A funny thing happened when I wrote about my new year motivation earlier this week. I got a comment that was the exact opposite of what I would have expected. Contrarian said:

Lazyman ““

So glad to find a finance/money writer who does a little more than just pound on the same tired topics of austerity, minimalism, and simplicity. Blaaa!

While I appreciate living within your means, enjoy being debt free, and eschew buying stuff for it’s own sake, I don’t believe its a sacrilege to desire and strive for a 2+ million dollar home.

It doesn’t matter what the motivation is so long as the motive is right.

Who knows, maybe we’ll end up as neighbors ;-)?

After I got over my initial reaction (“what does ‘austerity’ mean?”), I thought about the comment a little deeper. Honestly, there was a twinge of fear for mentioning that I was even looking at a $2 million home. I mean, this is an economy where unemployment is high and people are doing all they can to save money in anyway possible. That’s why I write those article, right? What kind of example do I set suggesting that I can even seriously look at a $2 million home? It’s not like I play for the Red Sox.

I thank Contrarian for reminding me that is okay to strive for a home worth $2 million. I’m not there… I’m not anywhere close. In fact, I’d need something like $4 million in the bank to even consider such a thing.

Why?

It is a question of value. I would love a $2 million dollar home. However, I’m not sure the value is there for me. My wife, me, and my dog don’t take up much space. Wait, my dog, well he can take up a tremendous amount of space. Still, much of that space and the amenities that go with a $2 million dollar home would go to complete waste… unless we were retired and could live a life like the Great Gatsby.

That’s why I put financial freedom above all my financial goals. Once we feel confident we hit that mark, which may not be too much further (I hope), we can look ahead adding luxuries. In the meantime, I’ll look at those luxuries as a reason to push forward with my goals.