Duck

If you are in Austin and love duck, go to First China BBQ in the Chinatown Center. Do not order off their highly Americanized lunch menu. If you open up the menu they have several roast meats served with rice for the same price as the lunch specials. I've had the duck on several occasions and it is amazing. Duck skin and fat is uniquely delicious. Other restaurants price duck like it is some rare and precious meat. Here it is $6.50 for a decent sized portion.

After you eat, go over to the giant Asian supermarket. It smells awful, but has really well priced Asian goodies. The junk food aisles alone are worth the trip. I love exotic foods. Hence while I still try to buy clothes and other wares made in America, I refuse to apply this to food products.

Awhile back we visited a Hindu temple in Houston. I really enjoyed it, but was shocked to learn that certain Hindu sects do not eat onions or garlic. We met a man at the on-site restaurant that had never had onions or garlic in his 40+ years. That blew my mind! I eat onions or garlic with nearly every meal I make at home. I love sauteed onions dearly. I try to understand people who restrict their diet because of religious or moral reasons, but I can never quite wrap my mind around it. I love meat. I love the commonly forbidden pork. I love wine and other alcohol. I fiercely love onions and garlic. One day I may discover I am in fact the unenlightened one, but until then I will enjoy all the glorious foods and beverages this world has to offer.

Apartments

The sweet joys of apartment living! No, seriously! You don’t really appreciate apartment living until you have owned a house. Going back to an apartment after owning a house is like living a vacation. You wake up on Saturday and no longer have to tackle yard work. When the AC isn’t working, you just call the maintenance number. You don’t have to care about how much something will cost to fix or what exactly is wrong with it. There is much less space to clean (assuming most apartments are smaller than most houses). We have the added benefit of living within walking distance to the grocery store, several restaurants, a pharmacy, and a bookstore. There are also two pools and a work out facility on site, plus trail access to a large green belt.

There is a lot of pressure in our society to own a home. I talked in a previous post about how owning a home is not always a great investment these days. It can be if you get lucky, but it can just as easily result in a net loss. Plus, even once it is paid off you are still stuck paying property taxes and paying for repairs. I am not anti home ownership; I just recommend taking a critical look at that path. Just because you can afford a house doesn’t mean you should buy it. Just because you can afford a larger place doesn’t mean you should move.

In other news, I recently made a baby mobile for a co-worker (mostly because he bugged me to make him one for 3 months after seeing a mobile I made for another co-worker's birthday). He is also into the buy domestic movement and told me about trying to find a crib that was made in the US. I had guessed he ended up with one made by the Amish and sure enough he did. It was pricey, but is solid wood and there are no worries about paint or sealant chemicals or unsafe parts.

 

 

Bike Commuting

In my decade of working life I have never lived closer than 20 miles to work. I started out over 40 miles away with my first job while living in San Marcos. Now I live about 3 miles away from my office. I can get there in 10 minutes! So what do I do? I go and make my commute almost as long as when I was 20 miles away by deciding to commute by bike.

First I had to get a bike. I had a nice bike when I was in college back in San Marcos which was stolen off our front porch (they cut the chain). Then, I had my niece’s old bike which had brake issues so I intentionally left it unlocked at work to be stolen/taken. I followed that up with my co-worker’s daughter’s old bike. That bike got me to and from college classes at ACC for 2 years. It was removed after sitting idle for several years locked up at work. I was not heartbroken because it was nothing fancy and pretty well worn out (starting to rust). So, I was bike-less as of last weekend and really wanted to get started on bike commuting before I got completely spoiled by a 10 minute drive. Most cheap bikes from big box stores are foreign made. They also seem to be worth about what you paid for them. Bike shops in Austin are very proud of their merchandise and both their new and used stock are priced such that you understand why they offer payment plans. Ultimately, I found a bike for $30 on Craig’s List. The bike seemed practically new and was just what I needed. I took a safety buddy to pick it up and have been bike commuting since then.

