Thinking Smaller

I love doing things on a much smaller scale now.  As you know I own a lot less stuff after purging and selling nearly everything I own and starting over.  We lived in an RV for a year (our tiny home adventure) and we loved it.  I learned many lessons about what I personally need to survive, what I don’t and how little that truly is.

After we moved back into our house (990 sq. ft.) I bought smaller pieces of furniture.  Instead of a couch we have a loveseat.  A small recliner.  Smaller dining table and chairs.  We have less bedding and linens.  We own fewer clothes.

I have fewer pots and pans than I used to, fewer dishes and glassware too.  Our dishes and glasses are also smaller in size.  And I find I, personally, eat less using the smaller dishes.  It helps me greatly with portion control and thereby weight control.  The kids just fill their plates and glasses more often, which is fine for them.  They are healthy growing teenage girls.

When I cook I usually prepare smaller amounts still leaving us with adequate leftovers for an additional meal or two which helps us stretch our food supplies, controls food waste and saves me money in the long run.

Thinking smaller has meant I can operate more efficiently on a much smaller budget.  This has also freed up money for savings and debt reduction.  A surprising extra benefit is that my stress level has been dramatically reduced.  That has been really nice.

I love not having or needing as much stuff in my life and all that it entails.  It frees me up for tackling bigger things like getting ready for the college years looming just ahead and finishing my next novel.

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

I made these Sunday for brunch and they were delicious.  Not too sweet with just the right amount of spice.  Soft and fluffy too.

Spiced Pumpkin Muffins

1 cup flour

1 cup whole wheat flour

2/3 cup granulated sugar

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. salt

1 cup milk

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 egg

1 tsp. vanilla

In a medium bowl mix dry ingredients together and set aside.  In a small bowl mix milk, egg, oil and vanilla.  Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients.  Add pumpkin and stir to combine.  Do not over mix.

Fill lightly oiled muffin tins about 2/3 full of batter.  Bake for 18 to 20 minutes in a preheated 350° oven.  Makes approximately 2 dozen muffins.

These were definitely a hit at our breakfast table.

You may also enjoy revisiting my Pumpkin Pancakes post.

Polish Your Shoes

Do you take time to polish your shoes?

My father taught me to polish my shoes when I was very young.  As a kid I wore corrective orthopedic shoes.  They were leather and very expensive so it was important that I take really good care of them.  They were also extremely UGLY.  I hated those shoes with a passion but that's a whole other story.

I find polishing my shoes kind of cathartic.  There is something said for taking good care of the things we own.  My shoes are no exception.  I try to invest in the highest quality shoes I can afford so I want to take care of them so I last.

Just as with those ugly orthopedic shoes I try to avoid mud and puddles.  If I do get them wet I get them dry as quickly as possible, wipe off any mud as soon as I can and keep them polished so they always look nice.  Polishing does other things as well.  It conditions the leather and helps it to last longer while putting on a nice protective barrier.  Plus I happen to love the smell of shoe polish.

I have always used KIWI shoe polish.  That's what my dad uses and so do I.  With a soft cloth I smooth on just enough to lightly coat the surface of the shoe.  Then I do the other one.  By the time I've finished the second shoe the first one it ready to be buffed.  With the soft cloth I buff the show and the matte finish becomes shiny, the leather is soft and renewed.  Then I buff the other one and my shoes look new again.

It takes very little time but the effort sure pays off in a big way.

Last Week's Thrifty Moves

The girls and I started doing a free online yoga class Sunday.  We use the Roku on the TV to access it on Youtube and do it right in the living room.  I used to do yoga a lot but got away from it for awhile.  We are enjoying it but all I can say right now is "Owwww".  My poor body isn't used to this yet.

I met one of my dearest and closest friends for dinner Monday night at Sizzler.  They had their steak and salad bar for $9.99 which is what we usually pay for just the salad bar.  We sat and talked for 4 hours!  Went by in no time and we both decided we need to do this far more often than we actually do.  We had a blast.

While the oldest was at honor band practice the young one and I headed to the dollar store to see if they had some feathers she needed for a school project.  They didn’t, but what they did have was a ton of new items for holiday baking.  They even had molasses!  Needless to say I bought a few things.  We are pretty much set now for holiday baking supplies.

Canned pumpkin, molasses, ginger, graham cracker crusts and cherry pie filling.

We also went to Fred Meyer and Albertson's to pick up a few of their sales items and some fresh produce.  At Fred Meyer I found two tubs of icing on markdown for 79¢ each.  I used three of the coupons I was sent in the mail to save $2.45 on my produce purchase.  I took another survey to add bonus points for my rewards card for fuel.

I had another friend come over to share a bottle of wine I picked up at Albertson's for $3.50 on markdown and we decided it was pretty darn good.  I also prepared us a veggie tray and some cheese and crackers to munch on while we visited.  All of the items were in my refrigerator and pantry so it was nice and quick to put it all together.

I bartered a dozen eggs with one of my co-workers for some lemon cookies.  Yum!

Friday evening the girls and I went out to dinner for our Family Nite Out.  Afterward we stopped at Dillards at the mall to buy me a new bra using the $50 gift card I had ordered using my credit card rewards points.  Dillards typically doesn’t have sales on the bras I wear and I am pretty loyal to that specific brand because they are extremely comfortable and they fit me.  Plus they hold up really well.  They are als0 expensive so I usually only buy one a year.

Last year, however, I didn't buy one so I've been down to just two bras for awhile now and they are both shot.  So you can imagine how thrilled I was to go in there and see two racks of bras on clearance in my brand and my size.  I bought three!  I used my gift card and only had to pay an additional $23.00!  I am so excited!!!!

