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Saraswati

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Posts posted by Saraswati

  1. My dd did a sheep heart dissection at a science day that the college put on for kids. They supplied the heart, tools and scrubs for the kids to dress up like surgeons, so I didn't purchase it. She did a class with a heart surgeon first and learned basic A&P. Then she located and labeled the parts as she dissected. She really enjoyed it and wanted to stay and take the class again.

     

    Home Science Tools has sheep brain dissection kits for sale:

     

    http://www.hometrainingtools.com/sheep-brain-dissection-kit/p/DE-KTBRAIN/

     

     

    I've only ordered microscopes from them, so I can't comment on quality of dissection specimens.

  2. The best solution is to have a dh that likes to play with LEGO more than the kids do. 😂 Seriously though - mine really does. It's his stress relief. He keeps the LEGO room all sorted. If I ask where a piece is he can tell me exactly where it is. We aren't limited on LEGO either. We have a moving truck coming next week, and almost half of our storage unit is filled with LEGO and DUPLO. We've got walls of cabinets, shelves and dozens of those Akro-Mills drawer sets that someone linked above.

  3. We got back home from our trip to Tucson last Wednesday. I did fairly well spending on the trip, only because Grandma and Grandpa are all too happy to go hog wild spending on the kids. So, we got to do quite a lot, all free for us. I love my parents for being such involved grandparents.

     

    We're getting ready for our move next week, so we're just putting money away to pay for traveling upfront. We get it all back moving with the military, so it'll all eventually find its way to savings.

     

    We'll be buying a house when we get there. We've found one lake front property and a few with acreage - so I'll be blowing this whole minimal spending thing in a few weeks! 😉

    • Like 5
  4. After reading  your posts, I was wondering about your living experience. You've got the "bunkhouse" style, and the kids to go with it. :-)  How much are you all on the road? How is it working out?  Lessons learned? 

     

    What's you evaluation of having just one bathroom now that you've lived with it for awhile? pros and cons of a second outside kitchen?

     

    I like the look of your main layout, esp. since we're pretty sold on having a dinette. (Would help if I'm able to do free-lancing OTR.)

    We generally use our trailer for camping trips, and bring along hotel when we vacation at places like Disney. We put our house on the market last summer, planning for our move that's taking place this month - we sold in September and moved into the trailer in October. So, We've been living in it full time for the last 5 months. 

     

    We had planned on getting a 5th wheel this time around, but decided to stay with the trailer last minute, since we found the floor plan that we liked, and we were already set up for a trailer. A double slide in the main living quarters was important to give that feel of extra space. We're still very pleased with that choice. 

     

    My husband was big on the outside kitchen, and we're very pleased with the decision. He gets up early for work every morning, and has that area set up for making his coffee. We keep his lunch in the fridge outside to grab on the way out. We have a swing arm that hold a propane grill, so it's a great area for cooking out in nice weather, and for when we have friends over for dinner. I bulk shop at Costco, and I use that area to store extra food so it doesn't take up room inside. The unit we have also has 2 doors, which we really like. 

     

    We took the extra couch out of the bunkhouse and put a twin mattress down for our third kiddo. That room has a slide also, so there has been plenty of room for them to play and have a little toy box.

     

    Some things I'm not a fan of:

     

    1 - The main bedroom area is behind the entertainment center. There isn't really any room in there, and we have to crawl in and out of the bed. Next time, It'll be a big must to have a room area with space around the bed for getting dressed and so we don't have difficulty getting in and out of bed. For short trips and camping, this isn't an issue, but for long term living, it gets old really fast. 

     

     2- The unit we have has a table and chairs instead of a built in dinette. I thought I would prefer this set up; however, the table and chairs is a little annoying. Unless we're sitting down to a meal, the area is useless. We don't have the storage benches, like the built ins, and we can't lay down the pillows to make extra seating for movie night - since there is five of us, that would have been nice. Storage options in that area would have been nice. We do have an abundance of storage though. 

     

    3- the front storage area is HUGE, but the opening is so small, you can't put much more than a fold up camping chair in there. outdoor storage is great, but it would be nicer if we could fit more stuff through the door. 

     

    4- The one bathroom hasn't been an issue, as far as having so many people to share it. It is really small, however - doing it again, I'd make sure we had a nice spacious bathroom. But aside from the smallness, we haven't been bothered by the one bathroom. 

