Binge Master

If there was a master’s degree in binge watching, I would have earned mine as soon as streaming became a thing. The first series I binged was Nurse Jackie. I was visiting my family in New York and began watching it on Netflix. Obviously, I had to return home and couldn’t finish all the seasons so my brother felt bad for me and has been paying for my Netflix service ever since. He reads my blogs, so let me publicly say, “THANK YOU,” especially since some of the programming has really been rewarding. I was so deeply involved in Nurse Jackie I felt like her cousin and there were times I just wanted to smack some sense into her. My next show was Dexter and who would have thought I’d actually be worried about a serial killer getting caught. But he was a good guy, a real vigilante, and although the show was rather gruesome, it was very entertaining and if I recall correctly, he might have only made one or two mistakes regarding his victims.

I can’t even count the amount of shows I’ve binged through the years, but of late, Flea Market Flip has captured my attention. I’m fascinated with the talent on Flea Market Flip since I don’t have a handy bone in my body. I put together a desk that came in a box from Amazon, the desk I’m using right now to write this blog, and you would think I built a Habitat for Humanity house with my own hands. Pathetic, I know, but we can’t be great at everything . . . can we? But these contestants are paying $10.00 for a beat up, broken coffee table and refinishing it with maps of all things, and then flipping it for $300.00! I don’t even have the vision, let alone the skills.

I also love Tiny House Nation. I’m so impressed with how adorable and clever some of these small homes are. I’m also amazed at how people can minimize their belongings to fit in these homes, even though some of the houses have incredible storage space. I don’t know how they do it. I’m one person, and I have so much stuff I can’t conceive of getting rid of just in case I might need it or it has some sentimental value to me. When I moved last year, I got rid of so many things, but when I watch this show, I realize how much I still have. In fact, I don’t remember at least a third of the things I have, so the “what if I need it” theory is quite ridiculous. If you don’t remember you have it, you’re not ever going to use it!

I’m also floored by the cost of some of these tiny homes. In California, a tiny home can be $500k, but a similar home in Seattle might be $250K and we’re talking not much bigger than 500 sq. ft. or possibly even less. In some areas, you can still find a tiny home for $80K or less, but those are usually 250 sq. ft.

Throughout my life, I’ve lived in apartments, had a small townhouse in Staten Island, and a rather large house here in Cape Coral, but I think I could live in a tiny house because some of them are exquisite and they utilize the outside as part of their living space, especially the homes in Hawaii.

Could you live in a tiny home? Oh, and by the way, some of these people have multiple dogs and even children. My oh my.