3 Years at IBM

July 10th marked my three-year anniversary at IBM. I happened to take the day off, but that was just a coincidence. I have to say, I don't feel a whole lot different. While I purchased a home, got cats, and gained other adult responsibilities/experiences, I can't point to any real personal growth. I guess that gives me a goal for the next three years.

One year

I've been in my house for a full year now. I officially bought my house on April 30, 2007. The anniversary went by only vaguely recognized until today. I don't have any deep thoughts regarding homeownership, but I figured I might as well recap what I've learned about it in roughly 366 days (leap year!).

• Maintenance expenses can be higher that you think. There is insurance, lawn care, pest control, utility bills, and property taxes.
• Furnishing a house can be expensive. After a year of payments, even, I'm still ~$5000 in debt to Nebraska Furniture Mart (thankfully at 0% interest).
• When you opt not to escrow your insurance and property tax payments, they can catch you by surprise.
• Living in a house is more fun when someone else is around, too.
• Mowing the lawn sucks, even when it's your own lawn.

I had more, but I forgot about this post until now. Add to it in comments!