House Update II

Cutter's Log - Stardate 2102.32.01
Current Song - Barefoot on the Beach (Michael Franks)

The break from sportswriting is underway. During this time, my mind is on the moving process. I'll be back for the IHSA State Volleyball Finals.

A supplemental challenge that comes with living on my own is trying to lose weight - the thing that I've written about constantly, but never wind up doing.

I'm buying the food now, and am on a tight budget. I know deprivation doesn't work, but this would still allow me to cut back on poritions or face bankruptcy.

To try to save money in this start toward things, I'm going to try to do some things that I've always wanted to do but never get around to it.

1. Walking to Work - I actually tried this for a brief time during the final days of my first stint at Shell, before it got colder. This is a one-half mile, one-way trip for me, so it translates into the one-mile walk. My knees are starting to hurt a little, so I would like to do this in babysteps. Once I get down to a somewhat-comfortable weight (well, no weight is "somewhat-comfortable"), I'll bring out the bicycle.

2. Riding The Bike - "The Bikeride" was 10 years and many pounds ago, unfortunately. For longer trips, the bike should suffice. (Bank, Insurance agency, light grocery trips, Comcast, the 3 high schools, relatives, etc.). Obviously the car will have to do in longer trips, and in the winter. I'll be living along Sterling's Bike Path, and the trail picks up right across the street from my front door. So riding to Rock Falls is easier.

Funny thing is, this pedestrian bridge across the river makes it so that things in Rock Falls are closer. The closest gas station (one that I can actually go to) is the Casey's on Dixon Avenue. Plus, it is actually closer to the Rock Falls Wal-Mart from my house than it is to Sterling's. The canal path acts as a chute of sorts, with the challenge being trying to ride up the hill at the Dillon Home.

3. Challenging The Portions - I'll admit to using more than the recommended portions of things. When I get a glass of milk, it has to be toward the top. When I buy a one-liter of pop, I can't save the rest in the fridge. In trying to cut back on portions, this kills two birds with one stone: less intake and stretching the grocery bill.

4. Basement Space - My basement has enough open space, and I measured it to one-fifth of a side of a city block. If there are 18 blocks per mile (my predetermined guess from a long time ago), then it takes (18 x 5) 90 laps from wall to wall for make for one mile. This will work out well when I have something large running on the computer, such as uploading a video file onto YouTube. In this downtime, I can just go to the basement and start walking these 90 paces.

Heck, I could even try to JOG these 90 paces. I'm not at the sight, comfortably, to be jogging out in public. You don't want to see that.

***

I have spent some considerable amount of time lately trying to nail down a grocery plan. Natrually, living on your own means wanting to eat whatever you want. However, I cannot do this as it would probably lead to serious health problems. While I am certainly capable of having the freedom to eat what I want, it's best for me to stick to a frugal way of grocery shopping.

I'm one of those people that cannot stand to eat those generic brands of foods: you know, foods that are canned or boxed with the grocer's name on it. Especially perishable generics. The grocer is mainly in business to supply places for food to be bought, not to create food. Plus, generics visually scared the heck out of me since seeing those bright yellow packages in black font at Eagle's. How boring.

I had to debate whether or not to buy them now and work up, or buy them when the pinch starts to really hurt. I'm going to try to suck it up. Let's see how this works. I'm planning on buying non-perishable generics in the first shopping trip, and name-brand perishables. That is, unless a name-brand coupon beats the generic.

After work one night, I made a trip to the three 24-hour grocers in town. With a list of common staples on a post-it note and a pen, I went to the three stores to compare prices. You'd think that one would have the lowest prices on everything ("always"), but the other two stores had some things cheaper. I have yet to check out those stores that actually close, but I'll make a prediction that most of my stuff may come from the Walton Mart. Some items will come from other stores. The good thing about that is this: I don't have to waste gas to go from store-to-store, but rather ride or walk to these select places.

Of course, time is important. Everyone around me is always complaining about not having enough time. It's not time's fault, it's yours. When we say we don't have enough time, its always those luxury things that take up the space. The first thing I'd do is cut the luxury. Do I deserve these things? That's not up to me. So it takes me an hour to ride my bike to and from the Wonder Bread store in Rock Falls for the cheap, day-old bread (I can do with day-old bread). So what? I have the time to do it. I schedule this in advance, with luxury only as a last resort and not because I "deserve it."

Plus, it bundles the need to get bread with the hour of exercise.