Saturday, February 28, 2009

Sometimes You Just Have to Roll

When we decided to move into an RV and take control (as best we can) of a new way of life. We had 4k saved. We scoured the papers for a few weeks. We struck paydirt on a Friday. Our adventure had begun!

The RV was old but in OK condition. Nothing a little patching up didn't fix!
This was a 38' 5th wheel. DH's truck had a gooseneck hitch. Hmmm.... We priced 5th wheel hitches. That got the DH thinking. Nothing like a little delima to stoke his brain!! He scrounged materials from the junkpile at work. And with welder and cutting torch in hand, proceeded to make the 5th wheel adaptable for the gooseneck. The man is brilliant I tell ya!! We tallied up the money we had spent on the trailer, the misc parts, propane, and the first months rent. We had met budget!

We got the trailer to our first RV park. ( There's a post all in itself!) Now for those who dont know....RV parks each have a sort of personality. No two are the same. Trust me on this one!! We moved 3 times and I suppose the third time really is a charm. (there's a post below)
We learned to live in that RV. Believe me it takes some getting used to. You have to develop a sort of rythem with your partner just to move around sometimes.

I wont go into how we ended up in another RV just now....way to long a story.... But we did. This time we had to have RV moved for us. DH's trucks just not big enough. He's been thinking about this for quite some time. Which FINALLY brings me to where we are now. We found a truck this week that will pull the rig! A great deal on a diesel with the 5th wheel hitch!! Thru some bartering , some major dipping in the savings and the sale of the old chevy we are going to be able to pull this off. That is one giant step in our preps believe me. And hubby is sleeping much better at night with that worry of of his back!!

Hurray for the little people! Sometimes you just have to roll with life and let it happen. Some of the greatest blessings in life come when you least expect it. For me that makes them all the more special.

Thank You .

I just wanted to give a big Thank You to Riverwalker for pointing folks in my direction. And welcome to all of you who visit. I'm pretty new to blogging so bear with me... It's bound to get better. (Insert Snicker Here)

Friday, February 27, 2009

What I like about Texas

Gotta love this one if your from Texas....Makes me feel all warm n fuzzy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UmY8hH7Q4Cc&feature=related

Did I Read This One Right?

This just in from MSNBC Read the last line and tell me I read that right.

"Obama indicated during the presidential campaign that he supported the controlled use of marijuana for medical purposes, saying he saw no difference between medical marijuana and other pain-control drugs.

“My attitude is if the science and the doctors suggest that the best palliative care and the way to relieve pain and suffering is medical marijuana, then that’s something I’m open to,” Obama said in November 2007 at a campaign stop in Audubon, Iowa. “There’s no difference between that and morphine when it comes to just giving people relief from pain.”

White House spokesman Nick Shapiro hinted at the policy shift shortly after the California raids, telling The Washington Times that the dispensaries were legal in California and that the Obama administration’s stance was that “federal resources should not be used to circumvent state laws.”

They Call It Prepping

About a year ago I learned that there was a name for what I have been kind of doing for years. They call it prepping! All this time I had been thinking we we just a little bit "different" than most of the folks we know! That was also around the time I started seriously working on my food storage, not so much beacause I was worried about the state of the world (that came a couple of months later) but I was quite aware of the rising prices of groceries.
I am one of those shoppers that will compare prices ounce to ounce for everything. I started picking up something extra when I go to the store. It works. I also take big advantage of sales. For example, this week our local store has tuna @ 2/ 1.00 . Lately its been running about .74 . Theres a limit of 4 but I usually end up in the store a couple of times a week so thats 8 cans of tuna to add to my food storage this week. Total cost for the week $4.00. I was in the Family Dollar the other day and they had veggies at .50 a can Now THATS A DEAL!! It has almost become a game to ferret out the best deals.

Waiting For Spring

This time of year always makes me long for spring. I miss sitting out in the yard in the evenings and watching the sun set. Once it warms up DH and I spend most of our time out there. Its a small yard but we love it.
DH has always grown a couple of tomato plants and a couple of pepper plants. Until last year! Last year his tomato and peppers somehow ended up in my flower beds. LOL I wondered how long it would take before that happened!! We had 6 tomato and 6 pepper plants. We gave away tomato's until friends and family didn't want them anymore. I knew early on I was going to learn to put up tomato's. I was a bit nervous at first having not tried it before but it was actually not all that hard. Just a bit time consuming. I get a distinct pleasure when I open the cabinet and see all those pretty jars of tomato's.
This year will be different. We have permission from the Park owner to have a garden spot!! DH is already prepping the garden spot for a "Victory" garden. We will be planting tomato's and peppers (of course) beans, squash, okra, corn, and who knows what else.
I will be learning to can veggies this year so any tips are welcome. I still have to locate a canner. I would love to have the All American one as it needs no gaskets. We shall see.

Great FoodSaver Secret

Anyone out there in love with their FoodSaver?? Mine was a Christmas gift from the DH. He
is so romantic. This machine is awesome. I have the jar sealer for widemouth mason jars which works great. My question was what to do with all those regular jars. Today I found the answer!!
Check it out http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lSKglOqP5xA

How We Ended Up In an RV

About 8 years ago my DH and I sat down and discussed our situation. We were trying to decide if we would renew our rental agreement or move. Somehow the conversation got around to the amount of rent we had paid that year. We were both a little shocked at the money we were giving someone for the roof over our heads. Rents here are (I think) outragous. We were paying $650 a month for a small 1 bedroom apartment.
We came up with a plan. We would find a Used RV and take the first steps at removing ourselves from the rat race. It was the best thing we could have ever done. We lived in about 3 parks before finding the right fit for our lifestyle. Don't let anyone tell you that what park you are in doesn't make a difference. Trust me it does. The owners of an RV park set the tone for the lifestyle. We have been blessed to have found a wonderful park with most excellent owners. The land the park is on 115 acres with only the first few acres in the front of the property used for RV's. There is a creek that runs along the back of the property and a bumpy dirt road access to it. It's like a private park for those of us who live here. Very nice!
Our lot rent is less than half of what our rent on that little apartment and the water and trash are paid as well. Oh and the best part......when we do find the land we will someday homestead....the roof is already over our heads!!! We have a ways to go but we are going to get there one day.

Thursday, February 26, 2009

Bacon And Eggs

Something a manager in a well known breakfast eatery said to me once.... Why are you stressing.....its just bacon and eggs It changed my life!
We try to make life complicated. Way more complicated than it has to be. With all that is going on in the world lately its a concept easily lost. Sometimes life just gets overwhelming with all the news on the tv, the bombardments from all "your favorite sites" , all the gloom and doom. But at the end of the day... when you look at your accomplishments...you have realize its not all that complicated. Its just Bacon and Eggs!
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