i want a house

i want a house. i've wanted one for a while, but it's come to the point that every time i drive by a 'for sale' sign, i slow down and imagine myself in that house. sometimes i even stop and get the flyer.

i want a house. i know, i know, that means yard mowing and snow shoveling and repairs i'll have to pay for, but i want a house. to that end, i've come up with a three-pronged plan.

prong a: copps monopoly. for the last two months, i've been actively playing our local grocery store's monopoly sweepstakes. the grand prize is a house and i want it. every time you shop, you get a ticket with four game pieces. you match these game pieces to your monopoly board. there are lots of prizes, the main one being the house. the sweepstakes goes through the end of august so i only have a few weeks left to win my house. game pieces a102 and a106, the two i need for my house, seem to be very elusive.

prong b: save. if, by some chance, i don't win the house in the grocery store game, i've set up my direct deposit paycheck to split between my checking and savings accounts. in about four years, i'll have the twenty percent down payment for a $200,000 house and enough to cover closing costs, inspections, and the first year of taxes. i'll want a fifteen-year fixed-rate loan (no more than 4%) for 80% of the price of the house. i've found you can also finance your down payment, but that just doesn't seem like a great financial decision. i've also done research on first-time homebuyer breaks and hired lawn care. (did you really think i was going to mow my own lawn?)

the problem is, i don't want to wait four years for my house. and here is where prong c comes in: marry a rich man. i want to get married anyway, so why not find someone who can afford to buy a house? or who already has a house? or who has a relative who's about to will a house to him? really, the possiblities are endless when you throw another potential home-owner into the mix.

so, next steps. keep playing the grocery store monopoly game. in the event i don't beat the impossible statistical chances and win the grand prize, i'll just keep saving. in the meantime, i'll be keeping my eye out for a man with a house. or with enough money for a house. with a plan like this, a house will be mine in no time. and by no time, i mean the amount of time it will take me to save thousands and thousands of dollars.