Kitchen Storage Rack In A Small Kitchen

OBOR Narrow Home Organizer Rack

Living in a studio apartment means you have to make every single bit of space be used wisely. As far as studio apartments go, or even apartments in general, my kitchen is unbelievable. I have a lot of cupboards in a small space that has room for a wheelchair, a mobility chair or a rolling walker. Since it is in a spot that has no window, there is a "pass through" as it is called. It is in front of the sink, where I always enjoyed my windows in other homes I lived in. The light from my very large windows come through and I can see out the window or even my house bunny's cage and surrounding area. Even so, I still needed more storage in the kitchen for food. I cook most of my meals at home and don't really buy ready to heat and eat types of food. I started researching Pinterest for storage. I watched tons of YouTube videos on living in small apartments and tiny homes.

Opening the box...

I did not see one inch of space anywhere in my kitchen to add any type of storage shelves. I was looking on Amazon and found this sliding storage shelf that only uses six and a half inches of space and slides in and out of the space on wheels. I measured the area between my counter and refrigerator. Four inches. I measured the other side of the refrigerator. Four more inches. I can do this! By moving the refrigerator three inches toward the wall, I had the amount of space needed. 

Time to put together

I ordered this one on Amazon, sold by OBOR for $38.99 with free shipping because I am a Prime customer. It has four storage shelves and wheels to move it back and forth. It would have had good reviews, but the reviews I saw were for the other product they sell for under the sink. So I did not leave a review for it on Amazon. It is made of a heavy duty type of plastic called polypropylene. It can hold heavy bottles and jars and still moves easily. 

Handles and wheels

When it arrived, I could not wait to put it together! It went together pretty easily once I figured out how to do it. It had an instruction page to show you how to do it. I got stuck a bit on the wheels, but finally figured it out. It has handles on each side of the top. I think it looks good, especially once I filled it up. It is easy to clean too. If you look into my kitchen from the door you don't even see it. 

Putting it together now

One thing that made me like it a lot was that I did not have to use anything to put it together. No screws, nuts or bolts! No nails or tools either! That is a plus for me as I am not mechanically inclined. It pops together and it is a tight fit. I put the wrong shelf on the top and had to take it apart. That was the hardest part of the whole thing. I got it put together though. My advice if you get this one is to be sure to check each shelf as to where it goes. The bottom shelf had the spot for the wheels to hook on, so it had to be on the bottom. I finished it and it is very sturdy. If I can put it together, anyone can! 

All Done!

It is about as tall as my stove is. I decided to store condiments mostly on it and leave my canned and boxed items in the cupboards. That way I can get a condiment out quickly if needed during a meal and not spend time searching for it. The bottom cupboards are hard for me to see into as I cannot get down on the floor. The higher cupboards are hard for me too! I have to stand on a stool to get stuff out of them. This sliding shelf is perfect for me!

Fits Perfectly!

The sliding shelf's size is 17.7” L x 6.5” W x 37.8” H (45 x 16.5 x 96 cm) and weights 5.6 lbs.  The space between the first and second shelves is 13” and the other two shelves is 8.7”. Plenty of room to store things. I was surprised about how big it was and how much I could put on it.

It slides right into a 6" space!

I was able to put my tea container right on top of it. So now I can just open it and pick a tea bag out. Right near the hot pot that I use for hot water. Watching the videos about living in tiny houses, I was amazed how they were able to organize those tiny houses and store so much stuff. I have organized most of my things so they are mostly things I use. I am still in the process of making everything so it is easy to get to so I can use it. This eliminates searching for things you need.

Tea tin is easy to use now

I like it so much that if I had another space available in here, I would buy another one for my DVDs. They fit perfectly on the shelves. In the bathroom too, it would be handy. I have ideas for one or two more downstairs in my storage area. How much easier it would be than digging through plastic totes not knowing where you put something. I like that it is movable.

Filling it up!

Copyright © 2019 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2019  Kathleen G. Lupole

Holiday Time Is Coming

Streets are decorated for Christmas!

