Aunt C was happy I called; apparently she's been under the weather with a cough. She said she had been to see the doctor and was taking some medication for the cough. Fortunately, she doesn't have a fever, so it is not the dreaded flu.
After that, I called my friend R and left a message as she was out. Then, I replied to blog comments, read and commented on other blogs, had brunch of garbanzo beans (leftover from the almsgiving and frozen; I reheated it in the microwave before eating), changed my bed sheets, and did some laundry (one load of bed sheets and one load of clothes).
Since there was some discussion in the comments on yesterday's post, about hanging up laundry to dry as a way to save on energy use, I thought I will talk about it a little bit more! Hence the title for today's post.
Even when my dryer was working, I used of often hang my laundry on a line outside in the garden to dry. Especially in the summer. Unfortunately, ants used to walk on the clothes lines (I suppose the ground was too hot for them?) and not just one or two! I used to often find ants on my line dried clothes! It seemed that birds, too, liked to perch on the clothes lines (maybe they were eating the ants?) and I would sometimes have to re-wash some of the laundry because there were bird droppings on them!
These days, because my dryer isn't working properly, I hang all the laundry to dry. But I no longer hang them outside; I hang them inside the house. I have a large drying rack, that I set up either in the family room (usually, as the laundry closet is off the family room) or the living room:
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| Laundry Drying in the Family Room |
I hang other items such as clothes on clothes hangers that I hang from the door frames:
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| Clothes Hanging from Door Frame |
I hang the bed sheets from the door frames, too, but I use skirt hangers with clips to hang them:
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| Bed Sheet Hanging to Dry |
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| Close-up of the hangers resting on the edge of the door frame |
Yes, I know, not everyone likes having laundry hanging in the doorways in their house, but I don't mind. I save on gas and electricity to operate the dryer, it is a very environmentally friendly thing to do, and the drying laundry adds a little humidity to our very dry air. This type of laundry drying might not work in a very humid climate. Daughter, for example, isn't permitted to hang her laundry to dry inside the apartment, according to her lease agreement, due to the mold problem they have there due to the humidity.
Later, I cleaned the litter box, washed the dishes, and started to clean the kitchen. I did one of the counters and the stove top. I will do the other counter, on Sunday.
My friend R returned my phone call in the evening and we chatted for a bit.
Then, daughter called to tell me all about her grocery haul from the dollar store. The store is across the street from her, so she finds it very convenient to shop there. There is also a Trader Joe's not too far from her apartment; it is, in fact, across the street from the bus stop where she takes the bus to come home from work, so, often, she'll shop there on her way home. But, the dollar store is a cheaper place for a number of items. She said she bought a spaghetti squash, a kabocha squash, some whole wheat pasta, a lettuce, a bag of spinach, a bag of the freeze dried peach slices that she loves, a can of Campbell's soup, refrigerated cinnamon roll dough, some noodles, a bottle of salad dressing, tuna and a can of mackerel. There were a couple of other things she mentioned, but I've forgotten them! She said she spent $20 on her purchases. Earlier in the week, she had spent $3.50 at Trader Joe's to buy some dried persimmons. She's happy to be able to keep her grocery spending to under $25, this week.
Still later, I exchanged emails with a friend, video chatted with daughter, and watched some music videos online.
Today, I am grateful for:
- Being able to sleep in
- A relaxed, yet productive, day
- Being able to air dry my clean laundry!
- Keeping in touch with family and friends
- Chatting with my daughter
Weekend To Do List:
- Attend to the garage door
- Put gas to the car
- Do grocery shopping
- Clean the kitchen - STARTED
- Do the dishes - DONE
- Change the bed sheets - DONE
- Do laundry - DID 2 loads
- Water the indoor plants
- Water the front garden
- Call aunt - DONE
- Call friend R - DONE
- Meal plan/cook
- Paperwork/pay bills
How was your Saturday? What are your plans for Sunday?
How was your Saturday? What are your plans for Sunday?
Dancer and the Stray Cats! Love the name. Maybe you and your cousins should form a group. :)
ReplyDeleteGlad to hear that Aunt C. is getting better.
Ha, ha, maybe we should! No body would want to hear us, but we'd have fun singing! :D
DeleteSounds like you had a nice Saturday, even though there was a lot of laundry doings. If it were just me I could live with clothes drying all over the house, but it would drive TheHub nuts, plus I have folks in and out of my house on a regular basis.
ReplyDeleteYes, having ones house looking a bit like a laundromat won't work if the rest of the household object to it and there are lots of visitors. :) Back when I was married, I hung the laundry out in the garden. There weren't any restrictions about that, in my neighborhood.
DeleteVery clever how you have worked out drying sheets inside your house and helps your dry air. I think ants must be a problem in California and I wouldn't like them on the laundry.
ReplyDeleteYour daughter did well shopping. I have never seen fresh fruit or vegetables at a dollar store. Her neighborhood sounds nice with most everything near by. Is she in a furnished apartment? It is interesting to hear about how she lives. I know you miss her.
Thank you, Sandy. Back in Sri Lanka, we used to hang curtains in the doorways, even when there were doors to the rooms. We called them door curtains; the sheets hanging to dry in the doorways remind me of them!
