tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-63568252214869215022024-03-14T00:57:05.199-04:00Living Smart Living SmallAn Adirondack family's experience with minimalism, frugality and small house living on the path to financial independenceLiving Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comBlogger46125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-46115283510709514852019-12-31T01:41:00.000-05:002019-12-31T01:41:31.380-05:00Living Smart Living Small: Groceries EditionFriends, Readers - let's talk groceries. We all have to eat, and we (mostly, most of us, most of the time) want to eat well. Doing so in a small house and on a budget can be a challenge, but there are lots of ways to make it easy (as pie? that you made yourself...)<br />
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<h2>
Living Smart Living Small Seven Steps to Savings on Savories </h2>
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<b>1. Shop at Aldi.</b><br />
<br />
This is my NUMBER ONE piece of advice to help drop your grocery budget. We were struggling to keep under $175 a week for a family of four at our local branch of Big Name grocery store, but now have very little trouble staying around $125 a week now just by switching to Aldi. And, at those savings, I figure that my 15 minutes of bagging my own groceries every week just made me at least $100 an hour!<br />
<br />
Occasionally I will need a product that Aldi doesn't carry, or another version (like dishwasher detergent - the powdered kind works waaaaaay better, costs less, does not come in a plastic container AND lasts longer). I shop around online at big name stores to see where I can get the best deal.<br />
<br />
<b>2. Cook at home. </b><br />
<br />
If you're into living smart AND have read any of my posts, I shouldn't even have to remind you, but just in case, I will.<br />
<br />
Eating out on any kind of regular basis is one of THE quickest ways to kill your budget without even realizing it.<br />
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The good news is cooking at home can be fun and enjoyable. It also tends to be healthier - and you'll get more choices because [<i>cue drum roll...</i>] you will make those choices yourself at the grocery store each week!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bacon - YUM! See how much fun it can be to cook at home?!</td></tr>
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For us, a family of four, including two kids with huge appetites (already!), three of us with food allergies and one of us with GI issues, eating out has become almost always a hassle. Fortunately, hubs went to culinary (yeah!) and I also like to cook, plus our kids get involved (for better or for worse, sometimes both and we wouldn't have it any other way). Oh, and we live in the woods, so most eating out experiences are easily 25+ minutes away... so let's just say that cooking at home has become part of our Living Small lifestyle.<br />
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That being said, we have many weeks that get super busy with work, school and play, and cooking seems to be the last thing on anyone's mind, while eating is still the first. On weeks I know I'm going to be swamped, I take a few hours on Sunday afternoon and cook up a storm. I've been known to make lentil meatballs, meat meatballs (that's a thing, right?!) and a roast chicken in one night. Roasting the chicken with celery, onion and carrots gives me the basis for my soup, so that's easy too. Anything leftover after two or three days goes into the freezer for future meals.<br />
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<b>3. Bring your lunch (and snacks) with you.</b><br />
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This goes along with #2 above. Because, if you're already cooking at home, you might just possibly have some leftovers hanging around that you can toss into your work bag and enjoy again with your wonderful friendly coworkers.<br />
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And, if you don't, let me just introduce you to my friend PB&J! Still good after all these years. Goes great with an apple and a thermos of coffee.<br />
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<b>4. Buy in bulk.</b><br />
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This is a tough one for small and tiny homeowners, but it can be done. I'm about to buy 25 lbs of gluten free oats and save roughly $60. I'm looking for someone to split it with, so I only have to store half of that but will still recognize substantial savings.<br />
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<b>5. Go vegetarian.</b><br />
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Or, at the very least, eat less meat. And you don't need to replace it with fancy pre-made vegetarian food. Stick to legumes (lentils are CHEAP, my friends!) or tofu for protein. Get fancy with your recipes and trying new things - my latest is making lentil "meat"balls. It cost me less than $3 to make 3 dozen, so $1 per meal. See? Super cheap!<br />
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<b>6. Buy whole chickens.</b><br />
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Whole chickens are THE best. Cook it once, eat it twice - plus, use the bones for soup. So, three meals in one! (Have I ever mentioned that I also love saving time?!) And they cost less per pound than other cuts.<br />
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That also means that red meat takes a back seat in our house. We do love our classic burgers once in awhile, but steak is saved for a very, very special occasion and usually grabbed if and only if it's on sale.<br />
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<b>7. Try intermittent fasting (IF). </b><br />
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<i>**Obviously this is not a health blog, and I am not any sort of dietitian or doctor so please check with your healthcare provider if you have any concerns about changing your diet.**</i><br />
<br />
If you haven't heard of IF, I'd say it's one of the latest buzzwords to overlap into the FIRE community. And of course there are LOTS of ways to do it, and all kinds of ideas about what is best for your body, but essentially it means eating during a designated time period and not eating outside that time. For most methods that means skipping one meal a day.<br />
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For me, I've chosen to skip lunch. I'll eat a power breakfast (two eggs & veg, like peppers and onions or whatever we have in the fridge) and then stop the daytime snacking and wait for dinner. Whenever I'm hungry, I drink a cup of herbal or decaf tea and get back to work.<br />
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I don't do this every day, but I can generally follow my plan during the work week without too much trouble. My experience is that I feel better eating this way, and it's helped me be more conscious of what and how much I ingest.<br />
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<h2>
Other Reads to Whet Your Appetite</h2>
These are some ways that we have been consistently able to save money on food, while eating healthy and heartily for all our family. There are lots of other amazing tips out there in the interweb. For more inspiration, I'm linking to some posts from some of my favorite blogs on saving some bucks at the grocery store:<br />
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<a href="https://www.frugalwoods.com/2017/01/18/our-complete-guide-to-frugal-healthy-eating/" target="_blank">The Frugalwoods' guide to frugal, healthy eating</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2012/03/29/killing-your-1000-grocery-bill/" target="_blank">Mr Money Mustache's post on killing your $1000 grocery bill</a><br />
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<a href="http://earlyretirementextreme.com/day-3-grocery-shopping.html" target="_blank">Early Retirement Extreme's post on grocery shopping</a><br />
<br />
I'd love to hear your tips and tricks and read any posts you have to share, because learning is fun - almost as much fun as saving money!Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-33381029929030263782019-12-09T20:14:00.003-05:002019-12-09T20:14:59.265-05:00The Case of Too Many ToysOr, How We Decreased Our Kids' Toys So They Could Have More Fun.<br />
<br />
I recently made a surprising observation in our quest to live small. And because of this, I decided to run some (easily reversible and non-judgmental) experiments with my kids and find out more about how they relate to minimalism in our house.<br />
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My kids, who are 7 and 4, spend a lot of time playing outside in the great northern wilderness we call home, but for rainy days they also have a play space inside, with a stocked bookshelf and a toy box full of (mostly intentionally chosen) toys that encourage creativity and community during inside playtime. I mean, we try. Cooking, woodworking "tools", a medical kit, various types of blocks, animals, baby dolls. We <i><b>thought </b></i>we were keeping it simple.<br />
<br />
But over several days I noticed that both kids were very quickly shuffling through the entire toy box, dumping most of it on the floor, and then coming to me with request after request after request for entertainment. I would send them back to their toys and encourage them to play with a specific one, but it would last merely minutes before they were back at my side. <i>Strange</i>, I thought. <i>They have lots of toys that I know they love to play with. Why aren't they staying engaged in their play?</i><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Playing outdoors is THE best!</td></tr>
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I spent a lot of time thinking about why they might not stay focused on their play with toys we know they love. It's true, they are both young and children of their ages often move from one thing to another until settling into something they consider fun. But this wasn't happening - there was <b>no</b> settling. None of their toys were bringing them joy as I had seen them experience in the past.<br />
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So one night I sat down at the toy box, and I dumped everything out. EVERYthing. I sorted through each piece, put sets back together, and took <b>more than half </b>the toys to the basement in a carefully labelled box.<br />
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When I was done, it sure looked neater, but I immediately felt a twinge of guilt and maybe a little nervousness. Would this deprive them? Would they cry and ask where this or that toy was? Was quantity and choice where it's really at, and I'm getting this all wrong? What would happen in the morning?<br />
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The sun rose, we ate breakfast, got them to their schools, and otherwise had a very normal morning. When both kids came home, they went to the toy box. Each of them took out a toy and started to play with it. Five minutes later, they were still playing. And, I'm happy to report, this went on for some time before they came to me - not for entertainment, but for a snack (a very common occurrence in our family! Snack time happens easily six times a day here. Anyone else relate?!)<br />
<br />
So far, so good. The next day, more of the same. Happily and engaged, they were playing again!<br />
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Our experiment showed us that less truly is more when it comes to toys. Even with the path we were following - where we've turned down hand-me-down toys because we couldn't see our children actually enjoying them, and we thought we were keeping the amount to a minimum - it turns out that we had to go one big step further.<br />
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We kept that box in the basement for a month or so. Anytime there was a request for a toy they remembered and couldn't find, we'd bring it back upstairs. We'd pay attention to what each kid was spending their time on and which toys were getting repeatedly overlooked, and we'd bring those no hitters downstairs for a break until they were requested again.<br />
<br />
We're now on a roll. Even though we rarely buy toys outside of birthdays and holidays, our kids end up with a slowly accumulating assortment of play things from family and friends. Every month or two, we take time to switch out the toys they have, leaving the favorites and bringing back some they have missed.<br />
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I'm certainly not the first person to recognize that fewer toys are better. <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/singletons/201712/new-study-underscores-why-fewer-toys-is-the-better-option" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Studies show </a>that fewer choices results in more prolonged and deeper engagement in play. Our experience has shown the same, and our kids are more settled, more engaged, and happier playing with the few things they love.<br />
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So now, right before each Christmas, we - GASP - entirely empty the toy box. This gives our children space to focus on the new toys they get. They get a few, and that's enough.<br />
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And during the holidays and birthdays, we unapologetically ask for experience gifts for both our kids and ourselves: tickets to live events, museum visits, special days spent with family, lessons, and the like. They take up little space in our house and yet fill hearts with joy that lasts much, much, much, much longer than any material good, however well-made, could.<br />
<br />Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-64939960028732239562019-04-29T08:45:00.002-04:002019-04-29T09:03:07.866-04:00Affordable LuxuriesI want to share with you some of my favorite ways of treating myself that don't cost more than $1 US and make my life richer and more rewarding.<br />
<ul>
<li>A day off</li>
</ul>
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When is the last time you took a day off for yourself and didn't have anything pressing to do? Isn't it amazing when you take a REAL break? Okay, maybe you can't take a whole day (kids, work, chores, blah blah blah) but can you take an afternoon? An hour? 30 minutes? </div>
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<ul>
<li>Tea</li>
</ul>
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At a cost of less than $0.50 US per cup, it's an affordable, delicious way to start your day. I recently switched from coffee to green tea in the morning and I'm noticing a difference in how I feel. I save my beloved cup of coffee (decaf for me!) for the early afternoon. If you're concerned about the ethical and environmental impact of your tea choice, look for Equal Exchange or find a local gardener who makes their own.<br />
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<ul>
<li>A hug</li>
</ul>
<div>
Yeah, yeah, I know. It sounds sappy/silly/whatever. But a real good hug from someone who loves you and who you love too is true medicine to the heart. Take 20 seconds for a hug and treasure them for just a moment in your busy day.</div>
<ul>
<li>A walk in the woods</li>
</ul>
<div>
Maybe you don't live in the woods like I do, but chances are you can find a park, garden, trail or a pretty street nearby to refresh your soul and enliven your creativity. When I lived in city, I used to cringe at the length of time I walked versus the time I spent getting to the rail trail. So I started doing walks through my neighborhood once in awhile instead. If you can walk or bike to the park, better yet for both you and the environment! I always find my creative ideas flowing when I go for a walk, so I always kept a notebook in the car to record my thoughts when I got back. No matter where you go or how you get there, in my experience, it's time well spent.</div>
</div>
<div>
<ul>
<li>A good read</li>
</ul>
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And the best place to get it is your local library. Can't get to the library? Borrow from a friend. Right now, I'm reading Jane Dwinell's <a href="https://spiritoflifepublishing.com/frugality-tiny-house/" target="_blank">Freedom Through Frugality</a>.</div>
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I hope you can find one of these ways - or one of your own - to partake in today and every day to live a full and luxuriously frugal life! </div>
Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-72514996818434410692018-09-09T12:31:00.002-04:002018-09-09T12:31:49.078-04:00The Point of Living Small<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
When I was 12 years old, I loved my music. Like the time we
went on a camping trip, hours north into the Adirondack Park, with my childhood
friend, Jenny. I had to have a radio. I had to listen to my pop hits, I don’t
even remember what they were. Probably Wild Wild West, George Michael and Def
Leppard or something like that. I probably had tapes. I remember my parents
cocking their heads to one side like they just didn’t understand. But I brought
the radio anyway.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Now, I’m 30 years older. Now, silence is a welcome gift. Don’t
get me wrong, I still love my music, just ask my kids. I won’t drive their
father’s car because the radio doesn’t work. I crank it like a teenager when I
pick them up from school. <o:p></o:p></div>
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But today, it’s silence. It’s not the first day of fall, but
it’s the first day that feels like it. And autumn always gives me a feeling of
needing contemplation and reading, and finding peace. Maybe it’s the
correlation of going back to school, and I always welcomed the start of each
new semester and the idea of learning new and bold ideas and becoming a smarter
– and better – person. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I let the dishes rest. I leave the radio off. I send the
kids outside. I read. I make soup. I hear the wind blowing quietly through the
slowly-turning leaves. It will only last a short time, a very short time, before
someone bursts in the door and demands a snack or cries loudly from a booboo or
insists I come outside to see something. So I enjoy every minute of it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I have learned the importance of slowing down and being
quiet. I don’t always do it, but when I do I thoroughly enjoy it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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This is the fire in me, to have these moments of enjoying silence
mixed in amongst the rest of busy life: Work. School drop offs. School pickups.
