Adulting is one of those things that we all hope to do one day. We spend almost two decades of our lives preparing for the time we will leave our parents’ homes. Some of us even start acting grown as soon as the double digits hit, while others hang on till it is not socially acceptable to be living at home anymore… All until we finally move out into our first homes. And even then, nothing quite prepares you for when you move into your first family home.
As a young mom and wife, I’m finally doing big girl things. I would be lying if I said I haven’t looked forward to this time since I was a little girl, but I didn’t quite picture it to be this way. Back then, everything seemed like roses and butterflies… Well, I suppose it still is, but the roses now need to be watered, pruned, fertilised, etc.
If you are still in the bubble, preparing for the flight, I’ve got some important points you need to know before you take the plunge. And yes, I added bubble, flight, and plunge all in the same sentence. You’ll find out why in a bit.
(There are quite a few lessons, so I figured I would break this into a two part series.)

The bigger the house, the more time you’ll spend cleaning
This one should’ve been a no-brainer, especially since I graduated with a bachelor’s degree and all. Logically, the bigger the house, the bigger the surface area that you will need to clean. But when you practically need to do this, it’s not as straightforward.
In my case, we had planned to have glossy white floors. In fact, we were so adamant about it until our contractor convinced us otherwise. Especially since we have a toddler and plan to get a pet. Well, having settled with cream flooring, I don’t think I’m any better. Floors need to be cleaned. The bigger the house, the more floors there are. The bigger the house, the more dusting there is. The more bathrooms, the more scrubbing you do… Do you get my drift?
So for all of you who love to take part in the huge debate, here’s my take; size DOES matter!
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Bigger first home = more furniture = more money
Are you one of those people that loves furniture shopping? Do you have several boards on Pinterest dedicated to home design? Have you redone your room several times? If you answered yes to any of these, questions, beware not to make the same mistake that I did.
Now a lot of you are probably thinking that buying more furniture isn’t really a big deal. And technically, you aren’t wrong – if you have unlimited access to cash, that is.
Having grown up in a full house, I always assumed that you could never have too many seating areas. So come time to design my first house, I added three seating rooms. Well, I’m not sure if I assumed that people would be sitting on the floor, because nearly one year after moving in, that is definitely one of the options!
Furniture is expensive and I’m not talking soy milk vs dairy expensive. No, furniture is the ‘I will need to spend half to a full month’s salary on a couch’ expensive! And unless you are planning on just getting whatever deals you can find on the Facebook marketplace, don’t be fooled into thinking you will have your whole place decorated in your first year.
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You will always be fixing/ organising/ improving things
If you go with a new build, major fixing won’t be too much of an issue from the get-go. But even then, you will need to spend time tweaking things here and there. Oh and the snags… ha! Don’t get me started on the snags! Ten months later and there are still things that pop up! Plus as a homeowner, you can no longer rely on the landlord to fix things up.
For those who choose to get a ‘pre-owned’ home, expect to spend all a large portion of your resources fixing one thing after the other! One minute you are updating the plumbing, next thing you will be replacing tiles on the roof. Now, if you live in a country that uses wood to build, you’ll be better off. Here in South Africa, I’ve seen people breaking into their concrete walls and floors to get to the pipes!
First conclusion for anyone buying their first home
I suppose when I break down my realisations into two parts, the first main things to consider are time and money. Living large may seem exciting, but it does come with its downfalls. Being a homeowner is great, but don’t be fooled into thinking life gets any cheaper or easier.
If you bought your first home, can you relate to any of the above? Without scaring any of the young ‘uns, share some of your relevant experiences below!
Psst! Let’s hang on social media!
I can vouch for the fact that you’ll always be fixing things. My list of things to do keeps getting longer! The more important stuff is taken care of mostly, so I’m saving up to tackle the cosmetic things now.
Hahaha yes! The fixing is so annoying, but at the end of the day we can call ourselves amateur flipsters 😅
Are you going to do a full transformation? Or just touch ups?
