Um, yeah… The Grand Canyon is 78 miles from where i live.
So I’ve just started my third week at my new job. I have to say, it’s some weird feelings that I go through sometimes. A little bit of shock and disbelief. Happiness. Some scared moments when I think ” how am I gonna do this on this new salary?” The excitement of seeing new and amazingly beautiful places, the feel of trying out some new hiking shoes, meeting the ladies who work out in the morning at my gym and realizing, wow, they lift heavier than me! (I still need to find my local “tribe” but I’m working on it.) It’s just very hard to put into words. I mean, I went from living in a studio that cost me $1100/month in rent to an RV lot that costs $215 plus an RV payment of $82. How does this reconcile in your head?? Ever??
Another shot from the North Rim of the Grand Canyon. i can go as often as I like!!!
I got my first paycheck yesterday. Only for one week of work because of the way the pay periods fall. Needless to say, it’s less than I have ever earned. I think, like, EVER. Yesterday, at work, as usual, I found myself cleaning a bunny’s butt. Yes, I have a law degree and a masters in library science, and there I was, pulling poop out of a bunny’s butt. (Have you ever heard someone make that statement before?? If so, WHO was it, and HOW can I meet them??!!) And then later on, I found myself cleaning the bathroom. It’s one of our weekly chores to do – no maid service for us. Again, I was wondering, um, is this really my life??!! (Not in a bad way, mind you. Just….it’s….. how do I put this? Surreal? After all this time and planning and thinking of making such huge changes, I’ve actually DONE it.) But you know what? It’s all good. I knew coming out here my life was going to change in every aspect possible. And I take a look at my surroundings every day, even just the drive to work, and I cannot honestly believe such beauty exists. But don’t take my word for it. Just take a look at some of my pics. That is all.
This is from my walk the other day. Yes, my walk!!A larger shot of the image that is my header on the blog now.
A good friend of mine said he hoped I would still continue blogging after moving out here, as he said I had inspired him. (He’s even going meatless some days of the week and considering changing to vegetarian!!) Oh hell yeah, I’m going to keep blogging! (I wasn’t so sure about the inspiring part – I just write what makes me feel good to write and on topics that I think resonate with some folks.)
So yes, folks, I will keep talking about getting out of debt (just a different kind now) and chasing simple dreams, and all that good stuff. Please stay with me! Thank you for reading!
Good Lord, it’s been a long time since I last blogged. Time to fix that. But as you can see by the title of my post, well, there’s been a lot going on lately.
After I came back from the two week working interview in Utah, I was offered the job about a week later. I quickly gave my notice at my librarian job and started making plans to move myself and the herd across country. Someone commented to me that they were feeling stressed about moving apartments at the end of August, with the two places being located one block from each other. He said that he was worried about being homeless for that one night. I looked at him and said “I’m moving cross country in two days and I have five cats and a dog.” He took one look at me and said “you win.” Read more →
Hey everyone, I didn’t forget this blog exists. It’s just been a completely crazy past month or so, and once I explain it, I think you’ll agree.
Hm….so I went to Utah for a two week working interview with Best Friends Animal Sanctuary. I had been asked to come out for such an interview by three departments but I chose to work with bunnies for my two weeks. And good news, I was offered a job last week and gave my notice at my job this week! So in August, guess what I’m doing?? That’s right, driving to Utah with my five cats and my dog!! Woohoo!!! (Does anyone have any sedatives they can give me to take for myself during that drive??) I kid, I kid, it won’t be me that is sedated, if anyone, but the cats, who will otherwise probably drive me insane with non stop crying.
Also, during those two weeks, Bonkers, my elder statesman cat, got sick and was taken to the vet by some amazing ladies on three different occasions, and had surgery last week. I had to take him back to the animal hospital this past Saturday to have a drain removed, and then, guess what? His wound got infected! Oh, did I forget to mention his procedure was for an anal abscess, and that’s like the worst possible area of your body to have to deal with bacteria while healing! So two nights ago, I took him to the animal hospital again. Yes, the bills have been hefty, to the tune of probably about 5K when tomorrow is all said and done, but I love the little guy to death.
