Things I Won't Waste Money on as an Adult
I spend perhaps too much time mulling over what it'll be like when I'm a Real Live Adult and have my own house I get to take care of. After dog sitting for my friend's family for 10 days, I kind of felt like I had a very small glimpse of what it will be like to have my own house. The difference being, of course, that in my own house, I'll know where things are and everything will belong to me. But hey, it was fairly close insofar as I was all by myself, had free reign and control over everything in the house, and was responsible for cleaning up whatever messes I made. The experience was great for the most part (except for that one day when I went to go get takeout for dinner and got into a car accident haha that day wasn't my favorite haha). But overall I really enjoyed the experience, but it did make me realize a few things about how I'd like to live when I have my own house. I realized that there are just some things I will never own, and some things that I will own but I can tell you with absolute certainty I won't spend a lot of money on them. So here are some of those items:
Dishwasher
To all of you out there with a dishwasher: why? Please explain to me what the purpose is. Because I have difficulty sussing it out for myself. There's only like a handful of dishes you can actually put in the dishwasher to begin with, meaning the rest have to be hand washed anyway. And OF those items you CAN put in the dishwasher, you have to wash them by hand before you even put them in the dishwasher? Wouldn't it make more sense just to skip the middle man and wash the darn dishes by hand? And that's saying a lot coming from a girl who notoriously hates washing the dishes. But even so, I still see hand washing them as the far more logical-- and WAY cheaper-- option.
Expensive towels
Maybe this has just been true in my household, but for some reason towels are always the first things to get ratty and bleach stained. Plus, I know this is odd, but I farrrrrrr prefer uber-scratchy towels to soft towels. To me, soft towels don't feel like they're actually drying you off. They just feel like they're sliding all over your slimy body but not actually making a difference. So I don't need thousand thread count towels. Give me your cheapest, scratchiest towels and I will be perfectly content. Plus, who needs a nice neat matching towel set when you can go to Ross and get a beautiful hodge podge of colorful patterned towels for half the price?
Expensive grill
My Dad has this tiny little barrel grill that we got for free by using our credit card points and it sears the beef just as good as any two ton stainless chrome mega grill out there. Plus it takes up less space and is probably easier to clean. And how often do people actually grill? I know I personally will probably only break it out for parties and picnics, so it just wouldn't be worth it for me to have some deluxe jobbie.
Decor
You've heard of Anthropology. You've browsed your local Pier 1. Well, I'm here to tell you about an alternative option. A little phenomenon known as yard sales. If you want cool, eclectic, cheap decor, there is no better place to obtain such pieces than at a yard sale. And the great thing is everything is so unique that you'll be basically the only person who has any given item, whereas every Pier 1 sells the exact same stuff that every suburban housewife goes bonkers for. Don't be basic! Go out and find your own unique stuff-- and buy it for twenty five cents off some old lady's card table!
Big television
I see no appeal to big expensive TVs, and I ESPECIALLY don't understand having multiple TVs in your home. I know I'm in the minority here. But I think one medium sized TV in your main living room or den is all you really need. And in this day and age, if you live by yourself, you probably don't even need that because you could just stream from your laptop. Honestly that's what I'll probably end up doing when I first live on my own because I wouldn't actually watch a real TV enough to get my money's worth.
Trash service
I have a unique advantage in that my father owns a dumpster business, and we typically always have one dumpster kept on my uncle's farm that is for family trash. Hopefully when I grow up this service will be extended to me and I can just drive over to the farm and make use of the dumpster when my trash needs taken out rather than have to rely on loud and expensive trash companies. Plus, when I was dog sitting, I took the trash to the end of the lane, and there were ants and buzzing flies EVERYWHERE, it was awful, and there was a snake carcass next to the trash can! I don't think that has anything to do with the trash service itself, but still. It was disconcerting.
I'm sure there are other things I will no doubt scrimp on when the time comes, as well as a myriad of guilty pleasure items that I'll no doubt splurge on when I live on my own. But these are just some of the things I've been thinking about lately, since owning my own house is my current favorite fantasy scenario and I can't get it out of my head. It just seems so exciting. All the grown ups who are reading this are probably shaking their heads at my naivety, thinking "having your own house ain't no cake walk punk. It's a real chore" (that's how disillusioned adults always talk in my head LOL). But hey, let a gal dream!!!
Love,
VaughnDL
Dishwasher
To all of you out there with a dishwasher: why? Please explain to me what the purpose is. Because I have difficulty sussing it out for myself. There's only like a handful of dishes you can actually put in the dishwasher to begin with, meaning the rest have to be hand washed anyway. And OF those items you CAN put in the dishwasher, you have to wash them by hand before you even put them in the dishwasher? Wouldn't it make more sense just to skip the middle man and wash the darn dishes by hand? And that's saying a lot coming from a girl who notoriously hates washing the dishes. But even so, I still see hand washing them as the far more logical-- and WAY cheaper-- option.Expensive towelsMaybe this has just been true in my household, but for some reason towels are always the first things to get ratty and bleach stained. Plus, I know this is odd, but I farrrrrrr prefer uber-scratchy towels to soft towels. To me, soft towels don't feel like they're actually drying you off. They just feel like they're sliding all over your slimy body but not actually making a difference. So I don't need thousand thread count towels. Give me your cheapest, scratchiest towels and I will be perfectly content. Plus, who needs a nice neat matching towel set when you can go to Ross and get a beautiful hodge podge of colorful patterned towels for half the price?
Expensive grill
My Dad has this tiny little barrel grill that we got for free by using our credit card points and it sears the beef just as good as any two ton stainless chrome mega grill out there. Plus it takes up less space and is probably easier to clean. And how often do people actually grill? I know I personally will probably only break it out for parties and picnics, so it just wouldn't be worth it for me to have some deluxe jobbie.
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| If you're interested in yard sale decor, you have got to check out View Along the Way's blog-- it's one of my faves. |
You've heard of Anthropology. You've browsed your local Pier 1. Well, I'm here to tell you about an alternative option. A little phenomenon known as yard sales. If you want cool, eclectic, cheap decor, there is no better place to obtain such pieces than at a yard sale. And the great thing is everything is so unique that you'll be basically the only person who has any given item, whereas every Pier 1 sells the exact same stuff that every suburban housewife goes bonkers for. Don't be basic! Go out and find your own unique stuff-- and buy it for twenty five cents off some old lady's card table!
Big television
| ICK |
Trash service
I have a unique advantage in that my father owns a dumpster business, and we typically always have one dumpster kept on my uncle's farm that is for family trash. Hopefully when I grow up this service will be extended to me and I can just drive over to the farm and make use of the dumpster when my trash needs taken out rather than have to rely on loud and expensive trash companies. Plus, when I was dog sitting, I took the trash to the end of the lane, and there were ants and buzzing flies EVERYWHERE, it was awful, and there was a snake carcass next to the trash can! I don't think that has anything to do with the trash service itself, but still. It was disconcerting.
I'm sure there are other things I will no doubt scrimp on when the time comes, as well as a myriad of guilty pleasure items that I'll no doubt splurge on when I live on my own. But these are just some of the things I've been thinking about lately, since owning my own house is my current favorite fantasy scenario and I can't get it out of my head. It just seems so exciting. All the grown ups who are reading this are probably shaking their heads at my naivety, thinking "having your own house ain't no cake walk punk. It's a real chore" (that's how disillusioned adults always talk in my head LOL). But hey, let a gal dream!!!
Love,
VaughnDL
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