Acquire carefully enough that maintenance feels worthwhile.

The way to make upkeep bearable is to own things worth upkeeping. Choose slowly, choose well, choose fewer, and the maintenance stops feeling like a chore and starts feeling like tending something you are glad to have. Careless acquisition is what turns care into drudgery.

Slow the front end of your decisions. Wait longer, buy better, buy less often, and prefer things that can be repaired. The maintenance that follows will feel like part of ownership rather than a punishment for it.