The Path Less Taken

'Two roads diverged in a wood, and I —
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.'

-Robert Frost

 

A path just off one of the parking lots at my local college where I take classes.

After two months of going at break neck speeds, I sat down and evaluated things this weekend. I always feel accomplished when things are done well and done right. However, I seem to lack the ability to slow down. Small things catch me off guard. My son dressed himself in a pair of shorts, he walked in front of me and for the first time they were a few inches above his knee. When did that happen?

I've seen it before, tired parents and children over scheduled to a point of unhappiness. This weekend I decided we are going to downsize for a while. I dont want to be a work horse. I want to be a mom. It's time to find the balance and pick the path I want instead of letting life steer itself. 

Until this class is done my new focus will be on doing less to enjoy more time with my son. We're going to take a break from gymnastics and the gym. This will leave us with more money in our pocket and another night at home during the week. When my class is done and I'm alleviated of hiring a baby sitter I'll be able to more easily manage gymnastics one night a week and the cost. So until December, we're putting things on hold. It's hard to stop the train. I'm not sure if other moms feel this way, but what's worse some people never assess things to see they need a break.

More time at home. This is what we need right now.

Goals so far this year

This past December I wrote down some rather lofty yet obtainable goals for myself ...

Goals for this year:

1. Finish three more classes.

2. Teach my son how to read & write.

3. Re-roof the house. 

4. Finish landscaping the front yard.

My progress is pretty on track. So let's review. 

1. Finish three more classes.

This past Tuesday I finished my second class for the year. I earned an A. This is why you haven't seen many updates from me for a while.     

Have a I mentioned math is difficult for me? I'm proud I persevered and worked hard. What I have learned will be the foundations for success in my next class, Physics, which starts this Thursday. 

2. Teach my son how to read & write. 

Thanks to the wonderful teachers at my son's pre school he is a first phase reader with some awe inspiring hand writing for a five year old. My little man also starts Kindergarten on Monday, I'm already crying about it, but I'm sure his skills will sky rocket from here. 

3. Re-roof the house. 

Done, paid in full, love it, never have to look at the ceiling and wonder what's going to happen when it rains. It feels so good to be done. 

4. Finish landscaping the front yard. 

Here's one for you.....I ripped out everything in the front yard, put down black weed paper, realized I needed to redo the roof, and then due to all the wood repair I needed the underside of the roof repainted, the paint helps to preserve the woods life especially here in Florida with a climate that has such high humidity. 

Now here's the tricky part, open wood underneath the very very large screened in lanai that goes up to the midline of the roof. I'm an semi adventurous DIY girl, but me on a ladder with a paint sprayer....well, I'm going to leave this to the professionals.

I often think of things in sequential order of what makes the most sense. The sequential order to getting my front yard re-landscaped goes like this....have the underside of the exterior showing roof painted, have the house painted - I cant even describe the non color my house is, it's not white, it's not yellow, it's not grey.....it's like mauve/grey/white, It'll be a deep grey with white accents and butter yellow shutters when it's done, lay out and plant plants, lay out low voltage lighting along the front of the house, put down river rock, take long break from all projects on the house for a year, this is getting expensive. 

The most expensive and prohibitive part is painting the underside of the roof, because I like to pay for things in cash I'm waiting.I hope to have the house and roof painted around Christmas, this gives me lots of time to plot and plan out my garden space in the front yard. It may throw goal #4 into next year, but that's ok with me. I'd rather do things right than haphazardly.

School preview day in about 4 hours....time for bed!

My budget friendly home tour

Hi I'm Ashley, and I am happy to share a tour of my home today on Blissful and Domestic. I am a single mother to a wonderful little boy Trevor. We moved to South West Florida about four years ago just the two of us and have made this place home. In May of last year I purchased my first home as a single woman and mother. I have been able to provide the things we need on a budget, and want to share with you the stories behind how I have been able to decorate my home with second hand and reused materials for a fraction of the cost of new.

