With only 48 days until our wedding, life is becoming increasingly wedding-project-oriented. I’ve been working hard to wrap up all the custom orders from my shop, and I am not accepting any more custom dog bed or cat bed orders until after I become a Mrs. ! But blogging has definitely taken a backseat – but I’ve missed it! So here’s a few snippets of what I’ve been up to, just in case anyone is interested:

As if wedding prep isn’t enough, Work has been insanely busy these last few weeks. April and October are the two busiest months in my day-job life. And taking two days off for my wedding shower long weekend pretty much killed me, making last week even busier.

Thursday I “worked the booth” at a huge small business conference, and from 7:45 am – 5 pm I talked to a nonstop stream of small business owners. Now let me tell you . . . I enjoy talking to 99.9% of the people I meet. However. . . doing it for 9 hours straight with only a 10-15 minute break from all the talking can really wear even the most outgoing person out.

But this past weekend was a really, really good one. I think I masterminded a perfect way to avoid hiring a florist for the wedding. . . and I hope to show you details later this week. I’ll need to get your thoughts on it. If successful, we’ll save at least $700. Woohoo!

Wedding invitations suffered a setback but we’ve got it under control, so they’re going out today and tomorrow – better late than never.

I guess that’s it. . . I’d love to know what you’re all up to!

Pardon me, but I need to take a teensy break from the blog – just for the week. It kills me to take a break when I’m not even on vacation, but  I’ve been trying to both re-stock the shop and blog each night and it just hasn’t been efficient.  Neither gets done very well.

So I’ll see you all next week!

Did you all have a great weekend? I hope so! I didn’t accomplish as much as I’d hoped, but isn’t that the way it always goes. . .

One big task did get checked off the to-do list, though: I emptied out my car and took it for a hardcore cleaning.  Why?  Because I’m hoping to sell it by the end of the month.

While I love many things about my VW Passat Wagon (the “Waggin’ Wagon” as I liked to call it), it’s got over 115,000 miles on it and I have learned in the last few years that VWs are quite expensive to maintain, especially as you hit 100,000 miles.

Because I’m trying to save up as much money as possible in order to make a positive life change, I have been carefully running numbers and trying to figure out the most economical way for me to own a car. My dogs are old now, and don’t like to travel, so the wagon was no longer a necessity. When I recently learned that my car will need more than $2,000 in maintenance & repairs in the next few months, I spoke with a friend’s dad, I got a few opinions from older and wiser car pros whom I know. I came to the conclusion that the most economical move would be to buy a new Honda Civic or Toyota Corolla – or a barely used one. (Though get this: right now used cars are in lower supply, and facing higher demand, so it appears that with good negotiating I could score a brand new version for about the same price as a barely used one.)

First, I decided that I’d go ahead and sell my car, and put the money into savings.  I’d take a few months to save up more, and figure out if I wanted to finance a new car with a hefty down payment,  or buy an older with straight up cash.  The more I thought about it, the more I realized that I could make do living Car-Free in the Suburbs for a few months.

But the more I thought things through, the more I kept coming back to this one thought:

Cars are freakin’ expensive.  The average American family spends something like 25% of their take-home pay on their vehicle.  Why do we view being a two-car household as a necessity?  Why have we stopped using public transportation?

If you rely on walking, biking, and public transportation, it’s true that you can’t be as impulsive.  You can’t just run to Target on a whim.  But you may save money, becuase how often do you see on Facebook a status like this:  “I’m heading to Target. I only need toilet paper, but I never can leave there without spending $50.”   What if you didn’t have that car?  What if you had to bike or walk to the store for TP?  I bet you’d find yourself saving a bunch of money, since you’d have to carry your loot home. :)

During all this thinking, I determined that I don’t WANT a new car. I don’t WANT to have car payments, I don’t WANT to plunk down thousands of dollars for a vehicle. And I don’t NEED to go to the store on a whim.  I rather put that money in savings. And if I didn’t pay cash up front for a car, I’d be faced with a few years of car payments. And if I were to no longer be employed by a corporate job in the future, I wouldn’t want the responsibility of car payments.

