A Lightbulb Moment!

I started this blog originally

to hopefully inspire people

to live frugally.

Then it sorta got off onto the Camino,

which is ok.

But occasionally, I like to come back to 

my original purpose.

Sometimes solutions to problems

are right in front of our eyes.

We just aren't looking.

My son and I recently purchased a house

that was built in the 1940's.

That said, there are funny little problems that pop up

that sometimes stump us.

One such issue was the lighting upstairs.

You walk through a door from the living room downstairs,

and you're facing the coat closet and a flight of stairs

going up to my bedroom and studio. 

There is a light fixture in the ceiling above

and a light switch on the wall.

You walk up the stairs and at the top

is another fixture over your head.

You walk into the tiny bathroom,

and there is another light fixture, 

with a wall switch.

The problem is

you can't just turn on one light.

You have to flip a switch at either the top of the stairs 

or the bottom of the stairs,

and all three lights turn on.

I had a contractor look at it

to see if he could do some rewiring.

But it was going to cost an arm and a leg.

So for the past few months,

when I need to use the toilet in the night,

I would have to turn on the light at the top of the stairs

then go into the bathroom and turn THAT light on.

Or I could leave the lights on all night.

That felt awfully wasteful.

So, today I was pondering this problem

and I happened to look UP at the fixture 

at the top of the stairs.

And I saw something I remember from my childhood.

A screw-in light fixture with a pull chain!

It has been there the entire time.

I just didn't notice it.

I went to the local hardware store and for $3.50

I bought another one.

And now,

I have fixed my problem!

Now, there is a pull-chain at the bottom of the stairs,

at the top of the stairs, 

and all the lights can be turned off and on separately.

That's the kind of solution I like!

So there you have it.

The solution is often

just a wink away.

Getting ready for the Camino is a lot like this.
Open your eyes.
You may not have to buy a single thing!
Everything you need is probably right there
in your house!
Living for 6 weeks
with nothing but what's in the sack on your back
is a great lesson in minimalism
and teaches us to be frugal
as well as grateful.

So look around!

Like I always say…

Love,

Annie