Surprisingly, Austin, Texas ranks number one for the most overpriced housing area in the nation. Los Angeles metros rank number two according to Trulia.com.

For most, buying a home is the largest purchase in a lifetime. For that reason, when looking to buy, finding the perfect home will take a little effort and planning.

The first thing that should be considered will be your budget.

We have a solid plan in place to purchase a house within 12-18 months. We’re on our way to having a substantial down payment within that time frame. In the meantime, we’re still renting and that rent is going up.

I’m hooked on small houses and can’t pass up Pinterest posts that share adorable, small homes, which is how I came across Hobbitat Spaces. A small house company based out of Maryland, they’ve built 13 cabins around Deep Creek Lake which are all available for rent through BlueMoonRising.org.

I’ll admit that sometimes I’m just cheap, especially when it comes to hotels. First let me clarify that there is definitely a difference between being cheap and being frugal. Frugal means keeping the quality of a product or service in mind and opting for the best price while maintaining a certain standard.