If you have ever thought it would be fun to start from scratch with a new home...think again. The idea is great, believe me, but the actuality of it is something entirely different.
Imagine you have few choices to furnish a very small condo or apartment, from almost nothing. Some fixed appliances/furnishing exist.
The kitchen is very small and there is very limited storage there. the fridge is a half sized fridge with small freezer space. The cooker is only a three burner, electric, and there is no oven, only a small Micro-convection oven. No dishwasher, or room for one.
There are three appliance plugs, period. There is no possibility of adding more.
The rest of the apartment consists of two queen bedrooms, but very little walk around space. Limited storage in the master, and one small closet in the second bedroom. Small underbed storage.
Two small bathrooms with showers...one reasonable size, the other stand-up, turnaround kind...dont bend down!
Living is about 100 sq ft. Built in seating makes this the most practical, so that means no furniture rearranging on a rainy day:) It can seat six at a pinch. One large coffee table. One TV/stereo cabinet. No choice of decor there either. The color is already chosen for you.
Of course what I am referring to here, is the boat. When we walked onto her as new owners, there was virtually nothing here...save the denture cream I moaned about in one of the first posts in March 2013
If it seems like we are spending a lot of money, we are . Well, it's relative, I guess.
As I have stated before, we have a fairly strict budget and need to stick to it. Finding the items that will best fit the space and the lifestyle is challenging in a country where bigger is better. Our requirements are for small and preferably low profile. We need to be able to cater for four adults when necessary. There is a bunk room for overflow, but I doubt we will ever have children on this vessel...she just isnt oriented that way.
Our 'shopping expeditions are many and challenging in many areas. One of the major suppliers of all things Marine, is also the most expensive, so we go to great length to try and find the same items elsewhere. This involves trawling the internet endlessly (for Waz) for those sometimes very small items which priced at the major retailer cost $50+, but elsewhere might cost $11. It is worth us waiting sometimes two weeks for these parts and even with the shipping costs, we are saving at least half the cost.
It is easy to be impatient when doing this. Sometimes we will go back to the same store a dozen times to see if a certain product has arrived on the shelves, and in the case of places like Marshalls, TJMAX and Ross, it is essential, as items come and go so fast.
We had been putting off a visit to Costco in houston, as it is right in the center of town, called the Galleria District. Why? Well, it involves getting there...:) and it is a little frightening even for this driver who has driven in so many different places around the world. We put the GPS on and it took us the long way and very convoluted. Knowing which exits to take, veering right, left, turning off, not turning off, taking the wrong turn, going back and back again...my nerves were shot by the time we arrived. Even though the speed limit is 60mph on the freeways and sometimes 65, most vehicles were passing me when I was doing 65mph. Some scarily so!
Costco: Lots of people have asked me over the years what I missed most about living in the USA. Well, I have to admit is it Costco. This large wholesaler is the way to buy, if you have the storage space....being the key for us, and why we had put the visit off. Not just the driving there (took an hour to get there).
We wanted to at least LOOK at televisions...having made the decision (almost) to go without, at least for the meantime. Waz found one that he liked, with internet capabilities (dont ask me the rest) which we would attach to the wall on a bracket that swivels and pulls up and down. This would leave current surfaces free for other things. it would also not dominate the room. Anyway, we didnt buy a TV!
We did get paper products, fruit in bulk, meat in bulk, even though the freezer is almost full, it was the choice of meats that made us purchase, not just the price.
We made the decision to return home (Sth East Houston) using the instructions Waz had written down from Gogle maps. We did turn the GPS back on once we were certain we were on the main highways.
I have vowed NEVER to live in a big city. I dont want to drive that fast, see nothing but freeways when going from A to B (though I understand and appreciate the need for them) and I like living in a small community where people learn your name, recognize you as a return shopper and greet you like an old friend, on occasion.
We are happy in our little communities of Kemah and Seabrook nearby. We like knowing where to get what we want, the Randalls supermarket nearby and the marine suppliers, fixers et al.
The countryside between here and Costco was not beautiful. We passed plastics factories, liquid Air, oil refineries, the Port of Houston and much other industrial wasteland. The largest US flags, we have found are those at Car Dealerships:) which line the major highways.
Strip malls serve the highway buyers who can easily drop off onto feeder roads to make purchases and then back onto the highway again. Easy!
So much about the Highway systems are fantastic. Dont get me wrong, I know why they exist...I just dont choose to live like that. We want to see a country by taking those roads less travelled.
Photos on the next post...I ran out of battery power in Costco, taking photos of prices for those kiwi folks who read.:)
Stand by!
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