Ombud
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Post by Ombud on Aug 6, 2015 9:07:15 GMT -5
Before you Refi figure out what it's going to cost & divide that by the number of months you'll own it to determine if it's worth it
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Aug 6, 2015 9:17:13 GMT -5
I want a house too! but they run well over a million in my neighborhood. half a mill if I want to do a reno. Mr. Sarcastic needs a second job that pays about 5 times what the first one does! Are you in Seattle, NYC or somewhere similar? No, Chicago.
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musicjenny
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Post by musicjenny on Aug 6, 2015 9:20:47 GMT -5
I agree that the baby will be fine in the same room for quite awhile. I had unused nurseries for all of mine (I obviously didn't learn). It's a lot easier getting up in the middle of the night with the kid in the same room.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Aug 6, 2015 9:25:48 GMT -5
I'll go against everyone and say you may want a nursery. I had my kids in their rooms from day 1. Neither of them slept well until close to one year old. It was nice to have two closed doors between us, even just to save DH some sleep. He would have gone crazy having a non-sleeping baby right in our room. You'll likely find your DH will be able to sleep though very loud crying and in the case you have a non-sleeping infant it is nice having one semi-well rested person in the house, even if it isn't you. That said, a pack-n-play set up in the dining room still counts as a nursery.
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Aug 6, 2015 9:45:38 GMT -5
I didn't realize you were in Chicago. ::Sroo waves from the North:: I am! I thought it said so under my avitar? maybe not. *waves back!* to where am I waving?
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Aug 6, 2015 9:50:40 GMT -5
I totally don't blame you for wanting a house. I have a feeling that I'd hate condo living, unless the condo was very house-like. Maybe it's something about lack of windows. Despite having 2 spare bedrooms, I kept both babies in a mini pack-n-play in our bedroom for the first 4-6 months. After that, we all slept much better in our separate rooms. it was sort of like this:. ETA: I found a better example:
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cktc
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Post by cktc on Aug 6, 2015 9:53:47 GMT -5
Maybe it is just hormones. Reading all of your comments this morning I feel much better about staying put. We have to declutter like crazy, finish some flooring, trim, and stair renovations, and then some new furniture really would be nice. We have a hodgepodge of furniture acquired over the years and most of it is no longer adequate for our needs. I just need to nest.
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sarcasticgirl
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Post by sarcasticgirl on Aug 6, 2015 9:55:49 GMT -5
I am! I thought it said so under my avitar? maybe not. *waves back!* to where am I waving? Oops.. I guess it does. I'm in the Milwaukee area along with a few others. We're practically neighbors!
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Aug 6, 2015 10:41:16 GMT -5
More space is not always better - I am speaking from experience. We upsized too much. While we can afford it, it is daunting to keep it maintained. DH had this deal breaker when we looked for houses. I was fine looking for homes that were 3000sf+, but he wouldn't look at anything over 2500sf. He had no interest in trying to maintain all of that. What's funny is that he wanted two acres of land, and I balked at that. I knew we didn't have the time or the money to maintain a fully landscaped two-acre parcel. We ended up with a 2000sf house on half an acre.
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Knee Deep in Water Chloe
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Post by Knee Deep in Water Chloe on Aug 6, 2015 10:42:44 GMT -5
cktc, I know you're annoyed right now. I really do understand how you feel. Please, though, learn from the mistakes of others. It is not worth jumping into a house right now. You'll be much more financially stable in a few years. And, it's going to be so worth it.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 6, 2015 14:36:18 GMT -5
I'm having the worst time convincing DH that we don't need a big place in Florida. Im used to just having quick meals, sleeping, showering, changing clothes then out the door and outside. We don't need a huge place for that. I'm good with a 2/2 and it'd be nice to have a small designated area for a home office. He thinks his kids will visit all the time. Well, they have kids and jobs. Not that often. I'd rather pay for their hotel than overbuy. Plus, it's easier on us not to have them that close.
