Cargo Leash Tutorial

We bought a brand new 2015 Forester Subaru this week, with the purpose of spending more time outdoors with our dogs (a lot easier to do with an SUV than our Mazda6!)

My goal was to find the right crossover that would have enough cargo area so that our two dogs (60lbs and 90lbs) could easily be in the cargo area and NOT on our passenger seats! We ended up with the Forester and were very pleased with how roomy it is for them. There's a rubberized cargo liner on the floor and I laid a towel so that the top of the seats don't get slobbery--it is still a new car, after all!

The last issue was to make sure that our dogs are safely secured in the rear cargo area so that they wouldn't be able to jump over the seats and they wouldn't be able jump out when we opened the hatch. That way we are able to easily attach their leashes and can supervise the dogs at all times.

Like most new SUVs, our cargo area has 4 loops built in for securing items for tie down.

At first my idea was to use just the hooks closest to the seat, but it was too easy for Zoey to jump over the seat. When I used the hook by the hatch, she was able to jump out (still attached) and was at risk for strangling herself! So, I decided to use both to create a custom leash that solves both issues! Best of all, it costs less than $20 and only requires a quick trip to Lowes!

To make your own custom cargo leash, you just need the following items:

• 2 Chain Quick Links - 3/16" ($1.97 at Lowes)
• 1 Chain Bolt Snap - 5/8" ($1.58)
• ~12' of 1/4" braided polypropylene rope (I used this, which was $12 for 100 feet, but I can use the extra rope for camping!)

Immediately fasten the quick links to the tie down loops in the cargo area. You'll be tying the rope through these so that you can quickly and easily remove the cargo leash if you need to without having to undo the knots.

First, practice making a figure eight knot. It's a simple knot to learn, and it's very strong--climbers use it all the time.

Starting with a generous 12 inches or so from one of the ends (the "working end"), make a loose figure eight knot. Feed the working end through the quick link in the cargo area that is closest to the back seat, and loop the rope back towards the knot. Then, feed the working end back through the knot, exactly backwards. This will feel counter-intuitive, like you're undoing the knot, but because it's looped around a fixed object it will actually make the knot stronger.

Make sure the knot is tight, and that each of the curves are lined up smoothly. Then, tie a regular knot (a half hitch) to the extra so that it doesn't fray. (If you have excess rope, that's okay-- cut it off at the end when you know all the lengths are correct.) 

Next, you will use the same knot to secure the clip that fastens to your dog's collar. To measure where it needs to be so that your dog cannot jump out the back until you unclip her, stretch out the rope to the point where it almost reaches the bumper.

Create another figure eight knot, slide the rope through the hole on the clip, and then feed the working end of the rope back through the knot. Pull tight and check that the curves are neat and lined up correctly. (Now is a good time to test out your leash to make sure that your dog cannot jump out of the cargo area, and make any adjustments for length as needed.)

Finally, you will want to see how much rope is needed so that your dog can comfortably stand and look over the back seat but cannot jump forward.

At the end of the working end, create a figure eight knot, looping it through your quick link and feeding it back through the knot again. Test it out, making adjustments as necessary, and then tie a regular half hitch knot at the end to prevent fraying.

I promise: Zoey LOVES car rides more than posing for me. She's already figured out that she can't jump out if she's attached.

Our dogs were able to comfortably sit and lay down in the cargo area during their inaugural trip to the dog park. Tyson loved resting his head on top of the seats in front of him and enjoyed the breeze! When we got to the dog park and opened the rear hatch, both of them lunged to jump out (which would have been a problem trying to get them back!) but the rope and clips held them securely until we were ready for them!

What are your ideas for traveling with large dogs? 

Debt-Free Journey: Update

Last July I wrote a post about a renewed intention to be debt-free. It's interesting to look back on my reasons for this desire-- mainly to be debt-free before having kids. Since then, the pressure to start a family has grown in that it's now easier to count the friends without kids who aren't currently pregnant(!) but fortunately Mr. Awesome and I have been able to resist. We'll know when we're ready. It's just not right now.

But this post isn't about having kids-- it's about why I keep working towards our goal. Checking the balance on our various creditors' websites used to be something I dreaded. Now, I check them all the time to see if a payment has gone through so I can *officially* update my super-duper Excel spreadsheet and see exactly how much progress has been made. Every hundred dollars or so that is paid off I color in on a goal sheet posted on the fridge. I'm a visual person and this kind of progress makes me very happy!

