Work, Work, Work All Day Long. Work, Work, Work While I Sing My Song....

Hello there.

Little by little the house is becoming packed up. Now we just need to focus more on fixing and painting the walls. Then it will be clean, clean, clean.

Oh yeah, and we're having a garage sale next weekend. So we'll have to set up that too.

Yesterday we straightened up the garages so we could start moving the furniture that we're going to sell into there. Then the other garage was straightened too, and this one will be used for everything else besides furniture.

We have a lot of stuff. And everyday I go through the house finding more to get rid of.

This is how good I've been: I have a pitcher (liquids) fetish. But I have gotten rid of all of them but one. Yes, I said one! Because really, how many pitchers do you use at one time??? Especially if your milk, oj, and soda are in other containers.

I went through the sheets and have saved 3 pairs. Flannel for the winter and 2 cotton sets for warmer months. And the only reason I saved 2 cotton ones is because they seem to wear out faster. I wash my sheets and put them back on the bed the same day so I really don't need numerous sets.

So this is the kind of justification that I put towards not keeping items.

And on another thought. President Bush has never amused me, but I heard that he is trying to get legislation passed that a marriage is only between a man and a woman. What a goddamn mother f***er!!!!

So write to him and your congressmen and let them know this is a stupid idea. Each voice can make a difference. Since nothing ever starts out big, it starts out small and grows.

I was one cranky little monster this morning, or actually afternoon!!

DH was helping me wrap eBay items to be sent and he just wasn't doing it proper. But then I realized he was doing it right, just not the way I do it.

So women (because we are the most guilty of this) if someone helps you and even if it's not the way you do it, let them help and don't comment or fret that it's not perfect.

Just think: that's one less thing you have to do and more time to do something you want to do.

(And don't change it later on when they're not around.... unless of course it's driving you completely batty!!!)

Oh my, oh my, oh my!!!

Since we want to have as much stuff gone before we move, I've stepped up selling on eBay.

Normally I do about 10 things a week, put this past week I put up 50 items.

I have been a busy little beaver. Working on eBay stuff for 5 hours today.

But we made $299 so that will be nice to be able to put that towards our funds for closing costs.

I'm leary about putting more items up right now because of late or non-paying people. If we're in the middle of moving and they send the money to the wrong address... What a headache.

Put I would rather have less stuff to pack and more money in the closing fund so guess what I'll be doing all week in preparing to list on Sunday!?!

Money thought: If you can make more on eBay with an item then with a yard sale, and you have the time, eBay is a great consumer driven site!!!

So we went up to Stevens Point and were able to view 3 houses. We loved the first one, the second one had no character and they were asking too much (the realtor said it's been on the market for awhile so they were probably willing to go down. All I can say is I would hope so!!!) and the third was straight out of a horror movie.

I'll tell you about the bad ones first.

The one with no character and too high was 103 years old. The basement stairs were really steep and the sump well was full to the brim and ready to leak over. The carpets were spongy, the front portch gave you vertigo because it pitched forward so bad, all the walls had paneling, the one bedroom didn't have a closet in it.

Plus the shower was in a seperate room from the rest of the bathroom. Now I pride myself on being able to see how to change houses into great places to live. And my Mom, who came with is even better at it, but both of us agreed the place sucked!!!

Now the horror movie place. It had two acres of land (which was very nice) and a really long driveway which led you to the land in the middle of nowhere.

The "house" was 2 mobile homes next to each other with a porch running the length of them. There was log pillars that held up the porch, which were also very nice.

But all the appliances, broken down car, garbage, and the fact you couldn't even walk into the second mobile home because it was falling apart so bad, led me to think of some great horror movie scenerios!!!

We went inside the other mobile home, thinking okay, so we clear up the trash outside and the other mobile home. But once inside the livable home (and I use that term loosely) there was a huge hole in the living room ceiling, clothes and trash were piled everywhere. It was disgusting.

And the really sad part was I think kids were living there since there were coloring books and crayons and other kid stuff.

Really very scary.

Now for the house we liked. It's old, 93. But the chance that wood floors are hiding under the carpet are very likely!!
There is a little porch with pillars that could be extended the lenght of the front of the house.

The living room is decent sized with a gas furnace that heats the hole house. We are thinking of putting stone on the wall behind the furnace and tile on the floor underneath it.

The kitchen I fell in love with. It's on the smaller side, but the cabinetry is a huge built in hutch around the sink. I can't even begin to describe it, it's just gorgeous. Plus there is a low window in the kitchen that you can just pitcure having a single vase on it with one wild flower, and a cat gazing outside.

