Things I SHOULD Do

My father called me today to talk to me about two things.
#1) I didn’t inform him K was engaged. I informed him that everyone I know is engaged, therefore it'd be more news to tell him who isn't
#2) It’s time for me to buy a house

He went on to tell me that “I’ll never get a house so cheap” and that “interest rates are so low” and yes, definitely, I must buy a house now. Call the realtor! I told him that I didn’t think I wanted to buy a house, to which his reply was that he’d start looking for one for me. Apparently he didn’t hear me.

Why are there so many things I “should” do?

I understand that owning a home is a financial security blanket for the future, that many believe renting to be throwing your money away, etc. In fact I owned a home when I was 21, so I am familiar with the benefits. I am also familiar with the drawbacks, particularly when I had to sell it to move across the country.

But what I understand more is that I have no idea what I am doing with my future. I’m at a critical point in my career where it may be wise to move on and build some new skills. I think about going to get my Masters. I can leave my apartment for 2 weeks and not worry about anything. If someone asked me to be a personal chef on a private cruise ship in the Greek Isles- I’d leave in an instant! I hardly have enough time to keep up my laundry, let alone maintain a home. I don’t know how to fix anything, and really don’t want to know. I have an extreme fear of being poor. This is who I am, and this is the way my life is. Not to mention lack of $$$ would cause my drinking habit to dramatically diminish, which wouldn’t be fun for anyone.

So why, exactly, should I be buying a home? So when I’m 40 years old I have the potential to make $20,000? What about all the opportunities I could miss out on? Those are priceless in my mind.

I think what I "should" do is decide for myself what I should and shouldn’t do to maximize my own happiness.