Putting down roots

There aren't a lot of good things that we can associate 2020 with, it being the onset of the pandemic. There was so much uncertainty then, we were all worried about catching the dreaded illness, and we were stuck inside for such long periods.

One upside of the latter for Michael and me is that we were able to save a bit. Since there wasn't much to do and no place to be, our money remained intact - which also proved the we were indeed misspending haha. I was definitely able to relate to this meme when it made its way into my feed lol. 

Eager to not let this financial reawakening pass, we boosted our emergency fund, got health insurance, and Michael invested in a business. The biggest accomplishment though was getting a house up North.

This is how the plan for the place looks like:

I discovered it through a Facebook ad and we decided to inquire. It was at pre-selling rate so the price was good, plus it's a fraction of what you'd spend for a very small space in the metro. We thought it was a good choice for a retirement home because it's outside Metro Manila yet accessible to hospitals, malls, and an airport. The latter is important to me because I have my sights set on sending Sloan abroad for college. Hindi ko pa sure kung paano ko siya pag-iipunan pero bahala na si Batman haha! 

The property we got was a simple three-bedroom house and lot, which I think is just right for our needs. It's tucked in a quiet area and is within a gated subdivision that has lots of greenways, a clubhouse, pools, and shops. The plan for the entire place looks great, and fingers crossed they will indeed deliver on that. 

Construction has started but there has been some delays due to the lockdowns, but hopefully we'll get to see our unit soon. And should we decide that we'd like to live elsewhere (as I still wish to have a place in the metro as an option), then we could rent it out and it could function as a source of passive income.

Those are the model units right there, and ours will supposedly look like the one in the middle :) Now we just need to finish with the payment lol.

It's going to take much discipline, especially now that we're able to go out a bit more, which means there will be a tendency to spend. Pero kaya yan! Fighting!  I'm super excited about putting down roots and am already thinking about how we can dress it up. I also daydream about how Michael and I would be in our golden years - just hoping though the stairs won't be such a struggle for our knees :P