The Kitchen

We recently moved into a 12×60 mobile home. It is two bedroom, but one of the bedrooms is quite small.

The kitchen is an average older trailer kitchen, with some cabinetry, but not too much, and a closet converted into a pantry.

Everything is stuffed, and the shelves are overflowing. I have Rubbermaid storage containers filled with large bags of rice, popcorn, flour, beans and other miscellaneous foodstuffs.

Told you that I’m a packrat.

I have a small bucket filled with kitchen knives, wooden spoons and other small gadgets. My cabinets are filled with food, dishware and other items.

I spend a lot of time in the kitchen just hanging out, but there is so much stuff in there I am becoming distressed.

I need help to figure out how to make this work, to make it simpler while I use down these staples, and support to not purchase quite so much in the future.

Can you help me?

My Journey to Simplicity

As a single mother, things have not always been plentiful. Add to that some unpleasant experiences from the past, and you create a packrat.

I am that packrat.

Several years ago during a rough spot in my life, engrossed in pain and self-loathing I began to throw stuff away. Enough stuff to almost fill the dumpster near my apartment.

Then came the epiphany. I felt better with less stuff. A lot better.

Since then I have researched both on and offline about a simpler life. I have also given and tossed a lot more things.

Yes, I would be better helping the environment by donating these items, but my first attempts weren’t exactly thought out – they came from a need to have less surrounding me, suffocating me.

Not only do I need to have less stuff, but I need to learn how to control this urge, this drive within me to constantly stock up, just in case. It is just me and a kid, how much stuff do we need?

Do I really need to buy a bulk of paper towels when we may use ten rolls in a year? Do I really benefit from that purchase of dozens of notebooks at five cents each that are now mouldering in my building outside? How many things does one small family need?

This is where I stand. I am in hopes that you, my reader will become my therapist and aid me on this journey to peace and simplicity.

Public Transportation

Today my daughter and I decided to explore the public transportation available locally. Translation: We rode the bus to the Mall. I calculated the cost of the trip for myself and my daughter round-trip we would have used at least a gallon of gas in my van, not including wear and tear on the vehicle.

The round trip cost us three bucks at full-price.

At current gas prices, we basically broke even, adding wear and tear into the calculation. When you figure up the fact that I got to sit and relax instead of drive, we were a bit ahead of the game. Considering that I prefer riding to driving, it was soo nice to hop on the bus and let someone else navigate the traffic while I sat and enjoyed the scenery, chatting with my daughter.

At the Ky Oaks Mall we discovered that Borders Bookstore is now closing, but we got some great deals. Katie got a bug catching kit complete with an insect identification booklet, a small gel ink pen set, a novel about horses, and a ruler with horses on it. I got a dead-tree edition of “The Secret,” a street map of Paducah and an imitation thousand-dollar bill.

We looked around the stores, played in one of the photography booths, grabbed a Frappachino at Starbucks, then headed back to the bus stop. We arrived in perfect time, for moments after we arrived we saw the bus coming our way!

Tomorrow the van needs to go in for some work (the electric window decided to stop working), so when we take the van in we plan to hitch a ride downtown and hop on the trolley to explore the library and riverfront some more.

I am looking forward to the opportunity to explore without having to worry about traffic! Got a book of bus tickets, 10 tickets for six dollars, and figure we’ll just have fun enjoying the fact that we now live in a place that actually has public transportation!

While I have read a copy of “The Secret” in the past, I have wanted to add a copy to my book collection and cuddle up and read it again. That book has really made an incredible change to our lives!

Thoughts and Memories

As the mountain of boxes grows higher in the staging area, Katie and I both are considering the merits of Greg Johnson’s life diet.

Perhaps we should start putting OUR life on a diet. A serious diet.

Greg started by putting almost everything in storage, then getting things out as he needed. The things he ended up not needing, he eliminated from his life.

