The hardest thing about building the house is having restraint. Don’t get me wrong, restraint is a really good thing. Without restraint you can get yourself in a lot of trouble, or become a privileged asshole. The ability to abstain from things you don’t necessarily have to have is important at times to keep yourself humble.
However, the amount of restraint that C and I have shown over the past four years, and especially the past year, is enough to test anyone’s strength. While our kids are fortunate enough to have enough clothing from gifts and as hand me downs, C and I have restricted ourselves to the bare minimum. We each have enough outfits to last us about a week to a week and a half and I am often repairing socks, underwear, and especially pants until we are forced to replace them.
We have been making a list of things we are purchasing once we are able to move into the house and have some spare funds. New clothing for both of us is high on that list.
We will continue to show restraint once we move. We will continue to strive for a zero waste lifestyle, but there is a difference between sufficient restraint and depriving yourself of basic necessities.
We are so close to being able to move we cannot fathom having to hold off because we were short on building funds which could have been prevented if we had waited to purchase other things.
I honestly think that building this house will go down as the hardest thing we have ever done.
You can do it! I believe there’s a Dave Ramsey quote that goes something like “live like no one else, later you can live like no one else.