What Have I gotten Myself Into????

 

When I was offered the chance to takeover the mortgage on a trailer in town last summer I jumped on it! I was paying $500 a month to live in an apartment, which didn't include any utilities, but I did get free entertainment! I got to listen to the neighbors who lived upstairs argue everyday, and had the rhythm of their small children's feet running back and forth through the house to dance to. I was losing my mind living there. With no place to plant a garden, no privacy and another neighbor who made my business hers constantly, I had had enough and had to leave. Who wouldn't take someone up on taking over a mortgage on a place where I would only have to pay $250 a month for 4 years to own a home outright?

Now, when I say home, I really mean a 1970  two-bedroom, one bath, Windsor Mobile Home. I lovingly call it my "Tin Can". The home was occupied for decades, but was abandoned about 10 years ago and sat empty for 5 years before it was inhabited again by the people who I took over the mortgage from. They lived here for 5 years, installed a carpet and did some work on the place, using lots of duct tape and staples, before they moved to a new home. The rest is up to me, and "the rest" turns out to be everything!

I was so excited when I moved in and had HGTV dreams of remodeling everything in the place. Then reality set in. As I unpacked my possessions and found homes for them, all of the flaws started to show. I realized that this was going to be much more than a "cosmetic" fix! I needed far more than a few gallons of paint! I needed to go to Home Depot and get one of everything! Oh noooooooo!

I work at the local state park, as a seasonal employee. Now let me correct everyone's thinking right now on how great it is to have a "state job". The mindset of most people is that state employees sit on their rear end all day and do nothing while making outrageous amounts of money and enjoying fabulous benefits. Yeah... reality is that if you are a seasonal employee, none of that is true.

My official title at work is "Park Aide", which means I clean toilets and cabins and make minimum wage. I pay union dues for a union that does nothing for me but send out a publication to tell me who to vote for, and I have no benefits whatsoever. While I am blessed to work with wonderful people for the most part, and get to enjoy absolutely stunning views of a gorge that is visited by people from all over the world, it is not the cushy, wonderful job that the public thinks. If you have ever cleaned a public bathroom, you know what I mean.

New York State Governor Cuomo recently spoke about how people cannot afford to live on minimum wage. He was correct! But try living on minimum wage for only half of the year and then unemployment for the other half. It is possible, but you have to be lucky enough to find deals and thrifty enough to save money on EVERYTHING you buy!

I spent the majority of the winter just cleaning the place up and fixing little things here and there, winterizing the place as best as I could, and trying to plan out what I am going to do with this place. In my mind, when I am done, it will no longer look like a tin can, but a cute little inviting cottage. Big dreams, small budget, but lots of innovation and motivation!

I will be posting my progress, and of course my rants when things don't go as planned, along with some crazy stories of what goes on in my life, fun DIY projects and links to the sites that show you how to do them, and lots of tips on how to save money and live on a tight budget. I hope that you will join me on this journey!