We fell in love with our house the moment we saw it. We had only been married for 3 weeks, we had just returned from a moving honeymoon thanks to Budget Rentals and we ready to buy our first home.
The older man who was living alone in this house was moving to an assisted living center. We were young and ambitious and saw the potential in this cute house. We didn't mind that it was 100 years old and had not been updated since 1956. It was close to Hubby's work, and it was the right price.
We didn't notice that it didn't actually have a shower, or a dishwasher, or that the refrigerator was in a different room. It had beautiful woodwork, and a great front porch overlooking a huge yard. It was perfect.
Even though we have easily put $25k+ into this house, we still feel as if we have gotten a great deal. This house has helped us choose a lifestyle that we love.
My Hubby is close to work which has many benefits. He walks/bikes to work which saves gas and commute time. He comes home for lunch, which saves huge money from eating out and time spent waiting. this also gives him time during lunch break to run errands like the post office, or bank.
Our House is close to the town center. We can easily walk to the library, grocery store, or any of the downtown shops. There are 9 playgrounds within an easy walk or bike ride from our house.
Being centrally located is good for our social life, too. Because our house is close to the downtown, whenever we have friends in town, they often stop by just to say hi. I know this may not be a benefit to everyone, but we love spending time with friends, and not having to leave our house to have fun is just another bonus.
Back in my working days, I used to carpool. One major advantage to where we lived was that my carpool picked me up right from my front door. We didn't have to go to a more convenient meeting place.
We don't have room for more stuff. This really helps keep our expenses low. We can't buy more stuff, cause where on earth would we put it?
Despite its age, our house is easy to heat (hard to cool). We have an open floor plan, with two stories, so when we have our wood stove burning, our house gets nice and toasty. And thanks to our new more efficient windows, it stays warmer, too.
But here is the major downside. Our house is getting too small. Our house has a kitchen, living room, office (potentially awkward bedroom), 1 1/2 bathrooms, and two bedrooms. Because of our Chalet style roof, we have major storing in our attic and basement.
Right now we have 3 kids sharing one room. Which, I know, for centuries all around the world people have been squeezing more kids into even smaller places. But aren't we living in the 21st century?
So we should get a bigger house, but will a bigger house have all the benefits that this small house has?
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Enjoying your blog, Staci. Your house is adorable! We have lived a more disorganized version of a frugal life all these years and in recent years upgraded to a big house out in the country. But that was a good choice for us with four kids homeschooling, hubby's desire for land to work, etc. You're inspiring me to get back to some of my more frugal practices of the past--we married with almost no debt but incurred some when a baby came before the PhD was completed and we decided my being home was worth a $10k loan over two years. Thanks for your testimony of tithing (plus!)--we, too, have done that even when it didn't make any sense to others. :-)
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