We visited one of my girlfriends from college over the weekend in KY. She, her husband, and their two daughters live in a fucking awesome house. So awesome, in fact, that the hubby started re-thinking our house hunt strategy. You see, my friend’s house is on 3 levels and huge: a whopping 3100 square feet. That’s a lot of living space for 4 people. The basement is finished and boasts a playroom, full bath, bedroom, workshop, and a living room with a fridge, cabinets, and sink. Very nice accomodations for visitors, no doubt about it. However, their yard is much smaller than the ones we’ve been focusing on.
The hubby and I talk about it, and I slip into full-on devil’s advocate mode. Believe me, it’s not that I don’t like their home. But, I don’t want to compete (she’s one husband, two houses, and one child ahead of me, but who’s counting?) with my friend, either. We’ve been looking at houses very different from hers, and the last thing I want to do is change my mind based on her fantastic abode and a ridiculous keeping-up-with-the-Jones’ mindset.
Let’s talk money, too. Her house was $259k, and her taxes are around $2500/year. That’s a lot of dough. I didn’t even think to ask what their utility bills must be to heat and cool such a large home. The bottom line is, the hubby and I decided to stay the course, but maybe scale back on our desired yard size. He’s now thinking of how many hours a week it will take to maintain an acre lot. This summer was definitely an exception since we had very little rain, and therefore very little grass to mow.
I’m very happy for my friend and her obvious financial success (did I mention they purchased the house less than 3 years ago, and it’s already paid off in full?), but I’m also happy that the hubby and I can objectively talk about what our family’s needs are and not be brainwashed into buying more than we truly need.
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