Re: Home Improvement TV Shows
- From: terry <tsanford@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Sat, 04 Aug 2007 07:39:30 -0700
On Aug 4, 11:18 am, "Edwin Pawlowski" <e...@xxxxxxxx> wrote:
<jj60...@xxxxxxxxxxxxx> wrote in message
news:jdm8b3hubrbk76bi9uaji9nsp56sni1q30@xxxxxxxxxx
These home improvement TV shows are so useless, and tend to piss me
off. Almost everything I own I built, and built it using recycled
lumber, and other building materials. Then I see these shows on tv.
It seems that their main goal is to waste as many materials as
possible, wreck as much as they can, and then use the most expensive
materials that can be bought.
I dont know about you, but I am perfectly happy with my formica
counter top, recycled stainless sink, and my $50 Moen faucet. My
vinyl floor tiles are just fine, and my electrical switches and
outlets are common ivory colored and dont cost $50 each because they
are ultra fancy. After all, most of them are hidden behind furniture
anyhow. To me, fancy is putting up a little wallpaper instead of
painting, and yah, I did spend a few extra bucks to get some extra
fancy trim in my living room, but didn't go into debt for the rest of
my life to do it.
Heck, it's a house. I sleep there, eat there, and most of the rest of
my life is spent either working or socializing outside my home.
Everyone needs a roof over their head, and caves are sort of outdated
and hard to find.
Somewhere in between lies the truth. You do make some excellent points
about waste and excess, but it is my home, I do spend quite a bit of time in
it and I do want nice stuff. My kitchen has Formica counter tops and a Moen
faucet also. But most of my appliances are top of the line or near to it.
I like the ice and water dispenser even though the ice maker had to be
replaced. I'm willing to pay for that convenience.
Comes down to priorities. Last December I had the choice of spending my
Christmas bonus on a kitchen remodel, or new furniture, or a down payment on
a new car. I chose to rent a villa in Tuscany and sped a couple of weeks in
Italy again. If you took a survey of people here, some percentage will say
I did the smart thing, others will say I'm nuts spending that much money on
a vacation that lasted only 2 weeks. Twenty years ago, my priorities were
different and I probably would have put the money into the house.
Meantime, I'm saving for another vacation, just now sure where yet.- Hide quoted text -
- Show quoted text -
All good points. What I find useless is that these programmes flip
back and forth so quickly that one doesn't gather as much info. One
moment they are finishing the front step, although the new porch
(following a logical sequence hasn't been erected yet), 30 seconds
later they are back to tearing out the kitchen cabinets. And then
switch to putting up a new light in the hall. Very confusing.
'This old house' takes it more logically?
We are, most of us here? very lucky to be able to make choices, living
in societies that are reasonably stable and also allow us some
reasonable freedoms to own or rent and/or do our own fix-ups. Along
with that comes responsibility. If I put up a shelf and it's crooked
and my wife's best vase falls off and breaks, or shelf falls down and
cuts open my child's head, I am responsible, eh?
When it comes down to it, at least to many of us in 'Western
Societies' it is a matter of 'The hierarchy of human needs'.
Our first need is to stay alive, we need to eat, be clothed and be
warm (or cool), we need to be appreciated (loved) and acknowledged by
others etc.
Further down the list of needs are 'self actualization' also such
things as how fancy and how much can we afford to pay to have nice
things around us. An original manuscript may be the choice of a
scholar, a comfortable old sofa or chair might be the prized
possession of someone who listens to music/radio/TV etc. Mine is a
WWII radio shortwave radio that I owned as teenager around 1950!
Possession can become a demonstration of presumed affluence/
prosperity. A need to impress others; by having the fanciest car, the
nicest garden on the street or the biggest fanciest swimming pool on
the block!
Like several other here our housing is very 'ordinary' but very
practical. Very pleased with the decsions we made 37 years ago (for
this our second house) when myself and two carpenters built it. And
finished over next few years.
And therefore 'No mortgage'.
So if the roof over you head meets your needs let's save up for that
holiday!
Gotta go and run the vacuum; as a widower I have to 'do' for myself.
Many thanks to a generally very helpful and practical group of posters
on this news group. Even some of the snide comments can be helpful!
Terry
.
- References:
- Home Improvement TV Shows
- From: jj60204
- Re: Home Improvement TV Shows
- From: Edwin Pawlowski
- Home Improvement TV Shows
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