Family Update
Parenting teenagers has entered a whole new era at our house. Our two youngest boys, 14 and 15, have started talking to girls, which I suppose is right on schedule. But nobody talks on the phone or hangs out anymore. It's all video chat. They watch TV shows together from separate houses. One day I glanced at Alex's phone and saw the girl on the other end was sound asleep, and he was just carrying her around the house. I had to ask, "Why are you watching her sleep?" I still don't have a good answer.
I've gotten hooked on police body cam videos on Youtube. Thanks to public records laws, especially here in Florida, a lot of this footage is available to anyone who requests it, and people post it by the thousands. Watching first-person footage of what police work actually looks like has taught me one thing for sure: I do not want to be a police officer. They truly deserve our respect.
With Dalanee's health challenges and the kids being kids, I took over the role of dinner Dad. Our standard menu is steak, corn, and sweet potatoes. It works because it's easy: sweet potatoes in the microwave, corn in a pot of water, steak on the grill. If you're picturing some gourmet operation, you're out of your mind. And nothing tests my patience quite like a kid wandering into the kitchen, looking at the food, looking at me, and announcing, "I'm not hungry." That's when Dad expresses some rare anger and frustratio
Upgrades That Aren't: Dumb Luxury Purchases I Fell For
Advertisers have one job: to get you to spend money you don't need to spend. Over the years, I've grown increasingly annoyed with so-called "upgraded" and "luxury" items. They play to your ego and wildly exaggerate the benefits of the "better" version. Let's look at some of the worst offenders. Sadly, I have learned most of these lessons the hard way.
1. Luxury Appliances: Do You Really Need a Smart Refrigerator?
High-end kitchen appliances come loaded with impressive features. Refrigerators that tell you when you're out of milk. Professional-grade ovens that promise to turn anyone into a gourmet chef. Here's the reality: it's overkill. The fancy refrigerators I've bought, in particular, make me angry just thinking about them (and they're often five times as expensive). If it keeps things cold, it's good enough. The expensive ones don't keep your food any fresher. They just cost more to fix when the touchscreen dies.
2. Designer Furniture: How to Relax More Effectively
This is another hot-button issue for me. Granted, I have four kids and four pets, so sofas don't last long in my house. Still, I struggle to see the difference between a $9,000 couch and a $3,000 couch. Is it three times as comfortable? Am I lounging three times as effectively?
3. Luxury Vehicles: Gas Is Already Expensive
There's no denying the appeal of a luxury car. The sleek design, the powerful engine, the prestige. But luxury cars tend to depreciate faster, and their maintenance and insurance costs are often significantly higher. Don't forget the premium gas. We once paid $900 because we lost the key.
My wife will disagree with me here. She loves her fancy car and zippy engine, but I just don't get it. My Honda minivan is plenty. It fits the whole family, and there's room for extra orchids from the nursery. The air conditioning is just as cold. The sound system is decent. The safety features are comparable. What am I missing?
4. High-End Electronics: A Completely New Experience?
Speaking of sound systems, I'm a bit of an audio nut. My goal has always been the best possible sound quality. After many attempts and a lot of money, I've learned the difference is minimal. And even when there is a difference, your ears adjust quickly. A few weeks later, it just sounds normal again.
5. Luxury Mattresses: A Better Night's Sleep?
High-end mattresses can be very expensive, but do they actually help you sleep better? The materials and technology sound impressive, but the benefit is usually marginal. But there are plenty of reasonably priced options that are just as comfortable as the $5,000 model at the furniture store, if not more so. Remember, mattresses have huge markups, one of the biggest markups in all of retail.
6. Smart Home Systems
A whole-home smart system can cost thousands of dollars. In my experience, I forget how to use it, it needs reprogramming, and I end up pulling my hair out and giving up. Is it really that hard to get up and change the thermostat?
7. High-End Upgraded Fixtures: The Meaning of Life?
We "upgraded" the lighting in our bedroom with two expensive sconces. They weren't cheap. I was surprised to discover that sconces have very little to do with my overall life satisfaction.
8. Designer Clothing and Accessories: Fashion or Financial Pitfall?
We should have this one figured out by now. These brands have mastered the art of convincing people that a designer bag makes them look wealthy. The truth is, it mostly makes them look like someone trying hard to look wealthy. The wealthiest people who come into my office don't look wealthy at all.
The Bottom Line
As I get older, and I suspect many of you agree, I've found that most of these upgrades have zero bearing on anything that truly matters. When we were house hunting, we toured plenty of homes built thirty years ago, full of what were once luxury add-ons. They added nothing to the home's value, and they looked dated. Remember built-in intercom systems?
The things that make life rich, like faith, family, health, and time with the people you love, were never for sale in the first place (cheesy but true).
Be Blessed,
Dave