I started thinking about houses after reading What 50% of Women Would Choose Over a Big Engagement Ring. Choosing a simple ring and putting the rest of the money towards a down payment on a house is very wise, IMHO. A house is an asset that [usually] appreciates, and everyone in the family benefits from it. Nobody really benefits from a rock on your hand.
The older I get, the less I care about material things.
I am planning to simplfy my life radically in the next couple of years. I have many many books I've read and will never read again and have no sentimental attachment to, and they need to go. Ditto for clothes I will never wear again. Ditto for shoes.
I have a feeling that once I go through my entire house and ask myself these questions, there will be a lot less stuff to deal with: Will I need this in the next year? Is there any sentimental reason to keep this?
I am fascinated by the Tiny House movement. I think I could handle a tiny house if I lived alone, but not sure how it would work with 2 or more folks. If you want to see a fascinating number of these places check out tiny house listings. I so admire the ingenuity of people who build tiny houses. They have to make every inch of space work.
What appeals to us about tiny houses? I think it's simplicity. Less time spent in cleaning and maintenance. Fewer complicated repairs. The world has gotten way too complicated. Mortgages, taxes, regulations - are we better off now than we were 50 years ago? I don't know. Obviously the medical advances are great, but what about simple human interaction? I am so tired of seeing kids just bent over their phones or ipads, not interacting with each other. Michael is not really bad about it, but a lot of the kids are. I encourage him to get outside, and he does that happily.
Books have always been a great source of entertainment, education, and comfort to me. I hate the fact that the internet is tempting kids away from books, a lot of them.
Anyway, just some rambling thoughts.
When I was a kid we spent a lot of time at our own "tiny house" at the lake - no internet, no phone, no TV - and we had a great time. My dad always said those were the happiest times of his life. We were all together and we could relax...