About two years ago we lived in a very nice gated apartment community, and the rent was going to be higher than a mortgage for something twice the size. I knew it was time to buy.  I went through the approval process and started looking. I saw this house online and thought....too small. Then I drove by and fell in love with the big porch, stunning gable, and post card stamp front yard. It took about six months but finally, finally, it was ours!

When you pull in to the drive way the first thing you see are these guys. Yep! We're in Florida.

The house was built in 1963 and still has the charm of an old Florida home from that time. I love older things from the 50's and 60's, so this house has me written all over it.

When opening the front door you're greeted by the kitchen.

The kitchen is an open galley with lots of counter and storage space with an open concept to the living room. I was lucky because the previous home owners had redone the kitchen before selling. The best advice my Realtor gave me was to move in and sit on everything for a bit. Dont go in and change everything the first week, he said, sit on it for a bit. So I did, and my wallet is very happy about it! 

I also have a wonderful view of my bougainvillea bushes and honey suckle bush from this window where I wash dishes. 

 

My 'bougies'

When you turn your back to the kitchen you see the open concept part of the room which is the living space and dining area. 

I'm working on paint colors still. 

This table was a gift from a dear friend and old neighbor Bobbi. She and her fiance moved in together and realizing they had two tables she offered me one. We had been eating on the floor, really, I would put a blanket down and we would eat as if we were having a picnic. It wasn't elegant but I'm proud we made things work, and was very happy to accept this table. 

When I originally received the table the chairs had this interesting fabric on them....so I borrowed a staple gun from a friend and bought a great remnant from a craft store and got to work. The end result was perfect and well within our budget. The remnant was about 4 dollars.

BEFORE

     AFTER

The living area initially felt awkward to me, but this was mostly because my furniture didn't fit the space when we first moved in. I've been able to change things a bit and it has a better flow now.

BEFORE 

AFTER

I snagged this mint green sectional from Craigslist for 300 dollars and moved it for free with a friend who has a truck. I've looked time and again at furniture store ads and see the same couches retail for about a thousand dollars. With two cats and a 5 year old, I dont see the purpose in buying new items that show wear easily or spending full price on them.

My old brown couches I gave away for free on Craigslist as opposed to paying for large item waste removal from the city. It was nice to see them go.

One of the best pieces in my living room is this old tv hutch. I was able to get it for free from Craigslist and painted the front panels to give it a fresh look. It hides my big old tv and fits perfectly on the small wall in the room. One of my favorite things about this piece is that I can put away the clutter and relax without staring at a tv. 

BEFORE                                    AFTER

 

On top of the tv hutch I have a collection of owls I bought on clearance for less than 20 dollars toward the end of Fall. Most frugal people know, if you see something wait. It will go on clearance!! Imagine a grey wall behind them, one day....it will look great with the contrast of color. The little looking glass owl has a space for candles, I use a flickering LED light. It's great to put on when the lights are dim. The charm is in the detail.

This photo was taken around Easter, hence the eggs.

 When we moved in to the house there were these great black metal curtain rods that match and are fully functional. I kept these and bought curtains on clearance, with a coupon, and used some store merchandise credit from a Christmas return. All in all I paid about 80 dollars for 6 panels, and I love them!! I get asked where I bought them a lot, they were bought from JC Penney about a year ago.

I also bought some great throw pillows for the couches from Kohls. I was able to use a gift card from my sister to make them free after sales, coupon codes, and free shipping. Maximizing discounts on items really helps stretch your dollar and even the dollars on gift cards. There are two more pillows that aren't pictured here. 

One of the neat parts of my house is the lanai, and these curious doors....I didn't open these until a few months ago, with my luck I thought, the second you open those doors they'll fall off the hinges. But one night when vacuuming I found out they're pocket doors! Yes, pocket glass sliding doors to the patio!!! No builder would ever put these in a house now a days. I love them!! This house really has more character than I can express. This is perfect for entertaining and creates an open flow from the living room to the patio. 