Grocery shopping. The one lesson or practice we allow each kid. It’s too easy
to get sucked up into the void of busyness and forget. <o:p></o:p></div>
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We need – I need – to schedule down time. And guess what? It’s
okay! Really, it is. I promise. Tell yourself: it’s okay to slow down. Tell
yourself every day until you believe it. <o:p></o:p></div>
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It seems silly to schedule down time or time alone. But it
is utterly and absolutely necessary. <o:p></o:p></div>
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I challenge you to schedule one time a week – maybe it’s an
hour, maybe it’s 10 minutes, maybe it’s the whole day – for yourself. To be
contemplative. To rest. To write. To run. To walk. Whatever brings you to your
peaceful place. And to go there and not feel badly about it. Don’t pressure
yourself about all the things you should be doing or haven’t done. Just one small
moment to be free in your mind.<o:p></o:p></div>
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Let quiet be the gift you give yourself. <o:p></o:p></div>
<br />Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-88375067546688944302018-08-09T23:51:00.002-04:002018-08-09T23:51:22.090-04:00Drought!I know I live in the Adirondacks, but - man, this summer has been HOT!<br />
Air conditioning?! In the mountains??! No way. The mountains ARE our air conditioning.<br />
But not when it's over 90 for weeks on end. Even 6 million acres of trees can't mitigate that entirely.<br />
<br />
As I write I'm spoiled with the sounds of my dishwasher running. It's the first time this week. I decided to sacrifice my shower in return for not having to touch raw chicken juice. Our 10-foot, hand dug well, although generally reliable, is not to be trusted right now that it's less than half full.<br />
<br />
As we move into a period of climate behavior unknown in human history, I need to be aware of ways to deal with weather extremes: flooding, freezing, overheating, and drought. And I need to stop taking our water resources for granted. This is not just a regional concern, either - California wildfires, worsened by drought, are affecting New York. Our brothers and sisters in Cape Town live with Day Zero looming over them. And what about Nestle?! There is responsibility everywhere for everyone to be good stewards, to take care of and not misuse the natural resources in their reach. <br />
<br />
Besides doing a rain dance outside every night after work, and religiously checking the weather radar, I've devised a few ways we can save water and hopefully keep our well from running dry.<br />
<br />
<h3>
1. Military showers</h3>
It is just as regimented as it sounds. Rinse yourself fully, then turn the water off. Soap up, then rinse off.<br />
<br />
<h3>
2. Washcloth showers</h3>
A sink, full of hot water. A washcloth. A squirt of soap. Easy peasy. One per person, please.<br />
<br />
<h3>
3. Wear those clothes twice!</h3>
Or three times. I don't know anyone who has ever complained about less laundry!<br />
<br />
<h3>
4. Wash your own dishes...</h3>
Half a sink of water (or less) will do. Wash separately - and last - any dishes or utensils that touched raw meat.<br />
<h3>
5. And don't rinse.</h3>
Europeans don't rinse their dishes. Time to take a page out of their play book!<br />
<h3>
6. Paper plates</h3>
Not those fancy sturdy ones - I'm talking the old-school food-will-fall-through-if-I-don't-eat-fast-enough ones. Throw 'em in the compost when you're done.<br />
<h3>
7. One pot meals</h3>
As if you had to convince me.<br />
<h3>
8. Barbeque</h3>
Because you needed another reason to use the barbeque this summer!<br />
<h3>
9. Only flush for #2</h3>
It's not pretty, so make sure you close the lid so you don't have to look at it! Repeat after me: "it's better than a dry well...".<br />
<h3>
10. Wash your hair once a week</h3>
This is not just a drought response - this is a beauty regiment. We spend serious $$ putting oils back into our hairs, after we spend hours, dollars and water getting them out. My hair stylist told me once a week is enough. The more natural the products you use, the better you and your hair will fare with waiting.<br />
<h3>
11. Capture rainwater when it's available. </h3>
I'm looking at some serious integrated systems, but it can be as simple as a barrel under a downspout and a bucket to move it inside when needed. (Just don't drink it or cook with it without proper treatment!)<br />
<br />
<h4>
Looking Toward the Future</h4>
I know these methods will help us get through the next month or so, because I'm fortunate to live in a place that usually has a good amount of year-round precipitation. But the future is not so bright for our stressed and changing water cycle in the northeast. I'm researching a greywater recapture system that would help us decrease our water usage on a regular basis. Thanks to Australians on YouTube, there's lots of information out there! It'll be a project, so I'll make sure to post an update if we decide to move ahead.<br />
<br />
In the meantime, I have buckets outside waiting for their chance to help replenish our system. I'll be at the laundromat tomorrow, and a friend's house for a much needed head-to-toe washing for myself and the munchkins, who diligently rain danced on the porch with me tonight.<br />
<br />
I hear thunder in the distance.Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-50533745278921931912018-06-27T23:04:00.002-04:002018-06-27T23:04:43.287-04:00Three Years In: A RetrospectiveThat's right, I am three <i>crazy</i> years into our Living Small experiment! I thought this would be a good time to recap some of our life lessons, our wins, and what we would do differently if we were starting anew.<br />
<br />
It was December of 2014 when we finally made the move to our 750 square foot house, with a toddler, a cat, and a baby on the way. We had a kitchen and a bathroom remodel mostly done, the deck finished and fenced in, and some minor touches on the interior and exterior to tidy up. After months of yard selling, trips to Goodwill and big and small decisions over what to keep, we boxed it all up and shoved it in a van and drove north to the mountains. [For your reading pleasure, start from the beginning of our downsizing project <a href="http://www.livingsmartlivingsmall.com/2014/08/the-start-of-adventure.html"><span id="goog_1256137495"></span>here<span id="goog_1256137496"></span></a>.]<br />
<br />
In three years, we've settled in. We've practiced living small. We've gotten rid of more stuff. We've made some changes. We had a baby! We lost the cat. We've learned and grown with each shift.<br />
<br />
<h2>
When one of us gets sick, (almost) everybody gets sick.</h2>
Living in a small house with two young children attending school means lots of illness going around. An open floor plan in both levels of our house means shared space and shared germs. As hard as we try, many times it hits us all. I think this will get better as our kids get older, but I do sometimes wish we had a separate room for quarantine. Lots of vitamins and hand washing here!<br />
<br />
<h2>
Private space means private time.</h2>
When someone wants their space they actually have to pick a time. I get alone time early in the morning or late at night (and that's not unusual for a mom with two kids in ANY size house any way!). My husband gets space when the kids are at school. Our daughter gets space when I read to my son on the couch. It's totally doable, but something to keep in mind for small house living.<br />
<br />
<h2>
We don't need to shout to be heard.</h2>
Of course, that doesn't keep the three year old from yelling! But living in a small house means we can have a conversation just about any time. There's no wandering around to find anyone. It gives us all extra chances to practice the art of communication.<br />
<br />
<h2>
We spend a lot of time outside.</h2>
In all seasons, we're playing outside unless the weather is bad. And by bad, I mean pouring rain or subzero temps. We've found a home at the local nordic center and fell in love with skiing, so the winter breezes by for us with lots of fun adventures shared with friends. Find an outside activity you can enjoy and you'll have no problem living small!<br />
<br />
<h2>
We still have too much stuff.</h2>
People give us things. Our kids grow out of their clothes. Occasionally we buy something we don't need, though we've gotten better at this by talking through almost every single purchase we make. When I'm out at the grocery store and see something I think would be useful, I text my husband a picture and ask. I still regularly go through our belongings and find things we don't need, and I still have to make lots of decisions about what to let go of, though it's not as intense as it was.<br />
<br />
<h2>
Having friends over means one at a time.</h2>
Okay, maybe not one friend - just one family at a time. In summer, we can hang out in the backyard and grill with as many people as we can get to join us. But when the temps drop, so does the size of our guest list. I sometimes miss big parties (remember our February whiskey parties pre-kids!), but I wouldn't give up all the benefits of small house living just for this. And small gatherings give us more time to actually chat and catch up with friends. I'd choose quality time any day!<br />
<br />
<h2>
We paid off our debts.</h2>
Except for our mortgage, we were able to pay off all our debts. Woo hoo! Any time we had extra money, two-thirds went towards debts (highest interest rate first). We used our income tax refund, too. Last November we celebrated our last debt payment by making a deposit into our savings account! And, just in case you think we're not having enough fun, we splurged on a bottle of wine.<br />
<br />
<h2>
We all love our house.</h2>
Seriously. When we travel, our kids look forward to coming home. Any time we leave, even for the day, it's bittersweet. We truly love where we live. Some of that is because we're happy in our cozy house, and some of that is because we're happy that our house is in the beautiful Adirondack mountains. Whichever way you spin it, we're happy.<br />
<br />
<h3>
Now What? </h3>
<br />
Now that we've got some small living experience under our belts, what in the world is next? Good question. Well, we've got a new idea...<br />
<br />
Our focus has shifted from downsizing our stuff and moderating life as a small family in a small house to working towards <b>financial independence </b>- sometimes known as FI or FIRE (Financial Independence Retire Early). Because we're not spending money on stuff we don't need now, and we're not paying to live in a big house, we're hoping it will be pretty easy to set aside a good portion of our monthly income towards our future.<br />
<br />
I've been exploring blogs and podcasts and websites and listening to other's experiences so I can work out a plan for us to Save, Save, Save. I've always been passionate about personal finance, and I'm really, really excited to share this next stage of Living Smart as we venture down this new path.<br />
<br />
<h3>
The Big Question</h3>
<br />
Okay, so I know what you've all been waiting to ask me, because you're thinking, "Is it worth it? Is it fun? Can you really live in a small house with kids and be happy?"<br />
<br />
Yes, yes. Yes!<br />
<br />
I can resoundingly say that this experiment has been successful. Because none of us would trade what we have now for a bigger space or more stuff.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kA9aSiBHEOQ/WzRPhlDX1FI/AAAAAAAAEkM/DyK_VV-C4Jk_ikaG1rYsONl9W_HFO3lsQCLcBGAs/s1600/IMG_3049.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="320" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-kA9aSiBHEOQ/WzRPhlDX1FI/AAAAAAAAEkM/DyK_VV-C4Jk_ikaG1rYsONl9W_HFO3lsQCLcBGAs/s320/IMG_3049.JPG" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our munchkins in Denmark</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
Case in point: we lived in a bigger house this spring during a work trip to Copenhagen, where my son and daughter got to share their own room. Want to know what happened? Yup, that's right. They didn't want it. They barely even played in it, and they definitely didn't sleep there. They wanted to be outside, or inside together. It was awesome!<br />
<br />
If you're thinking about a smaller house or downsizing, here's my best piece of advice: GO FOR IT!Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-10246110496197506032018-06-19T19:40:00.000-04:002018-06-22T10:00:05.118-04:00My Best and Worst Spending - Vol. 1It's no secret: <b><i>cutting down on expenses is the easiest and fastest way to save money.</i></b><br />
<br />
I've read lots of Real Simple articles about How to Save $1000 Right Now Without Trying but I'm almost always disappointed. We've already checked off all the boxes the article offers (cutting cable, ditching the latte, eating at home, etc.). We have a productive side hustle (<a href="https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/10341045" target="_blank">we rent a cabin on airbnb</a>). We wait and talk over each of our big expenditures before making the purchase, and we talk about the little ones, too - so we don't buy any thing we don't need.<br />
<br />
Maybe you're having this trouble, too. So I thought I'd share a few interesting ways we saved a little money this week, sometimes by spending and sometimes not.<br />
<br />
<h4>
The Best</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
We got the brakes fixed on our car. </h3>
<br />
Just to be clear, we didn't really get a choice in this matter: the Prius decided for us when it beeped and flashed warning signs that would give an ambulance driver a headache. It turns out our brake fluid reservoir was empty. Uh oh!<br />
<br />
We tried a new mechanic at the recommendation of a trusted friend, and he was able to find the problem quickly and fix it at a reasonable charge. (If you're not doing the work yourself, a good mechanic is golden! I highly recommend Richard at <a href="https://www.facebook.com/pages/Elizabethtown-Auto-Care/1066182630121841" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Elizabethtown Auto Care</a>.) He also found that one of the calipers was stuck, which was holding back the tire from moving freely.<br />
<br />
Not only could we drive our car safely, but on our way home from the shop, our gas mileage was up 5 mpg easily. We just saved $86 a year!<br />
<br />
If your car is due for new brakes, don't put it off like we did. And if you think I'm gaga over my mpg savings, check out <a href="https://www.mrmoneymustache.com/2011/07/26/hypermiling-expert-driving-to-save-25-50-on-gas/" target="_blank">this INTENSE blog post </a> about hypermiling by a favorite of mine, Mr. Money Mustache.<br />
<br />
<h3>
We bought a new refrigerator. </h3>
<div>
<br /></div>
Our old one was fine. I mean, it was 13 years old, it sometimes froze the food in the back, the bins were cracked, and it made some funny noises, but we were okay with all that. When Memorial Day sales came up and I priced a new fridge, the cost of replacement - along with the money we'd lose if our fridge gave out - didn't seem so bad.<br />
<br />
The good news: our new model saves us 100 kWh a year. We run off of solar and attempt to at least break even every year - so those kWh could help us avoid a large bill in the winter.<br />
<br />
More good news: I learned that top-mount models (with the freezer on top) are much more efficient than bottom- or side-mount models. I was surprised - I always thought bottom-mount were better. At least I found out my mistake before the purchase!<br />
<br />
