BikiniBound's Diary

Thanks for stopping by!

Margaret--I've wanted a b&b for years, and we came very close to buying one in Australia in 2001. I have done a lot of research, and have a good book about it. The legal aspects change from city to township--they all have slightly different rules and regulations.

I think our best bet is to buy one that's already existing b/c the client base is already there, and it's all set up. You just take over. The only problem with this is that there aren't very many existing b&b's within 30min of H's job.
 
I think a B&B is an awesome idea! Sean and I LOVE to stay in them when we travel. We'd like to find a big old house and fix it up one of these days. His grandmother has a HUGE brick house on the coast in Savannah, GA that is empty and we would like to buy it. It would be PERFECT for a B&B. It has all the old architecture and is in excellent shape. Plus the yard is the water's edge, beautiful.

You being a realtor should give you the inside scoop if something comes up for sale. I hope he gets enough moolah for you guys to go after that dream. We would do it right now but H's job makes us move all over. gotta wait til he retires.

So, are you ready for Christmas? All your shopping finished?
 
AmyRB said:
I think a B&B is an awesome idea! Sean and I LOVE to stay in them when we travel. We'd like to find a big old house and fix it up one of these days. His grandmother has a HUGE brick house on the coast in Savannah, GA that is empty and we would like to buy it. It would be PERFECT for a B&B. It has all the old architecture and is in excellent shape. Plus the yard is the water's edge, beautiful.

You being a realtor should give you the inside scoop if something comes up for sale. I hope he gets enough moolah for you guys to go after that dream. We would do it right now but H's job makes us move all over. gotta wait til he retires.

So, are you ready for Christmas? All your shopping finished?
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Oh man!! I LOVE Savannah!! H and I have been there twice and we just love walking around the historic district. Can I buy Sean's grandma's house? How much does she want for it? lol There is BIG money in Savannah b&b's. We could sell it to you once Sean retires..lol.

Yeah, I've been trolling my real estate board's website. There is nothing out there atm that is currently a b&b. I think there are only about 7 of them in the Grand Rapids area, and none are currently for sale. Also, I don't want one that has more than 6 guest rooms, bc I don't want to have to hire outside help. But I want it to have at least 4 rooms so I can do murder mystery weekends. :D Also, it has to generate (or have the potential to generate) enough income to at least pay the mortgage and b&b expenses-- with preferably some profits left over. Now if we left the area, it would have to generate enough income to also make up for H's income loss from his job and his benefits.

Thanks Tylee! I just hope that he gets enough $$ that we can make it work. Like I said earlier, I'm trying not to get too excited.
 
I baked ANZAC biscuits for my H to take to work tomorrow. For you non-Aussies, they consist of oatmeal, coconut, brown sugar, flour, butter, baking soda and golden syrup. Golden syrup is kind of like a cross between maple syrup and molasses. It took me awhile to find it here, so I used Karo brown sugar syrup as a substitute for awhile. Got the recipe from my MIL, and H loves it when I make them--reminds him of his childhood I guess. He's pretty upset about having to sell his parents' home. They've owned it since before he was born, and so he's very attached to it.

Ok, time to stop procrastinating and get on my exercise bike--especially b/c I've eaten way too many peanut butter cups tonight. :ack2:
 
bikinibound said:
It has to generate (or have the potential to generate) enough income to at least pay the mortgage and b&b expenses-- with preferably some profits left over. Now if we left the area, it would have to generate enough income to also make up for H's income loss from his job and his benefits.
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Dont forget other locations also have jobs for H! LOL I know its not easy to land a job, but its worth looking into the job prospects for H in some areas where you'd really love setting up a B&B. Also, don't be completely shut off to the idea of opening your own from scratch. I realize in the end it may not make sense, but its still worth looking into. Nowadays, with the internet, its much easier and cheaper to establish oneself and find guests. If you advertised these mystery and other themes on the web, a certain type of person will flock to you, and tell all their friends. Its just a different world now with the net. And I believe you could figure out how to comply with the local B&B regulations, you an even find all those on the net nowadays. Just thinking you'd need less money to start out..possibly?

It does sound like a great lifestyle, though I would want it to be just large enough that it would be worthwhile having a cleaner do the rooms every day. That is one thing I definitely would not want to have to do day in and day out.

The mystery theme sounds right up your alley. I would never be able to organize anything fun like that, but some people are creative and just have a knack for that sort of thing. Actually, I could also picture Kimmers and Amy coming up with fun themes like that! Too bad yall didnt live closer to one another (and me of course so I could be a guest there).

Amy, that house in Savannah sounds so incredibly perfect. I would without a shadow of a doubt go stay at your B&B in Savannah!

And I guess I will have to somehow get interested in MI if one happens to open up there (hint hint).
 
bikinibound said:
Oh man!! I LOVE Savannah!! H and I have been there twice and we just love walking around the historic district. Can I buy Sean's grandma's house? How much does she want for it? lol There is BIG money in Savannah b&b's. We could sell it to you once Sean retires..lol.
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Ha! The problem is that the whole family wants the house so my MIL refuses to sell it. Sean has 4 brothers so it would get ugly. We will be going to GA and staying in the house for a week in April. I can't wait!!!
 
