Day ten
Weekends seem to be my undoing in nablopomo this year. Hopefully this post will make up for yesterday.
Saturday morning, as I cleaned up the last few things in the house my neat-freak wife would surely think needed it, I looked around. For those who haven't been to our home before, it would be hard to describe it. Sure it's easy to say it's a log house and the walls and open ceilings are amazing; or that it's very comfy and inviting. But if you were to describe the decor, or try and label our style into a category, that might be a little tougher. Our furniture, etc. range from Ikea modern to Contemporary simple to early country to retro college-dorm to hodgepodge Americana.
I love our house and I love how Ell decorates. She is so unique in her thoughts and it shows on every wall and on every shelf. As I looked around at it all, I wondered what people would think who would be visiting during the open house. I played out a scenario in my head of a guy and his wife coming in and falling in love with everything. Not just the house or the logs, but everything. I imagined him asking one question, "What would you take for the whole thing?"
What an interesting question. I imagined how the rest of the conversation would have played out...
Me: "What do you mean, 'the whole thing'?"
Guy: "We love your house; the way it's decorated, the artwork, the eclectic collections, the alcohol cabinets, the furniture, everything!"
Me: "So you want to buy it all?"
Guy: "Yes. As is. We want nothing changed. How much would you need to get in your car and drive away right now? Give me a figure."
Me: "You're kidding, right?"
Guy: "No. I'm perfectly serious. Give me a figure."
Me: "The whole thing? Everything?"
Guy: "Everything."
And there it is. There's the question. What would it take to walk away from your home and everything in it? What's the figure? What would it take to walk away from it all? Would you ask for just enough money to buy a new house? Would you ask for enough money to buy new appliances, new furnishings, new toys, a new wardrobe; basically just replace what you had? Would you want compensated for the memories; if so, how much are they worth? What's the figure? I think this could be an eye-opening conversation with some really interesting answers.
Here's the specifics...
-You take all personal information, bills, checkbooks, tax records, kids, pets, etc.
-You take only clothes you can fit into one suitcase.
-You leave all furniture, dishes, towels, appliances, music, books, art, collections, toys, sports equipment, gardens, tools, everything.
-You get in your vehicle, cash in hand, and leave everything else in in the house.
Post your answers in a comment. If your spouse/significant-other doesn't blog, ask them and post their answer. If you read but don't blog, post anonymously and sign your name. Let's see what it would take to start over. Please participate. This should be quite revealing and fun.
So what's your figure?
Saturday morning, as I cleaned up the last few things in the house my neat-freak wife would surely think needed it, I looked around. For those who haven't been to our home before, it would be hard to describe it. Sure it's easy to say it's a log house and the walls and open ceilings are amazing; or that it's very comfy and inviting. But if you were to describe the decor, or try and label our style into a category, that might be a little tougher. Our furniture, etc. range from Ikea modern to Contemporary simple to early country to retro college-dorm to hodgepodge Americana.
I love our house and I love how Ell decorates. She is so unique in her thoughts and it shows on every wall and on every shelf. As I looked around at it all, I wondered what people would think who would be visiting during the open house. I played out a scenario in my head of a guy and his wife coming in and falling in love with everything. Not just the house or the logs, but everything. I imagined him asking one question, "What would you take for the whole thing?"
What an interesting question. I imagined how the rest of the conversation would have played out...
Me: "What do you mean, 'the whole thing'?"
Guy: "We love your house; the way it's decorated, the artwork, the eclectic collections, the alcohol cabinets, the furniture, everything!"
Me: "So you want to buy it all?"
Guy: "Yes. As is. We want nothing changed. How much would you need to get in your car and drive away right now? Give me a figure."
Me: "You're kidding, right?"
Guy: "No. I'm perfectly serious. Give me a figure."
Me: "The whole thing? Everything?"
Guy: "Everything."
And there it is. There's the question. What would it take to walk away from your home and everything in it? What's the figure? What would it take to walk away from it all? Would you ask for just enough money to buy a new house? Would you ask for enough money to buy new appliances, new furnishings, new toys, a new wardrobe; basically just replace what you had? Would you want compensated for the memories; if so, how much are they worth? What's the figure? I think this could be an eye-opening conversation with some really interesting answers.
