That's it, I'm done waiting!

I'm done waiting, you should join me.

I have decided it is time I stopped waiting for my prince to come along so we could build our palace together. I have decided to build my own (palace that is, not prince).

I went for a beach stroll with my friend on Saturday. We talked about the changes in our lives and the goals we were setting for ourselves this year. 

She is one of the most secure, independent girls I know, yet when I brought up the subject of building a home by myself she was blown away. She couldn't help but admit that she hadn't thought of getting property because, unconsciously, she was saving that for when she settled down with the man of her dreams. She immediately started making plans to get the piece of land she dreamed of by the sea, to build her cabin. 

Time is a massive jerk! 

Here's the thing friends. If you are waiting to find someone before you buy your house, take your trip or climb your mountain then you are waiting for all the wrong reasons! Time isn't standing still, waiting for you to fall in love, making sure that you are compatible and that you have the same life goals. Time doesn't care that you are planning for your first overseas trip to be your honeymoon or that you have the perfect vision of picking carpet swatches with your wife. Time is a jerk and your next birthday is going to come around like clockwork whether you make those decisions or not. Time doesn't give a rip about your agenda. You will get old regardless. 

It's time to grow up!

Look, if the timing is bad for you because you aren't earning enough or you are working hard at your career or you need to live with your family right now then this is one thing. If you are getting into credit card debt and wasting your money on silly things to make you feel good while you wait... Then you might as well be sitting in a large waiting room playing candy crush. You're gonna spend a whole lot of money on something that is digital, something that quite frankly doesn't exist. Something that will only have a negative impact on your life. I've said it before and I will say it again, candy crush ruins lives! And so do poor choices made from buying things for the wrong reasons. 

Get out of the waiting room!

Enough is enough. Clear your debt, stop living like a 18 year old Uni student (when you are actually 30). Start living the grown up life you dreamed of, with or without your dream person.* 

In the spirit of inspiring you, I have written for you, my beloved singleton, 5 reasons why buying a house is better on your own. 

1. Size doesn't matter. 

My first house will be small. I won't have much of a garden and not much room for a growing family. But who cares?  I'm not growing a family in there. When the time comes I can sell the house or use the equity to buy a bigger house to raise the family. My house is perfect for just me. 

2. You probably won't die in it. 

Following on from point 2, I'm not planning on growing old in the house. It won't fulfil all my needs through my entire life. It's just a stepping stone. This means it doesn't have to have the giant theatre or the 4th bedroom. It doesn't have to be the dream home. It's the "nice for now home". Remember the great house that you grew up in? It probably wasn't the first house your parents ever lived in, they started small and humble so stop trying to replicate that last home lifestyle with your first! Work your way up. My parent's first home cost $38,000 and definitely didn't have air conditioning and stone bench tops.

3. Property is always a wise investment. 

I know some people will tell you that property isn't the way to go. And short term maybe not, but long term, a house in the right location is always a wise choice. You may meet the person of your dreams tomorrow. What you will bring into the relationship is property, equity and something of value that can be rented out if need be. You could bring in bad credit card debt instead if you wanted to i suppose...

4. No poo brown tiles (unless that's what you are into). 

My friend recently built a home with her husband. He has a strong opinion about home decor. Shame that it's a style much suited to 10 years ago. My friend felt she compromised a lot on the design and colours because of his ideas of what looked good. Instead of the wooden floorboards she envisioned, she compromised for brown tiles. Not sure if I could do that. It may not be the style you have to compromise on, but let me make this clear, I got my amazing scullery added and didn't have to worry about the size of the theatre or room for a shed. #winning

5. Queen bee or Top Dog

If you rent out a room to help with the mortgage then you are the boss of the share house. No more tiptoeing around the fact that your housemate doesn't wash their dishes or help with the clean up for rent inspections. No more competing for the queen bee of the home or the alpha male. You are in charge and others have to keep the house to your standards or they are out. Just think of all the power you will then possess!  The ULTIMATE POWEEEER! (Super villain laugh)

Hey look, not everyone earns enough to get a mortgage right now I get it. But is there something in your life you didn't realise you were waiting for? Are you wasting your earnings on things rather than making life decisions that will bring you long term rewards? 

Get out of the waiting room! Start running towards your dreams. Live! Take risks! Make goals. Set yourself targets. Take the road less travelled. Blow your mind! **

You got this! 

Shannon 

xxx

*Notice I didn't say "Perhaps you'll meet your person "out there" on your big mountain or holiday or building your house" this is for four reasons. 

1. Singles hate hearing that crap, as if we don't already think that every day. This is not a new concept for us. We all have internal monologues based around the thought that the time we met The One was when we decided to go to the shops in what we slept in the night before and because of that, The One has decided to live a life of celibacy. 

2. You might not met The One "out there". You might meet The One curled up under your doona... the psych doctor coming to assess your mental stability because you've been in bed for two weeks. Nursing you back to health one spoonful of Ben & Jerry's at a time. To dream the impossible dream. 
Don't stay in bed though, that is the opposite of the point I'm trying to make. Just get on with things, is what I'm saying. 

3. You may think you will meet The One when you are shopping in display homes but do not be deceived... that salesperson is only after one thing and it's in your pants... eww guys, I meant your wallet!

4. Can anyone tell me where "out there" is? I've been told to put myself "out there" more but I'm struggling to find it!

** note to self insert more inspiring quotes here... maybe sporting ones... also, find out what sport is...