This weekend,I’m going car shopping!! And slowly giving away all of my furniture! The cedar chest and dresser have already been spoken for, and another friend is taking the loveseat, couch and probably a bookcase. And I’ve offered my bed to a couple who currently live in a furnished apartment but who fear that their landlord may be removing the furniture in a few months! I’m loving getting rid of stuff, it’s so liberating. People do not exaggerate when they talk about how good it makes you feel.
AND, my author has come back with some extra questions for me to work on in flushing out new details for the book.
OH, and I almost forgot! I bought an RV!! I rented a space in a mobile rv park in town about a 12 minute drive from my new job, and it just got delivered to the spot yesterday! It’s a 1999 Fleetwood Prowler 5th wheel – 30 1/2 feet long, and it has two slides. Laminate flooring made to look like wood on the inside and pretty much my color scheme but with wood colored cabinets rather than the white ones I would have preferred. (You can’t have everything you want.)
So, pics will be coming! I just wanted to let you know I’m here and good but going a bit insane with so much to deal with all at the same time.
Oh, and did I forget to mention – my best friend had her baby last weekend and my mom is getting married a week from tomorrow??? (THUS necessitating the need to have a car after this weekend!)
I will share more soon!
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First, I’ll admit my iPod Nano’s playlist terribly needs updating, but that’s a story for another day. What matters is a song I heard the other day while running – “One Step at a Time” by Jordin Sparks. (No mocking please, and hey, I told you the playlist is outdated!!)
As I’ve been working steadily on achieving my dreams these past several months, I’ve had a lot of people tell me that they find me inspiring. That I’ve been gotten them to thinking to follow their dreams too, to not just let them go. While I find this very flattering, I have to admit, it blows my mind in a way.
Let me explain. When we’re kids, we have all these dreams of what we want to do. I have a few nephews that at various times of growing up, have wanted to be a tractor trailer driver. They were totally into cars and trucks at that stage of their life, and I loved seeing the excitement on their faces, and that 100% confidence in what they were saying that it seems only kids have these days. As adults, we are sometimes (ok, oftentimes) afraid to admit what we really want to do with our lives. We’re so worried about what others will think. What others will then say to us – “are you crazy? why would you do that? what about all the degrees you’ve worked for? can you really afford to live on that kind of money?” And the list goes on. You have to remember the source of those words and determine for yourself if you want to give them credence. You have to remember the motivation for those questions – is that person projecting their own fear onto you? Are they simply concerned? Are they completely out of touch with who this new “you” is?
Don’t let yourself get overwhelmed with all the changes you see yourself having to make. Remember, they don’t need to be done all at once. Just take it one step at a time. Just do one small action every day. Maybe it’s that you start web searching about different careers or find someone’s blog talking about what you want to do. Maybe you look into what air fares cost to the part of the country you want to move to. Maybe you look up academic programs to investigate what other careers are out there that might suit you better than the one in which you currently find yourself. The point is, DO SOMETHING. The easiest way to make something feel less overwhelming is to make a decision to do more than just think about it. Get some stuff out of your head. Write it down and put it somewhere you will be forced to look at it consistently. Don’t let yourself get stuck in that trap known as Paralysis by Analysis.
And, while I know this is easier for me to say than for you to necessarily do, ignore the haters and the doubters. You know how many times it’s been suggested to me to be a lawyer for PETA or some other animal-welfare type of organization? You know how much I HATED being a lawyer?? Let the people who love being a lawyer and who also love animals do that. I am perfectly happy to let them.
If the life you want to lead requires you to live on a smaller salary, then start taking steps to live on less. Everyone’s financial situation is different, of course, but just because you get paid X dollars per paycheck doesn’t mean you have to spend all X of those dollars. Just try saving $5-10 per week. It might not seem like a lot in the beginning but if left to grow, it will. Name the account into which you put it your “Freedom Fund.” Because that’s what it is – your freedom in the future. And by putting every small cent into it, you bring that future closer to your present. Just DO SOMETHING. Because if you don’t, well then, you’re still in the same place. I can’t tell you how long I let myself be stuck in that place. Many, many years. Many years when I just shoved that part of my gut down to a place where it was so muffled I couldn’t understand what it was trying to say. It ended up with me having crying jags almost every day, and to sessions with a therapist where I was in tears that were so painful they were the type that made me feel like I couldn’t breathe afterward, as if I was a little kid. Please, don’t do that to yourself.
