Thrifty Thursday: Brainstorming, Planning, Doing

 

Friday:  We were busy today working on the house.  I forgot all about breakfast until John looked at me around 10:30 and asked if we were having any...I said I'd forgotten and told him to make something for himself, reminded him that the kitchen is open and he can do whatever he likes.  

However, since he was beyond hungry (poor old thing, helpless soul),  I quickly thawed the wings I'd taken out to cook for tomorrow's lunch.  I wrapped them in foil and put them in a 350F oven to thaw.  After twenty minutes I could separate them and cut them into drums and flats.  I used the barbecue sauce I'd made up a couple of weeks ago on the wings.  I made mac and cheese, homemade not boxed.  

In checking the fridge earlier this morning, I found I had both Mozzarella and Cheddar blocks that I wasn't even aware I had.  I thought we were out of cheese.  

I'll go to the grocery and buy milk this weekend, while it's on sale since I am nearly finished with the jug we have now, but I don't believe I will buy anything else.

We washed three loads of clothes today.  I stripped the bedding down to the mattress and swapped out mattress pads and spreads to a lighter summer spread.  John was able to wash our heavy winter quilt in the washer without any issues, but because it holds so much water, he ran it through an extra spin cycle which helped get more water out of it.  We hung two and a half loads of clothes outdoors to dry.   It was very nice outdoors today and the clothes dried quickly.  

I also stripped the slipcover off the wingback chair and had John wash it.  I hung it outdoors to dry as well. I was in spring cleaning mode.

Saturday:   Since we had pizza last night at Coffee House, we decided to skip pizza today and go to our favorite Mexican restaurant.  We always have leftovers to bring home, yet the food is inexpensive, less than a pizza costs.  

Because we ate such a large meal so late, we didn't have a big supper last night.  I made John a sandwich.  I had strawberries.

When we got home, I made up a box of Brownie mix.  I will never buy this particular brand again. The box instructions do NOT make good brownies.  I had to alter their recipe to make them turn out well.  Never mind.  To fancy up the brownies today, I added chopped walnuts (the last bit of a bag from the freezer) and some mini M&Ms I found in the snack cupboard leftover from the potty training days.  The brownies turned out quite good (altered recipe).  I've learned my lesson about buying an unfamiliar brand mix in bulk (four packages) even if it appears to be a good buy.

In the future, I'll return to my 1950's recipe for a homemade mix.

Meals: Breakfast Sandwich

Out at Mexican Restaurant

Sandwich for John, Berries for me

Sunday:  Today after church we stopped at Quik Trip to get John coffee and myself a drink.  He remembered that he had the QT app on his phone and he often gets qualifying coupons.  We saved $4 which included a free fountain drink for myself.  I'm pleased John remembered he had the app on his phone.  He suggested I get the app on my phone as well.  I saw his wisdom right away and went ahead and downloaded it.  

Our main meal today was Vegetable Beef Soup and Cornbread.  I used the bacon grease saved from breakfast to grease the cornbread pan and the recommended fat in the cornmeal mix packet.  These packets were got on sale, and are made up the same as the Jiffy cornbread mixes.  They were nearing expiration so I'd stashed them in the freezer to prolong their freshness.    The soup was from October and January and I added a portion of leftover Pizza Sauce to the mixture.  It was a perfect meal for a cool rainy day.

Meals:  Pancakes, Bacon, Eggs

Vegetable Soup, Cornbread

Senior Supper

Monday:  I've worked all day long at inventorying the bigger of the two pantry cabinets.  Goodness gracious!  I didn't expect that job to take so long.  I have quite a few canned goods that have expired.  No, they aren't going into the trash.  Instead, I am highlighting those items on my list so I can start using them in meals.  None of the cans are rusted, dented, or bulging.  They are properly stored.  I looked up online to be sure I was within safety guidelines.  I found that canned goods are good 'forever' but best by or use by dates, are often quality issues.  So yes, the quality may be less (or not, I've yet to find anything that is not as good as if the can were freshly done).  One health site reminded me there have been no metal canned food-related sicknesses reported in nearly 40 years!  That's encouragement for those of you who feel a bit 'iffy' when it comes to expired cans.

I received my Amazon Sub and Save order today.  The 24-pack of water-packed canned tuna arrived.  The dates on those cans were 12/26.  Remember I got this tuna for 56c a can.  

John opened the gas credit card bill today and was upset over the late fee.  I expected it since the bill did arrive late but I called the company.  The late fee and interest charges were reversed.  That's $34 saved.  I explained our issues with mail delivery here in the Southeast of late.  It helps tremendously that we haven't been late on paying that bill in years and it's paid in full each month. 

I got a small Amazon gift card as payment for affiliate link usage.  Thank you for going through that to make your purchases.  I received a payment for this past quarter from Google Adsense.  It's taken quite a little while to get that account built up enough to pay out.  I've set both amounts aside.  One will go towards Christmas or birthday gifts, the other towards a needed home purchase.

Since I stayed busy all day today meals were simple. 

