CarrieDaway

We painted our first apartment and it instantly felt more homelike. Painting it white a year later when we moved wasn’t fun and a major deterrent in painting our townhouse. Another reason we didn’t paint was because didn’t know how long we would be here. Renting versus buying and city versus suburbs has been a staple conversation in the Budzinski household. After two years of weighing our options we’ve decided to stay put. It wasn’t an easy decision but it feels right.

First and foremost, our rent is affordable and far less than any mortgage we would get. Add to that taxes, insurance, increased utilities and maintenance; issues of interest rate and equity are a wash at minimum. Sticking with the Ramsey model we can continue to live debt free and save for a sizable down payment down the road.

As much as we love Detroit, it simply too expensive for us to rent a place in the city. Rents in the popular neighborhoods would inevitably be more than we pay now and not include our current amenities (I really love having a washer and dryer). But more than that, our car insurance rates would at least double and could honestly cost more than rent. We can’t afford that lifestyle – at least not when our long-term financial goals are to be considered.

The main reason we are staying where we are is to be close to our family and friends. Cara and Melissa already live 30 minutes away and would live twice that distance if we lived in Detroit. Mom and B are a 30 minute round trip. Most importantly at the moment, Mr. B is a 5 minute drive. We live the closest to him and he’s able to come for dinner every week. The thought of us moving 10 minutes away left him distraught for months afterwards. Since we’re happy where we are and he’s happy where we are, it’s a win-win.

The best thing about having this issue settled is that we can finally settle down and make this place our home. We made a few small changes when we moved and now we’re taking it up a notch. I love the results and can’t wait to share what we’ve done. There’s still more work but we’ve made a lot of progress.

The entryway is my favorite. It’s the perfect shade of blue and I’ll admit my initial plan was to paint the entire downstairs that color. Thankfully, Danny suggested otherwise and I listened.

The catalyst of this entire paint process was our half bath. White frames on white walls was too drab and the pink flowers needed an extra pop. This turquoise is a fun bright color I would only be brave enough to use on a small accent wall. An added bonus was the wall is so small I was able to use a $3 paint sample.

There it is, a small home preview. Hopefully, I’ll be able to share more of the downstairs next week.