The bathroom has a low door, which I think is charming, but Spyros will whack his head if he doesn't duck. The tile in there is very nice. And a bigger sink cabinet could be added.

There is another porch on the back of the house that is enclosed and is where the washer and dryer would go. We would insulate it and turn it into a 3 seasons porch.

The first bedroom would be the one we use. And the second bedroom, which is off the first and has a step down to it would be the office. It is long enough for both of our desks and 4 bookcases, plus whatever else we would need for the office.

The garage is for one car with an extra room on the back for bikes and storage. We have paired down our stuff enough that I think the only things we would need for storage is the five totes of Holiday decorations and our tools.

There is already a very sturdy 5 line clothes line on one side of the house. Along with rhubarb.

On the otherside is a swing set, that would be taken down and as long as enough sun shone, we would put a garden there.

The 3rd side is very spacious, with a walkway up to the backdoor. We would just add some flowers and other landscaping stuff here. And have an outdoor table.

It's small enough that I think it could be well air-conditioned with one large window unit.

And the location is great. 4 blocks from the co-op, and close to downtown so we could walk or ride bikes to a lot of the places we would go, including the library. We're 4 miles from Mom and Joe which is nice. I have a good realtionship with them and so does Spyros so we don't mind being close to them. Plus we when lived in Point before they would drop by from time to time after shopping with a goody for us, and I'm sure they would do so again!!!

The negative parts where the counter space in the kitchen and there really is no place to put a table to eat at. And we really like eating at a table. So we could put a small butcher's block in there (most likely) that we could eat at and use for additional counter space.) Put if we had company we would have to eat in the living room.

There is no basement, which isn't the worst thing, but it can be difficult if we need to get to any electrical, etc... if it's under the house.

So hopefully it's still available when we are. And yes I'm keeping in mind that we don't want to show how much we like it so we can drop the price, I don't want to get my hopes up in case it sells before we sell our house.

Going up to Mom and Joe's to look at houses (hopefully, if the realtor calls back), bring up boxes and eat Topper's Breadsticks.

I would have to say the Breadsticks and meeting my husband were my two favorite things about college!

Anywho....

Thought I would write early since I may not get the chance later today.

We had another realtor come in yesterday. Said he may have someone interested in the house already. Won't hold my breath, but ya never know. If this guy is interested, the realtor will do a 3.5 commission. Would be nice not to have to go through the hassle of listing and having people tour, so I'm praying to the Goddess and anyone else who will listen.

Looks like it's gonna rain, which makes me happy. I do love rainy weather, even though I bitch about it on laundry day.

So frugal thought: Don't wash your clothes in a washer, just hand them out when it rains!!!!

My eyes are bugging out. I've been at the computer for 3 hours making comparison sheets for the houses. Taxes, lot size, garage size, etc...

So frugal thought: Do the research before you buy anything. Could end up saving you lots of money or just make your eyes fall out of your head!!!

So we had our first realtor come to the house to make an appraisal. There's another one coming on Friday.

She has really nice, and I enjoyed her thoughts and sense of humor. She'll be coming back on Tuesday with the appraisal done, so it should be interesting.

We're thinking about selling the home ourselves.

A realtor that is a friend of my FIL says if we found a buyer he would handle the paperwork and closing for 1% commission. Which is cool, because the reason we were contimplating a realtor was so we didn't screw up the paperwork or closing.

I think Spyros is thinking we should fix the house more. (A section of the roof, trim, possibly flooring) and wait until it's done before we sell.

Which is an idea that could be beneficial. I just don't know. And all I want is for someone to tell me what to do and that it will work out fine!!!

Simple thought: Don't over think stuff, your brain hurts and it makes you crabby.

I've been busy washing walls and patching lots and lots of holes in the walls.

My father-in-law had been living with us, and we didn't want to disturb his living space so we never fixed and/or painted the walls.

They were a mess when we moved in, and they have only gotten worse since FIL put up lots of shelves.

So I have two rooms to fix and a large wall in the hallway. (I had managed to do the other walls in the hallway before.)

Then we want to touch up the holes in our bedroom (and hopefully not repaint it, but if we have to....), touch paint in most of the other rooms (7 more rooms) Luckily we have paint for all the rooms, but one so touch up should go fast.

The high point of my day was being able to unplug the energy-wasting, leaky refridgerator that is in our laundry room and my FIL was using. Once we get it out I'll be able to patch behind it. (The laundry room's one of the rooms I have to completely do.)

When we get everything patched up and painted, I'm not going to want to move!!!

