Thinking inside the box

The box in this case is my large Mission entertainment center that no longer contains a television.

I bought it in the late 1990′s when I lived in a small bungalow with a combined living/dining room that I didn’t want dominated by an ugly TV.  Years later, I moved to a larger home and the entertainment center, which looks attractive in my Mission-style living room, has been sitting empty since it’s TV died a couple of years ago.  I have an HDTV in my family room, so there was no need to buy a new TV for the living room.

I’ve considered replacing the entertainment center with a piano, but I don’t know how to play and getting rid of the entertainment center, buying a piano and taking enough lessons to play well seems like way too much effort for a passing interest.  Besides, entertainment centers are passé and nobody is going to buy a used one.  A quick Craig’s List search for “entertainment center” resulted in 1000 postings since December 3.  I think I’d probably have to pay someone to cart it away.

Meanwhile, another thing occurred when I moved in to my home.  I had some minor remodeling done so that the refrigerator wasn’t the first thing one saw when entering the front door.  This involved removing a narrow pantry to create a space for the refrigerator on a different wall.  It was only after I began accumulating canned goods and other staples that I realized there’s a reason kitchens have pantries.

I’ve tried storing supplies in my garage, which is convenient to the kitchen and perfectly fine for the crockpot, but 100+ degree summers don’t enhance edible items.  I purchased and assembled a  glass-doored bookcase  which I placed in the former refrigerator space and used as a pantry, but it’s not very big.  I’ve stored supplies on a shelf in my office closet, but I really need that space for my paper hoarding habit.  So I don’t buy much extra.  I know buying less is  the obvious solution.  I practice frugality and try to live simply, but I am an American for heaven’s sake.

I don’t know how the idea came to me that my entertainment center is really a large empty closet.  I immediately understood this was the solution to my problem.  All I had to do was work out the details.  I looked carefully at the entertainment center. The main section had self-storing doors, so I couldn’t fasten anything to the sides of the unit.  The back was made of something very flimsy and fake, so I couldn’t fasten anything to it.   I needed a freestanding something-or-other that would maximize space and wouldn’t impede the doors.  The shelf designed for the TV and VCR wasn’t useful for storage but it got in the way of installing something better, so it and its pal the powerstrip would have to go.  The bottom of the unit was divided into two sections, each with  a pull-out videotape shelf and a bin underneath–good drawer possibilities.

It was time to get busy and figure out how to do this.  A Google search showed that the Container Store was having its annual Elfa sale.  Using their online planner, I determined that a seven-runner medium-width plus a seven-runner narrow-width frame would fit  into the unit and provide me with six drawers in the main section.   The bottom sections could each hold two medium-width drawers–one easy-glide drawers fastened to the floor and another sitting on the videotape shelf.  All of this would only cost me $202.   Feeling very clever, I slept on it.

The next day in preparation for the grand installation, I removed the big shelf.  Two of the six screws holding the powerstrip in place turned out to be stripped so I couldn’t remove it.  I tried my hacksaw to cut the screws, but it wouldn’t fit it under the powerstrip.  I thought of using a nail file like escaping prisoners do, but that seemed both too dramatic and too tedious.  So I adjusted my plan. Changing the size and position of the drawers would leave room underneath the frame for the power strip.  Besides, with a powerstrip I could install a light.

All this carpentry work made me realize that there was no way I could fasten the easy-glide drawers to the bottom because there was no room to work underneath the videotape shelf.  (I didn’t think of trying to remove the shelf until just this moment, but as you’ll see it doesn’t matter).  I figured I could just shove an Elfa drawer in the bin space and pull it out the hard-glide way.

I headed off to the Container Store with my plan in mind.  Once I got there, I looked around for other less expensive possibilities saw some shelving components I liked even better.  A shelving unit in the  top section and the drawers in the bottom.  I selected all the various parts for the shelves and checked out.  The bill was quite a bit higher than my mental calculations and I questioned it.  I was told that the four legs for the shelves, which were bound together as a unit, cost $11 each not $11 total as I had assumed.  I wondered aloud who buys one leg?  The clerk didn’t laugh.

