We finished selling our house (well, we close next week), and we got rid of almost all our possessions. I can’t say we got rid of everything, because we did keep enough to fill a 10×10 storage unit, although most of it is taken up by a leather couch and chair. We chose to keep a few things we liked, would use again, and wouldn’t want to (or be able to) replace if we settled down again.

So what did we keep?

Here is a list of what’s sitting in the storage unit.

• leather couch and chair
• some artwork/paintings
• a box or two of decorations
• folding table and chairs
• journals and photos
• filing cabinet and safe (mostly just to hold important documents)
• a small box of tools
• a few blankets
• bicycles (we’re letting my parents use them)
• kitchenware (plates, bowls, pots/pans)
• 72-hour kit
• some winter clothes

Everything else we were able to sell, give away, or donate to charity.

We’re currently living with my grandparents in Sandy, Utah. We didn’t bring very much here, but more than we will take to Costa Rica. For example, we brought several totes of supplies for homeschool, childrens’ books, food, cleaning supplies, and extra clothes, as well as our digital piano. We’ll get rid of and repurchase many of those things once we make the move abroad.

The girls each chose three stuffed animals to keep, but the rest of their toys are now gone. And they’re not sad about it in the least. Well, Marie (4 years old) was a little sad when we sold her “My Little Ponies”, but she got over it quickly. Emily (6) was happy to get rid of things, and was glad that we could donate some to charity, too, for the kids “that don’t have very many toys”. When I asked Emily if she’d mind if I sold her new scooter (razor) we got her for her birthday, she said, “We can’t take it with us right? Yeah, you can sell it.”

We did bring a box of dress-ups to Grandma’s though, since the girls love to play dress-ups. But we probably won’t bring those abroad with us. There are plenty of other toys at Grandma’s, too, including a dollhouse, lots of books, and a Nintendo 64, which the girls can’t seem to get enough of.

We also have a laptop for each family member. My Macbook Pro, a couple Dell PC’s running Vista, and a Dell Mini 9 running Ubuntu Linux. (Yes, I’m a geek). The girls enjoy playing games, which we try to keep educational. www.starfall.com has been a good resource for reading practice. But lately, they seem to prefer the not-so-educational Tinkerbell game on Disney’s website. As the girls get older, we’d like to encourage them to journal about their experiences, and maybe even start a blog.

I will admit that the day we moved everything out I was feeling a bit depressed, which is really unusual for me. I worried about all the time, effort, and money it would take to replace all that stuff if we settled down again. I also started thinking about some of the horror stories I’ve heard about Costa Rica, such as the increasing crime issues and corrupt police officers. But I realized that I’m not going to be happy if I keep focusing on these negative aspects, which will just get overblown the more I think about them. So I started focusing on what I wanted and what I already have instead, and my day brightened up.

Living at Grandma’s has been wonderful, so far! It’s a nice house in a gated community, and it’s been fun to see my grandparents more. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed the pool table in their basement as well. :) The weather has been nice so we’ve taken the girls to the park several times. And I’ve found several comfortable spots to put my laptop for work and reading.

I can really say I have everything I need and want to be happy. But happiness is still a choice I must make in each moment, to appreciate life to its fullest.

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Our house appraised for $238,000 just a couple months ago, but unfortunately, we didn’t get an offer that high. Because of the current market and time of year, we ended up selling it for $215,000, and after closing costs, we’ll have to pay a couple thousand to get out. But that’s how it goes. There are several reasons that we’re glad to get out from under a mortgage, even if we have to pay to do so.

Stuff Does Not Equal Happiness

For example, we’ve realized that beyond basic necessities, owning stuff does not make you any more happy than you already are. In fact, it can take away from your happiness because you then have that “stuff” to worry about, maintain, and dispose of when you’re done with it. I look back amazed at how much time I have spent in my life purchasing, using, maintaining, and getting rid of stuff – stuff that I didn’t even really need, and that ended up detracting from the things that really matter to me. Then there’s the added stress of hoping it doesn’t get stolen, or damaged, broken, or lost, and then replacing it when it does. Why do we do this to ourselves?

