One Hundred Dollars a Month

It’s that time again. You ask, and I pretend to know things and answer your burning questions. It really is so much fun to open my inbox and see the wide variety of questions you guys have. Reminds me that my readers are so diverse and pretty dang awesome. So keep those questions coming and I’ll keep racking my brain for answers. As always, please pipe up if you have any input or are knowledgeable when it comes to any of the following questions:

Hi Mavis, I understand you are moving across country to a new place, and I’m wondering how you went about the process. We are wanting to move from the east coast to the mid-Atlantic Appalachian Mountains, but don’t have the time or money to check out each area. Is there a simpler process?

~Thanks, Debbie

Hi Debbie, what a great question. My husband spent his early childhood just outside of Boston and had fond memories of the area. We had always talked about going back for a visit at some point, but it didn’t pan out until 2013 when we decided to take the kids there for spring break. In a nutshell, we not only loved Boston, but we pretty much fell in love with the whole Northeast at that time as well. The kids were still in high school though, and my husband had a good paying job {and one that he had been at for 20+ years} so the thought of cashing in our Hey, you only live once card and moving 3,000 miles away from everything we knew, seemed like a pipe dream at the time.

The next year our daughter headed off to college on the east coast {but not in the Northeast} and every spring break The Girl and I would find ourselves driving up north and checking out different towns. We weren’t house hunting at that point, just going on adventures and enjoying the different areas. But, every time we came back from one of our adventures, the desire to move to the Northeast permanently, increased greatly.

So, for a period of about 3 years, we basically researched 4 different states, the different towns, taxes, laws, and the housing market in those areas. And then we narrowed it down to two states. And then to one. And then a few months ago, the stars just sort of aligned and we knew it was time to go for it.

If I had to give you an estimate, I’d say 95% of our research was done online. So if there are a few towns you are already looking at, it’s never to early to start researching. What does the job market look like? How much can you afford for housing and what does something in your price range look like? Will you be sending kids to school? What are the schools like in those areas? Is one state better than others when it comes to state laws, taxes and services?

I think once you can narrow where you want to live down a bit more based on that set of criteria {jobs, housing, state laws, and taxes and whatever else you are interested in}, the whole process becomes a lot easier. I hope that helps.

And please, if anyone has some tips to help Debbie, be sure and leave her a comment.

I just read in the Kitsap Sun that the tea room in Port Orchard has been sold.

~Mona

Yes! The Grey House has been sold and the new owners officially took over on March 15th. They plan to expand the Grey House menu with homemade baked goods and treats. Maybe we can get Mrs. HB to make a trip out there in a month or two and let us know what’s new. 😉

A few years ago while visiting my brother, we watched a series from Canada about an inept and funny community theater group. Does anyone have a clue as to the name? I’d like to watch it again, and unfortunately don’t have my brother to ask anymore.
Thank you in advance.

~ E in Upstate New York

Could it be Slings and Arrows? If not, hopefully someone else will chime in with an answer.

Hi there! Recently you posted about Lucy having a car seat but I can’t seem to find it on your site. Could you please tell me what kind it was and why you chose it over other kinds?

~ Thanks! Sarah

Sure thing Sarah. We shelled out about $60 for this K&H Pet Products Bucket Booster Pet Seat and let me tell you Bob, I wish we had bought one sooner. I really didn’t think she’d go for it, and I thought the car seat was going to end up being a giant chew toy, but to our surprise, Lucy LOVES her car seat. 

We ordered a large, and it gives her just enough room to lounge while still being strapped in {there are two straps built in to the seat that hook to the back of a dogs harness}.

Hi Mavis, I’m curious as to what you ended up doing with your old computers? Did you find a place to recycle them? What did you do with the hard drive? Thank you!

~Julie

I am a horrible person. We ended up destroying the hard drives and then recycling the computers at the landfill instead of donating them. I just couldn’t get past the thought of handing over the laptops to someone to “wipe” clean.

Hi Mavis! We have a 2400 sqft house that Needs an interior paint job. When we first bought the house 17 years ago we had a designer to come in and help choose colors. Times of changed our Ming red walls need to go but we want to have a somewhat coordinated look. Do you have any suggestions on how to go about doing this? Any local people to hire in the greater south King County area? Online? We’ll do the work, just need color selection help!

~ Sarah

Hi Sarah,

I posted your question to FB yesterday and here are the responses I received:

So this isn’t local, but there is an interior designer who sells a paint pallet collection. {Lauren Bern Interiors} It can help you choose coordinating colors as well as furnishings. Something to check out if there is no one local to help! ~ Kristen 

I know this sounds lame, but we went to Lowes and picked up the booklets of coordinating colors by theme/look (think Americana, southwest, international spice, etc) was sooo helpful to have fewer paint colors that someone else decided matched each other. ~Mary

I hope that helps! If anyone has any suggestions for Sarah, pipe up! We love comments around here.

Have a question for me? Submit them HERE and I’ll try to answer them.

Have a great weekend everyone,

~Mavis