what is the sq footage of your current home?...

[Tacori E-ring]

Anna, I have heard the same thing about the Gates. I don''t have a problem with it either. He can AFFORD his house so why not? Different things make different people happy.

 

[Haven]

I have serious trampoline room envy! I would LIVE in that room if I had it in my house.

I also think it''s great that people know their priorities, and can recognize that to some, having a large home is important while it''s not important to others. To each his own. I can appreciate a large home if it''s tastefully done and designed well.

I also have to admit that while I love living in a smaller home, I love all of the gorgeous, old estates in our area. FI and I love to drive through the ravines (along Sheridan Road) and see all of the incredible homes. It''s so funny that we''re only three miles away in our tiny little house.

 

[ladypirate]

Haven, I''m right there with you. I feel like there need to be more trampoline rooms in the world!

 

[partgypsy]

trampoline room.... Oh what were we talking about?

Yes! There is no such thing as an "average" pricescoper, what a silly thought. But I''ll bite, 1450 square feet. We rented a little 900 sq foot house before this so it was a step up. My husband often says he would love to live in a big spawling house (with a shed in the back) but I am more of a minimalist so this is a good compromise. We picked the location first, then the house. I am not much of a driver and this way we are close enough to bike/walk to work, our daughter''s school, a Whole Foods, good restaurants, downtown, and parks.
It''s true that no matter how much space you have, you think you could always use more. I try to remember how I felt when we were first moving in from the small house, how much more room it seemed, and also remembering former city apartments luckily I still feel grateful for what we have.

 

[diamondfan]

Haven, you must be outside of Chicago. I love that area, some of those homes are amazing. 917 Sheridan Road is tremendous.

I do not judge or generalize. To each his own. If someone has means and loves homes and nice cars, or bling or art or travel or even all of the above, as long as they can afford it, are not snobs, and give back in the community, it is really fine by me! Bill Gates has a huge house but he gives a ton to charity, has a foundation, and is leaving his kids a small percentage of his fortune, though it is still a hefty amount. Warren Buffet may live more meagerly, but I am not totally up on his philanthropic endeavors, hopefully he gives generously too. But the house is immaterial, Gates gives hundreds of millions to charity so I do not care if he lives in a palace.

 

[KimberlyH]

Warren Buffett owns more than one home, there are at least two, one in Idaho and another on the beach in California which he pays little property taxes for because he bought it many years ago and is over 65. If we're going to complain about irresponsibility, lets talk about Mr. Global Warming, aka Al Gore, who lives in a 20 room house and uses something like 20 times the national average for electricity (http://www.snopes.com/politics/business/gorehome.asp).

As DF so eloquently stated, it's easy to generalize but not always accurate. Many people view their homes as investments, my husband and I certainly do.

 

[diamondfan]

Kimberly, I got a great email showing two homes. One small, very energy efficient, more green. The other, large, on lots of land, energy costs high, etc. They belong to President Bush and Al Gore. And Gore''s is the one that is the wastrel of energy and resources!!! I thought it was pretty ironic...

 

[pennquaker09]

For me it''s not so much about moving up, because 2500 can be a lot of square footage if the house is designed in the way the owner uses it.

 

[Haven]

Date: 6/23/2008 11:16:04 PM
Author: diamondfan
Haven, you must be outside of Chicago. I love that area, some of those homes are amazing. 917 Sheridan Road is tremendous.


I do not judge or generalize. To each his own. If someone has means and loves homes and nice cars, or bling or art or travel or even all of the above, as long as they can afford it, are not snobs, and give back in the community, it is really fine by me! Bill Gates has a huge house but he gives a ton to charity, has a foundation, and is leaving his kids a small percentage of his fortune, though it is still a hefty amount. Warren Buffet may live more meagerly, but I am not totally up on his philanthropic endeavors, hopefully he gives generously too. But the house is immaterial, Gates gives hundreds of millions to charity so I do not care if he lives in a palace.

You''re correct! We''re in Highland Park, north of Chicago.

I agree with you on the no judging or generalizing. I have no problem with other people''s choices until they start affecting my quality of life. I have family members that think my fiance is crazy for purchasing an "enormous" engagement ring for me, so as with all things, it''s all relative. I have students who would think our 1597 sq ft home is HUGE for only two people because they live in tiny apartments with six people and only one bedroom.

And, just a quick sidenote--after seeing Penn''s posts I just realized that you are quoted in TWO PS signatures, you quotable gal, you! The Oscar Wilde of PS, I say.

 

[pennquaker09]

I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Chicago. If we move again, I''m demanding Chicago next time around. T

 

[diamondfan]

Haven and Penn, I am so honored!!!

My niece goes to Northwestern. I came to Evanston to hang with her last winter and my sis and I drove up Sheridan Road from campus. We passed through Kennelworth (sp?), Winnetka and Glencoe. It was lovely. That one house, 917 Sheridan Road, is amazing. Massive and palatial on the lake with gorgeous entry gates.

I agree, that unless your life choices negatively impact me or are harmful to me, it is not for me to judge what you do. I think there is some social conscience about giving back, especially those with tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. It just makes sense. But if you can afford things and you want them because you enjoy them, more power to you.

