Homeownership at its finest

Being homeowners is one of the best decisions we have made.  It is actually fun to spend money on our house and fix it up the way we want to; and Although our AC unit has gone out twice in the 1 month that we have lived here, we are grateful to have a home warranty. What comes with homeownership is a bigger financial responsibility, and that is why Eric and I have talked about some of the ways we can remain financially fit as we figure out how to better manage our financing as new homeowners. Before we bought our house we were living at Eric's Grandparents house and they let us live there for very inexpensive, so we were able to save a bunch of money. We were also able to open up a few credit cards so that we could build up some credit.  Opening Credit cards can be kind of scary. It leaves you open to getting yourself in a lot of debt, but Eric and i decided long ago we would only use our credit cards for necessities. We use our credit cards to pay our bills, and we always pay them off every month. Determining what credit card to get can be stressful in and of itself  but Credit card insider can help you with that. I love credit card insider because they help you understand what credit card is best for you and what kind of rewards you want. They also help you understand the benefits of having a credit card and how to easily manage it so that you  don't get yourself into a ton of debt. They have a question and answer YouTube page, but they also have a website which you can find  here. If it is your desire to own a house, my suggestion to you, is to live as cheap as possible. I was given some advice by one of my cousins and she said "you should always pay double your mortgage" and what I took from that was pay your rent and then double what you pay by putting it into savings. We started doing that and we had money saved up in no time. We also knew that when we did buy a house, we would know what monthly payment we could comfortably afford, and since moving into our new house we have been able to double that number again and put the rest in savings. Being financially smart can bless your life and help you live a more carefree life. Set a budget for yourself and stick to it!! Examine your bank and account and see the unneccassary things you spend money on, and cut them out of your life. Cutting out little things like going to lunch everyday instead if bringing your own lunch to work can help you save TONS!! Eric works for Wells Fargo so he has set up a lot of other little ways to help us save as well. Wellsfargo has a way2save account that allows you to set the boundries. For instance, our ways2save account is set up to transfer  $1 to our savings every time we swipe our debit card.  It's  little things like that, that can make a huge difference. 2016 is destined to be great. I hope you can set some financial goals for yourself and accomplish the things you desire to accomplish. Good luck, and happy savings!!:)

Happy 2 years to us!

I know Eric and I have only been married for two years, but this has become one of my favorite blog posts of the year because it allows me to reflect on this amazing life that Eric and I live together, and also allow me to see the ways that we have learned and grown together. 

With every passing day I begin to love Eric more and more. I feel so blessed to have him as my eternal companion. He is such a good example to me of selfless sacrifice and Love. 

Here is our Year in a review 

June 2015

We went to a Mercury Game with some of our friends 

We also went bowling for a good cause with Erics work (wells fargo) 

It was Hawaiian theme in case you can't tell

July 2015 

I attended Mary Kay Seminar.
It was amazing. There were a lot of prizes given away, and there was awesome entertainment (Jordan Sparks)

We also celebrated the fourth of July with lots of food, fun, and fireworks

August 2015

We took a trip to  Rocky Point Mexico and stayed at one of Eric's Co-workers beach house. It was a lot of fun and a nice relaxing vacation before Eric started school back up

We have a lot of pictures, but I can't find where they went, so this will have to do ;)

We caught lots of crabs and saw so much sea life

My best friend also got her mission call to France

 Baseball game, because what else is there to do in Arizona during the summer

September 2015 

I took a girls trip out to Disneyland because we had season passes and why not?? WE LOVE DISNEYLAND! 

We love game nights and host plenty of these with our friends

October  2015

We were crazy enough to take on 5 kids and jump into the life of a mom and dad. We still worked our other jobs so this was a busy month. It was so much fun to be able to play mom and dad for 2 weeks but reminded me that  we enjoy our time together and are not quite ready for kids yet.

At some points I had 4 car-seats in my car.
and I somehow still survived

One night we ate Elk Burgers thank you to Bradly's hunting skills

After we finished 2 weeks of mom and dad we went to Krazy air with some friends

Halloween is in October so we decided to be a lightening strike... My Aunt and Uncle had the same idea :)

One of my BEST cousins also came home from his mission, which was so much fun!

November 2015

We went on a fabulous trip to Ecuador. There are so many pictures that it was hard to pick just a few to share with you. I loved the culture, the people, the food, and everything about Ecuador. I would love to go back there some day. It is a beautiful place.
We did the trip for really inexpensive, thanks to our friends Justin and Stacie who hooked us up and invited us on this once in a lifetime vacation. We stayed at this amazing "resort" called Casa Divina. If you ever go to Ecuador, it is a must!

We also attended the state fair

We were also able to celebrate thanksgiving! 

December 2015

We celebrated our 2nd year of Christmas together!

We also had a new years eve party

January 2016

This is both of our birthday Months, so we usually do something fun and exciting. This year Eric bought Disneyland tickets and planned a fun trip to California. It was a big deal that he was taking me to Disneyland because he always complained about it and I had the hardest time trying to get hi, there. He was so sweet to take me and I think he actually liked it, because the last time he went he was 10. We were able to visit and stay with Eric's cousin who flies a plane in the Navy.

February 2016

Celebrated Valentines day with a picnic at the park :)

The people I nanny for took us snowboarding. This was my first time. I loved snowboarding but I was so exhausted. I had to go take a nap in the car during the middle of the day.
Also on our way up to snowboarding we did a 360 on the road and slid off. It was one of the scariest things of my life. In the moment of it happening I felt at peace, but when the car stopped spinning I couldn't stop thanking my Heavenly Father for protecting us and keeping us safe. We were watched over because there was no damage done to the car or to us.

I also did a Bridal event at the Phoenix suns stadium 

March 2016

I attended another Mary Kay sponsored event and won an amazing Ralph Lauren Purse.

April 2016 

I attended BYU woman's conference with my mom, aunts and cousins. It was a blast!!

Eric and I were also able to go to Bison Ranch for a peaceful weekend and to watch General Conference. This also happens to be the place he proposed to me

May 2016

Of course in this month we celebrated two years of being married.
This year we stayed in Arizona went to the Salt River, Attended the Temple, went to dinner and did some shopping. It was the perfect day

The Biggest new of the year... is we bought our first home together. 

It is a fixer upper but we are proud to be able to call something ours. 

This has been such a blessed year and we have had so much fun learning and growing together. 

Here is to our next year together!