This is the time of the year when people get depressed. Worrying seems to affect most people and the holidays seem to make it more difficult. I have lived through times like that myself. Looking at some of my old journals, I see where I wrote about families everywhere enjoying a Thanksgiving dinner and we did not have enough money to buy anything. Just the canned foods that I had grown in my garden. If you are so far behind on all your credit bills that all the money coming in goes to them, you have none left over for living expenses. Now I do not have those problems. I am by no means rich or even well off, but I am comfortable where and how I live now. The difference is that I am in charge of my money and what I do with it. I didn’t even have a grocery budget! Now I do. I remember when I read about what to do to cut expenses. I would say to myself, "I already did that a long time ago.”

My vintage Christmas decorations are old!

Instead of dreading the holidays, I embrace them. I decorate my apartment for Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. I do not have to spend much money as most of my decorations I already had. I can make special foods and share with my neighbors, my son and my boyfriend. Nothing has to be expensive or time consuming. Just little things shared with loved ones can be the most meaningful. For Thanksgiving, Christmas or New Year's Day though, you do not have to spend money. That is the marketing strategy behind the commercialism of the holidays. When I was a child growing up, my parents did not spend a lot on decorations or our presents. Many years later after we had grown up and had our own children, I saw my parents go overboard on buying presents for their grandchildren. It was wasted money as far as I was concerned. Children having so many presents that they don't know which one to play with first is crazy.

Make a nice dinner even if alone!

If you are sad or alone on the holidays, I know it can be a hard time for you. Maybe you can reach out to someone who needs a friend during the holidays too. Have a potluck dinner with several people who are alone on those days. Last year, I did not know what to expect having just moved here. I am so blessed by the other people who also live in my building. For the most part, they are very caring and loving people. Also the city I live in has churches and organizations providing holiday dinners and socialization for the less fortunate. Not just financially, but people who are alone for one reason or another.

Christmas tree from the thrift store!

No matter what you are worried about, it will eventually pass. I know this because I thought my worries were the kind that would be with me for the rest of my life. I did reach that light at the end of the tunnel. I call it the tunnel of worry. Of course, to do so, you most likely have to make changes in whatever is causing you to worry and be depressed. Losing the people you love, even years ago, will haunt you at the holidays. It just does because they are no longer here with you. Instead of becoming depressed about your loss, think about their value to your life. Think about the good memories you shared with them. Think about how much they meant to you without becoming depressed about it. Since I enjoy writing, I like to write in my journal about things we did together. My memories of them. Things they said to me. Places we went together. Our happy times. Not my memories of them in a hospital bed. If that is all you picture in your mind then it is no wonder you are so depressed.

Make your holidays special for YOU!

No matter what you feel for these holidays. It is just a day. I have found in my life that being around negative people affects me. I am basically a happy type of person. Both of my parents were like that. My mother taught me to make a list of pros and cons of each situation and figure out from there how to change it. Which is what I always do. Sometimes you cannot change your situation to your dream of what it should be. But little changes you can do now will help. If no matter what you will be alone on the holiday, make it your day. Play music, make a fantastic dinner with leftovers, drink wine or whatever, prepare or buy a sinful dessert for after dinner with a special coffee drink and watch some I Love Lucy shows. Laugh a lot! 

Copyright © 2019 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2019  Kathleen G. Lupole

How I Made My Apartment Bunny Safe

Protecting this dresser with cardboard

Everybody mentions to me how destructive pet rabbits are and how can I keep one free roaming in my apartment. It takes a bit of time and money to figure it out. In my house where I lived previously, it wasn’t much of a problem. Here though, I am in a modern studio apartment and have six wall outlets that are at rabbit height. So bunny proofing was one of the first things I did. When I am out for the day, I do not want to have to worry about Rabbit chewing an electrical wire. He has never messed with wires so maybe they do not appeal to him……..BUT, I am not taking any chances! One chew and he is gone! At local hardware or building supply stores they sell cord protectors. They cover all the cords with a heavy type of plastic, Hopefully your bunny will not chew through those. I chose instead to block all the electrical outlets that he can reach. This works well for us and of course, like I mentioned he has never showed any interest in electric cords.