We will have a little storage shed on the property. I have lots of shelving. Perhaps we could try that? Load most of it into the storage building then sort it out and put it away from there! It would definitely be a good way to start thinning out!

I gave the queen-sized comforter and sheets away that went with the queen-sized bed I used to possess. No point in keeping them, especially considering that they were too big for anything we plan to possess in the future, and definitely not our style (they came with the bed).

I did keep the black sheet set. It is large, but will work on the full-sized futon I am currently using.

I dream of a home with no clutter, with few possessions cluttering up our life. My nightmares are filled with images of the home I escaped, with my ex and his “collections” covered in a blanket of dust everywhere one turned, pieces of miscellaneous trash lying around and I was forbidden to “touch” his stuff cause it was so “valuable” – never again will I be controlled by stuff. Never again.

Downsizing

In anticipation of the move I have downsized some of our possessions. Meaning, I have sold several pieces of furniture too large for me to move single-handedly in my van. As a result, my queen-sized bed is no more, along with a heavy solid wood desk, a matching nightstand and shelf, both with glass shelving.

Beautiful pieces, all. Beautiful. But the desk was heavy and unneeded, the queen-sized bed entirely too big for any average bedroom, and the mattress and box springs no only too large to fit inside my van but too heavy to move myself.

The glass shelf – beautiful but a dust magnet. Every speck of dust would find its way to that shelf and make it look as if I hadn’t cleaned in months! I plan on replacing it with some industrial stainless steel shelving, like the kind you see in restaurants and in Duncan MacLeod’s place in Highlander the Series.

I have to clean off the desk and shelf and move them over there tomorrow sometime, but the bed and nightstand are officially out of the house and out of the way!

I know – what am I thinking, right?

Tonight I will snuggle up on a futon placed upon the floor and have a restful night’s sleep, knowing that when I move I won’t have to beg and plead and pray for someone to help me move. All I have left to sell are my couch and loveseat. They are beautiful, the Ashley signature series, but just too large and awkward for me to move alone! Honestly, part of me wishes that I had never agreed to purchase them, despite the fact it was an excellent price – they have been giant sage albatrosses ever since they arrived home!

I love them, I truly do, but I love my independence more than I do a couple pieces of furniture. After I get moved and settled in I plan to invest in a futon couch for the living room, which can be easily dismantled and moved should I EVER decide to relocate again.

As for my bed, I am torn. The bedroom has a small alcove, which will be perfect for my office area, and I can make it dissappear with a curtain when not in use, but unless I go with a futon or murphy style bed, that room will not be very multi-purpose. Nothing is more annoying than to need some open floor space and there is a big chunk, all covered over by a giant unused bed!

I wish I had some ideas for the area. I want it to be a peaceful sleeping area, which means I will be able to conceal my desk and stuff when I’m done, but I would also like to be able to keep the bed out of the way if I have company and we’re working on the computer, you know? Perhaps I will end up investing in another futon couch for my bedroom as well.

My daughter has already placed her order for a futon couch! I am wondering if she would be happier with one of those futon chairs, however. As small as she is it seems as if it would be perfect for her!

If I am able to eliminate the couch and loveseat, then the living room will be quite oriental appearing until I get settled in and recover from all of the deposits and expense. I have a coffee table that belonged to my parents when I was a child, so use it with giant black pillows surrounding it for seating! Nice and super casual, especially since we really don’t get that much company!

As for a television – we don’t have one or need one. We use the laptops when we want to watch a movie or something. Eventually I would like to invest in a projector and screen for a bit bigger effect, but that is not a major concern.

I am exhausted, but still need to give the doggie her last walk of the evening before calling it a night.

Sweet dreams, world!

Downsizing

Good Morning!

I hope all of you slept well.  We closed some windows, and added an extra blanket to our beds, and slept like babies while the temperature dipped into the forties last night!