Thanks Giving on the patio with family and friends before I attempted opening the pocket doors.

George and Lucy, the previous occupants even left me this table and chair set. To be honest, they were really generous with the things they left in the house, I was also smart enough to keep them and enjoy them instead of throwing away and buying new. I would tell anyone who is starting out or entering a newer and larger space to accept gifts from friends even if they're not exactly your taste. In time you will be able to upgrade everything when it's convenient for you. Be patient.

Back to the living room...

Our coffee table I bought the first year I moved to Florida for $150 dollars at Goodwill. I know, crazy right? But this is the neatest coffee table I've ever seen. It's made of real wood and the book ends open up with drawers for books and such. 



The titles of the books on my table are Ivanhoe, The Odyssey, and Vanity Fair. It weighs about 200 lbs and takes 2 to 3 adults to lift! It's one of the higher cost items in my home and I'd probably buy it again, it's a great conversation piece and extremely unique.

On to my little man's room and the first thing I want to tell you about is the bedroom set. This bed with a slide was given to us by my friend Niki. She was pregnant with her youngest at the time over a year ago and decided to get a bunk bed for her older two kids. One day she asked me if my son had a bed, I said yes. She goes, a twin? I said a toddler bed. The rest is history...

My friend Kim delivered the frame, my coworker and friend Robert and I loaded and moved the dresser and mattress on a lunch break, my friend Jennifer and I put it together, and my son and I picked out new knobs. Let's just say, I could never have bought this bed set for my son and the generosity of my friends is what made it all come together. Their kindness brings tears to my eyes.

This picture is in our old apartment the first night my son slept in his bed. He was so excited!  

The curtains in the little man's room were made new again from an old set we had from our apartment. It had been almost three years since I bought them and couldn't find the same set at the store or online. So I lowered the rods, cut them in half, and hemmed those bad boys! 
You can read a post about it here.

BEFORE 

AFTER

This tv was a gift from a neighbor at our old apartment complex. Our neighbor Britney moved out and asked if we'd like this. I decided to take it knowing Trevor would have his own bedroom at our new house. We dont have cable but I let him watch old VHS tapes at night sometimes when he's going to bed.

Our VHS collection was mostly given to us by my friend and co-worker Joe whose children are my age. He generously gave us his Disney collection, a tv vcr combo, and vcr all of which we've put to good use. This is the media collection in my son's room.

My son has the master which includes a bath room. This entire bathroom set was given to us by someone we met who had just downsized to a smaller home. She said she had a bathroom for her grand kids in her old house but now had less bathrooms and wouldn't use the set. She offered it to us and  my son accepted before I could say anything.

This is something I would have put off buying, but with the kindness of others we were able to have this decorated at no cost to us.

We initially met this woman because she was giving away pink crinum lily bulbs on Craigslist.

It seems everything in my home has a story....the main theme is I rarely pay full price for things anymore. If there is something I want, someone else wanted it too and is now trying to sell it for a loss or even give it away. This is a great savings over buying new. And that's the moral of my story.......I cant afford to buy new, but I've still managed to provide everything we need and for that I'm thankful.

Thank you for visiting my home today!

-Ashley

Shrinking Footprint

This is our trash - for a week.

I've always been a recycler and a yard work junkie, so when we moved in to our new neighborhood I was pleased to find out that there was once a week curbside yard waste pick up, garbage pick up, and recycling pick up. It's pretty intricate compared to other places I've lived because without the separation of these things, well in to the trash everything goes for most people.

In the last few months I've decided to start including our banana peels and apple cores in with the yard waste. I'm a yard work nut so there's always pine tree droppings and the like that I get rid of every week. Well now we mix in most food products like egg shells, unused fruit or veg, and things that have gone bad or unused like bread or cheese. 

This has significantly reduced our garbage needs.

