I own nothing, and I don't care
2021 10 04 | journal
Not that long ago I had a conversation, and I use that term loosely, with someone who insisted that there were all kinds of things wrong with the fact that I didn't want to own property, a house. For some reason, equity seemed to be the raison d'etre for this person, as if that were the only valid goal in life.
I don't, by the way, want to own a home. I am completely content and comfortable with the fact that, as a renter, when there is a problem in my home it's not my problem to fix it. I am glad to live in a building owned by people that do take care of things.
I am also free from the financial burdens of owning a home. I don't have to make sure I can afford a mortgage, nor worry about the impact on my credit rating because of that. Hell, I don't really have to care about a credit rating at all since I don't plan to make any large item purchases that might require one. I don't have to worry about the roof leaking, the foundation cracking, the fridge conking out, my basement flooding, nor any other emergency purchases that I might not have the cash or credit to handle. I don't have to worry about the hassle of snow removal and lawn mowing, cleaning the eaves troughs, nor any of the other constant maintenance owning a house requires. My disability also figures into this in terms of practicality, but that's actually the least impactful part of it for me.
Most importantly, I am not a couple of missed payments away from losing my equity, and home, completely because of a financial disaster like job loss.
I have traded ownership and equity for convenience and lack of financial burdens that there is no guarantee I could handle should disaster strike.
I still have a home, though that person argued I didn't because I don't own it. Ownership does not a home define.
I own no big ticket items: no house, no vehicle, no large electronics (*), no cottage, no recreational items, nothing. And I absolutely do not care (**) because that is not how I define my life, nor life milestones. I would rather use my money to do things, to have experiences, to go see bands, buy art supplies, to enjoy time with people, to participate in Iaido, to do things that will bring me some joy. That is what is important to me. I would prefer to say that I did it, not that I own it.
(*) I don't own a TV. I watch everything via streaming on my computer. My monitor is plenty big (32") for stuff I'm only watching with one eye anyhow. :)
(**) I have the luxury of this outlook because I don't have children. Were it that I did, I'm sure I'd own all manner of things I normally wouldn't give a rat's ass about.