Working With Whatcha Got

This barren little backyard of our rental suite when we lived in Burnaby was lovingly transformed over the years we resided there. The property across the street was all trees so it never felt like we were living in the 'burbs'.

Sometimes reaching a goal requires sacrifice. As city dwellers living in boxed housing (apartment living), we knew our dream of owning a home was obtainable at a high dollar price. We even considered buying a condo but the leaky condo crisis was looming just around the corner and we were glad we opted out.

Instead, we decided to live below our means and save for a home in the country. We rented a suite in the home of an elderly couple, the in-laws of a friend, and worked towards obtaining our goal. We lived there for SIX years and turned a plain back yard into a pleasant retreat.

I'm so thankful I'm not a material girl. That said, I have expensive tastes but I learned at an early age how to separate my needs from my wants. I also loathe the thought of having any debt whatsoever. My sweetie and I have this in common and we both share the thrill of taking something not so great and turning it into something we can enjoy.

It's not about what have so much as it's about what you do with it. We find it quite satisfying to take something that appears to be nothing and putting life back into it. The porch of our country home was in pretty sad shape when we moved in and now we have some measure of curb appeal.