The bad good news: the company screwed up our delivery, I had to reorder the product three times, and I spent several hours on the phone sorting this out. Because of the hassle, I asked the manager for an additional discount and was able to save another few bucks.<br />
<br />
<h3>
I asked for a(nother) discount. </h3>
<br />
We had a hospital bill to pay off from our high-deductible health plan (per my calculations, almost always a better way to go financially - more on this in another post). We were not paying any interest, but the monthly payments were dragging on. At tax time many hospitals will offer a discount if you pay in full, but this year our hospital didn't offer that option.<br />
<br />
So I asked for a discount anyway.<br />
<br />
Since I had no idea what they had offered in years past, I low-balled it and asked for about 4% <b>because I didn't want them to say no</b>. BIG MISTAKE. After making my request, the customer service rep shared that they normally give 20%! I started to kick myself for being so docile, but then a brief discussion with the supervisor ended up getting me a 15% discount.<br />
<br />
I could chastise myself for the 5% I missed out on, but instead I'm celebrating the 11% I got over my expectations. I call this a win!<br />
<br />
<br />
<h4>
The Worst</h4>
<div>
<br />
Now, for the fun part - here is my worst spending choice in recent days, and how you can avoid making the same mistake I did.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
I put a dual-flush system in our existing toilet. </h3>
<br />
We just came back from a trip overseas, where EVERYthing is efficient. It seemed nonsensical that our toilet has to use so much water, but I didn't want to purchase and install a new one. A dual-flush retrofit system seemed like a good compromise. I bought it for $30 at a big box store, thinking it could help save us from having to pump our septic too often. With a 10 foot deep well feeding our system, water savings is always on my mind.<br />
<br />
So I put it in, and then I went right ahead and took it out. What a piece of junk!<br />
<br />
While I was installing this disaster, I measured how much water our toilet was using for each flush with the old set-up. Turns out it was only about 1 gallon - about 60% of the advertised 1.6 gallon usage. [To do this, take off the tank lid, mark the top water line when the toilet is filled, then flush and measure to the dropped water line to get the height. For U.S. readers, multiply the inner dimensions (length x width x height) from your toilet tank in inches and divide by 231 - this will give you the volume in gallons.]<br />
<br />
I was already skeptical.<br />
<br />
Although the retrofit technically fit inside the toilet, the handle did not - it would not flush upwards when the toilet lid was on. The worst part is, when I tested it, it actually used MORE water than the standard flush system we had before, even when it was dialed to the minimum setting.<br />
<br />
A quick trip back to the box store for a return took care of that.<br />
<br />
<h4>
The Take Away</h4>
<br />
- <b>Don't put off car repairs.</b> Keeping your engine and mechanics up-to-date can give you much needed savings and add life to your automobile.<br />
<br />
- <b>Update older appliances.</b> Every kWh counts!<br />
<br />
When you're in the market for a new appliance, check with your utility company FIRST to see if they are offering any incentives, which could be refunds, free removal of your old junker, or sometimes both! (Ours was, but the program ended before we could take advantage of it <insert sad face here>.)<br />
<br />
- <b>Save water the smart way</b>, and save your time and money:<br />
<br />
Instead of the dual-flush adapter in our basic model toilet, I modified the standard float system to use less water by lowering the float and adjusting the trip lever so the chain is connected to the hole closest to the handle. Flush and let go for liquids, or hold the handle down for solids.<br />
<br />
I basically created the dual-flush without having to pay $30 or spend 45 minutes on installation (and removal!).<br />
<br />
- <b>Be bold and ask for a discount.</b> You might be surprised by what you get!<br />
<br />
<br />
Happy smart consumerism! Feel free to share your money-saving ideas this week, and thanks for reading!Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-34394841282607328662017-06-20T23:24:00.002-04:002017-06-20T23:24:42.135-04:00Why I Choose To Stay In Debt: A critique of the Dave Ramsey methodologyBesides my passion for minimalism and small house living, I feel deeply and profoundly the importance of financial independence, living within one's means and spending resourcefully and responsibly. Not so that I can be wealthy in a monetary sense, but so that I can experience the freedom from stress and worry and obligation that living large and in debt can bring.<br />
<br />
As we downsized our belongings and our home over the past three years, we have also downsized our budget. It was pretty simple: <span style="font-family: Courier New, Courier, monospace;"><b>we started spending less and saving more. </b></span><br />
<br />
I'm one of many small living enthusiasts who has checked out Dave Ramsey and his seven steps to financial freedom. It's a straightforward plan that anyone can follow:<br />
<br />
<ol class="Body-preview" style="background-color: white; border-left: 3px solid rgb(215, 217, 224); box-sizing: inherit; color: #3a3e4b; font-family: "Open Sans", Open-Sans, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; list-style-type: none; margin-left: 2.25rem; padding-left: 0.75rem;">
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">Baby Step 1</strong>: $1,000 cash in a beginner emergency fund</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">Baby Step 2</strong>: Use the debt snowball to pay off all your debt but the house</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">Baby Step 3</strong>: A fully funded emergency fund of 3 to 6 months of expenses</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">Baby Step 4</strong>: Invest 15% of your household income into retirement</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">Baby Step 5</strong>: Start saving for college</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">Baby Step 6</strong>: Pay off your home early</li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">Baby Step 7</strong>: Build wealth and give generously</li>
</ol>
(from <a href="http://www.daveramsey.com/baby-steps">www.daveramsey.com/baby-steps</a>)<br />
<br />
We've been following this plan for almost two years now, <span style="font-size: large;">but not the way Dave says to. </span>It turns out I'm all for breaking the rules when you find a better way to do it. Here's why I am not a strict adherent to the Dave philosophy of money management, and what we're doing differently - and with success:<br />
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>If I wait until all my debt is paid off to start saving for retirement (Step 4), I'm missing out on <b><i>years </i></b>of tax-free principal stashed away in my IRA or 401k earning me compounded interest, and employer matched funds too. (And any financial advisor will tell you that 20% of your income is the real savings target.)</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>If I get fully and completely out of all my debt, with $1,000 in the bank, and then lose my job, I'm going to be in BIG trouble! $1,000 for a family of four is a great emergency fund when there's money coming in, but it's not a lot to live on during hard times.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I think it's important to build in myself and my family a habit of giving <b><i>now</i></b> (Step 7), even when we have bills and debt - and maybe even no nest egg. Giving should be part of our lives when we have and when we don't have. It can be big or small: a few items to the local food pantry is a good way to start. I want my children to think of giving as something we do, all the time, with whatever we have. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>Don't wait to start paying off a mortgage early. Even $5 extra a month can cut years off of a loan and save hundreds in interest payments. </li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>I would rather have money in the bank than be completely debt free. Why? Say, worst case scenario, my husband and I both lose our jobs. We can negotiate down our debt payments, but we're going to need cold, hard cash to pay for essentials - like groceries, healthcare, and gas. And having money in the bank gives me a sense of security that lets me sleep at night, without worrying about what would happen to my family in times of crisis.</li>
</ul>
<ul>
<li>New debt is generally more expensive than old debt. I'd rather stay out of new debt by saving money for upcoming expenses - like a new(er) car - than get out of debt. Our car loan is at such a low interest rate that paying it off early will save us a mere $37. But I'd have to spend much more than that if we don't have enough money in the bank to buy our NEXT car with cash.</li>
</ul>
<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>Step 2 involves paying off your loans in order of their outstanding balance, smallest to largest. I know why Dave advocates for this - because you get the easiest reward and are more likely to stick with the program. But if you have time to sit down and figure it out (or just take my word for it), you can save hundreds - maybe even thousands - of dollars by paying off your highest interest rate loans first, even if it takes you longer. </li>
</ul>
<div>
So after a lot of figuring, calculating, and planning, our approach looks something like this: </div>
<div>
</div>
<br />
<ol class="Body-preview" style="background-color: white; border-left: 3px solid rgb(215, 217, 224); box-sizing: inherit; font-family: "Open Sans", Open-Sans, arial, sans-serif; font-size: 16px; list-style-type: none; margin-left: 2.25rem; padding-left: 0.75rem;">
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #3a3e4b;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">Done! <strike>Baby Step 1</strike></strong><strike>: $1,000 cash in a beginner emergency fund</strike></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit; color: #3a3e4b;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">Done! </strong><strike>Baby Step 3</strike></strong><strike>: A fully funded emergency fund of 3 to 6 months of expenses</strike></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #38761d;"><strong style="box-sizing: inherit;">In Progress: Baby Steps 2 and 4-7</strong>: </span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #38761d;">Use the debt snowball to pay off all your debt but the house, </span></li>
<li><span style="color: #38761d;">AND Invest <strike>15%</strike> 20% of your household income into retirement</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #38761d;">AND Start saving for college</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #38761d;">AND Pay off your home early</span></li>
<li style="box-sizing: inherit;"><span style="color: #38761d;">AND Build wealth and give generously</span></li>
</ol>
<span style="color: lime; font-family: Open Sans, Open-Sans, arial, sans-serif;"><br /></span><div>
We decided to split our debt payments to savings in a 3:2 ratio, both on a monthly basis and whenever we find ourselves with "extra" cash at the end of the month. So far it's worked brilliantly, and our debts are almost gone!</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
So follow the Dave Ramsey plan, or make your own like we did. Whatever way you do it, and wherever you are on the financial independence spectrum, keep at it! </div>
Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-3603423708310676602017-05-23T21:55:00.002-04:002017-05-23T21:55:47.620-04:00Experiments in DishesGuys (and gals), it's happened. The unthinkable. The how-am-I-going-to-get-through-the-week disaster. When I told my daughter (she's almost 5), she said, "OH NO! Mom. That's NO good!"<br />
<br />
Yup. Our dishwasher broke.<br />
<br />
[Oh, yes. God bless us and our first world problems of earth-shattering proportions. Oh, the agony. Oh, the drama.]<br />
<br />
But seriously. Who's gonna do the dishes? Cuz you know I got other stuff going on... work... trim my nails... laundry... facebook... work (did I mention work?)... spending two hours every night begging my children to PLEASE JUST GO TO SLEEP...<br />
<br />
When it broke, I immediately jumped in my mind to replacement. Call the appliance store! How soon can they get a delivery here? What color should we get? Do they have a model that also cleans the mess under the table? Do we have enough paper plates to make it through this ordeal?!<br />
<br />
Sure, our dishwasher is old. And loud. And not very pretty. But I reminded myself that I probably really truly should look into fixing it. Maybe get another year out of it (or a few?). Clean it up. Make the best of it. And maybe save a few hundred bucks in the process.<br />
<br />
Without a doubt, it's nice to have new things. Somehow, it just feels good. Fewer worries. Better efficiency. But also it's a status thing. Like, "Hey, look at me - I can just run out and drop a pretty penny on this luxury appliance at random, just because, even when I don't need to. I have money, and stuff. Pretty stuff. I have arrived."<br />
<br />
If I really had my way, I'd have a dishwasher (sure - a nice, new one), and just enough dishes to fit in it. So I could take them out when we need to eat, and put them right back in to get washed. "Unloading the Dishwasher" would be a chore of the past!<br />
<br />
Not too long ago, we did try an experiment with our dishes. There's a facet of the tiny house community that goes for the one person, one dish lifestyle. One cup, one bowl, one plate, one fork. It's simple, and small. It sounds like a perfect structure for tiny house living.<br />
<br />
John (that's my husband) and I decided to give it a go. There are four of us, so we kept four of each item in the cabinet, boxed up the rest and put it in the basement during our one week trial period.<br />
<br />
At first, it was great! The clutter in our kitchen almost disappeared immediately. There were no dirty dishes overflowing the sink, the cabinets were neat and tidy and everything had some space around it. Minimalism in action!<br />
<br />
And then it was lunch time. But, because we only had four plates, and we used those four plates for breakfast, we now had nothing to eat off of. Now you might not know this, but when a 4 year old and a 2 year old want to eat, they don't fully understand the meaning of the word "wait" or "I can't right now" or "just give me one more minute..." My kids are good eaters. And they were not about to let the lack of a plate keep them from the agonizing, "MOMMY! is lunch ready YET?!" <repeat> cry.<br />
<br />
So we stopped making lunch to do the dishes.<br />
<br />
And, by day 2, we decided that we would rather deal with a little clutter and a few more plates to throw in the dishwasher (back in the good ol' days when it was working!) so we could have a little bit more time and attention to give to our kids.<br />
<br />
And though I'm sure there are lots of podcasts, blogposts, twitter feeds and facebook messages dedicated to the energy and bodywork and enlightenment and deep connection with your own food source and other positive soul-cleansing you can attain from taking the time to hand-wash each and every one of your own dishes, truly NO ONE in this house was going to miss scrubbing plates, bowls and cups three or four times a day.<br />
<br />
