Traveling the USA on the Cheap

We have things that matter to us now

I love my home in Tampa, FL. My husband and I moved down south after my brothers left a few years ago. We knew we would end up in Tampa near my family. The issue with city living is that it is so expensive. The goal was to find property, privacy, for a reasonable price. We hunted around all over the place until we found the location that works just perfect. We found a nice house and a decent plot of land in Tampa. My husband and I have really put down roots. My husband built an outdoor shed to house his tools. We just added an above ground pool to combat the heat of the Florida summers. We have a nice front porch, a big deck, and most of our home is remodeled. Both my brothers have moved further north. They are now both in Jacksonville, Florida. That means to get to them is around three hours now. It is ridiculous. I hate that they have moved to a different part of Florida. My husband and I aren’t quite sure what to do. On one hand we don’t like the severe heat and humidity of Tampa. Quality AC only takes you so far after all. Going north in Florida is a smarter move. The housing should be cheaper in that less known city. However, we have built our home the way we like it. We have things that matter to us now. I have set up a nest for kids to arrive and I like the school districts. The whole point of moving to Florida was to be near my family. So with them not living there, why are we even in Tampa?

 

 

Tampa Florida a/c service

I rescued a stray cat off the streets of Birmingham.

I ended up moving the cat with me to a more rural location in Alabama. My cat is now my whole world. I was never a cat lover before, but I sure am now. My cat has his own room in the house. I have a queen sized bed with soft sheets for him to sleep on. He has a large cat tree, ledges, scratchers, posts, and all sorts of toys. He gets top of the line cat food, purified water, and treats. I also made him a cat door that he can come and go as he pleases. The cat door is a bit of an issue though. First he tends to bring dead animals through the door with him during the springtime. There have been squirrels, bunnies, and bird carcasses in my house. Second, other stray cats have thought about coming in the door. Can you imagine the brawl if that happened? The worst is that it isn’t airtight to have a cat door. There are gaps on each side of the swinging flap. I need to let it swing in and out after all. The cat door is actually a homemade insert in my window too. I did the best I could, but cold air during the winter and hot air during the summer leaks in. Alabama gets quite hot over the summer. Keeping the house cool is a full time job. It costs money to pump out that level of AC. The air leaking out due to a cat door probably really adds up. I can’t remove it in my cat’s lifetime though. He would go crazy without his own door.
Birmingham Alabama air conditioning business

In Texas I strive to have a properly cared for cooling system. I make sure to do seasonal cleaning and updates on my own. What I do is mark it in my phone every month to change out the air filter. I then check the inner workings for mold or mildew. I clean around the HVAC and keep the inside as fresh as possible. For every spring I call my Fort Worth, TX HVAC dealer to come and perform cooling service. It is really nice to have my AC machine properly taken care of. They clean it top to bottom. They find loose parts and tighten them. They find signs of wear and tear and fix it. They also remove algae from the condensate drain, mold from the cooling coil, and add more refrigerant. It makes sense to get AC service in Fort Worth. We rely on our AC equipment most of the year. We expect a lot from it. When not giving it the proper love and care, the AC tends to falter. Expect loud operational sounds, foul smells, and more expensive repairs when you prolong necessary service. Another pro of getting your AC checked over is that you are upping the energy efficiency, fulfilling the warranty requirement, and you lower the cost of operation. It is just smart all around to make those necessary phone calls. I like the Fort Worth, TX repair professionals that we use. I love that everything is taken care of without me lifting a finger. I like that they are local and care about the work.

Fort Worth Texas Cooling

Living in Sioux Falls, South Dakota means that I am used to the cold.

I have familiarized myself with the chill, snow, and ice.

It is a way better way of living. The heat is just horrible. I hate being all sweaty, dehydrated, and scrambling for AC. I visited friends down south once and realized how much worse they have it. Yes they experience a longer beach season, can get tans and don’t deal with snow, but I hate the heat. In South Dakota I think my weather is superior. With a good heating system, any type of cold is possible. The severe, brutally cold that gets in your bones or the crisp in the air that requires a jacket doesn’t matter. I can deal with it all. I upgraded my heating situation. I splurged and got myself a boiler system. I love having a boiler do all my heating jobs. The boiler is hooked up to piping and it is installed in my flooring. Hot water flows through the pipes and then heats the floors as a result. With the hydronic heater no air is being created. So that means no dirty air quality, no cold spots, and no air rising to be wasted on the ceiling. Another benefit of hydronic heated flooring is that it is silent in operation, warms anything that touches it, and is quite safe under the flooring. I hardly call for heating maintenance in Sioux Falls. Everything is secure and away from potential damage. Having such a good heating system makes the harsh weather conditions so much more bearable.

Sioux Falls South Dakota Heating technology

When I moved to Minneapolis, MN I was excited by the possibility of starting over.

I found a great plot of land and an outdated home that sat on it.

