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How homeownership saves me money

The surprising ways home ownership saves me money

Over the past decade I’ve wasted thousands of dollars renting (not even counting rent payments – those would be in the tens of thousands and at least I got shelter in exchange for those).

There are costs that come with home ownership – some unavoidable, some totally up to you – but those are covered extensively elsewhere on the internet and I’m not getting into those today.

No, what I’m talking about are the surprising ways home ownership has saved me money here and there.

Power

A poorly insulated house is less efficient to heat. We’ve lived in iceboxes half the size of this house that cost the same in power bills as this one. And in the case where we’ve lived with flatmates, well, other people often don’t care about saving power the way you do.

Related: I’m probably saving a small fortune on tissues. I no longer have a constantly blocked or runny nose – it’s the exception rather than the norm now.  Rental standards in NZ are pathetic (and here’s even more skin-crawling stuff).

Now don’t get me wrong. This is still an older house and we’ll need to add more insulation to the roof, which will be in the realm of $1500-2000 if we DIY and more if we get in the pros to install it. On the very coldest nights this winter the roof has gotten down to single digit temperatures overnight, with the rest of the house plunging to low double digits, which isn’t ideal. But it’s noticeably drier and warmer than the many rentals I’ve endured.

I’m sure winters are getting colder (either that or I just feel it more with age) and T agrees. We experienced some record low temperatures this year and last, so I don’t think it’s entirely my imagination.

Insurance

My content insurance dropped to a third of its former cost once I became a homeowner. I’m deadly serious. Car insurance also decreased by a tiny bit. Just another way renters get ripped off.

Going out

Home is a haven now. Not a cramped, damp place to escape. Not a place with flatmates who grate on your nerves. I love my house so much, warts and all. I’ve always been a homebody and at last, after so many years, I have somewhere I can honestly nest and settle in for real. I feel an unbridled sense of joy and serenity every time I  step out onto my  sunny deck or sit down in my dining nook.

As you can probably guess, I have had zero regrets about buying a house. Home ownership has been everything I dreamed of and more.

brokeGIRLrich

7 thoughts on “How homeownership saves me money

  • Reply Amanda @ centsiblyrich September 14, 2016 at 08:06

    Glad you’re feeling so much better in the house!

    We DIYed insulation last winter. We rented the machine and I fed the insulation through it while hubby used the blower to blow it into the attic. We doubled what we had for under $500 and see an improvement in utility bills for sure.

    I’m with you on saving on going out. We lived in a temporary apartment before moving to our current house, and we came up with any excuse we could to LEAVE! Now, we’re total homebodies and so happy and entertained at home.

  • Reply Lila September 14, 2016 at 13:50

    I’m totally envious of you. I’m one of those people that loves living in a home. My dream is to buy nice home one day. =)

  • Reply Linda September 15, 2016 at 16:09

    House love is a wonderful thing. 🙂

    It’s astounding to me how bad rentals are in NZ. The places in those articles are a crime!

  • Reply Jayson @ Monster Piggy Bank September 16, 2016 at 12:12

    There are other ways to save energy by just designing a well-ventilated eco-friendly house that cave save you for long term.

  • Reply Emily @ JohnJaneDoe September 19, 2016 at 01:23

    Homeownership saved me a bunch of time, too. Last time I rented the place did not have hookups for a washer and dryer, so I had to go do my laundry at the laundramat every other week. Yeesh, more expensive and not comfortable, and it used to take all of a morning off. I think the main reason I bought a house was so that I could do laundry at home (admittedly, not the best reason.)

    You have so much more control over a house you own to do things to save energy and live comfortably. Glad you are taking advantage of the opportunities.

  • Reply Mel @ brokeGIRLrich September 19, 2016 at 04:33

    I’m glad homeownership is working out so well for you!

  • Reply Ryan Johnson October 3, 2016 at 18:36

    Great article, included lots of ways home ownership saves you money that I hadn’t thought of! UGH! I wish NZ’ers got a better deaI when it comes to renting.

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