Tom Brickman

I am @Thefrugalgay11 Married Dog 🐕 Dad

[Tom Brickman @Brickman2426]

This is my personal account.

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

Apparently the housing crisis can only be discussed using houses nobody can afford. Post a cheap one and everyone gets pissed.

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

If I were starting over today at 44, here’s what I’d do.

I’d start with a house like this. $39,900 in Toledo, Ohio.

1. I’d stop whining about how expensive everything is and start looking at what I could actually afford.

2. I’d get a part-time second job or do Rover. I’d list the shit I wasn’t using on Facebook Marketplace or eBay. And I’d stack cash.

3. I’d look for the lowest point of entry in my market with room to improve. This house is currently a one-bedroom. I’d figure out what it would take to turn it back into two.

4. I’d ditch the expensive debt, cook at home, and put in the 6–12 months of effort to get myself ready to buy.

5. I’d aim for 20% down. On this house, that’s $7,980. I’d also save for closing costs, repairs, and a cushion for whatever breaks first.

6. I’d live in it for two years. Turn it back into a two-bedroom. Improve it a little at a time. Finish the basement if it made sense. I’d rent the extra bedroom and put that money toward the work.

7. At the two-year mark, I’d look at selling. I’d want it to be the nicest house a buyer could get at that price. I’d run the numbers before deciding whether moving actually put me ahead.

8. I’d use the proceeds to buy something a little larger or nicer. And I’d repeat until I got to the house I wanted to stay in.

I did this over 12 years. That’s how I got into the neighborhood and house I plan to stay in.

I worked a part-time job at Ross. I sold on eBay. I put in the effort, and I lived in houses that needed work while I worked on them.

My first house wasn’t my forever home. It was what got me started.

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

I swear half of adulthood is fixing things other people said were “fine.”

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

The best deals usually look like a terrible idea for the first 24 hours.

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

Everybody says starter homes are dead.

Here’s 3 beds, 2 baths, a garage, and 1,200+ sq ft for $179,900.

Affordable housing still exists.

You just may have to broaden the map.

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

Want to know one of the dumbest ways I’ve seen a real estate deal die?

Seller installs solar to save $100 a month.

Then closing comes and there’s still a $70K+ solar obligation on the house.

Buyer walks. Deal dead.

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

Imagine being so rude to Kelly Clarkson she has to hit you with a real-life Since U Been Gone. 🤦💩

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

A shocking amount of success is just doing the boring shit consistently.

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

Every errand somehow costs $63 now.

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

Returning your shopping cart tells me almost everything I need to know about you.

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

I turn 44 today. 🎂

These are a few lessons I’ve learned the hard way over the past 44 years:

Own your time. Live below your means. Not every investment is a home run. Cheap can get expensive fast. The right people make life lighter. Some relationships are better left in the past. And peace is worth protecting.

Still learning. Still building. Still figuring shit out.

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

A gallon of paint is $43

The ROI is still stupid

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

Would you buy/ sell w owner financing?

Why or why not?

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

We live in an instant gratification society.

Cardi B gave us “I Like It.”

Ariana Grande gave us “7 Rings.”

Meanwhile, building wealth is mostly: “I like it… but I’m not buying it.”

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

Do what you say you're gonna do 🤦

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

In an ugly world, some days I wake up and choose peace ✌️

I drink my tea. I walk my dog. I do laundry. I watch my favorite movie.

I’m not letting anyone or anything steal that from me

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

In 2019 I decided I was going to quit my 9-5, I had enough.

Here is what I did:

1 Zero’d out my bad debt
2 Put down the remote
3 Started flippin’ bras on eBay
4 Bought rental real estate

In Jan 2022, I put in my notice

Never. Been. Healthier.

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

Imagine a world with no HOAs.

You buy the house. You own the house. The end.

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

Costco on a Sunday afternoon is all the economic data I need.

Apparently the recession is still circling the parking lot looking for a spot.

[Thefrugalgay🏘 @Thefrugalgay11]

Current mood: less doom scrolling, more listing random shit on eBay and seeing what happens.