I’ll only be making a few modifications. I have a forced-air furnace so I plan on replacing it in a few years with a ducted heat pump. That and I need new flooring upstairs and will soon need a few windows replaced. None of it is a big deal right now, but is going to be done eventually.
She’s back 🥳
Such a great thing to read for me considering I am going to be going into that world soon! Thanks for sharing your insights on such an important topic for our generations!
Haha yes she is 😅
I’m here to share all the ins and outs with you~ pinky promise! Super excited for this new chapter of yours 🤩
Well congratulations on buying your first home
I think this applies for renting as well as buying. Definitely have to consider the size of the home you buy or rent because the bigger the space the more time and money you spend on it. Unless you can afford to pay for someone to come and clean your home, then definitely suggest just getting just enough space for your needs.
Thanks Helen! Soooo much money goes into the property, so it definitely needs to be budgeted in. I can’t believe how delusional I was beforehand!
all good life and home advice. lots of fixing for sure!
Beth! Gosh I have missed you 💖
Aw – you too
Sounds like too much work and maintenance 😅
Hahaha yeah it’s a lot of work. I think we need to give credit to our moms for rocking it!
Congratulations on your new home!!!! Very valid points!!! I can’t imagine how you would have managed with a kid, a pet and white floors!! 🙈
So good to see your post again. How have you been?
Thanks hun! Yeah it was wishful thinking. Kinda like how you always wash a new car then eventually you kinda get used to it being all dirty when the hype has gone 😂
I’ve been good hun~ just trying to readapt to life back in the office, social events back in my life, play dates on the weekend, date nights reinstated, Bible studies… it’s a lot! I now enjoy times when I’m just lying in bed staring at the ceiling and can’t be bothered to write 🙈How have you been?
Yes, size does matter! When we got married, we bought what would be considered a small home by today’s standards (although it’s twice the size of the house my parents raised 4 kids in but that’s a comment for another day). We always planned to upsize but never did. Now I’m happy. More house just means more stuff that you’ll eventually be faced with decluttering. It also means less money for other things in life.
And there’s always something to do or fix. When we moved into our “pre-owned” house, we made a list of upgrades. By the time we got to the bottom of it, we had made another one. But that’s part of the fun.
Welcome back. I was wondering what you were up to! 🙂We bought a house with one bathroom and it isn’t a huge problem but one bathroom and five people can make for some frustrating situations. Needless to say, we have been discussing adding a second bathroom.
Hahah I promise you it’s nothing… I’ve been up to nothing 🙈 But I’m back-ish. For real this time 😅
Please do add another bathroom. I think with small kids it’s convenient but as they grow older, privacy and an extra bathroom is a must!
Haha. Well, I’m glad you are back! I know we need a second bathroom. We are pretty much just working on the logistics of where it’s going to go, when it’s going to happen, and attempting to keep it as affordable as possible.
sooo great to see you writing and alway great to hear your tips Shelly. 💖
Thanks Cindy. Always good to hear from you!
Congratulations! Everything you say is true about home ownership. I’m 62 and my wife and I have owned two houses in our lifetimes, the second one for the last 25 years. I’m not particularly handy, so most fixes ended up taking far longer than they should have as I tried to do everything myself when we had no money. That said, our home was the only material thing that was important to me. Having rented when we were first married, it was a tradeoff I’ve never regretted.
Hahah you’re not handy? Gosh Pete, what about with all your years of experience? Lol after 25 years I’m sure you’re just being humble 😅
My first home was a condo as a single late-20s single person! It was a 500sqft condo but it fit me and everything I needed! Then when my husband and I got married and were pregnant with Charlotte we traded in my condo for a modest home in the suburbs. It wasn’t new but wasn’t that old.
We still had things we wanted to upgrade so we did that over the first 3 years of owning it. So far we’ve had some snaffus but nothing major. I definitely would do so many things differently especially the totally white bathrooms I designed! And you’re right, the more house the more cleaning!! I dread cleaning 4 bloody bathrooms!