A Minimalist - Adventure`s Of A Landlady

August 7 , 2015 

Being a landlady is my job and sometimes things run smoothly and other times they don`t . I am still learning everyday but as with any business that deals with the public , its always changing .

This month for one it was  " my taxes were messed up " and can I pay $$$ amount this time  . Okay ?!  whatever that meant . Believable ? No ! But I am not heartless , I took the partial payment .

The next one is the new guy and I let him know its not a good idea to avoid my first of the month calls , regardless if he has the money or not because that makes me mad . When he did not answer and I was collecting rent from others  I caught him at home . His answer about utility hook up cost was believable and I let him know that this time I can allow him to put the rent off a week to catch up , without late charge but once is it .

It never ceases to amaze me that when I think I have heard it all , I get a new original line . Some people fall for it  hook , line and sinker . I have learned to stay neutral because actions and words don`t match . Eventually the truth is out by words or actions but I will stop now about my secrets to knowing who is lying and who is telling the truth , Landlady secret . 

I am not good on waiting for what is owed to me but I have to manage my money for these types of deals . 

I ran a good business for many years and then I hired someone to collect and keep an eye out for the rentals But I still had to deal with the tenants that did not pay or had to be evicted . For a few years it was all good and things went smoothly .  Then she slacked on her job and my property went down hill . I took it back over a year and a half ago , I made big changes . A couple tenants moved because I added late charges  and I evicted all but one tenant . I redone several houses and  made a new lease / rules and an inspection sheet with photographs of the house . 

I have to say that I have a pretty good bunch of tenants now , they pay and I inspect the houses several times a year . Yes I have Roger Dodger but he is young and learning . I did have a talk with him about better money management , I am not sure if he listened but I said it anyways . And I have the couple of tenants that have hoarding / cleaning  problems but I work with them and they listen to what I have to say .

I did not pick being a landlady , it picked me . Never in a million years would I have thought this shy girl from Oxford , Alabama would be a landlady .

By Andria Perry 

A Minimalist - Doing It Free Or Cheap

Becoming a minimalist is about so many different things but for the most part its about reducing spending and buying , less clutter in your life . Its about freeing yourself from debt so that you have time to enjoy life and not just working nine to five or more daily to pay for things you don`t have time to enjoy .

I am at a stage where minimalism its about learning and doing things I have always wanted to do  or learn how to do . Doing for myself . Learning I do not have to " buy " food but I can make my own and sometimes its completely free .

Using seeds and dirt for the most part .

Growing up we used to dry fruit , apples from the tree in the yard most of the time for fried apple pies in the Winter , we would lay them on a table in between screens and fight off the ants in the process .

A couple years ago I got money for my Birthday and I bought my first dehydrator , a small plastic four tray dehydrator . I learned so much on this little dehydrator . I dried bags and bags of fruits and vegetables  .

Here are a few things  I began dehydrating  :

Apples 

Pears 

Zucchini chips 

Onions - Onion powder

Garlic - Garlic powder

Red Pepper - Ground red pepper

Fast forward a couple years and I wanted to learn how to eat a " Raw " diet . When you say Raw it means that foods are not cooked but can be warmed or dehydrated and you can make your own bread or crackers on the dehydrator , the small one did not work for me anymore So I went big .

I usually skip the Christmas gifts because I have plenty but last year I wanted the Excalibur five tray with a heat control and thats what I bought .

Just this week I made eggplant leather and a fresh bag of zucchini chips .

I often make corn and zucchini  rolls and more from my eating Raw cookbooks .

I am still learning new ways to make different foods and its all good for me , I get to select flavors and salt content as well .

I do dry some of my own spices and herbs . You know how much you can pay for those at the supermarket , an arm and leg ! But I don`t use the dehydrator for the herbs . Instead I lay those out on a screen / cake cooling racks  in the house , usually the counter , and let them dry out of the heat and direct sun . The reason I do the herbs like this is because it preserves the natural oils that are the flavor you are wanting . 

After drying Basil , Mint and Sage I do not crumble the leaves till I am cooking with them so that it all comes back to life at that moment , full flavor once again .

Now back to dehydrating , the cost of running the dehydrator is not much especially compared to the cost of buying the foods at the grocery store fresh or dried .

