Keeping Up with the Joneses is Ridiculous

Posted in Blog, Millennial Housewife, Money

Day 7-9:25 pm: I love my friends. We have a really great group of people we have known for a long time. We feel very lucky to have good friends around us as I’m sure you do too. But, sometimes you can’t help but compare yourselves to them. You look at their house, their lifestyle, and even their kid’s clothes. Then you look at your own. It’s called keeping up with the Joneses.

But keeping up with the Jonses is ridiculous.

No matter who you are or what you have, you always are trying to keep up with the “Joneses”. The Joneses are people who appear to have it all. They have a huge house, lots of money, the perfect family, and everything you aspire to have. You look up to them, admire them, and are constantly comparing yourself to them.

We went to our friend’s house this afternoon, and we hadn’t been there before. They live only a few minutes from su, but we hadn’t gotten around to going there. I always knew they made more then us, financially, so I expected them to have a nice house. when we pulled up I thought, “Is there house the gorgeous, huge house over there?” and sure enough it was. It was down a quiet street, across from a school, with a perfectly landscaped yard, a gorgeous outdoor seating area, and two stories of perfection. Inside the house looked like thie inside of a Pottery Barn catalouge, and they had a huge TV that was enviable. And the kitchen , wow. White cabinets and dark counter tops with a huge island. Beautiful. The house was amazing. And, it was quite literally the size of three of our houses.

I couldn’t help to start comparing our house to theirs.

Then I had to shake myself. Slap myself across the face. Wake myself up. I had to remind myself that even though our house isn’t picture perfect, magazine, ready, and huge, that it is still our cozy little house, and I am proud of it. Even though there’s a pile of dishes in the sink, and our lawn needs to be mowed, and parts of our fence are falling down, we still have a beautiful kitchen I’m proud of, nice hardwood floors, and a big yard with a playhouse. I love our house, and we worked hard to get it.

I had to realize that they also worked hard to get where they are, they had to make sacrifices, and everything isn’t always rainbows and puppies for them either.

Keeping up with the Jonses is ridiculous because even if you are the Jonses, there are Joneses that you look up to also. So, please, stop comparing yourself to other people, and look at all the things that you have. Be grateful for all of the wonderful things that make you special, and amazing.

Even if their kids are dresses perfectly, without any food on their faces, and their hair perfectly brushed and bowed, just know that it takes work, and they are kids, just like yours. And, I’ll bet that your stained clothed kids have just as much fun as theirs.