Our house is (was) moderately sized by American standards. 1960 square feet, 4 bedrooms, and a good-sized yard. But for the four of us, it’s really probably more than we need. Sure, we’ve dreamed about renting out some gorgeous mansion in Costa Rica with a grand view, swimming pool, and acres of gardens to wander around in, and that might be fun for a while. But I think we could be just as happy in a little apartment, where we’re closer to the community and have more chances to interact with the local people. Maybe we’ll try both. But I don’t think size matters as much as we’re led to believe. The biggest place we stayed in Panama was a 700 sq ft 2 bedroom house with one bathroom, and it was good enough, really. Do you realize how big our American houses (even the smaller ones) seem to people in other countries?

Obsessed with Size

In America, we are obsessed with the size, quantity, and “niceness” of our possessions. We work so hard to obtain what we think we need. And when our income rises to the next level, we instantly want to upgrade everything we have to bigger and better. We get a bigger TV, a bigger house, a nicer and newer car, and fancier vacations. Then if we get more money, we get an even bigger TV, an even bigger house, more expensive clothes and toys, etc. Why? Does it make us feel more important? Do we want to impress our family and friends? Do we just like having nice things? Or is it just what we do in America because that’s what everyone else does and we don’t want to stand out?

If we have become dissatisfied with our lives and think more or better stuff will make us more happy, I will tell you – that is a lie. Filling your life with more and better stuff may be fun for a while, giving you a temporary sense of pleasure, but it will only last until the next best thing comes along (which it always will), and in the end, you will only have… more stuff to deal with. And that leads to bondage – owning stuff can sap our time, energy, and money, and even leads some into debt. Why can’t we be content with what we have?

I want freedom. Freedom from the bondage of excess material possessions. Sure, I’ll own things that make sense. I’ll still own some clothes, a computer, and other things I enjoy and actually use. But I don’t buy into the idea that the attainment of fancy things is one of the end goals in life or the hallmark of success. Nor do I want to become so attached to my possessions that I’d be heartbroken if they were gone. It’s just “stuff”, and you can’t take it with you when you die, anyway. (My personal belief is that nothing belongs to us anyway, but to God, and we’re just stewards over it.)

Renting Beats Buying

I also don’t want to own a house – at least not right now. Being the furthest thing from a handyman as you can get, I would rather rent, and have someone else take care of maintaining the place. And when I’m ready to move on, or if I get tired of a place, I can leave without worrying about selling a house or having my money tied up there. In Costa Rica, we’re going to be renting furnished places as well (which are in abundance), so we don’t have to own or carry around furniture. This also gives us a nice change of scenery when we change locations, so we don’t get tired of seeing the same furniture pieces and art everywhere we go.

Do the math and you may be surprised that despite what you’ve been told, there is less financial benefit to buying a house than you may think, unless you plan to stay there the rest of your life, or at least long enough for it to appreciate a great deal. Realize that you will almost certainly spend much more on payments than you will ever get back out of the house if you sell it.

In some ways, you could still say that buying is better than renting since a portion of your mortgage payment is going toward principal and you can get that money out with a second mortgage or by selling the house (if you’re lucky). In this way, there’s at least a chance you’ll get some of your money back. But if you compare the total you spend over the years in mortgage payments, taxes, maintenance, repairs (stress), and time, to how much you’d spend renting a similar place, the benefit of “ownership” becomes less appealing. This is especially so when you factor in the 12% + other fees you pay for closing costs when you sell – hence the need for appreciation. And don’t think that real estate doesn’t depreciate. It does. So in some circumstances, you could even end up losing money and being in debt by trying to “own” a home.

Of course, if you don’t ever plan to sell the house, then it will be great to have a place to live your entire life (if you want to stay in the same place that long) and eventually no mortgage payment, although you’ll still have property taxes and utilities. At that point, it’s probably better than renting (although maintenance costs will go up as well). But remember, a house can never be considered an investment, unless you’re also renting it out or making income from it in some other way. Otherwise, a house, along with other possessions, is also just “stuff”.

I may buy a house again someday, if I find a place I want to stay a long, long time. But right now, I value the freedom of mobility more than responsibilities and hassles of home ownership. And I’m excited to own only the things I need and use regularly, and no more.

Less physical clutter leads to less mental clutter, which leads to greater mental clarity, which leads to greater peace. I’m starting to feel the weight lifting already!

Additional Resources:

• Washington Post: 5 Myths about Home Ownership
• MSN Article: Why Own When You Can Rent?
• Article: Your Possessions Own You
• www.mnmlist.com

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So, we thought it was about time we got a new car. Originally, we were thinking of getting a Toyota Camry – slightly larger than the Corolla (so it could fit 3 kids if we have another), great reliability ratings, and they even have a very quiet Hybrid model. We test drove them, and liked it okay. The Hybrid was really cool, but had a very small trunk, and was a lot more money.

