If You’ve Got the Money, I’ve Got the Time

Just started readin’ The Slight Edge by Jeff Olson this week. I’m only four chapters in and I can say I already recommend it. So far I’m findin’ that the little things he’s talkin’ about changin’ are things I already do with money and have done my entire life. How many 9 year olds do you know who saved up for their own Shetland pony with their allowance money?

Without knowing it, the slight edge is how I paid off two student loans in four years on a teacher’s salary and in that same time saved enough up to take the years off I’d need to start a business and pursue my art and also saved up $30,000 for my retirement. I’m not bragging, I’m sayin’ this because it works.

It’s all that little stuff that adds up, be it positive or negative. Depending on simple daily choices you make every day for good or bad, the trajectory of your life changes. It’s funny how we can see others making tiny bad choices repeatedly and know exactly the outcome wondering WHY? and yet they don’t know how they got there and we’re wondering HOW did you not know? But then we make the same tiny bad choices in some other matter and ignore the inevitable outcome in our own lives.

I’ve found that most people, when it comes to money, are of the “just buy it” mindset. Many people are living at or above their means, in a constant state of debt, and struggling from paycheck to paycheck. And I’m tellin’ you it’s the little stuff that adds up that makes all the difference.

The entire time I was teaching I had a $20/month flip phone. I can’t tell you how many times I was teased and told to “just buy a smart phone, they aren’t that much.” But I would have rather saved the money for the phone and the money I would have spent on the plan actually havin’ dinner with friends. I never went without food to save the money, anyone who has ever seen me eat can attest to that. But I did have water and I did many times split the overlarge meal into two and had the leftovers the following night. I did 99% of the time go without dessert. I never once felt like I was deprived. Many people I know have a drink and leave half their food on the table so they can get the dessert because “they earned it.” I’m not condemning them, because they did earn it, but they also earned good health and financial security. That’s the purpose of food and money, isn’t it? Little choices made consistently over time.

I will admit I make little bad choices in other areas and I think it is because I have only applied the slight edge (unknowingly) to money and never to anything else. But if it clearly works so well for me in one area, it is definitely worth shifting my philosophy to include it for everything else.

I hope you’ve got the slight edge workin’ for you in some way in your life so you can figure out how to leverage it in other areas. It is applicable in anything you want to have success in. If you’ve read the book, feel free to share your insights.

XOXO,

Lochy

 

 

Support my art on Patreon.

 

Everything In Its Place

You have to get creative with some of your storage in a small place. I have two of those nifty jewelry hangers, but they were in my closet where I never remembered to look and they were so full it was difficult to tell what I had anymore.

The shades in the trailer were so age stained and most didn’t even work so I took all of them out. Until just recently I had tacked up a piece of lace over my bathroom window, but decided that would make a prettier place to display my necklaces so I would see them and actually wear them.

I can also use the screen for some of my earrings that don’t require backs that won’t fit on my earring holder. The chocolate tin holds my stud earrings. The silver jewelry box has rings and necklace/earring sets. The biscuit tin treasure box is for bangles. So now the jewelry hangers in the closet are just for brooches and bracelets.

Now that I can just about see everything, I have pretty much cut myself off unless I get rid of something in exchange. There were at least a dozen necklaces that I had completely forgotten I had. I love bein’ able to see everything where it’s easy to choose each day.

XOXO,

Lochy

 

Support my art on Patreon. ❤

 

A Place for Everything

When you are full-time trailer livin’, you have to figure out pretty quick that you can’t have everything. You start saving things only that have some meaning or inspire and so you end up with a more meaningful inspired living space.

People with houses go to the Container Store, but people with trailers go to The Dollar Tree. Those barely bigger than a shoebox containers are perfect for organizing your storage bins.

While it looks like they take up a lot of space, they actually give me more space by allowing full use of the vertical area. The top shelf doesn’t have room for bins, but makes for easy stacking of shorts, pedal pushers (I’ve always preferred that term over capris), and jeans. The bottom shelf pre-storage containers was a hot mess. Most of it ended up on my bed before I found what I was lookin’ for and then sometimes would be unceremoniously shoved back in quickly before I headed out the door. Now I have a bin for camisoles, tank tops, t-shirts, long sleeved tees (no print), and long sleeved tees (with a print). Finding what I need is a snap. Putting stuff away is a breeze. The organized tidiness of it is comforting.

