What are you searching for?
When I was working in the plumbing department of the Home Depot, I would often recommend that customers buy the faucet that screamed “take me home and love me forever”, not the one that had the best reviews or was the lowest price.
This was not a tactic to increase sales. After all, I was not working on commission. I was paid the same whether they bought the $30 faucet, $300 faucet, or the faucet down the road.
The reason I gave this advice was because you use your faucets every single day. Correction: multiple times every single day.
Would you rather use the faucet you absolutely love or the one that is “good enough”.
The same is true of all your decisions. Make them based on how you feel when you think about living with that decision.
If having that [fill in the blank] brings you absolute joy, figure out how to work it in to your budget. As anyone who has dieted can tell you, deprivation is a sure fire way to fall off the wagon fast.
When looking at houses, choose the one that feels like home. After all, that is what it will be. It may take you a little while to find it, but it will be worth the wait.
Above all else, do NOT choose something because you think you “should” or because it is what someone else thinks is the best thing for you.
Next week I will be having a 5-day facebook “challenge” (for lack of a better word) to help you figure out how a major purchase, like a house, wedding, car, etc, will fit in your budget and if you can even qualify for the loan. You will end the week having complete clarity over your current debt and credit situation. This is something I usually charge $197 for.