Spending money is the worst. It takes so much time and effort to make it, and then it all seems to slip away, spent on day to day necessities like food, shelter, or medical bills (literally the cost of living). Somehow, that home project you thought you’d tackle right away when bought your home hasn’t happened.
If it is not a necessity for living you might not want to make a big investment in a home project. It’s hard to commit when we’re measuring cost in thousands of dollars. When is it time to make these improvements a priority?
Cost vs. Investment
A project we finally decided to move forward on is replacing our windows. Currently, we have 40 year old aluminum windows. That are in pretty bad shape. Like many thing in our home they date back to the late 1970s. What a golden era to be stuck in!
To date, the only large project we have done on our home was installing new AC and Heating units. It came at a big price. There’s a reason we’ve done one big improvement since we moved in. It wiped us out for a while.
New windows should improve our heating and cooling bills. It might be a small change, but over time, this new efficiency could add up. It won’t be just a cost. Hopefully, it will save us some money on our other bills.
Your Return Might Not Be Monetary
I love my home. Being comfortable at home with my family is what I work for. If there is a part of your home that makes you sad instead of happy, its time to try to fix it.
If fixing something will improve your mood, that is a valid reward. Our homes are our sanctuaries. If you are lucky enough to own your own home, it is probably your most valuable possession. It’s where life happens.
Is the Time for Your Home Project Now?
Here is how I know it is time. How much have you given up? Do you still make any attempt to clean the area or is it beyond hope?
I’ll use our old windows as an example. They have never been cleaned. It is gross. The screens have multiple large holes that make them pretty pointless. Replacing window screens is relatively pretty affordable, but I haven’t been able to bring myself to do it in the last few years, because I knew the windows had to go too.
Our bathroom that needs a complete remodel? It’s also cleaned way less often than it should be. Why would I bother it will still be an all beige monstrosity with a number of broken fixtures.
If something in your home is so ugly or broken that you can’t bring yourself to clean it or use it, then it is time. That project needs to go to the top of the list.
What is home ownership, anyway, if not a never-ending series of improvement projects? Getting past the bill is the hard part. Investing in a functional, happy at home is a good choice.