I scrapped that particular idea, left the shelving unit behind, kept the drawers for the bottom section and went to Sam’s where  I found a heavy-duty chrome-plated steel utility cart for $60.  I assembled it sans wheels and handle and it fits perfectly inside the entertainment center.  It was much better than my Container Store idea.  A seldom-used clip-on light is now attached to the bottom shelf.

The drawers in the bottom section didn’t work out.  The drawer on the video shelf didn’t pull out well and the drawer underneath was too shallow and dragged on the wood.   I returned to Container Store and exchanged my four shallow drawers for two deeper drawers. Then I purchased two wide plastic drawer liners, placing the liners underneath the drawers rather than within.  The liners fit the space as if custom-made.  Now the drawers slide out very easily.

As you can see in the photo, the video shelf turned out to be very usable without modification.

I’m so happy to have the extra space.  My new pantry ended up costing me $100.  So what if it’s in the living room.  It looks like an entertainment center.

My year so far

It’s 7 AM.

I’m alive.  My health is good.  I don’t have a hangover.  I have no outstanding debts and I have family and friends.   Since I haven’t yet read or seen any news today,  the possibility exists that 2012 has brought peace, prosperity and well-being  to the rest of the planet outside my privileged little world.

Last night I dreamed I was with a friend of mine when she gave birth.  That was a gift to me following the realization yesterday that I might never again see a baby’s head crown–my first feeling of loss since my retirement from working as a midwife.  And a birth dream in the dawn of the new year seems significant.

This dream was followed by a trip to Stockholm, Sweden, where I toured the city by boat on canals throughout the city (I don’t know if such things really exist).  All of us in the boat ended up taking a dip in the incredibly clear waters of the marble canals.  Fortunately, I happened to have a beach towel in my purse which I shared with the others (dreams can be so handy).  Last I remember, I was trying to locate my other wet shoe so I could find my way back to the hotel where my mother was waiting.

Two symbolic good dreams, two cats happy for me to wake up and feed them, fresh coffee and a beautiful dawn.  I believe the year is off to a good start.

And as far as my frugality pledge, I haven’t spent a dime so far this year.

Happy 2012.

How to be happy

1.  Quit your job!  Don’t believe all the propaganda.

I quit half my job last April with the intention of working part time for another year.  When I realized how much happier I was during my time off, I quit the other half.  I retired in October and now I’m twice as happy

2.  Do whatever you want.  (You understand I mean things that are legal and don’t hurt others?)  Okay, then.  We live in a culture of workaholics and people who can’t say no.  Once the message gets out that you’re not working,  such people may start asking you to do stuff, like facilitate a group or join a clean-up team.  There are infinite voids waiting to be filled, but just because you’re no longer working at your burnout  job doesn’t mean you have to fill them.    My uncle used to say, “A ringing phone is a request, not a demand.”  That was even before Caller ID and I think it’s excellent advice. We have a choice in responding to outside requests even if they’re disguised as demands.

I’m just learning how to be retired and I have a lot of old habits to relearn, so I made this policy for myself:  (a)  for a minimum of one year, I will not accept any job, volunteer or otherwise, that requires a long term commitment.  (b) should I agree to volunteer, I have to want to do the specific task.  For those who have a hard time saying no, “wanting there not to be a void” or “believing the job should be done by someone” does not count as “wanting to do it.

3.  Do what you want when you want to do it. 

Retirement is a procrastinators dream.  You really can do it later.  So go to the movies in the middle of  afternoon errands.  Watch TV instead of filing for Medicare.  Deal with whatever it is tomorrow.

4.  Don’t feel guilty about being happy. 

This might be the hardest one, especially if you’ve long valued meeting the expectations of yourself and others.  People will notice you’re happy.  Some will be glad for you, some with be envious and many will be both.  It’s hard to watch others suffer and not feel guilty.

6.  Figure out how to do trick yourself into doing some occasional exercise.

It’s two miles from my house to Starbucks.  I walk there and do a walking meditation along the way (not the slow kind).  Then I treat myself to a tall Skinny Peppermint Mocha (only 100 calories) and walk back.  I have to admit that some of my meditation is praying that one of my neighbors will be at Starbucks so I can bum a ride home. but that hasn’t happened so far.  On my way back, I sometimes  call a friend and talk all the way home.  I always feel good after a four-mile walk.