Rabbit likes to chew on corners.

I suppose if you do not own a rabbit yourself, you are probably wondering why they chew on everything so much. The reason is their teeth, like horses' will keep growing if they can't chew on something. They NEED to chew on something! I had a lot of firewood in my previous home, so he naturally climbed on the hearth and chewed firewood whenever he wanted. Here I bring in a piece of firewood with the bark on, green wood if possible for him. Be careful bringing in dry wood and check it for small bugs. Sometimes in the winter the bugs will be under the bark hibernating and you won't know they are there till you put it in a warm place. Like your apartment!  

The electrical outlet is blocked from Rabbit

I have made an alley behind most of my furniture for Rabbit. He loves to find a spot to nap during the day that is private. Behind the cedar chest is a spot he likes but I have it blocked at the end where the electric outlet is. Now he does not chew on all my furniture or woodwork. All of a sudden he will start chewing on something new so I block it. That is why I take shipping boxes apart and save them. Just in case. He can run and hide if something scares him. Usually under my bed. Rabbits like to have something over the top of them, like a table, a chair they can go under or a piece of furniture like a vanity. That little cozy spot is inviting to Rabbit and he has various spots through out my apartment.

The pressed board blocks the power strip and wires to the computer.

I work on my computer daily. Rabbit spends a lot of time under the table. I have all my cords from my computer, the USB hub, the external hard drive, printer and coffee mug warmer plugged into a strip that is in a tall basket. Sounds protected, huh? Well no, because Rabbit wanted to chew on my basket! So there is a large thick piece of press board in front of the basket, as well as the cords from the printer and going to the electric outlet. He can't get to them if he wanted to. Now as of right now, he has never chewed on the wood chair at the table or the rocking chair. If he ever does, I will have to protect them in some way.

The chest is protected, but the firewood is for him to chew on.

Rabbit is free roaming in my apartment and it is good for him. This way he gets exercise plus he finds things to do. He does not care for toys at all. One thing he enjoys is the box I made into a tunnel for him. He sleeps in it often. I know a lot of people with house rabbits tell of their rabbits climbing on beds or watching television from a couch. He does not care to do that I guess. He likes when I am watching videos on my flat screen when I am laying on my bed or before I go to sleep for the night. I think he likes sounds. I play music a lot and he has always enjoyed that. 

The sticks are for chewing!

Copyright © 2019 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2019  Kathleen G. Lupole

Modern Homesteading in the City

My apartment size kitchen (photo: Alvin D. Barrett)

I have been watching the Living Big In A Tiny House series on YouTube every night. Since I live in a very small apartment, I find some of the ways they organize these homes useful. Another aspect of it is what the people do in designing a home that eliminates all the useless clutter and objects that they do not or will not use. If they cook meals, maybe their kitchen has full sized appliances, sinks and food preparation areas. Some do most of their cooking outside on a grill or fire pit, depending on where they live. So they do not have a full sized stove or maybe just a microwave. Instead of buying a house that has rooms or items that do not pertain to them, the house is built based on their own needs or wants. Some of the older couples did not do this until their children left home. It was a dream they couldn’t wait for. One couple still had their 19 year old son living with them and he had one of the lofts and loved it. In fact, he was planning on building his own someday. One that I really liked was a single mom who actually built the house herself and lived with her fifteen year old daughter. Her daughter was interviewed and she told about her friends envying her because she lived in a tiny house. Now as I watch these videos I wonder why I did not know about this way of life before? Instead of buying a house to homestead with, building a tiny house on wheels would have been a better alternative. But alas, that time is gone. Now on to new ideas.

Living downtown, I am just around the corner!

My first idea is that you can really homestead wherever you live. Country, small towns or the biggest urban centers. It is totally up to you. You only have to do what you want to do or can do. Gardening is not something I can do living where I live. So except for a few small pots of plants here, I will be purchasing my fresh produce. I have said for years that there are no rules. It is your homestead and you develop it however you choose. No rules! Due to my circumstances, I am living in a very small apartment and I thought I was done with the homesteading life. That does not have to be. I remembered how I encouraged people who wrote to me about wanting to homestead but not being able to move to the country. I would tell them they can do it right where they are. Time to listen to my own advice!

katlupe's kitchen has much more workable space than my last one!