So the new plan is to sell my car, put the money in the bank, and see how this car-free lifestyle works.  I’m hoping to not have to buy a car at all.  It’s considered a bit wacko these days to live car-free in the suburbs, but I’m thinking I can make it work.

What are the savings?

I ran the numbers.  It appears that owning a car costs me about $600 a month. If I have a car payment, that’s about $300 a month.  (If I have a used, older car, I should save $200 / month for the repair fund.)   Gas?  $200 / month.  Insurance?  $100 / month.

Add in the yearly taxes and fees, and that’s a couple hundred more.

So by not having a car, I’ll save $7,200.  Of course, take about $1000 out for expected alternate transportation costs.  Still, that’s a huge savings.

How will I get to work?

Ryan and I work for the same company.  On the days that he and I work in the same building, we can carpool.

The W&OD Trail is an awesome paved bike trail that runs East/West across this part of the state.  It passes right by my house, and if I can hop on it and bike 6 miles to the office.  It literally passes right by the building.  In the office gym there’s a shower, so I can get cleaned up and changed into work clothes.  Sure, I’ll have to budget more time for commuting, but it’s free, and it’s good exercise.

This weekend I’m going to test the bike route to be sure I can do it.  I’ve been biking around town and getting back in shape.

I’m also familiarizing myself with the bus routes.  That’s good to know for the rainy days.

How will I get everywhere else?

I can bike around town.  I can take the metro and the bus system, as well.  I can borrow Ryan’s car, if need be, to run random errands on the weekends.  I can take the train or bus to visit my BFFs in Richmond, and same for visiting my family in Delaware. 

What does Ryan think?

I’m sure you can guess that Ryan was not loving this idea at first.  My not having a car will definitely inconvenience him at least a little bit, some of the time.  However, I asked him to view it this way.  By agreeing to go along with this, and carpooling with me, it’s a way that he can help me build my emergency fund – with zero cost to himself.

I know that being car-free in the suburbs is not the American way, nor is it the easy way – but I am really excited to give it a shot.   I’ll share the occasional update on how things are going.

And in the mean time, I’d love to know what you guys think.  Have you ever considered being a one-car household?  Or have you actually done it?  Or do you think I’m nuts If so, that’s ok, I’m used to that reaction ;)

Make sure you read that title right. I told Ryan what I was doing the other night, and he misunderstood me at first. I guess I mumbled. Because he said “you’re doing WHAT?” Replace the “p”s in shipping with “t”s and you’ll see what I mean.

“No,” I said to Ryan. “We already have that station. It’s for the cats, and it’s hidden under the shiPPing station.”

We’re so mature.

Remember this project from last year?

I turned an awkward nook in our basement into a totally functional pet feeding station, pet pharmacy and storage area – while building a strategic (yet simple) table that hid our two cat litter boxes and served as a supposed “gift wrapping station.”

Though I loved how that project turned out, the table kept getting cluttered with stuff, because I rarely needed to use it as a “wrapping” station. Big surprise, huh? Nor did I use it as a “rapping” station. My career just wouldn’t take off.

Before: A pretty - yet useless - "wrapping" station

Recently, though, I thought up the perfect use for it: A shipping station for all the fabulous packages I’ll be preparing and shipping out when Janery.com actually starts working!

So I pulled a few thrifty tricks out of my decorating sleeve, and in just an hour turned it into the perfect space for wrapping and prepping my products for shipment.

On the shelf created by the window well, I used some of my glass jars to create storage, and added a vase and a sad little potted plant to dress it up.

The lidded jar holds bits of twine and string ribbon – because every order will be shipped out wrapped in recycled tissue and wrapped in a string or ribbon, ready for gift-giving. A smaller jar, mod-podged (previously) with craft paper, holds pens, markers, and scissors.