     

    We had always planned to full time after retirement, but after having this chance to live in the camper for a long period has cause us to revisit that idea. We're not so sure that is what we want anymore. It doesn't have anything to do with the space - 5 people and 3 dogs living in about 450 sqft! It's been surprisingly comfortable, actually. It's the maintenance and upkeep that drives us nuts! One thing right after another, and our unit isn't even a year old yet. We thought it would be a cheap, easy way of living, but it isn't that at all. We've put a lot of money and time into our unit while we've been living in it these last 5 months. We will always have an RV of some sort, but we're thinking a small place with some land for our dogs and a garden is more what we're looking for. When the kids are no longer camping and traveling with us full time, we'll probably trade for a class C motor coach to use for extended traveling. A short unit will make it easier to take it overseas for traveling as well. I love the new A.C.E. by Thor, but I hear bad things about that manufacturer. I'm hoping that other manufacturers start offering that design in the coming years - It's a cross between a class A and a class C, making the front area usable as storage space, but not as large as a full length class A. http://acemotorhome.com

     

    I hope this helps! Of course, if you go with a towable RV, your travels will only be enjoyable if you get the right tow vehicle for the job. Kinsa went over a lot of that in her last post, so I won't reiterate. You'll always find great seminars at RV shows so you can educate yourself before you buy. 

  5. One of the key limitations on a toy hauler is not being able to tow a little car, b/c I'd probably like to go a separate direction from dh on occasion.

    Depending on how little of a car you want, the right one would fit in the back of a toy hauler, eliminating the need to tow behind. Fiat and VW bug types.

     

    I'll have to check out the kitchen sinks in the units I posted. The sink in our current unit is one of my favorite things about it. This is the one we have:

     

    http://www.keystonerv.com/laredo/models/320tg/model-mobile

  6. For everything that you've said, a toy hauler would probably be the best way for you to go. Basically, what a toy hauler will give you is a nice, spacious living area with a garage that converts into a bedroom. They have 2 queen beds in the garage - one rolls up to the ceiling and one turns into a table for room for extra dining space if you have company. They also have a loft room in them that you can use for storage during your day to day. Then it can be sleeping space for grandkids. Some floorplans have a second bathroom in the back. When it comes to RVs, the floorplans are just endless. Every year around this time, you'll find numerous RV shows taking place. You should start going to shows and dealers and just looking at floorplans, familiarizing yourself with brands, and making a list of likes and dislikes.

     

    Check the bedroom and make sure there is space around the bed so you don't have to crawl in and out, make sure there is enough storage for your needs, make sure the kitchen will work for your needs, etc. If you're planning on using the oven, make sure you get a unit with a large convection/microwave combo. RV ovens are difficult to master.

     

    You'll find a lot of full time bloggers that you can start following. This one is a good start: http://www.gonewiththewynns.com/They cover quite a bit from calculating gas costs to kitchen must haves, and how to manage the black tanks.

     

    Take a look at these:

     

    http://m.jayco.com/products/toy-haulers/2015-seismic/

     

    http://www.keystonerv.com/mobile/brand/Raptor

     

    http://www.heartlandrvs.com/classes/toyhaulers

     

    If you're planning on frequenting state and national parks, you need to consider your length. Some have a size limit on units, and length might limit you there.

     

    We've owned units from Rockwood, Jayco and currently have a Keystone. Of the three, Jayco has been the most solid unit with the least issues. They have the best warranty in the industry, too. Our brand new Keystone (luxury line) has been nothing but a pain. The unit is beautiful, but we've had to do a lot of maintenance and replacement work on it. Educate yourself before you go in so you don't get sucked into the sales pitch.

     

    I hope this helps a little. My apologies for any typos - I'm on my phone. 😊

    • Like 1
  7. We're moving to Missouri in 3 weeks, so we took a drive to AZ to visit grandparents before we go. 300 miles each way, means 2 extra tanks of gas this pay period. We drove up to Tucson yesterday and had lunch at Sweet Tomatoes, and I'll probably take the kids to Tombstone and Bisbee one last time before we leave next week.

    • Like 2
  8. Thanks so much to both of you! We're super excited - small town and relaxing was exactly what we were hoping to have for a while. The last few places we've been stationed, we've had to contend with massive crowds, congested highways, and long commutes. Quiet will be a nice change for a few years. We're big into camping, hiking and such - it looks like we'll have no problem finding plenty of that in Missouri! Thanks again for the info - I'll be researching the places and the links you've both posted today. 😄

  9. Last week I bought three (new) books about ROTC and military service for DS who may go this route for college.

    My dh just received orders for an ROTC instructor position. He's pretty excited.

     

    We bought a new dog bed for our greyhound - $27 at Costco.