I mixed up a box of orange jello and added in a can of drained mandarin orange slices when it was semi-set.  The jello and the oranges had both gone past their best by dates but I tasted of one of the orange segments and they were fine.

Meals:  Eggs and Toast

Leftovers.  John ate his restaurant entree leftovers.  I had the rest of the dumplings from Thursday's lunch and yogurt that needed to be used.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo, Tossed Salad, French Bread. 

Tuesday:  A busy day with money spent.  First I had two bills that were due the second week of May.  Given the issues with the post office, I dare not wait until we are closer to the due date to send those payments in.  So I mailed those two checks today.

Our electric bill came in at $132 for the month.  I'm not unhappy with that.  If we were made of sterner stuff I might have had a lower bill but I confess it's the cold that sends me to bump up the heat and make the house just a little warmer.  

After the chiropractor appointment this morning, I headed to the discount store.  I wanted to check the clearance-priced meats and produce.  No luck in either department, however, they had garden plants out.  I bought a six-pack of two different petunias, celosia and begonias.  I bought two half-gallon pots of coleus and then two hanging baskets, a Moss Rose (Portulaca), and the loveliest pink geranium with a deep magenta center.  I spent a pretty penny...Never mind.  I'll get loads of mileage off these plants. I've learned to expand my investment through self-sowing seeds or propagation.

Off to Publix to pick up the best of the Buy One Get One sale and pick up a prescription.  I did go over what I meant to spend.  I found a new pair of slip-on sunglasses for my new glasses which are bigger than my last glasses.  I picked up clearance-priced Tide laundry detergent.  I got Provolone and Onion Buns to go with the supper I'd planned for tonight and picked up Gramma's Fried Chicken to freeze for Taylor's weekend dinner.  I decided to skip going to Walmart and got two bags of flour. I did very well with the things I'd planned to buy.  It was those extras that I hadn't had on my list that cost me.  Thankfully I had plenty of money in my grocery allowance.

On to Kroger to pick up mostly produce and milk. I also wanted eggs, half and half, and flowers. I did add a marked-down package of Rib Eye Steaks, a 5-pound bag of Vidalia onions (first of the season), and four bags of sale-priced chips. I was closer to where I planned to be in Kroger.

I went over my budget by about $40.  I am not including sunglasses, flowers, or chicken for Sunday.  All of those things came from other budget allotments.  

I earned $2.50 on Ibotta, heaps of points on Fetch, and have $8.85 to add to my Christmas savings account via coupons I'd loaded to my store apps.

I made the supper I had planned for tonight, though I really didn't want to do any such thing.  I managed to get four sandwiches from the meat I had on hand once the peppers and onions were added in.  Two went into the freezer, two for supper.  And here is where I laugh every time I make a meal.  I took out that one small portion of sirloin steak bought months ago and sliced it thin.  I used bell peppers from the freezer, too.   But I put Provolone slices, four onion buns, and two sandwiches back in the freezer.  Sometimes all I'm really doing is swapping one thing for another. No wonder I seldom make headway in creating space!  I'm not complaining.  It's such a blessing  to put back as much, or more than, I take out.

Meals: Bagels with cream cheese and a ham slice

A piece of fried chicken for each of us.  John ate a half sandwich before I got home and I had a snack while I was out shopping.

Italian Pepper Steak Sandwiches, Chips, and Orange Jello with a dab of Cottage Cheese on top.  

Wednesday:  I did my final inventory in the kitchen this morning.  Glad to have that task done.  I did the task in bits and pieces.  I still need to see what I have in the guest room closet and laundry area.  

I took frozen cornbread from the freezer and then crumbled it onto a sheet pan when it had thawed.  I added in leftover cornbread from Sunday.  That was all put in a low oven to dry.  I'll vacuum seal it once I'm sure it's dried out. I got two pints of crumbs and pieces.  They are vacuum-sealed and in the pantry.

 Meals:  Sausage, Eggs, Pecan Sticky Buns.  I got the sticky buns from the half-priced rack at the grocery.  John's fond of them. 

Tuna salad, Chips, Blueberries

Chicken and Rice, Everything Bagel Green Beans, Sliced Ripe Tomatoes 

Thursday:  If much needs to be done,  do the little things you can.  If you can do nothing else to improve things, then clean.  That's what I did today when I looked about and felt overwhelmed by everything I saw that needed to be done.  Painting, pressure washing, planting, weeding, decluttering, mending...It all just seemed far too much.

So I did little things that cost me nothing but effort and found that the house looks improved in so many ways.  I cleaned off the shelving unit on the back porch.  The ideal home for it would be in my shed but to get it into the shed at the moment would mean a huge shifting of things.  I wasn't ready for that big a task today.  But clearing empty pots and things helped the shelving unit look much better.  I want to get a fern for the old iron washpot.  That's one of my favorite things to do each summer.  I can always use the shelving to hold some of the houseplants when they go outdoors this time of the year.

