it's about time!

Time.

That's something I've had far too little of for far too long. I spent most of the winter working loads of overtime, often up to 80 hours a week. Then, my company offered me a promotion a few months ago, guaranteeing me a steady paycheck and a little bit better benefits. I had reservations as I've always thought I didn't want to move into management, but I accepted the offer and for the past couple months, I've had 11 others reporting to me and have taken on a lot more responsibility day to day. My job usually comes with a good chunk of down time in the Spring and I thought this would be a good move since I wouldn't have to worry about short paychecks from lack of work. Turns out, I had no idea what I'd signed up for... a lot of stress, dealing with people who seem to have very little work ethic and getting paid a salary based on a 40-hr work week but working 80+ hrs many weeks. I never dropped below 60 hrs and even on those short weeks, I needed to have worked more. Sure, I was earning a little paid vacation time, but it was far from balancing out! That down time never materialized either this year so while I was working for what ended up being near minimum wage, I could have been getting paid my old rate plus overtime. =( Let's just say, as of this evening, I'm officially back in my old position where I could set my own schedule, still get paid for all the hours I work and can say NO to working more if I so choose. Sure, I gave up the title, but I didn't care about the title anyway. I should have followed by gut in the first place and said no, but I definitely know now that I do not want to be in management ever again. Can I do it? Absolutely. Do I want to? NO. The trade-off just wasn't worth it. I have to say I'm looking forward to getting those bigger paychecks again and working again on paying down the RV, something that hasn't been happening at anywhere near the rate it was before my "promotion". Another bonus? This guy:

will be getting a whole lot more attention and multiple daily walks! =)

It's all about figuring out your priorities. Now to decide where I'm headed  since I have my freedom back...

the minimalists' meetup

It's been pretty quiet around here lately. Too much work and no time for anything else, but that's changing soon. =) Until then, take a peek at this video:

This is from a meetup The Minimalists had in Seattle back in March. Well worth a listen, but be prepared... it's an hour and a half long.

the cube

It's such an ingenious design, I thought I'd share:

I think I could live in this quite comfortably... as long as there was a curtain on that window by the shower! lol

out with the old...

This little hand vac was a complete waste of money. While it was cheap, it sucks... and not in a good way. I still had the remnants of a Walmart gift card so I headed off yesterday and got myself a new vacuum. Out with the old crappy vac and in with the new... and this little rug by the kitty box is once again black. Problem #1... solved. :)

considerations...

Since my last post (a few days ago), I've been thinking about what's bugging me about the rv and I think I might have figured it out... at least for the most part.

1. The pet hair is killing me. It's Spring (sort of) and the critters are shedding with a vengeance. The little hand vac I bought for the RV just isn't cutting it. It's a pain to use (crawling around on the floor) and just doesn't work all that well, not to mention that I have to dump the little dirt cup 2-3 times even for my tiny space. I'm off later today to pick up a small upright with a good attachment for the tight spots. I can't wait to vacuum with a real vacuum!! I debated getting my Dyson out of storage, but it's too large/heavy and the attachments are packed in bins and not accessible. The one I found is smaller, lighter and not too expensive and I decided I'm okay dedicating a little space to the vacuum. It's either that... or shave the cats. :-/

2. It's not all that comfortable working in here. Let's face it, the dinettes in RVs are not really built for comfort. They're utilitarian and provide storage and extra sleeping space. The cushions are at right angles (so uncomfy!) and they don't hold up well to constant use. The storage is nice, but it's a pain to get to since you have to take off the cushions (and anything on the cushions) to access it. The solution? I'm thinking seriously of ripping out the dinette completely and replacing it with a couple of plastic bins (for storage) and a small, lightweight desk or table to work at... and a real office chair! Or more likely, another balance ball like I was using prior to the move into the RV. I actually already have a folding table that would work well and it's already in the RV so I'd be losing weight getting rid of the dinette. The bins would also make it much easier to bring supplies into someone else's kitchen if the opportunity arose. I'm having a hard time seeing a down side to doing this...

3. Not having water/sewer hooked up is a huge pain in the butt. Yes, I'm saving some money parked at my friend's, but dumping my holding tank takes assistance. Fortunately, they do have a dump station, but the way it's set up means I can't do it alone. I haven't had water hooked up over the winter to avoid frozen lines/hose so have been hauling jugs of water to the RV and hauling dishes into the house to clean. In an RV park, I'd have to walk to another building to take a shower and do laundry... but I do that here too. Is the savings worth the inconvenience?

So really, all my "issues" are pretty easily fixable. I just needed to think through what the issues really were and figure out the solutions. =) The more I thought about renting a place and being "stuck"... the less I thought that was a good idea.

