It's been a bit of a roller coaster few months around here. Some days we're up, some days we're down, and others we are just upside-down. Who knew financing would be so hard to nail down!?
Up we go...
Since we are building and not buying, we had to set up a construction loan. But since we owned the entire 38 acres as a family, the bank wouldn't take over our land loan without first splitting the land into separate plots for each of us. Several thousand dollars later, we had a survey and lawyer papers to prove which part of the land was which.
Once the split was accomplished, we had to transfer our land loan from the credit union to the bank, as our credit union doesn't handle construction loans. We ended up switching banks a few times and finally landed on a semi-local bank. The specialists were super nice and helped us understand this foreign process. After 6 months, we finally were able to secure a construction loan. On September 29, we signed the papers and officially had money to build our home!
Down we go...
The next day, I found out that I was losing my job at the end of the year...and we have a baby on the way. It was a shock, to say the least. After nearly 2 years of designing, saving and financing, we are hit with the reality that we may not be able to have the house we dreamed of for our growing family.
Thinking Positively
So what does a person do in a situation like this-- Cry? Scream? Eat? Mope? Pray? Well, I've done all of the above and I have realized that I don't have much control over the situation, but I DO have control over how I react, view, spend and talk about it. I can choose to be Oscar the Grouch, cursing every minute...which is -- in all honesty-- what I sometimes feel like doing. OR - I can be "Positive Polly" and see the light in the situation and make smart decisions.
The Glass is Half Full You just have to MAKE yourself see it that way sometimes!
So in my attempt to NOT be Oscar but instead be Polly, I have put together a list of all of the things I have control over and what I can do in my very strange situation:
Things In my control:
How we spend our money - sticking to a monthly budget
Choosing cheaper materials for our house
Making homemade christmas presents vs. buying expensive gifts this year
Sharing meals when eating out (no appetizers/desserts)
Cooking less extravagent meals at home
Shop for necessity only and Scope out sales and coupons as much as possible
Update my resume and start looking for a job!
I know that God has us in the palm of His hands. He has the binoculars and I have the microscope. He can see things far into the future and all I can focus on is that which is around me. Things are happening for a reason- they always do.
One door is closing and another will open soon, revealing a path that is filled with exciting opportunities and a bright future.
Up we go...
Since we are building and not buying, we had to set up a construction loan. But since we owned the entire 38 acres as a family, the bank wouldn't take over our land loan without first splitting the land into separate plots for each of us. Several thousand dollars later, we had a survey and lawyer papers to prove which part of the land was which.
Once the split was accomplished, we had to transfer our land loan from the credit union to the bank, as our credit union doesn't handle construction loans. We ended up switching banks a few times and finally landed on a semi-local bank. The specialists were super nice and helped us understand this foreign process. After 6 months, we finally were able to secure a construction loan. On September 29, we signed the papers and officially had money to build our home!
Down we go...
The next day, I found out that I was losing my job at the end of the year...and we have a baby on the way. It was a shock, to say the least. After nearly 2 years of designing, saving and financing, we are hit with the reality that we may not be able to have the house we dreamed of for our growing family.
Thinking Positively
So what does a person do in a situation like this-- Cry? Scream? Eat? Mope? Pray? Well, I've done all of the above and I have realized that I don't have much control over the situation, but I DO have control over how I react, view, spend and talk about it. I can choose to be Oscar the Grouch, cursing every minute...which is -- in all honesty-- what I sometimes feel like doing. OR - I can be "Positive Polly" and see the light in the situation and make smart decisions.
The Glass is Half Full You just have to MAKE yourself see it that way sometimes!
So in my attempt to NOT be Oscar but instead be Polly, I have put together a list of all of the things I have control over and what I can do in my very strange situation:
Things In my control:
How we spend our money - sticking to a monthly budget
Choosing cheaper materials for our house
Making homemade christmas presents vs. buying expensive gifts this year
Sharing meals when eating out (no appetizers/desserts)
Cooking less extravagent meals at home
Shop for necessity only and Scope out sales and coupons as much as possible
Update my resume and start looking for a job!
I know that God has us in the palm of His hands. He has the binoculars and I have the microscope. He can see things far into the future and all I can focus on is that which is around me. Things are happening for a reason- they always do.
One door is closing and another will open soon, revealing a path that is filled with exciting opportunities and a bright future.