7.  If the only reason you’re still working is money, then it’s time to reevaluate.  There are many books written on this topic so I won’t go into it now, but I’m a woman who has reevaluated and changed  directions several times in an effort to find meaning.   Although I ended up in a profession that fit me well, some of those earlier “reevaluations”

courtesy of jscreationzs

meant leaving  one crappy, dead-end job for another.  It’s always easier to label your job dead-end after you’ve left it.  I’m not convinced people are meant to work at jobs.

Do you imagine cavepeople sat around the cave wishing cars were invented so they could sit in rush hour traffic instead?  Many of us spend a lot of energy telling ourselves that our job is meaningful when we’re really working because we need the money, health insurance, prestige, power or whatever and we don’t know what else to do.  If we acknowledged the effect of our job on our soul, we might have to do something about it.  We’re lucky if sometimes our job  actually is meaningful.  My job  as a nurse-midwife was satisfying and meaningful for years until I burned out and couldn’t do it any more.  Fortunately, I was able to retire.  I’ve left those wonderful pregnant women to the care of younger, more energetic midwives.

Reevaluating why you’re working won’t necessarily bring about a huge change or allow you to quit your job, but knowing why you are working opens the paths of gratefulness and creativity.   These paths may lead somewhere new and unexpected.

 

I loved being a midwife, but I don’t miss it.  I’m on a new path and I’m happy!

I’m still me!

I’ve been getting questions about my blog.  Like what happened to it.

No dear reader, you haven’t been dropped from the subscription list.  Its’ simply that I’m still me.  What a rude discovery!

Apparently, I’m still far more interested in making life-changing plans than I am in actually carrying them out, especially if those plans involve changing  my habit of procrastination.  Although I had every intention of writing at least weekly, I see that I last blogged on June 4 and now it’s October.

As I’ve always claimed, procrastination provides one with time to do other things and I’ve been doing those things, but rather than tell that story right now, I’ll review my goals from my original April 23 blog and tell you how I’m doing.

From “Is the glass half-full or is the plan half-baked?“

“Without dipping into savings, I will continue to contribute 10% of my net income to my church and other charitable organizations plus tithe to myself by saving 10%. “

Here are the steps I taking to meet this challenge.

Step 1.  I will pay off my house this month.’  Okay, that happened.

“Step 2.  I will cook and eat at home and take my lunch to work.’  Well, that lasted for a couple of weeks or so.  I am cooking more  and I have a case of empty Mason jars to prove it.  I even have the lettuce for salad-in-a-jar wilting in my refrigerator.  And I’m eating homemade soy yogurt as we speak.  Taking my lunch to work was too big a challenge so instead of admitting defeat, I quit the other half of my job.  I’m retiring on October 25.  No job, no need to pack a lunch.  I highly recommend this solution.

“Step 3.  I will exercise and improve my health.’  I still belong to two gyms.  I’ve  gained and lost the same three pounds since April.   I workout with a trainer once a week, I go to restorative yoga once a week (like I’m doing anything I need restoring from) and I have an application for water aerobics.  Again, those plans!

“Step 4.  I will use things I already have.’  This is going fairly well.  I have bought a few things, but I’ve dispensed with more than I took in and pruning my belongings is becoming a habit. . . . Okay, I admit it.  I bought a new pair of black jeans to wear to my retirement brunch today.  The six pairs of black pants in my closet are all dusted with Fanny’s hair and/or don’t fit and/or need ironing; jeans are the only pants that aren’t a cat hair magnet–I need a black cat! (Joanne, I’m kidding, this doesn’t mean one of yours.)

“Step 5.  I will write and share this process.’  Well, I backslid big time on this step.  

And how is the tithing going?  If I stop to figure out exactly, I won’t finish this post, but I believe I’ll reach my goal by the end of the year.

So to answer the original blog question, “Is the glass half-full or is the plan half-baked?“  Yes, the plan is half-baked right now, but the glass is way more than half-full.  I wake up happy every day.  Since I’m still me, I don’t stay happy all day, but so what?  I’m feeling and doing better than I ever imagined.

It’s probably time for me to raise the bar on my imagination.