On another note... why is it people assume that since you work from home, you're free to drop everything and leave at will? It is still a JOB. After all this time, you'd think my friend would have figured that out by now... apparently not. LOL

6 months!

That's right, folks... it's been a full six months since I moved into the rv full-time. Technically, we're pushing seven months now. =) How is it March already?!


I may not be making progress with much else, but I am making real progress with my rv loan!

Next payment due:

07/10/2016!

I turn 40 next January. I'd LOVE to be completely debt-free again by then. Not sure I'll make it, but I'll be a whole lot closer than I thought I'd be thanks to all this overtime! It'll take continued diligence keeping my spending to a minimum, but this seems to be my new normal anyway. Other than groceries and the rare replacement item, I don't shop. I don't want to shop. Actually, I have a huge urge to go sort through my storage unit and get rid of a lot of that stuff too. Those big paychecks of the last couple months will be a thing of the past as well now that the big projects have ended and things are slowing down so I'll have one more larger-than-average check to put toward the rv, then it's back to more normal payments. At least I've made a huge dent in it and saved myself a ton on interest! =)

A couple weeks ago, my friend told me that she's been more frugal since I've been staying here. I guess I'm a good influence. =) She'd gone through her clothes and already had 3 big laundry bins full of things she plans to take to a used clothing resale shop... quite a few still had the tags on. You don't know how happy I am to hear that! I've been wanting to help her sort through some things and decide what could go, but work has been keeping me too busy to do much of anything other than, well, work. I was so happy to hear my influence is having an effect and she's motivating herself! I still see a lot coming in the house, but at least some is leaving now too...

So... after over 6 months in this small space, what have I learned? I've learned I have no problem living in 200 sqft. I actually like having less "stuff" around and fewer choices. What do I miss? A real kitchen. Yes, I have a little kitchen in the rv, but it's not the same. While at my friend's, I can use her kitchen, but dragging things back and forth is a pain and having someone telling me how to do every little thing (and how I'm doing it wrong) is annoying. I'm planning on moving from here soon. I keep debating between somewhere around Seattle or Portland. I'm leaning more toward Vancouver, WA, these days. Before I moved back to Spokane, I flew out to Portland and looked for a rental without much success. This time, the search would be more relaxed since I have a place to live and wouldn't be on a short time frame. =) Yes, I'm thinking of possibly renting an apt or small house and using the rv for work trips and, of course, pleasure... I really do miss having a real kitchen... and the kitties would do well with a bit more space as well. If it was just me and the little dog... I'm not saying I in any way regret the past 7 months and who knows, once I move, I might find I'm happy to stay in the rv awhile longer. It might just be a time issue since I've been working so much and have been in one spot so long. Maybe once I'm in an area I like better and have a bit more time to enjoy outside of the rv... =)

well-meaning friends

How many times do I need to say, "I don't want more stuff" before my friend believes me?

I learned fairly quickly to not shop with this same friend since a quick errand always turns into an all-day trip followed by several trips into the house with all the unneeded stuff she couldn't pass up, but how do I convince her to not buy things for me when she's out shopping without me? I washed my throw rugs and she insisted they be hung to dry rather than being tossed in the dryer and being winter, I borrowed one of hers (from the "rug" cabinet - I didn't know people had rug cabinets!) for a day... it doesn't mean I need (or want) her to buy me rugs... especially not clearance holiday rugs. *sigh* I've said no nicely many, many times... and yet, it still keeps happening. I've tried the tactic of saying I just don't have space to store extras (I don't!). She's big on couponing and is always looking for the great deal and cannot understand why I'm not thrilled over her loads of excess toiletries and food she'll never use.

I've also been getting a lot of flack from my friends about the hours I've been working. I've noticed they're much better at spending than making money, but they'd be amazed if they knew how much I've paid on my rv the last couple months! How much?

Next payment due:   02/10/2015

Yeah, my next rv payment isn't due for two full years. LOL Of course, I'll keep making payments, but I loved seeing that. =)

I've discovered another advantage to living in a small space this week. I know almost instantly when one of the critters has an issue. Thursday morning, Phoebe was visiting the kitty box far too often. An overnight stay at the vet's (to get a sample) resulted in a UTI diagnosis and a very grumpy kitty twice a day when I have to medicate her. She looks sweet, right?

Yeah, just try and get liquid meds in that cute little face! No fun for either of us. =( She does seem to be feeling better already though! Too bad she needs to be on meds for two full weeks... We're also trying out a new set of meds on my kitty, Xander, for his chronic respiratory issues.

Nothing to show going out since nothing has come in other than a skein of yarn I won from a podcast. It'll be a wash (one in, one out) if I ever finish the shawl I started on New Year's Day...