Friday, June 06, 2008

Wait, what's going on?

So, I've been feeling lately like I've become an adult, and I don't like it.

I've been working hard at this new job.  I often feel at sea.  Sometimes I like it, sometimes I hate it.  Sometimes I wish I could lie around at home and do nothing.  It is not yet a habit, the way my job in New York had become.  It's work.  Sometimes it's fun, and I expect (hope) it will become even more fun as I get my feet under me, but right now, it's work.

My sweetie and I spent a huge amount of money in Italy, and so we are trying to be good.  It's hard to be good.  We were used to a carefree, high-living, high spending life in New York.  I mean, we were never huge spenders, but we didn't worry about money.  Now, we worry about money.  A friend of mine recently sent me the menu of an extremely fancy meal he recently ate, and my major reactions were: I used to have meals like that and I can't afford meals like that.  If my sweetie and I blow $60 on dinner for two we feel guilty.

Then, this weekend, we bought a house.  This is wildly exciting, and I will do an excited, squeeing post later (with pictures), but this has turned our worry about money into full-fledged panic.  Don't worry--we can afford the house, but....it's a lot of money!  And, though I owned a condo in New York, owning a house is a whole different animal.  There's the sewer line, and the yard, and the roof, and the pipes, and the electrical systems to worry about.  There's the water heater, and the furnace.  Every one of these things either needs work or needs to be monitored until such time as it will need work.  And that means even more money!

So, now I have a job that is work (and pays less than I'd like), I worry about gas prices and the cost of groceries, we're about to assume a mortgage and a house, and we're thinking kids, maybe in the next year or so.  Heck, we bought the house because of its yard and its sidewalks and the fact that it's around the corner from one of Seattle's top-rated elementary schools, so we've just committed a heck of a lot of money to the just the idea of kids.

I miss my carefree single days!  I got married and life became, well, difficult.  I know it's what I want, I love my sweetie, I'm excited to be doing all these new things, but....but geez, I think I wasn't ready to grow up just yet.....

4 comments:

Julie Laudicina, Celebrant! said...

Periodically I check your blog...just to see how you are doing in Seattle. Congratulations on the house! Hi to "Sweetie"!

A potential client interviewed me yesterday; they talked about decorating their wedding venue with paper lights. I immediately was reminded of your beautiful wedding which it seems was just yesterday.

And now you bought a house that is close to a good elementary school...Well, I'll keep reading your blog to keep up with your story!

Squirrelette said...

How appropriate -- first your celebrant, and now one of your attendants is posting a comment. ;-)

I can understand your agita about the money...and it has only made me more grateful for my carefree (though mortgage-ridden), high spending, single person's lifestyle! (sorry)

Your home looks BEE-YOU-TEE-FUL though! I have told my mom all about it. ;-P

Anonymous said...

Congratulations on the new house! I"m so excited for you!

And I must chuckle too at your worries and thoughts about money. I did try to warn you. Welcome to marriage and suburbia. :-)

Cass

Nopinkertons said...

Julie, thank you so much for visiting! We were thinking about you the other day, b/c our broker wrote a little letter for the sellers describing us, and we wished you were around to make us sound more charming than we are :-).

Cass, it's not nice to laugh at me. A wants to rip out the bathroom. I suggested that perhaps this was too large a project for two people who have never owned a house before to start with! Maybe you & Greg can visit and lend a hand :-).

Shirley, is your mom satisfied that there's enough room for kids?