Underneath this Pile of Paper

We've read and reread all of the documents, emailed back and forth so many times I think even my gmail is tired, and texted with the various parties and vendors all to reach the same conclusion that in a few days we'll finally own something.

A tiny place to call our own that is metro accessible, has garage parking (gasp!), a little balcony, and requires no actual work to be able to inhabit it (beyond of course my our OCD tendencies to change things). Once the ink is dry more on our new little place.

However, what I have been thinking about is how not simple mortgage paperwork is for consumers. Seriously, Truth in Lending Act, there might be truth in there, but you did not make it easy to find.

Forget market euphoria driving people to make delusional decisions about how much house they can afford. Let's talk about how dense and complicated we've made the purchasing process.  I've lost count of the number of times we've stopped someone in the process and said "Can you explain that again?" "Why do these numbers not actually add up to this other number?" "What does that mean exactly at it relates to this other item?" "What are the ramifications of doing this vs. that?"

Given that people often just smile and nod when you explain something to them, even when they don't understand, I can only imagine how this paperwork tsunami washes over folks and leaves them gasping for air.

Of course you say, for important decisions like this they'll pay attention. Really? And while I'm not alleging that the banks can make consumers read the paperwork, the paperwork could be more legible.

It's more examining the process as a whole and considering people who are far more intimidated by this process, unsure what they can and can't ask, and who feel rushed. Why would we feel the need to rush people into something they have financial obligations on for the next 30 years? Surely with all of the fees we're now paying to process all of the paperwork the new Lending Act requires, someone could actually say, "hey, we should think about the consumer in this process and not just try to rush them through the paperwork."

We're indebted to our realtor for filing in gaps of knowledge along the way, but what about the people who have representation that isn't as knowledgeable and they don't even realize it. The fact that people are staking their financial futures (in part) on sometimes a leap of faith is disconcerting to me. I'm beginning to have a new appreciation for all of the stories of people saying they didn't understand what they were signing. I'm not willing to accept it as a blanket excuse for bad decisions, but it certainly points to a continuing need to figure out how to greater empower and educate consumers.

Damn, I Became A Fiscally Responsible Adult

I fear my fiscal responsibility is spreading to every nanobite of my brain. We've been hunting for a new place and keep reaching the same conclusion that what we're looking for is still slightly out of reach. So instead of being reasonable, we plow forward and keep recalculating how far we're willing to stretch. Then reason kicks in and we tell ourselves, "no, don't be ridiculous" and retreat back to original savings goal. Five years ago, I might have been willing to stretch my budget and comfort level. Now,  fiscal security and responsible spending are these odd legitimate boundaries that I'm not willing to bypass. Wow. If I'm this much fun in my early thirties imagine how riveting we'll be in our forties and perhaps with kids. Ha. That will be awesome.

Tonight we drew a line and officially said no, we're waiting until we reach it. Responsibility makes me rootch. Oh yeah, I just broke out a Pennsylvania Dutch word. Yikes.

Newton's First Law

Shaking off inertia is a psychological mind game that really does require a series of very small choices to be made in an effort to go from being completely at rest to a constant state of motion. Somehow in an effort to slow and enjoy life more I've managed to slow down so much, I'm missing out on the very things I am making time to enjoy. I've correlated being in a constant state of motion with doing too much and therefore rewarding myself with the privilege of doing less. Ha. What a fallacy.

I've managed to pull out running clothes and running shoes and set the alarm for 6:30. (I know that's not early for some of my friends, but do we need to discuss how much mornings and I do not get along?) I've also managed to hit the snooze button on two beautiful mornings for walking/running. I will not be discouraged, I can do this.

Note: I apologize for the more naval gazing turn of writing for the moment, I'm hoping by writing I start to be more accountable again.

In listening to the NPR piece about sitting too much at work, my sedentary routine was further amplified. Instead of wondering about why so many people are walking instead of working throughout the day, I should be applauding them for modeling a far more constructive approach to their health and workday.

I was surprisingly unable to even really delve into this New York Times piece on how sugar is poisoning us. My DH found it riveting and over 1.1 million people have viewed the video that highlighted the research. So I'm thinking about it and listening to the video as I type this entry.

What is not surprising when considering the state of inertia is that it effects every aspect of your life. Lack of interest in exercise has compromised my eating habits. By degrading my eating habits I've impacted our fiscal balance by eating out more and cooking at home less. Hello vicious cycle, I'm getting off this ride.

Couldn't Pull the Trigger

There was a brief moment this weekend where we almost bought a townhouse. We even had them hold the lot as we contemplated whether we were ready to jump in feet first. Then our carefully honed financial consciousness kicked in and we walked away.

Many of our friends and family have scoffed that we're more willing as a couple to go live in remote regions of the world than actually own something, but it's true we're still not quite there yet.

Brass tacks, we're still working on a saving for a down payment that's worth something. But we know the tide is finally starting to turn in DC where the market is showing signs of recovery, but finally you can get more for your money by buying not renting. So we'll get there, likely in the next year, but not today.

At least we know we love DC, we'll always call it home. Even if we wander far, our roots are here, they just don't have a mortgage.

We've worked so hard at achieving financial stability that we don't want to take on more than we're ready to do too soon. And yes, I still have moments where I think, well maybe we should pay off all of those student loans before we buy a house. And then I laugh, and think about how ridiculous that actually is, I mean seriously, we'd be nearing retirement before that would happen.

So, mindful fiscal living wins another round.