Humble Beginnings and a Simple Life

 Yep - that title explains me!  Began life very simply and still maintain that kind of lifestyle.  

I have relayed many a story about my childhood to you all.  It was simple, it was humble, it was poor (not poverty), it was good in my eyes.

I know there were many of my school mates that probably thought we lived lesser lives than them.  No I didn't have name brands - no I didn't have many store bought clothes - no our house wasn't fancy - no my parents didn't make a lot of money - no we didn't go on vacations - no we didn't have a lot of 'junk' from the stores.

Shoot I remember getting a REAL bathtub put in the house (not just a washtub!).  I remember the first TV we got.  I remember the old ringer washer - used into my teens.  I remember the first drier in the house - I was in upper teens.  We never had AC - except a window unit in the kitchen after I left home.

BUT I DO remember things were good.  I was loved.  I had a roof and food and clothes.

This is still how I feel today.  These things make us richer than a huge part of the people in this world.  What else do we really NEED?

This is the house I grew up in - it looks lovely.  It wasn't always that way.  My folks said when they first moved in (way before me) that it had no paint and no landscaping, super run down  - and no real grass.  But they could afford the payment.  They ended up buying the house on contract and the total sum paid was $4,800.  They paid it off when I was little.  Lots of love, cleaning, upkeep and work went into it.

It had a living room, dining room, eat in kitchen and small bath on the main floor and 2 attic rooms (no doors) upstairs.  My folks had 6 children and got to raise 5 of them all in this house (had a baby that died at birth).  All those people and 2 bedrooms (for a while the dining room was used as a bedroom)!!!!!  I slept on a daybed type of thing at the foot of Mom & Daddies bed for several years.  Guess that explains no more kids after me - LOL!!!!!

We had an indoor toilet and an outhouse - then got a tub when I was around 8 or 9.  It was like a swimming pool to me!!!  I was a child when they got a furnace put in - the house was heated with a coal stove up till then.

All grown up - I got married and moved away and was swayed to spend, spend, spend for a few years due to the example my ex gave (as well as his parents).  I soon learned that just having tons of  things wasn't what I wanted and debt SUCKED!  I would much rather have less and no debt and happiness.

Then I met my love and a new life began.  He had purchased this home just about the time we met.  We were very early 30's and he had decided he needed stability and to quit wasting money. 

The home was stuck in the 60's/70's inside - but a little work and it was transformed.

We did gutters, siding, windows and doors, fencing, a new kitchen and mostly new bath - we even finished half of the basement.  We did all the remodeling inside ourselves.

Those pretty kitchen cabinets I have shown you - were stock from of all places K-Mart.  They had a home dept. back in the day.  We waited till I got bonuses from my job - to do new projects.  We were very prudent with how we spent our precious dollars.  We shopped deals.

The only time we bought brand new furniture wasn't until 2002 - we married in 1986.  I still have that furniture.

Before that we had hand me downs, yard sale finds, and a couple things parents gifted us new.

We both drove older used vehicles.

We didn't buy a new car until after the house was paid in full - it was the only new vehicle either of us ever had.  We paid payments for 2 years - then paid it off.

We worked hard to pay the house off as soon as possible, as we knew there was a good chance that Glen would become disabled at some point and not be able to work.  We saved and invested as much as possible.

We never took vacations - our vacations was camping with friends.  Simple but fun.  We took drives for fun as well.

Our very first major purchase as a married couple - were cemetery plots!!!  LOL  How romantic.  It was actually a buy one - get one deal and we purchased the marker as well.  We made payments on that.

I think that was about the only thing other than the house that we ever put on a payment plan. (until car for 2 years)

        My front walk this spring.  Some may think over grown - I love it.  That is what matters.

My home was built in 1947 - just 7 years older than me!  (yep, we are both old).  2 bedroom and one small bath.  It cost us less money than our Blazer did!!!   Only one bedroom is actually a bedroom - the other is overstock pantry, office and kitty room.  Small is the word (less than 1000 sq. ft.).  Nothing is fancy or new.  Many things are off kilter, need replaced, worn, need painted, etc. (on my list)

This WAS a very nice up and coming neighborhood in it's day.  Probably considered the modern middle class area.  Now it is getting tired and a little run down (we have more renters than owners around).  Houses are close together.  Most houses are similar.  There are some questionable characters around. May be considered lower middle class or lower class neighborhood now.

BUT YOU KNOW WHAT?  Mine is paid for and it is mine.  Taxes are low.  I can afford to maintain.  I try to keep a little 'nature' in my world.

I have people ask me all the time when I am moving away from here.  I could move to a nicer neighborhood or to the country - I can afford that.  Maybe I may have to at some point - I aint getting any younger you know!

But until I have to, well I am more than content.  I don't have a lot of material stuff - but I am good with that.  I love what I DO have.  My folks would be proud of what we did financially.  As hard as they worked (they even had their own business for years) - they never accumulated what we did.  Of course they had children - but I know they would be proud!

We worked hard at what we have and to be financially stable.  I am so thankful we were of the same mindset and I am thankful we planned.

Stability was more important than stuff to both of us.

So if you want to be impressed with a fancy home and fancy neighborhood or a fancy zip code - my house isn't where you want to go.  I live a simple, low cost, but BLESSED life!!!

I don't need new and fancy to be happy.  I don't need modern and high tech.  I don't need a lot of stuff to burden me.  I don't need a lot of room.

I just need a home that HUGS me when I walk in.  

There is much to be said for simple living.  There is much to be said about being prudent.

There is much to be said about just being YOU and not trying to impress others.

IMPRESSING others is my least concern and never enters my mind.  I am me - like it or leave it.

Blessings from my humble little home to you and yours.

Stay humble and live simply!