No, I will. I'm very excited. There's one house that is adorable (as far as the pictures go.) There's an eat-in kitchen with nice windows, french doors that lead out to a deck, a greenhouse off the garage and the lot is 295 feet deep. (It's narrow, but with the depth that's fine.)

It's in Clitonville, near Shawno. So about an hour closer to my mom and 2 hours closer to my dad. It's $45,000 which is right in our price range. The only thing is jobs. I don't think it would be a problem to find something, but ya never know.

And the way we're working it, with paying off our debts and living simple/frugal, even if it was a crappy job hopefully it wouldn't be for more than 3-5 years.

So I guess my frugal thought for today is one that I keep repeating. Do the work yourself. You know it's getting done right and there's a great satisfaction when you finish.

Last night we went over to my Mother-in-Laws and watched two movies she had rented. She was out for the night so we borrowed her TV.

So frugal thought: Borrowing is always a good thing, just don't mooch off of someone.

She had the movies for 5 day rental and when we went over to visit we saw them sitting on top of the entertainment center. After we finished with dinner and were wondering what we wanted to do for the night, we thought of calling up MIL to see what she was doing.

Although she was going out, she said we could come over and watch the movies. So more people got to watch the movies, making the rental fees even cheaper!

We went to look at our first house today. It's in Cambria. About 1/2 an hour from where we live now. So Spyros could keep his job at the Post Office and commute.

I loved the location and the 4 acres of land that comes with it. They have a chicken coop (we've been talking about getting chickens), a horse paddock and fenced in area for the horses (we could board horses and get some extra money), and they already have a small garden going.

There is a huge forest on one side, with raspberry pushes growing on the outskirts of it. In another direction is a huge corn field (Children of the Corn, anyone?!?), then there's another horse barn on another side (but only horses live there, no people.) and on the last side is another field.

If this sounds perfect, it is!

Except the house.... It's a mobile home that is thirty years old.

First the good parts.

The inside is very nice with a built in hutch and mirror in the kitchen, there's quite a few cabinets, and there's a wood furnace in the living room that looks like it can heat the whole trailer.

They built a utility/mud room off the trailer, which is nice for extra storage, washer, dryer, and freezer.

The septic and well are 2 years old. The water tastes wonderful and septics can easily last 20 years or more before being replaced. And wells can last a long time too.

There's a really deep linen closet in the bathroom and 3 extra cabinets on the wall for storage in there, along with below the sink storage.

There are no zoning laws so that means I can build the biggest deck I could ever want. And my swimming pool can join in the party.

It's about five minutes away from a beautiful public beach and picnic area. Portage is 10 minutes away and they have a movie theater and other Big Town stuff.

Now the not so great part. The Master Bedroom is small. I think only our King size bed would fit in there with very little walking space. And the second bedroom is really small. It would be the office so a desk, some bookcases, and shelves in the closet would be about it.

These aren't the worst things. And Spryos and I only sleep, read, and Wink Wink on the bed so we really don't need a lot of room in there. And I think the office is doable also.

But it's thirty years old, which is old for a trailer. Some parts of the floor were squishy, but I'm not going to tear up the carpet so it could be padding coming up or it could be something else.

There was also water spots on parts of the ceiling. These could have been there for twenty years, or they could have just been made, which means roof and/or structure damage.

There is no garage. We can build one, but until we do our vehicles are out for the elements to destroy.

So tell me what you think???

Oh and the price $79,9000, but we would probably offer $75,000 and see how it goes. Our house now is $140,000 so we would owe $60,000 - $65,000 less if we bought this place.

We would be able to pay off our students loans right away. So the only other debt we would have besides the mortgage is money we owe to my father-in-law, but we have 10 years to pay that and it's interest free.

Hmmm... That's as long as our house sells for what we want. Ugh... I wish it was over already!!!!

This is very scary! (Taken from The Dollar Stretcher Site.)

Google has implemented a new feature where you can type
someone's telephone number into the search bar, hit enter, and
then you will be given a map to their house. If a child (or
anyone for that matter) gives out his/her phone number,
someone can actually look it up to find out where he/she
lives. The safety issues are obvious and alarming.

This is not a hoax. Map quest will actually put a star on your
home's location. In order to test whether your phone number is
mapped, go to and type your phone
number in the search bar with or without dashes (i.e. 555-555-
1212 pr 1234567891) and hit enter.

If your phone number is not publicly listed, you should be
fine, but you should check anyway. You may want to check your
cell number as well.

