I'm the mother of a 2 1/2 year old toddler (a boy) and a 3 month old baby (a girl). I'm happily married to a high-earning professional, am a high-earner myself, and we're in great financial shape.
But our lifestyle doesn't reflect our finances. For the past six years, we've been living in a small two bedroom unit, in a very modest suburb in Melbourne. While we were comfortable for the first couple of years, to say that we're crammed in like sardines is an understatement. We need larger digs.
But now we're faced with a clash between ethics and practicalities.
I'm hankering after a three bedroom home with a playroom. Nothing huge - certainly nothing on the McMansion level - but just something where we don't have to step over the bottom of the bed to get to the cot, because the room is too small to walk around it. I'd like the kids to have a bedroom each. And a playroom would be wonderful - a place where they can make their own noise, and I don't have to pick up every single toy at the end of the day, so I don't trip over them on the way out the kitchen at night when I get a drink.
But is it luxury to want more? Am I being greedy, or practical? What is enough, and how much is too much? I'm sure all those families out in Sylvania Waters in their McMansions are convinced that they need their 'parents retreats', 'cinema rooms', 'spare rooms', 'guest rooms', 'pool rooms' and so on. What we need, in our society, is often in our minds rather than a facet of reality. Compare Australia to Bangladesh, where a family will be happy to have one room where the roof doesn't leak.
Maybe we just have too much stuff. We did a Year Of The Cull last year, in which we sold so many possessions that we were able to live off the profits for three months - the sales paid our grocery bills for many, many weeks. And still we have no lack of what my husband would call 'junk' in our home. I'm inclined to agree with him.
So - do we move to larger digs, or do we baulk the trend, and raise a family of four (plus cat) in a small (9 squares) two bedroom unit? This question is all about finding my boundaries - convenience versus absolute minimalism.
I think we'll be bowing to convenience, and moving. Does it count as buying something new? I'm sure it does.
But I know one other thing - as a promise to the planet, if we move to a larger home, I'll be installing solar hot water and a rainwater tank. And if it has garden space, I'll be plonking in a few fruit trees.
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3 comments:
2nd hand applies to houses too. Think about what you really need at this stage in your life and then look for it. Be ready to move on again when that is too big (when the children leave) so that a young family of the future can also enjoy a house and garden. Just think, there is probably a lovely young couple just waiting to move into your flat!
Second hand does apply to houses as well - you're right. We'll be buying a 'new' house soon, but it won't be new in the sense of us building from scratch.
Instead, we'll be looking for a home that is already established, with everything we need. I'm hoping that all we'll have to do is move our furniture and ourselves, and settle in!
I have been thinking about this - if you do move to a bigger house and make energy and water saving improvements, you are making a positive impact that someone else might not have made. So you are reducing energy use. And if you plant trees and grow veggies, that will have another really positive impact. In fact, I think you really OUGHT To buy a new house ...
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