Wednesday, August 17, 2016

From Trolley to Basket


Before, when we weren’t house-sitting, when I had my own kitchen, when our daughters occasionally called in and needed feeding, when I had my own freezer, I used to buy several weeks of food each time I shopped. Sometimes I’d even buy a month’s food at a time – especially when I was getting it delivered. Now though, I shop differently. After all, shifting a freezer full of frozen vegies every week to ten days isn’t particularly ideal.
I don’t know if you’ve ever done it, but changing the way you shop is an interesting thing. Especially when it’s the way you’ve been doing it for the last twenty to thirty years. My immediate reaction was delight at the realisation that I could buy what I liked to eat, as opposed to what the family liked. It was like being a young married couple again – a memory, I have to admit, that was more of a feeling than a memory, it was that long ago.
Don’t get me wrong (she adds quickly before the previous paragraph inspires comments from my family), I’m not saying my daughters were fussy eaters. What I’m saying is that after over twenty years of feeding everyone, my shopping list has always been structured around a long mental list of food preferences, or perhaps perceived preferences – who knows.
So now, instead of having a burly man in a large truck deliver copious buckets of bagged groceries to my kitchen, our food gets individually selected off the store’s shelf and is put into a single, red basket. Unless, of course, I’m feeling lazy, in which case it goes into a small, half-size trolley. Which isn’t a bad thing when you consider I get lost almost every time I now go shopping.
Why can’t shops always have everything in the same place? Actually, forget that. Why can’t every store have everything in the same section? Still, at least there’s no need to go for any exercise after I’ve been shopping. I’m even beginning to wonder if I should wear my Fitbit next time I go shopping, then at least I’d know how much exercise I’d had walking up and down the aisles trying to find Taco Seasoning. Thankfully, the chocolate is always easier to find.
Another advantage to the extra exercise I get walking? The variety of our meals. We now live almost entirely on ‘Reduced to Sell’ food. After all, when you shop two or three times a week, nothing has to really last. Another aspect to this style of shopping is we’ve found out why certain brands of frozen pizzas have ‘Reduced to Sell’ stickers more regularly than others. But, hey, isn’t this change of lifestyle all about exploration and discovery…
Learning to shop, cook and live on several days shopping at a time does, without doubt, involve exploration and discovery, but do you know what my favourite bit is? Beyond the trying out of yummy looking easy-cook meals! It’s the amount of coffee shops we discover near the food stores, and then have to go and explore.

Thursday, August 11, 2016

Did You Know...


Well, who’d have thought that organising house-sits would be such an exciting experience? We’ve had Morning Teas, Afternoon Teas, found new suburbs I didn’t know existed, found new roads too, met some delightful pets, met some interesting and fun people, had some great conversations and discussions. Would you believe we were even having a cuppa at one house when dolphins swam by in the canal outside? I’d got a big enough kick in seeing the pelicans outside.

Anyway, as a result of all this socialising Steve and I are now booked up until the 7th November! Well, except for 16th – 25th October, (so if you know of anyone who’s going away…) but I think that’s pretty impressive for a week’s work – especially when we’re still finding our feet.
We have, however, learned some interesting things, for example:
  • A lot of people know people who house-sit.
  • Almost as many wish they were house-sitters.
  • Just because somebody has advertised online that they need a house-sitter, it doesn’t mean that they are going to read your message when you offer to sit for them.
  • Sometimes house-sitters can seem more motivated than home-owners.
  • A lot of people keep chooks in the metro area – every second house we apply to sit has dogs and chickens.
  • Exceptionally few people need house-sitters in November.
  • If people go away in December, chances are they won’t be back until the following January.
  • If you’re going to visit somebody so they can check you out and so you can meet the animals – you need their address!

Thursday, August 4, 2016

One Month On...


It’s been just about a month since we officially started our ‘digital nomad’ lifestyle, so I thought I’d give you an overall update of insights and changes.
Firstly, I’m embarrassed to say Steve is still – occasionally – having to move rather quickly to avoid the ball when I throw it for the dog. (Of course that could be due to the fact that he’s learnt to stand further away from me in the park while he’s taking his photos rather than because I’m getting better at using the plastic, ball-throwing, wand thingy.
I am relieved, however, to say my irrational fears are lessening. Which ones? The one of the homeowner’s family turning up, unannounced, and saying things like, ‘you missed that corner when you vacuumed’. Aren’t minds strange things?
Talking of which, when I think of our old family home – the one we lived in for around 18 years, but sold and moved out of last month – why do the images in my head and heart blend with my childhood family home in the UK – most peculiar. I know I have a quirky, creative brain, but even so…
Of course this is just how I’ve adjusted, Steve is still as laid-back as ever, and taking everything in his stride. Once he found the appropriate drawers for things in the kitchen, and which light switch turns on which light, nothing seemed to faze him.
We recently listed with a couple of online house-sitting websites and have been having a wonderful time being swamped with offers to house-sit and also applying for some. The sites make things so much easier, but even before listing word of mouth had spread and we had to turn down a few offers (because we were already booked) – we also took on one over Christmas though.
There have been many wonderful things about the last month, but on a logical level, the time has really helped with defining where our future lies, and what’s required. Which in turn has helped us define what we really need to take with us for this minimalistic lifestyle, and as such made our last clearout (please God! Let it be our last!) easier.
Yes, believe it or not, there is still more. Even Tanya, down the road from our family home, (who had no option but to see things as she drove past) was shocked! Heck, I’m shocked!
After all the selling, storing and trips to Op Shops you’d think we’d be done – but there’s still the stuff you keep because it’s consumable and might be useful because, after all, you’re still not quite sure which way things are going to go. But honestly, do I really need 12 bars of soap? The pack of rice that neither of us really like? And, at last count, I had close on two dozen notebooks – I am a writer after all, but two dozen! Especially when I tend to use my tablet and keyboard rather than pen and paper! But they look so nice… And don’t even ask me how many pens, or even my favourite pencils, I have. UGH!
So maybe, I’ll celebrate our month’s anniversary by taking the lovely dog we’re minding to the park, not hit anyone with the ball, make myself a cuppa and finally get all this sorting done. What do you think?