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First Blog Post – I’m official now

First Blog Post that starts it all on NovemberSunflower.com

It has to start somewhere, why not with my first blog post

It’s time to start my blog with my first blog post. It’s time! So here goes….

Living on Long Island

Living on Long Island…..it’s not an easy task for most of us. Overpriced homes, and inflated taxes on Long Island are stress points for everyone in the middle and lower classes. In many cases, our salaries don’t go far on this Island I love so much. Married? Procreated? Get ready for BOTH parents working just to survive. Struggling is a normal way of life for most people who choose to live on Long Island.

However, there are some fortunate to have well paying jobs, and can afford living on Long Island without worrying about paying a mortgage, buying groceries, gasoline, or clothing! Either avenue you’re walking down, NovemberSunflower.com is here to help you learn not to waste your time, or money, on the things you want to buy, do, and travel to!

Financial trouble

Let me share a wonderful experience I recently had that made me understand why our country is in such financial trouble:
We’re currently trying to sell our condo. I’d love to stay in the condo, since there’s no tending to outdoor chores. No mowing of lawns, or weeding, or watering anything. Plus, it’s a great little place. However, we’ve outgrown our home, and it’s in a terrible school district.
Our family needs to find something larger, even though I’ll miss not having to shovel after a snow storm. I’ll also miss not worrying about replacing a roof, or why the grass is dead. We, unfortunately, must move on to an actual house with more than just two bedrooms. Plus, a better school district for the kids.
We’ve been receiving offers, but all are just failing. Why? Well, it’s because people can’t seem to get a mortgage. Even though they are hunting for a place to buy, it seems they’re hunting above their price range. Our latest experience has been the BEST one yet, and the one I wish to share.

Buy within your means

A couple comes to see our place. First the wife comes on a Thursday evening, loves the place, and asks if she can bring her husband the next night. We agree. They show up on Friday night, love the place, the realtor brings them around to the clubhouse, the pool, the tennis court. We get a call an hour later, the realtor wants to bring them over to sign the contract. Fine. We sign the contract, and send the papers over to the lawyer. Mr. Sunflower notices, on the contract, the amount of their approved mortgage. It’s enough to cover buying the condo, but not a whole lot. As we have had deals fall apart many times, I don’t get my hopes up. I expect something to go wrong.
Sure enough, Monday we’re at our son’s well visit appointment, and we get a call from the realtor. The realtor tells my husband the couple have decided to buy a house. I just laughed. A young people, still living with her parents after marrying a couple of years ago, have an approved mortgage barely enough to pay for a condo. Now they’re getting a house instead?
This is how so many people are in so much trouble. Foreclosures on their homes. Declaring bankruptcy. All because of buying things they can’t afford.
  • banks approved mortgages to homes
  • new owners weren’t able to afford the mortgage once in the home
  • bottom dropped out
  • the rest of us had to save these idiots from themselves

Boggles my mind

And here I am, watching yet another couple, after seeing all of that happen, living in the Land of Oz. Thanks to banks insisting on giving mortgages to every couple unable to make their payments.

Just wanted to share this lovely story with those of you who have been through this same thing, and wonder how people STILL think they can afford things, when they obviously CANNOT. I guess they believe we will bail them out when things get rough, just like this last time.
Well I’m all about living within our means, and if we can’t do that, I make our means a little bigger. I’m also big on stretching our money to the fullest. Good deals, free stuff and quality over crap! Get ready for a fun ride, and I’m sure many changes throughout my writing journey. 


By | 2017-12-29T10:39:02-05:00 March 15, 2009|Long Island|Comments Off on First Blog Post – I’m official now

About the Author:

Staci loves to write, and loves to share her "take" on everything thrown her way. Movies, entertainment, food, fashion, shopping, money, travel and family. There's nothing off limits at NovemberSunflower.com, and Staci's always telling it like it is: good, bad, and all that lies in between!