status quo

Since this post, we have acted on getting quotes for the kitchen and the carpeting of our 2 bedrooms.

Kitchen
Originally, we had thought of re-layouting the house. Our lounge is disconnected from our kitchen. Those 2 rooms have the most activity during the day and so it makes sense to us to provide connection for those 2. They are in both ends of the house. After many discussions, J and I decided to restore the layout of this ex-state house that we now call home.

The company we asked for the quote came over one morning and suggested a change of layout as well, only she said that our lounge would be moved next to the kitchen instead of moving the kitchen next to the lounge like we thought of. Her idea was good with plenty of hopes that our house's value would shoot up to at least $100k more. The quote: $48k.

Carpeting
We originally wanted all 3 rooms to be re-carpeted but at the last minute decided on just 2 - ours and the kiddo's. The guest room can wait and its carpet isn't in horrible shape compared to the 2. The quote: $1850.

Apart from these 2, we have been thinking of doing some more improvements that can save us money in the long term, such as getting a pellet burner for our fireplace, getting a fuel-efficient car, installing better roof and underfloor insulation, and installing an on-demand water heater to get rid of our old water tank.

Soooo much to do with no money to spend! How frustrating. However, because of our current smart changes in lifestyle and financial decisions, we are on our way to saving money and paying off debt. Just the little decision of switching insurance has made me feel empowered. While walking today we discussed about waiting out on installing a new kitchen and improving the functionality of what we have. We also thought that we should focus on improvements that would save us money in the long term (e.g. installing an on-demand water heater).

While we are undecided on what to do and paying off debt at the same time, we're on status quo.