Stupid television

Ever since I discovered that my cable is still live, I’ve had the stupid thing plugged into the television. Why oh why do I do this to myself? The television has been set on HGTV for the past couple of days and I’ve been staring at it in wide-eyed wonder.

But I’ve also been appalled at the way they push HUGE houses. I still can’t fathom why two people need 8000+ square feet of living space. There is no doubt that, in this country, HUGE houses mean “The Good Life.”

And I’ve watched House Hunter programs where young couples are encouraged to purchase homes with mortgage payments right at their upper limits of financial comfort. Of course, I don’t doubt that these programs were filmed before the recent mortgage lending fiasco. Nevertheless, I’m sure there will continue to be people who can technically afford more house than they need or can realistically afford.

I especially think of the young couples who purchase at the edge of their means and then talk about the house being ideal for starting a family. Holy smokes. I think you could safely say that having a child effectively cuts your disposable income by at least a quarter. Especially if there is daycare involved. Not to mention clothing and toys and furniture and activities as they get to school age. These factors never seem to be figured into the cost of a house that a couple can just afford now.

I don’t see where the joy in life comes from when you have a mortgage payment that causes constant stress. With monstrous mortgage payments, these young people can’t save a cent. Should one lose a job, the mortgage doesn’t get paid. And yet, when signing on the dotted line, that thought seems to be as far away as the moon. They’ll fork over additional money for homeowner’s insurance, but the easiest insurance of all is to purchase something that they can truly afford...which means something not as grand as they want right now.

That used to be simple wisdom.

And then, of course, I look at these HUGE homes and think—You’re heating and lighting all that unused space! Hello people!

There was a time when I looked at my house and felt bad that I couldn’t have a bigger house. But I bought less than I could afford, knowing that as a single parent, times could get tight and I needed to be able to keep a roof over my son’s head. There were times when I know some of my son’s friends thought our house was rather quaint in its smallness. Small children pick up on their parents ideas about what proves an individual’s value. A large home figures quite prominently in that equation, particularly in a town where wealth is abundant.

But, over the years, that attitude seems to have fallen by the wayside. My house became a place where kids congregated. They liked coming here...still do. They like my house, they like the atmosphere, they like the coziness. They like the people in it. House size has ceased to matter...at least in terms of the occupants’ value.

Recently the lad said to me, “We didn’t have a big house and a ton of fancy gadgets to put in it, Mom, but we had enough. If I ever really needed anything, it was always there. And we were happy.” That almost made me cry because it tells me that he gets it and he values intangibles more than material wealth.

Of course, as time has passed, I’ve come to appreciate my little house more and more. Especially as utility prices have skyrocketed. And I know they will continue to do so. My little house is easy to heat and it really doesn’t take much to run it. There is little wasted space and its environmental footprint is relatively small. It was a good choice and I think there are a bunch of people out there who might be coming around to thinking the same thing. There is nothing wrong with a small house. Small houses can be as elegant as large houses. They are just...smaller.

But, I see that HUGE homes are still being promoted as the ideal and a signal to the world that the owner is living the Good Life. I wonder how long before that attitude will change. It will, eventually.

Anyway, Comcast is supposed to arrive sometime today to cut off the cable. I really hope they do it soon. If not, I might have to negotiate with them again. And I need to be cut off from HGTV. My appall-o-meter is flipping out.