First off, I am pretty happy with the whole bike commuting experience. I can get exercise and save money while fulfilling a need. Here are some of my suggestions if you want to get into bike commuting. Although I’ve only been bike commuting a grand total of 3 days, I have quite a bit of experience with urban bike riding from my college days.

1)      If you live within 5 miles of work and can get there without getting on a highway or major thoroughfare, give bike commuting some consideration.

2)      Buy a cheap used bike to start out. You can always upgrade later. First off, a cheap bike will probably be a tougher workout since they aren’t built for speed. Second, it will be less of a target for theft. Third, it will be easier to tune up yourself. Cheap equals simple and simple is good when you are starting out.

3)      Take it easy. Don’t try to get there quickly. It is not a race. Don’t be embarrassed to get off and walk up a steep hill (there is one hill toward the end of my ride home that I so far refuse to ride up).

4)      Take a route through neighborhoods. It seems safer. People drive slower, are looking for obstacles like kids, dogs, and bikes. They are also probably less likely to be texting and driving as there are too many obstacles such as parked cars, speed bumps, and traffic calming islands to take their eyes off the road.

5)      Be aware of your surroundings at all times. Slow down at intersections and parking lot entrances/exits even if you technically have the right of way. Cars might not see you, so make sure you see them.

6)      Wear a helmet (duh!).

7)      All locks can be cut, so just get a decent steel u-lock and save your money: http://www.lockyourbike.org.uk/how-to-lock-a-bike-guide/

Free

Sometimes free doesn't mean free.

The Kohls near us routinely sends out $10 gift cards. Unlike other stores where you have to buy a certain amount to get the free money, this is $10 with no strings attached. You can walk in and walk out with a $7 tank top by just giving them the mailer card. In the past I have used the cards to get shorts, a skirt, and tank tops for nothing (or pocket change). This weekend I had another $10 card so we walked over to Kohls after eating yogurt <aside> if you are in Kyle, check out Chill Out frozen yogurt; really nice owners and good yogurt</aside>. I looked around and couldn't find anything that wasn't cheaply made and/or manufactured overseas. My husband also looked, but when he wasn't thrilled with anything we both decided that there was no point in getting something we didn't absolutely love.

It can be a challenge to pass up free stuff. It doesn't seem like that long ago when buying a new pair of shorts or a new shirt was a big deal to me. It was special because I had limited funds so I carefully picked out what I most liked in the price range I could afford. Back in high school or when I was in college the first go round, free stuff was like found money.

Even with a stable income, it is still hard to pass up free or almost free stuff when it is new and looks nice. I make sure to ask myself:

• Do I absolutely love it? If not, why bother?
• Am I willing to pay to house this item? The less stuff you have the smaller the space you can live in.
• Is it an item that will either last a long time and/or an item that will be desirable to someone else used? For example, solid wood furniture will last a long time and will be much easier to find a new home for if you no longer need it than cheap particle board furniture. These days cheap clothes are no longer in demand. Most thrift outlets and charities have more clothing than they know what to do with. Check out this article or Google "disposable fashion" for statistics and analysis: http://www.slate.com/articles/life/fashion/2012/06/the_salvation_army_and_goodwill_inside_the_places_your_clothes_go_when_you_donate_them_.html 
• What am I supporting by taking this item? By accepting a "free gift" that was produced under poor conditions and shipped around the world, you are letting the giver know you are okay with that. This obviously applies more to promotional items where the giver will just continue to order more of the same item than it does to accepting your friends or neighbors used clothes/housewares. And it certainly never should apply to actual presents given to you!

American

Some things I love that are uniquely American (the North American continent, not specifically our little portion):

• sweet corn
• chipotle peppers
• yucca
• prairie dogs
• bighorn sheep
• blueberries
• sunflowers
• avocado
• bison

We've exported some of these, but they all originated right here on our beautiful continent. I am not always the most patriotic about our country since politics and arbitrary lines are tedious, but I love this geographic region and think a shared pride between all human beings on our continent is far better than isolated, nationalistic tendencies.