We also recycle religiously. Which in itself recycling is a great way to teach your child about materials and identify the associated types and textures of glass, metal, and plastic. And yes, we recycle everything plastic straws, cup lids if we've stopped and gotten a drink on the go. Anything that we can recycle we will.

It leads to an interesting dilemma though. My garbage bag is less than half full for one week of household waste. That parts not the dilemma though. The dilemma is that the garbage bag is mostly filled with plastic bags from product packaging. I dont believe it's recyclable but I need to find out. I suppose I could start collecting it and put it in the bag recycling bins found at some grocery stores - but I dont know if it will be reused or tossed. 

My next quandary is how to dispose of cooking grease in a way that is more friendly. I usually soak it up with paper towels then throw it in the bin. We're not giving up meat, so I need to find a better way to tackle this issue. Bones from meat are also an issue. I know they are biodegradable but because of our neighborhood cats and raccoons, I'm afraid that they'll knock over the garbage and choke on a bone. My innern einer frau just comes out at the weirdest moments....

After watching a video about a zero waste household, which only produced 1 quart of garbage a year - I though, I can do better.

Zero Waste Family

The family also has a blog on blog spot!

http://zerowastehome.blogspot.com/

Purchase Research

Have you ever paid for something and the moment when money from your hand goes in to the cashier's hand your heart sinks a little? Ok, well I do. This summer is mostly being spent in preparation for the accelerated night class I'm taking for the summer B semester, it starts this Thursday, and most of all Fall where I will be taking a night class and my son will be starting kindergarten. For these events we both have material needs that need to be bought. Let me say it's daunting to see the full price cost of items. A new graphing calculator is 109 dollars at Walmart. A book for my next class with an online code 231 dollars at the college book store. School uniforms for my son, each shirt full price is 12.99, shorts 12.99, pants 14.99. Eesh!!! 

No wonder most Americans are broke!

If I paid full price for everything I'd have no discretionary spending left or even grocery money at the end of the week. Something I've been getting better at is not paying full price. I coupon, I clearance shop, I barter, and I do a lot of work myself. Another way to save is to buy used and save the difference. I do this by looking at alternative retailers and sellers. It takes some research, but you save so much on your purchases. So here are the items I saved on this week and how I bought them. 

My neighbor and I were talking and she suggested I look on Craigslist for a used graphing calculator. Bingo!! 80 dollars, and it's a Silver Edition TI-84, this is like chrome for geeks. 

A used text book with online code at the competing non college operated book store across the street from campus 124.98. The same 'package' was over 200 dollars at my campus bookstore.

Gently loved uniforms on sale at my son's school, 5 dollars a piece!! The tops and bottoms are embroidered with the school name and logo, so they have to be bought at a particular store with a set price list. This store offers no discounts, sales, or coupons. I was able to buy 15 different pieces at the schools resale and didn't have to pay tax! Score!!

Savings

Book 231 - 124.98 = 106.02

Calculator 109 - 80 = 29 (plus tax)

Uniforms 194 - 75 = 119.85 (plus tax)

Total Saved = 254.87

Full price = 427.98

My price = 254.87
Percent Saved = 40.5%

Sometimes people see a price and think, this is the cost, I must pay this. But goods and services can be obtained for less than the original asking price. So if you're short of ideas on how to save money on a particular thing talk to a friend. My neighbor helped think of places to look for a used graphing calculator. The enrollment counselor at my son's school mentioned the uniform sale. My girlfriend suggested Amazon when I told her the price of the book. It never hurts to talk to people about things, often times they have great ideas. 

Three steps closer to meeting all the needs we have for August!

School Supplies, Check

And the school supply shopping is done!! 

I stocked up last year on all the sales and freebie items I could get, patiently putting away extras. Last night was the culmination of my sales shopping last year and two shopping trips this month. Full price everything on the table spread is about 84 dollars plus tax. I bought store brands for several things and couponed and sales shopped some others, so my total was less than that by a good deal. I'm still amazed at how much the school system asks for. 

