Bungalow considerations

Mama Bear

Sun, May 29 2016, 5:04 pm

the world's best mom wrote:

I pay for wifi in the country. I don't find that most people are happy to share their password.

I must be the only generous soul out there?

I dont see waht the big deal is to let someone use my internet once in a while. Unless they are mamish gonna sit there and stream videos for hours, if someone needs to check their email etc I let them use my wifi. You knwo when I get annoyed though? When they want to sit and shop and shop and then compare prices and clothes and BRECHHH. My least favorite thing to do! But I do let others, esp close neighbors, use my wifi. Just not my laptop. bring your own laptop or device, sit on my porch, and enjoy. Not often, though.

seeker

Sun, May 29 2016, 5:11 pm

Too bad I doubt you're going to my colony Wink

I'm thinking in the shoe department I may have just set my budget too low. Going to give it another couple of weeks to see if anything comes up cheap at Burlington or the like and then just spring for whatever's nice for DD#1 and resign to using her old, open-toed, buckled sandals for DD#2.

the world's best mom

Sun, May 29 2016, 7:42 pm

Mama Bear wrote:

I had someone tell me the opposite. She wouldn't give me her password, but she allowed me to use her laptop to check my e-mail. That was when we were only there for 3 weeks. After that we got our own wifi.

seeker

Sun, May 29 2016, 8:32 pm

I don't blame anyone for not wanting to share their password. You never know who might abuse the privilege, and bandwidth is limited (I called Verizon because my internet - at home - was unbearably slow. They told me it's because I have two devices on at the same time. What?! PS I think they're wrong but they say technically that's how much a standard home setup is supposed to handle. This is with their relatively recently upgraded fios baloney.) Almost everyone I know who has landline internet in the country has it because they need it for their profession and they'd be in trouble if people took advantage of their password at the wrong times.

the world's best mom

Sun, May 29 2016, 10:34 pm

seeker wrote:

Almost everyone I know who has landline internet in the country has it because they need it for their profession and they'd be in trouble if people took advantage of their password at the wrong times.

I'm not the most technologically educated person. Is landline internet the same thing as wifi? Because I think almost every single family in my bungalow colony has wifi.

seeker

Sun, May 29 2016, 10:36 pm

Wow. Interesting. How times change... used to be you spend a summer in the country, you were almost completely in a different world. Now the world comes with you and you just interface with it from a different location. Sigh.

I wonder how much phone data it would take if I JUST want to check my email a few times a day and nothing else. Anyone have a clue? Verizon cellphone data doesn't come cheaply but maybe just for email I could spring for it just to have, and everything else can wait until I go somewhere.

amother

Pumpkin

Sun, May 29 2016, 11:02 pm

from what I understand you can buy like a prepaid hotspot in say walmart. think its about $30 for lets say 3 gb. should last you a while if you're mostly doing email and not downloading videos. (I may have gotten it wrong, but this is what my father was trying to explain to me yesterday). I am trying to figure out how do get my work phone to work upstate, and if I can get away with installing an internet line. (I have one of these polycom phone systems that I'm afraid will not work with a hotspot...)

greenfire

Mon, May 30 2016, 1:46 pm

seeker wrote:

when we go - we go totally unplugged ... no electric, no water, no gas

everything is put in coolers, cooked on wood & lit by candlelight - water drawn from a well

Mama Bear

Mon, May 30 2016, 10:55 pm

seeker wrote:

You'll probably do fine even with just a few MB. some data comes included with every cell phone plan.

seeker

Mon, May 30 2016, 11:45 pm

You know, I kept hearing how 1GB (that comes with my plan, but I've never had a smartphone before so no frame of reference) is never going to be enough for anything serious, but now I found this and I wonder if it's accurate because it looks really promising. Looks like you can check quite a lot of email as well as use navigation (I assume they mean Waze? or is there a pre-installed app?) and some regular web use for well under 1GB. They don't say how much data facebook uses but overall the outlook seems pretty good. I'm thinking I will not bother with any more internet considerations, will just keep an eye on that data and take austerity measures if I get near the limit.
www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/sp.....r.jsp

By the way, in the water shoe department - I followed a link to something else on walmart.com the other day and it was like a lightbulb moment. I had no idea why country-goers were so into it. But they have nice-looking water shoes among other things in the $5 range! I don't care how junky they are when the next level up is more like $20! (childrensplace.com doesn't have my sizes but I can pop into a store...but besides that) Just fyi.

I can't believe it's already practically June and June will be so short, with Shavous and all of the end-of-year stuff and a family simcha, I feel like I need to start packing already! Um, that is, packing lunch for school tomorrow. Yes, it's almost midnight, I definitely need to start packing Wink

seeker

Fri, Jun 24 2016, 12:44 am

So am I crazy if I think I'm almost done packing and I barely started and only have two large boxes?

I just took whatever boxes the local supermarket had handy so they are quite big.

One box has a whole lot of kids' clothes, most of their swimming stuff (left out some because they will still be going to the sprinklers) and mine (just need to figure out where my goggles went), their pajamas, sweatshirts, a small assortment of toys, games, art supplies, and books (including my books that are really wishful thinking), and my art box (hopefully not wishful thinking this time?)

Second box has housewares - I lined the box with a comforter because I don't want those things bumping around. I have my shabbos slow cooker that will double as fleishig pot, blender (mini), grill pan, shabbos supplies (tea light holders, challah cover, kiddush cup, etc), benchers, flashlights, things like that. There is still some room left that I will pack with more housewares, some linens, and rain gear. It's a big box.

