sitting there ready to pelt me with money or will they have some additional hoops for me?

But maybe that’s just me being impatient. No, not maybe. It is me being impatient. But impatience is not to be confused with angst; Angst was not knowing where I would live. I knew this wait for $$ was coming…Silly Little Law Student said she didn’t get her loan until two weeks before class – so, I have about three weeks to go before I’m worried.

I’m realizing how easy financial aid would have been if I had gone to Localschool A or Otherschool B… but in spite of the prospect of soul crushing debt I still think I made the right decision… I just wish they’d get on with it already!