Are you happy with where or how you live?

I believe, and this is just my opinion, your surroundings and where and how you live directly affect your happiness and how you feel. I have lived in an apartment with small kids, people above and family lived below. You can hear whatever is going on, whether they are up late or watching TV, or having an argument. It is not a pleasant experience to keep telling your kids to stop running or making noise. Having to carry groceries up two flights of stairs, or just plain not having anything to look at out the window except for other peoples windows. Worrying if your kids are safe playing outside or what kind of weirdo lives 2 doors down. I know sometimes you feel like you cannot afford to move somewhere else or afford to buy a little house with a yard, but unless you have looked into it or tried you will never know and just stay in the same rut you are in. There are smaller houses for rent in nice little neighborhoods that you can rent that are about or little more than an apartment, you just have to spend the time to watch the newspaper, craigslist, or real estate listing sites. Let people you know you are looking and talk to a real estate agent or post an ad on craigslist. I have found several really nice places that way and it was really easy. My oldest son thought that they couldn't afford to buy a house and they just moved in not too long ago, it's not as hard as you would think. Having a yard to mow, yard for the kids to play safely, and maybe a nice pet can really make a family happy and create long term memories. Sometimes people just want a family to move into their house to keep a handle on the upkeep of it, or if your husband is handy they might be willing to let you fix it up for a reduced rent. As you can see at the bottom of my page the pictures I have took of the water, I have a beautiful relaxing view out over the water and a private beach area in my neighborhood. No I am not rich and don't have allot of money but I was just resistant on looking for where I wanted to live and how I wanted to live and realized that now that I am not working I spend allot of time at home and how much happier I feel looking out a something wonderful instead of my neighbors or cars. My kids are grown but they had allot of good memories of our house we lived in with the fenced yard to play and ride their bikes around the culdesac or playing basketball. Also clutter creates stress, get rid of all the crap you haven't even used in years, or five of everything you don't need anymore. clear it all out and sell it on craigslist and find some stuff you really love and surround yourself with new stuff from the money you made off of selling all the crap you don't use. Get a new bedspread, sheets, and towels. Maybe some bright colors to add a little spark to your life. Throw those chipped up glasses and dishes away and get some new ones to liven things up a bit. You don't have to use all the hand-me-downs your mom gave you, you can store them in the garage and modern it up a little. All I am asking is for you to consider if your space makes you happy or not. If it doesn't then move or change the space to something that you do like. It really does make a difference to me, it might not matter as much to other's. Let me know what you think.