Life Without Granite Countertops
A few years back at a barbecue I found myself in a conversation about houses and such with some nice folks I just met. Being they were all young couples they were discussing recent adventures in house hunting. One woman said in frustration “the last two houses we’ve seen needed full kitchen renovations and we don’t want to go through that. We want to buy something that already has a nice kitchen. I mean, these houses didn’t even have granite countertops, who doesn’t have that nowadays!?”
I slumped my head and walked away, questioning my choices in life. The next day while chopping vegetables in my kitchen I noticed my acrylic countertops didn’t crumble under the pressure. I moved on, but the woman’s comments stuck in my head.
What Will She Think?
Later that year I started dating someone and we began to really hit it off. Then came in the next step of having her over to cook a meal together. The countertop issue hadn’t come into my conscious for a while, but sure enough it reared it’s ugly head.
What will she think? Will she scoff at my choices in life? Will my countertops hold?
Thankfully my acrylic countertops didn’t come up in conversation, but I had a nagging suspicion she left that night not seeing me in the same light.
Unfortunately things didn’t work out between us.
The frigging countertops. I’ll never know.
No Let’s Go To Your House
Despite the fact that my countertops held every object I put on them and cleaned up with ease for years and years, they left a part of my brain sour sometimes.
I avoided having others over to my house in fear of judgement. Whenever the topic of kitchen renovations came up I froze in fear of someone asking me. I even played out the scenario if I were asked – I would probably lie… “of course I have granite, I love it!”.
But I couldn’t deny reality, life without granite countertops was weighing on me. It occupied real estate in my head.
Even though my countertops seemed to work perfectly (they always stayed level and allowed objects to rest on them), the “granite issue” hung like a black cloud over my head.
Get Away From It All
As the granite issue kept bringing me down over time I needed a big change. On a whim I decided to go to Africa to do a volunteer trip. Two weeks of building water wells and installing solar panels to those who need them would refresh me and do good for others.
While working in a small village in Tanzania a young teenage boy named Femi took a liking to me. Femi spoke English well and was familiar with western ways. One day while making the half-mile walk to get fresh water at the closest safe source, Femi asked me about my house.
As I started to describe it a jolt of fear shot through my head.
My kitchen, the countertops.
Femi seemed really with it regarding western culture, he even knew our biggest TV shows. He would surely expect me to tell him I had granite countertops.
As I described my house in detail I deliberately didn’t mention much about my kitchen, hoping to avoid the issue.
After a minute of silence Femi asked “How about your kitchen, is it nice?” Fear coursed through my body and I stuttered “Uh… yeah, I have a refrigerator and an oven, even a microwave. It’s functional and all I need to cook with.”
Femi paused and I feared the worst, “here comes the granite question” I thought.
“I hope to have a kitchen in my house one day, it would be nice to be able to cook inside without an open fire”
“Yes Femi, it is nice.” I replied.
We also do not have granite countertops. We managed, and our kids seemed to have turned out ok. The cats also enjoy jumping on the supportive surfaces; though the feeling may not be as lovely as granite, they don’t complain too loudly.
I guess you got lucky like I did. Not having granite could have ruined our lives 😉
i used to make acrylic solid surface countertops for a living! right here in buffalo is the corian factory and we appreciate the shout out. it really is a tremendous product. screw granite.
we wear out crappy kitchen like a badge of honor with the yellowing floor tiles and laminate countertops. out main kitchen luxury is an ice maker inside our freezer. we can chill a white wine in about 7 minutes with our unlimited ice. that’s a helluva funny story about the young yuppies who don’t yet know any better.
i have a post percolating about the cost of a personal finance write taking his kids to a fancy pool for the day. contrast with my growing up when mom would say “it’s hot outside, why don’t you walk down and play in the river?”
“I have a pool and a pond, the pond is good for you Carl” – Caddyshack!!
Hi Dave, funny coincidence: when I read the title of your post, I mentioned to my husband “oh, he also thinks granite tops are not a good decision!”. When we got married, we talked about how we’d rather not have granite tops than add stress to our relationship by stretching our budgets. So I was surprised by the first part of the post… For whatever it’s worth, I think granite tops are overrated (quartz is better) and I’m glad you stayed with your acrylic ones (even if they had an impact on the relationship with the girlfriend). I too grew up in a developing country and, like Femi, that perspective has given me a different view of what to prioritize. Now that we can afford granite tops, I still don’t think that would be a top requirement in a kitchen.
In my world there are virtually no requirements in a kitchen besides a sink with running water and a fridge. All else is negotiable 🙂
Sounds like a rewarding trip for you. This house envy issue made me stop looking at house magazines in my 30’s because it made me dissatisfied with what I had and want to buy what I didn’t need. Similar to your acrylic countertops, I have unfashionable formica countertops in my kitchen. I haven’t starved or died of poison or disease from using these or been attacked by wild animals. Thanks for the reminder to be thankful and content.
House magazine envy is a thing I hear, and those TV shows too. Be careful though, the news is full of stories of folks being eaten by wild creatures for nothing more than the sin of formica, it’s dangerous out there!!
Your kitchen looks great! My kitchen counter yardstick looks at how much square footage of counter space is available and how cluttered with stuff it is. Assuming the photo is of your actual kitchen, it passes with flying colours.
I shun away from granite counter tops on environmental grounds – there are great options now made from upcycled materials so can we just stop ripping up the countryside to remove slabs of rock. It’s mining folks. A very environmentally destructive practise that should be kept to a minimum. Two kitchen renovations under my belt (in two different dwellings) and nary a piece of granite in sight!
