Running. This should be faster than walking, right?

Sadly my running time is slower than my walking time. I run a thirteen minute mile.  I walk a 12 minute mile.

When I calculated this, I was somewhat disappointed.  Then I thought about it – six short weeks ago I couldn’t have run around the block.  Now I can run/walk 3.25 miles in 45 minutes.  Serious accomplishment.  (Reaching back now to pat myself on the back.)

For some strange reason, it gives me a little rush to say casually, “when I was out for my run last night…..”  It sounds so much more athletic than talking about my walk.

Now, don’t get me wrong.  I adore a brisk race-walk through the 10 km loop near my house.  I love to walk on the nature trail by the canal with my seven year old, stopping to note the changes the seasons have wrought. But I am beginning to see why people get hooked on running. There is something about that rhythmic pounding with the music throbbing in your ears as you push yourself to go just a few more steps.  I spot something up ahead and force myself to just make it to that spot.  Then there is something just a little further ahead…well, you know.

I can’t run a straight mile yet without stopping to walk for a minute here and there, but I am well on my way. Before the fall my goal is to run my entire 5 kilometer route.

I’ll get there.  I will keep timing myself and I will know that in this competition I can’t help but win.

2008 is the year I become organized.  I have been working on it since the new year began and I cannot believe how much my Little Home has grown. Talk about a cost effective renovation!

The first project was tackling the basement storage area.  I had boxes down there that have been moved to 3 different houses without being opened.  I went through each and every one of them.  I got rid of 19 card board boxes.  Some of them only had 2-3 things in them and they were taking up a tremendous amount of space. Now the storage area is neatly organized.  There are Christmas tubs in red and green.  There are Halloween tubs in brown (couldn't find orange and black this time of year).  The two big Christmas trees are down there, fully assembled.  If I need the space later I can always break them down, but for now that seems easy and convenient.  I have intalled shelving for the various things we use occasionally:  the fans in the winter, this is where the space heaters will go in the summer. the type of thing you only use for half the year.  There are keepsakes down there, like the baby clothes I just can't part with.  It is a tresure trove of memories.  There is a gift-wrapping section so I can easily reuse gift bags, bows and tissue, there is a gift shelf, stocked with gifts that I got on sale, just waiting for the right occasion to give them. 

Still in the works is the wardrobe area.  I am going to sort through all the hand-me-downs and box them according to size.  I also have a hanging rack where we can put nice summer dresses in the winter and our coats in the summer.  There is a big container for out of season shoes as well.

I have also sorted through my pantry and thoroughly organized it.  Next was my linen closet.  I should not need to purchase another health and beauty aid for at least 4 months.

I calculate roughly that I will save $200, yes $200 this year in the cost of wrapping gifts, based on how many birthday parties we all attend.  Each time last year we made the trek to the Dollarama and spent $2 on a bag and tissue.  I found over $400 worth of health and beauty aids. Disorgnaization has an extremely high cost. 

Next on my hit list is sorting out the hand-me-downs and tackling the three junk drawers in my home.

Another shocker for me is just how much storage space I have.  My home was built in 1929,  and when I first moved in I really did not think there was much storage here.  But there is truly an enormous amount for an old house, especially now that I can see it all! I have an huge linen closet, a walk-in pantry and a basement storage room that measures about 10x6. There is also room to store things in the laundry room, which is about that same size.

Every time I do a little project here, it seems I find another reason to love this house!

I often sit and think of what I would do to my home if money was not an object.  Over the years though, these will become reality not just day dreams.

I like to plan these things so that if I stumble across a spectacular deal I can take advantage of it.  Some things are serious renovations and some are simple redecorations:

1.) Install a gorgeous chandelier instead of the pizza hut lamp that hangs in my dining room.  This one is soon to be a reality, since I acquired a stunning chandelier at less than a third of the normal price. Just waiting from my handyman to put it in.

2.) Add a bathroom to the main floor:  This is two-fold.  First the girls and I fight over the bathroom on a regular basis.  I just want a little half bath so people no longer have the urge to pee when I am having a nice long soak in the tub. Secondly, when my Dad comes to visit it is extremely hard for him to get up and down the stairs to the bathroom.

I am planning to actually add a room right off my dining room - it will house a main floor utility room as well as a half bath.  I want to put a washer and dryer in there, along with a deep freeze.  This way I can keep my wonderful walk-in pantry.  The cost of actually adding a room might be prohibitive though, in which case I will lose the pantry and gain a bathroom.