If you want to block Google from divulging your private
information, simply click on the telephone icon next to your
phone number. You will see a link where you are allowed to
remove yourself.

Please take a few minutes and check. As soon as I post this, I'm off to Google myself.

Even if you've never done something before, it doesn't hurt to try.

Today Spyros and I did some body work on the van that my Mother-in-Law smashed the front end on.

We used a chain and my Dad's Jeep to pull the body out, and although it's not perfect it looks fine and still runs.

We could have taken it to a body repair shop, but why when the van is over 10 years old?

So try to fix things yourself before taking them in to get fixed. Even if you mess it up more you can always get it done professionally.

Sorry that some of these postings are so short, but I've been busy gathering stuff for the garage sale, cleaning, looking at houses on the internet, and in general thinking about everything related to moving and buying a new home.

Today's frugal thought: Try to list and sell your own house. This is especially good if you're not in a real hurry to do so.

If it doesn't sell, after awhile you can always hire a realtor if you want to.

You can save thousands of dollars by selling your own house. And with those thousands of dollars you can pay off debt or put more towards your mortgage so your home is payed off faster.

Still going along with yesterday's theme of pouring concrete, today's frugal thought: If you will only be using a certain tool or a different item only once in awhile, it may be cheaper to rent it than to buy it.

Or better yet, ask everyone you know if they have something that would work. You never know until you ask!!!

It's great to have friends!!!

Today Spyros, Amber, Kevin, Chris, and I poured the second half of our concrete slab (patio).

We rented a concrete mixer and float to make the process easier, but without the others it would have been a hellish chore.

So frugal thought: Share the work load with a friend or three. It makes whatever you're doing more fun and much easier.

We went to see Meatloaf at a fair grounds is Seymour, WI. last night. Although it was at a fair, it was the second best concert I've ever seen.

We stood up in front of the stage, with about 4 people in front of us (and about 25 on each side of us.)

A radio station was introducing Meatloaf and throwing out Bob & Tom hats, which my dear husband (being the tall person he is) was able to reach up and pluck one out of the air, without doing bodily damage like others were when they dived for the hats.

So frugal thought for the day: When staying at a hotel/motel bring your own cooler with food and drinks. It will save you money by not going out to eat.

Oh, and don't forget anything at your hotel/motel. Do a double and triple check of the room so you don't get home and find you have to go out and replace something.

Oh, oh... Also make sure to check your vehicle's fluid and the tire's air pressure before beginning your trip.

Some people like to clean their car before they leave, but I say wait until you get back. Chances are you're going to be throwing food bags, napkins, kleenex, etc... inside the car (You better not be throwing it out the window!!!!), so it's going to be dirty when you get back home anyway.

Well I'm going throught the house again, looking for items to sell at our garage sale in August.

We already had one in May, but if we move I want to get rid of more stuff. And even if we don't (but I'm 99% sure we will within the next two years, or sooner), it's always a refreshing feeling for me to get rid of clutter.

We're going to be selling more of our furniture at the sale also. "Whoa" people may be saying. What happens if you don't move. Even if we don't I still want to get rid of some furniture because:

1. I want less stuff to clean, repair and take care of
2. If we don't sell, our next step would be to rent out space, so our upstairs would need to be completely clear.

It amazes me how much I've found already: 4 boxes, 3 board games, and about 20 books (which I'm writing up descriptions to put them up on eBay this weekend.) And I just went through the house in May.

But I think one's attitude for their belongings really changes when it comes to moving the stuff to another location.

So today's frugal/simple living thought: To really clean out the clutter, act as if you will be moving. Unless you absolutely love it or it serves a daily (or almost daily) purpose, get rid of it.

Once again, it's raining on laundry day!

Oh, well....

My mind is not really concentrating on frugal/simple living thoughts today.

Spyros and I are, once again, talking about moving.

Our house is too big for 2 people. We could take on renters, but we would only want it to be friends or family.

But truth be told, I would rather live by ourselves.

Then there's the part that we want some land. To have a garden, fruit trees, and possibly a swimming pool. (Spyros doesn't know about my designs on a pool yet!)

We also want land so we can build or possibly have a little community with like minded people living on it.

I would love to hear any thoughts. Or if you live in co-housing, a commune, etc.... I would like to hear the good and bad of that also.

Plus if you know of any houses up for sale in Wisconsin with land, for $40,000 to $60,000, please let me know.

I highly encourage you to do some of your own basic car maintenance if you own a vehicle.

A few things that are very easy to do and will save you money (Yes, I can do all the things listed below.)

