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HGTV vs. the Conservative Homemaker
by Nikki Willhite
Description: HGTV is fun to watch, but is it making you feel bad about your home?
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I have to admit that when I have my television turned on, there
is a good chance I will be viewing one of the programs on the
Home and Garden channel.
There are a lot of interesting programs on this network. I enjoy
watching people when they buy, sell and fix up houses.
These programs can be a great resource when it comes to the
understanding mortgages, home repairs, decorating, and other
aspects of home ownership.
I still remember when we bought our first home. The first time I
even heard the term "closing costs" was when we showed up to sign
papers; and we didn't have them.
Reader comment: Your article was excellent and truly expressed my frustrations with some of the decorator shows. I, too, enjoy watching them for new ideas on how to spruce something up for very little cost. I would like more information on how to work with what you already have! One site that I like is The Budget Decorator. Thank you...Shawn
My problem with a lot of the shows on the Home and Garden network
is with the way many of the shows put so much importance on
"things", and convey the message that if you don't have these
"things", you are somehow inferior and out-of-date.
It doesn't seem to matter how much money these "things" cost;
only that you have them.
What are the latest "things"? At the present time they are wood
floors and stainless steel appliances. If your floors are
laminate, or your appliances white- your are made to feel that
you should step outside your home and hang your head in shame!
These messages are being sent over and over on several shows. As
a conservative homemaker, who does NOT define herself by her
possessions, I worry about others who might be more vulnerable to
these messages and take on debt.
Young people often haven't learned yet that "things" don't make
you happy. Yet debt ALWAYS makes you miserable.
The truly sad thing is that all this materialism is so misguided.
Most of us live in circumstances that are incredibly comfortable,
especially when you look at housing conditions around the world
or compare our circumstances to generations past.
A lot of these shows treat home improvement like fashion.
Anything over 10 years is hopelessly outdated. What is really
sad is when you see a home where the kitchen was renovated 10
years ago, and now, apparently, it needs it again.
The information that should be coming across on these shows is
that you can make your home very attractive without spending
large amounts of money to replace things like cabinets, flooring,
and appliances.
Reader comment: I totally agree with Nikki. HGTV is great but the message they're sending doesn't fit into my life or lifestyle. Thank you...Dawne
HGTV - What are you trying to do to us? Stop bombarding us with
messages that there is something wrong with our homes if they
don't have stainless steel appliances or wood floors. How about
showing a little more respect for money?
Do you realize how important it is to save money and not spend
it? That $10,000 spent on a kitchen remodel cost much more than
$10, 000. If it had been put in an investment vehicle for the
last 10 years, at 8 percent interest, it would now be worth
$15,000. What a waste!
Life can be hard. You need to save money for the times when it
is truly needed. This means saving for both long term needs as
well as short term emergencies.
Personally, I'd rather have a monster-sized savings account then
the equivalent in a washer and dryer. Then, if I lose my income,
I will still be able to pay the water bill to wash my clothes.
And what about all the people whose homes have depreciated in
value and they can't sell them. Many of these people have lost
their homes in foreclosure. I wonder how many of them were
trying to pay home equity loans for costly remodeling jobs in
addition to their rising mortgages ?
Reader comment: I agree completely with this article. She says exactly what I have been saying about some of their programming.
I remember the harvest gold and the avocado green applliances. UGH! I stick with basic white, no matter what "they" say.
One other thing that irks me is their attitude about children. They all seem to see kids as little clutter machines that mess up the perfect design. I wouldn't trade a sticky kiss and hug for all the designer rooms in the world.
Just my thoughts!...Virginia
The final irony to me is the line I'm always hearing when rooms
from a decade or more ago are demolished- "What were they
thinking?"
Obviously, we are still not thinking. Case in point- stainless
steel appliances. I remember the 70's when stainless steel sinks
were "the rage". They didn't last. They went out of style.
Stainless steel is not only hard to clean, but shows
fingerprints, and is hard to keep clean. Remember when textured
appliances were popular? At least they served a purpose. You
couldn't see fingerprints on them.
My prediction - in a few years designers will be ripping stainless
steel appliances out of kitchens like weeds out of a flower bed.
