So many people who are mentally and cognitively bankrupt own houses. They never do any maintenance on them, or if they do, they never do it right. And yet, their houses aren’t (always) falling apart.

Houses are more sturdy than our anxieties convince us. Fix things little by little as they come, prioritize what comes first. Your house won’t fall apart or blow up. This is what I tell my wife when she gets nervous about something creaking.

And the more you open up to fix the more systemic problems you find. In an old/fixer house. Try to pick one project at a time. Spend some money when u have too. Have seen some smart people locate home improvement grants for upgrades/HVAC. You’ll need to spend money. No avoiding it. In a couple years you’ll forget how bad it all seemed and get used to the minor annoyances you haven’t gotten too. And don’t forget to learn some things. Buy a bug pump sprayer and specific chemicals on line. Learn how important gutters are and getting storm water away from the foundations. Get some rugs to cover the gaps and caulk the cracks. Most importantly A good partner for the decorating to make u forget it’s a shitty house no matter how much work you put in

To answer your question I just drink a lot.

I know it is cheesy, but look at every maintenance project as an opportunity for learning a new DIY skill.

Start going to garage sales and flea markets to collect tools.

It helps if you can chitchat with someone IRL about mutual homeowner issues.

Homeownership is man’s continuous battle against water.