Getting Ready to Sell

We are about to sell our house (it will be listed tomorrow!). That is easier said than done. Unless you keep your house looking like an excerpt from "House Beautiful", it is a massive undertaking. We have kept our house fairly well tended to and clean, but the idea of someone looking in all your cabinets and closets and scrutinizing your baseboards and corners really kicks things up a notch. You can certainly sell "as is", but you take a huge price hit (based on what I've heard). So we have been cleaning, and painting, and packing for some time now. Here is what I've learned:

• In all the years prior to selling, don't buy anything you don't really need. The less you have, the better your life will be. No, really. Trust me. I have gotten rid of so many things I now wish we'd never bought.
• Use Home Depot boxes and U-Haul tape. I've tried lots of brands of both and those are the best.
• Going to the dump is fun! If you have anything broken or defunct, load it all up and take it out there at once. It is only $35 for a full pickup truck load and it is lots of fun tipping stuff into a pit. Just make sure you cover your load to save an extra $20 charge.
• Give things away. I was too lazy to try to sell our stuff so we have been giving it away for free. It has been immensely satisfying. I don't think the amount of money I could have made would have equaled the happiness we have brought to others or the needs we have met.
• Start decluterring 2 and a half months in advance and cleaning/repairing a month and a half in advance. Leave the last few weeks for prepping/staging.
• Be ruthless. If you don't love it, get rid of it.
• Don't paint cabinets. It is not worth it. Even if they clash with the other decor, just deal with it.
• You will get an amazing workout. Expect to lose weight and experience lots of muscle soreness. Also, expect to get very little sleep the last few weeks before you list the house. Set a date to take pictures with your Realtor and then just pretend you are getting ready for finals in college and tell yourself it will all be over soon.
• Put your environmentalist tendencies aside. You will be dumping water on the lawn to keep the grass green. You will eventually break down and eat sandwiches every day off of paper plates because the thought of doing dishes while keeping the house constantly looking like no one actually lives there is overwhelming.
• Go ahead and pack all hobby related items. You will have no free time.

And for some comic relief now that we are done: http://hookedonhouses.net/bad-mls-photos/. Be sure and check out "The House That Loves Paint" (among many other funny ones).

Minimalist Packing

I really enjoy the concept of minimalist packing. It keeps you from feeling weighed down when you travel. It frees up time and mental energy. When you return home, there is not a mountain a laundry to do.

There are lots of resources on the web, but here is my take on traveling light from my last week long trip:

From upper left, clockwise: shorts and shirt, shorts and shirt for pajamas (but could be worn to go for a walk/exercise), flip flops, grey leggings, snack bars, a magazine and notebook and my Kindle, chargers (phone, Kindle, camera battery, and headphones), shoes, comb, Tide to-go, 3 pairs socks, 4 pair underwear, swimsuit, jacket. Not pictured are deodorant, toothbrush, toothpaste, face cream, sunscreen, and camera. All of this fit neatly in my small backpack with room to spare. I wore a lightweight dress which was my primary clothing except when hiking or sleeping (or swimming, obviously!). You can buy "travel dresses" from REI or various websites, but you can save a ton of money by locating one with similar properties at the thrift store or Ross. A good dress for travel should be lightweight, a dark color, a conservative cut (so it works at a variety of places), and a high percentage of synthetic fibers (except nothing strecthy). Most synthetic fibers will dry much quicker than natural fibers. Just think of the shorts and skirts that dry the fastest when doing laundry at home and try to find a dress (or pants/shirt if you are a guy) in a similar material. Quick dry is important because then you can wash them in the sink, hang them up, and have them be dry within in a day.

My husband and I did a similar minimalist packing experiment when we went to Ecuador. That time we did invest in REI pants. That was the best clothing investment ever. After the trip, I wore those pants to do hundreds of hours of field work in rough conditions. They held up beautifully and are only just now getting too worn out to travel with (unfortunately, I snagged myself climbing over a wire fence and got concrete adhesive on them).