In July 2008, I wrote the following:

True love is an idea. A dynamic idea that changes over time and as one’s perception is influenced by those one encounters.

And I think that once one’s accepted this, falling in love or meeting someone doesn’t seem as impossible or as distant. I meet a person. I don’t seek perfection. It’s more of finding someone I can trust, want to trust, and want to be trusted by. It’s someone I want loyal to me and I want to be loyal to. It’s a mutual understanding that hey, we’re not perfect, but we get along, and we want to live and grow old together. Mutual tolerance of flaws and differences, while at the same time, learning and growing together, one not allowing the other to remain stagnant.

I still believe it to be true.

And while we did not specifically celebrate Valentine’s Day with a romantically planned evening [we laid floor tile and had Chinese New Year dinner with my family], I think my sentiment on the day is the same that I have for Thanksgiving: It doesn’t matter what the designated day is; you should express love and good thoughts to family, friends, and lovers as often as you’re comfortable with.

When it comes to purchasing a major appliance, I had no idea. Most people are on that very same page until they make their first purchase.

Even still, major appliances are supposed to last long enough, such that in your lifetime, you really only have to buy a few, if any at all. So noone ever really becomes an expert in buying these appliances. Fortunately, we have the internet. We can browse ahead of time, look up how to find the suitable appliance with a given price range. RV and I like walking into the store too, so that we can see AND feel the appliance. Whether we end up buying it in-store or just making a purchase online, we’re as informed as we can be. There are no surprises on the surface. Everything else, you can’t prevent. Ultimately, the appliance we end up getting may or may not be PERFECT, but we’ve come as far as we can.

Here are some tips that’ll help get you end up with a pretty good deal [with examples from our washing machine shopping experience last night]:

1) Competitive pricing – Keep your web-enabled phones handy. Even though the washer that we were eyeing was no longer in stock [let me rephrase - THANK GOODNESS it was not in stock], we ended up with a pretty good deal on a better washer because a competitor had the same one at a significantly lower price. Combined with rebates and no delivery fee, SCORE.

2) Free delivery – Some stores charge an arm and a leg to deliver major appliances. If you’ve got the lowest competitive price, pick the store with the free delivery! No matter how strong you think you and your friends are, you’d rather have the store do all the grunt work. For anyone who has ever moved before, if carrying a couch or mattress is a pain in the rear end, imagine that very heavy stove or fridge! Yeah, no thanks. If you have a broken appliance that you’re replacing, some places will even haul them away for free. SCORE.

3) Rebates – Energy efficient appliances are pulling in the $ for us too. The washer we were originally looking at did not qualify for the rebate. Thankfully, the salesperson told us. SCORE.

4) Warranties – In terms of determining which appliance is worth a look at, check the amount of warranties that comes with the appliance. Usually, a longer warranty included in the price indicates that the company is willing to back up its product. Good sign. The washer we originally wanted only had a one year warranty. The washer we ended up with had a much longer one. PLUS, our sales person threw in an extra few years because we were an “easy sale.” SCORE.

With all those working out for us [taxes/rebates included], we ended up spending $50 less than what we would have paid for the SMALLER basic washer we were originally looking at. Online, the lowest price listed is ~$628. After everything, it will be less than $450.

With the extra savings, I ended up splurging on the sink of my choice. *happy dance*

Here’s another sneak peak at the house if you haven’t visited already.

One of the few “cons” to the house – an ugly kitchen.

Of course, it no longer looks like this. It functions as a kitchen, but I think it is also the source of a wiring problem in the house. We’ve had more than a handful of electrical trips over the last month. I’m hoping that gets resolved SOON. I LOVE gas stoves, so that was a saving grace, but we had to replace the one in the photo. For some reason, the digital part controlling the oven fell off, and you couldn’t tell what temperature or whether the oven was on or not. Not particularly safe. The fridge was a little on the small side, so we moved it downstairs for RV’s fishing supplies.

Anyway, RV’s having a blast, ripping it to shreds. In the meantime, we are either microwaving or eating at my parents’ house. All dishes are being done in the bathroom. The living room looks like the kitchen exploded all over it – dishes, pots, pans, appliances from the kitchen scattered about.

Spent night two here. The hum of the traffic is quite soothing. It keeps me in bed longer than I should be, but it’s so comfortable. If only I could sleep in more than once a week.

This is the living room that made me fall in love with this house. Seriously, the large sunny window and spacious living area [which is now FULL of stuff] made this house one to remember on my house hunting spree.

Tonight’s the first REAL night in the new house. We have stopped in every day to move stuff in, tear things out, or put stuff up. It’s an amazing learning experience – I found out that you can use a Lowes coupon at Home Depot and vice versa. SUPER USEFUL, considering we’ve made more trips to Home Depot and Lowes than I’ve ever made, and honestly, I’m sick of it.

We got an amazing deal on back splash tile, and we’re going to pick up some nice discounted floor tiles soon too. While I wanted to go for the bamboo floors, it was more than three times the price. This isn’t my dream home, so I don’t need to spend outrageous amounts on the floor. On my off day [thankfully granted by my supportive company], when I should be relaxing at home, I’ll be wading through cabinet styles and granite countertops while waiting for updates on potential appointments at the oral surgeon’s office. Surprisingly, the work we’re getting done will cost significantly less than originally estimated. We tell people we’re on a budget, but basically, the lowest possible $ amount is our budget.

All of RV’s stuff has been moved in. He’s got a lot, and we need to organize and throw stuff out. Mine will be slowly trickling in over the next few weeks. It’s funny how you can fill up an entire house with just a bedroom and a studio apartment as the starting point. MUST minimize! Even though the house is right off the freeway, the sounds are constant enough not to be noticed once asleep. It’s barely noticeable when you’re in the living room at the front of the house, and the doors to the bedrooms are shut.

Enjoying it so far. I’ll love it more when I’m all moved in, and everything is orderly and in its proper place. I’ll love it more when friends come over and celebrate!