We Are Now A One Car Family…For Now

Roughly 50 years of motoring have all added up this; Mini Cooper!

I was always opposed to the idea of Juan and I being a one car family. I don’t know…for me I felt like Juan was trying to limit my escape route options (wink wink smiley face)…Being the “little woman at home and asking her hubby for permission to drive the car somewhere” AIN’T GONNA HAPPEN! I know  I know ….I’m a little crazy when it came to the thought of us with one car. However, trying to “right size” my life and incorporate a more sensible lifestyle, I finally made the decision to be a one car family.

Juan and I own a business, work together constantly, do things together always, and are best of friends forever. So it would make more sense for us to be a one car family. Well…we did it and so far so good. I am always fearful of an emergency, you know I am out and about and Juan is at home and there is a crisis…dog is hurt or something like that, how will we cope? I am constantly worried about these things that I wouldn’t worry about if we had two cars. Alas, nothing earth shattering or any sort of an emergency has popped up and I guess when they do I will deal with them.

So together we enjoy my Mini Cooper. Always wanted one and so glad I got one (last year). I have to tell you….for me it was like the same feeling I had with my first car. It’s simple yet zippy and sure darn easy to find a spot to park! AND, we are able to really pack up and go. For such a small car it does hold a lot and takes me and Juan everywhere from Point A to Point Z!

As always…”right-sizing” doesn’t mean you have to give up on the nicer things in life. I say why not get what you really want... just don’t need 3, 11 or 20 of the same things that are collectively less expesive. Spend the money once and use the one!  (wink wink, smiley face)  


Things I Enjoy In Life!

Update: Regarding spare bedroom.

As you know from my blog several weeks ago, Juan and I are trying to rid ourselves of more stuff! We've enjoyed the freedom we have found with less house to clean, less backyard to maintain, less stuff to deal with. We are approaching our next garage sale and we are "giddy" (I know don't hassle me on the flowery words) with excitement. This right sizing is great!

It's Friday and we are working from home and I am enjoying two of my favorite things.....



A Bicycle ride....



A soy latte



Enjoy your day however it may be!

“Right-Sizing” Is Truly About Living A Simpler Life!



"Right-Sizing" Is Truly About Living A simpler Life!

So many people have been plagued in our state (AZ), CA, TX and many others with fire. The severe drought has caused all the beautiful vegetation to become dry and become fuel for a simple spark of a cigarette, lightning strike or unattended camp fire.

Families interrupted in their lives by fire officials alerting them to a fast moving fire approaching their home. Time is of the essence and must evacuate the premises within minutes. What would you do? What would you consider precious enough to “Garb-N-Go” in a moments time?

For me….I would grab my animals (two dachshunds and one crotchety 31 year old parrot), Juan (Love that guy)….Hmm what else? What would I find that important? My iPhone, Laptop, iPad….(Okay, Okay, all my techy gadgets)…photos…however I have scanned all of them and have them safe and secure in my iCloud. (wink wink smiley face) Hmm what to take? I guess if I had more than five minutes, let’s say 30-60 minutes, I would think of immediate needs such as clothing, toiletries that type of stuff. I love my vintage school chairs, my father’s grandfather clock…some sterling… (Heavy sigh)…this is hard for me.

In my mind, I feel that I have the most precious things with me, Juan and my animals. Of the few other things I would take, what “STUFF” do I really need in life? So...did you try this little exercise with me? What would you take? THEN think to yourself ALL the extra stuff left in your home. No, I am not stating that you should live in a travel trailer…you, your spouse kids and pets. I am only asking you to think about what you have and what you need. Are there rooms full of clutter, heck…are there rooms that you are not using? Are there spaces in your home, storage, office, (life) filled with “STUFF” and clutter? Would it be possible to “Right-Size” your life? Yup, I said it…not downsize….right-size.

As I mentioned in the beginning when I first started this adventure in blogging, Juan and I were looking to get rid of clutter and right-size our life. When people heard that we were moving into a smaller space, we were greeted with sad faces and long hugs…concerned that we have “lost our spot on the social pedestal of life”, lost our status, Ugh..d-o-w-n-s-i-z-e-d!

