Boy, I really don’t know.
There aren’t a whole lot of things I feel like I want.
I suppose I could answer this with, “A different house”.
I have never loved the design of our house (split foyer); we bought it because it was what we could afford at the time.
But at this point in our lives, it seems to not be a sensible to buy a different house. Zoe will graduate from high school in three more years, so the next 5-7 years will be a time full of change in our household.
How would we even know what size of house to buy? Do we buy one for our current household size when that household size is going to change so much in the near future?
And at our ages (42 and 49), does it make sense to take on a brand new mortgage? I mean, we just now got to the point where we pay more principal than interest each month with our regular payment.
Plus, there is the fact that selling a house is so, so expensive. You lose thousands and thousands of dollars to realtor fees, taxes, and other fees.
We could keep this house, rent it out, and buy another one, but that feels like a lot of headache. And we’d still have to sell it one day.
So.
I would definitely enjoy having a different house with a better floor plan. But to me, the cons of buying a house outweigh the pros.
A good range. My current range is the worst I’ve ever had, which is saying something. It’s propane, and apparently really dirty or something, because the burners are covered in this black, greasy soot stuff that gets all over my pots, and then all over my counters, hands, etc. The burners only sometimes light on their own, which means I have to have matches to get them started when they don’t. The oven door doesn’t shut tightly, thereby probably using way more propane than necessary and heating up the kitchen too much in the summer. And there’s only one oven rack, but the size is weird and I can’t just buy another one.
I’ve been putting up with this for two years now, but I think I’m just about done with it.
If there was any reward for kitchen dedication, I would have a Viking range or something. As it is, I’ll probably end up buying the cheapest propane range available, both because I could never pay thousands of dollars for a range and because I loathe the digital displays and buttons on more expensive normal ranges. They always break.
I think a good range ought to be on your shopping list. I did get one with digital displays and whatever else — it replaced a gorgeous but partially functional and partially bipolar teal and silver 1960s model — and although I know full well the digital stuff a) was inevitable (I have electric) and b) inevitably will break, it is shocking how well it works. I had no idea how bad the old one really was. I like having things turn out.
I want to buy you a range after reading that!
Please buy a new range! You need one with four kids.
A hot tub! This falls in the luxury category so unless circumstances were to change I’m never buying one. Our lovely home wouldn’t easily accomodate it. We’d have to spend money on our deck to reinforce it which isn’t happening. I am never much tempted by pools but a hot tub…swoon!
I mean, a house is totally one of the options on our table right now. Ha.
I’ve had a rock tumbler in my Amazon “save for later” since the Sears Wish Book stopped coming.
OK, that’s a slight exaggeration, but that’s my thing.
I want to travel somewhere far away but that’s not in our budget. Someday!
I really want a new house with no leaks and a walk in tub.
I’m with you on a different house. My husband bought our home way before we were married. He was 35 and I was 24. Fast forward 21 years. One child has moved out and our son is 18. This place is almost paid off. I love, love, love the area. So peaceful and quiet, but there is no way I would have chosen this house. Not my style. It’s nice, as everyone always says to let them know if we ever plan on selling it. Just not my cup of tea. Like you, Kristen, I will look for the good in my home and the memories we’ve made. I think I’m here to stay.
An AGA stove. I fell in love with them when we lived in Scotland. The house had a giant farmhouse kitchen (we lived on a sheep farm) and the big old AGA was such a wonderful thing to cook on, to sit near in the winter, and to keep new born lambs in if they were too chilled. And AGA range is warm all the time, hence warming instead of cooking the newborns, but you can heat up other sections of it to cook on. We contemplated buying one at one point but the cast iron stove is so heavy we would have had to reinforce the kitchen floor, plus to get one to Alaska, along with the service man to install it, would have cost $17,000. But if I ever win the lottery, that is the first thing I am going to buy. Well, after a new back door that is perfectly fine I just hate it.
P.S. I did bring home a large teapot made in the shape of an AGA, including little foods cooking on the top. It is the closest I will ever get to owning an AGA.
I’ve got a good friend who also wants an AGA — but where she lives in Austin, it makes not a ton of sense. 😉
A chauffeur. I always tell my husband if we ever win the lottery, I don’t care about diamonds, pearls, fur coats, or luxury vacations. Just get me a 24-hour, on-call car service. Heaven.
That’s so interesting! A chauffeur has never occurred to me, so I’m curious: what is it about a chauffeur that beckons to you? Do you hate driving?
Maybe because I’ve lived in the Washington, DC area for decades, but I am so terribly tired of traffic…and it’s only getting worse. My husband drives, but he swears a blue streak at the bad traffic, so that’s not at all relaxing, lol. I wouldn’t need a stretch limo (imagine that pulling up in front of the local Goodwill–yes, I’d continue thrift shopping). Really just someone to take over the driving duty and all of its stresses so I could relax.
Ah, that makes sense. Riding in the back of a limo, you could pretend that the traffic didn’t exist!
A big claw foot tub. But we rent, so not gunna happen.