What my home will say about me...

So in the process of trying to find a new home, I've been learning more about who I am and who I've become since I first struck out on my own in Toronto several years ago.

1. I'm a city girl. This realisation caught me off-guard because I love the country, and I love wide-open spaces and uninhabited places. I love being alone and enjoying the quiet. But, I also really like being independent. I love the city because everything is accessible by foot - you can walk to work, walk to church, walk to get groceries/hardware/whatever you need. You don't have to pay to get somewhere. I can come and go as I please, and I like that. It's not so easy to feel isolated when you're downtown or within walking distance of downtown. And, as long as I'm single, I expect I'll need that.
2. I need outdoor greenspace - a balcony, deck, patio, front porch or backyard. I'm not a gardener, but I like having living plants around. The last 5 summers in Toronto, I've loved my balcony. I loved having the room to plant a couple hostas, some flowers, some herbs, and last year I even gave beets a try (though all I got were beet greens with reddish roots, but no beets). I loved being able to sit outside to read, or chat with friends. It was as valuable as another room to me and it's a "must have" for any new home.
3. I'm cheap. Actually, it's not that I'm cheap, it's that I don't want to be "house poor". I want to live somewhere where I'll be happy, but I also want to be able to afford a car and afford to do the things I enjoy doing and still afford to put a little aside for trips or big purchases, etc.
4. I'm lazy. Sort of. I don't want to go to the effort of having to take my laundry to a laundromat, so I must have onsite laundry. I've also learned how much I despise washing dishes, so I'm also hoping to find an apt. with a dishwasher (though it's not a must have). And I don't want carpet because it's hard to keep clean with a cat who sheds like there's no tomorrow.
5. The kitchen is one of the most important rooms in my home. This hasn't always been the case, but I do enjoy cooking, and if I don't like my kitchen, I don't want to be there. I learned this with my bathroom in my old apartment. I was never happy with it. The tiles were in crappy shape and I never felt like I could relax and enjoy a quiet bath because I always felt like something needed to be fixed. That's what I'd feel with the kitchen. My kitchen needs to inspire me to cook, not inspire me to try to fix it up (or worse - order in!).
6. And this may be an obvious one - but my cat has veto power. If the place isn't Millie-friendly, then it's not me-friendly!