Tuesday, July 21, 2009

More Letting Go

I've been thinking and talking with a friend. She thinks I should give my husband the house. Just let it go...not have that burden any more. While I know that I can't just give it to him, I've been thinking. Wouldn't it be nice to not have all that upkeep? Wouldn't it be nice to be able to afford to travel and do some fun things instead of putting every penny into the house? If I put the house on the market, would I regret it long-term? Would I be throwing away an investment? I have to admit that the thought of living in a rental makes me cringe. But then, most of how I live now used to make me cringe. I've adapted. It's okay. What if I rented a small house or an apartment. Would I then regret having no investment in a house for the future? Is the market going to improve enough to justify hanging on to it for awhile? Would the value of not having the expense and work, improve our lives enough that it will be worth it? All my other beliefs about life have turned out to be mirages. Maybe this suburbia home-owning is also. Maybe it doesn't make my life better. Maybe it's just another burden. Maybe I would feel a whole lot better not having a house.

We all say that we Americans focus too much on owning things. We say that we're too consumer oriented. We need to quit acquiring things. They aren't worth having. But we think that other people should cut back their consumption. "They" are to blame. "Not me." The truth is, we really do think that the person who dies with the most toys, wins. Maybe I need to let go. Maybe that would be the best.

Just some meandering thoughts this morning.

2 comments:

Billy Thompson said...

I think so. Sell the house, split any money, and be done with it. You can either get a smaller house (still a good investment and tax shelter)or get a rental, putting the money in the bank for a house later on. I went through this, and as much as I wanted to keep the ranch, there were waaaay too many issues with both the ex and the expense of owning more than I needed. I would then delay the divorce for 2 years. You can do the math and figure out why.

Kent said...

Without a house to tie you down, you can flee with Mr Right when he shows up some day!