Friday, 10 April 2015

The Odd Routines of Necessity

Routines, we all have them; those little rituals we go through on a daily basis. I have them too, some of them you will be able to relate to: making my lunch, boiling the water for my morning oatmeal, etc.

Then there are the others which you may not relate to, yet are second nature to me. Turning on my hot water tank and water pump fifteen minutes or so before my shower. Checking the weather report before bed to decide if the temperature will dip below zero, so as to necessitate keeping my furnace on for the night to ensure my water pump and lines won’t freeze. 

I change into my thermal undies and works socks in the evening to stay warm as I laze around my trailer and in bed at night. Not to forget moving the water jug and tub of stuff out of the bathtub before my shower and then putting it back into the bathtub afterwards. Who could forget pulling my stock pot out of my coats’ closet before I use it, (as that is the only storage space I have that is large enough to house it).

Then there is taking a last look around my house before I drive anywhere, so as to ensure that nothing will flop over or spill about as I drive. Of course you always put stuff that you don’t want to fly about your house on the bed before you drive, right? This is handy for such items like the: Laptop, lunchbag, filled water bottles (you carry bottles of water home from work too, right?).

Last, but not least there is flipping my dining room table upside-down on my couch and securing it with a strap before I drive anywhere. 

All of these little routines seem normal to me yet to others who see them for the first time, it boggles their mind. Just like when I explain my lifestyle to people, they look at me as if I am nuts. I then likewise look at them and think they are nuts for spending 60% of their net income renting some cubbyhole while wallowing in debt and bemoaning about it. 

‘Normal’ really is relative, and we really are the Master (Or Mistress) of our own destinies. My routines may seem odd and sleeping in a trailer that I park on the side of the road or in parking lots may seem nuts, but I am getting ahead by doing so. Come September at the latest, I will be credit card debt free, and that is not nothing, and certainly worth my odd routines. 

Thursday, 9 April 2015

Happily Broke Again

I know that sounds like an odd thing to say but you see, to me, having a little bit in my main account means that I am broke. To be below zero, in the overdraft, means that I am beyond broke . . . so broke I don’t even have a word for it. 

(Let me know your suggestions for a word to describe such a condition of brokenness). 

So for me, the fact that I have (or will once my automatic payments come out) just over $30.00 in the account is good news. 

My next financial goal is to stay out of the overdraft between now and my next payday. (Meaning: Don’t spend a bloody dime!) Then, since I am budgeting what to do with each paycheque, I will (in theory) stay out of the overdraft from now on. As I have said before, I will try to trickle save and keep money in the main account and keep moving away from zero . . . to the positive. 

As far as Card #1 is concerned it is sitting around $1400.00. I have tried to rework my budget so I can pay it off completely this upcoming payday, but no, I can’t. Well, not unless I have a minor crowdfunding campaign of $400. 00 (let me know if you want to contribute). Ah well, I can wait until the 7th of May payday to kill it off, yet still, it would be nice to do so this month.  

For me, it is just nice to be able to use all of Wanda’s systems again and know that the weather is steadily getting warmer. Of course it can still dip below zero for a night or two, but I know how to handle them . . . I think. I can handle being in Wanda at -30C, that isn’t the problem, it is Wanda’s plumbing and the water pump, that is the concern. 

So, for now I will continue to hunker down, be thrifty, and make it to next payday. Things are steadily getting better and slowly my financial condition is improving. A lottery win would be nice and a quick way to get out of this mess, but that would cheat me of my hard earned victory . . . of earning my way out. 

I need to learn to budget and stick to that budget. Not only that, but I need to learn how to not only live within my means but thrive within them. This is the trick to financial security and financial independence. You are not as trapped in your cycle of poverty as you think, regardless of how little you have. As The Eagle’s song goes “Sometimes we live our lives in chains, never knowing that we had the key.”

Now, for no reason other than it looked nice, here is your sunrise shot.
 