Hi Kimberly

I believe that if something is an ambition for years and you have done the research then it would be wrong not to pursue it if the opportunity comes your way. Setting up a new business tends to be time consuming and can be stressful though - so try not to drop what I know would be another important ball for you. If you do stay with hubby and do all this - remember that the next few years will be crucial if you were to have a family. Do not shelve indefinitely that aspect as these things will get more problematic as the years go by.

Being an addict of Australian soaps (Neighbours, Home and Away - not to mention the fact that I watched Sons and Daughters in entirety), I have often heard Anzac biscuits being mentioned - but never knew what they were. They sound really good.

Take care
Love
Margaret
 
My Dad went to a murder mystery kinda thing once where everyone actually had to dress up and play characters. My dad was a priest *LOL*
It apparently is a big thing though although I've never been to one myself.
I hope you get a chance to put your dreams into action!

Have a great weekend Kimberly!
 
Thanks for all your support everyone! Yeah, the murder mystery thing would be on a few weekends during the off-season--not a continuous theme.

Paul--what your dad went to is exactly what I'm talking about. You have a Merry Christmas, too! :santa:

The ANZAC biscuits were a hit according to H. He was disappointed that there weren't any leftover for him to eat. Since we have to go to my uncle's for a gathering tomorow, I promised to make some for that--which made him happy. Just in case anyone's interested, ANZAC stands for Australian and New Zealand Army Corps. They are famous for fighting at the battle of Gallipoli in WWI on April 25th, 1915. Nearly 11,000 ANZACs died in that battle trying to push Turkey out of the war. According to my MIL (whose uncle was one of the lucky ANZACs to survive), the Brits new it was a losing battle, and not wanting to sacrifice their own troops, sent the ANZACs (most of whom were just 18-19yr old boys) in to be butchered by the Turks. The ANZACs, despite having terrible field position, fought valiantly even though they failed to win the battle. April 25th is still celebrated every year as ANZAC Day, and the biscuits were developed during the war as a sturdy food item that could be shipped to the soldiers. They were originally called "soldier's biscuits", but were renamed ANZAC biscuits after the Battle of Gallipoli. My MIL gets all teary-eyed and patriotic whenever she talks about it. I don't blame her. Ask anyone whose ever been in a war with Aussie soldiers, and they will tell you how tough and brave they are. :)

And that concludes today's history lesson. :D

H is out drinking with co-workers to celebrate the fact that they get the next 2 weeks off with pay. So I just got a call on my cell from one of the guys (who used H's cell while he was in the bathroom) he's drinking with. He called to tell me that H should get a medal for having a bladder of steel. He couldn't believe how long H waited before he pissed...LMAO!! So now they want me to come down and join them, so I will after I eat my chicken stir-fry and go grocery shopping. I think they're already shit-faced, though. :rolleyes::rolleyes:

Got the last of my Christmas cards sent out today, and spent 50min at the gym.

I talked to my lender today and she said it'll probably be easier to get a loan for an existing b&b mainly b/c our current income doesn't support a mortgage for a house big enough to become a b&b--which is what I thought anyway. Also, it's a whole lot less work to take over an existing one than starting from scratch--way easier.
 
I hope that you are having a good Saturday.

Well done for putting in 50 minutes at the gym. A definite achievement at a difficult time of year.
 
:party:

Super Awesome Job at the Gym!

The B&B chatter is very exciting!

How awesome would that be for you to open one and then hubby and I come to get away..Ahhhhh...Sounds great!
Will I get a discount? :biggrinjester:

Need a cleaning lady? :rofl:

Thanks for all of your support sweetie, I really appreciate it!
Sorry I've been such a loon lately...lol

I'm so ready to get back on track!

You have been doin' great though!

I hope you and yours have a MERRY CHRISTMAS!

:hug2:
 
Of coure you'd get a discount--a big one. :biggrinjester: But if you came on a Wednesday, you'd have to put out in order to get the discount. :biggrinjester: haha

We're here to support each other, and I didn't do anything you wouldn't have done for me. :grouphug: I cannot tell you how thrilled I am that you're ready to get back on track. You're so special, and I just want the best for you. I want my Sugar Lips to be happy. :party:

I haven't been doing that well lately. My eating has been abysmal (with yesterday being an exception). I will say that my exercise has been good, though. I did an extra hour this week to try to make up for all the bad calories. Hence the 50min at the gym yesterday, Margaret. :)

My plan for after the holidays is to eat 11,900 calories per week. That's an average of 1700 per day. I expend about 2,800 calories per day, so that should give me about a 2lb loss each week.
 
AmbaLove said:
What happens if you buy a b&b and then get approved for the foreign service?
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I will stick with the B&B. The foreign service would mean H would be a stay at home dad, and I'd be working long hours. That's not at all what I want. At least with the b&b I can be home with my babies--even though I'd be working hard.
 
One smart move would be to accept the job in the foreign service - then put in your notice to leave as and when the B & B is bought. That way you do not lose options until another better one is a certainty. Problems can arise in a business purchase. You may even be able to hire initial staff and continue working for the foreign service until you see that the profits would be there.
 
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