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Wisconsin Beth
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Post by Wisconsin Beth on Aug 6, 2015 15:53:43 GMT -5
Oops.. I guess it does. I'm in the Milwaukee area along with a few others. We're practically neighbors! Hi Neighbors! Beth waves wildly at Sroo and sarcasticgirl *-*- Just to provide a counterpoint - my kids had their own rooms from about day 7 on. DH and I couldn't sleep with them in the room. And the baby monitor got turned off about a month in on DD and never got turned on for DS. We've got a 4 bedroom ranch (about 1200 sf total) with all 4 bedrooms grouped at the far end of the house. So it was like 30 feet from my bed to theirs.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Aug 6, 2015 16:24:55 GMT -5
There, there! << Kittensaver lovingly pats cktc on the head >>
It's just Nesting Syndrome. It's sweet and charming - and sometimes kind of a scary rollercoaster for the momma who is experiencing it. I agree that there are probably many things you can do in your existing space to not only fix it up to your liking, but also to make room for Baby. Tell yourself to "take the long view" and know that if you stick to your financial plan, you will probably be able to afford something even nicer than what you could get now. And as a bonus - if you fix up this house/condo as a "baby friendly" place, when you go to sell it you will be providing visual incentive to the next pregnant or parenting couple who tours your Open House but is wondering if it will fit a baby.
I agree that Ikea is a good place to get ideas about how to furnish and decorate small spaces, BUT (just personally) I would not buy much if any furniture from them. The designs are great but the furniture is NOT durable - even the growing number of things made with all-wood instead of laminated particle board are NOT durable. If you have the resources to toss households full of furniture in favor of all new stuff every decade then go ahead - - otherwise, I'd look for solid older, second-hand pieces that have withstood the test of time and spruce them up yourself. Or seek out a handy or artsy family member, friend or neighbor if fix-up is not your thing.
The one thing I WOULD definitely drop a few bucks on is a crib that meets current safety standards - possibly even a crib that converts to a bed as your child grows.
Good luck whatever you decide - and congrats on your new little one!
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Aug 6, 2015 16:33:11 GMT -5
The one thing I WOULD definitely drop a few bucks on is a crib that meets current safety standards
Meh you don't have to spend a fortune to get a crib mattress that meets current safety standards. By federal law the mattresses on the market have to meet current standards. So unless you are going to be buying out of someone's trunk or garage you're fine. Our first crib mattress cost $88 at Baby's R Us and was a Serta filled with organic cotton. The replacement cost a bit more since it appears BRU no longer carries that mattress.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Aug 6, 2015 16:47:38 GMT -5
The one thing I WOULD definitely drop a few bucks on is a crib that meets current safety standards
Meh you don't have to spend a fortune to get a crib mattress that meets current safety standards. By federal law the mattresses on the market have to meet current standards. So unless you are going to be buying out of someone's trunk or garage you're fine. Our first crib mattress cost $88 at Baby's R Us and was a Serta filled with organic cotton. The replacement cost a bit more since it appears BRU no longer carries that mattress. I was thinking mostly of the older cribs (not mattresses) that have things like too-wide spaces between slats and mechanical parts (lifters) that no longer meet safety standards. I definitely think older cribs can be charming but also deadly if, say for example, the slats are too wide and the baby's head gets stuck in them .
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Aug 6, 2015 17:04:32 GMT -5
Still a new crib and mattress doesn't have to be that expensive. I'd buy new (and did) unless the OP wanta ours once we accept reality that our 2.5 year old really can climb out of the crib.
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cktc
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Post by cktc on Aug 6, 2015 17:06:09 GMT -5
Right now I'm eyeing the Arms Reach co-sleeper bassinets. I'll probably hold off on the crib until 4-5 months. The lifetime bed ones are great in theory, but I know a few people who have had toddlers chew the crib, so I'll probably just get something basic, and upgrade to a twin later.
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kittensaver
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Post by kittensaver on Aug 6, 2015 17:18:43 GMT -5
Right now I'm eyeing the Arms Reach co-sleeper bassinets. I'll probably hold off on the crib until 4-5 months. The lifetime bed ones are great in theory, but I know a few people who have had toddlers chew the crib, so I'll probably just get something basic, and upgrade to a twin later. If you have the patience, this is the best plan of all. Resist the urge to go all HDTV on a nursery, stash your decorating money in a short-term savings account and figure out what you need/spend as you go along. Lots of people drop lots of money into fantasy nurseries but then find out later it's not practical or doesn't fit their baby's needs.