Wednesday, 8 April 2015

I Giggled Like Homer Simpson

Really, honestly I did, after I flipped the switch last evening and heard that wonderful, deep-buzzing sound swiftly dropping off to nothing . . . my water pump survived. (Then I did dance The Dance of Joy.) 

We had warmer than expected weather yesterday and I noticed that all of the ice had melted, even what was in that sewer connection pipe.  My curiosity got the best of me so I decided to try out that water pump, to learn my fate . . . thankfully I will not have to replace that water pump. 

So yes, as I realized that I have running water in my trailer I giggled like Homer Simpson (or like a giddy schoolgirl if you don’t get the reference). When I washed my hands after filling up the generator and truck with fuel . . . I giggled.  As I had my shower this morning . . . I giggled. Each time I used any amount of running water . . . I giggled.

I got lucky, that is for sure. I know now that I should have waited until this weekend at least or perhaps yet another week before de-winterizing. I may still pay the price for that decision. It may still get frozen up and be damaged, but it is a gamble that I am left to play.

I would still like to go see the water pump and put some insulation around it and perhaps some heat tape, to help next winter. I will keep an eye on the weather and any night that will drop below zero I will keep the heat on, just in case. 

Yesterday was payday so I did my usual errands and ended up in my western home. I spent most of my grocery budget on yet another large stew creation which I will use as filler for my tacos. I knew from last time that I needed to buy a stock pot so I could make it, properly. (My mom taught me to cook big and freeze dinners. When I get cooking I toss in whatever makes sense at the time, so in review this is what is in this thing.

6 Pounds of lean ground beef
1 Kg Bag of hash browns
1 Kg Bag of mixed vegetables
3 Cans of refried beans
2 Boxes of Kraft Dinner (to thicken and why not)
10 pouches of taco seasoning
Water


As best I can guess I got two months’ worth of food out this batch. I will still need to buy the taco shells and shredded cheese but my dinners are taken care of. Sure I need to buy my oatmeal for breakfast and my stuff for lunch but otherwise I’m good. This will lower my grocery budget for the next while.


I guestimate that each of those bags on the table will last 4 – 5 days. I will freeze all of them and use them to keep filling that plastic container that I will keep in the fridge. 

For me eating these tacos works because I can have a little bite of food now and again, rather than a sit down meal. As long as I keep putting a variety of stuff into this filler, I will be fine. I may buy another head of lettuce and shred it up to add some extra greens. 

I am not sure if lettuce freezes well (doubtful), otherwise I would shred it up and freeze small amounts of it . . . knowing me I may try that anyways, after all what do I have to lose. The lettuce goes brown before I finish it all anyways.

Getting back to payday and what that means, I will pay the last of the bills I need to pay tonight. I will also ensure that I have enough in the account to stay out of the overdraft between now and the next payday. This would get that goal done and let me focus entirely on Card #1 this month (next payday).

If that is the case then next month I will pay off Card #1 in the early payday of next month. If I can somehow manage that, then I can focus on that last dastardly card . . . Card #3. 

In truth I have been paying on it since the death of Card #2 and yes all along. It is now at around $5800.00, down from $7500.00 when all this started. So all in all, some progress has been made on it.

As with all plans, the further you go into the future, the vaguer they become. Life, little details and unforeseen eventualities comes along to mess up your well laid plans. Then of course there is the largest unknown factor when dealing with your plans . . . will you play along and stick to them? 

For me though, for now, I am on the right path and things are doing well. The weather is a bit warmer and I have running water, a luxury that I do cherish and not take for granted. 

Tuesday, 7 April 2015

Keeping Wanda from Freezing

Okay, so I am operating on the assumption that the water pump is not dead. I am assuming (and hoping) that all I need to do is to wait until the weather is warm enough to ensure that all of my water lines will be defrosted.  Then I will turn on the water pump and see if it works (and if successful do the dance of joy). 

Until then I am keeping Wanda’s furnace on 24/7. I turn it down to 5C during the day and when I sleep. I have also taken to putting a hot water bottle on the spot of the floor where I think the water pump is under. My hope is that the heat will transfer through the floor and keep the water in the pump fluid and not frozen up. If that happens then the pump will crack and need to be replaced. 

