I am a fan of the show House Hunters on HGTV. I don’t watch it every time it’s on, however, I do record it and my daughter and I watch it together occasionally. We did just that last night.
Life is a relative thing, I know. I never cease to be amazed at where people are, and what they think. I usually filter it through my personal experiences. There are always lessons to be learned. The show last night fit that bill to a tee.
This family of six lived near Atlanta, in a 7500 square foot home. The man of the house had lost his banking job due to the economy, and they needed to downsize to a smaller house; a smaller life. This is where the relative part comes in. By smaller house I mean with a budget of 400k, and approximately 3500 square feet. I’m not sure what the median house price is in the Atlanta area, but where I come from that jingle buys a right-nice house. Relative indeed.
I watched this couple walk into the three different houses on the show, and grapple with the idea of how they would make it work for their family, the updates it would need, etc.; houses I dare say I would be thrilled to live in, updates or not. They were concerned with how to make it work furniture and stuff-wise. Been there, done that, not too very long ago. I feel their pain, I truly do. It is indeed relative.
They were able to make the move. Frankly they had no choice. They settled in and made the home their own. The kids adjusted well, although I think the girls had to share a bedroom. It worked and they were able to see the positive evolve from this very trying time in their lives. Been there, done that as well.
Bottom line is we’re all the same. We live on different scales, levels…whatever economic term you choose to use, and that’s the way the free enterprise system works. One thing we all have in common, however, is that we each face tough places in our lives, and we all have to determine what is important and what can be let go of. Not an easy task to accomplish, but necessary nonetheless.
In all my recent reading of frugal living, and refocusing on living within one’s means, and even spending less, and (gasp, dare I say?) saving money…well it just puts it all into perspective a little bit more, due to the uncertain times in which we live, with the world economy the way it is.
Just as my life is continuing to evolve, so is this blog. Some time in the near future I will share bits and pieces of what they both are becoming.
Until then, I hope you are finding the balance in your life, and making it meaningful and worthwhile for your own families, and those around you.
Finding balance can be a hard thing to do. But the older I get, the easier it becomes to say no to that which is truly not as important.
Thank you for stopping by Life is Good.