After reading the book on small houses last night, I am considering the benefits of downsizing even more than I have in the past.  While I do not know if the two of us could live comfortably in a home that small, I do wonder if we could live in less space than we have now.

Years ago, I lived in a 10×50 mobile home with three kids and two dogs.  With all of those children combined with the fact that I wasn’t ready to downsize my posession, we ended up cramped, to say the least.  I own a lot less now than I did back then as far as personal posessions go, but a lot more as far as furniture goes.  

The saddest part?  Most of that furniture doesn’t get used.  It just sits in my living room looking pretty, wasting precious space.  

The truth of the matter is I really didn’t want the couch and loveseat when I purchased them, but I bowed to pressure from a friend to have “nicer furniture.”  

Sometimes it is better to stay off by yourself.

The living room looks much better with the aquarium sitting where the old television was.  The light on the aquarium will become our nightlight in there, meaning our electricity usage won’t go up any.  We are in that room only to travel to the other section of the house, and so keep a light on to see…  

I wonder:  if I put the tv on freecycle and rearrange the livingroom, if I could save some electric by putting my office area in the living room instead of having it in the laundry room?  We keep a light on in the living room regardless, and we are frequently in the office area doing something on the computers, so could we manage to keep some lights out by moving the office area?

I Love My Mower!

It is pretty, the grass is high, time to mow.

I don’t have the perfect yard but in order to save money I use a reel mower instead of a gas or an electric one.  It was not only cheaper to purchase, but I don’t have to pay every time I operate it.  If the grass gets too high it doesn’t do so well, so must keep on top of things lawnwise.  Made it really hard with this wet spring we have had, but such is life!

I love my reel mower!  It feels good to be able to listen to music or just think while I’m out there instead of hearing all of that noise!

Peace,

~Annie

Television, Movies, Family and Stuff

Yesterday ended up being an uneventful day as we lazed around the house and watched movies online.  My daughter enjoys Webkins and Funbrain, while I enjoy seeing if I can locate and watch new releases online.

Found a good one online yesterday, though at times I end up watching whatever when my searches don’t pan out, but sometimes I get lucky.  To watch a current movie we would have to drive almost thirty miles one way and close to forty miles the other way.  So add gas, wear and tear on the car, plus the expense of tickets and treats, and movies are priced right out of range of this frugal soul unless I find something interesting online.

And no, we have no cable here.  I could get cable, but between the garbage they show and the commercials that leave my daughter drooling, it simply is not worth paying money for.  I refuse to spend money on a medium so hell-bent for me to spend even more money.

I guess I should lump certain web sites on there, with their clicky ads, but you can choose to click or no, and that is a huge difference in my opinion.  I don’t mind their being available for me to choose to pay attention to their advertising or not, but resent being forced to watch something when I’m already paying for the priveledge by subscribing to a service.  

Hulu doesn’t bother me, cause I know those ads are how they are able to put the content online.  Pandora and their occasional ads don’t bother me either for the same reason.  

My daughter is in the stage where she thinks she can question every decision that I make, so this morning I had to get firm with her.  Hate it, but such is life.  I don’t answer to anyone in this world, I am not going to answer to a spoiled ten year old!

Our mutt is hyper this morning!  She is a chihuahua crossed with what we guess to be Jack Russell, and while she is adorable to us, she really dislikes strangers!  Guess I ended up with a dog as antisocial as I am, but I love her.  Rescued her from the local shelter.  They said she had been there around a month or so, and she wouldn’t have much to do with anyone because of lacl of socialization.  However, when we sat down on the floor she crawled right up in my daughter’s lap, and so I think it was more an issue that she hadn’t found anyone she wanted to socialize with.

It was chilly last night, and sometime early in the morning one of my neighbors had difficulty getting a vehicle out of someplace it was stuck.  Took them over an hour of revving the engine and spinning the tires to finally escape whatever they were stuck in.  Figure when we get out and about this morning we’ll see the tire marks in a yard somewhere…

Time to get ready for church this morning.  While I love my church family and agree with the doctrines, part of me really hates mingling with the crowd, especially knowing that I can’t really be me while I’m there…  Guess I’ll go early so the kid can visit (she’s a social butterfly) and leave just as soon as it is over.  