Since July, we've paid off about $6,500. Not a lot compared to how much we still owe, but our main triumph has been not getting into MORE debt. There's some serious habit-changing going on here, people! For example, I now email Mr. Awesome from work when I'm ready to be picked up, since I'm saving by not texting (I dropped to the lowest cell phone plan of $20 Virgin Mobile USA so I pay for texts). I still coupon-clip, and now I've gotten better about meal planning around the weekly sales. Mr. Awesome does his part by strategically selling back the video games he's done with so he can put the money towards new titles. We also are talking about "cutting the cord" this summer and eliminating cable for a few months... but we'll see. Unfortunately, we had a few surprise expenses come up since July, so the initial process is slower than I'd hoped.

Another triumph has been increasing the amount of savings! This has been awesome, and has really helped with not getting into more debt! We figured out which bills come around every year but not every month, and created a specific savings account on Capital One 360 Savings for it. These are called "sinking funds" because they're saved for an anticipated future expense. We barely notice the money going out of the accounts, but the savings have been tremendous! We now have accounts for:
- Taxes (Boo! We did update our W-2 forms for next year, though)
- Our dogs (heartworm medicine, flea/tick prevention, and vet bills)
- Car maintenance
- Home maintenance
- Our anniversary trip (because it's important to us to go away that weekend)
- Appliances (our fridge will need replacing soon)
- Sporting Events/Tickets (Mr. Awesome LOVES his Pittsburgh teams, and we always go to the Florida games)

There were two main benefits from setting up the accounts this way through Capital One 360. The first was that the savings were all in one place and we could actually see the grand total increasing every few weeks (which is really exciting when you've barely saved anything in the past two years!) So, we are way less likely to touch the money in those funds.

The second benefit is that once the money goes into those accounts, it is easy to transfer to an account to spend--but the transaction does take a few days. Why is this a benefit? Because now those expenses are deliberate, planned events. We used to spend money impulsively, especially from a saving account that was unlabeled and "instant." Even if we initially had a purpose for those savings, it maybe took a week before it disappeared for one thing or another. Capital One 360 sets everything up so beautifully, so even impulsive, emotional spenders can be successful with saving!

So, why do I keep working towards paying off debt? 

Because it feels good. It feels really, really good. I no longer dread the bills-- instead, it's a challenge to see how much I can put towards our debt or savings. It's almost a game to see if I can beat the amount I paid the month before!

Because there is always room to improve. I mentioned that we're considering cutting out cable after hockey season is over. We are also looking into reducing our cell phone bill again, even though we're paying less than half of what we paid with Sprint a year ago. Food costs are a big challenge for me, but I've become more strategic about finding coupons beyond just the weekly Sunday paper. I'm better at stockpiling and not wasting food. I'm even tracking how much I save every time I go to the store to motivate me to keep doing better (My current record at Publix is $116 in savings!)

Because I always keep my end goals in mind. We dream about being able to move to the coast, traveling and  yes, even having kids. I think the best part is knowing that we're establishing healthy habits with our money and those will be invaluable even as our life changes over time. Someday, I believe we'll be able to pay off our crummy credit card debt, cranky car debt, our irksome student loan debt, and maybe even the big whammy of our mortgage debt. But now I'm talking like a crazy person.

* * *

Our culture and society has made us believe the lie that debt is a part of normal life and that it's even necessary. It's not true. Honestly, my life without debt will not appear to be that different from my life with debt. But this journey has already taught me so much perspective on money (use wisely), owning belongings (not that important) and valuing the most important things in life!

Why I Want To Be Debt-Free

When I met Mr. Awesome three years ago and our relationship became serious, we talked about what a future would look like for us. Our priorities have been similar-- advancing careers by obtaining Masters degrees, buying a home, traveling together, and eventually starting a family.

We married, he graduated with his Masters, we've bought our home, and have enjoyed traveling to Mexico, the Caribbean, Colorado and Pittsburgh. That last item, starting a family, has begun to come up in conversation: is the timing right for us? What needs to happen first? Are we ready? 

To be honest, I still feel young (after all, I'm turning 26 next month) and not quite mentally ready to share Mr. Awesome with a baby. But that desire to be a mom is there, and it's not as easily ignored as it used to be. 