Also, I think you should look at it as a test of the women you are dating. If they can’t handle your non-granite counter top kitchen, they will not be able to handle your other FIRE values. Invite them over to your house early after meeting them so you can stop wasting your time with the ones that are unsuitable.
That photo is not my kitchen, haha, I’m not that tidy. Dating as a frugal FIRE dude in the highest income area in America is wrought with funny stories, I’ll leave it there 🙂
Those funny stories will make up some good material for future posts :p
Bravo. Nicely done. I love this. Absolutely love this. Thanks for putting to words what has gone thru my head time and time again. Thank you. Kudos to you.
Glad you liked it Nolan and thanks for reading!
Yeah, being FI means having a little less than all the kings and queens of the modern world, but that doesn’t mean we are not lords and ladies. It is all about gratitude and not comparing yourself to the Joneses. Your countertops are fine as they are.
Lords and Ladies, that sounds friggin fantastic, where do I sign up?
No granite in my house either. Had the choice, had the money. My counters, like yours, hold my stuff and help my cook. Job done.
Let’s hope our counters keep holding stuff for a while, gravity is a tough opponent.
Great Post, a little perspective from those outside the consumption culture can give you a nice reboot and hopefully purge the countertops from your brain.
One quote I picked up somewhere along the way and discussed in an episode, …
“The secret to breaking the spell is wanting what you have instead of having what you want.”
Working with a bunch of ranchers in the oil business I was ridiculed for driving econoboxes while my kids were going through college debt free. They knew I made enough to have a big truck like all of them…
I’m not going to lie…we have granite countertops at home, but not judging others.
I love that quote, very zen but also simple and true. Thanks for that!
I don’t have granite either! I’m happy to be able to cook indoors!
And we can go to the bathroom indoors too – life is damn amazing!
We definitely plan to upgrade our kitchen when budget allows and will do something other than our laminate countertops! (The real issue is our kitchen sink. I CANNOT WAIT to replace that thing!!) However, our list of things we want to eventually tweak and upgrade is larger than our budget at the moment, so we will have to be patient!
Despite that, your point is well-taken. We bought the house for how it fits our family – can we both fit in the kitchen to cook together? That’s something we really enjoy. Do we have enough bathrooms so that no one is stuck in desperation?
To be honest my kitchen sink is a bit small sometimes when I have a lot of dishes and has a small dent. I might replace it one day but she’s got some good life left in her 🙂
Perspective does wonders doesn’t it? Just last weekend I was complaining about who are these people with 6 figure cars on the road, and then saw a cyclist in 110 degree heat being funneled into the gutter because we can’t even have basic infrastructure for bikes lanes in most places. At least I have a car with AC and am sitting safely in 12 mph traffic.
That cyclist might have been me, haha! Yes we had a spate of 100 degree days here in DC last week and having AC in both our houses and cars is pure luxury. Yet so many are angry and upset 24×7. Life is amazing.
I also have, even in my new build, acrylic countertops. And you’re right, they work well and the the cats seem to enjoy surfing them as as much as granite. I’ve come to the conclusion that most people really want to work into thier late 70s and some of us don’t.
How dare you, you built a house and you had ONE JOB. Granite. Epic fail my friend. And I agree, most folks do seem to want to work the job they hate until their 70 or older. Oh well
Along similar lines to your previous post ‘Don’t Let Money Be Your God’ where we wander away from our moderation…Those of us who are wealthy by international standards feel ‘poor’ at times. As you say, travel is the surest eye opener. When I find myself having ‘spoilt brat’ thoughts, I head to YouTube and find the stories of poverty in first world countries (UK, USA, Australia).
Works a treat!
Exactly… I believe everyone who can afford it should visit a 3rd world country to get a dose of reality. We’re beyond blessed. Even without granite countertops!
Granite is totally overrated. The shiny surface looks bad if not constantly cleaned. Also they are so hard that if you set down a plate with a bit too much force or knock over a glass they are likely to shatter.
Yes yes and yes!
My corian counters are 25 years old, not a scratch, scuff, or chip, and they look great with just a simple water wipe-down. I won’t be tempted to replace them, even if they last another 25 years! Thanks for the inspiring post and for the chuckles.
Wear that corian proud Holly and thanks for reading and commenting!
Absolutely love this post! When the girls were growing up, they did at times envy their friends and cousins with the big houses and giant basement playrooms. These days they appreciate that they were able to graduate college debt free. Not sure how kids who grow up with granite counters will ever be able to afford that lifestyle.
Graduating debt free is a huge leg-up in life these days compared to most. Congrats, well done!
That’s pretty good. Our countertop isn’t even acrylic. It’s laminate. Fortunately, I’m done dating. Ha! Mrs. RB40 would like to remodel our kitchen at some point, though. At that point, we’d probably splurge on something nice. It’s a small kitchen so might as well go for nicer material. Probably go for something like Corian.
So you’re a laminate low-life huh? Haha, I’m guessing there’s a part of our population who would think that way. Move up to the corian class!
Like others, I think granite countertops are overrated. However, granite is great for hiding all the crumbs and coffee grounds in plain sight…ugh. We are also ‘laminate low-life’ homeowners and we are okay with it.
I agree with the overall perspective though. When we travel overseas, we often appreciate what we, as residents of the USA, take for granted.
Absolutely Allyson, and I try to take perspective and be appreciative every day. I’m not perfect about it, and it’s easy to get used to our absurd comfort in the US and then get complainy about little things that are really silly in the end.
I’ve always wondered about the practicality of granite countertops, and this article sheds light on the alternatives. Quartz and butcher block options seem like great choices for those seeking a different look and feel. Plus, they’re often more budget-friendly!
All true, thanks for stopping by!