     

    My parents came for a visit this weekend. They pretty much live just to spoil my kids. They took them shopping today for new summer wardrobes, shoes and pajamas. That saved me a few bucks! Dh and I took advantage of our child free time and went to a movie. $25 for our date - well worth it! 😄

  10. I usually hear back from him within a few hours, or the following morning if I contact him later in the evening. I'm not far from San Diego, so my orders arrive rather quickly - about a week. He usually doesn't send tracking numbers, but he did with my order I put in the first week of February.

  11. I actually think it's horrible. Why are you not allowed to travel 30 min. from your home and expect your credit card to work? I have had cards declined while traveling and not at my home phone. It's embrassing and a hassle.

    I travel all over the country - one day in CA, the next day in NY. I've never reported my travels to my CC company, and my purchases have never been questioned. I have; however, had my card information stolen at least 5 times this year - mostly at gas stations, and my card companies have caught it every single time. I bought a pair of shoes online one day, and the next day, someone used my card to check into a hotel in CA - I was notified minutes after it happened and my card was canceled and reissued. Even with all of my spontaneous traveling, they knew it wasn't me. My last issue was at a gas station in southern NM, I pulled away from the pump, and someone stole my card info - however it is they do it. I was still at the red light on the corner and AMEX called to tell me my card number was stolen, and someone filled up their car at the station I was just at. They knew which was my purchase and which was the stolen. Nothing horrible about that - only piece of mind for me. I know that I'm well protected.

  12. I ordered a few books that we need for school yesterday. Other than that, we haven't done any spending. This challenge has helped me dig deep and find some great free and low cost programs in our community. We attended Health Sciences day (for middle schoolers) at the local college today. My dd attended a bunch of seminars where she was able to do hands on projects like DNA extraction and sheep heart dissection. We had a blast, got a bunch of goodies and learned a lot. Best part was it was totally free.

     

    We've been working on some purging and home organization. It's been great to have the house all sorted out, and school projects organized. We ended last month with a bug chunk of change to add to savings, and enough money to pay off our credit card balances. It's so nice to have everything in order!

  13. My Shih Tzu's name is FuXi. It's Chinese, and sounds like sushi, with and F. I gets lots of giggles from the groomers. I took her to the vet once, and the tech came out and said "I can't call this name out loud in the waiting room." My husband did warn me that people wouldn't know how to read it. When I picked the name, he said, "You DO know what people are going to call her, right?" 😆

  14. My main goal for the challenge is to stop and think before I make a purchase, and to then add that extra money to our savings account budget every month. Aside from a spontaneous stop for some new workout outfits, I did really well this month. I started a section in my bullet journal to note things I consider purchasing to think about - every item on my list was deemed unnecessary after a few days. I've stayed well within my set budget that I planned out using YNAB - which I absolutely love, by the way! We've stopped going out to eat several times per week and adopted a complete whole food diet - nothing in a package. We've been cooking together as a family and my kids are eating vegetables faster than I can buy them - I never thought I'd live to see that! 😊

  15. I've keep myself out of the book stores and coffee shops - I really hate to admit how much money that's saved me this month. We love shopping for books.

     

    I did have a bit of a hiccup and bought workout clothes at Under Armor last week. I really needed them though. I think workout clothes are best purchased new. The new spring collection is out at White House Black Market - I'm fighting the urge! I'd have to classify that as frivolous. 😊

     

    YNAB has been totally awesome. I've been continuing with my meal planning, and always make extra so we have leftovers - it's helped eliminate the want to eat out, and dh has plenty if options to take for lunch. I've been trying out some recipes from Thug Kitchen. Everyone has really liked them all so far - the kids are eating tons of veggies. That's a win!

  16. I took the dogs to the vet yesterday for their yearly checkups - city license, shot updates, heartgard Supscription, etc... $442. Signed the kids up for a local homeschool gym class - $33 a month for all three of them to go twice a week. I figured that was a great price to keep us busy during the week. I'd consider both of those necessary spending.

     

    I had a slip of the wallet when I walked by the Under Armor store. 3 new pair of pants, 3 new shirts, and a new jacket - $200 later, and I'm back on the no spending wagon. 😳

  17. My dd12 gets Tinker Crates and Doodle Crates. She really enjoys them - my youngest gets the Kiwi Crate, and my middle gets Spangler Science. They really enjoy all the crates, but Spangler Science is definitely the favorite among all of them. Long after the other projects are completed and abandoned from the other crates, Spangler lives on and continues being used all month long - the experiments are done several times, and they make up their own. All of these crates come with quality contents, and great projects. All are well worth the money.

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