Usually apples are cheap at the farmers market when in season , thats when to do this dehydrating  for stockpiling , or free if you grow your own .

The benefit of health is over the top because you do not add artificial preservatives . You control your own sugar and salt .

Yes some people think that preserving your own foods is being extreme but they can tell their boss  " at work " about me while I am  " at home frying up homemade apple pies " . 

Learning to control my life  . Learn to live free .

By Andria Perry

Yearly Goals - Check In Time

Every year I make several or four goals to achieve each year . Resolutions . I do think about the areas in my life that I would like to improve and I work on those all year long . I always make the one resolution that will be extremely hard .

Last year I accomplished two out of four .

This year , we are in the eighth month of the year , I try to report each and every month how I am doing .

Number one : Improve my health . I have to say that I have had no choice but to make this happen and this is how . 

I have had diabetes for eight years and until last year I did not take any medication . The doctor put me on a small pill once a day , in January because my numbers are to high and I know because I check the level everyday she upped this medication , double the dose . 

But this did not help and going back in to see this doctor was not going to help because she did not listen to me last time . I changed doctors in May and she put me on a new medication that is working better .

However ,  I still had refills for medication ( hormones ) from the old doctor . When the pharmacy  unexpectedly would not refill that prescription , a week ago , I called for the other six months worth I had coming . No reply to my calls nor the pharmacies calls  , I went to the office was told to leave her a message and nothing . A week and she did not care to call the pharmacy or tell me to come in .  

I dumped her altogether last Friday . I got a new doctor . And I got my hormones after being out three days . Now the bad part , while going in and out of these doctors offices I caught something , I am sick with a cold or something :/ .

But so far this resolution is becoming a success .

Number Two : More Me time and doing what I love .

This one has been an up and down resolution . I have been writing and I love it . But I have not had any time for myself . I feel rushed all the time . I feel like I am living for others and not for me . This resolution needs more work and I have four months to turn this around .

So far this one is a fail .

Number Three : Get better organized .

I can see the mouths falling open because I am a minimalist . I have to say that after living with a hoarder for so long , this cycle is hard to break .He still has a hard time saying no to certain things when he shops , I still struggle with getting rid of things , mostly my dad`s things  but I am so much better than before . 

Receiving an inheritance of furniture  from an elderly cousin in April did not help . I sold most of it and I have a few things on Ebay but for the most part I either kept something and sold what I had or I sold / gave things away . 

I have accomplished my bedroom and the walk in closet , the spare bedroom and that closet . I still have to deal with this office but I have worked on it more of late . I do keep a clean house . Dusting  is my problem keeping up .

I will say accomplished to  this resolution and working on it .

The last , Number Four - Stop cussing .

First let me say I do not cuss everywhere I go . I am cussing when talking to family and friends , but I still want to stop . 

Once an elderly gentleman heard me say " piss " and he said " say urine instead " . Later that evening I was in the kitchen and this adult male went for the pickles with his fingers . I yelled before he could stick his nasty fingers in the jar " Put your nasty fingers in that jar and I will slap the urine out of you ! "  . I thought that elderly man was going to urinate all over himself laughing . BUT I did not cuss .

Stop cussing ? Big fat Fail !

I know I have four months left in this year but wanting to accomplish these goals can carry on for years to come , BUT I do not continue the same resolutions year after year . However I can work on the old ones as well as the new resolutions , sometimes it just happens because you had worked the  year before on what you wanted .

This year I have accomplished one of last years goals of " grow more food and buy less food " . Got this awesome vegetable and fruit garden ! I have canned jelly and jam and  made relish . I have chopped vegetables and froze them , actually I refilled the deep freezer with squash , zucchini and okra so far . I still have to blanch and freeze eggplant , freeze green tomato`s for fried green tomato`s in January . 

And I am still working on one from last year " a new career " . I want a new career , I tried one last year and taking care of the elderly at home is a job I do not want to do again . 

This year I did the selling on Craig`s list and I tripled the money I had invested . I could do a thrift store but I have no plans right now . Instead I pushed for repairs to an empty rental that I was working out of and put someone in that house after almost two years of setting empty , due to previous tenant abuse to that house .