The box came up from the basement, and the dirty dishes now pile up. Experiment complete.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aX6F6QJwplI/WSTnLOTri5I/AAAAAAAAER0/zchvb31Hm7c8J_LAKpT2f_1sFwKLWwuPgCLcB/s1600/IMG_2428a.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-aX6F6QJwplI/WSTnLOTri5I/AAAAAAAAER0/zchvb31Hm7c8J_LAKpT2f_1sFwKLWwuPgCLcB/s320/IMG_2428a.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two reasons why I need a dishwasher</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
As for our dishwasher, I am swallowing my pride. Last night I pulled out the racks, gathered up some tools, looked up some repair videos, ordered a part, and after two hours of work, $12.99 and waiting for the FedEx truck to show up, it should be back in business.<br />
<br />
I did allow myself one miniature luxury: paying extra for 2-day shipping!<br />
<br />
Because sometimes a mom just needs a break.Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-26441606311723538882017-04-27T23:05:00.000-04:002017-04-27T23:05:12.707-04:00Neiman Marcus got nothin' on me!By now I'm sure you've seen the latest fashion offering from Neiman Marcus guaranteed to make you empty your wallet to make it look like you played in a mud puddle:<br />
<a href="http://www.neimanmarcus.com/Robins-Jeans-Distressed-Dirty-Wash-Moto-Jeans-Blue/prod188560073/p.prod?ecid=NMCS__GooglePLA&utm_medium=CSE&utm_source=NMCS__GooglePLA" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Robins Jeans from Neiman Marcus</a><br />
<br />
Cue eye roll and gag noises from the minimalist peanut gallery.<br />
<br />
$425? Seriously? (But please, if someone you know bought these - or is thinking about buying them - please, implore them to tell me why. I am seriously interested in the demographics and thought patterns of the target market.)<br />
<br />
I recently made my own jeans-related booboo. Not a $425 one, mind you, but a mistake nonetheless.<br />
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: large;">I'm going to tell you a story...</span><br />
<br />
It starts several years ago, when I am quickly shopping at a thrift store looking for the perfect pair of jeans. And by quickly, I mean my daughter is running up and down the aisles, followed by my husband trying to grab her, with my son in his arms crying. I don't even have time to go to the decrepit dressing room to try anything on. And by perfect, I mean the jeans that look good, feel good, and fit <i>just right. </i>For me, being 5 foot 1 and not skinny as a supermodel, that's basically a miracle.<br />
<br />
Regardless, I'm determined. I run my hands down the row of second-hand threads, giving anything promising a once-over. I find something. I hold them up, flip them over, measure them across my waist and, with no exchanges no returns, decide it's worth the gamble.<br />
<br />
$7.99 later, I get home to finally see if my choice was a good one. I try them on.<br />
And, it's MAGIC! I found them!<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I found THE perfect pair of jeans.</span><br />
If you've ever found the perfect pair of jeans for you, you know. I don't have to tell you. There are no words to describe it. It's equivalent to finding the perfect swimsuit and the perfect brand <i>and </i>style of underwear in the SAME day.<br />
<br />
Fast forward to now. I have worn these jeans religiously since that fateful day. And they show it. I've worn two nice holes in them and I sadly stash them in the drawer to await some other fate when I'm ready to finally let go.<br />
<br />
I decide that I will never, ever have another moment like that moment at the thrift store. Oh, I've tried, I have. But these jeans are the only ones for me. So then I decide that the only thing for me to do, the only right thing for me to do, is to... replace them.<br />
<br />
I go online. I type in the RN, the brand, the style. And would you believe it - I find them AGAIN! $12. With shipping, $18. Almost brand new. The picture looks <i>exactly </i>like my pair of darling dungarees. I pull out my handy dandy credit card (yes, I still have a credit card!) and I buy them.<br />
<br />
Five days later, I get them in the mail. Angels are singing! So am I. I pull them out.<br />
And they are not at ALL the same.<br />
They are longer, and skinnier, and darker, and just not right.<br />
<br />
I cry inside, a little.<br />
<br />
Then I go online again, and I find them. AGAIN! This time, I check the stitching, the back belt loop that's diagonal, the pocket size and placement. This time, I got it. These are THE ones. And, they're only $8 (with shipping, $12.50). Woohoo!<br />
<br />
And yeah, you guessed it, they weren't the right ones either. Made in 2007. Mine were made in 2005. Whatever. Screw you, Banana Republic!<br />
<br />
So I realize I need to do what I should have done in the first place.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">I fix my trusty old pair of jeans.</span><br />
<br />
I find a video on youtube (though I end up referring to <a href="http://www.manmadediy.com/users/dan_e_t/posts/2651-the-diy-tailor-an-easy-way-to-fix-holes-in-your-jeans-and-other-garments" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this blog post</a>). My husband donates an old pair of beyond-repair jeans to my patch. I get out the sewing machine, and I carefully fix my well-loved pair of perfect denim.<br />
<br />
I tell you all that to remind you (and myself, too) that:<br />
1. you can't always replace something you love.<br />
2. you shouldn't always try to replace something you love.<br />
3. things can be fixed.<br />
<br />
So get out that sewing machine, or that toolbox, or that bottle of Gorilla Glue. Do yourself and the planet a favor and fix something today!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eTeEu6GPwgI/WQKsil3rcHI/AAAAAAAAEQs/KEmV_oiCweMs8yo13tWDDYMXcwEp5vTpwCLcB/s1600/IMG_2960.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-eTeEu6GPwgI/WQKsil3rcHI/AAAAAAAAEQs/KEmV_oiCweMs8yo13tWDDYMXcwEp5vTpwCLcB/s200/IMG_2960.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Me and my favorite jeans, post-patch</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Inspired by The Story of Stuff and <a href="http://www.upworthy.com/9-reasons-you-shouldnt-throw-away-clothes-and-4-things-you-can-do-instead?c=click" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">this post </a>from Upworthy.Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-71456515358508578652017-03-14T21:52:00.002-04:002017-04-11T21:46:38.841-04:00Life in Uncertain TimesJust when you get into this rhythmic routine: work, eat, relax, sleep, repeat...<br />
<br />
A while ago I got a call from my supervisor at work. We don't talk on the phone often - it's usually email, conference calls and IM - so when there's a call, something needs attention NOW.<br />
<br />
The word was that my consulting job in IT would be ending.<br />
<br />
<Pause...> Oh...<br />
Ew! <br />
<i>Really?</i><br />
Ummmm...<br />
<br />
It had a been a good run, I'd have to admit, six years into a contract I was told would only last one. Doing something I enjoy (love?). At home, where my husband can call me over to see the funny faces my kids make and I didn't have to worry about missing first steps, first words, first anything.<br />
<br />
I took a deep breath. I knew we would get through this.... But HOW?<br />
<br />
<h3>
<span style="font-size: large;">I started here:</span></h3>
<b>I balanced our checkbook.</b> I need to know exactly what is available to us in our accounts.<br />
<br />
<b>I checked the balances on all our debts and outstanding bills. </b>What's the least I can pay every month and still stay current?<br />
<br />
<b>I revised our budget. </b>What's the least amount we need coming in every month to squeak by? What do we really need to spend money on: mortgage, groceries, health insurance, gas, car.<br />
<br />
<b>I stopped discretionary spending. </b>For us, it's mostly eating out, the Friday night bottle of wine, new books, these super nice flannel sheets with soft green trees that were on sale that I really really wanted to sleep on. Anything that doesn't directly relate to our survival or our ability to work.<br />
I knew when our situation was stable again, we could add these fun buys back into our routine. (Then again, maybe we don't need to...)<br />
<br />
When I checked the calendar, the next big expense we had scheduled was my trip to the salon. My favorite indulgence. I've been going to the same place since I was in college. They know me and my wild Calabrese hair. And they are AWEsome and worth every penny. But NOT NOW. So, I decided to cut my own hair.<br />
<br />
If you decide to do this, be wary. I watched a bunch of youtube videos, BAD idea. (Well, mostly.) There were some cringe moments at the end of a few videos. But, it gave me the courage to try. I figured the worst thing that would happen is that I had to run to the salon for a fix or wear a hat for a few weeks. I picked up the scissors and...<br />
<br />
<b>I cut my hair.</b> The next day, I got TWO compliments. Given the fact that I live in a small community, and that I'm not incredibly fashion minded, I took this as two thumbs up! But if sometime you see me around town wearing a hat for a few weeks, please. Don't ask too many questions.<br />
<b><br /></b>
<b>We are maximizing other sources of income. </b>You know what my favorite thing in the world is (besides saving money)? ... PASSIVE INCOME! I was a landlord for almost 10 years, and it wasn't easy all the time (okay, most of the time. okay, maybe sometimes it really sucked!) but it is true that real estate is a good investment.<br />
<br />
We sometimes rent out our house when we're out of town, and we put the income towards paying down our debts if there's any left over after monthly expenses. Win-win-win!<br />
<br />
And we didn't forget about our tiny house, which will soon become a seasonal stopover for area hikers, bikers, climbers, and any other vacationer looking for a minimalist and rustic space to call home for a night. My husband kicked it into high gear and, thanks to his (amazing!) hard work, we are just putting the finishing touches on the still-to-be-named tiny house rental.<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gIJoqEdTgVw/U-1m8HQRl7I/AAAAAAAACOs/7fkr22WABho6j8POVw5zEdKlYIwPl3nHwCPcB/s1600/PHOTO_20140416_081444.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="200" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-gIJoqEdTgVw/U-1m8HQRl7I/AAAAAAAACOs/7fkr22WABho6j8POVw5zEdKlYIwPl3nHwCPcB/s200/PHOTO_20140416_081444.jpg" width="112" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2014 before the reno</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ukKYv9_BbJQ/WG25s7pAGOI/AAAAAAAAEOY/KYsNfY-kafI98MTluIFb924ylk1NwCD3gCLcB/s1600/IMG_1964.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="150" src="https://4.bp.blogspot.com/-ukKYv9_BbJQ/WG25s7pAGOI/AAAAAAAAEOY/KYsNfY-kafI98MTluIFb924ylk1NwCD3gCLcB/s200/IMG_1964.JPG" width="200" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Work in progress last year</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
<br />
<b>I stayed positive. </b>Because the alternative won't get me anywhere.<br />
<br />
Because we have a small and modest life, with similarly sized responsibilities and financial obligations, we are able to weather major changes like losing a job much, much better than we were when we owned a big house. Downsizing has saved us major headaches in the here and now by simplifying our daily lives and by alleviating our worries for the future.<br />
<br />
<b>I got hired. </b>We had a few very tenuous days of waiting, wondering, and a few days of running around getting paperwork in. But, very fortunately for me and my family, I ended up in a good employment situation after I got hired by the company I had consulted for. Our lives and our bank account settled back down.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
The truth is, we never know what the future holds, but sometimes it is more uncertain than others. While I work on living life every day in a way that allows me to cherish the ephemeral moments of the present, I also recognize the necessity of being generally prepared for random uncertainty in the future.<br />
<br />
<b>I'm listening. </b>For those of you facing tough times, whether it's losing a job or anything else that contributes to your everyday well-being: I wish you peace in your hearts and favor in your circumstances. And I've always got a listening ear if you feel inclined; you can reach me <a href="mailto:livingsmartlivingsmall@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-68500396444745888452016-09-23T22:23:00.000-04:002016-09-23T22:29:28.456-04:00FlackIt always happens. I know it's going to happen, sometime, somewhere. But it still seems to take me by surprise.<br />
<br />
Pushback. Objection. Misunderstanding. Judgment.<br />
<h3>
Flack.</h3>
It comes up in the best and the worst of circumstances. Family gatherings. Random street conversations. The interweb.<br />
<br />
Turns out not everyone is a fan of Living Small.<br />
<br />
Maybe it's a full-blown argument. Maybe it's just a twitch in your gut that makes you feel uncomfortable. Or something in between.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
I've done some soul-searching, and here's the conclusion I've reached about how I can responsibly and respectfully respond to critics who may not like what I do. And how we can all respond to that family member, friend, random stranger on the street corner who hollers an objection at us, our beliefs, our lives.<br />
<br />
<h3>
1. It's okay if someone doesn't like/agree with/want to live like me. </h3>
<div>
We are free here to feel and think as we like.<br />
<br /></div>
<h3>
2. I am not responsible for the way other people feel or think about my life.</h3>
This is not heroin. Our Living Small Living Smart lifestyle is a well-thought-out, conscious choice to live in a way that brings us health and happiness.<br />
<br />
No one needs to legitimize this for us.<br />
<br />
<h3>
3. My intent - and this blog - is not about telling anyone how to live their life. </h3>
It's about sharing an experience. I started writing because my experience with downsizing and minimalism was so intense and rewarding, and lots of people I talked to were positively responding to the bits and pieces I was sharing in conversation.<br />
<br />
My hope is to encourage anyone who chooses to walk down this road, and to remind everyone that there are many ways to live comfortably and happily.<br />
<br />
I can't live anyone else's experience, and no one else can live mine.<br />
<br />
<h3>
4. Our lives improved thanks to our downsizing experience. </h3>
<div>
Our stress levels went down. Our worries shrunk. Our financial troubles eased. Our time was freed up. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Our responsibilities were fewer, and opportunities started coming our way. Living small put us in a position to say "YES!" to new jobs, a new community, new friends and new experiences. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Don't get me wrong, this hasn't made everything perfect. (Nothing does!) But the benefits we got as a couple and as a family from getting rid of our stuff and living in a small house far, far outweighs anything we had when we had bedrooms and space and closets and things to fill them.<br />
<br />
If your choice made your life better, rejoice in that! And make it a point to share the good.<br />
<br /></div>
<h3>
5. The things we always assumed we needed we found out we don't actually need. </h3>
<div>
So somebody tell me why would we ever go back to clutter our lives with things and space that would just get in our way?<br />
<br />
You may have a hard time understanding how you could possibly live without _________. Your blender. A closet full of clothes. Separate bedrooms. A two-car garage.<br />
<br />
I'm not going to judge you for holding onto those things. So please don't judge me for letting go of mine.<br />
