How the other half lives . . .

[sarahkonamojo]

Invite your friend on a bike ride. She can get to know the neighborhood.

[shootingstar]

Housewarming gift: If they like it, a huge year round wreath to hang on a door. Neat if your kids could help you make it...but nah, alot of work right?

Homemade food is always nice. Or a big basket of tropical fruit --something different with interesting snacks.

A home with too many bathrooms, means too much work for me. That includes a big front lawn and long walkway.

[7rider]

Seriously, what do you get them for a housewarming gift?.

A gift credit to the local power company so they can keep the fountain lights on and water bubbling???

I find we tend to expand to fill the space we're in. We have a 3 BR, 2.5 Ba house. 5 years ago, the spare bedrooms were empty. Today? Um, less so!

But our house - which is by no means large - is as big a house as I would ever want (but I do want a deck and another garage). I hate to clean the house we have now. Can't imagine cleaning anything bigger.

[indysteel]

A gift credit to the local power company so they can keep the fountain lights on and water bubbling???

I find we tend to expand to fill the space we're in. We have a 3 BR, 2.5 Ba house. 5 years ago, the spare bedrooms were empty. Today? Um, less so!

But our house - which is by no means large - is as big a house as I would ever want (but I do want a deck and another garage). I hate to clean the house we have now. Can't imagine cleaning anything bigger.

I'll trade you a deck for a second bathroom. A groundhog has made a home under our deck. We have to remove part of the deck to get to him and backfill the chambers. Ugh. The city park is our neighbor, so we get lots of critters.

Actually, we have a second bathroom on our second floor, but it only has a tub. I'm not a fan of baths. And both bathrooms are the size of a coat closet. Thankfully, DH and I have worked out a morning routine that avoids conflict. It also gives us time to spend with the cats in the morning. They're not allowed upstairs, so I'd just as soon get ready downstairs anyway. The biggest drawback is our guests end up using the same bathroom that gets all the heavy use (and all my dark hair). I'd rather have a guest bathroom or half-bath that isn't used much so that I don't rush to clean it every time somebody stops by.

At the risk of making anybody feel bad for wanting or having a larger home, I just don't get the need for more, more, more. My coworker and her husband bought a house 3 years ago that was bigger than their previous home. They lived in that house all of 2 years before they decided they had to have an even bigger house. When I asked why, she said she wanted a bigger....wait for it....laundry room.

Really? You're going through the hassle and expense of buying a 4,000 square foot home for just the two of you because you want a bigger room to clean your clothes? That's nuts. I hate moving and buying/selling homes so much that there has to be a pretty good reason before I'll put myself through that kind of stress.

[Irulan]

Happy homes come in all shapes and sizes.

Thank you.

wow as someone who is househunting for an upgrade, all the negativity is a little.... um, whatever. Everyone has their reasons for bigger/smaller, fancier/simpler and just because it's not for you doesn't mean it's a bad thing. I can totally see being stumped about a housewarming present but why such a quick leap to judgement on people's housing?

I mean, so what if she wants a bigger laundry room. It's her house.

Not everyone who is affluent is full of hate or a social climber. Some people work darn hard for what they have and if they choose to put it into a big house instead of something else, so what? I swear, the manner in which some things go, in lightspeed fashion, to negative judgement is downright unfriendly.

We are in the process of looking for a new house that will meet our needs better, and yes, it is probably going to be a little bigger and a lot nicer. I guess I won't be talking about it here.

[indysteel]

Thank you.

wow as someone who is househunting for an upgrade, all the negativity is a little.... um, whatever. Everyone has their reasons for bigger/smaller, fancier/simpler and just because it's not for you doesn't mean it's a bad thing. I can totally see being stumped about a housewarming present but why such a quick leap to judgement on people's housing?

I mean, so what if she wants a bigger laundry room. It's her house.

Not everyone who is affluent is full of hate or a social climber. Some people work darn hard for what they have and if they choose to put it into a big house instead of something else, so what? I swear, the manner in which some things go, in lightspeed fashion, to negative judgement is downright unfriendly.

We are in the process of looking for a new house that will meet our needs better, and yes, it is probably going to be a little bigger and a lot nicer. I guess I won't be talking about it here.

I don't have a problem with everyone who purchases a bigger/nicer home, but I do bristle at the people in my life who are on a fairly constant quest--and I am generally capable of perceiving the difference--for more stuff or for stuff that goes far beyond meeting their needs or is outside their means. They're never satisfied, and I find it sad for a number of reasons. With both instances I referred to in my posts, there is much to the story than just their housebuying that leads me to my conclusions about them.

