Use what you have living

I’ve always been fascinated by depression era housewives – those women knew how to use up every inch of everything they owned. My motto has always been “Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without,” which has it’s roots in the depression. Side-to-middling sheets, second chance meals, every bit of their living was about making things stretch beyond our imaginations.

I was a “use it up” girl long before the eco-friendly mindset hit mainstream. Growing up rather poor, my mom was the queen of making something out of nothing. She can make one chicken feed 2 families. And I’m grateful that I’ve learned a lot of her skills. When we has the chance to purchase my humble childhood home from my parents, we jumped at it – without even thinking it over for 5 minutes. There was no hemming or hawing, just “Yes!” It’s a simple place – one acre of land and a double wide mobile home. But, I knew it had potential.

Buying a home for less than most folks spend on a car seems kinda crazy. But that’s how we roll. We’ve put as much in materials to refurbish the house than we paid for it, but I hope it is an investment well spent, as we built equity along the way. However, that’s not my main concern.

Taking the time to go through the house room by room reminds me a lot of the book Under The Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes. I think our version would be more like “Under the Southern Sun,” but I can understand her mindset of making the home your own. Three generations of my family have lived within a mile of where I live now, so it naturally feels like home.Making the most of those opportunities is the trying part. Did we really want to give up a cute little brick cottage to move into a trailer? “Yes!” Did we want to give up the convenience of every store and amenity within 3 minutes to move 20 minutes to even a gas station? “Yes!” Did we want a simpler life, where we could spread out, not worry when our kids rode their bicycles and could enjoy what real quiet sounds like? “Yes!”

I guess what I’m trying to say (in a long-winded, oh-so-Gina manner), is that just because something looks right on paper, doesn’t mean that it’s right. Just because you don’t have a 50,000 sq ft McMansion, doesn’t mean that your home cannot be beautiful.

It’s making the most of what you have – not only materialistically, but mentally, too. Enjoy your space, no matter how small, old, or outdated you think that it is.

Home isn’t about the stuff you bring into it, it’s about the life you live in it.