<br />
We all have to make (and we're responsible for) our own decisions.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
6. We all need to live intentionally by making conscious choices.</h3>
Whether you believe in Living Small or not, the worst thing I can think of for you - for anyone - is to watch you choose a path JUST because you feel someone else (society, advertising, The Joneses, your dad) wants you to.<br />
<br />
Our foray into small house living wasn't at the behest or approval or anyone or anything. This shift came from our hearts, from our passion, to be socially responsible and wise stewards of our time, energy, money and things.<br />
<br /></div>
<div>
I do believe - and my life experience has shown - that <b><i>good things </i></b>happen when we make our own informed, healthy decisions.<br />
<br />
<h4>
Live and Let Live - and listen in between.</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
<h3>
7. <i>And probably THE most important point...</i> We can all learn from each other, even (especially?) when we disagree. </h3>
<div>
This is something I am practicing. To not just hear, but to listen, without jumping to a response, when someone doesn't agree with me. To open my mind to other ways of thinking, to other ways of doing things. To not STAY so stuck in my own patterns. Even when I think I'm "right". To not shut down when that feeling of discomfort crops up. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
We need each other.<br />
<br /></div>
<h4>
With every decision comes a critic.</h4>
<div>
<br /></div>
No matter what kind of lifestyle you choose: a big house, a small house, a tiny house, a van, a tent... there will always be someone out there who thinks you're doing it "wrong". There will always be someone who is doing it better than you. With every decision comes a critic.<br />
<br />
So in this age of hotheadedness, brash anti-____ sentiments, mistrust of the "other", let's take a moment to remember to be kind and respectful to people who don't think/feel/believe/live the way we do.<br />
<br />
Our world can use all the kindness you can give!<br />
<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">Inspirations for this post include: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/parker-palmer-courtney-martin/id150892556?i=1000330506458&mt=2" target="_blank">On Being with Parker Palmer</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><a href="http://www.theminimalists.com/p033/" target="_blank">The Minimalists Podcast on Criticism</a></span><br />
<span style="font-size: xx-small;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: xx-small;">My mom, who is always nice to everyone</span><br />
<br />
<br /></div>
Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-14829112363358364742016-08-01T01:23:00.004-04:002016-08-09T23:45:09.590-04:00"Our Evil Plan to Steal Photons from the Sun"May 26, 2016 was a monumental day in my life. Not my birthday. Not my kids' birthdays. Not my anniversary. It was the day we flipped the switch to turn on our <b><i>brand </i></b>spankin' new solar panels! My husband calls it [cue Dr. Evil cackle], "Our evil plan to steal photons from the sun"! I call it free green energy for the rest of our lives.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qGmd6Uk9oDA/V57Zu04mq0I/AAAAAAAAEJ0/Drk7ak2TpuUOco-3CTOhBc7oC8JYr6YOwCLcB/s1600/IMG_2345.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-qGmd6Uk9oDA/V57Zu04mq0I/AAAAAAAAEJ0/Drk7ak2TpuUOco-3CTOhBc7oC8JYr6YOwCLcB/s320/IMG_2345.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Apex Solar installing our solar panels in May 2016</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
The whole process was so easy, I seriously can't believe we didn't do it sooner.<br />
<br />
I must thank environmentalist <a href="http://www.billmckibben.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Bill McKibben</a>, because it was his talk at Keene Central School last fall that really reminded me that I MUST do something to slow down climate change. And, thanks to our friends Jan and Megan Wellford who shared their experience going solar, and gave us the connection to <a href="https://www.apexsolarpower.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Apex Solar</a> - a company I can highly recommend.<br />
<h3>
The Details</h3>
From start to finish, our project took about 6 months. It would have taken 6 weeks, but just as Apex was about to schedule our install, the ground froze late last December and that meant we had to wait until the spring.<br />
<br />
Apex was absolutely great to work with. Our salesman (John) was knowledgeable and personable. Our project manager (Oren) was on top of the entire process. Our installers were also super nice and really, really good at what they do! The only hiccup we faced in the entire process was one machine that broke down while digging the trench between the panels and our electric box. We had to wait a day for a part to come in.<br />
<h3>
The Install</h3>
<div>
For our ground-mount system, the racks went up in half a day, the panels (we have 24!) took a day and the trench took another day (not including the breakdown). Pretty good for full energy independence!</div>
<br />
Except for snow removal, our system takes care of itself. I'll report back on this as time goes on if we have any issues. I've talked to a number of friends (and friends of friends) and I have only heard of one couple who had to replace an inverter - but it was over 10 years old, and beyond its expected lifespan.<br />
<br />
[Edit: Last night our inverter was not giving a reading. I called Apex, and a tech (Mike) swung by the house today to take a look. By the time he got here, everything was working fine again and Mike determined it was probably due to a brief grid power outage. It turns out they check our system productivity and functioning from the office every day! No worries there.]<br />
<br />
So what does it look like? A beautiful piece of industrial artwork<br />
<br />
We are set up with 24 panels in a (mostly) unused portion of our driveway which will produce an estimated 7,000 kwH of power every year. Sweet mother of god, that's a huge system, right?! Yeah, it kinda is! Because we planned a few changes in the near future - electric heat and a clothes dryer - it's sized at 109% of our <i>expected </i>usage These are two luxuries we've decided to go with after much discussion. (More on those changes to come.)<br />
<br />
With such a sizable system, we have created a new landmark in the Town of Keene! Need to find our house? Look for the solar panels!<br />
<h3>
Grid Tie</h3>
Being grid tied has its advantages:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>we sell to our electric company any excess power we produce.</li>
<li>if you've ever looked at getting a mortgage on an off-grid home, you probably know that most banks won't finance you. In the off chance that we ever want to sell our home, being grid tied can give our buyer more options. For the time being. I hope someday banks see the value in investing in off-grid homes.</li>
</ul>
and disadvantages:<br />
<br />
<ul>
<li>we still have to pay a monthly fee to the utility company to have an electric meter. I only wish NYSEG uses our $15/month to invest in green energy! </li>
<li>when grid power goes out, our power goes out. </li>
</ul>
That last bit is kind of a bummer, but we hope to one day mitigate that disadvantage by installing a <a href="https://www.tesla.com/powerwall" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Tesla home battery</a>, the coolest new thing out there in energy conservation.<br />
<h3>
The Dough</h3>
I was always worried that we could never afford to go solar. I had always heard of the thousands of dollars it costs and it always sounded beyond my reach. But here's how I found out it was something we could afford to do:<br />
<ul>
<li>Our monthly utility bill would not increase. Instead of paying the utility company, we pay off our loan.</li>
<li>The value of our property goes up by about the cost of the system, so we recoup the full system cost even if we sell our home tomorrow. </li>
<li>Our down payment was only $1,000.</li>
<li>Between the grants offered to us and the Federal and State tax credits we will receive, our system will be at least 50-60% paid for! Right now the grants offered to us through NYSERDA were double what they had been in previous years, and it's there as long as funds remain available. Lucky us! </li>
</ul>
<div>
When I ran the numbers, from every aspect, it always came out that a solar installation was something we couldn't afford NOT to do! </div>
<h3>
AND... The Best Part</h3>
Apex Solar did ALL the paperwork! (Now you know how much I love paperwork!)<br />
<h3>
The Bottom Line</h3>
Without hesitation, and at the risk of sounding like a radio commercial, I implore you: If you have $1,000 and a house, GO SOLAR!<br />
<br />
And tell Apex Solar I say, "Thank you!".<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">P.S. If you decide to go solar with Apex and want to support the LSLS blog, please mention my name! </span>Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-25380454310473382802016-06-01T22:26:00.002-04:002016-06-01T22:26:11.967-04:00Accomplishments <h4>
<i>"What if I never accomplish anything else in my life?"</i></h4>
This is the question that's been ruminating in my head over the past week.<br />
<br />
It started after a two-day stretch of sunshine in the merry, merry month of May. I was working outside on the deck while my husband hung out with the kids in the yard. Blue skies lapped the top of the mountains, the trees beginning to bud and give off that bright chartreuse of new spring leaves. I sipped my tea and breathed in the wonders of the beautiful day.<br />
<br />
Then it just popped into my head: What if I never accomplish anything else?<br />
<br />
What if I just enjoy each day, like today? What if I take my time to breathe in the sunshine, or the rain? What if I work, watch my kids grow up, play with them after work, make dinner, relax, repeat?<br />
<br />
What if I never finish my Masters? What if I never get a promotion? What if I don't get us out of debt ahead of schedule? What if I don't organize my paperwork, or clean the house to a sparkle, or keep up with all the laundry, or finish all these things <span style="font-size: large;">things THINGS </span>I have to do?<br />
<br />
It's not about being lazy. It's not about lacking ambition. It's not about never getting anything done.<br />
<br />
It's about ceasing to strive for perfection. It's about relaxing my grip and letting go. It's a little bit about living RIGHT NOW. With whatever is going on RIGHT HERE. It's about letting myself be free, and not feeling bad about it.<br />
<br />
We've been in our small house for almost a year and a half, and it's irked me almost every day that my life still seems so full of clutter - stuff clutter (yeah sure, it's there) but also thought clutter and time clutter. I still feel scattered, too busy, missing the moments of my children's fleeting childhood.<br />
<br />
We downsized our stuff, but we're still working on downsizing our life. Making time for the things that matter means ignoring the things that don't. My biggest problem in the downsizing arena now is feeling comfortable with my life - feeling valuable - even if I never accomplish anything else. I'm a do-er, I'm "task-oriented" so this is not easy for me.<br />
<br />
I practiced this past weekend. We made no plans other than hanging out with some friends at their lakehouse, enjoying the sunshine, a random trip to the store to pick up some gardening things. We had fun. I had fun! There wasn't any stress, because there was nothing to do except relax.<br />
<br />
This is essentially what I imagine when I think about being retired, and I have decided that I just don't want to wait until then to start enjoying my life.Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-17041080801399363312016-02-19T21:23:00.000-05:002016-03-01T23:43:19.910-05:00What v. WhoIt's 8 o'clock Friday night. Kids are in bed, and I'm ready to reeeeelax. Couch. Netflix. Snacks. Tea. You know, that kinda thing.<br />
<br />
Wait, is that the baby crying?<br />
<br />
I quietly ascend the stairs, hoping with each step that my trip is in vain and sleep will come without my assistance.<br />
<br />
Not to be. My daughter sees my shadow as a sign to start talking.<br />
<br />
"Mom, I thought my hands were dead."<br />
<br />
"What? You thought your hands were what?" I think she said, "dead". I have no idea what to do with her three-year-old thoughts sometimes.<br />
<br />
"I thought my hands were dead."<br />
<br />
"Did you wake up your brother?" I try to ask without judgment, though I have my suspicions based on the fact that he was fully passed out when my husband and I left the sleeping loft only minutes before.<br />
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sbUW0vx30wI/VtZvHsgVQaI/AAAAAAAAD4A/f1XEKQv9qnI/s1600/11778036_10205972552165673_931065961_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://2.bp.blogspot.com/-sbUW0vx30wI/VtZvHsgVQaI/AAAAAAAAD4A/f1XEKQv9qnI/s320/11778036_10205972552165673_931065961_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Children (Photo by Donna O'Mara)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
"Yes,"<br />
<br />
"Why were you out of bed?"<br />
<br />
"I WASn't, Mom!" As one of our friends calls it, a threenager.<br />
<br />
"Well, how did you wake him up?" I'm more curious now than anything.<br />
<br />
"Probably by clapping."<br />
<br />
"Clapping? Why were you clapping?" Again, trying to keep my tone calm and bedtime-like.<br />
<br />
"I thought my hands were dead so I was clapping them together."<br />
<br />
Oh, my love. My sweet, sweet, darling girl. Your hands are definitely not dead.<br />
<br />
"Ok. Your hands aren't dead. But if you're ever worried and you need to check, just shake them like this, instead of clapping." I shake my hands frantically in the dark air like I am trying to get a stuck booger off them and I don't care where it lands.<br />
<br />
I hope she can see me. Then again, maybe she could just close her eyes and go to sleep...<br />
<br />
I pick up the baby, whose cries have escalated since I came into the room and didn't pick him up within microseconds.<br />
<br />
And, within microseconds, he is calm and resting again. I nurse him, and while he's eating the sounds machine turns off. That means it's been 46 minutes since I started putting them to sleep.<br />
<br />
That <i>used </i>to drive me NUTS. If bedtime took a minute longer than I thought it should, my ire was up and almost inconsolable. I had stuff to do, and things to attend to.<br />
<br />
This is why I spent the last few years discarding a lot of the What in my life, so I had more time and space and energy for the Who.<br />
<br />
The lack of What in my life means we live in this small house, and we don't have thick doors on big rooms for our own purlieus where babies can sleep in peace from the interesting drowsy thoughts of their big sisters. It means I can't watch Netflix when the baby is still awake. This is the truth of a small house.<br />
<br />
But now, sitting on the edge of my daughter's bed, I take the opportunity to clasp my daughter's hand, to watch the baby's sweet little sleepy face, to rest for a moment instead of rushing off to whatever it was I used to rush off to. It was so important, I can't even remember what it used to be.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
They both fall asleep, hard. There's even a little bit of snoring. I lay him down and cover her up. Sweet peace, at last! </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I slip downstairs thankful for the shift in my life that brought me less stuff, smaller house, and more connected to my (amazing) family.</div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