I have been slowly converting the house room by room. I scraped all the popcorn ceilings and sanded them smooth. I repainted the walls. I sanded the living room wood walls and painted white. I sanded the bifold doors, ripped down drywall in the master bathroom, and my husband redid the flooring. Needless to say we did a lot of construction projects. There was tons of dust, dirt, and debris in the house. What I did was aggressively clean after everything was done. I cleaned from the ceiling down. I used bleach, disinfectant, and a whole mess of other cleaners. The house was squeaky clean afterwards. Then I turned on my heating system. All the sudden all my surfaces were dirty again and I began sneezing. I quickly realized I was never going to have a clean home with the condition of my ductwork. I cleaned everything but that. The dirty ducts were storing all the construction debris and the previous homeowners funk. So I looked around and I found a Minneaplois heating dealership to do heating service. I figured heating the heater cleaned, oiled, tightened, and inspected was a good idea. Then I had ductwork cleaning to wipe everything down. Knowing everything is in great shape for the winter was such a relief. I now won’t have to risk a possible heater repair or breakdown in the middle of the season.
heated floors in Minneapolis Minnesota

My family plans a trip locally every year.

We live in Florida and it is a big state.

It makes sense to travel within the state to make everything simple. My son doesn’t do well in airports. Traveling by plane makes it tough on everyone. So we stick close to home and only go places by car. Florida offers a lot of existing possibilities when it comes time to travel. One thing I really enjoy is that we can head to St. Petersburg. There are always a lot of fun things to do there. In St. Petersburg there are concerts, shopping, great hotels, beaches, and museums. You can do just about everything there. It caters to the entire family as well. Usually the weather in St. Petes are hotter than I am used to at home. So what my family and I do is book a hotel that has a great cooling system. We typically find a place that has a pool or beach access. We go from AC to the cold water. That makes it a better trip. I would never want to go to a St. Petersburg event in the winter. Even though Florida living might sound like a breeze and that we get heat 100% of the time, we do experience some cold nights. Those outdoor swimming pools must get colder in the winter season. My husband always tries for it though. The St. Petersburg rates in the wintertime are so much cheaper that it is half tempting to give it a shot. I just really like the ability to hit the beach whenever I want.

St. Petersburg Florida Quality air conditioner

Living in Springfield, Missouri, means exposure to a wide range of weather extremes.

The average temperature climbs into the mid eighties for four straight months with brutal humidity.

We also experience temperatures below freezing for approximately five months. We switch between running the furnace and relying on the air conditioner with a very brief break in-between. There are times when it’s necessary to run the heating system at night and start up the cooling system during the day. To reduce utility bills, I’ve made an effort to tighten up the home. I’ve replaced the insulation in the attic, caulked around the windows and carefully added weatherstripping to the front and back doors. Sealing the thermal envelope helps to reduce energy losses and the workload of the furnace and air conditioner. Unfortunately, this also eliminates natural ventilation. In South Bend, it’s rarely possible to open the windows and let in some fresh air. Because of this, the home becomes rather stale and stuffy. Contaminants such as dust, dander, pollen and all sorts of toxins get trapped inside and continually circulated by the heating and cooling system. Everything from the ductwork to pets, cleaning products and personal hygiene products contribute to problems with indoor air quality. It seemed my kids were getting sick all too frequently. I was having issues with headaches and insomnia. My husband’s allergies were aggravated. Disinfecting surfaces and vacuuming weren’t solving the problems. I finally consulted with an HVAC contractor in South Bend and asked for recommendations. I ended up having an air purifier installed. This upgrade works to kill bacteria and viruses and capture allergens. It has made a huge improvement in the health and cleanliness of the living environment.

 

 

Springfield Missouri Ductless multi split

Living in South Bend, Indiana, means dealing with long and brutal winter weather. As winds pass over Lake Michigan, they generate a great deal of snow and frequently create lake-effect snowstorms. These blizzards bring temperatures in the negative digits, bitter wind-chill and white-outs. It’s not unusual for the area to experience school closings, winter weather advisories and driving bans. We are trapped inside and rely heavily on the heating system. Because the summers aren’t long enough to require central air conditioning, a boiler is the ideal heating option in South Bend. While furnaces are definitely more popular, I am thankful to have a boiler installed in my home. The system utilizes water to convey heat energy rather than air. Because water heats up quicker and retains heat longer than air, the system doesn’t need to run as long to achieve the thermostat setting. The boiler sends hot water through a looping system of pipes concealed beneath the floor. The equipment takes up no living space, makes no noise and provides a very gentle type of comfort. The boiler and radiant flooring eliminates problems with hot air rising straight up to the ceiling. The temperature from floor to ceiling is wonderfully consistent. Radiant flooring is also especially clean. It doesn’t introduce contaminants such as dust or mold spores into breathing air. One of the major benefits of the setup is zone control. We have a thermostat in each room that provides independent settings to accommodate occupancy and preferences. No matter how cold and nasty the winter nights in South Bend, my home is always warm and cozy.

 

 

South Bend Indiana HVAC tune-up