How not to buy a house

We did it. We probably did it all wrong, but we did it.

That's right ladies and gentlemen. Kim and I bought a house. We're still waiting for everything to close and finalize, but the house is under contract and it looks like a go.

It's been a long process. We're grateful to all of you who have prayed for us, sent us words of encouragement and who have just been uplifting voices to us on our journey.

It hasn't been easy. We've learned a lot and we learned it the hard way. Experience earned is experience wasted if it does not become experience shared.

So that's the plan. I am now an expert on buying a first home. Why? Because I've successfully done it. Ok, so maybe I'm not an expert, but if you've never bought a house, I'm more of an expert than you are. 

I wanted to share some of the "do's and don't's" that I've picked up along the way. If you have bought a house already and you fancy yourself more of an expert than I am, feel free to still read the post and enjoy the fact that you knew more than I did before you even bought your house. It's fine. I won't begrudge you the opportunity. When I fall down, it's terrible. When somebody else falls, it's hilarious. Those are the rules. I don't write 'em. Don't be mad at me.

We bought our first home!

I apologize for the recent lack of posts. We've been completely overwhelmed with the process of buying a new home. The good news is that we finally found a house that we loved and were able to get it under contract yesterday!

I will post more later, but I wanted to update everyone who has been thinking of and praying for us during this arduous process.

Look for a post coming soon (probably tomorrow) on all the mistakes we made. It will probably be called: "How not to buy a house."

Have a happy Tuesday! 

Should Christians who are in debt still give a tithe?

I apologize for the recent lack of original material. I hope you can be merciful, in light of the fact that Kim and I are still going through the ever-complicated process of buying a house for the time.

I decided to post an article that you may find interesting. Many Christians will say that is necessary to give ten percent of our income, as commanded by Biblical law.

This is something I've struggled with, from the perspective of a Christian who has been in debt. I'm still not sure I know exactly where I weigh in.

I don't pretend to have all the answers. I don't think any of us do. As Christians, we need to be willing to engage in dialogue with open minds. God gave us common sense. It's okay to use it.

Without further ado. Here is the article (props to Personal Finance By The Book):

I love gooooooooold!!!

No doubt you've heard the debate: To invest or not invest in gold?

It's our Earth's most precious commodity (allegedly). It will never go away. It's what we base our currency on. All sound logic...right?

It depends on who you ask. If you ask Dave Ramsey, he'd steer you in a different direction.

(article after the jump)

Lazy Thursday

It's been a long week. As I've been cataloging, Kim and I are in the middle of searching for our very first home. The stress has been unbelievable. So I'm taking the day off.

In the meantime, I recommend you visit the blog of my friend Rob Shepherd. He's a fairly entertaining fellow. You will like his stuff.

www.robshep.com

The Five Most Stressful Parts of Buying a Home

Kim and I are in the middle of buying our very first home. We're probably doing everything wrong. We're probably really bad first-time homebuyers. Maybe we're the worst. Hard to say, really. I'm not sure what unit of measurement would be used. Does it depend on the strength of the Yen?

If you've ever bought a home, are thinking of buying a home or are maybe even in the middle of buying a home, this article is for you. I'm stealing it from the nice people over at Sound Money Matters. Visit their site. Say hello. Tell 'em we sent ya.

(Article after the jump)

Have you ever been to a collection agency in person? I have.

The whole point of this blog is to share my personal lessons and stories with you, so that you can learn from my mistakes and also from my successes. Yesterday, I had a very surreal experience.

I visited a collection agency. In person.