It’s not all about me

Image by Grant MacDonald via Flickr

Today I took advantage of free rowing lessons at the White Rock Boathouse and went out in a scull with six other newbies and a couple of old hands (if eighteen-year-olds can be old hands).  It wasn’t until I was driving home that I realized why I kept getting mixed up when the coxswain (rhymes with oxen) told the seats (meaning rowers) in the bow (rhymes with cow) to row (rhymes with hoe).  I had been thinking the direction I was facing must be front!  Oh, how narrow my worldview can be at times.

So focused was I on “straighten legs, lean back, pull arms” followed by the reverse order that I didn’t noticed I was moving backwards.  Actually, I didn’t notice much of anything except my oar, which I managed occasionally to get into the water ahead of the “pull” during those straighten, lean, pull maneuvers.   It’s great exercise and I imagine that, with experience, one might be able to look at the scenery.

According to the White Rock Boathouse website, the advantages of rowing include:

• Can be mastered by anyone, regardless of gender, age or size (if you say so)
• Gives you a total body strength workout while performing a cardiovascular/endurance workout
• Is totally non-impact (not counting crashing your knees into the oar)
• Feels cooler than running or cycling at the same ambient temperature
• You can enjoy year-round in virtually any weather  (maybe you can, but I won’t be out there in 30 degrees)
• Can be performed any time, day or night, with no fear of being hit by a car, a cyclist, or a rollerblader, and with no threat of being chased by a dog (LOL . . . but swans can be very aggressive)
• If you crash, you cool off. No road rash or broken body parts
• You can enjoy while wearing a big straw hat to keep the sun off
• You perform in such a beautiful and tranquil venue that you are totally relaxed at the end of the toughest workout
• Looks really cool
• Is totally addictive

Plus, I’ve already heard about the Rowing Ritas, a group of women who go out for margaritas after rowing to put those lost calories right back on.  Sounds fun to me.  I just have to figure out if the expense will fit into my frugality plan.

I will share this process

One of my intentions in life is to spend my limited disposable income on experiences rather than things, but I’m finding that experiences can be expensive, especially if the experience requires a thing, like a new bicycle, which I bought.   An Electra Townie (read really cool old lady’s bike).  But that’s another story.

I’m off to swim with my next door neighbor in her pool.  I bid you bon voyage.  Enjoy your adventures in the coming week.

Who says the Rapture didn’t happen?

Who says it didn't happen?

Just because we’re all still here doesn’t mean the Rapture didn’t happen.

Consider the all the greedy, mean, hypocritical, lazy, envious, judgmental, selfish, dishonest and intolerant people you know.   I don’t know anyone, including myself, who hasn’t had one or more of these qualities at one time or another.   Although the fast track to paradise has it’s appeal, it seems a bit presumptuous to assume any of us deserves it.  I can easily imagine the Divine coming for a visit, taking a good look around the violent, polluted mess we’ve made of Earth and wondering, “Bring the creators of this into my home? What was I thinking?”

Now that that excitement is over, I’ll continue blogging.

First, let me bring you up to date.  I got my money back from the bank sans interest.   The check, which included the stolen mortgage payment, an escrow refund plus a little bit extra interest refund for paying the mortgage off a couple of days early, amounted to a nice chunk of change.  I quickly hid it in a savings account before my evil spendthrift twin got wind of it.

I’ve made a few discoveries during my first month of frugality

1.   I have an evil spendthrift twin.  This profligate ingrate isn’t at all pleased with my frugality plan.  She was quite happy buying things thoughtlessly and needlessly and she tries to make my buy things using  distraction and rationalization techniques.   She’s taken over my short term memory.  I’ll be driving home from work planning the dinner I’ll prepare.  Next thing I know I’m in Eatzi’s parking lot ready to buy a carryout meal.  I’ll pull out of the parking lot and head home again only to start thinking about stopping at Whole Foods for a slice of pizza (okay, two slices of pizza).   So far, I’ve reinhabited my mind-body prior to purchase in most cases, but she seems to be upping the ante.  I’ll keep you posted.