3.) Reinstall a woodstove on the existing hearth.  In my dining room is a hearth where a woodstove once stood.  The former owner had it removed.  If I were to put a stove in there, I would switch the living room and dining rooms, since it makes more sense to have the heat source where you spend the most time. I love the idea of independance if our power ever goes out again like it once did. I want to be able to keep my family warm no matter what the situation with the electricity.  The added benefit to this is no greenhouse gases, as smaller carbon foot print and lower utility bills.

4.) Finish the attic.  This would require turning Rachel's tiny room into a stairway and using the rest of her room as a walkin closet for me !  Yippee.  Then Chloe could relocate her room to the attic, Rachel could take over Chloe's room, which is a reasonable size, and my room would get a little bigger.

All said and done, I know I am looking at around $30,000.  I have considered moving to a house that has these things but such a house would cost about $20,000- $50,000 more than this one.  I have $30000 in equity in this home, and I hate to lose that and start at square one again. Then I think about the taxes and real estate fees.  OUCH.  It's a lot of money but I can do it bit by bit. 

A girl can dream, ya know!

This morning I was making my coffee when I noticed I was nearly out of sweetener.  "Darn," I thought with dread and glee all at once.  "I have to go to Walmart!"  (Do you ever get out of Walmart for less than $50? It's like they hold me for ransom!) I decided to check my pantry, and lo and behold, on the third shelf up, a brand new box a sweetener sat there twinkling at me!

I have this compulsion to fill my pantry.  Right now the shelves are groaning with the bounty they hold. These little gems in my pantry are more valuable than gold.  This is what allows me to be as thrifty as I need to be on any given week.

Recently I decided to go for a week without grocery shopping.  The week before had only been party food for Christmas and NewYears.  Effectively I went 3 weeks on the food in my pantry, not including entertaining.  I had not recently restocked, since it had been a while since the good deals were available.  I finally had to go to the store because I didn't have any vegetables left in either the pantry or the freezer.

After New Years there always seems to be such an abundance of sales, perfect for the pantry.  I spent about $225 stocking up over a two week period. This list includes 15 cans of pasta (great for school lunches), 30 Lipton Sides, 25 cans of vegetables and 10 cans of soup.  I got enough juice boxes at 7 cents apiece to last through May. The kids are on their own for breakfast so I also got 10 boxes of cereal at $1.50 a box, and 3 boxes of instant oatmeal. I am waiting for some good sales on spaghetti sauce, tomatoes in various forms, and pasta. Then my cupboard will be complete.

After my handyman takes a dumprun for me I will have the space to get a new deep freeze.  Right now, for meat and frozen goods I am stuck with only what is above my fridge. That too, is bursting at the seems.  I took advantage of some good sales on chicken breasts as well as some last day of sale prepared stroganoff (it was cheaper than I could make it!)

This week I may have a big expense, since my furnace is only working intermittently.  It only tends to break down on the coldest days of the year.  I just started my emergency fund, and with this treasure in the pantry I may be able to get by without touching it.  I think I can go for at least two weeks buying only milk and bread. That's the goal anyway.

It's funny how things work out.  There I was kicking myself for blowng my monthly budget of $250.  I am just over at $256, and it is only halfway through the month.  But if I had not spent the extra stockig up, I would still be over and I would not have this glorious pile of food to plan with. The funny thing is , I won't be that far over budget when the month ends, and we will be well fed without touching my EF.

Now upstairs I go to see what wonderful meals I can make out of my pantry this week.

As usually happens with me, you gotta hit me over the head with my wallet to truly compel a change.  Most recently is a change I feel really good about: recycling. 

We have been putting out truck loads of garbage every week.  7 or 8 bags, and this is out of sheer laziness.  Now, the city has begun charging for anything that does not fit inside 2 containers. The extra fee is a dollar a bag.  I am ashamed to say, I really never put any effort into recycling until I was going to have to pay for it. It is terrible how much garbage our family has been manufacturing for the planet.

Fast forward to the second week the garbagemen threw bags back on my lawn. Of course, my initial reaction was anger at them throwing back my garbage.  I muttered to myself, "There is NO WAY I am paying more than the taxes I already pay for garbage!"  I posted my rant on Frugal Village and got tons of wonderful ideas, as always.