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tcu2003
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Post by tcu2003 on Aug 6, 2015 17:56:47 GMT -5
Right now I'm eyeing the Arms Reach co-sleeper bassinets. I'll probably hold off on the crib until 4-5 months. The lifetime bed ones are great in theory, but I know a few people who have had toddlers chew the crib, so I'll probably just get something basic, and upgrade to a twin later. Good call. All cribs have to meet the same safety standards so in this case, more expensive isn't better. We found a Graco one that coverts to a toddler bed and twin at WM for like $150 in the color and style we preferred. We've only used it as a toddler bed as my kiddo never slept in his crib, and we'll probably not buy the kit to convert to a twin bed and just use a full size bed we have, so I'm glad we didn't spend big bucks on it.
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MJ2.0
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Post by MJ2.0 on Aug 6, 2015 18:04:00 GMT -5
We got a convertible crib from Ikea before DS was born. He just turned 4 and is still using it.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 6, 2015 20:28:36 GMT -5
Some of us grew up with those "dangerous " cribs and no car seats that we had to use until we were 18 plus those horrid play pens with netting. The strong survive!!
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mollyanna58
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Post by mollyanna58 on Aug 6, 2015 20:43:19 GMT -5
Some of us grew up with those "dangerous " cribs and no car seats that we had to use until we were 18 plus those horrid play pens with netting. The strong survive!! The vast majority survived just fine. A tiny minority did not. I think the parents of those who did not survive wish the safety standards had already been in place.
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zibazinski
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Post by zibazinski on Aug 6, 2015 20:49:56 GMT -5
I think the stories are just rumors anyway. I know we even rode bikes without GASP bike helmets!!
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Lizard Queen
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Post by Lizard Queen on Aug 6, 2015 21:04:23 GMT -5
My crib doesn't have drop sides, but supposedly it isn't up to date enough for the powers that be because it was purchased over 5 yrs ago, and there's been an arbitrary cutoff enacted somewhere in between. I have no idea why it's not up to snuff. It converts to a toddler bed and then full size bed, so i guess it's okay that I'm not allowed to sell it.
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WholeLottaNothin
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Post by WholeLottaNothin on Aug 7, 2015 4:38:19 GMT -5
We have a convertible crib for roggie and it's currently a toddler bed. Will have to be a full size bed soon he is so tall. I liked it so much we got the same one for baby D. Bought it from Jcpenney online.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Aug 7, 2015 7:11:52 GMT -5
We bought a convertible crib but haven't converted it yet. The first used it until about 2.5 and then we put him in my old twin bed and new baby used the crib. We'll likely convert it to a full bed this fall when she's 2.5. There are bite marks from both of them on what will be the foot board but I figure I'll just throw a quilt or something over that part and really it doesn't even show that much. Glad I made sure to get one that didn't have a toxic finish!
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NomoreDramaQ1015
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Post by NomoreDramaQ1015 on Aug 7, 2015 7:58:54 GMT -5
The lifetime bed ones are great in theory
Yeah you need to read the fine print. I read reviews of some convertible models and there were complaints about having to buy a seperate converter kit that cost a fortune or it would be discontinued so the kit wouldn't be available anymore.
We have the Graco Lauren, it doesn't need a kit to convert to a toddler bed. If we ever wanted to turn it into a full bed we'd have to buy one but I doubt she's going to be want to be using it for that.
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yogiii
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Post by yogiii on Aug 7, 2015 8:03:48 GMT -5
The lifetime bed ones are great in theory
Yeah you need to read the fine print. I read reviews of some convertible models and there were complaints about having to buy a seperate converter kit that cost a fortune or it would be discontinued so the kit wouldn't be available anymore. We have the Graco Lauren, it doesn't need a kit to convert to a toddler bed. If we ever wanted to turn it into a full bed we'd have to buy one but I doubt she's going to be want to be using it for that. That's a good point. We bought the conversion kit when we purchased the crib. I have no idea if our model is discontinued or not.
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muttleynfelix
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Post by muttleynfelix on Aug 7, 2015 8:12:31 GMT -5
The conversion to a toddler bed is a nice feature. My brother ended giving us a twin size box spring and frame, so I think we will just go to that once we stop deluding ourselves and then sell the crib. Yes we could convert it to a full, but DS has a twin bed from my sister (we traded our full bed to her teenager for the twin bed for our ttoddler when I was expecting DD) and now my brother gave us a frame and box spring. (They built a loft for their preteen).
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cronewitch
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Post by cronewitch on Aug 7, 2015 8:39:35 GMT -5
I think the stories are just rumors anyway. I know we even rode bikes without GASP bike helmets!! A friend had her son die of that.
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