I admit, all of this is scary at first. But it’s also exciting. Focus on that, rather than the scariness. That’s what I am doing about my trip to Utah in a few weeks. I’ll be spending two weeks at Best Friends, working with bunnies. I don’t know a ton about bunnies, but guess what? I’m going to learn. I’m going to go there with an open, observing mind, ask questions, and show what I’m made of. I’m not stupid and I’m a hard worker so I aim to make those two qualities show! And yes, it will be hot, but it’s a dry heat, and I figure if I can get through those two weeks’ temps, I should be good in the future. (And believe me, if you had told me that this is what I would be doing, even two years ago, I would not have believed you.)
Ever since I started taking the steps to listen to myself and turn my thoughts into actions, I have felt so much happier with my life. That’s what I wish for you. Just take it one step at a time. And remember, breathe. Because breathing is a good thing! 🙂
That’s me in the grey t-shirt. Wow, I’m short. But I’m surrounded by some amazing people at the MA Humane Lobby Day.
When people ask me why I’m vegan, one of the main reasons I give is because I don’t want to play any role, no matter how small, in the suffering of living, feeling, and loving creatures. Inevitably, some people say something like “well, they’re still going to continue making beef for us to eat, you know?” Or “chickens are still going to continue laying eggs, so what are you stopping, really?” Um, a lot. And I’m sure it means a lot to every animal that doesn’t have to die just so I can eat it.
Here’s the thing. One person can make a difference. The guy who made the Cowspiracy movie – from his own research, he went vegan and thereby saved (and continues to save) some animals from being sent to slaughter as he’s not consuming them anymore. And by making the movie, he changed my mind into becoming a vegan. And I’m sure he’s changed more minds than just mine. So, he did do something.
During my medical leave, I finished reading a book by Gene Baur called Farm Sanctuary. Again, a man who started small, but who has changed many, many lives, both human and animal, over the past thirty years. It really inspired me to want to do more. So I reached out to them after reviewing their website. I saw that their pages on pending state and federal legislation were from the last congressional and legislative sessions. I asked if I could help them update that information, since I’ve got the skills to look up that sort of thing. They graciously took me up on my offer.
So, as they suggested, I reviewed the information on a few of the major animal welfare organizations and then did some additional searches on my own, for federal legislation. And I found out this week that the information I sent to them was used to update a newsletter being sent out to about 100,000 members and it would even highlight an act that they didn’t know about before I found it, called the SAFE Act. SAFE stands for Safeguard American Foods Act, and if passed, this bill would prevent health hazards posed by consuming horses raised in the U.S., by prohibiting, via interstate or foreign commerce, the sale of horses to be be used for human consumption. I feel good, knowing my efforts made a difference to them, and I hope, down the line, to the people reading their newsletter. (And I hope it will make a huge difference to the lives of horses in this country also.)
So, YES, people, you can do something. The only way to ensure your failure at making a difference is to sit there and bemoan how little you can do, and not even try. I refuse to do that anymore, especially after having read Best Friends: The True Story of the World’s Most Beloved Sanctuary. They saved the lives of so many animals who had been abused, or neglected, or just dropped without any emotional thought on the part of their “owners.” As I was reading through it (in just two days’ time), I just kept thinking to myself, I would LOVE to work there and help the animals!! Imagine being around a lot of other people who feel the same way about animals as I do. Plus, it sounds simply gorgeous, as I know many parts of the southwestern United States are. (FYI, in their recent edition of Best Friends Magazine, they discuss how important it is to contact your state legislatures about animal welfare issues. See page 16.)
