Hello everyone!

Things have finally slowed down enough for me to write this blog post. I am so excited to say that I finally own my own home! Outside of college and a 18-month stint in an apartment, I have lived with my parents my entire life. And while I am so appreciative of the shelter and provision they have given me over the decades, I am excited to finally spread my wings and own my own property.

How I Arrived Here

For my 2020 vision board, I wrote that I wanted to start saving for a home. The thing was…I was still in the process of paying off my student loan debt. To start saving for a house, I would need to save as much (or more) than I was putting towards my student loan. I had a strong desire to move on my own, not out of pressure or of shame, but because I thought I was ready this time. I was faithful with paying my tithes, paying more than the minimum balance for my student loan, and saving money. Through — what I can only describe as God’s grace and blessings — I was able to pay off my student loan debt within 2 years!! With my student loan debt paid (just like my sins), I could start saving for a house. The next obstacle I ran into was affording a home. The area in which I live, is becoming more expensive as more people are choosing to live further from the city. I felt a little discouraged thinking about how long it would take me to save for a down payment. So I turned to tiny home living. If you ask my friends, family, and hair dresser, they would say that I was border-line obsessed with tiny home living. I found a parcel of land that was perfect for my tiny house, but the price was a little too high. I tried to wait for the price to drop, but when it did, someone else ended up purchasing the land. I was completely devastated. After a while, I began searching online again for a house…and there it was, my future home. I had seen it once before when house hunting, but when I saw it again, I knew that was where I was going to live.

How I Feel Now

It has been one month since I first moved into my first home. Feelings of insufficiencies (“am I prepared to own my own home?”) and panic (“what have I gotten myself into?”) have subsided. And most of my anxiety will be curtailed once I receive the rest of my bills and can budget accordingly. The biggest thing that I try to remember is that this home was a gift from God. And since it was a gift, I want to steward it well. Outside, I have been picking up trash, pulling up weeds, and watering my grass. On the inside, I have been trying to keep up with the cleaning and maintenance of different items, like my kitchen gadgets and wood floors. I’m mostly settled in; needing just a few more items to pull everything together. I am so happy and blessed to be able to own a home. Last year, I was hoping to move into a tiny home, but God provided me with a house.

“Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us.”

Ephesians 3:20 (NKJV)

How Do I See My Future

I decided to use a USDA 30-year fixed loan since it provided me with the best deal. And even though I’m projected to pay off my home loan in 30 years, I’m aiming to pay it off in under 10 years. You might be thinking that I am crazy…but it is this same crazy faith, that helped me to pay off my student loan early. This year (well the second part of the year lol), I’m getting serious about creating multiple streams of income to help me achieve this ambitious goal. Not having to pay a mortgage will free up money for me to use towards other passions and goals. Another driving force that has helped me to pay off debt early is the idea of never wanting to owe anyone. Instead, I desire to live out Deuteronomy 15:6, where I will lend to many nations but never have to borrow.

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With one month in the books, I am excited for all of the new memories I will experience in my home. I also can’t wait to invite friends into my home once things become much better with COVID-19. There’s so much I want to share with you all about saving for and buying a home, that I think I’ll do a home-buying (working title) blog series. So stay tuned for more content this month!

As always, thanks for reading. If you enjoyed this post and you’re not a subscriber, what are you waiting for? I promise I won’t flood your inbox with a million emails lol And if you know anyone who is trying to save for a house or wants to buy a house, please share this post with them. Thank you again!

Love, 

Britt ♥