I recommend measuring the interior of your cabinets keeping in mind what you want to store there. Limited space helps keep you from buyin’ that top that’s on sale that you will never wear. But keeping that space organized will allow for more than just the bare necessities. You might end up buyin’ that really cute top that isn’t on sale, but stays in regular rotation because you don’t buy “eh maybe” clothes anymore and because you’ve passed up the last 15 mediocre sale shirts you are still saving money.

So while you can’t have everything, you can have it all (at least all that you REALLY want). Except for books. I haven’t figured out how to keep all of my books. Maybe I need another trailer for my library…

XOXO,

Lochy

 

Support my artistic journey on Patreon.

Save

The Zen Gypsy

The Zen Gypsy in Canton, Texas

The first year after teaching I spent livin’ in my Silver Streak and gettin’ my shop up and runnin’ here in Canton, Texas just five minutes from the world’s largest flea market. First I had a tiny trailer and now a tiny shop with tiny things. Small livin’ is the way to go!

The shop needed a LOT of work, not unlike the Rocketship. The outside was white with black trim and I painted it turquoise with white trim, had some more windows put in to brighten it up inside, and had some porch posts put on the front. Inside it was yield sign yellow with bright orange trim. I wanted it yellow inside, but more of a buttery toned down yellow. Painted the walls a more welcoming yellow and the trim white. The concrete floor I painted brown and stenciled. I put some copper glitter in the floor paint to have a nice little shimmer.

The Zen Gypsy and my Rocketship are on a 3 acre property shared with my mom’s trailer and her shop: The Gypsy Chicks, a Kenskill trailer that is full of vintage goodies, and a vintage potting shed. We sell all manner of vintage finds. Mom tends more towards shabby chic, architectural, and primitives; where I have have more eclectic and kitschy tastes.

Gettin’ the shops up and runnin’ took the entire first year of my “retirement” from teaching. We’re finally at a point where we’re open four days a week: Thursday-Sunday. I have a mini-art studio in the back of my mini shop. This July will be a full two years we’ve been open and a year since I’ve been able to begin pursuing art on Monday and Tuesday. More about that next time!

XOXO,

Loch

 

I Return!

My last post was written right before my last year of teaching. I had been happy, though tired with teaching art up until that point. My last year was miserable. Even art has become about the test. After 30 hours of instruction, which was stretched out in 45 minute per week increments over 5 weeks elementary students were expected to take a midterm and then the same for their final. It was too much for elementary students. I didn’t want to put pressure on them, but there was so much pressure on me that I’m sure they felt some of it. The testing for art came after their week long STAAR testing and they were just exhausted. I heard from the teachers that some of the 1st graders were crying through the entire test. It broke my heart that we spent so much time cramming for a test and not enough time exploring art.

I managed to get myself into an unforgivable position when the superintendent came in while I had kindergarten students working with Lego, blocks, Lincoln Logs, and other building toys on our Sculpture Day. It wasn’t “end project” enough. I was told they were building something, tearing it down, and building something else. Which is utterly the point. I wanted them to explore their creativity while I evaluated their fine motor skills (which are VERY lacking in low socio-economic schools). I was also asking them about “proportion” which is a huge concept for kindergarten. But that wasn’t when the superintendent walked in. He came in while I was timing some students working collaboratively on a puzzle. They had just finished it and they were talking about the different places because it was a large piece world map. They were asking about cities, states, and countries and I was tying geography in by discussing proportion to location. But you know, they aren’t tested on geography in elementary school so I’m sure that’s how I earned the scowl I received. Well, that and that I greeted him and asked him how he was doing. We’re not supposed to speak unless spoken to, but I’m from Texas and it is just rude not to greet someone when they come in and I wasn’t going to model poor manners to my students.

I managed to earn a reprimand from my principal afterwards who asked why we weren’t doing ceramics to which I answered because the building was so old it wouldn’t pass safety for a kiln. She asked if we couldn’t do ceramics that were air dry. I replied that it was because for the past 3 years I had bought all of the art supplies for all 500 students with my own money and I had chosen Lego and the like because it was something that we could use again and again. She said my lesson plan was not aligned with state standards although I had the lesson plan posted on the board and the state standard it was associated highlighted beside it. I asked if I could get with her about the lesson plan to see how to better make it. She told me to rewrite it and resubmit it to her. I did and asked if it was more of what she was looking for and she asked if it aligned and I said yes. She just walked away. Yeah, the last one did too. I NEVER could get in good with her after that. You know how there are some people you just don’t like? I was that to her and I could tell it. When I got teacher of the year she called for a recount.