Last week, I was fortunate enough to attend the MA Humane Lobby Day. One of the speakers talked about a bill that had been introduced this session called “A Bill to Protect Puppies and Kittens.” Think of that title. As she said (and I paraphrase), “who in their right mind can vote against a bill that aims to protect puppies and kittens??”” Well played, ma’am, well played. 🙂
And if you still think that you can’t do something, well, look at what the power of people in some of our state legislatures can do. Don’t take my word for it – check out this clip of John Oliver from his show Last Week Tonight.
And finally, I’ll point you back to a post I wrote last year about a movie called Opening Our Eyes. It’s about what individuals have done in various parts of the world and how their efforts have changed the lives of so many over time. You just have to MAKE the decision that, YES, YOU CAN make a difference in this world. Things may seem depressing some days – I’m not immune to it. Some days, after seeing the news, I wonder “what in the hell is wrong with this world??!!” But then, I think, if we all just give up, then it will all go to hell. So, we can’t let that happen. Don’t let other people’s fears project onto you and keep you from doing something.I’m not. It’s why I am willing to take the steps I’m taking to change the course of my life and make the world a better place for animals. Because every little bit helps. (And if ever I forget that or doubt myself, I look around at my furballs and know better.)
As much as I like to think I’m making a change in Osito’s life, I know she’s making a HUGE difference in my life.
Have a great Memorial Day weekend, everyone! If you’ve liked this post, please hit like or subscribe, or drop me a line below in the comments. Thanks for reading, as always!
Tomorrow is Massachusetts’ Humane Lobby Day. The day that a lot of animal lovers and activists descend onto the Massachusetts State House, and the Animal Rescue League of Boston is one of the organizations that will be represented. I was there last year and remember that there were some awesome speakers who totally galvanized the crowd. I remember looking around and feeling like “this is my tribe. These are a lot of people who are like me. People who love animals.” Last year, I had taken the day off from work to go. It was really heartening to see so many others had done the same. And of course, the adoptable pets that were brought that day were super adorable. There will be more again tomorrow. If you’ve never heard of Humane Lobby Days, and might be interested in taking part in one, check out this link, because they are held all over the country.
I am planning on going tomorrow since I’ve taken it easy the past few days after my mistake of walking so many miles on Saturday. My body let me know on Sunday that it would prefer I take it a bit easier still so soon after my surgery. I should be ok to sit, stand and walk around the statehouse and talk to people. After all, walking is the best thing you can do after you have abdominal surgery like I did.
I saw my surgeon last week for a two week follow up and he said I’m doing really well. He actually thought i was healing faster than he expected so I guess that means my incision site looks good. He said that I could doing more than just walking within another ten days to two weeks, so needless to say, I’m chomping the bit to get out there and join the ranks of the runners around the reservoir! (And to my defense, he did say that he thought I could ramp up my walking a bit after I saw him. I guess I took him too much at his word. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it!)
In other news I have decided to take a vacation trip to the southwest. I am going to volunteer with the Best Friends Animal Sanctuary while I am out there and visit Bryce National Park while I am out there. (I have already been to Zion.) So far I have signed up for three days of volunteering with them, in various parts of the sanctuary so I get a good taste of it. I’ve found a place to stay and am just waiting for confirmation on the dates I’ve asked about, and am hoping to take little Baby O with me on the trip. The good thing about a town whose largest employer is an animal sanctuary? It’s super animal and pet friendly! If Osito doesn’t go with me, I will likely volunteer to take a shelter dog home with me for a night (the place I want to stay allows that.) Oh, and another thing? Best Friends has an on-site cafe that serves vegetarian food!!
I’ve also decided to not pursue the tiny house in North Carolina anymore. I was starting to get very stressed about how much it was going to cost between the down payment and closing costs, and wondered if I would have enough of a cash cushion to pursue my dreams there. And a small part of me felt like moving someplace south, but still on the east coast, was somehow “safe” in that it was still somewhat similar to where I am now. Yes, NC is a bit different culture wise, but it still kind of looks the same as this part of the East Coast. And while I had met some very nice people down there, including the builder and the project manager who I have been thinking of as a friend, I was worried I might not find a lot of people who would be willing to understand my vegan lifestyle, etc.