A glass hurricane holds my packaging tape (with room for an extra roll).

On the left side of the table, I created some totally-free hanging storage for my priority mail envelopes and boxes. I took a used priority mail box that was destined for my recycling bin, and covered the exposed sides in the contact paper leftover from my coat closet “wallpapering” project.

It's a wrap.

Then I attached it to the side of my Ikea wardrobe with 2 Command strips. I hammered a few nails through the back of the box, into the wardrobe, for extra holding strength.

Nailed it.

My recycling is well-hung.

On the other side of the table, I put my used (yet hopefully re-usable) bubble mailers in a small basket that I had on hand.

Below the table, on the shelf behind the curtain, I stashed some small cardboard boxes I’ve saved for shipping the bulkier items. On the right of the boxes, a long underbed storage box holds all my tissue paper. Below the shelf – and behind the mouse-hole door :) – is the cats’ “rhymes-with-shipping” station.

Once Ryan and I buy a wireless printer (I’m assuming such a thing exists), I’ll make room for that on the shelves of the wardrobe (to the left of the table). That way I’ll be able to print my shipping labels and find them ready and waiting for me downstairs.

And just like that, my shipping station was created.

Total cost? $0.00

Now I just need to get my shop working!

I have just one question for you: As a potential customer, would you be offended if your packcage arrived in a previously used mailing envelope? I like to reuse them if they’re still structurally sound, simply because of the environmental impact of throwing them out after only one use.

Disclaimer:  While I love fashion, when it comes to chillin’ at home, I go for function over beauty. Read ahead at your own risk.

It’s late, but I wanted to squeeze this post in today for my friend Sunny.  She’s started a series/party called “What the !@#!$ Are You Wearing Wednesdays” – for all us non-conventional ladies out here in blog land – and I thought it was a great opportunity to show you how Ryan and I subsisted on ONE single tank of oil for 11.5 months.

Yes, you read that right.  We moved into this abode last April, with a full tank of oil. And we didn’t have to get it filled until this week.  Can I get a “hell yeah?”

Oil heat’s a dirty word. Not just because oil is not the most eco-friendly fuel,  but also because of how much money it costs to fill the damn tank.  Almost $1000 (around here, at least) for a 275 gallon tank.  So all winter I lived in fear of having to order that fill-up.  I knew we could save money by keeping the thermostat low – after all, I did that at my old condo and cut the heating costs by around 80%.  Ryan complained that he could see his breath in the air indoors.  And then made me promise that the house would be warmer than 50 degrees when we moved in together.  Craziness, I tell you! ;)

So this past winter we kept our thermostat at 65 most times, only pushing it up to 67 when I was super cold.  But as the winter wore on, and that little tank gauge began to edge ominously towards the 1/2 marker, I got stingy and started nudging the thermostat lower.  By easing into the cooler home temps we managed to acclimate to a norm of 63 degrees.  It was even colder than that in the bedroom, where for some reason the walls and windows seem drafty.  Ryan’s office, conveniently enough, was much warmer.  No fair!

So how did we manage such a thing?  Well I’m glad you asked.  I bundled up.

Oh, the things I do to save money on heat!

Yep, that’s me, all bundled up for an evening in the cold abode. Double layers of PJs, topped with an old robe, with a large scrap of fleece fabric tied around my neck in what I referred to as my “warming cape.”  It covered more real estate than a regular scarf, you see.

I can’t believe I’m sharing this photo.  When my friends saw me in even worse getup last winter, at the old condo, they made me go out and buy a set of warm PJs because apparently I looked atrocious in my thermal underwear and turtleneck sweater and coat and hat.  I resisted. . . until I saw their photos.  I will not share those photos with you. Ever.

But anyway, that’s “What the &!$#@$ Are You Wearing:  Cold Abode Edition.”