Here's the specifics...
-You take all personal information, bills, checkbooks, tax records, kids, pets, etc.
-You take only clothes you can fit into one suitcase.
-You leave all furniture, dishes, towels, appliances, music, books, art, collections, toys, sports equipment, gardens, tools, everything.
-You get in your vehicle, cash in hand, and leave everything else in in the house.
Post your answers in a comment. If your spouse/significant-other doesn't blog, ask them and post their answer. If you read but don't blog, post anonymously and sign your name. Let's see what it would take to start over. Please participate. This should be quite revealing and fun.
So what's your figure?
posted by Sam at 11:13 AM
21 Comments:
Oh gosh...this sounds more like a post than a comment. One question, can I take my pictures?(wedding and baby albums) Puh-lease?
The living room: Other than above-mentioned photo albums - take it all.
Dining room: I have a bank, an antique copper horse from my great grandfather(only family thing I was ever given), a framed wedding pic and the clock that Adam's grandpa made us for our wedding - those would be hard to part with...
Kitchen: All replaceable.
Kids room: That might be the deal breaker - if they couldn't take their special blankets, none of us would ever sleep again. Other than that - it's a go.
Bathrooms: No problem.
Laundry room: Take it. Dirty clothes and all.
Bedroom: If you find my wedding ring will you forward it to this address? Thanks.
Crawl space: If I never see the junk up there again I probably wouldn't miss it. I do have some childhood memories, but like I said.
Shed: I'll knock some off the final price if you take it.
Final Figure: $$250,00.00
P.S. Don't tell Adam I just sold his gun cabinet and all his guns!
P.P.S. $225,000.00 if I can leave the kids and dog.
Just kidding! Just Kidding!!
See now, I knew you'd be the one who'd try to change the rules. ;-)
Here's my answers...
-Old family heirlooms, sorry, that't why this is hard
-Pictures, not sure they qualify as decor
-kid's blanket's, stick 'em in the suitcase but remember they take up space
-Adam, ask him what his price would be, and no I won't tell him you sold his guns
I was leaving the heirlooms - just saying it'd be hard.(so is cold hard cash though...;p) I will ask Adam.
And, I have to add, as we discuss selling the house, we'd have to get $190,000.00 out of it in a regular sale - about what it appraises for.(No, our mortgage is not nearly that high.) I think that is pertinent information in considering the original question.
Wow. I think my memories (and the things that we have collected as a family) are just too valuable. I am confident I would not be able to just walk away.
C'mon Melissa. Think about it. If not, ask Jeff what his would be and get back to us. I bet he has an answer. :-)
This comment has been removed by the author.
OK. After some thought I would walk away for $1 million. It would be enough to pay off the house and other debt (student loans, cars, etc.), to find another place to live, and replace some toys and things we would need to live. However, I would make a few "exchanges". I would not take any clothing (we can always buy new). Instead, I would insist on taking photographs, the external hard drive from my computer (very small and would fit in the suitcase, but houses thousands of digital photos), the kids blankets and favorite stuffed animals, and one of the paintings that my Godmother painted for me before she passed away. All of these things would fit in the suitcase instead of clothing. We have so many family heirlooms, that even with my price tag, it would be hard to leave it all. I had to think about it in a different sense rather than "selling" it all. I thought about what I would try to grab on my way out the door if the house was on fire. What is most important and absolutely irreplaceable? How does that work?
Sounds good, Melissa. Nice compromise. This was a rough question for me, which is why I shared it. In my imaginary conversation with the buyer, I was bickering with him over photo albums, clothes, etc. Stuff I thought he wouldn't care about or want. But he wasn't in a bargaining mood. He wanted us to walk out the door with the clothes on our backs (I added the suitcase for readers with children) and the car keys in our pocket, nothing else. Which, like you did, is quite comparable to running outside during a fire. Only in my make-believe scenario there's much less screaming and terror, and in their place a (potentially) huge pile of money. :-)
And Melissa, I still want to know Jeff's figure.
Kyle, why'd you delete your comment? It was really funny.
