Hey Reader,

Hanna here — Nick’s wife, if we haven’t met yet. 🙂

We’re taking a short break from YouTube to create some new trainings for Guild (our membership for A100 grads).

But instead of going quiet, I thought it’d be fun to share a little behind-the-scenes of what we’ve been up to lately...

🏡 BTS of Our Money Story

Since 2020, Nick and I have worked on:

• A 1960s rancher
• A 1920s mixed-use building
• And now, a 1940s cottage

They all needed some love.

And each one stretched us (and our budget) more than we expected.

Here are 5 lessons we learned from our adventures in real estate:

1. Prioritize what you can't change
   • Our mixed-use building was on a busy road with very loud road noise.
     No matter how cool we made the inside, it still wasn't super pleasant to live there.
   • With our latest house, we optimized for the things that are permanent — location, lot, and basic layout.
   • Everything else? We can improve over time.
   • Takeaway: Spend more energy and money getting the unchangeable things rights.
2. Don't default to someone else's priorities
   • It's easy to feel like you should redo the kitchen, refinish the floors, or completely gut the bathrooms.
   • But we chose to stretch our budget across the whole house instead of going all-in on just a few areas.
     • Our original hardwood floors have lots of uneven, creaky spots—but we’re living with them for now and using rugs.
     • Our bathrooms are dated and have damaged tile—but we’re refreshing them with basic repairs and DIY cosmetic updates.
   • Because of that, we’ve been able to give the house a more holistic refresh.
   • We can always come back later and go deeper in specific areas once everything is set up.
   • Takeaway: Just because something isn’t ideal doesn’t mean you can't live with it for now.
3. Plan for the problems you can't ignore
   • Things like foundation issues, termite damage, and tree removal don't wait.
   • Our latest house needed all three.
     We planned for… about half. 🥴
     (Turns out termite damage can be worse than it looks.
     And Water Oaks die from the inside out. So they can look very alive, while dropping very not-alive limbs on your power lines. 🤷‍♀️)
   • Takeaway: Budget for the “must-fix-now” stuff first—and take care of it before jumping into the fun projects.
4. Work with what's there
   • When we bought our first house (the 60s rancher), we came in hot and started ripping things out.
   • Long story short—we tore things out faster than our budget could replace them. 🫣
   • This time, instead of tearing everything out, we paused and asked how we could enhance what was already there.
   • That approach led us to some of our favorite choices—things we never would’ve picked otherwise (like our kitchen wallpaper).
   • Takeaway: Constraints often lead to more creative — and more affordable — decisions.
5. Be intentional about timing — be patient with the common, pounce on the rare
   • We’ve intentionally delayed buying things that are easy to find anytime (hello, Target).
   • But we’ve also bought some items “early” when we found something we loved that’s harder to come by — like an antique mantle.
   • Takeaway: A good, values-based budget gives you
     the flexibility to act when it matters and wait when
     it doesn't.

Creating a home you love — and a life you love — both come down
to the same thing: making intentional tradeoffs based on what
matters most.

That’s why we care so much about values-based budgeting and crafting your money story.

Our house is a work in progress, but if you want to see some before-and-after photos, check out this Notion page.

As always, we appreciate you sharing your time and attention with us. We're praying that you have a blessed Easter weekend reflecting on the work of our Savior and King.

​
Until next week,
Nick + Hanna

​
PS: If you love old houses and good books, House Lessons by Erica Bauermeister is a fun read.

PPS: A few of our latest YouTube videos, in case you missed them...

• ​If Budgeting Together Feels Impossible, Try This Instead (T.E.A.M. Framework)​
• ​4 Steps to Make Big Life Decisions Without Regret​
• ​Frugality Is Killing Your Budget (Do This Instead)​