I was so stressed that I developed sciatica and was walking with a cane most of the last half of the year. After Spring Break I had a teacher friend die and one of my favorite students died of cancer. I honestly don’t know how I made it the last few days of school except that I knew without a doubt that would be my last year of teaching.

Two weeks into Summer and I was waking up every day euphoric. It didn’t matter that I didn’t know what was coming next, just that chapter of my life was over. After 4 years of teaching I had managed to pay off two student loans and save up enough to take 2 years off to pursue art and open a junk shop with my mom. That is the benefit of living in a travel trailer. You can do anything you want, even on a teacher’s salary.

XOXO,

Loch

 

 

 

 

Apartment

I wonder why apartments are called apartments. You’re really not apart from anyone. There are people above you, people below, people on all sides but one. Not that it really matters. I’ll never live in one again. The rent goes up every time you renew your lease. I can only imagine what an efficiency goes for in Dallas now. $750? Probably something like that if you’re in an area you don’t mind hearing gunfire. That doesn’t include any of your utilities.

It makes me wonder why anyone would willingly choose that kind of lifestyle if there are other options. Example: I know someone who needed a place to stay and I gave an estimate for a decent camper, lot rent, and typical utilities. Too expensive, he said. He chose to go the apartment route and will probably pay $9000 in the next year not counting utilities.  I’ll pay around $3750 WITH utilities and that’s figuring high. Rent + camper would have still been less than an apartment. Buy vintage and you can come out all right on the camper cost when you sell it. You might even make a little. (My Airstream sold for more than I paid for it.) Oh, and he’s going to have to purchase furniture too. I’ll never understand some people’s math.

I’ll also never understand some people’s financial reasoning.

Maybe they should be called compartments…
XOXOX,

Loch

 

 

Milk Crates

So I was on Pinterest (as usual of late) and found this great idea for small area composting:

I didn’t take the above picture, that was the one I pinned, though mine looks almost exactly the same. I have 2 black crates and 1 red. I put it together today minus the lid.

With the massive growth of the morning glories, I have been wondering just how much vegetable gardening I could do in this little space. It is approximately 40’X25′ not subtracting the area taken up by the Rocketship. Still, I think with vertical gardening and fruit trees in pots I could have some serious produce. My only concern is overwintering the fruit trees. I have 2 figs, a lemon, lime, orange, and a grapefruit tree. I’ll have to see if I can find something that will work on Pinterest.

If you haven’t been yet check out my pins and start some boards of your own. I have a board on gardening, travel trailer living, cooking, travel, oh just lots of stuff! Have fun!

XOXOX,

Loch

The Proof

I probably shouldn’t let this secret out… If everyone knew how cheaply they could live in an RV/travel trailer, they might all sell their homes, the demand for RV spots would be higher and so would the price. Luckily, I just have 3 people that read my blog. XD

The only reason May electric was so high (yes, high) was that I had strep throat and didn’t realize I had a fever. I thought it was gettin’ really hot already and turned on my A/C for 3 days. It’s too bad too because I was tryin’ to beat April’s low of $16.37. I was wantin’ to see if I could have a $15.00 electric bill. Oh well, I can’t complain when rent and electric together are under $300.

In other good news, my first full year teaching in Dallas is over. YAY! It was a rough year, but no where near as difficult as Midway (middle school + mid year + 1st year teaching = nightmare).  I have already signed my contract for next year and just have one or two days to go in next week to finish up my classroom and paint my chalkboards with whiteboard paint and then I will be out for the summer! I don’t expect to see many more electric bills that low since it can get pretty hot in Texas and I have no intention of sittin’ around sweatin’ since I have a job.

Hope everyone else’s summer is startin’ off as fine as mine.

XOXOX,

Loch

Long Time, No Write

It’s been a while since I’ve last written and it is much overdue. Just as I suspected I got a last minute teaching job and had to head out immediately. I’m teachin’ elementary art in Dallas and am just now on Winter Break so I can finally take a breath. With the help of my dad, the Rocketship is now in the Good Luck RV Park off I-35. The park is nestled between a field of longhorns and what could be one of the roughest ‘hoods in Dallas. Hahahaa! I’ve had no troubles with either.

