Hello there! My name is Amanda, and I live in an 816 square foot brick bungalow built in 1926. This blog mostly tries to focus on fixing it up, but sometimes other random anecdotes from my life force their way in, too. Even though I’m the “Hip House Girl”, I’m really not that hip. I do not pretend to know what I’m doing when it comes to decorating or designing- I just choose things that I like and hope they work, and yes, I may follow trends that are “over” or “tired”. Sorry! When I found my house, it was a total disaster and I couldn’t even move in right away because, well, it wasn’t livable. To see the house’s progress so far, check out the Tour or just browse around. (I’m particularly proud of the bathroom and kitchen.) 
Some more stuff about me: I’m in my mid-20s, I graduated from the University of Utah with a degree in International Studies and minors in Business and Spanish, and live in beautiful Salt Lake City, UT, which I love. I work for USTAR (Utah Science, Technology and Research) on the MarCom team. I like the outdoors (camping, hiking, skiing, marshmallow roasting and eating), playing and listening to music, and pretending to be crafty. Of course, my house is also a major hobby.
Update: I recently got engaged to Stan the Man, who’s pretty good around the house and pretty good at being awesome. We’re getting married in June, probably in the back yard, at a local plant store that we love. I’ll try to keep the wedding talk to a minimum, but if you’re interested, most of those types of posts will be on Wednesdays.
Please leave a comment if you stop by!
Me waiting for my friend Carrie to show up at her own birthday party
October 17, 2009 at 9:51 pm
Cute Shirt!! I love your bedroom colors. I also can’t wait to see the bathroom pics; that is a nice tub.
November 16, 2009 at 3:43 pm
Thanks! Mom made that shirt using a pattern she had in high school.
December 8, 2009 at 10:11 am
Great post on buying a house on the west side of downtown.
You are so right about it being an up and comer. All areas go through the cycle of G. E D. Growth, Equilibrium and Decline, rinse and repeat.
As areas decline they become affordable, if you know anything about SLC demographics, you know you made a wise choice as long as you are aware it is not a 1-2 year investment.
Real Estate has always been a long term investment.
In Zip codes 84101,84111,84115 the average home was selling at $83 per foot, today it is around $130 per foot.
That is on average, so if you buy below average, use your annual tax savings (plus the $8,000) to improve the property, then when you sell you will be above average.
Here is a good article on budgeting for a remodel.
http://morehousevalues.com/budgeting-for-a-remodel/
Good luck on the remodel.
December 8, 2009 at 11:15 am
Wow thanks so much! Very helpful.
February 1, 2010 at 3:00 pm
This is a amazing blog for home improvement techniques. Im happy I found this site. I was searching bing for sites similar to my webpage. Im a big fan of all sorts of do it yourself projects, and home improvement projects. I hope you check out my site as well. thanks!
August 14, 2010 at 9:39 am
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January 5, 2011 at 10:39 am
You are inspiring me to stick with my budget and get my own place. I’ll be checking back regularly for renewed inspiration! You’re amazing.
January 5, 2011 at 11:16 am
Glad you found me! Haha. You inspired me to update my “About”.
July 21, 2011 at 8:11 am
[...] About the Hip House Girl [...]
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January 1, 2012 at 8:48 am
Like your blog! I am a newlywed and new home owner trying to add things over time like you. It’s great reading your posts and seeing what I can and hope to do as time goes on.
Thanks f