Almost 3 years ago, I was so stoked to have my own house. Little did I know, I dislike house work.
What it really comes down to is, I’d rather spend all of my time doing things that matter to me, things that are progressing my online businesses, or spending time with family & friends. True, I had reasons to want this big house/yard, but my life/views have since changed. Some of the things I hate doing, which are a necessity for a responsible homeowner, are:
- Mowing the yard
- Cleaning way too many rooms
- Keeping my trees/bushes trimmed
- Painting
- Decorating an entire house that’s big enough for 2-3 families
- Dealing with problems that come up that I’d rather a landlord deal with
- Buying chemicals to keep the yard free of weeds, bugs, etc.
- This isn’t maintenance, but I pay ridiculous monthly property taxes
One day, it would be awesome to rent a small apartment or house with a small-term commitment, then move every 6 months or year or two. I want to travel and experience a lot of different places and don’t want to be tied down to one specific location. And I have no problem dealing with the fact that I’m “throwing money away” by renting. I have no desire to own a house anymore, or own a ton of shit to fill that house up anymore.
This is the minimalist in me speaking, but I really don’t need much of anything that I currently own. My goal is to downsize a ton and be able to travel, move, or vacation very easily. Don’t even get me started on those people who have houses bigger than mine that are completely filled, garages completely packed, and storage units with even more stuff. Hoarders are everywhere and I’d like to think I’m not one, or at least I’m going down the path of getting away from it. Even collecting things is hoarding to me in most cases. The Minimalists even say organizing is often well-planned hoarding, and I agree! (However, I’m still holding onto my extensive Randy Johnson baseball card collection until he goes into the Hall of Fame. Then hopefully I can sell them all for a nice chunk of change!)
Hopefully I’ll be able to put my house on the market in a couple months and I’ll be able to sell it shortly after. I’m to the point where I’d be ok breaking even, just to remove all of these big bills from my life. That would help me continue working for myself and make the slow months a lot easier. Trust me, I’d rather struggle for bills on my own then live paycheck to paycheck working for someone else any day!