2.  Groceries cost money!   Somehow, in my plan to quit buying meals at work and prepared carryout food, I only counted the money I would be saving.  I completely spaced on the cost of groceries.   My previous grocery shopping costs amounted to occasional stocking up on produce I would use once and then compost at some later date, chicken and fish much of which is still at the bottom of my freezer, eggs, cheese and yogurt.  When food bank requests arrived, I’d donate my unexpired canned goods and jettison those items suggesting  use by 1997.  Rarely did I spend more than $20 at a time and that wasn’t even once a week.  What a shock to find myself having to go to the grocery store to replace what I’ve eaten! 

3.  An example of a direct ratio:  excessive lettuce chewing and TMJ inflammation.

4. Craigslist attracts deadbeats.  What’s with people who text you all week and again two hours before the scheduled assignation and then they don’t show up.  No phone call.  No text.  And I’m talking about the seller!  Now that I’m ready to sell a few things I’ve unearthed from my closets and cabinets, I’m pondering the best way to do it.

I will share this process

5.  Don’t bother trying spinach-in-a-jar. 

6.  I wake up happy.

Well, dear reader, I’m off to bed to dream one of my very vivid dreams, which I will share in a future post.  May you have sweet dreams and wake up happy too.

Lettuce as a Gift

courtesy of eska2203_sil'sphotostream

If you’re looking for a colorful and unique gift that’s also cost-effective, consider lettuce.

I gave my final jar of lettuce to my next door neighbor.   Still green and crisp.

I don’t know if you noticed, but after my last post I received a comment from the Salad-in-a Jar  maven herself.  She remarked that perhaps I was trying too hard and suggested a more realistic consumption schedule. I’m actually going to pack some more jars, just not as much this time around.

I’ve had a few interesting suggestions from my last post, but so far nobody seems to know exactly what that thing is.  In the meantime, I’ll keep the gadget in my lunch bag for future salads.

Oops, business break.  Talk amongst yourselves.

I’m back.  I’ve just been on the phone with my bank asking why, having paid off my mortgage in April, did they deduct my May mortgage payment.  They understand that I might be frustrated–they would be too, but the banker who had assured me this wouldn’t happen unfortunately gave out wrong information.  They do apologize and will be happy to return my money to me.  It will only take 21 days!  No, they can’t just put it back in my account in the same few seconds it took to take it out, and they do apologize and realize I’m frustrated but, no, taking money that isn’t owed to them is not stealing because they plan to give it back and, yes, I can talk to the calm, velvet-voiced supervisor who patiently explains why my money can’t be replaced immediately [they get the interest not me] and promises to overnight a check to me in a week.

I will share this process

Not stealing, my eye!

Well that little interlude changed the tone of the evening.  I will bid you good evening and go enjoy a glass of white wine.  I’ll let you all know when I get the check.  Don’t hold your collective breaths.

Does anybody know what this thing is?

If onomatopoeia defines a word which imitates its sound, like rat-a-tat, then what would you call a thing whose shape requests its definition?  A shaeption?  

I found this in my mother’s kitchen drawer.  It looked useful for a number of things so I kept it.  Now I’ve got it and I don’t have my mom to ask what she used it for.

I stated publicly in Step 4 of my April 23 blog that I will use things I already have.  “Once I find whatever it is, I promise to use it or get rid of it.“  I don’t want to get rid of whatever this is, so I appeal to you, dear reader, to help me keep my promise.

To be honest, I’ve discovered one use.  I can open my salad-in-a-jar vacuum top with the curved plastic end, but this seems a rather limited use for something clearly made for multi-tasking.   After attempting to turn, twist or pop off tops to no avail, I can’t figure out what all these tasks might be.

And here’s the other problem.  It’s been a week since I vacuum packed my lettuce.  The good news is the salad-in-a-jar is still green, fresh and crisp so the experiment is a big success.   The bad news is the lettuce is outlasting my interest in eating salads twice a day, thus the need to find another use for my shaeption.

I wish I could scan a picture into my computer and google  “what is this thing?”  If such a Google service were available, wouldn’t you use it to identify doodads you come across in your kitchen drawer?  Or better yet  a doo missing its dad?

I will share this process

In lieu of GoogleWhazzit, please send me your guesses, whimsical ideas and suggested uses for this gadget.   Perhaps somebody out there actually knows what it is.