I also turn my hot water heater on for ten to fifteen minutes each evening. Again this is to keep the hot water tank from freezing and bursting. I am still hoping that the amount of water in the fresh water tank and the constant movement is keeping that from freezing up to burst that tank. 

It is possible that all this is for naught, that I have already damaged that water pump, in which case I will likely just wait till the service appointment in June and get it replaced then. The chance of getting Wanda in earlier is slim to none. If I had access to a shop I might crawl under Wanda and see about replacing that water pump myself and insulating it a bit; alas, I don’t. (I really could use an RV dealer/repair shop sponsor).

The good news is that I was able to close my blackwater drain valve last night so at least I can use my toilet. I am still using the toilet and the sinks, as it is warm enough and I can drain them when needed. I am just resorting to using my blue jug for water for now, and back to my bachelor baths. 

I have an idea percolating of using some sort of gardening water jug with a rain head on it with warm water in it to have showers as I stand in the bath and “water myself” between lathering up. I hope it doesn’t come to that, but with a working grey water tank it is possible. It would clean me better than a bachelor’s bath now. 

Once I get that water pump on and the water flowing I will be fine. Even on the cold nights I will just stay awake to run water every half hour just keep a tap going a crack to keep the water pump kicking on every half an hour or so. 

I will try to turn the pump on by Friday afternoon. That should be warm enough, long enough. Then again, knowing me, I may try by Thursday afternoon, as it should get up to 13C that day.

One of the things I am struggling with is just letting this mistake go. I am still angry with myself for (most likely) damaging my water pump by de-winterizing too soon. I will not know for certain until later this week, so for now I am still hoping against hope that the damage wasn’t done. 

The real thing is that I just want this winter over with and this cold weather done. I am tired of the cold, tired of the frost and just tired of bundling up all the time. I want to not have a need to turn the furnace on at all.  I look forward to having the opposite problem, of instead open the windows to feel that cool breeze blowing through.

I also know that I am making progress and that I am getting ahead on paying these bills down. That is what I need to focus on; that is what I need to make a conscious effort to remember: my victories, rather than my defeats.  

At least the sunrise was looking good this morning. 

Monday, 6 April 2015

2 AM Okay, 4 AM, Not So Much

I did make it to my campsite and got settled in before nightfall, despite getting stuck in rush hour traffic on Thursday.
 

I happily made my sewer and power connection, I wanted to wait a day or two and see if I would go ahead with the de-winterizing.
 

I used my electric heater and again Wanda was toasty warm and I was able to keep my furnace turned off all weekend. Friday’s sunrise was spectacular and I did get a shot of that.


Friday was my plop day as I didn’t do anything. I just rested and relaxed and didn’t accomplish anything. (No pic of me relaxing as I was . . . you know . . . relaxing.)

Saturday I did go ahead with the de-winterizing and everything went well. I was excited and took it slow and sure to make sure I did things right. I was even able to get hot water going well and yes have that shower I had wanted to do. It was nice to do the simple things others take for granted like:

·         Wash my hands in the sink.
·         Do my dishes in the sink.
·         Have a shower.
·         Turn the tap on to have running water waiting for me.
·         Pooping in my own toilet.

I enjoyed and savoured each and every one of these niceties at the moment. After all it had been five months since I have been able to do these.

Sunday morning, my water was flowing, but only through my internal tank. The hose from the tap was frozen and blocked. That was okay, as I wanted to keep my water pump running to ensure that it would be fine and working. It was working, and water was flowing all day.

Sunday was the day that I got around to doing my spring cleaning. I slowly worked my way from the back of Wanda through to the front. I looked in each cupboard and storage space inside and cleaned and evaluated if I really needed this or that. I was able to toss enough things out make space to put a few things away that had been constantly out and beside the bed.

I didn’t get around to pulling out things from underneath Wanda or in the back of the truck, as it was too cold for me to enjoy pulling things out and sorting through them outside. I decided to put that off till another trip to another campsite.

