SFC: The End!

Today marks the first day of summer, which means that our Spring Fever Challenge has come to a close. Without further ado, here my final conclusions regarding my goals.

1. Create a realistic plan to buy a house within the next year.  When we first set this goal, we hadn't done anything. We had a rough idea of the general area we wanted to move to, but that was about it. Now, we've narrowed it down to a ZIP code or two, set a budget, and raised about half of our down payment. I'm much less anxious, much less scared, and much more excited. Dave and I have done a lot of research, and we feel like we're finally ready!

2. Maintain a minimal level of clutter.  We've gotten our apartment more organized now that we're post-wedding, and we're slowly getting through a thorough to do list. This should really help us out once it's time to pack things up!

3. Act like newlyweds in order to feel like newlyweds. We've made it a point to go on more dates, though we've been careful to stay within our budget (goal #1 is clearly the most important one at this point). Dave's recently gotten into the Atlanta food scene a little more, and I love when he tags along to foodie festivals and events. We've also made time to just hang out around the apartment, talk about our days, and talk about our upcoming plans.

4. Make more good meals.  I definitely think we've gotten better about this one. I LOVE to go out to eat, but doing so often just isn't conducive to saving for a down payment quickly. We've made a conscious effort to look forward to meals at home just as much as we look forward to dining out. I've found that meal planning and a thorough grocery list can make such a difference!

5. Remember why you're building your family's roots in Atlanta Georgia.  We've decided to change this goal a little bit. I love Atlanta...so much so, that moving to the suburbs sounded awful initially. Now, I'm really looking forward to having some more space. We'll be a quick drive away from the excitement of the city, but we'll also have the community and greenery that the suburbs offer (And possibly less traffic? Please?) We also recently spent a day kayaking down the Broad River, which is about 90 minutes away from Atlanta. We're psyched to start our lives in Atlanta, but we're happy to expand our horizons beyond the city limits, too.

Overall, I'm really happy with the progress we've made. This was a fun project to work on together as newlyweds, and best of all, it really feels like the most exciting part is yet to come. We're touring our first batch of homes tomorrow, which is starting to make this whole process feel more real. Stay tuned...it's going to be an exciting journey!