DeleteThere is a store called the 99Cents Only Store, here. Well, when they first started, everything was 99 cents, but, now, they carry a few other items that are more! But, most items are still $.99 and they sell a lot of fresh produce. One just has to choose carefully, but daughter has figured out when they get their fresh deliveries and shop for the fresh produce then.
Yes, she really is in a very convenient spot. It is a little bit away from the heart of downtown Berkeley, but still with access to a lot of places, nearby. One of the reasons why we chose that apartment building, initially.
First of all, it is on the direct bus route to campus (and now, her office). Within walking distance to one of the BART stations (subway), a short bus ride away from another. Trader Joe's is nearby (closer to her office as are a CVS and a small KMart); the dollar store is across the street. There is a convenience store (7-11) at the corner, across the street; things are expensive there, but, it is very handy when she gets back from visiting me and it is too late for her to go grocery shopping, but she needs a fresh carton of milk for her coffee. There is a bank across the street, too; she doesn't bank there, but, when we first selected the place, I was thinking she could open an account there for the convenience. The library is across the street as well as a couple of fast food places (Subway, pizza) and a really nice Thai restaurant. Oh, and there are several ethnic stores (mostly Indian and some Middle Eastern) a few blocks down, too. :)
Yes, she is in a furnished apartment. That was convenient, too, at the time. Since then, however, the apartment ownership has changed and they no longer furnish the apartments; they removed the furniture from most of the apartments, but daughter was allowed to keep the furniture that came with the apartment. She bought a few bits and pieces - a stand mirror, a bookcase, a different chair for the desk, etc., but nothing major. When she first moved in, I saturated the sofa with disinfectant spray and put on an old sofa cover I had at home! Same with the bed (the mattress had a vinyl cover) and bought her a new mattress cover!
Eventually, when she moves out, she will ask the management what they want done with the furniture. If they tell her to keep the furniture and she moves to another place in Berkeley, she might take some of the small pieces, like the coffee table and, perhaps, the desk; but, if she comes back home, she will probably dispose of it all.
Wow so much information - actually for her circumstances at this time it sounds very convenient and nice. Probably worth staying put until she makes a major job change and fingers crossed back to your part of the world.
DeleteThanks, Sandy. Ha, ha, I wrote a book, didn't I? :D "Everything you want to know and more!" :D
DeleteMy house looks a lot like yours this evening Bless - washing everywhere. As soon as the weather picks up a bit I'll start to put it out on the line once again. X
ReplyDeleteI hope the weather improves and you are able to dry the laundry outside, once again, Jules. :)
DeleteI envy your ability to sleep in! No matter how long I stay up, when the sun comes up, I'm up, except on very rare occasions. Lucky you:)
ReplyDeleteIf your daughter is in San Fransisco, it's amazing that she can get food so inexpensively. (You said she rode the BART). When we visited there last winter, we were shocked at the cost of living. Our tour bus driver was lamenting on how much it costs there, so we asked him a lot of questions.
Becky, she is in Berkeley, so, yes, close enough to SF (just across the bridge). And, yes, cost of living is very high, grocery prices are high, too. When she first moved up there, she shopped at a grocery store called Safeway - she still shops there, occasionally, especially for meat. Then, little by little, she found some discount stores and that the 99Cents store has good deals.
DeleteI used to set up the laundry to dry indoors on racks when it rained or was too humid to dry outside, but since we've added 3 more cats to our herd, over a year ago, I have been using the dryer more. When the cats were kittens, they just amused themselves by pulling all the clothes down from the racks and then they'd be covered in cat hair because they also liked to play peekaboo in between the rows of clothes. I think that this summer I will try once again to use the racks indoors since they're now older and hopefully wiser :) We're lucky that it's sunny most of the time here in Central Florida so drying clothes outdoors is quite easy, especially for me since I stay home. I have the same racks as your large one, as you know, I got them at Ikea (which is where I think you got yours too?). I love them because I can hang quite a lot of laundry on them.
ReplyDeleteI was also amazed to read that your daughter got fresh food at the dollar store thinking it was the Dollar Tree, like we have here, but then I read your reply. We don't have any dollar-type stores that sell fresh produce here, unfortunately. I'm glad your daughter got some great deals and only had to walk across the street to get them too!
Yes, I remember you posting that the kittens were playing with the laundry. Maybe that's why they like to help you fold them, these days. :)
DeleteActually, I think, if I had a working dryer, I'd be tempted to put everything in there to dry! Especially the bulkier items like the sheets, blankets, etc.
Yes, I got my big rack at Ikea. It was a good purchase.
There are Dollar Trees, here, too, and you are right, they don't carry fresh produce. Daughter finds some good buys at her store. :)
I agree, weekends are made for lie-ins. I still set the alarm just so I can turn it off and roll over for another session lol.
ReplyDeleteI swapped my dryer for a dishwasher when we had the kitchen re-fitted - there wasn't room for both, so now I dry washing in the house on an airer stood next to a radiator which is on quite often as it's so cold, so I'm killing 2 birds with one stone :) It gets on my nerves to be honest as I get fed up of looking at it and there's a wash goes on every day. In summer it's out on the line and finished off inside overnight if it's not quite dry.