I went to bed with the heat going and yes a bit worried about the water pump, as one of, and (the only one I have identified) of Wanda’s design flaws is the placement of that water pump. The water pump was not under the sink, where I had thought and expected it to be, it was instead under the trailer next to the water tank. By the time I discovered and realized this, I had already de-winterized.

Sunday night I got up a few times and ran a bit of water and all seemed well, the last time I did this was at 2 am. When I got up at 4am and tried, the water pump did not come on. Now this either means that the pump is toast or that a bit of ice has frozen in the pipe before it; who knows . As is the case with hypothermia victims, it is not dead until it is warm and dead. That won’t really be till later this week.

To add fun to this adventure this morning there was a steady trail of ice down my sewer pipe which prevented me from closing the blackwater valve. I was able to get the greywater valve closed though. I will try again tonight and hope that enough of the ice has melted that I can do this. I still need to defrost and drain the ice still in the drain pipe hose. Both of my water hoses are in the bathtub defrosting and draining.

So as it stands this weekend was a bust, yet in truth I don’t know. It may have worked I have left the heat on in Wanda at minimum on hopes that the pump will be okay. If the pump is toast that means that I may be without running fresh water until early June, when I get Wanda fixed. Due to the placement of the water pump, I can’t replace it myself, not without a proper shop and someone who is more tool-savvy than me.  

The one constant is that I will survive and that this too shall pass. I will get through this and push through until my goal of debt freedom is achieved. I have no choice but to move forward and press on. There is no fallback position, there is no cavalry on the way and reinforcements are not coming.

I know that I got myself into this mess and that I must get myself out of it. I take ownership of my mistakes and the consequences of my actions and decisions. I am taking actions to make my life better and get out of this mess.

In life, with choices, you make them and must live the outcome. Sometimes your decisions were good and sometimes they weren’t. All you can do is evaluate what went wrong, learn from your mistakes, deal with the aftermath of them and move on.  

The last challenge is to forget about your mistakes but it is hard when as you look back on your life you seem to see nothing but a string of bad choices and mistakes, some of which hurt and affected only you but others affected other people in your life.


Thankfully this mistake only affected me. In truth I should have waited a week or two to de-winterize, but I was too eager to have that shower, to have running water. 

Thursday, 2 April 2015

Departure Day!

Woo Hoo! Today, or this evening rather, I head up to Cochrane and the campsite I have reserved. This weekend I will have not only that measure of civilization that is a working power outlet but water and sewer as well. 

I will be happy to de-winterize Wanda so that I can actually use all of her systems. It has been long few months since November 10th, of last year when I lost my indoor plumbing: almost 5 months.  So you can understand why I am a little eager to have it back. 

I will ensure I have a successful plan to protect my plumbing (water pump particularly) before I de-winterize. I won’t do that tonight, but more than likely I will de-winterize tomorrow; or at worst on Saturday.

I have a few last minute items to pick up this evening, before I head on out to my campsite . . . in search of indoor plumbing! All I have to do is get through work, you know, that thing we do for money.

Wednesday, 1 April 2015

The Never-Ending Monday

I swear this week is the longest yet. Short weeks, where you get Monday off are cool, they go fast. This week, where you know that you get Friday off, seems to go slower. I swear it is still Monday and I am staring down that long week till Friday . . . Argh!

I know, intellectually that it is just today and tomorrow to go through until I will be rolling towards that campsite and a measure of civilization: Power, Water and Sewer! Yay. 

I will still see how things look weatherise before de-winterizing, but I will go to the campsite regardless; I have made this reservation after all.  I will also bring my bike along and go for some sort of a bike ride out there and try to find it a home, after getting rid of yet more stuff. 

Since today is April 1st and “April Fool’s Day”, I thought of coming out with some sort of shocking and bizarre announcement (I’m really a Werewolf), only to say “April Fools!”  Seriously, who would believe anything shocking and bizarre today? 

All and all, though, this week has not really been a “never ending cycle of Monday’s.” The week has been good, just a bit slow for my tastes.