On the way home from Dillards we stopped at Michaels to pick up the craft supplies the young one needed for her school project.  I used a 50% OFF coupon and we only spent $5.

I picked tomatoes from the garden.  Our weather has been beautiful so we are still getting some.  I fed kitchen scraps to the chickens and composted eggs shells, coffee grounds, tea bags and banana peels.

We didn’t need to use either heat or A/C last week so that should save some on our electric.  It also rained mid week so we only watered the garden once and the lawn not at all.  The leaves on the trees are just beginning to turn color.

I made homemade salad dressing and started a new batch of beer brewing.  I also washed out a one gallon Ziploc bag to reuse.

Our chickens blessed us with 20 eggs.

How thrifty were you last week?

Bathroom Vanity Upgrade For Under $10!!

Before

The vanity in our downstairs bathroom has been in dire need of a facelift.  The paint was scratched and worn and the finish had started to come off the knobs a bit.  I was ready for something different too.

While at Home Depot collecting supplies for another project I had grabbed some paint swatches.  My oldest and I went through them all and chose the what we think is the perfect color to go with the floor, countertop and décor.  I chose Elegant Charcoal (because it needs to be elegant of course) by Glidden.

On a second I second trip to Home Depot for supplies I went ahead and got a sample size container of paint mixed up and a couple of sponge brushes.  I also looked at their knobs and found several I liked but they were pretty expensive.  I checked Amazon and found them for a fraction of the cost so I ordered them.  The day they arrived I got to work.

I removed the doors and knobs as well as the false fronts.  They screw in from the back and it was pretty easy to remove them.  All the hardware went into a container so nothing got lost.  Then I lightly sanded the cabinet and doors.

First coat.

I also took the time to mask off the walls, the underside of the edge of the countertop and put newspapers down on the floor.  I spread out our trusty shower curtain/drop cloth on the entry way floor too.  Everything was given two coats of paint and allowed to dry.

The false front panels went back on.  Then I put the hinges back on the doors and mounted them to the cabinet.  Then those fancy knobs I ordered.

I just love these!

I love the paint color and the new knobs really adds a little something extra.  No more scratches and everything looks fresh and new.

Ta da!  All finished!

Total cost was $2.94 for the paint, 69¢ for a medium sponge brush and 59¢ for a narrow sponge brush.  The knobs were only $1.37 each!  Total spent = $6.96!!

I think it's just beautiful.

And guess what?  I only used about a third of the paint so I have plenty leftover to do the upstairs bathroom vanity.  Whooo hoooo!

Why I Care A Whole Lot Less About A Whole Lot More

When I made the decision to simplify my life I also made the decision to stop obsessing and worrying over so many things, most of which are completely beyond my control.  It was hard to break a lifetime of habit but I was determined to just let stuff go.

For example:  every time the price of gas went up it upset me.  Not just because it would cost me more to fill my tank and drive my car, but shipping costs would go up, meaning the cost of goods would rise, meaning I'd have to pay more for the stuff I buy, and then I'd have to go without some stuff because my paycheck wouldn't go up and then…  you get my drift.  I have zero control over gas pricing.  Stop worrying about it.

My biggest test of late has been when I took my current job.  Working in a corporate environment exposes me to so many different people with different personalities, quirks, attitudes and agendas.  It could be very easy to get sucked in to the drama of everyday but I choose not to.  In fact I'm almost fanatical about it.  When the gossip mongers and the rumor spreaders try to drag me into their petty BS I am quick to let them know I'm not interested.  I think I've literally said to various people "I don't care" about a hundred times.  They can be persistent too so I can never let my guard down for a second.  It helps too that I really don't have the stomach for that kind of stuff.  Never really have.

Along those lines I've also decided my job is simply that.  A job.  It is currently how I finance my life.  My job is not my life.  That exists outside of my place of employment.  I rarely find myself stressed out and emotionally drained by my job.  By having that pragmatic attitude I think it makes me a much better and more productive employee too.

When people, even complete strangers, got upset I used to get upset too.  Why?  Now I tend to be more of an observer in these instances and find their antics rather humorous most of the time.  People can really make an ass of themselves sometimes.  I came home from work the other day to find the water company had torn up our street to repair the line.  We had to park up the block and walk home.  I was just happy I didn't have groceries to haul.  As I headed home my neighbor stopped me to rant and rave about how inconvenient this all was for her.  Mind you she had nowhere to go or anything pressing, she just wanted to complain.  I stood there silently, gave her about a minute to vent and then told her to have a nice day while I continued home silently shaking my head.  Never mind her inconvenience, what about the poor families that had been without water for two days?

I have a friend who is mired in debt.  She works two jobs and still can't seem to get ahead because she won't change her spending habits.  Now she just has more money to spend and less time to enjoy all the crap she buys with it.  As she cries her heart out to me I just can't give her a whole lot of sympathy.  In the past I have counseled her in an effort to help her out of her predicament.  I don't try to help her anymore because I now recognize the futility in it.  She knows what she should do and I simply refuse to care more about her situation than she does.

For the most part it is the silly superficial stuff I no longer care about.  And I make sure I have a better understanding of things too.  I reserve my concern for the important things.  The things that truly matter.  The things I can actually do something about.  As a result my stress level is much lower and my happiness and contentment is on the rise.

Fall Is In The Air

Although the leaves have yet to begin to really turn colors here it is officially fall.  At least that's what the calendar tells us anyway.

I just love pumpkins.  I especially love eating things that are made with them.

Fall chrysanthemums are so pretty.

Soups and chili sure seem to taste better this time of year.

Spirited jack-o-lanterns.

Black kitties.  Well one, anyway.

 We'll be raking leaves soon enough.