A Roundabout Way of Thinking

If you Give a Mouse a Cookie – Homeowner Style . . .

I have lived in my house for over 10 years now. Anyone with a house this age understands that updates are necessary to keep you house up to the standards of the new builds that are popping up all around you. So, occasionally I’ll update certain parts of my home to keep up with the Jones’s, I mean times, and not let my home look outdated or shabby.

When updating our home, have you ever noticed that it’s like a domino effect? You update one area that creates another area needing updating and then another and another. It can be never ending! We all know, you’re never completely finished with upgrades and changes to your home. I don’t know one single person who’s ever said, ‘I just added new floors and then the house is completely finished! We won’t need anything else at all in our home ever!’ Nope. Just doesn’t happen.

The home improvement effect reminds me of the book 'If You Give a Mouse a Cookie.' If you haven’t read this book (because you live under a rock), when you give a mouse a cookie, he’ll ask for a glass of milk, then want a straw, a napkin, a mirror, etc. It goes on and on until the mouse is ready for another cookie and then the cycle starts all over again.

So, here’s the same story – Homeowner Style.

If you decide to replace the outdated floors in your home, you’re going to need to replace the kitchen cabinets to match them.

If you replace the cabinets, you’re probably going to want to update your appliances to complete the kitchen look.

After you’ve updated the kitchen, you’ll realize that your kitchen walls need painted. And if you’re going to paint the kitchen walls, then you might as well paint the walls in the entire house.

After you’ve spent endless time or money painting the entire house, you’ll notice that your living room furniture is outdated. You can’t have that old, ripped couch on those beautiful new floors and coat of fresh paint.

So, you’ll go to the furniture store and pick out a beautiful, modern, comfy couch and oversized chair.

After you stand back and admire your warm, inviting living room area, you’ll notice that your walls look bare. You need some wall décor and picture frames. So, you’ll make a trip to the home store to look for some new home accessories.

While you’re visiting the home store, you’ll walk by the bedroom section and notice some amazing accessories for your room. There’s a duvet cover that is so soft and elegant at the same time. The duvet cover display looks amazing on a king size bed and you have a queen.  . . .

After you convince your husband that you must have a king size bed, you’ll stand back and admire this oversized piece of furniture and realize that your hand me down dresser and nightstands look so outdated in your new haven.

You then realize that you have to convince your husband of this next purchase. After finding a 20% off and 1 year with no interest sale you happily admire your new room.

While the flooring on the 1^st floor was replaced this upstairs carpet was not. And now the carpet looks worn next to the new bedding and furniture.

And chances are, if you replace the floor, you’re going to have to replace a whole lot to go along with it.