As I write this post and others, I want you to understand, this is how I do it or how I plan on doing it. Not that you have to do it my way. Choose what works for you! Even though this is not the same type of homesteading I did in my past, gardening, cooking on a wood cook stove (which I loved!), heating with a wood stove, foraging for wild medicinal and edible plants in the forest and living off-the grid, etc. I can do it, but differently. Apartment homesteading for one? Homesteading for an over sixty woman......living alone? However you phrase it, you describe what you are or want to be doing. Have fun with it! If you have a disability, do not overwhelm yourself by making it too hard or too time consuming. Make it yours!

kat in 2018 Photo Credit: Alvin D. Barrett

Being a homesteader basically means that you are preparing for life. You are making sure you have food to eat. The best quality food you can procure. Instead of growing it now, I have to exchange my time in the garden to money being used to buy that food. I buy as much organic NON-GMO food as I can. There have always been people who want to live this way or do live this way but don’t put a name on it. Sometimes it just hits them that they are already doing what others call homesteading. I see it all the time on my Tightwad Gazette Fan Club group I belong to on Facebook. Instead of doing my laundry by hand outside (which I hated as I got older and could barely walk) I do it downstairs in the laundry room of my apartment building. I love it! It does not take up my whole day so I can do other things. I do not make my own laundry detergent now either. To be honest, I had stopped doing that long before I moved here. I have always been very frugal with the detergent anyway, so a bottle lasts me a long time. To make your own, you still had to buy the ingredients. It wasn’t something you could grow in your garden, though there are some plants you can use for soap.

I use an induction cook top almost daily for cooking!

I like to cook but not large meals. Instead of wood stove cooking, I have gotten into cooking with various small appliances. An Instant Pot is sitting right on my counter so I can use it whenever I decide to make a meal in it. I find that putting the appliances in a cupboard means I don’t use it as much as I would. The same with the Nuwave convection oven. I use the electric range as a cupboard for all my pots and pans. I did not like using the electric stove the first few times I used it when I first moved here. I used to cook on electric stoves before I got my first gas one and I can’t remember not liking it. Now though, I do not use it. It is useful as a cupboard and I took out the burner coils and have an induction cook top burner on top of it along with the toaster oven. Works great for that and I have the clock and timer that is convenient when I need it. I have a small Dash hot pot for heating water fast (and I mean fast!). It can be used for cooking food too. I think it was marketed for college kids cooking in their dorms. I do not cook in it because I do not want it to take on any smell that would transfer to my hot water. I suppose if I wanted to do that, I would purchase a second one. It would be good for cooking rice or pasta but I don’t need that.

My father taught me to can and I love doing it!

My favorite homesteading activity, as all of my regular readers probably remember, was always canning. Preserving your food does not mean you have to grow it. I loved to garden, but it is not possible for me to do it here. I can still do canning. I can dehydrate with my Nuwave oven too. I can buy local produce and bring it home to can. I can buy meat on sale or at local farms or butcher shops and can that also. Since I live alone, I do not need large amounts and the work will be much less than I was used to. I can also cook from scratch, which is what I do most of the time anyway. I can make a variety of dairy products just by purchasing organic (or raw if available, but I’d have to drive somewhere for that) milk. I know how to make a number of those. For now, I find I need such small amounts that I don’t want to do the work. Life here in my studio apartment with Rabbit is pretty good! 

Copyright © 2019 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2019  Kathleen G. Lupole

Unless otherwise stated on photo

Apartment Prepping In A City

No longer living beyond the sidewalks!

What the heck is this blog about? Darned, if I know! It has been a transition period for me, moving in May of 2018 to an apartment in......cough, cough......a city! Downtown, at that! Well, sometimes you have to make those choices. I saw many people over the years who were living in off-the-grid homes that were full sized houses operating completely off solar or wind. Some used hydro. Many, as they got older, due to health reasons or marriages ending or spouses dying, had to move into senior communities or nursing homes. For me, it wasn't exactly that situation. That is water under the bridge now. I am trying to figure out how to do things at my age (in my sixties). The biggest concern I have had is that after so many years of learning how to be a "modern homesteader" where do I go from there? Now? Alone.

