I went to a strangers house last night ...

[blinkofaneye90]

It was a friend of a friend type of thing who was hosting a beauty event. OMG her house was amazing. Probably valued around £2m, it was immaculate. Enough space to have not any clutter, a walk in shoes & coats cupboard, minimalistic, absolutely everything matching, all decor finished to a high spec. It was like a magazine show home. We have a fairly decent modern house, new kitchen installed last year, but it made me want to come home and rip out my new kitchen and everything else in my house and start again. Whereas I cant do that, I have cleared the very little clutter we had hanging around and this weekend will be doing a huge clean just to make everything smell/look/feel fresh. Will treat myself to some flowers too. The owner of the house was also immaculate. Slim, lovely manicured nails, softly spoken. I looked at myself - a little overweight, wearing a bobbled top with leggings and a tatty old pair of trainers (which I wouldn't usually ever wear, I put the wrong pair on by mistake).

I want to bin off work today and crack on with the house. And then go and buy myself the same lovely smelling Neom diffuser this house had, but it's £45 and I cannot ever justify that cost for a diffuser.

I find it completely weird how people assume so much about others based on the house they live in.

I, finally, at the ripe old age of 50, got the clean, light, airy, (almost) minimalistic house that I always wanted. Cleaning is minimal, I know where everything is, and it's not stuffed in cupboards. I have headspace and calm. My sisters, who live in (IMO) dusty, cluttered homes with way too much furniture and 'stuff' always joke that it looks like I am in the process of moving out.

I don't have ocd, I'm not an alcoholic, I have plenty of friends who are happy to spend time at mine, I have lots of hobbies. I'm happily married for 40yrs and have 2 young adult boys who are 'allowed' 😉 to keep their clutter in the overfull to bursting study or in their rooms.

If I didn't have them I could absolutely cull at least another 50% of stuff in the house.

I'm totally happy with 'no stuff' as are my sisters with 'tons of stuff'.

My house is a Victorian semi. It’s got cats, children, lovely soft carpets and a log burner. It’s got all our things in it that mean something. It’s got nice Japanese panels on the walls, and the living room table is always cluttered up with various modelling projects that my DH & eldest son are working on. Sometimes the cats sleep in the cupboard and shock visitors when they go to hang their coats up/put shoes in. The bathroom is a bit messy. There’s foam alphabet numbers and toy sharks in there and the window ledge needs cleaning. I haven’t got round to it.

I love our house - we own it and I love having my personal stuff everywhere. A show home isn’t warm or inviting. It’s impressive but nothing else. I would want to go home! To my smaller, cosy, familiar house!

I cackled at this comment, I had thought the same on a milder scale!

A show home isn’t warm or inviting

A show home isn't warm or inviting to you

I work for a multi millionaire and his wife. They have a large house, immaculate and beautiful. They want for nothing, have extravagant and holidays and flash cars etc. On the surface they have it all….but they are still not happy. Money brings its own problems. I can honestly say I don’t envy them at all. Not one bit.

I know what you mean, my son has just had. His house completely gutted no expense spared, I’ve told him I’m sooo jealous. What did I do ? I bought an Ostrich to put in the hallway and then out a crown on its head 😂😂😂😂😂😂
also can anyone tell me why my ‘reply ‘ option has disappeared and I can only ‘quote’.

Yes, sadly.

It's mental whack a mole.

Neom have reductions all the time. Or when someone (who has the budget) asks what you want for Xmas this year, ask for the diffuser (even better if they can get in in Black Friday)

If you liked it, get one. There’s nothing to say just because you like nice things you have to have a miserable life 😊

^This 🤣🤣🤣

“ I know that she has huge cupboards full of disordered 'stuff' - This is me lol! DH is unbelievably messy so I just scoop and plop his crap into cupboards and drawers. DD is also untidy. You can walk in to the bathroom or toilet and find glitter or slime smeared on tiles, it’s a never ending job!

A house is a home with the memories you make, not a show home. Guests don't see the unfinished things, they enjoy your hosting and company. Of course we all want bigger and better but also need to see what wr have and appreciate it.

There’s a lot of self soothing on this thread for sure.

Ffs I would probably kill for YOUR house. Sadly for me I will never get on the property ladder due to a combination of bad decisions, low paid job and inability to build savings due to living hand to mouth. Very few people can afford a 2 million pound home. You need to stop wallowing over this. You are really fucking lucky and your "But I want more" squealing is short sighted and ridiculous

I’ll take my tiny bungalow with two messy dogs and cats over any minimalistic colour-coordinated £2 million mansion. Mine is lived in and it looks it – as it should. That said, OP I’ve felt the same as you in the past. One of my friends has a small but lovely little place. She has a talent for decor and it’s all so pretty. It makes me a bit envious but only for a few seconds. I’m happy and comfortable with my place.

I just think it’s both very sad and very telling about the world today. That even the thought of this woman’s house is bringing out so much bitterness and envy

but it’s getting so low, people saying it’s not a home. Which is appalling. And someone even stated not to envy them as they knew someone with a big house and their marriage was awful. Trying to indicate the nicer your house the unhappier your actual life is, and the shittier your house, the happier it is. Others saying oh no, I’d never want a nice 2m house me.

it’s sad and telling that people can’t just say, lucky her. And move on.

All of this.

Who cares either way ? Love the humble bragging but also the multiple mentions of living in a four bed detached as the pinnacle of achievement. And then the folk who live in similar multi million pound mansions with their 100k pay checks….

It sounds like her house is a showroom not a family home thats lived in. Please dont worry being materialistic is not life. Joy is found in simple pleasures such as a sunrise and bird song. Money doesnt make you happy. I find pleasure in helping those in need. Sbns raise your priorities and treat people with kindness not expensive stuff. Theres more to life than that.

Money doesnt make you happy.

It certainly does, if you don’t have any. I hate when people say this.

Yes this

This! Pathetic and very sad.

Tedious beyond to scrutinise it in this way. I was waiting for the 'slim' as well. 🙄 Just be you and live your life. Who gives a toss what other people do, or look like?

I generally avoid people who’ve got all their shit together like this. 😂

I spend zero time on grooming etc because I’m lazy and too stingy to spend money on clothes and make up. My house is clean(ish) but covered in dog hair, has uncoordinated decor and furnishings, with areas of clutter and various problems (heating doesn’t work properly, there is some damp that needs dealing with etc) But I have my health and my lovely family and a roof over my head. I am content.

Absolutely. I wonder about the intelligence of the ‘money doesn’t buy you happiness’ lobby. It buys you out of the interminable, life sucking stress of survival level living and it buys you the opportunity to pursue the things that fulfil you and bring you joy, as well enabling you to make and nurture social connections. Most social interaction has some financial cost. In short. It facilitates the things that make you happy.

It’s also correlated with high status that is very well evidenced as making people happy, just as poverty and associated low status are correlated with unhappiness.

I get house envy like this sometimes, but I'm human so I recognise what it is - envy - and that it doesn't serve me and trundle home to my tiny terrace with limited storage and a kitchen where the doors fall off if you look at them the wrong way.

I do love a house tour though, who doesn't?!

I think it's fair enough that people are saying don't compare your life to others. I don't see why some are moralising about people pointing out that something that appears amazing may not actually be after all and to try to be happy with what you've got. As one poster pointed out, this lady is hosting parties selling beauty products, maybe it's something she does just for something to do but If I was living in a £2 million house (haha how I wish) my social activities would revolve around arts&culture/sport/charity/education etc - not hawking products.
Nothing wrong with being inspired to make positive changes, but feeling that you want to rip out a brand new kitchen and start again means you've been upset by the encounter, not inspired.