My friend sent me an ad for an apartment for sale right in my building. They've been looking to move for ages, and the prospect of being neighbors again (we lived across the street from one another for over a decade before I moved) was thrilling. As was the considerably lower price tag, as opposed to the new apartment buildings they're putting up lately.
"Of course, it needs to be completely renovated, which is a ton of money."
Hearing that, I clicked on the video expecting one of those old-timey Communist apartments with old, clunky, impossible furniture and yellowy walls. It wasn't. The apartment was, in my opinion, quite lovely. It was recently renovated (as in walls painted, outlets replaced, etc.) and was sporting quite nice modern furniture. It looked comfy. Had all the things like sofa, double bed, wardrobes,and so on.
According to my friend and her partner, all the furniture was subpar and would have to be replaced.
I wondered why. How white do white walls really need to be? Not that that ought to be a problem, money-wise. I've painted my new house, my old house and my grandmother's house, along with my mum and my brother, several times now. It's a few days of exhaustion (depending how much of a completionist you are, which I tend to be) and like $150. As opposed to getting professional painters to do it, which is at least $1000. Of course, this couple would never consider doing this sort of work themselves. He (primarily) works so he can afford to pay people to do such lowly tasks.
What baffled me most, however, was the furniture argument. Everything needs to be replaced so that it can all suit the same aesthetic. (In my opinion, there weren't any glaring mismatches in the existing furniture) I thought, okay that's understandable if you're working with an empty apartment or really have got $10,000 to spare. But if you're working on a budget and would like, at least in theory, to move in the near future, do you really need to replace everything?
When did we develop this ickiness about other people's things? Moreover, about other people?
I can understand not wanting to sleep on the same mattress as strangers, so maybe change that. But why do the bedframe and nightstands have to go, as well? All those really need is a clean. Same goes for most of the other furniture, yet this is a common trend, it seems.
How likely is it that the people who lived here before you did things unspeakable and foul on the TV stand? Or on top of the bookshelf?
When I moved house, I wasn't necessarily interested in sticking to a set budget. I just didn't see the sense paying over-the-top amounts of money for things you don't really need.
"Never invest more than you can lose."
It seems to me this crypto dictum could be well-applied to material purchases, as well. Because you are, after all, losing that money in various ways. You may need to move. It might deteriorate faster than you'd hoped. Some disaster could destroy it. And even barring all that, these new shiny expensive things tend to lose their sheen faster than anticipated. Understandably, since the novelty fades.
I look around my house for things that weren't mine. The difference is, the place was mostly empty, so it needed furnishing. But everything that could be saved, I'm happy to say, was. The desk I'm writing on now belonged to the people who lived here before me for three years. I painted it, and voila, new desk. I also painted the small adjacent table to match, which must've been at least 100 and I think belonged to the old women (some distant relatives) who lived here during the 80s and 90s (I think).
Ironing board and several kitchen appliances were my grandma's. So was a good deal of tablewear. For weeks, I carted around heavy bags of odd little cups, platters and other such. Fridge. Kitchen counter. Oven, until recently. Washing machine, hall stand, which I also had a great deal of fun painting. Plant pots. Had there been more furniture already here, no doubt it would still be here.
I don't see the appeal of new things, especially household things. Do you really need an expensive new bookcase if the old one still stands? I think the trouble is, these people don't want to be guilty of half-assed spending. We somehow exist in this age of massive, over-the-top big costs, meaning they have that opportunity (to spend a lot of money).
It would feel half-assed if they make do with old furniture that's already there. You need a purpose to work towards, a grand, absurd sum to spend on something that could cost you less. You need, as ever, a meaning.
I'm just not sure it's worth the trade-off here. There's a certain pride that comes with making do. I loved painting my walls and my furniture, because that made them mine. I remember when I was quite small and professional house-painters were painting my mum's house. It looked like nothing. Moving itself was exciting, but the process itself meant nothing to me. Why would I choose that when I can choose to add my own meaning to a place or an item of furniture?
It seems dangerous to me and quite empty, really, to make of spending money a main aim in your life. A justification for working and being away from family. I understand, to an extent, my friend's partner (who is the main decision-driver in this purchase) - all his friends moved to new homes which they newly decorated, all probably spent insane amounts. He would look poorly (or just poor) if he moved into an old house and made do on some pieces, wouldn't he? Even if he really isn't.
Imagine having such mentality. Or worse, such friends.