Oh, and get this:  when we had the tank filled this week, we only had to put in 200 gallons.  Yep, in 11.5 months we only used 200 gallons.  The woman at the oil company was truly stunned.  She was convinced that we had backup heat.  And by that she didn’t mean my fashionable attire  .  . . or four furry pets.

So tell me, have you or would you go to these ridiculously unfashionable lengths to save money on heat?

Wahoo!  Look what we got!  This should foil Merlin’s attempts to muddy our carpets from here on out.

Am I the only one whose dog feels the need to kick the ground, driving the mud deep between his toes, after peeing and prior to re-entering a carpeted home?  It sure does a number – not only on the carpets – but on the grass we attempt to grow in our yard. Le sigh.

My parents live in a large, new construction town home in a senior community.  First floor master suite, open floor plan, etc.  The second floor is basically bonus space, with a guest room and adjoining bath, as well as several other rooms.  When no one is visiting my dad uses the guest bath, letting my mom have the master bath downstairs all to herself.

My dad isn’t big on decorating – as a matter of fact, I think his engineer’s mind views it as unnecessary because the bathroom is perfectly functional without decor, so why bother.  Now you know that makes me a bit antsy . . every month when I visit I find myself wanting to paint and decorate it.  But it’s none of my business, and the layout is nice, and my adjoining guest room is cozy. As a matter of fact, I often sleep better there than in my own home.

Even though the room isn’t really my style, I appreciate the history in it:

• The bed was my paternal grandfather’s.
• The other furniture was my maternal grandmother’s.  Heck, even the mirror behind the dresser, and the lamps flanking it, are set up just the way she always had it.
• The window treatments are from the awful yellow & blue redesign I did to my old bedroom when I was in college.
• The doll and wooden cradle under the window were handmade by my aunt and uncle when I was a toddler.
• The bookcases that you can’t see were hand built by my parents.
• The three quilted pillows on the bed were handmade for me by a good family friend, in honor of my high school graduation.
• My mom found the sateen duvet cover & skirt set at a yard sale before blogs made thrifting popular, and she tried to make me use them in my post-college apartment.  (I said “ew, no way.”)
• Finally, the framed photo of Monet’s garden was my gift to her when I was a college freshman. . . purchased in my college bookstore . . . and I had no idea that that $20 poster would cost her about $75 to frame!  (oops)

Wow.  Isn’t it amazing what a story a room can tell?

Speaking of stories, however, there’s one thing that drives me bananas. It’s in the adjoining bathroom, and it’s not the fact that it’s undecorated.

Can you spy something odd?

If you didn’t notice, it’s the fact that there are 6 soaps on the sink.  It’s always like this, too, because where I like simplicity, my mom kinda has a thing for extra stuff.  She likes her blue liquid soap dispenser, but bought the bar soap dish to go with it.  So naturally both need to have soap in them.  But then she found another blue soap dish that she liked, so that has to be out too.  And to top it off my dad likes the soft soap, and my mom likes the Bath & Body Works foaming hand soap that smells fruity.  (The kicker to all this?  My mom doesn’t even come upstairs, unless she’s checking the room before guests come.)

And a closer look will show that the sixth bar is hiding on top of the 5th.  Don’t ask me why.

Do you see the dried ridges on the side of the large soap bar?  That’s because it’s been sitting there for about 2.5 years.  I try to use it as much as possible when I visit, because it drives me batty that an enormous bar of soap sits out for years on end, and more soaps are added to the collection.  And in the cabinet below, there are at least a dozen more large bars of soap . . . not to mention all the hotel-sized items that they hoard.

It’s no big deal, but sometimes I look at the soap situation in wonderment.  How could people who raised me could be so different from me?  I suppose all parents have their quirks.  Maybe because they were kids in the depression, but they do NOT like to get rid of stuff.   The house is clean and well-decorated – there’s just stuff hiding in the cabinets, basement, closets, and soap dishes.

When you visit your parents do you notice any quirks like that?  Any borderline hoarders out there?