This, that, and another thing make a post

[ksmith]

So, I had that issue with the unauthorized charge from a UK clothing store showing up on my bank card while I was in Madison. To get the money credited back to my account, I needed to 1) file a police report and get a case number so that I could 2) fill out the Official Dispute Form, then 3) write a letter explaining why I was disputing the charge. I had done 1 and 2, and was going to do 3 this weekend...except I checked my account for another reason last night and saw that my bank had already credited my account for the amount involved. Which sorta smacks of "it wasn't you, it was us" except that I did receive that letter from batteries.com concerning their security breach, so...? I do have the money back, and didn't find any issues with my credit reports. Things seem OK so far, but let's see how it goes. At least I won't need to spend any time writing a 3 this weekend.

I found this article on the trend toward smaller homes interesting. At 1100 sq ft (not counting the full basement), my house is considered large by tiny house standards, but small when compared to the national average of 2500 sq ft. It was built in the late 60s/early 70s, and it is a shoebox. The lack of closet space drives me crazy--I have spread out my clothes among the three bedroom closets, and things are still jammed. I do want to see how many of my clothes I can purge. I think if I cut out the shirts I wear rarely if at all, I could free up half a closet. And no, this isn't because I have ZOMG so many clothes. It's because I live three lives--day job, home, writer job, the clothes don't really overlap, and all three of my closets combined are smaller than most average-size walk-in closets I've seen. I am considering home resale potential here, too, but. If the trend over the next few decades is indeed back to smaller homes, maybe I'm not as bad off as I think.

It's raining.

My allergies are really bugging me.

Comments

[dremiel.livejournal.com]

Thanks for posting the article. Our 1948 ranch (1050 sq.feet ) feels small for the three of us but I have to keep reminding myself that the original owners raised four boys here. The house is not too small, we just have too much stuff. Although, as I contemplate my son's impending teenage-ness I do long for a second bathroom.

I, too, have my clothes (not meager but not excessive either) spread over three closets - one of which I share with my husband.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

I used to hang clothes on the closet door knobs before I was able to spread out.

I read somewhere that the current informal standard is one bathroom per person living in the house, which to me seems excessive (unless everyone has stomach flu at the same time). I would like at least a half bath added onto this place, but only to add to the resale value.

[e-moon60.livejournal.com]

My grandfather believed that a house should have a toilet (not necessarily a whole bathroom) for each person in the house plus one. When he built "the big house" (right before the Depression, alas) that's how he did it. People *do* all get gut bugs at the same time. Two are really handy (now that I have two...) One has a tub, the other has a shower. And if one has rotting-floor problems, the other is usually still OK and can be used while you fix that one (but understand that the other will rot out later.)

If you weren't intent on leaving the area, I'd say consider a good remodel that would give you two decent-sized bedrooms, with good sized closets, and a half-bath, instead of 3BR, tiny closets, and 1 bath. My mother had the ~1100 square foot house (though I don't know if the front porch was included in that, and she bult on a back porch) with 2 BR and one bath, and it seemed to fit her pretty well. That house was built in the 1940s (I think--could even have been just pre-WWII but I think it was new post-war, but we were in it by 1947) and she rearranged the closet in her room--cut off an inconvenient back end and turned that into a linen and fabric closet that opened into the hall.

[kristine-smith.livejournal.com]

If I could move this house to another part of the country, one with desirable scenery, I would do all those things. I would also have cedar storage closets installed in the basement so clothes could be stored for the season they wouldn't be used.

And I have this blasted fireplace in the basement. I would have liked to have done something with that.