When speaking to friends on Facebook about the back to school supply lists we all commented how they were very lengthy. One mother said it was her belief that schools will ask for more because they know some parents wont bring in supplies. So for the parents that do, they're compensating for the parents that dont. I thought about this long and hard and found myself in agreement with my friend. Some parents are in a difficult place to provide. As a single mother it's not easy to spend discretionary money on school supplies when there are other wants like going out and treating ourselves, but I choose to see school supplies as a need not a want and know to differentiate between the two. Much like parenting is a choice, parents must further choose to commit themselves to the education their child is receiving, and help and enable the school and teachers to do their best. If me providing these items helps with the goal of providing my son and his classmates with the best environment possible to learn, I feel it is my duty to willingly provide them with a kind heart. 

Now that the supply list is double checked and packed in bags ready for delivery there's still more to do! All documents and coppies of medical records have been submitted, all paper work has been signed - registration is done. Check. School supplies bought. Check. Entry testing done. Check. Now to buy school uniforms and the agenda his school requires. This is a public school, but some public schools here have uniforms. To save on the cost of uniforms we're going to the school shop where they resell uniforms for 5 dollars a piece. My mother encouraged me to go as soon as possible because when they're out of his size, they're out. So that's on my agenda this week. After dropping off the supplies and buying the uniforms and a school agenda, my next goal is to pre pay for aftercare and school lunches for a month or two. 

Being a mom is a lot of work!!!

Decluttering

I've been quiet lately. I've been busy lately, and I've been tired lately. I finished my night class a month or so ago and I was completely burned out. Being a single mother, working full time, maintaining the house and yard, cooking, cleaning, groceries....it's all on my plate. Would you believe it if I said sometimes I wish I had a little more help and a lot more relaxation?

I chose the name for my blog because I was inspired by another blog Blissful and Domestic, and from that website I realized I could do a lot more with what I had. Maybe I had lacked the creativity or determination I needed, and I would read and see Danielle's posts about how she makes the most of things and I felt inspired. I thought I need to build on my own bliss. I have a wonderful little boy, two furchildren, a great house, a great job, and some great friends. Things are pretty good for me, I just have to choose to see them that way. 

Something that creeps up on me however is clutter, and the more it builds the less I like addressing it. Last week I decided to thoroughly clean one thing a day or night. Last weekend I went through my son's closets where we keep toys, books, VHS tapes, and DVD's. There were some books that weren't donation worthy and some toys that were broken, those landed in the garbage or recycling bin. Some he has grown out of with age those are in a bag for me to bring to a coworker with a younger child. The rest are neatly organized. The DVD's however were a real problem. There were so many there was no way I could really fit them in the bookshelf with the other media, they had to be on top in large piles, unorganized and just waiting to fall over and make a mess. 

I read an article once that explained it's unfair for parents to clutter a child's room with hand me downs, too many gifts, too many clothes, too many things, and then expect the child to keep it meticulously organized and clean when it really appears less like a child's room and more like a hoard of junk shoved in a clown car. I'm fairly sure my son's closets were heading to the circus. We had 100+ DVD's. It was just too much. I bought a binder and got to work!

My oldest child was on the scene to help. <3

This picture doesn't even show the entirety of the collection. Some boxes had two or three DVD's. It was insane. As much as I love the cover art. The collection needed to take up lass space physically. 

There were still a few more cases I emptied after I took this picture. It's strange parting with them all. But the amount of space we've regained in my son's room is amazing and worth it. Why cling to containers when the good stuff takes up so little space?

The final product. A binder with a capacity for 97 discs. It had three and a half pages of space left, this means I put 91 DVD's in this thing. Talk about a space saver. I left some Disney movies in their cases....because well, Disney. LOL. I'm not perfect. But in the last week I feel better for making out living space more livable and getting rid of things that clutter instead of enhance our space.

This week I have successfully built on bliss.