I will be the first to admit that I watch way too much television during the winter months. Besides classic movies and cooking shows, I love to watch people on the hunt for their dream houses. Using my DVR, which is the next best thing to chocolate, I can record any number of these shows and find out how the rest of the world lives and watch them any time I want to. I’ve discovered why the rest of the world laughs at Americans. Here a couple of typical scenarios: A young couple in their twenties are lucky enough to have a chance to live in Paris for a few years. Their monthly budget is more than I would ever dream of in my lifetime, even if I wanted to work overtime every single day plus holidays, which I don’t. They walk into the quaint little Parisian flat and with a disdainful look around the kitchen say, “This is way too small, and the entire room needs to be gutted. Where are the granite countertops and stainless steel appliances?” Or a recently retired couple who are looking to downsize. They appear to be years younger than we are and I admit to being more than a little jealous and wonder just how they managed to retire while paying for their current palatial home in the suburbs. Their idea of downsizing is a 5000 square foot home with four bedrooms, room to entertain, and (you guessed it) granite countertops and stainless steel appliances. Some folks are even looking for vacation homes in countries with armed guards at every corner just so they can have a oceanfront view but insist on modern conveniences while the poorest of the poor exist just down the road. Maybe the shows are staged, and maybe they’re not. I am a little naive and tend to believe everything just because it is shown on TV. I am going to offer a suggestion to the producers of these programs. Show us some real Americans on real budgets. Show us how to squeeze a family of five with two dogs and a gerbil into 1200 square feet and one bathroom. Show us a retired couple downsizing so they can afford to pay their property taxes on what they earn from Social Security. Show us city neighborhoods, simple country cottages and farm houses. Show us the real world. I am living in my dream house right now. Our home is what those TV people would call “tight”. It is the perfect word that not only describes our square footage but also our budget. I can hear the horrified gasps from here, but my appliances are white. My kitchen cabinets are from the mid-century before mid-century became a popular catch-phrase, and they will be refinished when I have the time. Right now they have bumps and bruises and plenty of character. Our dining room is painted bright yellow to ward off the winter blues, and right now there are dinosaur stickers all over the front window. Thankfully, there will be no television crews at my house any time soon…at least I hope not.
The Dream Houses
March 10, 2014 by The Minnesota Farm Woman
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The Backyard Pioneer
Oh, how certain I am that we are sisters separated at birth… watching the same TV shows, making the same comments, having the same thoughts. And will those house hunters EVER stop saying “Oh! Wow!” each time they walk into a room??? π
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Hahaha! I had to cut this one back…could have written a thousand words…
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Chris, I haven’t heard of this show, but if they ever start using real folks like you and me, then let me know…
I’m certain the oft heard “Oh! Wow!” that Emma mentions above, would be replaced with the equally uttered (these days at any rate) “OMG!” But, we are rolling back our sleeves and doing the work ourselves, because we can’t afford to hire anyone to do it for us. π
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Of course!
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I occasionally watch these shows too and wish they would use real people in real situations. I am quite happy with my 1200 square foot cape cod style home and wouldn’t want anything bigger. Maybe adding a half bath would be nice since hubby can be quite a bathroom hog, but not in the plans. Nothing is newer than the mid 90’s and most of the downstairs is 70’s and 80’s, Upstairs is probably close to original 50’s. Stepdaughter and husband recently redid their kitchen and he said we should redo ours too. Why??? It is fine the way it is. The only thing I envy even a little in their new kitchen is the double oven because I jcook and bake a lot. But I don’t envy it enough to change it. One of the things the youngsters seem to lack is being content with what you have. My Dad always used to drill into us not to try to keep up with the Joneses–best advice he could have given!!!!
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So true! Thanks for reading…and commenting!
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I thought I was the only one that hated that show ! Snooty snotty, spoiled I could go on and on and on! π
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I love to hate them! lol!
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They don’t like the closet because it is way to small….the size of our bedroom. I like watching the shows also but some of the comments make me puck.
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Truly it is amazing what the expectations people have, and they think this is what will make them happy. Really kind of sad .
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