Wanting to stick with the reliable “Toyota” line, we decided to test drive a Lexus next – just to see. We drove the IS and ES350. This was my first time driving a luxury car. Honestly, I expected a lot more. I thought I would get in and go, “Wow, this is awesome!” But I really wasn’t overly impressed. The heated and cooled seats were kind of neat, but there just wasn’t enough to justify the cost in my opinion. The IS was more sporty, but too small. And the ES felt like a “grandpa car”. The dashboard was also covered in too many buttons – not user-friendly.

Infiniti G37

Next we tried an Infinity G37. Wow! Now this car impressed me! The exterior and interior are both very sleek and sporty. We like all the smooth countours and the placement of the dashboard options. Even without the navigation system, these cars come with a 7″ screen for controlling the radio and climate. I can even plug in my iPhone and it will show all the songs on the dashboard touch screen – a gadget geek’s dream car!

If that was all the G37 had, I would have been impressed. But the minute I stepped on the gas pedal, I knew I was in a powerhouse. The acceleration is incredible, taking you from 0-60 in just 5 seconds! It has a 7 speed automatic transmission, which can also switch over to “manual/sport” mode if you want to shift manually. But no matter how fast you’re going, even uphill, if you slam on the gas pedal, you’ll get a huge boost. It’s an amazing feeling and very fun to drive! (Now I just need to be more careful of speeding tickets).

Infiniti G37 Interior

One of the things I love most about this car, that I couldn’t find in any other car (except an overpriced $70,000+ BMW) is the option for the sports seats that have power lumbar and torso support, a manual thigh extender and thigh support adjustment. This car “hugs” me, which is so nice for such a skinny guy like me.

After test driving a Nissan Maxima, and a BMW 3 series just to make sure we didn’t like something else better, we decided on the G37. We even tried the Infiniti EX37 crossover, which was great, but felt it was too big for us – we just like smaller cars. (By the way, the BMW was a joke as far as technology and interior look were concerned – I felt like I went back to the 80′s – no comparison with the Infiniti. I even liked the Infiniti’s handling better than the BMW. Infiniti wins hands down – except that BMW did have more trunk space and fold down rear seats. Oh well.). No, we didn’t test Honda or Hyundai or Mercedes (just checked them out on-line, and read lots of reviews, too). We had a hard time imagining something we would like better than the G37. It just seemed like our dream car.

So yesterday I went to the dealership and got one! We were open to getting a used one, but were pretty picky with the options we wanted, so had to go new (used Inifiti’s are harder to find). We picked the dark gray (Platinum Graphite) exterior and black (graphite leather) interior. We got the all-wheel drive option to help with the rain and snow in those winter months (along with heated seats).  And even though we originally didn’t think we wanted navigation, it came with voice activation options for almost every feature in the car, as well as a 9.3GB hard drive to upload music to the car, and a rear view backup camera, so we thought it would be worth it. Jen especially loves the backup camera. I like that I don’t have to keep looking at my iPhone while I’m driving to figure out where to turn (so it’s a bit safer). The hard drive is cool, too. Oh, and Bluetooth – I no longer have to hold a phone to my ear to talk! The keyless entry and push-button start is nice as well. The kids love the moon roof. Oh, I could go on and on.

We broke in the car by taking a trip up to Logan that afternoon. When we got there, the girls wanted to play at a park. We did a search on our navigation system and found a nearby park, which we played at for a while. The car then led us to dinner at Sizzler, and to a bowling alley. This was the kids first time bowling, and it was so cute to see them get excited when they knocked the pins down. We had a great time. Emily beat us all by far!

We ended the day by getting some ice cream at the Aggie creamery and headed back for some night driving. And we actually have headlights (which turn on automatically when it gets dark)! Our Corolla’s headlights were so dim compared to this car. It’s nice to actually be able to see the road. However, the car was covered in bugs by the time we got back, so we gave it another bath today. :)

We didn’t know anything about Infiniti before we test drove them, except that we liked the look of them from the cars we’d seen on the road. We didn’t even know they were considered “luxury” cars (turns out they’re Nissan’s flagship car). And despite the high price, it was definitely the best car we could find for the money, with the options we wanted. We ended up getting it for (should I tell?) $41,000 before taxes and fees – about $1200 less than the msrp. This was my first time buying a new car, so I’m not sure if that’s a good deal or not. But we plan on driving this car for a long time, so wanted to get one we’d love. And we did.

