In praise of company!
Posted by Richard | Filed under Richard
Jane and I have a secret to a clean apartment: a secret that it’s time to share. If we want a clean apartment, we have to invite people over.
It’s not as if we live in squalor. No wee beasties share our abode… well, other than the cat and the dog. But our dining table, and “stuff” table by the door overflow at the moment. Paper work is piled on the desk along with remnants of projects and crafts. Everything has its place, it’s just that some things have places they probably shouldn’t.
And yeah, I take a peak along the wall and there’s a little fur building up next to where our goofy Labrador sleeps. The bathroom floor could use a good scrubbing. There’s a little far-flung litter near the kitty’s box.
Now, Jane and I could say to each other “right: this Sunday, we’re going to clean!” But the truth about that approach is the by the following Wednesday the clutter is building back up; and it’s our clutter, so we’re comfortable with it.
But, if we invite friends over for dinner on Friday night… well then suddenly things get organized quick. As I said when I started, it’s not that we live in squalor: but we certainly don’t want our friends to, scandalously, ever even consider the possibility either. Yup: you tell me company is coming over and I’m in the bathroom with the baking soda and lemon juice giving everything a hearty scrub.
And company has its other benefits: first, all told, it’s much cheaper to eat at home than eat out. Second: how many new recipes do you come across that will “feed 6-8” we can’t do that without company. Third: leftovers. Our friends reliably bring appetizers, wine and desserts with minimal prompting… and we keep what doesn’t get eaten. Yum. (And we return the favour too when invited over. It’s a virtuous cycle for all involved.)
All I’ve described so far though, are the fringe benefits of company (cleaner apartment, food). That ignores the main point of company: socializing, being hospitable, and being friendly! All totally worth it on their own!
Okay, but that’s all pretty self-evident stuff. Can I bring it home to “money”?
Well how about this: we clean our home because we want to impress those we live around. What if we structured our finances the same way? Jane and I keep our budget fairly regularly updated, but we do it so if our accountant or financial planner ever want to see where and how the money is going: we can show them. No blushing, no closing doors to rooms we’d rather not show off: we try to keep our budget as clean and as straight-forward as possible, and that way, if we ever have company: we’re ready to show it all off, and be proud of it.
Thirty and married, Richard and his wife, Jane, don’t have kids yet, but are hopeful. Currently renters, Richard and Jane are saving for a place of their own. Richard recently lost his job. “This was a hard blow to take.” He’s since found a new job. Yeah Richard.
February 21, 2012 at 8:23 am
You just summed up me and my fiancé’s place to a tee. Our place is not a pig sty but it isn’t always presentable for company. My parents make a joke out of it by saying that they should come over every weekend so that we keep up with the tidying part of cleaning, or that they would start dropping by unexpectedly so that we’d always have to have it clean. Same as you, we do not live in squalor, however it is our own mess and untidiness so it is manageable to us.
Plus I love a good dinner party where you can make a dinner for 6 people for roughly $20 for a nice meal (we don’t drink so generally the wine is at the discretion of the guests) rather than $20/plate out (and that’s on the inexpensive side of things).
February 21, 2012 at 12:30 pm
great post Richard! I know you’ve mentioned this tactic before, and I love it. Hubby and I don’t live in squalor either we keep up the necessities like dishes and laundry, but everything else falls by the wayside until we get a break from school.
The connection to money was perfect though. As soon as we started talking openly about it, it seems so did everyone else. There are no closed doors hiding our situation, if people want to know where we stand, we can tell them. At least one thing in life is organized.
February 22, 2012 at 10:33 am
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