We put our plan into action with a $20 investment.  I decided if we stuck with it that investment would pay for itself in 2 1/2 months by me not having to spend $2 a week in extra garbage fees. I purchased 2 tall skinny garbage cans and a box of clear garbage bags. I put these in my walk-in pantry and began separating my waste immediately.One is for glass and plastic, and the other is for paper and cardboard. 

The first week we cut our 8 bags of garbage down to 3!  And this is with me cleaning out my basement storage area and getting rid of tons of stuff! I cringe thinking of the environmental havoc we have been wreaking because I just never really thought about it. It makes me sad to think that my children and I are responsible for acres of landfill material.

Now that I have decided to plant a garden this summer I think I can cut my garbage even more.  The former owner of my house had left a compost bin in the back and I found an old ice cream tub in my cupboard to use for organic waste. Immediately we have begun to scrape everything we can into there, and the compost bin will also be the home for our uncolored newspaper. I imagine we can soon get down to 2 bags of garbage that may not even be full.

The kids are on board and they love showing me what they have learned in school about recycling.  We all know how much children love to prove their parents wrong, so just for fun I have been playing dumb.  "I don't think this can be recycled so I am going to throw it away."  "No!"  "Wait!"  "Did you look on the back!?!"  I love it!  I hope on can keep the excitement and motivation going!

I have done a lot of contemplation lately about where our lives are going.  After the custody issue was settled with my girls, I was surprised to feel let down, almost depressed.  It was as though I no longer had a purpose now that the fight was over. I was cranky and irritable, lethargic, and just didn't know where I was going. 

I guess anything that takes two years out of your life will have that effect.  I certainly don't want that stress back, but it is an adjustment to live without it.  Throughout that time I was constantly in motion, looking for the next big change, bigger house, different hobbies, different friends.

Since it is done, I have spent nearly a month in contemplation.  I have decided that this little home is our future.  The payments are great (i.e., low).  It is a charming old house, which is just what I have always wanted.  Sure there are things I could change, but that will come.  This is the only place I have lived for 2 years in my entire adult life. My kids love it here and I like the neighborhood.  Maybe it is finally time to put down some roots and make like a tree instead of an annual.

So I have set forth some goals for myself and my family.  I have started saving money.  At the age of 38, I am a little long in the tooth to just be starting, but better now than never.  Personally I am working on my patience levels.  I need to get control of my quick temper in order to teach my daughters to control theirs. I am finally getting control of my finances and I have a great job that is making it all possible.  I am treated well and paid well, so I am putting down roots there.

I am making plans for our home.  I have someone coming in to do some handyman work next week.  He is doing the last part of finishing the basement for us, and then we have our perfect family room.  It will house the computer, a big comfy daybed for seating, a tv, vcr and dvd player and a huge area dedicated to crafting.  Under the stairs is Barbieland for my little Rachel. The benefit to this room is that the mess will be visible only to us.  No longer will my front room be a disaster that people will see when they come in my front door.  Hooray!

The next expensive thing I want to do is to add a half bath somewhere on the main floor.  While I am loathe to give up my walk-in pantry, I might have to make that sacrifice.  It would be silly to move for lack of a bathroom but with three chicks in this house we NEED another bathroom.  I am quite  clear on the difference between needs and wants and this, for us is a need.

This summer is going to be the year of the garden.  We have begun composting in the old bin that the former owner had, and my intention is to build raised beds and grow some of our produce. I have never really gardened before, but I want to get as close to homesteading as I can in this little piece of suburbia.

As you can see, all of my goals are to improve the effiency of our lives and save some dollars. I am finally in this weird place called contenment, and it has been one heck of a ride!

I would like to start by saying that I'm still smoke-free!!! WooHoo!  I even went to a Halloween Party, which is usually an event where I can't help but have a couple.  I must be serious about it this time. 

We will be buying tickets to see A Christmas Carol in December...that will be #13 off my list. 

I think I'm making wonderful progress and I'll keep on trucking through Thanksgiving!