I have started this Blog and I am hoping to start getting paid  to write . I have a short book written and I have not added to this book in the last month . I need to publish by Fall . My deadline for myself .

Do you make resolutions ? Or goals ? I really enjoy pushing for the change I need in my life , sometimes it comes easy and other times not at all .

By Andria Perry

Coupon Shopping - Saved $82.21

I try to always use coupons when shopping . I like to get things free using coupons and at times I do , this week I did get a few things free and the rest dirt cheap . 

I do love it when the coupons match up with the sale that is out for the week . This is when I get the most savings and I stock up if possible .

I shopped today at two stores while I was in town paying bills and going to the post office . I like to get more than one thing done while in town , it also saves gas . 

First Store :

 CVS : two transactions :

Transaction One:

 6 - All washing liquid $7.29 on sale 2 for $7.00 - Promotion buy $20 worth and get $5 extra bucks back = $21.00 Used three $2.00 off two mft. coupon = $17.10 (tax added ) AND I received $5.00 ecb back .

Transaction two :

3 - Diet Pepsi  $5.99 - on sale 3 for $10.00 -Promotion buy 3 and get $2.00 extra bucks back  = $11.00 ( tax included ) Used $5 extra bucks that I just got = $6.00 AND I received $2.00 ecb back .

Total for both before sale and coupons was $64.81

I paid $23.10 AND I got $2.00 ecb to spend next time .

Total savings at CVS = $41.71

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Publix Grocery store 

I love my publix , they double coupons up to .50 and I never get Hassled about using coupons at this store .

6 - renuzit air fresheners .99 On sale six for $5.00 - Used buy three get three free mft. coupon = $2.50 for six 

8 - Angel soft tissue $1.29 - On clearance .50 each - Used .25 mft. coupon that doubled  = FREE all 8 

3 - Band -aid ( 2 at $2.39 - 1 at $199 ) on sale 20 % off = $1.91 for two and $1.60 - Used $2.00 off three mft.coupon AND $2.00 off two  store coupon = $1.42 for all three

4 - Kibble N bits dog food 3.5 pounds $4.89 - On sale buy one get one free - Used $2.00 off two mft. coupon = $2.89 for two or $5.78 for all 4 .

2 - Wishbone salad dressing $2.55 - On sale buy one get one free - Used $1.00 store coupon for each = .55 for two

2 - Domino Sugar $3.15 - On sale buy one get one free - NO coupon  = $3.15 for two 

1- Dannon yogurt - $3.00 - no coupon = $3.00 

Total before sale and coupons was - $60.00 

I paid $19.50 (Tax included )

I saved $40.50 

Now lets total my entire day of shopping and what I saved and paid  : 

Before sale and coupons = $124.81

I paid - $42.60 

Saved $82.21

That is how I like to spend minimal and get what I will need in the soon future . I have washing liquid for six months for $12.10 (remember I got that $5 back ) . I have air fresheners for around .41 each that`ll last a long time . I got FREE nose tissue and that will last for a while around here too . Band-aid for under .50 a box ! 

Work less . Earn less . Pay less . Minimalism at its best .

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist - Curbing The Urge

Some people love the mall with all the pretty shining jewelry and clothing , Ohhh and shoes ! I found out that I have enough of that stuff and I have a new weakness . A new place that I want to shop and I can say that things are much more expensive there .

There will be people who will say " ewww " , okay it`ll be women , but I love to go to the home improvement stores :) 

Walking around looking at all the lumber and I can vision so many thing that I could make with all of it . 

New saws and drills for those jobs I could easily do it myself . 

Looking through all the new paint colors and thinking about what I have at home and it would be a perfect color to make what I have " pop " . 

Lamps ! I love lamps and they have the prettiest lamps and soooo many different types of shades . I always buy my shades at Lowe`s home improvement store . When I think shiny I think of those over head lights . Crystal !

I like the appliance section but I do not even wanna go over there thats just something I hate to have broken and have to replace .

Flooring , this is another section I do browse often . I like whats on the floor and God knows my floors could use an update , new carpet for the bedrooms and some nice hardwood laid in the rest of the house would be fabulous  .

And OMG ! the garden section . I want to design my yard like they do on yard crashers . Flowers everywhere and a pond with fish ! Fire pit and decks , Swimming pools ! 