How could I resist with a sign like that?

Folks here are friendly and it’s probably the closest RV park to Dallas. I don’t know why they don’t have a website. If they did this park would be full year round. It’s convenient to downtown and nearby shopping. Places like this are why I’ll never live in an apartment again. I have a fenced lot for $270/month + electric. You have to get your own internet, but for that price I don’t mind. With my teacher’s paycheck I should have my Art Institute student loan paid off by March/April. If only I could figure out how to make my art pay for my teaching degree…

XOXOX,

Loch

Grapes of Wrath

Silver Streak Postcard

One of the main reasons I bought my Silver Streak was because last year I got a teaching  job mid-year and had to find  quick temporary housing. The job was only until the end of the school year so an apartment was out of the question. I ended up renting a cabin at an RV park. It worked just fine, but was about the same cost as a cheap apartment. I had a feeling that the next time I got a job it might be under the same circumstances: interview one day, get the offer the next, move the next day, and teaching the day after that. Having a trailer would certainly remove a lot of the stress of finding a place and packing everything up. It’s kind of like a giant suitcase on wheels that I can have ready to go at a moment’s notice.

This week I had an interview out in Brownfield, Texas. If you have no idea where that is don’t feel bad because I don’t think anyone does. It’s west Texas almost to the New Mexico border. It was a long drive. I felt the interview went well and decided to check out some of the RV parks nearby while I was there. The “RV Parks” in Brownfield were little more than overgrown lots and looked as though the park and RVs had been abandoned. I had to drive about 30 minutes into Lubbock.

The 1st park, Mesa Verde, was nice, a little too nice (despite the lack of trees which would have been really not pleasant in West Texas summers). I noticed all of the RVs and trailers looked like they came brand new right off the lot. I went into the office to ask if there was some kind of restriction. There was a wall of enlarged photos that were some of the junkiest, craziest lookin’ trailers and makeshift RVs that I have ever seen. Yes, there was a restriction. The lady was very pleasant, but I could tell that she wasn’t going to let my Rocketship into her park and I certainly didn’t want any pictures of it on her Wall of Shame. >_<

She told me that Loop 289 RV Park would have the same restrictions, but the nearby Camelot RV Park might not. I drove past 289 on the way to Camelot and saw that it too had nothin’ but newer model RVs. When I got to Camelot it looked like a lot of newer ones as well, but I decided to go into the office to check because it was actually a nicer park. There were large trees that the other two parks didn’t have. The woman at Camelot had to be one of the grumpiest old ladies that I’ve met in a while. I came in and said hello and she just glared at me for a few seconds before “WHAT!?” in the tone of what do you want? I told her that I had a vintage trailer and does she have any restrictions. She snapped that it better not have any dents, missin’ parts, or stuff hangin’ off of it, which mine of course does. Hahahaha! I didn’t care for her attitude anyway.

I then went to the KOA Campground, which upped my daily commute to at least an hour. They too had a restriction of only 2000 or newer. I was really surprised that the KOA had the restriction.

So then I started to think about why they had these crazy restrictions at every park in the Lubbock area. I suspect it has a lot to do with all the migrant farm workers. The Principal said that 80% of the students were children of Mexican migrant workers which gives an idea of the population. I really think they are tryin’ to keep the migrant workers out of the parks. I can see havin’ rules to keep the parks tidy, but to have only 2000 or newer models is a bit extreme way to do that.

The reason I put the postcard picture is so you can see that even new Silver Streaks had that dull silver look when they were new. They were never shiny like an Airstream. The lady at the first park thought I had an Airstream and said that the old ones look a lot like the new so I could just polish it up. ^_^;; Actually Silver Streaks have all the look of an oxidized Airstream. But I’ve lived in an Airstream and still say the Silver Streak has a better layout. My dad even says it pulls much easier than my Airstream did which is interesting because it’s boxier.

Anyway, I had to take myself out of the running for that job because I want to be able to live inexpensively in my Rocketship so I can recover my savings, pay down my student loans, and get back on track with my Roth/IRA. There were other reasons, but that is the primary one.

XOXOX,

Loch