Lessons in Home Ownership

When Matt and I tied the knot, I contributed a dog and Matt contributed a house to the marriage. There are definite wonderful characteristics of both, but we are each having to learn to adjust to each of our "gifts". For example, about a week before we were married I discovered that Mocha had somehow contracted heart worms - and they had gotten pretty bad. For those of you wondering, it is quite expensive to treat and very hard on the dog :(, so make sure you are consistent with the heart worm preventative! We just finished up with the treatments last week and Mocha is back to her peppy self - yay! I figure Mocha is good practice for when we decide to have kids.

But as Matt learns how to take care of a dog, what I am having to learn is how to take care of a house. My whole adult life, I have always rented out a room. Never having to deal with the maintenance. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE living in a house that is ours, but I have also learned a few things - tips, if you will - along the way the last couple months.

1) Paint can do wonders to a room. An easy, cheap fix. But be warned, if you decide to paint a room red be prepared to do at least 3-4 coats. And make sure they dry in between coats or you'll get clumps of paint and dripage in random places. And it is very frustrating. (Thank goodness we decided to only do the bottom half!)

2) If you discover that you have a spider problem, they have things called 'spider bombs'. However, unless you want to take all of your nicely organized kitchen out and any or all furniture/decor throughout your house, return it and purchase a secondary spider spray. It is yet to be determined if it works, as just yesterday I killed 2 spiders. Oh well.

3) A big yard is a nice addition to a lovely home. The problem lies in how long is takes someone to maintain it and make it look nice - and it has to be done once a week! So my tip #3 is as much as I don't like yard work, be willing to help in order to spend more time with the hubby. Yes, I mowed last night while Matt weed-eated. Isn't it pretty? (and freakishly HUGE!?)

4) My forth tip is dealing with hidden fees. Did anyone realize how much they have to pay in taxes on a house each year? Geez. That's all I got on that one.

5) It's amazing how dirty it gets with just two people living in it. Even the back bedrooms which hardly get used need cleaning all the time! My tip is be prepared to vacuum often if you are like me and are slightly OCD about clean living quarters.

6) And my last tip - be prepared for the house to creak and make a lot of noises. So, if your husband is gone, let's say on a trip to London for work, just turn up the radio and tune them all out. You will sleep better that way. :)