And, Netflix. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-3599470904043183412016-01-06T00:15:00.000-05:002016-07-11T16:36:42.525-04:00One Year, Many ChangesWell, we've done it! On December 30, we celebrated one year in our small house!<br />
<br />
A lot has happened in the last year...<br />
- we moved (obviously).<br />
- we <a href="http://livingsmartlivingsmall.blogspot.com/2015/01/moving-on.html" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">sold our old house.</a><br />
- we <a href="http://www.tamarackmountainguiding.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">started a business.</a><br />
- we <a href="https://www.facebook.com/livingsmartlivingsmall/photos/pb.1404041299913043.-2207520000.1452051768./1436098016707371/?type=3&theater" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">had a baby</a> (#2)!<br />
- we made so, so many wonderful new friends and started to get involved in our community.<br />
- we made it through the holidays - without needing to build an addition!<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FTu37mIlPQ8/VoyPSNxpt0I/AAAAAAAAD1k/XCp747WsAQ0/s1600/IMG_1965.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://1.bp.blogspot.com/-FTu37mIlPQ8/VoyPSNxpt0I/AAAAAAAAD1k/XCp747WsAQ0/s320/IMG_1965.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">With a small house, a woodstove and two kids, we opted for an outdoor Christmas tree.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
We've continued to sort through our belongings and simplify what we have. I just brought three bags of "stuff" to the local thrift store last Saturday and sent a huge box to swap.com (also a new favorite place for buying used clothes!). We still find things in the house that have closed the final chapter of their utility in our lives.<br />
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
In the new year, we're not doing any specific moratoriums on buying new things or spending money on ourselves, but we did make one decision recently that's greatly transforming my life and what we have. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
<h3>
Goodbye Credit, Hello Cash</h3>
<div>
We made the leap to go credit card-free, and instead use good, old, cold, hard cash. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Well, mostly. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
Which means I'm slowly letting go and changing the way I handle day-to-day money. </div>
<br />
It also means I still have our three credit cards and one store card (yup, the one with the big red bull's-eye). I still have them because...<br />
1. We have two small kids. Pumping gas without a credit card means waking up sleeping babies, unbuckling two car seats (god I HATE car seat buckles!) a 15 minute trip into the store to pay cash, 15 minutes of explaining why we can't buy 6 bags of M&M's, saying "No!" to ice cream, feeling like a horrible mom for saying "No!" to everything when I JUST WANT TO GET GAS!, crying (you figure out who!), rebuckling two car seats... anyway, you get the idea.<br />
<br />
2. I worked HARD for those credit cards!<br />
Okay, actually I didn't. Actually, one was sent to me pre-approved when I was 19, had just gotten fired from my job (YES, I actually got fired ONCE from a job. And that boss was at best an #$)%*$ on a good day so good riddance!), was in college, had no money, and practically peed my pants when they actually sent me a card with a credit limit higher than my cumulative GPA times 2,250! Which just goes to show you that credit card companies are NOT your friends. They're more like the mean kid who pretends to be your friend just so he can slap a "kick me" note on your back. Yeah, kick me, and then make me pay forty times over for a toy I could have saved for and probably don't need. Anyway.<br />
<br />
3. I keep them because, well, what happens if I lose my main card, or somebody steals it? What would I do?! (and actually, while travelling in foreign countries it does come in handy to have a backup). And the third one lets me get cash back at checkouts. I use this about once a year on a weird holiday when I forgot the bank is closed and I don't feel like paying $3 to use the ATM.<br />
<br />
4. I like getting cash back rewards. Free! Money!<br />
<br />
5. Also, I have a hard time letting go. Whatever.<br />
<br />
But okay, the gist of it is that we sat down and figured out a budget. A real, realistic budget of how much we actually need to spend on what we actually need. And a few joys here and there.<br />
<br />
It wasn't too hard to do (did I mention I like Excel spreadsheets?), but the first draft didn't include a lot of things. Like, firewood. How could I forget that?! I guess I'm still getting accustomed to some things in our new North Country life!<br />
<br />
I also had to budget down to the dollar for everything, because really that's the only way a cash-based lifestyle can really work. Every little thing has to be accounted for. After a few conversations and revisions, I think we've got it pretty close. So, every week, we take out of the bank what we need for all our various expenses, stick the moolah in their respective envelopes, and when it's gone, it's gone.<br />
<br />
We started in December, which, even if you don't spend a lot on the holidays, I would NOT recommend. We would have been much better off starting in a month where we get three bi-weekly paychecks instead of the regular two, because we had to pay out for last month's credit card bill AND pay all our current monthly expenses all at once. It was a little tough but I think we made it past the hump. We're six weeks in, everyone's been fed, clothed, cared for, loved, and provided for. The only ones who aren't happy might be my credit card companies!<br />
<br />
Well, that's one of our new adventures in 2016, with <a href="https://www.facebook.com/highpeaksrental/posts/465826513600997?notif_t=like" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">a few more to come</a> (soon)! I hope you had a very minimalist Christmas and wish you all a happy, healthy, smart new year!</div>
Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-49180025573061171212015-09-10T21:42:00.002-04:002015-09-10T21:42:57.137-04:00It's Not About Me, EitherSo just the other night I was lamenting how much more work I have to do, and this time on my self - not on my possessions.<br />
<br />
Already, thankfully, I have something to share. That even though I'm entering into this time where my attention is focusing inward instead of out, it's not about me at all.<br />
<br />
In fact, it's about <i>everything </i>else.<br />
<br />
It's about getting off of Facebook, shutting down the computer, and reading a good book.<br />
<br />
It's about dusting off my guitar case, and then opening it and letting my fingers recall some of the songs I used to love.<br />
<br />
It's about going for a family hike after work.<br />
<br />
I have done ALL of these things since my last post. And, it feels wonderful: freeing, stimulating and rejuvenating.<br />
<br />
This is what downsizing has given me. It's not less stuff, or a smaller house, or an edgy lifestyle, or material for a blog. It's <i><b>FREEDOM</b></i>.<br />
<br />
I just have to remember not to forget.<br />
<br />
<br />Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-89308762966913596782015-09-08T22:44:00.000-04:002015-09-08T22:44:30.849-04:00It's Not About Stuff AnymoreSo... our <a href="http://livingsmartlivingsmall.blogspot.com/2015/08/the-unpacking-party.html" target="_blank">21 days </a>is up! Do you want to know what happened - what really happened?<br />
<br />
[Ok, good. I was hoping that you would be okay with knowing the real story, and not some made-up, fancy blogpost aimed at getting attention.]<br />
<br />
Because, nothing. Nothing happened.<br />
<br />
Well, not much.<br />
<br />
I mean, yeah, we found that we didn't need a bunch of stuff that we'd stored in the basement. And we found a few things that we did need: the baby's swing, some shoes, paperwork. We haven't gotten rid of all the other stuff, even though our 21 days is up. Though I do have plans to do another yard sale soon.<br />
<br />
But I honestly thought this would be a revelatory experience, with more freedom springing up in our lives like fresh bamboo sprouts in a Japanese forest. But really, it was just living our same ol' life, with less stuff.<br />
<br />
So I'm starting to get to the place where this whole small house living experiment is not about the stuff anymore. It's not about the house, or the size of our house, or the amount of stuff we have or don't have anymore, or the number of things we have gotten rid of or anything like that. It's starting to be about something much more personal and sensitive and maybe even private.<br />
<br />
Because, the whole point of my husband and I choosing to live this way - giving up our belongings, our personal space, our comfortably full-sized home and our comfort zone - has been to enjoy life more. To live better. To be independent. To experience life more fully and feel alive.<br />
<br />
And, even after all we've done to get to this place, I don't always feel too much different than I did when I had a full closet of clothes and overstuffed bookshelves.<br />
<br />
So I realize that now is the time that I have to start working on - not my stuff, but - me. I've shaken off some of the weights that kept me living with stress and work. And now there's a lot I need to do internally, to address my thoughts, my beliefs, my habits and my behaviors that hold me back and keep me stuck in a place where I'm stressed and dangerously burdened.<br />
<br />
I'm reading Everything That Remains by <a href="http://www.theminimalists.com/" target="_blank">The Minimalists</a>, and tonight I'm struck by something else Joshua writes. It's not heady, but it has my brain in a tizzy. In chapter 8, he writes that, after an intense process of downsizing his belongings, leaving his corporate job, ditching technology and simplifying his life, he gave up his goals.<br />
<br />
As soon as I read that, my brain went, "What?!" because I.<br />
Am.<br />
A.<br />
Task.<br />
Oriented.<br />
Person.<br />
<br />
This is how I live. It's how I measure myself. It's how I know I'm successful. It's how I got through school. It's how I finish my work every day. It's how I know I'm having a good day. It's PART of me.<br />
<br />
I make lists. Even if it's not on paper, it's in my head: what I want to accomplish for the day, for the morning, for the weekend.<br />
<br />
I like numbers. I studied math. I like their reliability. I <i>like </i>to quantify things. I like to compare. If 75% of my list is done, I feel much better about myself than I would if only 50% is done.<br />
<br />
But it doesn't bring me any real contentment. If anything, it's momentary, and it lasts only long enough for me to make a new list of things to do or tasks to accomplish the next day. There's never any achieving, there's only doing.<br />
<br />
So thanks, Joshua. Thanks a lot. Because I have no idea how to do this. I don't have any idea how I could give up this thing, this way of being, that feels so fundamentally part of myself that I don't even know if I have an identity without it. I don't know to function without goals. I've always constantly asked myself what I want to be, where I want to go, what I want to do, this year, next year, the next five years. It's just what I do.<br />
<br />
But I realize it's getting in the way. It keeps me from relaxing and having fun with my family, the thing I keep wanting SO very, very goodly. It keeps me from getting on the floor and building blocks with my daughter. It keeps me from tickling my son's tiny big feet. It keeps me from sitting on the deck with my husband staring into the night sky. I might still be doing those things, but I'm not really <i>there</i>. My mind is elsewhere, thinking about the other things I need to accomplish. Even when those things are dishes. Or paperwork. Or web design. Or blogging. Or whatever.<br />
<br />
I don't know where this is going to take me. I don't know how much of this journey I'll be able to share. I only know that I have to try and go there.<br />
<br />
I think I am going to have to be quite diligent about this. I mean, I think I actually need to focus my attention on this. In comparison, getting rid of our stuff seemed easy. We were moving to a smaller house, so things just had to go; it was a simple matter of volume. It was like trimming my fingernails: it had to get done, and it was a relief.<br />
<br />
But changing the way I think about my own life, and how I function in it, and how I define my success, is surgery.<br />
<br />
Keep me in your thoughts, and please share your thoughts, especially if you are also reading Everything That Remains (as I would highly recommend you do and I don't get paid by anyone to say that). You can email me privately <a href="mailto:bethamackey@gmail.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">here</a>.<br />
<br />
Until I'm able to write again, peace and love. Enjoy the life you have!Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-83405318506394251842015-08-16T22:53:00.001-04:002015-08-16T22:53:13.818-04:00The (Un)Packing PartyI posted recently (okay - today, actually) about how we rented out our house on airbnb.com for the first time last week, and I thought I might share a little more about what happened when we did.<br />
<br />
Sorry, I'm a little excited about this!<br />
<br />
Actually, two happenings converged together in the past week to bring me to this place.<br />
<br />
The first: airbnb. So our house is small (as you know) and it has only one closet (as you know) and we still have a lot of stuff (as you know). In order to make our house rentable, we basically spent a day doing some last-minute fixing up (like, I painted the ceiling that's been calling my name for 6 months, and John put up the trim around the bathroom window that needed finishing).<br />
<br />
Then we spent another day taking all our personal belongings and shoving them (yes, almost literally shoving) into the basement. All the things that would scream out "THIS HOUSE BELONGS TO SOMEONE ELSE! Someone with KIDS! Someone with PAPERWORK! Someone with TOO MUCH STUFF!" to someone trying to spend a nice, relaxing vacation in the Adirondack park.<br />
<br />
When we left, I looked around and thought (or did I say it aloud?), "This is exactly what I'd like our house to look like."<br />
<br />
Sigh.<br />
<br />
Because I thought that only someone else would get to experience that freedom.<br />
<br />
But this brings me to the second happening: a few days later, I'm reading <i>Everything That Remains </i>by Joshua Millburn one night when everyone decided to hit the hay earlier than me. I'm reading about Ryan Nicodemus and his extreme introduction to minimalism. He called it a Packing Party (on page 85, to be exact).<br />
<br />
It involved packing every. Single. One of his belongings into moving boxes and stuffing them into one room of his home. Covering his furniture, his tv. As if he was moving. But instead of moving, he had 21 days during which he could take out of the boxes only those things which he <b><i>truly </i></b>needed. At the end of 21 days, he had to either sell, donate or trash whatever remained.<br />
<br />
Wow! That's a heck of a way to move into minimalism.<br />
<br />
So it's late, and my brain is processing this stuff I'm reading, and suddenly I realize: that's US! WE are going to have an (Un)Packing Party.<br />
<br />