So now it’s part of why I want to go to Best Friends. I’ve been thinking more and more that what I want to do, what my heart truly wants to do, is work at an animal sanctuary. I’m good with animals and I’m good with people, and both are really important abilities or skills to have. They have several job openings, some of which I think I’m qualified for, and they also offer internships that you can apply for (unpaid, if for five weeks.) So I’m seriously considering that route too. So wish me luck – I’m going to apply. It’s also completely different – geography wise and more – from what I have grown up with, but it’s a topography that always makes me feel like I can just “breathe.” I’m totally jumping outside of my comfort zone and I couldn’t be more excited! This is how you grow, right?!
I think you know something is your calling when thinking about something brings tears to your eyes but they are tears of joy. That’s how I felt tonight when I walked around the reservoir thinking about all of this, and it’s when I snapped the photo you see above. (The reservoir never fails to provide good photo opportunities.) I’ve saved my butt off for the past year and before that, paid off a lot of bills, so now I can take this leap with a bit of a cushion underneath me.
As always, thanks for reading and for your support. If you’ve liked this post, please drop me a line in the comments section, or hit like or subscribe, or share it with someone you think would like to read my drivel and musings. 🙂
First off, I am finding this break to be such a blessing. It’s allowing me to get more in touch with myself and find out why I let some things bother me and the ways I’ve coped with them in the past, vs. ways I can cope with them in the future. It’s allowing me time away from a job that, quite honestly, I was feeling really burnt out on. I was finding myself falling into negativity pretty easily, letting the thoughts of others sometimes overcome my own and shape the way I looked at some things. I I hadn’t taken time off in a long time because I’m trying to save up as much vacation time as possible for later this summer. Needless to say, I’m hoping my attitude changes when I go back.
Still not allowed to run yet, so this morning, I listened to the Rich Roll Podcast while doing my three loops around the reservoir (for a bit over 4.7 miles in total!) (By the way, I just saw a few minutes ago that he interviewed Gene Baur of Farm Sanctuary!) He now has a book out called the Plant Power Way, which I plan on reading. Eight years ago, he was overweight and didn’t have much motivation or enthusiasm for life. Now he’s an elite ultra runner and athlete. So much of his change is due to a change in attitude and also his diet. His podcasts tend to run a bit long but I found the one from this morning really, really inspiring.
I’ve been talking with a friend lately about how I would like to wean myself off of my antidepressants, but that a part of me is scared. I’m worried about the withdrawal symptoms that can come with that. How will I know what is a withdrawal or discontinuance symptom and what is not? I’m very happy with my life right now and how I feel about myself for the most part, so a small part of me questions, is that really the true new me, or is the meds creating that feeling of goodness?
Here’s what hit me this morning. I think I’ve been allowing myself to think about the whole weaning off of antidepressants, in a victim type of way. In the past when I’ve tried to do so, I’ve really paid close attention to any supposed “withdrawal/discontinuance symptoms.” Maybe too close. Who says I have to be one of those folks who suffers from them? Not everyone does. Maybe it’s literally mind over matter that I need to use. Isn’t all of it or a large portion of how you heal from any illness or medical (or otherwise) problem how you face it? With a positive attitude? I mean, I was able to give up coffee cold turkey and I always felt like that was a drug that I absolutely needed. I was able to change to vegetarian overnight. And I was able to, once I finally put my mind to it, turn vegan, pretty quickly as well. (I was able to come home one night and just get rid of all of my clothes that included wool without a second thought.) So why not this, as well? I definitely didn’t think I would be up to walking almost five miles at a pop after just two and a half weeks after major abdominal surgery!
When I was walking this morning, this hit me like a lightning bolt. I found myself smiling at a lot of people (some were returned, others not), and i found myself feeling as excited as the day when I decided to go vegan. I’ll be honest, though, it’s excitement mixed with fear. But if there’s one thing I have learned over the past few years, it’s that I need to push myself beyond my comfort zone if I’m going to continue growing. If I just settle for what feels safe, I’ll look back at my life (much) later on and wonder where it all went. I’m not willing to do that. Not anymore. And that is totally within my power.
