The Upside to Not Having Buckets of Money

One thing about Chicago winters, I tend to spend much more time indoors. I look around the house and start to think of things I'd like to change or improve. One of the things that occurred to me in January was that I really should shorten the curtains in the dining room to let in more light. That was a reasonably affordable project so I went ahead with it.

Since I'm not independently wealthy, I usually can't do many of the things I want to do at any given moment. I have to wait.

Waiting for things is not always such a bad thing. It gives one time to realize if you really do want them. Case in point, our kitchen remodel, which we thought about for a few years before we actually undertook it. We planned ahead and when it was time to select materials and colors, we had no angst. We knew exactly what we wanted.

Not having tons of money also cuts down on impulse purchases. I've seen plenty of examples of people who will buy something - just because they can. I am convinced this is something to be avoided at all costs. The outcome of such impulse buying is inevitably an overcrowded garage or basement or a closet where shoes constantly fall on your head (been there done that!)

With all the focus more and more on being green and recycling and reuse etc... I find myself trying to think more long term about what I buy. And of course, living in an older home with smaller closets and less space in general makes one more likely to think, "Do I have room for this item?" This can only be a good thing...

Puttering

I am a big fan of what I call "puttering around the house." The thing is, a day spent puttering can actually be alot of work. Fall and Spring are my favorite times to putter. The weather is conducive to wearing layers and going in and out of the basement and yard.

This weekend, Steve and I decided not to work on the pantry. So, I thought I'd take care of some odds and ends while Steve worked away at his day job.

So while doing a few loads of laundry, I gave my house plants a shower in the kitchen sink.


Then, I dead headed the mums in the front yard, shop vacuumed the back stairwell. Vacuumed and dusted the front stairs and entry. Swept the front porch and washed the windows.

Next I decided to repaint the two radiator covers that had gotten scuffed up and have been annoying me for a while. After that I mowed the law and fertilized the front and back lawns. Then I decided to launder the shower curtains in the bathroom.

I took the recycling out to the garage (We have to bring our recycling in to a center as the city's program STINKS).

Time to bring in the hoses, which I also did. And (with Steve's help) put away the air conditioners in the first floor and uninstalled the monster a/c in the tenants unit.



As we were carrying the big a/c down to the basement, I said to Steve, "What are we going to do when we get old?" Steve assured me we would have something figured out by then.

Then, I decided I should paint the trim around the outside of our pantry window. So, I deglossed it and quickly sanded it and painted it.

At about 3 o'clock I stopped and thought to myself, "wow, I'm turning into a whirling dervish here and I have plans tonight. I better ease up."

So, I saved the pumpkin carving for today. I don't know why I love being a busy bee like this. I think I'm very results oriented. I like doing things that have a tangible outcome and the house fulfills that quite nicely it seems.

Old House Chores

For those of us living in older homes without cooling systems, this time of year brings the dreaded task of installing the window unit air conditioners. It's not one of my most favorite tasks and I don't really like having windows obstructed by them. Plus, they don't blend well with old house decor really. But then again, maybe they do in a way...

Adding to the awkwardness of the task is the fact that we have new (not better!) vinyl windows that are not as sturdy as wood windows. For example, we don't really want to drill holes in the vinyl. Nor do we want the weight of a larger a/c resting on mere vinyl.

We've also found that the companies that sell air conditioners do not really address these issues. It's pretty much up to the homeowner to figure it out. And perhaps that's why you see huge units hanging precariously overhead propped up by a few bricks or boards.

After grappling with this issue for the past few years, we have finally found a solution that is less unsightly and also very secure, which is an issue living on the first floor.

This is one of those mundane tasks that we old house people face. It's one of those things I would think of no interest, but then a commenter asked to see our system and yet again, I realize that these are the types of solutions worth sharing.

First: Steve glued up boards to make the proper thickness, 1/4" above the vinyl window frame. This piece will be on the inside window sill supporting the a/c.

Note: Air conditioners should lean outward so that any condensation drips outside and not on your inside sill.

Here are the boards for each window glued up and ready to be cut to size with the table saw.

Next we removed the window stops.

Here you see the stained ledge in place after being cut to size without the window stop.

And with the trimmed windows stops and firmly in place. As Steve said, "This ain't goin' nowhere!"

The larger air conditioner is screwed into the board making it very secure and stable. We will probably add angle irons for further security.

The a/c unit does not touch the vinyl.

As you can see it's a pretty clean look. I just dislike looking at 2x4s on my window sill or books piled up or whatever.

This is a solution we can live with and best of all, it's permanent. All we have to is pop the a/c in or out as the seasons pass. Like us, the support ledge is there to stay.

Happy Summer!