We already did the hard work - moving all our stuff sitting around, collecting dust, driving me nuts. It's already in the basement (our version of Ryan's moving boxes). And why just bring all of it back upstairs and clutter up our beautiful small house the moment we get back from a relaxing vacation? No, no, I am not going back there!<br />
<br />
So I am going to celebrate every time we unpack <b>only </b>the things that we need. Then, I'm going to celebrate even more when we get rid of all the stuff we have that we don't need. The stuff we didn't even know we didn't need because it just kept sitting there.<br />
<br />
Our 21 days starts today.<br />
<br />
Join me on our journey and find out what we really need - and what we don't!Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-564142370172306522015-08-16T22:04:00.000-04:002015-08-16T22:04:17.627-04:00Don't Forget the Why<div class="MsoNormal">
So I was just about to write a nice little post last week
about our car downsizing experiment, and how we decided to keep two cars, and
all the reasons why – where we live (rural, mountainous, with no solid public
transportation, far away from THE grocery store) and how we live (running a
business, with two small children), etc. We were sorting out what kind of car
to buy to replace my little putt-putt. Then we drove back to the Hudson Valley
to visit family. And, lo and behold, our <i>other</i>
car died, on the day we were supposed to drive home.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s been six weeks now. Two (old) cars down, one (new-ish) car
up. The one-car experiment continues. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What’s been on my mind lately, though, is more about <i><b>why </b></i>we
downsize, rather than how or how much. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Because I see (especially in the tiny house movement and the
minimalist movement) a push towards decluttering as some strange anti-American
Dream competition, where numbering one’s possessions and obsessive downsizing
have overpowered the whole purpose behind the origins of the movement. The
place that Things once held is now just replaced by the-getting-rid-of-Things. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I work with data, numbers, and statistics on a Monday
through Friday basis in my job in data governance. I see how taking a count – a
real, numeric, quantitative count – of one’s belongings could be helpful, to
set before you everything you have as one lump sum total. It could force you to
see each thing individually as you give it a cardinal number. I haven’t done it
yet, so I’m only surmising.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
What I don’t understand or see value in is the competition
(with oneself or with others) to get that number down. Is there a perfect
number of Things that we’re all trying to obtain? (If there is, can someone
please share?!) If I have 83 possessions, am I happier than my
friend who was 87? Or if I have 207 possessions now, am I any better off than I
was when I had 208? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And I can attest to the fact that decluttering feels GOOD.
Really good. It literally lightens your burdens in life to get rid of things
you don’t need. But I see folks for whom decluttering is their new hoarding. It
fills their void. It becomes just another addiction to distract from what
really is important. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
But what IS important? What does freedom from Things mean? <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’m in the middle of reading <i>Everything That Remains </i>by <a href="http://www.theminimalists.com/" target="_blank">The Minimalists </a> Joshua Millburn and Ryan Nicodemus. (P.S. I think this is a great read,
no matter where on the minimalist continuum you are.) Millburn writes,
“Ultimately, the purpose of embracing minimalism has to do with the benefits we
each experience once we’re on the other side of decluttering. Hence, removing
the clutter is not the end result; it is merely the first step…. It is possible
to get rid of everything you own and still be utterly miserable.” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
And: “When I got rid of the majority of my possessions, I
was forced to confront my darker side, compelled to ask questions I wasn’t
prepared for: When did I give so much meaning to material possessions? What is
truly important in life? … Who is the person I want to become? How will I
define my own success?” <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
These are the tougher questions that everyone on a
downsizing journey runs into eventually and has to answer. For themselves. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ll tell you one of my answers.<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This week, I’m writing from a beautiful big house in coastal
Maine. We rented it on airbnb.com on a last-minute whim, sharing a vacation
week with my in-laws. Because I work remotely, I can work from anywhere, so I
figured why not work from coastal Maine?* <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We also thought, why leave an empty house behind? So we took
the leap, ran around and made some last-minute fixes, and rented out our home
on airbnb. (My fingers are crossed for a good first review!)<o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
This is one of our goals, something that has value in our
lives: to be mobile, unattached to mortgage/responsibility/Things, ready and
able to travel and see the world around us. It’s not like we don’t want roots.
It’s more like we want to be like seaweed, with strong roots in the ocean floor
below us but the ability to wander around with the waves. Because we chose a
small mortgage and we live in an area where people vacation frequently, we can
rent our house for a few days, cover our mortgage, and travel somewhere new
without going into debt for the experience.
<o:p></o:p></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
This is what having fewer things, and small house living, is
giving me. <o:p></o:p></div>
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For now.</div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
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Life is fluid, right? It’s good to check back in now and
again because what I’m doing right now might not work for me, for my family, in
five years. Or two years. Or whenever. I try to stay sensitive to the shifts in
our lives and revisit what we want and how to get there as necessary. <o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
If you’re on a path of downsizing or sorting out what things
you want to own that add value to your life, keep the end goal in mind: to add value, as you define it. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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Even if you define it from a porch swing on a summer night in Maine. </div>
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<o:p></o:p></div>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p><br /></o:p></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: x-small;">*Though, through a series of poor circumstances, I ended up
taking the week off. My husband had a (thankfully) brief hospital visit at the
beginning of the week and we weren’t even sure we’d be able to make the trip.
But it was his birthday, and he wanted to be by the coast (isn’t the ocean
relaxing?) and I wanted him to be happy, and he said he felt up to it, so we
cautiously set off from our home 6 (or was it 10?) hours away. Basically, I
looked for every hospital in between there and here just in case something went
wrong. Seriously, I don’t make this stuff up. Anyone with or married to someone
with Crohn’s Disease probably understands. There’s some type of balance we have
to strike between being safe (like, at home in a comfortable place, or near a
hospital) and living life (like, going on this trip!). </span><br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<o:p></o:p></div>
Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-65288202515415229602015-07-08T23:01:00.001-04:002015-07-08T23:01:46.364-04:00One Household, One CarIf you've never watched the movie Office Space, stop whatever you're doing. Right now.<br />
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Get yourself some popcorn, grab some "flare" and get on Netflix.<br />
<br />
Because somebody had A Case of the Mondays this week: my husband and I.<br />
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This week he was scheduled to work about 5 hours away from home for a few days. He lovingly offered to take our daughter to the grocery store with him to stock up our shelves for me while he's gone. So coming home, with a trunk full of groceries and in a stretch of road with spotty cell service, my car died on him.<br />
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It died a hard, potentially permanent death, too: timing belt. Ugh. Perfect timing!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Who taught this kid how to drive?!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
So, with two of the three car rental agencies out of inventory and the third having been shut down last month, we made a decision. Though we didn't have much of a choice, we decided to try living without.<br />
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I grew up in a rural area, about five miles from the nearest store (thank goodness for Stewart's!) and about 20 minutes from town. That's not too much different from where we live now. And when I was a kid, having a car <i>meant </i>things, like freedom and independence and opportunity. To me, it always has.<br />
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So this week I am home in our small house with two kids, no husband and no car. I do have help. Wonderful friends are driving my daughter to daycare this week. My mom will be visiting to help out next week and will give us a lift to meet up with my husband. When he's around, he lets me drive his car. But this is definitely a situation that, a few years ago, would have caused me some undeniable feelings of claustrophobia and anxiety.<br />
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But today, it's an experiment.<br />
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And while we try out this new lifestyle, a whole bunch of questions are coming up for me. What do I need?<br />
<br />
What do I <i>really need</i>?<br />
<br />
Do I really need my own car? Do I feel like I should be entitled to have a car? Do I have entitlement issues? What is the best way to spend our money? What is the best choice for our family? Will I feel more free or more caged by not having a car? How did our society buy into the idea that every person should have their own car? Or, more importantly, why?<br />
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Lots of people I know live without a car, or only one car in their families. I know it can be done and done happily. <br />
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The question I have to answer is: Can I do it?<br />
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I'll run this experiment for the next few weeks and let you know if downsizing on autos is the way to go, or if it will have me flagging down the next bus to the car dealer!Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-23837529294624268792015-06-16T21:38:00.000-04:002015-06-16T21:38:21.081-04:00I Dream of ItalyAlmost three years ago, on the way home from the hospital with my daughter, we got a phone call that would impact our choice to live minimally as a family.<br />
<br />
It was an invitation for my husband to work with Mike + Doug Starn for two months on their <a href="http://www.dmstarn.com/" target="_blank">Big Bambu</a> project in Rome, Italy. With a three day old in the backseat, my husband and I knew if there was any time that we could make this work, it was then! When the baby was two months old, we packed a suitcase of tiny clothes, diapers and a toy and headed off to live in my mother country.<br />
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The good thing about Rome and Romans is that they loooove babies. And when I say "love", I mean random strangers will cross the street just to oogle over a little one. To hold their hands, touch their faces, ask for names and ages, and, if you're up for it, even hold your little one and take them back across the street to show their friends! I know some parents might be appalled, and honestly it did surprise me the first time it happened, but after I got used to this different way of living I decided it was simply AMAZING. Not only could I get a much needed break from holding my daughter (you know the concept of <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harvey_Karp" target="_blank">the fourth trimester</a>?), but she was socialized, introduced to the Italian language AND we met many wonderful people we never would have otherwise:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cEabpUxWRR0/VYCKAbrudXI/AAAAAAAADaA/YY8qz8Nxse0/s1600/525591_10151061081812261_1754690658_n.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-cEabpUxWRR0/VYCKAbrudXI/AAAAAAAADaA/YY8qz8Nxse0/s320/525591_10151061081812261_1754690658_n.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Copyright 2010 Beth A. Mackey</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
(Okay, okay, I know he's not Italian! But apparently he knows that "when in Rome...")<div>
<br />Anyway, here we were 4,000 miles (for the rest of the world, that's 7,000 km) away from home with a two month old baby and a suitcase of "stuff" in a hotel room for two months. (Sounds like the start of a new Vacation spin-off!) It probably could have been a disaster - and we did have language barriers, diaper blow-outs, and some breastfeeding challenges on our tour of the Vatican Museum - but I have to tell you it was basically The Best Time I'd Ever Had.<div>
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Partly because the way we lived in the Eternal City was minimalism at its best - and pretty much perfect. Since Rome is full of real neighborhoods with local markets within walking distance, we didn't need a car, a big refrigerator or a lot of packaged, preserved food. We ate fresh and healthy food, got exercise, and met the local people in our amazing neighborhood of Testaccio. With a bed, a desk, two closets, and a kitchenette, our <a href="http://retesta.lcr-hotels.it/it/camere" target="_blank">hotel room </a>became our first experiment as a family in small house living. </div>
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Except for needing to buy a sweater while we were there, the suitcase of clothing we brought was completely adequate. In fact, I brought some articles of clothing I never ended up wearing - so I learned to pack lighter on subsequent trips. Even though she grew through a size by the time we left, I had more than enough for my daughter, too. Maybe a washing machine would have been helpful, but we managed just fine without it and didn't miss the space or the stuff we had left at home. <div>
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<br /></div>
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This was our first of several times travelling as a family, but so far it's been our longest stay away from home. Every time we travel, we absorb our experience and it changes us in some way. I brought home from Rome the understanding that <b>everything I need to raise a child could fit in a suitcase. </b></div>
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As I settle into life with our four week old son, I seem to be reliving the time when my daughter was the same age and feel like I should be preparing for some epic trip. I find myself reminiscing about the streets we would wander down, the historic sights we would pass by, the friends we made, the feeling of living in such a family-centered city. I miss trying to sputter out some broken and improperly conjugated Italian. </div>