Entertainment

1. Watch The Great Gatsby
2. Watch Bleak House
3. Finish Watching all X-Files seasons (122/202 11/06/07)
4. Watch Casablanca
5. Watch We’re No Angels
6. Watch One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
7. Watch Million Dollar Baby
8. Watch Shakespeare in Love
9. Watch Schindler’s List
10. Watch Gigi
11. Watch Patton
12. Watch Donnie Darko
13. See performance at Hult Center

Reading/ Knowledge

14. Read Jane Eyre (completed 11/4/07)
15. Read Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allen Poe (started 11/4/07)
16. Read Lolita
17. Re-read Your Money or Your Life
18. Read The Beautiful and the Damned
19. Read Eat More Weigh Less (completed 9/4/07)
20. Read The Bible  (in Progress)
21. Read Great Expectations
22. Read books I own, but have not read
23. Read “The Secret” (In Progress)
24. Check out a book from the library

Health

25. Quit Smoking
26. Go Smoke Free for 10 months (45/303 Days) 11/6/07
27. Use Elliptical 3 times per week for 1 Month (0/12)
28. Cook Dinner 5 times per week for 2 weeks (0/10)
29. Start South Beach and maintain for 6 weeks
30. Journal food for 30 days on Spark People
31. Re-Learn how to Hula Hoop
32. Complete C25K running plan
33. Do 25 push-ups
34. Strength train 3x’s per week for 2 weeks
35. No soda for 1 week
36. No eating after 8pm for 1 week
37. Eat 2 servings of vegetables everyday for 2 weeks

 Home

38. Bring in and wash Christmas Dishes
39. Pack up Yellow Dishes
40. Clean Garage
41. Declutter Spare room
42. Organize office closet
43. Organize Pantry
44. Organize Desk
45. Build Fence
46. Organize Books
47. Buy Bookcase for Cookbooks
48. Scrub shower
49. Organize Spare room
50. Organize CD’s
51. Organize DVD’s
52. Organize Magazines
53. Hang wedding photo

Personal

54. Write Daily Gratitudes for 2 weeks
55. Watch Sunrise
56. No cursing for 7 days (hmmm…might be tough)
57. Go to 10 year reunion
58. Get a manicure
59. Buy a bra
60. Do not cut hair for 1001 days (trims not included)
61. Buy new cell phone
62. Buy 10 new items of clothing (2/10)
63. Take a bubble bath with candles

 Cooking/ Food

64. Bake a red velvet cake
65. Learn how to make Mom’s Ham and Beans
66. Organize Recipes
67. Try 5 new restaurants (2/5)

  Travel

68. Visit family in Texas
69. Take vacation w/ husband
70. Visit Ikea
71. Visit Ghost Town
72. Visit Crater Lake
73. Visit Town I’ve never been to
74. Watch sunset at the beach

Money

75. Track every penny for 3 months
76. Open IRA’s
77. Redistribute my 401k funds
78. Redistribute Husbands 401k funds

Crafting/ Hobby

79. Sew Quilt
80. Organize Photographs
81. Organize “my pics” file on computer
82. Sew an Apron
83. Sew a bag
84. Plant Vegetable Garden
85. Plant Herb Garden
86. Plant Bulbs
87. Complete Cross stitch project
88. Make a scrapbook page w/ photoshop
89. Paint a Christmas ornament
90. Learn to use Photoshop

Family

91. Ask Grandpa family history
92. Have Sister and Family over to dinner
93. Call my Half-Sister
94. Teach Louie a new trick
95. Get family picture taken
96. Write letter to Grandma in Texas
97. Have a picnic with my husband

Miscellaneous

98. Change oil in car
99. Sponsor child at Christmas
100. 100.Play Fact or Crap with friends
101. 101.Make New 101 list on 1001^st day

Just a quick update.  I don't want it to get away from me.

1. Watch The Great Gatsby
2. Watch Bleak House
3. Finish Watching all X-Files seasons (113/202) 10/17/2007
4. Watch Casablanca
5. Watch We’re No Angels
6. Watch One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest
7. Watch Million Dollar Baby
8. Watch Shakespeare in Love
9. Watch Schindler’s List
10. Watch Gigi
11. Watch Patton
12. Watch Donnie Darko
13. See performance at Hult Center

Reading/ Knowledge

14. Read Lolita
15. Read Jane Eyre (in-process)
16. Read Complete Works of Edgar Allen Poe
17. Re-read Your Money or Your Life
18. Read The Beautiful and the Damned
19. Read Eat More Weigh Less  Completed 9/4/07
20. Read The Bible - In process
21. Read Great Expectations
22. Read books I own, but have not read
23. Watch “the secret”
24. Check out a book from the library