Juan and I beg to differ… we “right-sized” to enjoy and live a simpler life. Yes, we rid ourselves of the extra baggage and “Stuff” (I know always my favorite word however using it a lot right now). We spent a lot of time thinking about the space we truly needed for ourselves and what’s important to us. Everyone might have different needs in life and may require a little more space or maybe even less. How about you? What would you do? I’ve had the opportunity to receive direct emails from great people reading my blog encouraged by what we have done and taking their first steps to right-sizing their lives... people who have successfully started living a simpler lifestyle with less square footage. I would love to hear much more from you. Respond anonymously in comments; email me (Shawn Smith) whatever you like. Tell me if you are feeling the way we did last year... Or if you have been doing this and why you did it. I would love to hear from you.

Sometimes You Just Luck Out!

Well, I'm on my iPhone trying out the "Blogger App" and posting "off the cuff". So be kind should the font be illegible or the pictures off slightly....Here we go.

Just this weekend, Juan and I were discussing our spare bedroom and what we want it to become. We've started by selling some stuff on eBay, donation and yes...STUFF off to the garbage.

Another living space we need to work on is our back patio. Right now...a concrete slab, a bed of dirt that borders the slab and my bar-b-que. Juan and I were standing in the patio enjoying the cooler AZ morning and began discussing what we wanted to create in our back patio.

Juan thought to create multiple seating areas. A couple of small tables that we could put together for a small gathering or separate for more informal dining.

Well it was a start and thought we could begin searching. I LOVE vintage finds and finding good deals. Love to fall upon furniture I can repurpose or get for a steal. For me...the hunt is half the fun.

Sometimes you have the "luck of the Irish" on your side...or just plain luck. Our community, Patio71 has a community page where neighbors can post invites to various events and parties, seeking a lost beach towel or "seeking some ranch dressing".

Well a neighbor posted on our community page she had a bistro table and chairs in need of a good patio. I saw the post and picture and thought surely it was gone....but it wasn't! Juan and I scored!

So Juan and I will begin the process of creating a beautiful backyard space in our 9 hundred square foot home.

So a quick picture....yes it's dark but I'm trying to post off my phone and promise to show you a cool and finished outdoor space.

Score!!!

Juan’s Perspective On The “Value” Of A Garage

As Shawn noted in her recent post (So You Are Now Minus A Garage…Now What?), when we decided that Patio 71 was “The Place” for us, we knew we’d be losing a garage. This was not a deal breaker because we’d already been through the Pros/Cons exercise. However, I must admit it that it had me feeling a little bit uneasy. At first...

I grew up in Central Phoenix, just a few blocks from where we presently live. Back then all of the homes in the area had carports with an attached storage room. So, the idea of carport parking was not too hard to wrap my arms around. Besides, we park under a carport at the office, so it’s not like our car is going to get any more/less dusty at night than it does during the day. The real attention getter was that my “extra” storage space was being drastically downsized.


Shelving and room for tools



Room for more bikes! Able to store all our needs



 

 

In earlier posts, we discussed the "weeding-out" process. Once we’d tackled that, it became apparent to me that I didn’t really need as much space as I imagined. I just needed a place for my toolbox and a few other necessities (i.e., carwash supplies, spare bike parts, a couple of bikes, etc.). When we moved into Patio 71 last winter, we brought 5 of our original 10 bikes with us. Through careful planning and a trip to IKEA, we managed to store everything we need in our 4x8 storage room (including 2 mountain bikes).



Just prior to writing this post (this past weekend in fact) we pared our collection of bikes down to 2. We could store our current stable of bikes in the storage room, but with the extreme heat, we prefer to store them inside where the “soft” parts don’t dry out. Since we’re a little bike crazy (or just plain crazy) our bikes have become “art” in our office space. So, we actually have unused space in our storage room.

In retrospect, I have not missed the garage one bit. Along with the loss of the garage, we also got rid of the guilt which faced us every time we left/returned in the car and surveyed the accumulated clutter that always seems to invade its way into a garage. Now we simply park and go inside.

Shout Out To *faircompanies

In past articles, I wrote about *faircompanies and their journey in sustainable living. Going green, living smaller….simplifying your life! I am inspired with so many people they film and what they are doing to live a better lifestyle.

