no more coin-op!

So after about a month of living here and using the coin-operated laundry room in our complex, I was sick and tired of it. There are only two washers and dryers in our entire building, and one of the washers is STILL broken. But I had accepted this fate because we could not afford a washer and dryer...or so we thought.

I vented my frustrations to my dear husband, and he just randomly decided to go on craigslist to look at washers and dryers, basically to prove that we indeed could not afford any. I decided to get on too, and then I saw a listing for a washer and dryer being sold in Orem for $130. Stephan had not seen this--the ad had just barely been posted! Stephan did the math in his head, coming up with the cost of using the coin-op in our building and comparing it to the cost of the washer/dryer. Basically, we'll be saving about $100 with our lovely additions. They're used, yes, but we should get good use out of them. And our bills shouldn't be too bad--they already are not bad. That's the plus of living in a little one-bedroom apartment.

Let's just say that it is amazing having a washer and dryer all our own. No more do I have to lug laundry baskets down the hall. No more do I have to groan every time I see that "out of order" sign on the broken washer, although my heart goes out to the other residents who must pay to do laundry. I never thought I would love appliances so much.

In other news, I have gotten two job rejections so far. Kind of a bummer, yes. But Stephan keeps assuring me that we should be okay for a few more months at least, as long as we are careful. My mom is acting like I must have a job right this very second and should therefore apply to Wal-Mart or something for the time being. Uh, no, I refuse to work retail and Stephan will not let me besides. He worked retail before he left for his mission and hated it. Don't worry, Mom. Blame the government for making my job hunt more difficult. Of course, don't get me started on the government ;)

Stephan and I have callings now. We're in charge of the ward newsletter. The couple who worked on it last had the calling for FIVE years! Holy cow. I guess my editing skills are being put to use. Yay. Can I get paid for them yet?

We have also opened up our own checking account. I know, it's the "in" thing to have separate checking accounts, but I got tired of the whole "Who's paying?" deal whenever we went shopping and such. Plus, I know people who have separate checking accounts and they fight over money ALL THE TIME. I'd like to keep the arguing to a minimum, thank you. Just thought I'd mention that it was never our plan to have separate accounts, it's just that we hadn't gotten to the bank deal until last week. I wanted to change my name on my account (we mainly just added Stephan to my current account with the bank), but I had to have our marriage certificate for that. My mom is mailing that as we speak (we had it sent to my parents).

So, we have a washer/dryer. I'm still looking for a job. We have a calling. And we have a joint bank account. That's all for now!