Health

25. Quit Smoking 9/24/2007
26. Go Smoke Free for 10 months (24/304) Updated 10/17/2007
27. Use Elliptical 3 times per week for 1 Month (0/12)
28. Cook Dinner 5 times per week for 2 weeks (0/10)
29. Start South Beach and maintain for 6 weeks (inprocess, Started 10/8/2007)
30. Journal food for 30 days on Spark People
31. Re-Learn how to Hula Hoop
32. Complete C25K running plan
33. Do 25 push-ups
34. Strength train 3x’s per week for 2 weeks
35. No soda for 1 week
36. No eating after 8pm for 1 week
37. Eat 2 servings of fruit orvegetables everyday for 2 weeks  (10/14)

Home

38. Bring in and wash Christmas Dishes
39. Pack up Yellow Dishes
40. Clean Garage
41. Declutter Spare room
42. Organize office closet
43. Organize Pantry
44. Organize Desk
45. Build Fence
46. Organize Books
47. Buy Bookcase for Cookbooks
48. Scrub shower
49. Organize Spare room
50. Organize CD’s
51. Organize DVD’s
52. Organize Magazines
53. Hang wedding photo

Personal

54. Write Daily Gratitudes for 2 weeks
55. Watch Sunrise
56. No cursing for 7 days (hmmm…might be tough)
57. Go to 10 year reunion
58. Get a manicure
59. Buy a bra
60. Do not cut hair for 1001 days (trims not included)
61. Buy new cell phone
62. Buy 10 new items of clothing (2/10) Updated 9/24
63. Take a bubble bath with candles

Cooking/ Food

64. Bake a red velvet cake
65. Learn how to make Mom’s Ham and Beans
66. Organize Recipes
67. Try 5 new restaurants (2/5) Updated 9/24

Travel

68. Visit family in Texas
69. Take vacation w/ husband
70. Visit Ikea
71. Visit Ghost Town
72. Visit Crater Lake
73. Visit Town I’ve never been to
74. Watch sunset at the beach

Money

75. Track every penny for 3 months
76. Open IRA’s
77. Redistribute my 401k funds
78. Redistribute Husbands 401k funds

Crafting/ Hobby

79. Sew Quilt
80. Organize Photographs
81. Organize “my pics” file on computer
82. Sew an Apron
83. Sew a bag
84. Plant Vegetable Garden
85. Plant Herb Garden
86. Plant Bulbs
87. Complete Cross stitch project
88. Make a scrapbook page w/ photoshop
89. Paint a Christmas ornament
90. Learn to use Photoshop

Family

91. Ask Grandpa family history
92. Have Sister and Family over to dinner
93. Call my Half-Sister
94. Teach Louie to roll-over
95. Get family picture taken
96. Write letter to Grandma in Texas
97. Have a picnic with my husband

Miscellaneous

98. Change oil in car
99. Sponsor child at Christmas
100. Play Fact or Crap with friends
101. Make New 101 list on 1001^st day

Wow...October is flying by. 

It is hard to decide what to focus on.  It seems like I am tackling it by category.  I think I'm going to re-read my list and revise my plan of attack this weekend.  Here is an update for the past couple of weeks...

#25 & 26 - Still not smoking, WooHoo!  That's 18/304 days of being smoke free.  Maybe I should add 10 months in a row.  Not one cheat. 

#27 - I have used the Elliptical twice this week despite having a cold.  Today was another assigned exercise day, but i was too exhausted after work.  I'm going to work-out on it tomorrow morning.  That keeps me within the week time frame.  One week almost down.  This one I will make a permanent habit.  I need to gear up for #32.  C25K.  When I start that it will be my 3rd attempt.  You know what they say about the 3rd time. ;)

#20 - Still reading the Bible, #3 - plugging throught the X-Files seasons.  We're halfway done already!

#15 - I'm reading Jane Eyre now.  I love the BBC production and the book is even better.  I have a ways to go but I am really enjoying it.  Nothing like sitting back with a cup of tea or coffee and reading a classic novel.  I love this time of year!

#29 - I started South Beach on the 8th.  It's going really well.  I forgot how great I feel when I don't eat a bunch of carbs, and I've lost 5 of the 11 pounds I have gained in the past 5 weeks.  Bonus! #37 - When eating South Beach it is a given you will eat well over 2 servings of fruit and veggies (5/14 days)

#87 - I dug out a stitching project I got at a garage sale.  Now I just have to find my embroidery hoop!  That is another one of my favorite things to do on a blustery day.