I try not to expect too much when I’m trying to do something on a budget.
When both of us built our home a few years ago, both of us resigned ourselves to knowing that we’d make improvements over the years when both of us had the money.
We didn’t need to make our “dream home” within the first year of owning a house! The fence around the yard could come later, as well as an above ground swimming pool whenever both of us could foreseeably budget the money. We bought budget paint plus building supplies, but both of us were ecstatic with the outcomes after all. But putting this home together wasn’t the only thing that we’ve tried to do cheaply at first. When both of us made plans for our first vacation road trip as a couple, both of us made plans to use the cheapest amenities plus services possible. We were blessed to be planning this trip while in a time when record inflation levels had yet to hit the nation. However, traveling “cheap” meant staying at nasty motels whenever both of us didn’t want to sleep in the car. One of our budget motel rooms ended up coming with a phenomenal a/c that stinked fresh when the air was pumping through the vents. The wash a/c made the entire hotel room stink good. Since I need the a/c running to sleep at night, the quality of the a/c is going to have a substantial effect on the quality of my sleep while traveling. If I had the opportunity to travel by car again, I would rent AirBnbs instead of nasty motel rooms. At least there’s more variety with the former rather than the latter. Some motel a/cs are downright vile in how they stink.