I often have to pinch myself when I realize how lucky we are to own a cottage in Ontario. In hindsight, we were smart when we purchased it while we were still young (pre marriage and kids) and before we became home owners. It was still affordable and our expenses at the time were limited. We purchased a slice of heaven (aka a bunkey) on the same lake where John spent his childhood summers at his parent’s cottage. Purchasing our cottage on THIS specific lake was also part of our smart decision – because we had John’s parents nearby for help. While having direct access to a cottage is priceless, maintaining one is very difficult. Cottages, especially older ones (ours), require a lot of work and up keep. Unfortunately, John and I aren’t very handy. We’ve relied on John’s dad for help on several occasions. We couldn’t have owned a summer cabin otherwise.

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