I also agree it is relative. Someone with a smaller home or apartment, or who had to share a bath with multiple siblings will of course think two people in a two bedroom two and a half bath space are lucky. Trust me, I did not have a 20,000 plus thousand square foot home with a pool and tennis court growing up. I had a one story, 3 plus 2.5 home, nice neighborhood of course, with a nice sized bedroom and small walk in closet, and had to share a bath with my nasty and make up stealing sister til she went to college. No pool, no tennis court, no second home, no AIR CONDITIONING til I was out of the house for over a decade. Thanks mom and YES, it does get hot in L.A. at night and living in Beverly Hills does not count as close to the ocean breezes!!! My hubby works hard, is generous of his time and money philanthropically and I am trying to instill nice values in my kids no matter our lifestyle, because that is not what defines someone, so they had better be grounded and sensible and goal oriented. In the meantime, we can have a lovely home, go on nice trips, and enjoy the fruits of hubby''s efforts. I know where I stand in all of that so that is what matters.

 

[Clio]

When we lived in Texas, our house was 3300 sq. ft., and it was just a really cool house. I felt thankful every day that I lived in it. I still miss it, but I do not miss living in south Texas.

The house we have now is 2600 sq. ft., and it''s a good size. I do wish that the kitchen and dining room were each about 5 ft. wider and longer and that the master bath was about 5 ft. wider. Otherwise, it''s plenty of room for the 5 of us, and I love our neighborhood.

If we move again before the kids are grown (not likely), we''d look for something about the same size. We have talked about moving into the District once the kids are grown, in which case we would downsize a bit to a condo or small rowhouse.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 6/23/2008 2:45:45 PM
Author: MC

Date: 6/23/2008 2:11:39 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
different kinds of billionaire....younger vs older

Bill Gates lives in a 40,000 sq ft home
Warren Buffett lives in a 3500 sq ft home

Current generations are messed up. Since making our life-changing decision, ALL of our older relatives have been praising my husband and me for making a choice to live a more simple life! It's considered a very respectable by those who've become sickened by a shallow, materialistic society of people who will work long hours, neglect their kids, just to live in a bigger home with two brand new cars. One relative is stuck taking care of her grandchild just so her daughter-in-law can work longer hours b/c she simply adores money. The grandmother is mad and it's very easily seen how that's caused a rift between them.

I simple will not do it! DH and I decided to pick our priorities and have some 'toys,' but we really do not need all of them. I'd rather have free time enjoying a vast book collection then a bigger home/brand new car!

MC, it's all abt personal choices and "priorities" as you said. We're not into cars and we drive a Hyundai, which by S'pore standard is a "cheaper" car.

Having a larger home for the two of us and our cat is very important to me (not so much so for hubby, he's not fussed). I grew up in a family of 9 children and at one stage there were my parents, all the children, plus several grand children and our place was packed with stuff (my Mom was a complete hoarder) that we all slept on the floor with everyone around and no personal space - either physical or metaphorically speaking. We all shared ONE (yes, that's right, only ONE bathroom for the ENTIRE family!!

). I always felt claustrophobic (in every sense of the word) and had no privacy whatsoever growing up (well, except for a very short period of time when we lived in my Dad's company housing, but that's another story altogether) and vowed that as soon as I could afford it, I would get the biggest space that my earnings and savings would allow. True enough, when I was 29 yrs of age, I put my ENTIRE life savings into my first home which was about 4,000 sqt (or was it 4,500 sqft ? I forget) in a huge lot with a 100 sqft long garden. This was not much at the time and esp. not much now (I bought it as a bank repossession - what you guys in the US would call a "foreclosure" I believe), but it was everything I'd worked extremely hard for and had saved up for since I 'd started working (albeit part-time whilst I was a student initially). I absolutely LOOOVEEEED it!! It was a 6 bedroom 2 bathroom 2 reception house with a massive kitchen (well, massive by London standard) and it was ALL FOR ME!!!

. I was very very sad to have had to sell it when I moved to Hong Kong for my job!!

Well, now, hubby and I live in this house which is not huge but it is nice and comfortable and whilst we don't use up all the space, it makes me very happy!! I look forward to coming home at the end of a very hard day at work (i often work 10-12 hrs intensively every day , don't get me wrong I am not justifying myself, just sharing with you PS'ers

). It is my comfort zone, my heaven on earth, the place where I can be myself and be happy with hubby without having to worry or think about anything or anyone else. In fact, it is prob my no 1 priority in life. I could do without fancy clothes, fancy cars, no electronic gadgets (no TV for eg.) etc., even less diamonds!! (God forbid, am I allowed to say this on PS??!! LOL, and those of you who know me on PS would fall off yr chair when you read this, I suspect, he he). What I would not compromise on is where and in what size house we live. Not sure if I am making any sense or whether I am just rambling, LOL, probably the latter!! H*ll, it is late here, time for bed!!

Anyway, thanks for "listening" and for letting me share!

. I love ya guys, PSers!! You're certainly a fun and interesting bunch.