1. Change your oil
2. Fill your own liquids (Windshield Wash, Anti-Freeze, Oil)
3. Replace your own windshiled wipers

There are some other things that are pretty easy to do on most vehicles: Changing your radiator, the battery, and alternator.

Head down to your library and check out some Dummies books on car care. Why pay someone else to do it, when it's easy and will save you money.

Plus you know it's getting done right. I've heard stories of mechanics forgetting to add oil. Or leaving tools inside the car and doing extreme damage to the motor.

And won't your significant other be surprised when you get out to help change that flat tire?!?

We no longer have a TV.

We were using my Father-in-Laws, but we gave it back to him this weekend, since he asked for it.

I never realized just how much I did watch it, until it was gone. (Just like the saying goes...)

We may pick one up again to watch movies on, every so often. But I don't think we'll be getting DirectTV again (or Cable) any time soon.

I reserved a book from the library called Four Arguments for the Elimination of Television by Jerry Mander.

From reading various posts on the Simple Living Discussion boards, I think this should be a very interesting read. Perhaps even scary?!?

I'll give you a book review after I finish it.

So frugal thought for the day: There's so much more to be doing instead of watching TV. So save yourself some money and get rid of your cable.

Or baby step: Start watching it less and less. And start reading, walking, writing, daydreaming, dancing, or living your passion instead.

As I've said before, it's seems like it's been raining a lot on my laundry days.

So in hopes to appease the rain gods/goddess, I am posting this poem that I thought was not only cute, but true.

If you are the author of this poem or know who is, please let me know so I can credit it to them.

A clothesline was a news forecast
To neighbors passing by.
There were no secrets you could keep
When clothes were hung to dry.

It also was a friendly link,
For neighbors always knew
If company had stopped on by
To spend a night or two.

For then you'd see the fancy sheets
And towels upon the line;
You'd see the company tablecloths
With intricate design.

The line announced a baby's birth
To folks who lived inside,
As brand new infant clothes were hung
So carefully with pride.

The ages of the children could
So readily be known
By watching how the sizes changed,
You'd know how much they'd grown.

It also told when illness struck,
As extra sheets were hung;
Then nightclothes, and a bathrobe, too,
Haphazardly were strung.

It said, "Gone on vacation now,"
When lines hung limp and bare
It told, "We're back!" when full lines sagged,
With not an inch to spare,

But clotheslines now are of the past,
For dryers make work less,
Now what goes on inside a home
Is anybody's guess.

I really miss that way of life.
It was a friendly sign,
When neighbors knew each other best,
By what hung upon the line!

Author Unknown

Well I am one annoyed chicky!!!

I went to our bank website to add some more funds to our savings, and I notice that the balance is less than it should be. So I check it out and see that they charge us a $3 monthly fee.

I don't think so!!!

We have a $140,000 mortgage with these people. Plus another savings account that we are constantly adding money to. And a checking account that has not been overdrawn in over 4 1/2 years.

I will be calling them later today and politely insisting that they do not charge us this fee.

I know we should have checked the paper work before signing (and I usually do, even if it takes a long time to read), but none of our other accounts have fees, so I didn't think this one would either.

Frugal thought: Read that paperwork before signing, and make sure to check over your monthly statements on any bank accounts or credit cards.

While I do enjoy TV (what you mean you aren't constantly looking for ways to be frugal???) I am annoyed by most of the ads.

Our society is so convience oriented that all you have to do is turn on the TV for ten minutes of commericals and you will find many examples.

I realize that time is precious and people buy convient items to help with their time, but we need to also think about the environment.

And many of these convience items are very easy to do yourself, and a lot cheaper.

Some examples:

The microwave cleaner pack that you nuke and it pops open with clothes to wipe out the inside of your microwave.

It's just vinegar So take a bowl, put some vinegar (or water if you don't have vinegar) in it and turn your microwave on until the liquid gets steamy. Then take a rag and wipe it out. (Notice I didn't say paper towel. Why waste a paper towel when a rag works just fine?)

Throw away duster with micro-fibers. Please! Use a rag and when it gets dirty, throw it in the wash.

Peanut Butter you squeeze out of a tube. And just how much extra are you paying for this?? Just use a knife.

And one that I saw at the grocery store: Special microwave potatoes. (Potatoes wrapped in plastic wrap and ready in just seven minutes.)

Wash your potato, grab a fork (and take out your frustration from all the stupid products that cost you extra and help to destroy the environment); and stab it a few times. Then put it in your microwave. No plastic wrap to throw away and a lot cheaper than 79 cents for one special potato.