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I started reading a book last week by the same title as this post, Farm Sanctuary, by Gene Baur. I left some of it to be read after my surgery as I knew I would have a lot of down time and didn’t want to take too many things of value into the hospital. So no ipad traveled to the hospital with me. It’s a book I cannot put down.
The man is impressive with how steadfast he has been in his principles, and it all started with one animals who was considered “downed” at the Lancaster Stockyards. In case you are unfamiliar with this term, it means the animals who are brought to the stockyards and are usually too sick or weak to even get out of the container they’ve been trucked in on. Sometimes it’s a day or days old calf. Sometimes it’s an animal that the food industry considers “past its prime.” Basically, ti’s an animal that no one cares about and thinks it’s too expensive to put out of its misery – you see, the farmer can get more money for an animal that is still alive (even just barely) than one that is dead. And it costs money to euthanize an animal and put it out of its misery. God forbid, right? Wouldn’t want to treat a living creature with any sense of decency…. (Yes, you can tell that that attitude really angers me.)
Gene Baur just kept at what he felt was right. He used common sense too. He got a degree from Cornell because he knew it would give him more credibility when talking to those in the agribusiness sectors. And it did. When he realized that there was a gentleman who lived close by to their sanctuary who worked in a business that involved the killing of animals, he invited him over for a meal (meatless, of course) and everyone treated the man with respect. That gentleman didn’t feel threatened at the meal and he saw that they weren’t all a bunch of folks who were not willing to meet someone different from themselves. The man later ended up getting rid of his business.
If you don’t want to take my word for it that he’s a pretty cool guy, then just check out this video of him being interviewed by Jon Stewart. (Hat tip to my good friend DB who alerted me to it.)
If you notice in the interview, Jon Stewart mentions that a lot of vegans can be very rough on others who don’t eat the same way they do. I feel like if I were to preach to everyone, oh you should eat this, or don’t eat this, that will just push the person to do the opposite. No one likes to be told what to do after they’ve reached the age of what, 5? But you will also notice that Gene Baur doesn’t act all sanctimonious. (And he actually makes Jon’s day when he tells him that Baco Bits are vegan!)
Gene Baur will now be one of my inspirations for following my dreams and helping out animals. If he could start with basically nothing and persevere, then I can too. I can’t wait to go back to volunteering at the animal shelter once I am allowed to lift more than 8 pounds. That’s why I hope to recover quickly. (I’d like to go back and just socialize with the animals or take care of the chickens. In fact, I think I will do that as long as the shelter staff or my fellow volunteer, Janice, is ok with it.) There is a lot of work to be done. Like Gene, I know I can’t save them all, but to save even one nor make even one’s life better for the rest of its days on this planet is to do right. As my mom and grandma used to say to me a lot while growing up, you never know if you don’t even try. (And with that, I’m off to continue working on my research paper of how to start a farm sanctuary in NC.)
Is there something you would like to do with your life but have been afraid to take the first steps toward doing? Has any part of this post touched you? Have you read this book by Gene Baur? (Btw, he has a new book out which I can’t wait to read – it’s called Living the Farm Sanctuary Life.)
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Some of you may know, I had a hysterectomy this past week, so now I’m home for six weeks, recuperating. My mom has come to visit for a week to take care of me. It’s funny, no matter how old you get, you’re always someone’s baby or kid.
I had the hysterectomy because I have a problem common to many women, known as fibroids. They’re basically growths, or tumors, and as long as you are able to have a monthly cycle, well, they can keep coming back over and over again. I had a myomectomy 9 years ago to remove the ones I had then. Much as I wanted to think that was the end of them, nope, it wasn’t. And when I saw the assisting doc at the hospital the day after my surgery, he said my fibroids were HUGE. I write huge in capital letters because that’s how big his eyes got. So now I will just wait until my follow up to find out how huge they really were! I’m feeling ok right now – some pain and discomfort is expected, but they also gave me percocet and some big ibuprofen pills, and I’m not afraid to take them, so they are definitely helping.
It’s also helping to have my animals all home with me. As usual, Osito is on my right hand side, and Max is on my left. Yesterday, I laid down for a couple of naps and each time I did, I had about 3 or 4 animals on the bed with me. Made me feel loved. They are some of the best medicine I could ask for.