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Here are my todo’s from Conference. Many of these weren’t mentioned at all by the speakers, but they’re what I feel I need to do.

1. Put my home and family in order. This includes cleaning out and organizing the basement, securing our finances, building food storage, and figuring out how we’re going to educate our children. I want our home to be like the Temple – a house of love, a house of learning, a house of order, a house of God. I’d like to spend more time together, have less contention, and feel more bonded. This is my #1 focus.
2. Attend the Temple more regularly. I think I’ll try to get back to my once a week routine of going Wednesday mornings. I haven’t been inside the Temple at all this year (except for the Draper Temple open house), because we were in Panama for so long. So I want to get back into regular Temple attendance. I’ll also try to go with Jen more often.
3. Take more opportunities to serve others – even if it’s just asking in more detail about their lives, and taking time to listen. I want to slow down and enjoy life more, and put people first.

That’s it. Those are the main things I’m going to be focusing on right now, starting with putting my home and family in order.

Speaking of home, we have been thinking lately about moving into a new house, and renting out the one we’re in now. The rates are so good right now (5%) and there are some incredible deals out there. But we decided that it would be better for now to put more money away in savings and investments, rather than in an additional mortgage. I’d like to have at least 6 months of living expenses in liquid assets before we make any other major purchases. A new house would be nice, with more room, and a more comfortable living space, but what we have now is sufficient. Really, a bigger house won’t necessarily contribute to the happiness of our family anyway, and may actually cause additional stress because of the extra financial strain. We may look at moving again later when we have enough cashflow that it won’t be a burden at all.

I’ll also be talking to a lawyer next week about estate planning, setting up wills and trusts and llc’s to better secure our property and other assets. It’s the kind of thing you think about doing when you’re almost dead – I figure why not be prepared and do it now?

As for food storage, I recently received an advertisement from a food storage company called Shelf Reliance who will send you monthly food storage items for a monthly subscription payment. It sounds like an easy way to stock up on food, since for some reason, we have trouble remembering to pick up extra items when we’re at the store. It might be more expensive this way, but if it gets the job done, I think it will be worth it. You can choose the food you want them to send, and they give you nice shelves to put it on. I think I may give them a try.

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Some thought it was ground water, and suggested sump pumps. Others said it was most likely a plumbing issue and they’d need to “camera” the line to see if they can spot leaks (pretty expensive), then dig up the concrete and fix it (even more expensive). Others said it’s a small enough leak that patching around the edges of the wall would divert the water and fix the problem. (I tried. It didn’t work).

Well, guess what? While we were in Panama, my sister said that we had absolutely NO water in the basement! Even after heavy snowstorms. But as soon as we got home and we ran a few loads of laundry along with the dishwaster, we found our basement soaked the next day.

“That proves it!”, I said. It must be a plumbing issue – a leak in the pipe somewhere! So I called a plumber (a different one than we’d called before – Rescue Rooter). He came in, heard my story, and the first thing he noticed was that the little plastic pipe coming from the water softener wasn’t properly set in the drain. It was just out on the floor. He told me that every week or two, depending on use, water softeners shoot out about a tank full of water as part of the regeneration process.

I didn’t believe him that this could be the cause. The water was much more dense by the wall, and was never near the pipe. And it went clear to the other side of the room, skipping parts in the middle. It couldn’t be! Could it? He put the softener through a regeneration cycle, and sure enough, out came lots of water! Eventually, it all made its way toward the wall, causing some puddles to form.

He put the pipe in the drain properly in under one minute. Problem solved!

Can you believe that I have had over five “professionals” – including the city water guy, city sewer guy, and several plumbers – come into my house, and none were able to figure that out? In addition, most offered expensive solutions (over $1500) to solve the problem, sometimes even just to see if there was a problem! I’m sure glad I had someone else come in before I went ahead and spent the money.

As far as how the pipe got out, I don’t really know. But I think it may have been moved by someone I had come give me an estimate to remodel the basement several months ago.

Anyway, I’m really glad this issue is solved and that we don’t have a leak in our basement! Yay! Now I can get back to putting the storage room (and my office) back together.

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