We are talking to Amy about food and budgeting now that she's definitely off to University. She's pretty good with shopping, clothes, make-up etc. but likes to eat out with friends, so she needs to watch that when she moves out. Hope you've had a lovely weekend. xx
Suzanne, I think it is still fairly common in other countries to not have a clothes dryer and to hang the clothes up to dry, either outside or, inside, as needed. And, when everyone is doing it, it is more matter of fact. I think, maybe 60 years ago, here, too, just about everyone dried their clothes on a line, somewhere. But now, a clothes dryer is considered an essential appliance, just like the washer. :)
DeleteGood to hear that you are talking with Amy about budgeting. :) Those are important conversations to have.
But here are some questions I have for you (I don't expect you to answer them, here, but they maybe helpful when discussing budgets, with her). When she moves out, how will her expenses be funded? Will you be paying for her tuition and books or will that be covered some other way? Who will be paying for her living expenses? Will she live on campus in a dorm or student housing? Or will she live off-campus in an apartment by herself or with roommates? Who will pay for the room and board? Will she participate in a meal plan at the university? Or pay for her own groceries? And who will be paying for it? Will she continue to have a part time job to pay for some of her personal expenses?
When my daughter went away to university, I paid her tuition, her books, and her rent. She didn't want me to pay for her groceries and found part-time employment on campus to pay for her groceries and any eating out/entertainment, clothing, etc. Her apartment came furnished, but when she wanted a few extra bits, she paid for them with her own money.
I am sure Amy will do just fine. One or two mistakes and she'll learn. :) Just be very firm when it comes to bailing her out, when she has over-spent her grocery money on eating out! :D
Over here it is very unusual for parents to pay for their children through university which is why I'm always full of admiration that you managed to do it.
DeleteIt costs £9,250 per year for the course x 3 years (most people take out a student loan for this) plus living expenses which we know for definite will be £135 for accommodation which includes all bills for electric, wifi etc but no food. On top of that there are then the day to day living costs that need to be found. They can apply for another loan for this which is means tested depending on the income of the parents. I think everybody is entitled to something with a full award being around £8,000. This is the area that parents tend to contribute towards and students hopefully find jobs to help themselves as well.
Typically students over here leave University with around £50k of 'debt' although the repayment of this debt doesn't kick in until they earn about £21k pa. As their wage hopefully rises so does the repayment. Regardless of what payments are made back after a certain number of years (30 rings a bell, but I could be wrong), the debt is completely written off.
She can live on campus for the first year then after that she will need to find her own accommodation, this is where a group of them generally find a house and split the cost. However, if she's not keen on that she lives near enough to move back home should she want to.
The store that she works in have said they will try to transfer her to a branch near her University if there is an opening, so I've got my fingers crossed that will happen.
As well as the degree I think the whole experience will be a great lesson in life - although an expensive one. Mark tells me not to see it as a loan but a tax that she will be responsible for paying back - along with 1000's of other young people!
It will be interesting to see what the costs are in 6 years should Thomas decide to go. xx
Suzanne, I think student loans are the way it is done here, too, usually. Daughter went to a public university for both undergrad and grad; private colleges cost a lot more. But, yes, if she had had to take out a loan, then, she would have had a sizeable debt to pay. It took years of very frugal living and lots of saving, but this was a gift I felt very blessed to be able to give her. I used to tease her and say that this was in lieu of her dowry AND that she'd have to pay for her own wedding! :D
DeleteI hang some of my laundry up to dry, but not all. And I do it in the garage -- I don't think it would last long in the house with the cats!
ReplyDeleteI do enjoy being able to sleep in on weekends, even if sometimes I get a late start to the day.
Laura, sounds like you have found a good place to hang the laundry. :)
DeleteYes, that's the part I don't like about sleeping in - half the day is gone, when I do wake up and have my coffee, etc.! Oh, well, can't have ones cake and eat it, too!
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ReplyDeleteWhile I have the matched W/D, I add my voice to advocate benefits of hanging laundry. It certainly keeps clothes looking new longer, anything that stores on hangers are hung, ready to return to closet, noticeably reduces kWh electric bill [very expensive here] and adds moisture to our extremely, dry air. I've always bought and installed a retractible clothes line where ever we've lived. https://ill kWhwww.walmart.com/ip/Honey-Can-Do-Retractable-Clothesline-Dryer-with-5-Lines-Gray-White/52641137 I install it on the longest wall in the laundry area and it can be made to disappear in an instant, looking like a small rail. If anyone wants to try hanging laundry, I suggest reversing typical order, starting with small items like socks, undies, pjs, kitchen & hand towels. I do sheets last, as folded by witdth, they keep the entire area looking neat and orderly. It also works efficiently for loading the laundry basket and putting everything away.
ReplyDeleteHon, I had seen those retractable clothes lines, and had considered buying one. But, with my luck, the whole thing will no doubt come off the wall! :D Sounds like you have a very good method for hanging your laundry!
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