But last week, as I sat down to review our monthly bills, I realized that there was a big list of 9 reasons that we shouldn't start a family yet--even if we wanted to. That big list includes 4 credit accounts, 1 car loan and 4 student loans for a total of over $84,000 in debt, not including our mortgage. Each month we pay over $1,100 to these creditors. As I separated the usual living expenses from the actual debts and created a separate column for it, that list stared me in the face. It weighed me down. I realized that if I am really serious about being a responsible parent someday, I needed to act like a responsible adult now and tackle the debts we owe. 

This is not the first time Mr. Awesome and I have talked about debt. In fact, when we first started this discussion two years ago, Mr. Awesome honestly had no idea what the total sum of his debts were. We were relatively irresponsible then compared to what we are now. Since 2010 we have paid down multiple accounts (like our wedding rings) and have cut up credit cards. We've researched insurance policies, cell phone plans (we only pay $70/month for both of our Virgin Mobile plans!) and internet packages to make sure we've got the best rates possible. I switched jobs to have a shorter, toll-free commute, and was able to sell my car. We use RedBox instead of movie subscriptions, and I've learned to cut coupons and shop the sales. But despite all that, there's that ominous cloud of student loan debt that continues to discourage.

So, with the new school year around the corner (we're both teachers), we've decided to revamp our strategy for attacking the debt, with primarily using Dave Ramsey's debt snowball method.

We're going to try living on his income and use mine for debt payoff-- I'm hoping this will help keep our finances more focused and have a larger lump amount to put towards debt each month.

We also opened a CapitalOne 360 Savings account, which allows us to have up to 25 free nicknamed accounts (with no minimums or fees!) to automatically transfer funds to. I'm awful about putting money in a regular savings account--I need clear goals, and the 360 Savings accounts make those goals extremely tangible! Being able to see exactly what I'm saving towards really helps. They also make it easy to set goals and create automatic deposits. All this for a better interest rate than other banks, which is just icing on the cake for me. If you're interested in learning more about this, click here!

There are a ton of resources out there for debt elimination, and so far I've managed by paying for only an e-book of Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace Planner (this is well worth it for people who are just starting out). Most of the resources I've found are 100% free, or have free demos to get an idea of how to set up a method for yourself.

My favorite *free* resources include:

• Following pages on Facebook--reading articles and little reminders on almost a daily basis help me keep a healthy mindset. These are all available as websites, but I like having the impact on my newsfeed. My favorites are Benjamin Bankes (feedthepig.org), And Then We Saved (also a blog by the same name) YNAB (youneedabudget.com -- try their free demo) Wise Bread, Dave Ramsey, Budgets Are Sexy, $5 Dinners, and Centsational Girl (also a blog by the same name). 
• Reading blogs and success stories-- there's a bunch out there with people just like us who are paying off debt and finding financial freedom! If they can do it, so can I! When we were just starting out, this couple was so inspiring to me. 
• A $aving Money themed board on Pinterest--For all those good ideas for cutting costs. When I need a fresh bout of motivation, I try to find something there that helps me feel like I'm making progress. Pinning those success stories is also a good idea for when you get discouraged or off track, like we've done... multiple times. 
• Make a debt payoff chart--I made a simple one similar to the one below and printed it on bright yellow cardstock to put on our fridge, but I know people have gotten creative with these, like Spencer the Rhino (from beans & rice, rice & beans) 

So, all that to say, we are making progress. Our spending habits are healthier than they were before, but in the next few months we are really going to push ourselves to pay off those expenses. (And by "few months," I hope I mean "few years"...!)

Ultimately, there's the goal of parenthood that keeps me going and motivated. I know that if we became parents now, we could make it, but it would be extremely stressful for us financially and most likely put us into even more debt than we owe now. Right now is an ideal time for us to work on these debts. If we really work on this for a few years, I will be ready to be a momma and so will our budget.

Also, in four years Mr. Awesome wants to take me on a Mediterranean cruise for my birthday, which we've begun to save for now. I'm hoping that not only will our cruise be fully funded from our savings, but that we will also be celebrating the achievement of being debt-free! 

This is a long post, and it was more for me to articulate so much that I've been thinking about and processing some of the reasons for why I want to pursue these goals. Mr. Awesome is on board, too, and he's so much better at some of this than I am. Together (with God's help!) we will be able to grow through this process!