In the US we have such a different thought process about living. Sometimes I feel it is about where you are placed in society….Keeping up with the Jones’….STATUS!. In many European countries, people enjoy living in small spaces and enjoying the things they truly need to sustain and enjoy life. Yes, George Clooney might own a villa in Italy or others live in much larger living spaces….however, I find that the people I have met in my travels were happy in a very simple flat or apartment with 400 square feet looking out to breath taking scenery.

I have included a recent video from Kirsten Dirksen and Nicolas Boullosa of *faircompanies. In this video, they visit Bordeaux’ Right Bank and the picturesque Passage Buhan where De Marien and Buchholtz show us how life in a garage can be quite beautiful and even stylish.

It is a long video (13 ½ minutes)…so when you have some downtime watch it. It is in French with subtitles. I am so intrigued with anyone that can take such a small space and create a beautiful home.

So You Are Now Minus A Garage…Now What?

When Juan and I decided to move into a smaller square foot home, we knew we were going to have to make some sacrifices and concentrate on the reason why we were doing this. One of the BIG BIG issues… A Garage. I know most men would whimper at the thought of eliminating the most precious room of the house (ask my middle brother). Even Juan was a little upset at first…heck I was too. It was great extra storage room. Yes, a place I could buy more STUFF and store it. However, there are truly great reasons for having a garage.

A place to keep your cars especially in the extreme heat of AZ

A great place for holiday storage (I know I am psycho about Christmas)

A place for those extra toys such as motorcycles, ATVs, and bicycles (Bicycles are the key for me and Juan)

A place to keep your tools for all the “Honey-Do’s” and carpentry work (Yes, Juan is very talented in that arena)

Let’s go back to the bicycles. When Juan and I made the decision to downsize, we each had five bicycles. Yes, I had five bikes and so did he. Why, you ask? Besides the LOVE of bicycles and bicycling….we had different bikes for different applications. (Mountain, Road, Touring or just Cruising)

So we decided that we truly needed to figure out the kind of riding we wanted to do and pare down to one bike a piece which is what we FINALLY did. Seriously it was just this past week that we did this. Even though we have been in the 900sqft home for months!

I’ve been asked on several occasions about storage and what were my thoughts about storing certain items especially bicycles. Many couples out there, like me, have been challenged with downsizing and losing the garage. What to do with bicycles that you still enjoy to ride but do not have the storage or garage space AND…do not wish to leave outside due to weather? Why can’t you integrate your bicycles with your décor? YOU CAN!

Our current set up in our spare room



Right now as Juan and I are still “editing" our spare room that will soon be an office/workspace/bedroom, we are creating a piece of artwork on the wall that is called our bicycles. Why not work it into your space? If you have a studio apartment, you can have a pulley system and have them hanging up high. Or you can do what we did and purchase a gravity rack that does not need to be bolted into the studs and hang a couple of bicycles.

HOWEVER, you can do one step better and purchase a beautiful bike shelf! Chris Brigham has created a beautiful bike shelf that, with simple instructions, you can mount on the wall and hang your bike. It is taking utilitarian one step further by making it useful yet beautiful and simplistic in design.

Chris spent his adult life as a Graphic Designer (Check out his website “About”) all along thinking about working with his hands. You see what an incredible and talented individual he is by visiting his website and checking out many of his designs. Chris had no formal training in furniture design, turned his garage into a woodshop and began building furniture. He taught himself and has built quite a successful business for himself (theknifeandsaw.com).  

Chris saw a need when visiting friends in San Francisco and NYC where storage is a challenge and where to put one’s bike. He saw a need for some “bike management” and created the bike shelf. It is easy-to-install (mount to wall studs) only leaving screw holes when gone (great for renters). It comes in walnut or ash and looks beautiful on the wall. You can add some books or other lightweight items (holds up to 40lbs) keeping more clutter out of the way.

Are you challenged with a couple of bikes in your small space…getting in the way? Do you find yourself moving your bike from one wall to the other to get it out of the way?  I would suggest you check out Chris’ Bike Shelf and get one…or two. What a great way to display your beautiful bike, add other accessories and have room to move around.

Chris Brigham can be reached at his website www.theknifeandsaw.com