Reader comment: I agree! I have even read on the HGTV message forum where many of their viewers are disappointed in the "high end" shows that have replaced the "do it yourself" shows. What drew me to HGTV were those shows that gave ideas on how to decorate on a small budget or no budget. Out of necessity have I had to do things "on the cheap." It's actually pretty fun to see what I can come up with. With costs rising of everything in this country, hopefully, HGTV will start listening to their core viewers and return to their roots...Barb
Again the words will be heard: "What were they thinking" as some
newer designer color is ushered into the empty spaces. Why would
anyone put cold, steely gray against warm wood tones? "What were
they thinking?"
Kudos to the shows on HGTV that show how to make minor fixups to
our homes to make the spaces more pleasant. "Designed to Sell"
is a good example of a show that teaches fiscal restraint. They
makes good use of some of the easiest ways to make your home more
pleasant- like paint, decluttering, and tearing out overgrown
landscaping.
Don't be fooled. The vast majority of people do NOT follow the
trends, and spend outrageous amounts of money on high end home
appliances or furniture.
Save your money. Be conservative. If you find you can't handle
the temptation of wanting things you can't afford, turn off the
television.
You work hard for your money. It represents your time. It
represents the hard work of both you and your spouse.
Respect your time. Respect yourself.
Be wise with your purchases, and don't fall prey to the advice of
those who define themselves by their possessions.
Nikki Willhite, mother of three, and an
Interior Design Graduate, is the editor of The Pennypincher Ezine
and Tightwad Tidbits Daily. Visit her at
http://www.allthingsfrugal.com - more than just money!
Reader comment: While I like to watch HGTV shows for techniques and other ideas, I think that HGTV highly disrespects workmanship and the things that last. My husband and I cringe every time they paint over wood - whether on the walls or on furniture. We gasped when they painted over walnut furniture. Walnut furniture is getting more and more difficult to find. A lot of times a family will have just replaced appliances or some other item, and it has to go per the decorators because it doesn't fit in with their plans. I hate it when the cut old quilts that are good; they emphasize the cheaper imports, etc. instead of the more costly quilts. They don't realize the cheaper imports won't last and the other quilts are more costly because of what they are and how they are made.
A lot of times the workmanship of the redo's they show are shoddy - it is visible to the camera eye, so they don't care about what will last. A lot of what they use and do aren't environmentally safe, for many reasons. Also, when is it more ecologically safe to paint wood? They don't show the permits that should be gotten when doing work. They don't show how to do a lot of practical things. They glorify bigger and more expensive. The cheap things they do are more than cheap, they won't last - what I call cheapo. I have complained about a lot of these things in my blogs in the past. The shows where they get rid of antique family treasures to purchase a video game or other such thing just makes my blood boil. It teaches children a disrespect for history and family connectiveness and also devalues what will last and what is important...Lynda
Reader comment: Thank You! I was feeling hopelesly out of date,I do not like stainless steel, nor do I want high price granite counter tops. I also don't like all the dark colors popular now. Nice to Know I am not alone...Cheryl
Reader comment: I just want to agree with the article that said that stainless steel is not the way to go. I have all stainless steel because I was convinced that they were the best choice. They do look good but only after you wipe them with stainless steel cleaner. As soon as someone touches them it looks bad so most of the time they just look bad because I don't stand there with my cleaner waiting for someone to need an appliance.
If I had to do it again I would have saved my money and chose something else. I will really be sorry when they are out of date (in about 10 years!) and I won't have the money for new...Susanna
Reader comment: HGTV- I love watching the channel, however, most of the shows I watch are like Design to Sell & House Hunters. I have the stainless look but with the "colored" appliance longevity. And they don't show prints. It's baked on like white or black appliances finishes are. I agree, though, they don't have near the good shows or idea they used to. I loved their old traditional styles & country styles. But that's me...Jessica
Reader comment: I watch all the shows, my favorite being the ones that use the least amount of $$ per project - hence, Design on a Dime concept. We've lived in our house for ten years, saved money, had the same "cheap" carpet, cheap windows, cheap minimal furniture for 10-20 years. We finally bit the bullet and put in wood floor where the carpet was (LR/DR) and refinished the floors attached in Kitchen/Entry, new windows on front, and new LR and Kitchen dinette furniture - about middle cost (not cheap, not expensive).
But we've gotten to the point that after 20 years of marriage, it was time to "impress" ourselves when we sat down, and enjoy our living room and kitchen with furniture that wasn't old, dirty or past its prime. We have done a lot of fixing and painting ourselves, and let the experts do the hard stuff. We were tired of OLD and now enjoy our NEW...KH
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