What are some of your recommendations for paying off debt?

If you've been able to live debt-free, what was your motivation?

What tips do you have to keep life "interesting" even while cutting back? 

Laundry Room Transformation

I hate doing the laundry. 

It inevitably piles up (despite my attempt with four laundry baskets for pre-sorting) and Mr. Awesome gets on my case about not getting it done. For those of you who would like to point out that if it bothers him, he should do it himself--unfortunately, we have a bargain that he does all the yard work, so naturally I should do my less-than-favorite task: the laundry.

But if your laundry room looked like this, wouldn't you hate it too?

Have you ever noticed that the standard wire shelving is always at the most inconvenient height? It's too low to properly hang clothes from it, and everything on the wall (and on the shelf) is in plain sight: including the water hookups and outlet. Since this room is also the entry to the garage, we walk through it several times a day. It's a strange little space with a high ceiling and a tight corner between the garage and kitchen.

What I really wanted to do was make the room less of an eyesore and junkyard so that we could remove the door to the kitchen (our dogs are notorious for getting trapped in there, and don't get me started on what a pain it is to get through there with your hands full of groceries). We will have a bit more noise without the door, but it just means that we'll shop around for a quieter set once we need new units.

I also wanted to take advantage of the dead space and add a few cabinets, so we would have closed storage for all the stuff  that no one wants to see (cleaning supplies, detergent, etc.). As my design progressed, I did envision open shelving for the prettier items, like basket storage.

Thanks to Mr. Awesome's handyman skills, we were able to bring my vision to life! 

The first order of business was to change the paint color. As you can see, the previous owners had not one, not two, but THREE colors: light tan, brown, and "Hulk Green" on alternating walls. 

In. Every. Single. Room. 

The laundry room was the last room of the house to paint. Mr. Awesome picked the color out himself after he saw this picture:

It's called "Rainwashed" by Sherwin-Williams. (If you've read my other posts about paint, you know that I love SW as much as I hate doing laundry!) It's not quite green, not quite blue. It matches with the other light colors in the house and is very refreshing!

Here is the before and after with the paint: 

 

Ahhhhhh....... It's like a breath of fresh air in there! (But without the paint fumes!) Since it's a "minty" color, I decided to go with white cabinets, and dark, chocolaty shelves with silver brackets. I thought that doing all white shelving would wash out the color too much, and the dark wood looks much more inviting. (Also, not all whites from IKEA match, and I knew it would bug me if the shelves were a different shade then the cabinets!) 

My plan involved two 24x30" Akurum cabinets (one with two doors, the other with one door. Usually I like symmetry, but in this case it was for sheer convenience) as well as two open shelves between the cabinets. I also wanted a long shelf running along the top of the washer and dryer to hide, but not cover up, the water hookups and outlet. 

Yup. Pretty standard. This pretty hardware (allen+roth) from Lowe's helps dress up this very clean, sleek cabinet: 

I created the long shelf (7 1/2" deep) with these brackets. Because my long shelf is actually two shelves, we bought a connecting bracket as well and it's very sturdy. The shelves between the cabinets have the regular brackets. 

 

After painting, installing the cabinets and shelving, the room was pretty much done! The cabinets are higher up than standard cabinets, so we did get me a little fold-up step stool from Lowe's to tuck next to the dryer. I wanted the cabinets and shelving higher up to utilize that dead space! Also, it's nice that I can still hang the broom and Swiffer on hooks below the cabinet. (These hooks are re-used from when they were in my husband's apartment!)

We did get new hoses for the water hookup, and gave the washer and dryer a good clean-up. We were due for a new trash can, so I bought this simplehuman 50 liter trash can based on its fantastic reviews. It has a "pet-proof" lock (with our two dogs I figured that would be a safe route, since we removed the door to the laundry room) and a "quiet-close" lid that closes slowly when you walk away. Pretty nice. It was pricey but hopefully it will last longer than our last cheap can! It also looks way better in the space than the old white one.  

Our laundry room does not have a place to hang clothes (yet) but I think this Versatile Valet rod from Bed Bath and Beyond will do the trick, since it can install behind the door to the garage, and extends for more space. It will be right within reach of the dryer, too. The guy who works at Lowe's actually recommended it when we asked about swinging laundry rods, and says his wife loves theirs! 