 

[Phoenix]

Date: 6/24/2008 11:22:29 AM
Author: Phoenix

Date: 6/23/2008 2:45:45 PM
Author: MC

Date: 6/23/2008 2:11:39 PM
Author: Dancing Fire
different kinds of billionaire....younger vs older

Bill Gates lives in a 40,000 sq ft home
Warren Buffett lives in a 3500 sq ft home

Current generations are messed up. Since making our life-changing decision, ALL of our older relatives have been praising my husband and me for making a choice to live a more simple life! It's considered a very respectable by those who've become sickened by a shallow, materialistic society of people who will work long hours, neglect their kids, just to live in a bigger home with two brand new cars. One relative is stuck taking care of her grandchild just so her daughter-in-law can work longer hours b/c she simply adores money. The grandmother is mad and it's very easily seen how that's caused a rift between them.

I simple will not do it! DH and I decided to pick our priorities and have some 'toys,' but we really do not need all of them. I'd rather have free time enjoying a vast book collection then a bigger home/brand new car!

MC, it's all abt personal choices and 'priorities' as you said. We're not into cars and we drive a Hyundai, which by S'pore standard is a 'cheaper' car.

Having a larger home for the two of us and our cat is very important to me (not so much so for hubby, he's not fussed). I grew up in a family of 9 children and at one stage there were my parents, all the children, plus several grand children and my place was packed with stuff (my Mom was a complete hoarder) that we all slept on the floor with everyone around and no personal space - either physical or metaphorically speaking. We all shared ONE (yes, that's right, only ONE bathroom for the ENTIRE family!!

). I always felt claustrophobic (in every sense of the word) and had no privacy whatsoever growing up (well, except for a very short period of time when we lived in my Dad's company housing, but that's another story altogether) and vowed that as soon as I could afford it, I would get the biggest space that my earnings and savings would allow. True enough, when I was 29 yrs of age, I put my ENTIRE life savings into my first home which was about 4,000 sqt (or was it 4,500 sqft ? I forget) in a huge lot with a 100 sqft long garden. This was not much at the time and esp. not much now (I bought it as a bank repossession - what you guys in the US would call a 'foreclosure' I believe), but it was everything I'd worked extremely hard for and had saved up for since I 'd started working (albeit part-time whilst I was a student initially). I absolutely LOOOVEEEED it!! It was a 6 bedroom 2 bathroom 2 reception house with a massive kitchen (well, massive by London standard) and it was ALL FOR ME!!!

. I was very very sad to have had to sell it when I moved to Hong Kong for my job!!

Well, now, hubby and I live in this house which is not huge but it is nice and comfortable and whilst we don't use up all the space, it makes me very happy!! I look forward to coming home at the end of a very hard day at work (i often work 10-12 hrs intensively every day , don't get me wrong I am not justifying myself, just sharing with you PS'ers

). It is my comfort zone, my heaven on earth, the place where I can be myself and be happy with hubby without having to worry or think about anything or anyone else. In fact, it is prob my no 1 priority in life. I could do without fancy clothes, fancy cars, no electronic gadgets (no TV for eg.) etc., even less diamonds!! (God forbid, am I allowed to say this on PS??!! LOL, and those of you who know me on PS would fall off yr chair when you read this, I suspect, he he). What I would not compromise on is where and in what size house we live. Not sure if I am making any sense or whether I am just rambling, LOL, probably the latter!! H*ll, it is late here, time for bed!!

Anyway, thanks for 'listening' and for letting me share!

. I love ya guys, PSers!! You're certainly a fun and interesting bunch.

I agree with Haven and DF, to each their own, particularly with the bit about giving to charities and giving back to society.

I also agree with Kimberly. We view our house not just as a home, but as an astute investment. At the risk of being boastful (who I am kidding, I *AM* boasting, not abt our home, but abt my financial acumen, he he

. After all, I do have a master degree in Finance and have worked in the FS sector most of my working life), our home has doubled in value since we bought it some 3 yrs ago and in fact I am proud to say (not bashful, he he, but you PS'ers would understand, you guys and gals are a smart bunch!

) that a large part of what we have comes from our smart investments and not so much from our salaries (Singapore is NOT a cheap place to live, don't listen to what anyone else tells you! it is not horrendously expensive, but "cheap" it certainly is NOT!!).

 

[joflier]

We first lived in a 2 bed/2 bath apartment that was about 1000 sq ft. It was too tight for us. My personal taste in decorating is big "chunky" styled furniture. Our home that we bought last year is apx 2000 sq. ft, and is just right. Its 3 beds/2 baths. We plan on upgrading, if you want to call it that in a few years, to something that is newer. Our house is an older victorian, and while it has some great character and charm, the constant problems that come with having an older home are at times, very overwhelming. Sizewise, I think 2500 would be perfect for us.

 

[tberube]

We live in a 1450 sq. foot condex (two units side by side) that we just bought in January. Two floors, two bedrooms, 1.5 baths, good sized yard, et al. I figure in a few years we'll crave a house that's just our own, from left to right. And even though we don't plan to have children, we'll probably upgrade next.