Things I have learned during my first year as a homeowner: I hate yard work. Home Depot is not your friend. Houses cost more than you’d ever imagine, both in time and money. You’ll never be satisfied.

OK, first off, I don’t really hate yard work, I just hate the notion of yard work. I actually enjoy the physical labor of it, especially since that has been my only source of physical exercise in the past year. I hate how yard work becomes an obsession, a cloud hanging over you, a weed that you can’t pull from your brain.

If you can avoid Home Depot, you’ll be happier. Try to find a boutique shop for each household need, such as Jim’s Storm Doors or Sunny Days Lighting Fixtures (I made those up, so don’t bother doing a Google search). Home Depot will only distract you from you real need. If you go there needing a sprinker, you’ll walk out with a gas-powered edger, new sink fixtures, and some lumber.

While no one can argue against equity (whatever it is), I can posit an argument that the extra money that you put into a house could be invested, insuring you an equal or better return on your money if you kept renting. The bonus is that you would have less stress as well.

Let’s take the base amount of a $1,000 mortgage versus a $1,000 rental. The former gets me something mediocre and further from the central city where I work. The latter gets me something nicer and closer to work.

Along with the house payment, I have to pay for taxes, water and sewer, gas, garbage pickup, and other fees that I haven’t figured out yet. I have to pay for my own repairs. I pay more in gas for the auto because I live further from work. I pay more for insurance for the house compared to renter’s insurance. In total, I would estimate that I pay at least $600 more a month for the same baseline house payment versus the rental.

In addition to the extra money, I pay lots more in time. I can offset some of that time by paying someone else to do the yard work, but since I’m already paying so much extra, I grumble and do it myself.

Instead of spending weekends going places, I’m often in the yard or at Home Depot. If you enjoy free time, going places, and having less stress, find a nice rental and put the extra money you would have paid for taxes, utilities, and repairs into a separate account that will give you a decent return on your money. Overall, I think you’ll enjoy life more.

But if you are one of those people who know you’re going to stay in that house and love spending your free time fixing it up, go for it. I’ve realized I’m not one of those people.

Part of me wants to run screaming down the street. Part of me wants to start something new and throw my fears in with the growing pile of dirty laundry.

“Some day I’ll wake up and buy a new pair of shoes.”
—Nikki Sudden

I really want to pursue a new idea. It’s a bit outside my comfort zone. It’s different. It’s exciting. It’s what life should be about. It’s the latest rage.

It’s not about benefits, stability, and retirement plans. Even if it fails, life goes on.

There are processes, paper work, brainstorming, testing, time, and money. These aren’t obstacles but they do cause one to pause. Ducks have to be brought into order.

The fear of failure is real but look at all the lame businesses out there. This one is not lame. If we don’t do it, someone else will. They’ll succeed. Why give them all the glory?