Talk to you later!

Simplicity Side Effects

I have noticed something as I work toward a more simple, minimal lifestyle.  Something that may sound silly or may make perfect sense.

While simplifying my life and eliminating the dross a couple of things have happened.

One, my house stays cleaner. I guess it is because there isn’t as much to clutter the areas now—to get rearranged or dusty, but it takes less time to clean when I do clean, and I have to clean less. It just doesn’t get as dirty anymore.

Two, My dishes don’t pile up as much. I have posted in this blog about my dishes in the  past, even about failing to keep them washed as I want.  However, by simplifying what dishes and silverware I own I am inspired by necessity to keep things washed up, which means I am washing dishes more frequently and so there is less dishes to pile up waiting to be washed.  This is a big boon to this girl!

Yes, I could get a dishwasher but I don’t want the expense, I don’t want the maintenance, I don’t want the thing in my way, I don’t want another heavy appliance to move—I just don’t want one!  Doesn’t take much water to wash dishes if you use two dishpans and don’t leave the water running!

I get more accomplished. Even though I have stopped using disposables in favor of cloth and started using a clothesline even indoors to dry things. Even though I have gotten rid of my mixer and other “convenience items in favor of a cutting board. Even though I started a frugality blog so as to simplify my thoughts and not bore you, making for additional posts to keep both active—I still have less to do.

I don’t understand it, yet I do.  My life is much more peaceful with less in it. I think back to all of the years I would hunt and hunt for things—now I go to a single wall of shelves in my tiny room and locate it within minutes!

I think back to all of the years I tripped over things in the floor—nothing to trip over now!

I think back to all of the things that have been destroyed accidentally by being stepped on, knocked over or whatever—it just doesn’t happen these days!

I look at this shelf in the kitchen I placed here recently—it was stuffed full and now I may eliminate it from the kitchen entirely soon, for it is almost empty.

Amazingly during this whole process not once have I needed something that I have eliminated from my life! That’s a big one with me—when I was  a kid my father would hold on to almost everything!  He would become frustrated at all of the junk he had piled around and toss some of it—only to need something he tossed a few days later (it never failed).  Then there was the common occurrences of having to re-buy something that he knew he already possessed because he couldn’t find it when he needed it—only to locate the needed item a week or so later while looking for something else!

The last side effect I have noticed is that while my possessions have been reduced the quality has increased. I find myself using the “nice things” that I would never use because I have eliminated the cheap stuff from my life. I have also determined ways to increase the quality of my food without increasing my grocery bill.  Simply buying a small chunk of meat and slicing it myself at home has saved me an amazing amount of money—I purchased 5.5 pounds of beef round in a single section for a little over $13 and sliced it up into thin steaks that normally cost me almost five dollars a pound! It wasn’t hard, didn’t take any special equipment and I froze them on a pizza pan (it was the sheet I kept because it was newest and my baking sheet was in horrible condition) and transferred them to freezer bags for individual use. So now I have the quality of meat that I adore (the thin, versatile steaks) at a price ($2.48/lb) that fits much easier on my budget.

By investing less in junk food I have extra money in my budget for things I prefer, like mung beans from the health food store for sprouting and all-natural sea salt instead of the bleached regular table salt.

I’m even a bit healthier, by eliminating soft drinks from my daily diet in favor of water somehow I manage to wake up earlier without the help of an alarm clock.  Coffee is drank a lot less now, as water is my morning libation of preference.  Somehow I find that I don’t miss it.  This morning I brewed a single cup—only to find I wanted about half of the little amount I brewed!

I am quite pleased with these side effects thus far, and look forward to experiencing even more of this phenomena.