I look forward to receiving you comments.

A day to remember

I went to the gym today

First, I went to the gym today!

Second, I paid off my mortgage.  Unfortunately, I left my cellphone in the car and couldn’t document the moment with a photo, but my banker Yvonne and her assistant congratulated me and we all shared a moment of girl power.

Afterwards, when I went to Dollar Tree  for a celebratory Diet Pepsi, I just had to tell the cashier why I was buying the Diet Pepsi.  She was very excited for me and suggested that I should be drinking a Margarita instead.  That sounded good but  as it was 10:30 am and I had things to do, I stuck with the Pepsi. I wanted to tell her that the reason I could pay off my mortgage was that I shop at her store, but another customer was waiting and the moment passed.

I love my Dollar Tree.  It’s absolutely the place to for a drink and a snack on the way to the movies.  (I always feel like I’m getting a great deal when I go to the discount matinee and sneak in my own food.)

And at Dollar Tree, unlike that big fat liar Family Dollar where everything costs exactly what it wants to, everything  really is one dollar.

For some reason, I don’t experience poverty consciousness when I shop at my Dollar Tree, the one at Garland and Buckner.  Perhaps it’s the manager.  He cares about the appearance of the store and keeps it well stocked, and although it’s clear he runs a tight ship, it’s also clear he enjoys his job and likes his employees.  It just seems like a nice place to work.  Maybe I’ll work there part time after I retire.

Well, dear readers, I’ve eaten a jar and a half of salad it it’s still fresh and crisp.  In fact it’s crisper than before it was stored in the jar.  The four jars left in my refrigerator show no signs of wilting and it really is easier to eat a salad when it’s this simple.  Just add tomatoes and whatever.  So far I’m pleased with this experiment.

I will share this process

My monetary outflow was huge today since I bought the rest of my house, in fact it’s more money than I’ve ever spent in one day, but this is a big step in my plan, so it still counts as frugality and I feel good.

Tomorrow is another work day, so I must bid you all good night.

May you have abundant dreams.

From Starbucks to Salad-in-a-Jar

Frugality is proving to be both time-consuming and expensive.

First there’s time needed for planning the money-saving meals, shopping for such, which today involved driving to five grocery stores to find everything I needed (wide-mouth mason jars are not that easy to find) to prepare the convenient salad-in-a-jar, preparing it, cleaning up, and storing it all.  Fortunately, I already have a small second refrigerator in my garage so I don’t have to purchase more storage space and I drive a Prius so the gas cost wasn’t exorbitant.

Then there’s the time required for developing systems to keep track of expenses, keeping track of those expenses, and writing about keeping track of those expenses.  It’s 8:30pm and I haven’t had time to eat dinner!

Okay, so what is salad-in-a-jar?  Remember how I told you that I used to buy produce and then discard all the stuff I didn’t use in time.  Well some of that discarded stuff was brown wilted lettuce.  (Did you know that the brown is actually rust from the iron in the lettuce oxidizing? That shows how good it is for you, but let’s face it, who cares.)  Well,  salad-in-a-jar.com is a site I surfed into by accident and I think it’s a clever idea.  It’s a way to keep chopped lettuce fresh.  I’ll let you go there to check out the details.

photo: salad-in-a-jar.com

So now I have the makings for twice-daily salads for a week and I haven’t eaten a meal away from home since my celebratory lunch last Tuesday.  My expenditure for gustatory indulgences for six days totals $12.60 which went primarily to meet my diet soda, ice cream and chocolate requirements.  (Now that I’m writing down every penny I spend as advised by Your Money or Your Life , I’m somewhat aghast to acknowledge what I buy.)  I used to spend about the same amount daily on Starbucks, lunch at work and something last-minute for dinner on the way home.

My salad-in-a-jar experiment cost $ 37.63 which sounds expensive, but that includes $15 in jars, which will be amortized over the coming year.  I’ll let you know if it turns brown.

I will share this process.

What with all the running around, food prep, expense reports, preparing for my CPR renewal tomorrow, and writing this, it’s 9:54 and I didn’t make it to the gym.

I just ate a salad for dinner.

Sleep well dear readers.