I don't have many things that hold any sentimental value. I had a house burn down about 10 years ago, and all my sentimental stuff went with it. I'd take my sock monkey, a porcelain horse that was a gift from my dad and $2 million. Hey, if someone wants my house and all my stuff that bad, I'm going to make damn sure I get something out of it this time!
80 grand take it all and do whatever with it i dont care. now if i could just talk Jess into it.
Interesting question. Easier to answer quickly, harder when you start thinking and looking around.
Definitly the pictures, courting, wedding, kids, siblings, parents, grandkids, our home in Leetonia where we had great years with our children as children. Who would want those--there aren't even good for kindling. Oh, one of my great-great aunt and one of my great grandmother who came from Sweden and married her sweetheart at 16.
At least two of my many Bibles.
Heirlooms, already have pasted my favorites on to my children. Only one that I might want--my chest of drawers that my Dad bought we when I was 12, it was already an antique.
My precious moments, so many bought with love by my husband and children.
I suppose I could do it, but it would be hard.
Price: enough to build a home that my dear husband can get around in easier, a large dining room and a large, organized, storage filled sewing room--with enough room for a long arm quilter. My am I greedy. Think I would know better at my age!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!1
I read your blog on a daily basis. I know you from way back when you attended the Salem Nazarene Church, where your dad was the Music Minister and your mom was my Sunday School Teacher. Love to read what you have to say. This blog I needed to respond to. I couldn't put a price on the many things I have in my home that I would have to leave behind. Too many heirlooms that we would like to pass onto our daughters. Money isn't worth the story behind how we inherited the many things from when my husband's grandmother died.The old antique pictures of his grandfather. I couldn't do it.
BTW: My maiden name was Connie Heck.
Also, I pray for your dad. My dad has been quite sick for a long time and I know how difficult it is to see your loved one suffering from many ailments. I know that God's ways are higher than ours and as much as we would like to see our dads the way they used to be many, many years ago, wouldn't be a part of God's plan. Just wanted to let you know.
Adam says $300,000.00. I think he's looking forward to buying a bunch of new guns. He didn't seem to care about much else.
We're close to the same page anyway.
My mom says, in light of her 'situation', nothing could make her give up her house.
Mom, how much did you come up with when you answered quickly? And what did you base your number on? I tried to come up with a quick answer, but the figure kept changing. I'm curious to hear how you came up with your total.
Hey there, Connie. Thanks for stopping by eleven and thanks for the prayers. I'll have to link over and see what's up in your life.
Adrienne, Adam has $100k worth of guns? Holy-free-holy!
heh. I sold my business like that...the man walked through the door and asked and I hit him with a figure..turn key take it or leave it right now. he took it..I took the money and gave him the key.
There were some things I wish now I had kept..some of my personal tools I had bought years ago and were hard to replace. But for the most part I never looked back..took the money and run...
100K? Now where did that number come from? I'd guess close to $10,000.00. I count 7 rifles and 2 pistols - mostly with scopes and he has some other toys in there that are worth a bit - binoculars, range finder, etc. Still a crazy amount(Fortunately, except for the 9mm, he came into the marriage with all of them.) I guess the extra money he just figured we should get since they were desperate for all of our things!
Ahh, your last sentence explains it. My 100k comment came from the fact that Adam's figure was about 100k more than your's. Sorry, bad joke. Now that I look back on your first comment I was in error anyway.
I'm going to bed now. :-)
When it comes down to it, I think I could walk away from most, if not all of our possessions without looking back. Out of sight, out of mind. It's only stuff.
The only exceptions would be a few of my mom's things, some pictures and my Rebecca book collection;-)
Take it all for 100 grand-easy.
I have been thinking about this alot. I don't need my cars, or my house, or clothes. My family is what is most important to me. With the exception of my album of photo CD's, a few actual photo albums and a few family videos, I could walk away from it all. It could all be replaced. I would say for $275,000...take it!
THEY CAN HAVE IT ALL AS LONG AS I CAN PAY OFF MY MORTGAGE, IF I HAD A LITTLE EXTRA FOR THE NEXT MOVE THAT WOULD BE NICE BUT NOT A BONUS! ANY OFFERS??? the pictures of my family are priceless...thats it We don't have any heirlooms beyond pics
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