But I have to keep some grass to ride one of those mowers , you know the bog one that`ll only take 30 minutes to mow the entire lawn , and I would have to have the fence for the dogs and not those little cages either I mean a real fenced in back yard .

I reckon you can guess that Lowe`s and Home depot are now what I call my shopping mall . Well , it is a house in a big metal building waiting to be put together .

 

Now how will I ever resist the urge to shop ?!

By Andria Perry 

A Minimalist - Monday

Monday`s have always been busy for me . Whether its cleaning the house after a long weekend or at work .

And .....

Monday`s mean making phone calls and setting up need to be things , for instance ordering medication to pick up . I always call ahead so that I do not have to wait , the place I use don`t have a drive thur . ( okay I hate sick people germs ) 

And ......

Monday`s means going to the post office mailing letters and / or eBay sold items .

And ....

I have books to return to the library this time , who likes to pay late fee`s ? 

And ...

This month the 3rd. fell on a Monday which means that a couple of my tenants get paid today and I have to collect rent . 

One last And ...

I collect for the items I sold to people on the credit , my inheritance  of furniture , Some people wanted it but could not pay all at once so I sold to them as a furniture store would but without interest . Six months and its all paid for .

*******************************************************

I really hate when the first of the month falls on a Saturday and so do a couple of my tenants . I did a surprise inspection on one , the lady was not happy but it was passed due . There had been improvements and new broken things aka a window and another hole in the sheet rock . I did tell her that some of those clothes needed to go  and the upstairs had to be cleaned up .

It used to make me mad that people lived this way in my houses but then I realized that not everyone was like me , or taught like I was and my siblings were taught . Especially the younger generation . I took care of my clothing and it never laid in the floor , dirty or clean . As I got older I understood that by taking care of what I have was saving me money because I did not have to buy this same thing over and over , plus I began working at the age of 13 years old , yes babysitting and lawn care , and I knew the value of money .

BUT , it is very disappointing when I see how dirty the walls are . I had just redone this house before she moved in , less than two years ago . Paint had become very expensive , even when you buy it by the five gallon buckets .

Anyways I did make my list and I will have to hand this list to her today and let her know when the next inspection will be to make sure that everything was corrected . 

Now I am off to start my more than busy Monday .

Have a very good week !

By Andria Perry

A Minimalist - Stockpile Sunday

August 2 , 2015 

Life is struggle , you have to have food and water to survive . You have to money to buy food and water , unless you are completely off the grid and you only eat what you grow and only drink water from a natural source .

I have a limited income and it varies from month to month because I do run my own business and just because I run my own business does not mean I am rich . I pay my utilities and most of the rest goes back into the business . So I use coupons as money and I stockpile when I can get it free or dirt cheap .

Most weeks I do get something but there are a few off weeks when there are not coupons for anything I use so I skip buying the Sunday news paper and shopping .

However , this week was an excellent week to shop with coupon and get things to add to the stockpile .

Here is what I got and what coupons I used :

Publix grocery store

8 - Wishbone salad dressing 16 ounce $2.55 -On sale buy one get one free - Used $1.00 store coupon on each = .55 for two or $2.20  for all eight. (used one $1.00 off two mft. coupon also )

8 - Kibbles and bits dog food 3. 5 pounds $4.89 - On sale buy one get one free - Used $2.00 off two mft. coupon = $2.89 for two or $11.56 for eight ( 28 pounds )

4 - Jenny O turkey burgers $7.99 - On sale buy one get one free - Used $.75 mft. coupon for each = $6.49 for two or $12.98 for all Four boxes ( 24 burgers ) 

8 - Gwaltly roll sausage $1.00 - 8 ounces - On sale buy one get one free - no coupon = $4.00

Walgreens drug store 

8 - Butter ball turkey bacon $1.99 - On sale $1.29 - Used $1.00 off two mft. coupon = $1.58 for two  or $6.32 for all eight 

Now lets see how much I saved by using coupons to stock up the deep freezer and cabinets .

Total before coupons and sale was - $115.40

I paid - $36.06

A total savings of $79.34

See ! That`s how I use coupons as money and I have a nice stockpile . Hoarding ? Nope not if its food you will eat for months to come and feed your dogs .

By Andria Perry