I also bought wood face plates for the light switches and painted them to match the walls. It's a small detail, but I like the way it looks. I'm thinking about switching out the others in the house with wood (painted white to match the trim), eventually, to add "character." 

I found these oversized clothespins on clearance at Kirkland's last week, and they were perfect for this space! The "Laundry" definition is a free printable found through Pinterest!

All I have left to do is find a rug, pretty glass canisters and some woven baskets for storage! I've seen some great options at TJ Maxx and HomeGoods. I'm hoping that Mr. Awesome will change out the light fixture in the laundry room eventually, too.  

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm sure I can find something to wash...! 

Owning A Home: What I've Learned (About Myself!)

Confession: 

I love home DIY blogs. 

I suppose I owe it all to Pinterest. I stumbled across the directions for building a set of Billy Bookcase Built-Ins by Censtational Girl, and have been following her ever since. I also have Pinterest to thank for hundreds of links to other blogs, and the occasional inspiration from Houzz (when the houses aren't extravagant). 

I suppose I always liked moving furniture around when I was growing up, and in college my roommate, Debbi, and I created combinations with our furniture to use every square inch of our tiny dorm room. When I met my husband, I reorganized and decorated his apartment. But nothing compares to actually owning a home. Owning a home changes everything. 

I have now learned that I much prefer interior design "transformation" over actual home renovation.

Sherwin-Williams SuperPaint is the only kind of paint I will put on my walls. (And ProClassic is my trim paint.) It's that simple. 

I love color. We bought 12 gallons of paint before we even moved in to the house. My home has 3 shades of blue (light, medium and dark), light grayish purple, dark green and light green, gray, turquoise with a dark stripe, and a shade of not-quite-green-or-blue. Oh, and the Pittsburgh bathroom is black and gold with a white stripe (Go Steelers!). Having rooms in different colors gives me so much more space to experiment with and try different looks. 

I love black, white, and silver accents. They're everywhere in my home.  

My English major background makes me a sucker for decor that includes words, definitions, and/or ampersands (&). If Mr. Awesome would let me, I would have a collection of ampersands. (I'm currently getting away with a small collection of owls, so I'm not going to push my luck.)

IKEA is the Do-It-Yourselfer's dream. If you can design it, IKEA has what you need. A wall of custom bookcases? They've got endless combinations with Billy bookcases. Want cabinets in your laundry room? Get a couple of Akurum cabinets and hang them yourself. And everything is so darn affordable! I didn't like IKEA until we bought a house. Now it's my favorite store. 

Speaking of stores, Lowe's is better than Home Depot. 

Hobby Lobby is hit-or-miss. You can find a lot of great stuff there, but if it's not currently on a 50% off sale, it's too expensive. JoAnns and Michaels are also ideal for seasonal decor. 

If you can't find just what you're looking for, be patient. You'll find it when you least expect it, whether it's a vase, furniture, or a paint color.

And last, but not least, there is always another project. 

Starting Again

It's that feeling of driving past the house you grew up in, except this time the door is open and no one is home. I haven't blogged (or written anything for myself) in ages. Well, not quite. I did blog about a recipe or two sometime last year. In high school, when I was just starting to find myself as a writer, so much so that I would go on to become an English major, a Language Arts teacher-- it all began with a blog. Xanga, believe it or not. In the journey of my dad's battle with cancer is my own journey of writing truly. I adored my literacy mentors whose style I tried to emulate with my own experiences. I wrote in college, too. Poured my philosophies and perspectives into the dozens of papers I had to hand in to professors who actually seemed to read, enjoy, and respect my work. And then I graduated. And moved to Florida, for a guy who would leave me a month later. I became a teacher. But I stopped writing. Why?


Life gets busy, I suppose. I lost track of that part of me somewhere in that time of settling down, starting a career, finding and marrying my husband. Buying our first home. Getting a different job to avoid a costly, time consuming commute. But here I am, jealous of another Betsy in another state who is a middle school English teacher like myself, who knows what it means to read Hatchet and love and hate it at the same time. I'm jealous of her words and vocabulary that I haven't used because I've been teaching sixth graders and I'm married to a math teacher. I need to get back into writing.


After all, I did once receive awards and scholarships for my words. Once. Feels like a long time ago with a different self, now.


It's like driving by the house I grew up in, and no one knows I'm here. The door is open and nobody is home.

Will I stay?

betsy joy