I want to weigh in on an awkward truth that has been brewing the last few years: the perception that most people, especially younger people, can’t afford to buy a house.

Consider this: my parents’ first house had four rooms, one bathroom, no air conditioning, and no garage. They had one phone, which was a party line. They shared one used car.

Flash forward to 2025, in which we are force fed the narrative that we need $60,000 remodels of perfectly good homes with perfectly good countertops and backsplashes, that we need 14 streaming services and high speed internet, that we need three bathrooms, a man cave, a kids’ space, and “upgraded” curtains, floors, furniture, and cars. “House Hunters” tells us we need space to entertain, while all the “entertaining” we do is binge-watch “Stranger Things” and “Yellowstone” and “Game of Thrones.”

Of course no one can afford to live like the richest kings in history. Thus the key question: do you really need a McMansion to be happy? Are you happy with all your stuff? Have you ever been happy? No? Why not?

It was quiet and cold with a calm wind yesterday afternoon, so I decided to burn my brush pile. Doing that for four hours felt great. It was task and purpose, straightforward and honest.