My first garden was a success

People who have never lived off-the-grid glorify it. Well believe me, it does take money, unless you are living totally off-the-grid with no alternative energy system. As I got older, I found it harder, as I found myself doing many hard jobs that I could not do any longer. Instead of pouring our money into owning horses, which as much as I loved them and still do, they were a drain on the homestead finances. Putting money into vehicles and setting up an alternative energy system was also another hole in the homestead progress. My belief in setting up that homestead would start first with putting in your garden. When I researched the history of my local area, I found that was always the first thing the settlers did. They slept in the coldest winters in three sided lean-to's with their families because they had spent the spring, summer and fall procuring food first.

kat's Studio

Back to my life now, as a retired modern homesteader living in a small studio apartment in a city. No garden. No forest to forage for wild plants and food. No wood stoves. Living alone with my house rabbit. Sounds like I must be miserable, huh? Absolutely not! I am much more happier than ever before! The most important thing I have here is my freedom and independence. My son lives a block away and we see each other almost daily. I am in a relationship with a wonderful, caring man. So life is good!

Apartment prepping in my building

Back to the new term I have been researching lately, Apartment preppers. Yes, that is a real term that is used for people who live in apartments and are preparing for emergencies. I have thought and thought about that and just today, I started searching online. There is a lot out there about it. After all, look at how many people actually live in apartments. Many! Huge amounts! In the US alone about 26,484,199 according to the National Multi-Family Housing Council.

Outside my building

Heating is a big need in the winter in a cold climate. If the electric goes down here, my whole building is without it. One thing that is in my favor, especially in my apartment, is that I am on the second floor with apartments above and below, and on each side of me. I have windows on only one side of the apartment and they face a courtyard with another building opposite. I am protected from cold winds coming toward my windows. I have warm clothing and many hand crocheted afghans that my mother made for me. They are very warm!  I do not know if my building has a back-up generator or not but will be finding out.

My electric kitchen

Cooking is done with electric here. This apartment complex is all electric. No wood stove here. Nor can any apartment in my city use kerosene heaters for safety reasons. Any cooking appliance has to be smoke free or it would set off the smoke alarms. Every apartment is equipped with smoke and carbon monoxide alarms, as well as a sprinkler system that is built into our ceilings, including the closets. There are some options I am researching at the moment on this and will be writing a new post about it as soon as I figure it out. I will post the link here.

Water in bottles

Water is not the best in a city. I wrote about my water supply on this post recently, Using A Bottled Water Dispenser. I could store more downstairs in my storage area if I need to. Not sure I need that much water. They say to store a gallon a day for every person. That may include water for personal hygiene and cooking also. I do not use the water that I bring in for cleaning or hygiene. Just for drinking and cooking. But in a pinch I could use it if I had no other choice. I am not wasteful with my water at all. I only pay for hot water from my tap so it just makes sense to be frugal with it. I got used to being mindful of water use by living in my house that had no running water.

That toilet topic........

Toilet flushing is a big deal in a power outage. I remember a time some years ago when my landlord had to borrow my Porta-Pottie during a power outage. He had little kids and a wife that needed that convenience. He was getting sick every time he had to clean it out. I know about living with an outhouse or a sawdust toilet, which is an easy thing to use and maintain. Living in an apartment complex in a city makes those not an option. I think keeping a supply of the smaller garbage bags, the size that fits into your toilet and under the seat would be the best option. You could toss some pine shavings, hay, straw or even potting soil on top during the day. Between uses close the toilet lid. At the end of the day remove the bag and fasten it. I have a dumpster outside for my garbage and I would need to take it down there.