I have a lot of books with me to read over the next several weeks, many about animals. I want to be as knowledgeable about the behavior patterns of animals as I can. And I plan on showing my mom the movie Peaceable Kingdom: The Journey Home to get her thoughts about animals and see if it changes her mind about what she eats.
I’m grateful for this time off for a few reasons. One, my insurance will pay a good portion of it. Second, I have lots of sick time so I figured I might as well use it. So yes, I am getting paid at full pay for this time that I am out. Third, I get to spend a lot of time with my animals and my family. And it will give me some time to finish up my schoolwork for the semester, which includes a short paper on how to set up a farm animal sanctuary in NC. And finally, it gives me time to look into the job market situation down there too and see if I can line something up. Also, since I”m not doing much, I’m saving a bunch of money and it helps that May is a three paycheck month. So, it’s all good when you get right down to it. There are much worse times of year to be out of work than May in Boston. Right now, it’s still a bit chilly for my liking but I am hoping it warms up pretty soon. At least the sun is shining. Can’t complain about that.
I hope you will all have a great weekend. Just wanted to let you know what I’m up to, which, physically, isn’t much. I also wanted to thank all of you who are friends with me on facebook and who sent me so much support and love and friendly, good vibes on the day of my surgery. It really helped my mental outlook, and continues to do so today. So, thank you very much.
And congratulations to my friend Jill of Jill Will Run for finishing the Boston Marathon this past Monday on what had to be such miserable cold weather! (Rain and lots of it, in the 40s. Your pretty basic raw day where you just want to stay inside and have a cup of tea while looking out at the weather.)
I promise this entire post is not about food. But I have clarified a few things in my head over the past few days.
1) Watching the movie Cowspiracy really hit me hard this weekend. Until now, I’ve found it pretty easy to not eat any meat products for the past few years. Whenever I felt like “oh, that meat smells good….” I would then remind myself of why I don’t eat meat. Not because I don’t like the taste, but because I don’t want to be part of anything that involves an animal being slaughtered. But I couldn’t give up the dairy quite so easily. Maybe because I’d been brought up to drink milk as if it was water – literally, we used to go through so many gallons of milk every few days in our house. It was nothing to have a few glasses of milk at dinner time. It didn’t matter what we were eating. Spaghetti with milk? Sure! (I know, gross, right?) And it wasn’t skim milk we were drinking but the whole vitamin D milk. Yep. (Let’s not even talk about the powdered milk we drank when times were tough, money-wise. Eeww.)
Even when I was married, when I went to the store, I would buy skim milk for my husband and whole milk for myself. Eventually, he talked me into trying 2% and I noticed I didn’t have as many stomach issues as I used to have. So I slowly worked myself down to where I was drinking skim milk. And now I only use almond milk or coconut milk and I find that I don’t miss regular cow’s milk.
I believe I have mentioned I have fibroids, and that’s why I will be in surgery just three weeks from today. I didn’t realize until watching that movie over the weekend, that dairy products can contribute to fibroids. Now, while I will be having my fibroids-producing organ removed (ahem, uterus), I still want to continue not drinking cow milk. The movie showed how many acres it can take to feed a vegan per year vs. just a vegetarian. The difference was astounding – .6 acres to feed a vegan, whereas it takes 1.8 acres to feed a vegetarian. Imagine what I might be able to do with my own garden! (By the way, I love gardening, getting out there and getting my hands dirty, watching something grow from my own labor, and that tastes amazing!) So, priority #1 is to no longer bring dairy products into my home (I’m going to probably still eat the chocolate yogurt I have in my fridge until the next grocery day, just because I love chocolate and I already bought it), but after that, no dairy products enter my doorway.
