The Daily Peeve / Rant

[SiouzQ.]

Hmmm, that is interesting to know Steve. I never thought of it that way. The kicker is that it worked *almost* seamlessly for all those years (I'd get a few glitches now and again that would get fixed with a call to Quicken Support).

Catherine, you nailed it. I am lost in the morass of credit card purchases and money transfers between accounts. I use my credit card for almost all purchases because I get interest back on the Jan. 1 each year as long as I pay off the balance monthly (which I do religiously). I check my accounts each day for security sake and rely on tracking expenditures to give me a measure of control in my life. It's weird, lately, spending money on stuff for the house and garden is giving me great anxiety and making me long for the simplicity of living in the tiny quarters behind the gallery. I think I have hit critical mass concerning daily living expenditures because each time I spend money on housing-related stuff it creates anxiety, because I start thinking that if we hadn't bought a house, I'd have around $50,000 in savings by now and a much simpler life. Yet I really love the house at the same time...

[razz]

SQ, I so relate to your anxiety as my late DH really struggled for a few years as I insisted on buying our homes despite the fact that we never suffered a loss but a gain, sometimes substantial. I never fully understood his level of anxiety until we bought our first farm for a ridiculously low offer that was accepted. I was having a bath, heard the phone ring and he came into the bathroom and announced, 'Now you have really done it. They accepted that offer." Two years later, it was sold for triple that price and his anxiety was considerably reduced ever after.

May I suggest? Acknowledge your anxiety as it is perfectly normal, look at the house as a form of invested currency (equity, shares. etc), set a value on the freedom from rent for space enjoyed, the freedom to use the space as you wish and the satisfaction and contentment with a foreseeable future. While it may not be as easily a 'liquid' investment as $50 thousand in the bank, a house usually keeps pace with inflation better than a $ bill, IMHO anyway.

[Teacher Terry]

Owning where you live is priceless. You can make it how you want to, no one can make you move and for me it is much cheaper than renting.

[catherine]

SQ, I so relate to your anxiety as my late DH really struggled for a few years as I insisted on buying our homes despite the fact that we never suffered a loss but a gain, sometimes substantial. I never fully understood his level of anxiety until we bought our first farm for a ridiculously low offer that was accepted. I was having a bath, heard the phone ring and he came into the bathroom and announced, 'Now you have really done it. They accepted that offer." Two years later, it was sold for triple that price and his anxiety was considerably reduced ever after.

I had to chuckle at that, razz! Sometimes our joys are our biggest responsibilities but it looks like you really made your responsibilities pay off!

There are reasons why people are lifelong renters. My son is one. Every time our plumbing gets clogged or we talk about the roof leaking, he chimes up: "See!! That's why I don't want to own a house!" He has a point. When he shells out his $875 for rent for the 1-bedroom apartment he's had in Burlington for 7 years, he knows that's it. No add-ons for repairs, or want-to-haves or need-to-haves. As long as there is food in his fridge and he's hung pictures on the wall and clothes in the closet, he's done.

But, OTOH, I have the freedom to carve up my lawn or let it be, of painting or adding-on, or passing it on. When my house is paid off, I will have a couple of hundred bucks in property taxes and that's it. There is freedom in that, too.

The key is resisting the "need-to-haves" that are really "want-to-haves" That's the hard part.

[iris lilies]

I had to chuckle at that, razz! Sometimes our joys are our biggest responsibilities but it looks like you really made your responsibilities pay off!

There are reasons why people are lifelong renters. My son is one. Every time our plumbing gets clogged or we talk about the roof leaking, he chimes up: "See!! That's why I don't want to own a house!" He has a point. When he shells out his $875 for rent for the 1-bedroom apartment he's had in Burlington for 7 years, he knows that's it. No add-ons for repairs, or want-to-haves or need-to-haves. As long as there is food in his fridge and he's hung pictures on the wall and clothes in the closet, he's done.

But, OTOH, I have the freedom to carve up my lawn or let it be, of painting or adding-on, or passing it on. When my house is paid off, I will have a couple of hundred bucks in property taxes and that's it. There is freedom in that, too.

The key is resisting the "need-to-haves" that are really "want-to-haves" That's the hard part.

Two days ago DH mentioned “we have too much money tied up in real estate” which is unusual coming from him. Usually I’m the one leery of real estate assets. According to our most recent asset snapshot we have a little more than 1/6 of our net worth tied up in real estate. I told him for the average American, that’s not all that much. But I agree it’s not good, and as we pour more money into our Herman house in the next 12 months it’s going to be more, and it will continue to be a higher percentage than we both like in real estate until we sell our city house.

[Tradd]

I had to chuckle at that, razz! Sometimes our joys are our biggest responsibilities but it looks like you really made your responsibilities pay off!

There are reasons why people are lifelong renters. My son is one. Every time our plumbing gets clogged or we talk about the roof leaking, he chimes up: "See!! That's why I don't want to own a house!" He has a point. When he shells out his $875 for rent for the 1-bedroom apartment he's had in Burlington for 7 years, he knows that's it. No add-ons for repairs, or want-to-haves or need-to-haves. As long as there is food in his fridge and he's hung pictures on the wall and clothes in the closet, he's done.

But, OTOH, I have the freedom to carve up my lawn or let it be, of painting or adding-on, or passing it on. When my house is paid off, I will have a couple of hundred bucks in property taxes and that's it. There is freedom in that, too.

The key is resisting the "need-to-haves" that are really "want-to-haves" That's the hard part.

Catherine, I’m like your son. I’ve been in the same suburban Chicago rented condo for almost 13 years. My rent had only gone up $100/month in all that time. At $900/month, it’s at least $200/month below market. Landlord recognizes it saved him a lot by having a long-term tenant. No advertising, repainting, recarpeting, etc., every year or two.

[sweetana3]

SiouzQ, have you considered a card that notifies you of any purchase over a $$ amount you set? We find this gives us great peace of mind. I only suggest this because you say you " I check my accounts each day for security sake". However, I understand a habit.

We paid far more attention to our accounts when we were carefully tracking everything.

[Tradd]

I bank with Chase. I can set alerts on both my debit and credit cards for transactions of any amount. Text or email, your choice.

[rosarugosa]

This is something that I see all too often and it bugs me to no end:
The wreath on the front door is brown, brown, brown and crispy. There is not one single attractive aspect to it at this point. It looks like crap. It is May. Take that sucker down already. It is not way up on your chimney; it is right there within easy reach on your front door. What the hell is wrong with you?
End of rant.

[Tybee]

This is something that I see all too often and it bugs me to no end:
The wreath on the front door is brown, brown, brown and crispy. There is not one single attractive aspect to it at this point. It looks like crap. It is May. Take that sucker down already. It is not way up on your chimney; it is right there within easy reach on your front door. What the hell is wrong with you?
End of rant.

The Christmas wreath? Yuck.