Emergency Essentials' Candles

Lighting at night in an emergency can be flashlights or candles. I have some odorless ones that be burned inside with no smoke or toxic fumes. I also have a solar flashlight that is very bright and works good, as well as a battery operated one. I do also have a USB light that I can charge with a phone charger on my computer. It clips onto a table or a window ledge. I have been using it for lighting on my rolling walker. There are a big variety of those types of lights available online. One is the LED light bulbs that fit in any lamp and if the power goes out they light up automatically. Their battery is kept charged when you are using your lamp and when the power goes out and the lamp is turned on, they go on automatically. Very energy efficient when used as a regular light.

Available from Emergency Essentials

Food is the thing that most people worry the most about. I don't really worry that much about it. Just make sure you have items that are easy to prepare or eat cold. Instant coffee is good as long as you have a way to heat the water. Canned tuna, chicken, ham, turkey, beef, pork and evaporated milk are some of the foods I keep in my cupboard. I also buy from Emergency Essentials the larger cans of freeze dried and dehydrated various foods. I will be writing more about this as I do it and share my information. Just get started a little bit at a time.

Copyright © 2019 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2019  Kathleen G. Lupole

Old Time Stock Car Convention

Vintage stock cars in action!

I grew up with a father and brother who loved to work on cars. When we were children living in Harpursville, NY, my father had a gas station across the road from our house. He was always helping the local teenagers work on their cars. We went to the local dirt tracks, but Five Mile Point in Kirkwood, NY, the most often. I remember sleeping on the hard benches wrapped in an army blanket. Later when the race was done, we would walk around the track. Looking at the places where the cars had hit the wall or where they had crashed and there were broken parts left behind. All these years later, about 60, I have been renewing my interest in stock cars. Sonny and I went to The 24th Annual Central New York Old Time Stock Car Convention Reunion & Hall Of Fame Induction on Sunday,  September 15th in Morris, NY.

I wish you could hear them!

It took place at the Otsego County fairgrounds in Morris. We arrived early when many of the cars hadn't arrived yet. It was foggy and bustling with activity. Cars were being hauled in on their trailers and put in place. Bustling with energy and excitement there that morning! It was an all day affair. The fair concession stand was open to sell food. We found the only picnic table in the shade and others joined us. One that did was a man who lived in the same city I do and knew one of the my neighbors!

Sonny enjoying the action!

A stock car that is raced on the dirt tracks is a lot different than the NASCAR race cars which is what I was more familiar with. What I didn't expect was the cars taking to the dirt! It was awesome to hear those cars again after so many years of not going to a dirt track. I think I went once in the nineties. Those drivers gave us a show and it was enjoyed by everyone. The sounds and smell was amazing!

David Conde

I must admit, being there with my boyfriend, Sonny was special. He had grown up around the Beagell family, who have celebrity status in the racing community in my hometown. His Dad worked for Don Sr. and Sonny raced the dirt tracks himself. Even though he does not race any longer, he is still in contact with others who were or still are involved in the sport. Now he is racing the RC cars locally and having a great time doing it. So he was running into a lot of people he knew at this show. It was fun!

Race fans enthused to see the old cars!

Later that afternoon, there was a special presentation for an induction in the stock car of fame for some of the old time drivers. Very moving segment of this day as many of those drivers have passed away and their family members accepted their trophies. As they pointed out, racing was not just a driver and his car, but all the people behind the scenes, as well as their families. Racing families and fans love their drivers and at the ceremony there was standing room only left. The seats had filled up fast. 

Some of the vintage stock cars

Sonny and I had a wonderful day and I got to meet some of his friends. Especially Richard Parry, who worked hard behind the scenes on this show and I knew from Facebook. There was also a vintage car show but that will be a future blog post. I admit to liking the vintage and old time cars and vehicles and that is probably due to my age. I don't care. It is what I grew up with and my love for those will never be passed by the new vehicles in recent years. This is a great way to spend a day with your family reliving the past, whether it was part of your past or not. It is free admission for all and you can't find much free entertainment anymore. I hope to go more of these shows in the future.

Don Beagell's Cars got much attention.

Thank you to Sonny Barrett for taking me to this show! I loved it!

Copyright © 2019 Kathleen G. Lupole

All Photographs Copyright © 2019  Kathleen G. Lupole