<div>
<br /></div>
<div>
I think I'll get my son a passport. Tomorrow. </div>
</div>
Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-73210701063575252482015-05-15T04:29:00.001-04:002015-05-15T09:13:56.547-04:00A Change of ClothesIt's 4 am. I'm 40 weeks 5 days pregnant and wide awake. What better time to grab a bowl of cereal and write!<br />
<br />
Nights like these often lend themselves to soul searching for me. I pull out my journal and write to clear my mind or just for something to do with myself while my body moves back into sleep mode. Tonight, I wrote a bit and then reread some pieces I had written over the past year. It's been quite a journey!<br />
<br />
Last June, we celebrated the one year anniversary of having purchased our small house. Two years is coming up soon - exciting! What I wrote about most a year ago was how intent I was on designing a fully functional closet system for our bedroom. It was to be built into the attic wall (the loft space of our house doesn't fully cover the footprint so we have unused space under the rafters next to our loft. It's currently closed off but that didn't stop me from dreaming!) and consisted of clothes bars and drawers and pull-out shelves and hooks and a perfect space for each pair of shoes. Like those closets I see in the Ikea catalog that are so bloody organized, I'm pretty sure that the owner either doesn't work because he's too busy keeping his closet organized, or he actually lives at his girlfriend's place.<br />
<br />
What I realized tonight is that I was trying to design a system around my present situation, instead of trying to change. I was trying to take all the stuff I had and fit it into this perfectly categorized world where all those things had a place.<br />
<br />
Probably because change is hard.<br />
<br />
I used to think that I was terribly horrible at dealing with change - and, I suppose, sometimes I still am. But I am - and you are, too - more adaptable than I had ever thought. Look over your last year and see what you think.<br />
<br />
I didn't get my perfectly categorized wardrobe (or world). Fortunately. We ended up buying a captain's bed that I'm moderately happy with. I pared my wardrobe down to about 6 of everything and then rolled my clothing so it all fit in the drawers. I have a box of clothes for summer, a box for winter, and a box of maternity clothes all stashed in the basement. Way more than I would like, but being in the middle of a "significant figure transition" means I have to hang onto clothing I might not normally keep around.<br />
<br />
As I wait for our son to arrive, change is imminent. I have ideas, but sometimes I just can't fathom what the future will actually look like and prepare myself for it. We have the co-sleeper set up. We have a changing table. We have clothes, love and lots of diapers. <i>Mise en place</i>: everything is in its place, even in our small house.<br />
<br />
The things we'll need can't be purchased at Baby Depot: sleep, support, quiet, patience, sunshine, friends, family. Did I mention sleep?<br />
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Ah, here it is: the first avian twitterings of the morning light and the smallest of brightenings over the mountain I'm looking out at. Just in time for me to finish up and head back to bed.<br />
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Change happens every day, but we don't always recognize it because it happened yesterday, too. Instead of trying to cram our overly busy lives and our overflowing abundance into what we have now, here's to embracing change!<br />
<br />Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-11741961965530528422015-04-23T21:44:00.001-04:002015-04-23T21:44:52.077-04:00Downsizing in Double-timeWhat happens when you take a basement, full of the remnants of a year of downsizing; a pregnant mamma; and a closing date two days away? <div>
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I'll tell you, because I just did it: I call it downsizing in double-time!</div>
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Thanks to <a href="http://www.villagegreenrealty.com/agents/andi-turco-levin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">my amazing realtor</a>, <a href="http://www.hrdlickalaw.com/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">my top-notch lawyer</a>, and an interested buyer, we sold our "big" house. Within a <i>week</i>. And closed within 10 weeks. A whirlwind shift in our lives, for sure! </div>
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The only "hitch" really was finding out this past Monday morning that our closing date was Wednesday afternoon! All that stuff that we hadn't known what to do with, hadn't had time or energy to decide on, or hadn't been ready to part with, was in the basement of a house soon to be transferred over in deed and title to the lucky buyer. Only, now we HAD to do something with it all - and fast! </div>
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College notes. Text books. Journals. More books. Baby clothes. Tools. And just stuff. Oodles of stuff. It was all small stuff, and it all added up to a lot. </div>
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I made rapid fire decisions, one after another after another. Chuck this, recycle that, donate this. Why did I keep those twist ties that cluttered up my tool box? Who could use a modem? Did I really need my 15 year old notes on C++? We filled a garbage can, a recycling bin, and the back of the CRV with donations (twice). After about 12 hours, it was finally done. </div>
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In all the hustle, I found something amazing: my husband's phone number. Of course I know his phone number! I mean, the piece of paper he gave me when we first exchanged numbers over 12 years ago. I had it stashed away in a journal, and I just so happened to open right to the page where it was carefully taped for remembrance. I felt that same flutter in my heart from the moment of exchange, thinking that this super nice guy, so kind and caring and intriguing, might be interested in me. And then feeling overwhelmingly thankful that he still is. (And yes, I cried. Meanwhile, he was sitting on the other side of the room laughing over drawings of Captain Stupid Pants or something that he made in middle school. And that's what I love about him!)</div>
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And, I just realized I might have left it in the pocket of my jeans that he put it in the wash tonight for me. Well, I suppose that just brings home the impermanence of material things! Enjoy the moment, and then let it go to make room for new experiences, new memories, new happiness. </div>
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My 10 year tenure as a landlord has come to a close. All the stress of being responsible for my tenants' happiness, a two-family home, and all the mounds of bills and maintenance issues, is released. I am free to spend more time with my family, and I'm going to need it - our baby boy is due in two weeks!</div>
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In the midst of the chaos this week, I found a quote from Thich Nhat Hanh that reads, "Happiness means feeling you are on the right path every moment. You don't need to arrive at the end of the path in order to be happy." </div>
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Whether you are on a downsizing journey or another life adventure of different proportions, may you find contentment in knowing you are on the right path for you, right here, right now, like I have felt as all these many decisions have come together to bring me to today. </div>
Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6356825221486921502.post-11719887900740741732015-04-16T08:55:00.000-04:002015-04-30T21:15:47.182-04:00Parenting in a Small Space[You can also find my guest blog post of this article on <a href="http://hvparent.com/living-small-living-smart" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Hudson Valley Parent Magazine, </a>an amazing parenting publication in print and online. I'll be writing an article for the June print issue, so be sure to pick it up!]<br />
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We used to be "normal". You know, a 1200 square foot, 2-bedroom apartment in a city, with closets and things sitting in them that we didn't use. For a family of three, this seemed just about right.<br />
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Then we started off on <a href="http://livingsmartlivingsmall.blogspot.com/2014/08/the-start-of-adventure.html" target="_blank">an adventure</a>.<br />
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When we first called the seller to inquire about the small house we now own, he warned us: "This isn't really a full-time living space. It's pretty small for two people, but - perfect for a vacation home!" (Little did he know, we were actually a family of three!) But we liked it, so we bought it anyway.<br />
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Our daughter was about 10 months old when we closed. No way could we even think about fitting her stuff, our stuff, and ourselves into this place! It was okay, though. We weren't going to live here. We would rent it out, share it with family and friends, and enjoy our own vacations here once in awhile.<br />
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Then, thanks to a friend's post on Facebook, I stumbled across the tiny house movement. I found cute story-book houses and blog posts telling the chronicles of brave souls giving away their possessions and living with less, all to live in infinitesimally small spaces. Maybe it <i>would </i>be possible for us...<br />
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But the one thing I didn't find much about were families living in tiny and small houses. Individuals, absolutely. Couples, sure. But with kids? Not so much. We decided to move here full time, and I just figured that we'd have to figure it out on our own.<br />
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Since then, I've found a number of <a href="http://www.tinyhousefamily.com/" target="_blank">notable families </a>that have shared their experience living small. The numbers are growing of families diving into small house living. There are definite joys: less to clean, less to buy, less to pay for, smaller mortgages and utility bills. But parenting in a small space comes with some challenges too.<br />
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Wait - parenting is <i>always </i>a challenge and a joy (and, sometimes, both simultaneously)! For us, we're making it happen in a small house with an open floor plan, where just about everything gets shared, all the time. Living space? Shared. Play space? Shared. Sleeping space? Shared.<br />
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Headaches? Sometimes, they're shared, too!<br />
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Discipline<br />
Probably the hardest part of living in a small space is handling a two year old's temper tantrum. She needs a break, and I need a break, but we can't get away from each other!<br />
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We understand <a href="http://livingsmartlivingsmall.blogspot.com/2014/08/i-went-to-woods.html" target="_blank">the power of going outside. </a>The fresh air, the change of scenery, the temperature change, all provide a good opportunity to take a breath. During an outburst, it calms us down. But we live in the mountains, so this is not always a viable solution. When it's 10 below or raining (both of which happen frequently!), we make a point to look out the window and find something outside to focus on: a bird, the weather, the wind, a leaf.<br />
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Independence<br />
Since we're constantly sharing space, I find it sometimes difficult to impart healthy separation to my daughter. She is always in my sight and I'm always in hers.<br />
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On the other hand, my daughter plays where I can see her, and we always get to be a part of each other's lives. When she squeals over a re-discovered book she hasn't read in months, I'm right there to share in her joy. When I'm working on a project, she gets involved. When she's about to draw on the wall with a marker, I know. In reality, her independence is stronger because I'm not worried about her getting into trouble in another room. She can explore with freedom.<br />
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I've always been a very independent person. Having a child was a huge shift for me, and I really do need my down time to recharge. So when living in a small space gets too much for me, I ask for help. My husband is great about responding to my needs, and he'll take her out so I can breath. Even a few minutes is sometimes enough. <br />
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Sleeping<br />
Yes, we sleep in the same space: we have a sleeping loft, where one side is hers and the other is ours. Until we bought this house, I never considered that there might be any way of living other than each kid having their own bedroom, with a door, and toys and books, and a closet full of clothes, and space. When my daughter was an infant, I remember feeling so very relieved when we finally moved her to her own bedroom in our last house. Freedom! And it was great, at the time.<br />
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Now, I treasure the fact that I can hear her breathing when I wake up in the night. In the morning, I see her sleepy eyes and her amazing little smile first thing. I'm literally right there if she needs anything.<br />
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Believe it or not, she still has enough space to practice her dance moves on the carpet before she hops into bed for the night.<br />
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Privacy<br />
This seems to keep coming up in my conversations with friends and family: Where do you go to be alone? The truth is, nowhere. I can try the bathroom, but any parent knows no toddler is going to let that happen! <br />
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Where do you have private conversations? We wait until bedtime, or go outside. Or, we spell things. It makes a two minute conversation last ten, but right now it works. I've heard pig latin works well too, and we might have until middle school before she figures that out!<br />
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Where will your kids get private space? Honestly, I'm not sure. My daughter has a reading nook with her books and a miniature rocking chair of her very own. She loves to hang out there, and it seems to make her happy. And there's no way on earth that I can fit in that rocking chair, so that space is all hers!<br />
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If one of us really needs to escape the shared environment, our sleeping loft provides some private space during the daytime Sleeping lofts: for more than just naps!<br />
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For now, our kids are small (one is two and a half, the other in utero) so living in a small space works for us. We know that, as our kids grow up and start playing in the school band, they'll probably need more space. And so will we!<br />
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We'll cross that bridge - and buy that house - when we come to it.Living Smart Living Smallhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09294223073909557567noreply@blogger.com