Plans and life changes

We have been revising our future building plans again, since we are convinced that we won't be able to make all our money back on our current house. Since the incidence of the damage from Hurricane Ike, we have also decided that a basement is necessary, even if just used for storage, so we can have a safe place to go when the next emergency strikes. I'll have to start getting quotes on how much it costs to excavate around here. We were hoping to do some of the digging ourselves, but our trials with digging even small holes around here turns out to be a painful and rocky experience.

Once we get the hole dug, I believe we can do almost all the work ourselves. We have been reading a lot and feel we have a better understanding of the inner workings of houses since we repaired an entire wall in our kitchen, including reinstalling cabinets. Our new house will be much more simple in nature, and as small as possible, so the work should take less time and will definitely take less materials to complete.

We are looking forward to some major lifestyle changes with this move. The obvious is the smaller house, which we hope will force the kids to spend more time playing outside. Don't get me wrong, my kids love playing outside to matter where we are, but the new lot slopes down and is set below street level, so I feel they are safer playing outside over there. Our current house has a circle driveway and we live on a dead-end street, so many cars will use our driveway to turn around and I worry about the safety of the kids and dog if they are playing out front. Since we are also planning to start a garden at the new place, the kids will love helping with that too. They have recently taken an interest in where our food comes from and what things are made with, so gardening will be a great learning experience for all of us. Plus, the fresh organic vegetables, herbs, and fruits may eliminate our need for vitamins, medicines, or diet pills.

The other major change will be increased exercise. We will be closer to town, and within walking distance to the park, the library, the post office, and all the events that happen downtown. We are planning to walk or ride our bikes for any downtown errands, including my commute to work.

I know these are many changes to make at once, but I figure "why not"? These are changes we have been thinking about for years and are only just now beginning to make them real. Also, implementing these changes while the kids are young will make for a better transition and will help to cement better living choices in their minds. In this way, things like reusing materials, composting, gardening, and conserving energy will be second nature to them and they will continue practicing these things for the rest of their lives.