Houses:
- It is nice to have a house, but not worth an ARM. We did a 30 yr fixed, but if we did it again, we would get a 15 year fixed. We told ourselves that we would pay our 30 yr. fixed in 15. Yeah, Right. Love the house, not the mortgage. (Anyone else heard of the American Nightmare?)
- Lots of things break. Be prepared to replace well pumps, sump pumps, dishes, sheets and toilet seats. (Not kidding, the seats are on the "Honey-Do" list right now.)
- Lots of things wear out. 5 years later, the carpet is nasty…
- Kids are hard on things. Don't waste money or love on knock-knacks. (Yes, I misspeellt it on purpose…)
Gardens:
- Unless you have the ability and time to garden 40 acres, you are going to lose money here; unless there is some kind of food shortage. It is a great hobby though, and it does produce unbeatable fruits and vegetables. (The seeds are cheap enough. It is the time spent weeding, deer-repelling and frost protecting that dings ya.)
- Get a hunting license. Maybe the garden will produce food after all.
8 comments:
about gardens,
children need to know they are usefull or they will become selfish. Nothing like working in the garden and eating the produce they helped produce to help them understand where things come from.
As a Dad, I am a "kid farmer".
Yes, we spent more on the garden this year when you figure in renting a tractor to till up the area, and fencing materials, but the time spent with my children was priceless. (Tyson and Alicia read me the catechism from the Westminster Confession of faith and we discussed it while we planted posts and strung wire - priceless)
Craig
That is cool - and one of the benefits I did not put in their...
Although I had not even thought to incorporate the Westminster Confession...
I went in thinking that I would get the benefit of better produce and of prices- I also didn't mention that the lawn mower get less time on it now!
Well, I know I'm sooooo blessed by the rental deal that I have, but wouldn't you rather see that your money is going to pay something off! even if it will take thirty years....:( The house will be yours and my net value seems to just depreciate..... (yes the xbox)
Get a deer-eating dog, then you don't need a fence! :)
to be honest, it wasn't orchestrated. The westminster confession was important to someone in our fellowship, and so i was looking for an opportunity to study it while working. The benefit of my children's thoughts hadn't occurred to me. The confession was cumbersome, but interacting with my children about Christ was priceless.
Craig
Amen, amen & oh yeah, AMEN! On all the stuff about the house. I can't keep my dining room floor clean through one single meal! Urgh! Very frustrating when you write that check every month while brushing crumbs off your socks and trying your hardest to avoid looking at the dings and dents on the wall next to the desk. But honestly, how sad and boring would life be with a beautiful well-kept and paid for house and no one to chase around the living room or have pillow fights with or to make truck noises as the zoom by? Pretty lonely I'm thinking.
The mortgage part sucks though.
I know that renting is the pits in some ways too... but there is a time and a place for that. Ultimately, I do think that owning is the better route, but owning at the right time and when affordable to you... It sure beats the alternative that a lot of people are finding now. The good news is that there are deals to be made now for those who have been saving their down payment up!
I wrote these things light heartedly, but they are no less true...
The trouble with the deer-eating dog is that you probably don't want the dog in the freezer...
Anyway, the garden was really pretty for all three weeks of summer that we had... :)
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