But that said, you're right in that I painted with much broader strokes than I intended, and I'm sorry to have come of as that judgmental. My current home is bigger than my first (which isn't difficult since it was 900 sq. feet); so it's not that I totally reject the idea of upgrading.

[Biciclista]

not sure what leaning to the left has to do with anything here. We're talking about a couple who are buying a house with 6 bathrooms. What the heck is the point of that?
And how long ago did "leaning to the RIGHT" stop meaning CONSERVATIVE as in NOT ostentatious or conspicuous consuming?
More than half the people on our planet are lucky to have clean water to DRINK, and some of us have houses with 6 toilets which flush GALLONS of drinking water away - such a waste!
So if we want to entertain ourselves on this thread by pointing out how truly ridiculous that is, I guess we're going to do it. If this is bothering you, maybe you should examine your feelings. We certainly weren't picking on you.
I see nothing wrong with upgrading, getting a bigger and/or nicer house, but there are limits to what most of us think are reasonable.

[Tri Girl]

Well I can say that I'm glad I live in "my half." I don't need a big house. I opt to spend my money on bikes instead.


And it seems people who have houses that big most likely don't tend to clean them themselves. I gotta think if you have a house that big, you have a housekeeper helping keep it clean.

[hulagirl]

not sure what leaning to the left has to do with anything here. We're talking about a couple who are buying a house with 6 bathrooms. What the heck is the point of that?
And how long ago did "leaning to the right" stop meaning conservative as in not ostentatious or conspicuous consuming?
More than half the people on our planet are lucky to have clean water to drink, and some of us have houses with 6 toilets which flush gallons of drinking water away - such a waste!
So if we want to entertain ourselves on this thread by pointing out how truly ridiculous that is, i guess we're going to do it. If this is bothering you, maybe you should examine your feelings. We certainly weren't picking on you.
I see nothing wrong with upgrading, getting a bigger and/or nicer house, but there are limits to what most of us think are reasonable.

+1!

[goldfinch]

not sure what leaning to the left has to do with anything here. We're talking about a couple who are buying a house with 6 bathrooms. What the heck is the point of that?
And how long ago did "leaning to the RIGHT" stop meaning CONSERVATIVE as in NOT ostentatious or conspicuous consuming?
More than half the people on our planet are lucky to have clean water to DRINK, and some of us have houses with 6 toilets which flush GALLONS of drinking water away - such a waste!
So if we want to entertain ourselves on this thread by pointing out how truly ridiculous that is, I guess we're going to do it. If this is bothering you, maybe you should examine your feelings. We certainly weren't picking on you.
I see nothing wrong with upgrading, getting a bigger and/or nicer house, but there are limits to what most of us think are reasonable.

+2

I couldn't have said it better.

[ACG]

For the housewarming gift, suggestion by most others; home made bread, baked goods in a pretty basket, a small plant, or see packets with a little pot ready to be planted.

It is the thought that counts.

[Tri Girl]

For the housewarming gift, suggestion by most others; home made bread, baked goods in a pretty basket, a small plant, or see packets with a little pot ready to be planted.

It is the thought that counts.

I agree. Something homemade would mean the most.

[Irulan]

if only two people are in a house, it's still the same amount of showers, flushing and tooth brushing regardless of how many bathrooms there are. Let's assume that the toilets don't run. You can have one running toilet that uses way more water than 5 low-toilets that never get used. You can have a 3000 ft sq house that is more energy efficient than an poorly built 1000 ft sq place with an old refrigerator and leaky windows. Appearances aren't everything.

So how do you balance what you want and what's appropriate? And who gets to decide what's appropriate?

[zoom-zoom]

Can we all agree that Donald Trump is not appropriate (and I'm not just talking about his real estate, heh)?

[Crankin]

I am sure most people think my 3,000 sq. foot house with 3.5 baths is too big for the two of us. But, we bought it on a whim, because we were bored with our typical New England newer, center entrance colonial that was 2400 sq. feet, including the finished basement. I hated living in a Stepford neighborhood.
But, we got a very unique house, in a cool neighborhood, with a pond. We've spent a ton of $ making it ours. I am not ready to downsize, and except for the 2 "kids" bedrooms, we use every room in our house.
And I am definitely left leaning. And I tend to agree with Irulan. I earned the $ to buy the house, and I am not, generally an ostentatious person. I do like nice things and space.