Sending those boxes plus the bikes with a van driver on Sunday. Have until Wednesday to pack my car.

That leaves me with the rest of the linens/towels, hanging clothes, my clothes, pillows, medicines, camera, laptop, bike helmets, and whatever we're wearing until Wednesday.

Toiletries and food items I plan to buy there, as well as bulky things like laundry hamper, garbage can, broom.

I know I'm being delusional thinking I have it all together because I always do this - I think I'm way ahead of the game and then end up with a huge stress at the last minute. Save me - what am I doing wrong?

mommy3b2c

Fri, Jun 24 2016, 7:42 am

You must be some kind of miracle worker. I had the the whole back of my minivan stuffed with boxes and suitcases and odds and ends. The seats were put down to make more room. The back of my husbands SUV was also stuffed and we put more things at mine and the kids feet. Even so, as I unpacked I realized I forgot a few things. Bh, I am almost done unpacking. Good luck!

Mama Bear

Fri, Jun 24 2016, 8:55 am

LOL y ou have 2 boxes??? I usually have 10-20 boxes!!! Each person in the house has one box - all their weekday clothes, shabbos clothes, underwear and socks. So that's five boxes just there alone. Shoes/crocs/boots/raincoats/swimwear takes up almost another box. The kitchen is usually around 2 boxes; pots are bulky and take up space in a box. Then we have the odds and ends: some tools, some toys, bulky items like a fan. another box has books, magazines, all the shabbos provisions (challah cover, havdalah set). Yet another box has kitchen staples like spices, OTC meds. Another box has tons of toiletries: baby wipes, soaps, shampoos, etc. Another box has laundry and household detergent and hardware/houseware items. This is 12 boxes already. Towels are stuffed into each box to fill it up. We have a ot of towels. Somwhere in there I stuff in people's sweaters, sweatshirts, etc. Each person's linens goes in a garbage bag. that's five garbage bags. Then we have a few garment bags for my skirts, my husband's suit, etc. Then we have the bulky items: Rocking chair, bikes, swing, folding clothes dryer, stroller, air conditioners. I can go on and on. TWO BOXES? Lucky you.
This year I have 2 kids going to camp. So one kid has five boxes for camp and the other one will probably have 2-3, plus his freestandig sterilite drawers. So that means about 2-3 boxes less for the bungalow (bc all of their clothes and shoes are accounted for).
man I'm getting nervous, I havent started packing!!!

seeker

Fri, Jun 24 2016, 1:34 pm

so I'm actually cheating a little - my mother used to go to the country and left some stuff in her old bungalow up there. Not a whole lot but every little bit helps. Anything I don't find there or that doesn't work anymore I will have to buy because they're things like fans that I don't have in the city and wouldn't want to shlep.

I'm being very minimalist. One pot each dairy and meat, one small parve pot, and one frying pan of each flavor. Anything else will be done in foil pans. Things like laundry detergent I'll buy up there. Not bringing rocking chair, stroller, swing, etc.

But now that you mention it, even though I feel like I don't have so much left, a lot of it is going to take up more space than I'm predicting. My trunk is big but still, I need to be sure I can fit stuff in. Hoping for the best here because I can't pack my trunk before my boxes go up since I need the car for other things in the next few days.

More than space right now I'm worried about TIME - it's erev Shabbos and I didn't start Shabbos yet, was working most of this week. Shabbos ends late. My boxes have to be ready Sunday late morning. Monday I have work, then a doctor appointment for kids (well visit that should have been squeezed in earlier), then a wedding. Tuesday I have a morning free, afternoon booked, another simcha in the evening. I want to be out of here Wednesday morning so I can have the bungalow set up in time to make Shabbos. AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!!!!

seeker

Fri, Jun 24 2016, 6:24 pm

The boxes are takeh huge, they are the size that the supermarket gets packages of napkins in (so it says on the box) but I'm not a miracle worker - just a very methodical packer - my method is "grab whatever you see and stuff it in whichever way it goes." Also, I only have 2 little kids. And I have never done this before so I don't know what I think I don't need but will really miss.

I switched the comforter for individual hand towels around each thing that I wanted to protect. Unless I accidentally left a lot of things off my list, the only things I have left now (and still a little room in the box) are my good prescription goggles which I still can't find (I wonder if they were inside the bathing suit and I didn't notice?), bath towels and maybe an extra pool towel, rain boots, winter coats (I have sweatshirts and raincoats but what if there's a really cold day? Am I paranoid? Winter coats take up a lot of room so I'd love to skip them) And most of my clothes.

Then I guess I stuff into my own car the bulky things like blankets, pillows, helmets, and umbrellas. Things that could leak like coconut oil and dish soap (I happen to have a lot so I don't want to buy more). Things that we need to wear or use between now and then (about 3 changes of clothes, rashguards, extra towels, phone charger, laptop, shoes, slippers), hanging clothes, and things that are currently in the laundry. Some frozen meat and chicken if I can get my act together because from what I recall the butcher up there is really expensive and I totally don't remember how kosher meat runs in ShopRite. Anyone know?

I think I can do that. I think I can I think I can I think I can.

Speaking of hard water (is that right? Your detergent is a disaster? Does Tide work?!) what do we do about drinking water? Am I going to need to buy it bottled or is there a good filter I can use?