What I've spent on my condo to date:

What I’ve spent on my Condo:
• Down payment, Closing Costs, Prorated fees… ect $7,057.08
• Locksmith $70.00
• 2 Parking permits $50.00
• Home Depot Weekend #1 (electrical, lighting, tools, etc) $459.83
• Food for Friends Weekend #1 $66.64
• Paint, Primer, Supplies: $231.13
• Medicine Cabinet: $44.00
• Re-surface Tub: $350.00
• Baseboards (bedrooms and closets), Door Frames (all), Tub Fixtures $265.59
• Random: $12.11

Grand Total: $8,606.38

I have 1.92% Equity as of today: $2,309.15/$120,000.00 (purchase price)

I still have $6,294.00 left in my remodel account… I bought the majority of the repair/remodel stuff this month with money I had in my budget (since I’m done with most of my savings goals for the year because I found a home already). I’m trying to keep this amount intact as much as I can for the kitchen which will be my largest expenditure.

Currently I have $7,000.00 in my emergency fund. I know I’ll borrow from this for the kitchen (and replace the money with the tax credit) as the expenses pile up and my remodel account is depleted. At MAX I will borrow $5,000.00 from the emergency fund, and put the whole $8,000 tax credit in there to replenish it and bring it to a full 6 month EF and a nice round $10,000.00

Additionally, I've spent
Property Taxes: $125
PMI & Interest: $568.23
HOA $250.00

If I were to rent a one bedroom apartment in the area, It would cost more then the mortgage, HOA, taxes and interest combined so I won't be tracking these expenses in the idea of "COST" because buying this condo actually saves me money and lowers my expenses. (not looking at itemizing the taxes-- just rent accross the board so each year i'll make money on it as I gain equity.

I'll look at the 2 months of "rent" i'm currently paying for my apartment like the Deposit charges and the over lap that would be associated if i were to find a new apartment so it too is a wash... plus I wouldn't want to live through the remodel.