Yesterday we bought the first new item for our new house, a framed art print. We also looked at some furniture, and we've pretty much decided on a trestle Mission style dining room table and chairs. And possibly a Mission style coffee table and end table. I don't know when we'll buy them, though. It's remarkable how easy it is to spend money on things relating to the house. We need more furniture. The dogs need a slab for the kennel. A privacy fence would be great (keeps the dogs from barking too much). We want a riding lawnmower. My maroon and mauve living room furniture doesn't really go with the brown carpeting and antique gold living room, so do I want to slipcover the couch? Or find a fabric that uses both maroon and gold and make throw pillows and window treatments? (As if I could make that myself.) And this really doesn't have anything to do with the cost of the house in itself. Even a cheaper house would have similar expenses, because everything we have is oriented toward this house. The bank loan only covers the cost of the house, not the costs entailed by the various changes and differences. Maybe it means we should have saved more before trying to move, though. We may end up putting some debt back on a credit card, or borrowing money from my mom.