Our new subdivision has a lot of families with kids, which is a great thing for our five-year-old daughter. Her new playmates, of course, have lots of new toys that they're often very happy to share.
At our previous house, the owners had bought a slide and swing playset that our daughter used a fair bit. Our new home, as nice at it is, didn't convey with one, so we have a blank slate to deal with one way or the other. Since nature abhors a vacuum, we've already started to think about what to put back there to fill it up a little bit.
Costco, our current wholesale club of choice, has their $999 playsets out and preloaded on the big flat shopping carts, all ready to go. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tempted to pick one up myself.
The problem with this is that several of our neighbors already have a playset in their back yard. I really have to ask myself: “Why should we get substantially the same thing that our neighbors have, especially when we're already on good terms with them?”
Of course, one answer is to sidestep the question and say, “Why should we get anything at all? Why not just become friendly with the neighbors and enjoy the occasional use of their stuff that comes as the fruits of a good friendship?” There's probably nothing wrong with doing it that way, but then the concern becomes that we're straining the relationship with our neighbors if we don't have “something to bring to the party” once in a while.
After coming back from a church group get-together today, we found out that one of our neighbors had a nice inflatable water slide. They were all too happy to let our daughter come over and enjoy it along with several other kids. As I chatted with our neighbors, I found out that they went in halfsies with another neighbor on the slide.
That's a great way to do it. Not only is the slide a fairly novel possession in our neighborhood, it's jointly owned. It's a great bang for the buck. Now, I'm not saying that my other neighbors were unwise because many of them got playsets. It's more of a reminder to myself and my wife that we have the opportunity to add value to our new neighborhood if we can get something that doesn't duplicate what several of our neighbors already own.
I don't think this is quite the same thing as “keeping up with the Joneses” or even “one-upping the Joneses.” But it's not “disregarding the Joneses” either, since we'd be bringing something to the party (buying something) rather than politely freeloading off of them. I do think it is complementing what the Joneses have, much in the same way a potluck dinner works: Bring something to share, but don't bring the same thing everyone else brings.
Just like you can get too much tuna noodle casserole, you probably can have too many swingsets in a neighborhood, and if we got one, we'd be pushing the neighborhood closer toward having too many swingsets. Far better to at least get or make something a little different.
Excellent idea to enjoy the same comfort at a lower cost! What about doing the same for “grown up” stuff? Like pooling the costs of expensive construction or gardening tools? Some tools are used like once or twice a year by each household, so you don’t absolutely need to have your own.
I was thinking about that recently: every spring and/or autumn, I need to trim some large bushes around the house. The right tools for the job cost a lot, so I was wondering if I could share the cost with my neighbors.
Has anyone ever tried that?
That’s a great idea! I love that your neighbors are sharing these kinds of expenses. I’m in an apartment complex, and we’re lucky to even speak to our neighbors once in a while. 🙂
This can be applied to a lot of things. When I was growing up my dad owned a quarter-share of a fertilizer spreader. I know they are only about $40, but think about it – how many times a year do you use it – 4?, 6? And yet every homeowner needs one?
And another plus – one person stores the spreader, another the wheelbarrow. Less clutter in the garage.
It does require a certain degree of cooperation – but not much.
Privacy is a modern invention… Including property privacy