2) Priority #2, I set over the weekend was to save even more from each of my paychecks. I’ve been putting away $750 out of every paycheck since last summer. Before that, I was definitely saving but not at such a rate, as my focus had been more on paying down my private student loan, whose balance sits at $12,777.97 as of today (just checked.) As of this weekend, I decided I would start trying to save $835 from each paycheck. That may not sound like a lot more – it’s $170 but I’ve already been cutting down my expenses as much as I can. So this means really tightening the grocery budget and keeping the pet expenses in check as well. I have to admit, looking back at what I’ve spent with Chewy.com (a company I can’t recommend enough, and one, who when you call their number, you get a real live person on the other end, imagine!), I’ve been doing pretty good. I’ve been planning budgets for pet food, etc., for about $180 per month and I’ve actually spent more of an average of $130/month, so I was feeling pretty good about that. That’s just for their food and litter, pee pads for Osito, etc., no vet expenses.
My take home after savings is now about $2460 a month. I budget it like this:
$1050 – rent
$55 – internet service
$35 – cell (with Cricket Wireless, I get 2.5 gb of data/month, suits me just fine.)
$25 – electricity/gas (this goes up a bit in summer, with the AC, but not too much.)
$167 – private student loan
$538 – interest only payments on federal student loans (yep, that only keeps the loan from growing, folks)
$250 – food
$160 – zipcar (this is to get back and forth to volunteering with the livestock animals.)
$150 – pet food, etc. (still gonna budget higher because some months, it’s higher than others, etc.)
I totalled this up and it comes to $2430. So as you can see, I need to be frugal and keep an eye on these expenses, as there isn’t much room for error. I’m considering it practice for when my life plans change. Not drinking coffee, and not eating a lot of processed foods should help a lot with the grocery budget. Plus, soon, I can start riding my bike more regularly and going to my local grocer guy who only takes cash for payment but offers produce at an amazing price, and always with a smile.
And yes, I do plan on including personal care items more and more into the grocery end of the budget, such as toilet paper, the occasional need to buy shampoo and conditioner, get a hair cut, etc. I buy some things in bulk, like toilet paper, paper towels, pee pads, from amazon, so the cost is defrayed over a few months. I also don’t cut my hair that often (it’s below my shoulders) and when I do color it, it’s done at home by me. I take care of my eyebrows mainly by myself. It’s amazing what you can save when you take care of things on your own rather than paying someone else to do it. (Speaking of, after my surgery, I will continue using instacart for my groceries, but once I’m healed, it’ll be me going to my grocer guy.)
You’ll notice I don’t really have laundry expenses added into all of that. That’s because I use a Manatee portable washing machine for almost all of my laundry (blankets and towels, excepting), and a spin dryer (mine is similar to this one on amazon) and then air dry most of my laundry.I used to spend upwards of $10/week on laundry. The cost of the two portable machines has more than paid me back over the past year or so. Here’s a video of how to use the Manatee on youtube. I just keep mine in the tub and fill it from the tub directly and then let the drain hose go right into the tub drain.
3) Priority #3 – Don’t let up on the downsizing. I need to sell my scooter which will soon be coming out of storage, and also other items in my apt that generally just take up space. I have some items from my grandmother I will likely sell – I have realized, if my apt were to catch on fire, I wouldn’t rush to save them, but I would rush to save the photos of her I have on my bedroom dresser. That tells me what truly holds meaning for me where she is concerned.
4) Priority #4 – this one is still being defined in my mind but it involves making some changes in this world, becoming more involved with causes I care about. The environment. Animals. When I watched that movie, I saw all these people who were so passionate about a particular subject. I’m going to start researching groups in my area now and in NC and learning ways to get involved. Start reaching out to people now and learn how I can be of help. See if they need someone to help with preparing any written materials for them, on the web or in some other form of media (especially when I won’t be able to do much physically after my surgery.) So maybe it’s more like a goal right now than a priority as I need to make it clearer in my mind. I’ll keep you updated.
I’m home today trying to get rid of a very stubborn cold that came back with a vengeance this past weekend and is totally pissing me off. I have a doctor’s appointment tomorrow and am going to ask them if I can take an antibiotic of sorts, to get rid of it. I need to be done with it for my surgery! Coughing after abdominal surgery – yeah, not something I want to do!
Anyway, sorry this post has appeared to ramble a bit, but I felt the need or urge to write today and put some of these things out there. I like the accountability aspect.
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Chasing Simple Dreams 