I hung the baskets of flowers on the front porch and wiped off the tables. Again, small tasks that made the porch look nicer.  

Indoors I decided to take down the shower curtains in the guest bath and wash them, cleaned along the baseboards, and folded the towels nicely.  Once the curtains were hung again the whole room looked much better.  

Small things.  All of them were just small things but they helped change the look of each space and changed my perspective, too.

I made sun tea yesterday.  I had a tall glass of iced tea on the front porch this afternoon.  Lovely, lovely.

Meals:  We skipped breakfast.

Fried Chicken Salads.  I chopped leftover chicken into pieces and made big salads.

Ham Steak, Twice Baked Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli, Pineapple.

I found my list of goals for the month, and read back through each week's work plans.  I'm so pleased with all I've accomplished this month.  Sometimes, the best motivation is to see what HAS been done rather than what still needs to be done!

How did your week go?  Did you save money, or find a new way of doing things that saves time?  Share with us in the comments!

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The Homemaker Plans Her Week: Finishing Strong

 

We had a perfectly lovely week last week and I enjoyed it greatly.  The weekend behind us was a busy one, too.  Family visits, project work, sitting outdoors on the porch, making meals, and cleaning the house (yes, I love doing those things most days), small group meetings, church...  It's all been lovely.

I feel I'm doing well in reaching goals this month, at least touching on many items if not completing them.  I went over my April goals during the last of this past week and I was surprised how many things I could say "Done" to after I'd read my intention.   I am already looking ahead to May.  Yes, I am!  

You see the wheels in my brain have been turning and turning over the last few weeks on homemaking tasks. I see ways to improve and recall former ideas that had validity but I didn't have time to commit myself to them at that time.  No good idea ever dies.  It just may not come to fruition until a little later down the line.  An idea doesn't always occur in the season when it makes sense to implement it.

Anyway, I'm pushing to finish my goals here in April before I abandon this month.  I want to get things done!  I'll have Millie one day, have an appointment one day, and I think Katie and Caleb will be over one day.  So this week may be busy. It won't stop me from working, though. 

Work:

Zone 4 Master Bedroom and Bath.   This week I plan to strip off the mattress cover, vacuum and turn the mattress, and then replace the winter spread with the lighter-weight summer spread.  I'll likely end up using the old pillow shams since I've not found any new ones I can either afford or like.  I'll also be removing the velvet pillow covers and returning to using my coral pillows.

I plan to dust the blinds in this room and aside from the usual cleaning tasks that will be about it for this month.

Continue to work in the shed.  I have a pile of trash and a pile of donations.  I haven't even touched the shelves.  They must be cleaned, the items on them wiped down, and then I need to sort what I'll keep and what I'm letting go of.  I need to make some hard choices, not because I need the room but because it's really gotten to the point that nice things are just sitting there unused and someone might appreciate having them.  This will be a work in progress for probably another month, but I've made a good start on this job.

I have three more flower beds to weed.  One is tiny, the other needs minor work and the third one is only the front half of the bed is all that needs to be weeded.  Not a lot of work, but enough.  

Home Depot has mulch on sale as well as gardening soil.  I'd really like to get a chance to go buy some of both.  We'll see if I can manage that or not.  It always comes down to the same thing: John hates to use the car to haul the stuff and yet, I've no other resource for hauling it.  If I go alone to do it, I often can't get any help to load it on the buggy or into the car.  I kind of need his muscles.

Kitchen:

I will continue to sort through my freezer.  This week I'll focus on the beef basket, the broths, and the fruit/vegetable baskets.

I have bread pieces I want to figure out a use for this week.  I was thinking of making French toast.  I don't need croutons or crumbs at present. However, I was reading earlier that I could vacuum seal the jars I store croutons and crumbs in, so I may do that just to keep them shelf-stable.

That warm weather master menu?  Getting done this week!

Meals:

We ate out.

Vegetable Soup, Fruit, Cheese and Crackers.  I happen to have two quarts of vegetable soup I made in October thawing because today the temperatures will be in the upper 60's.  I know we won't have many 'soup days'

Italian Pepper Steak Sandwiches, Fries.  I have a small piece of steak in the freezer, as well as a loaf of French bread.  I thought I'd make sandwiches using some of the bread.  The steak will be stretched with bell peppers and onions.  This is an easy meal which suits me after a busy weekend and a day of childcare.   Millie's usually good but child care is child care.

Chicken and Broccoli Alfredo Pasta, Tomato and Cucumber Salad, Rolls

Filet Mignon, Baked Potatoes, Broccoli

Chicken and Rice Bake, Everything Green Beans, Salad.  Something I've done often lately: Drain canned green beans.  Toss into a pan with a tablespoon of bacon fat, and heat thoroughly.  Then sprinkle with Everything Bagle Seasoning.  This is sooo good!  

Ham Steak, Potatoes Au Gratin, Green Peas, Biscuits

  

Personal/Leisure:

Watch Enchanted April.  Finish The Rosemary Tree.  Start April Gold.

Proper manicure and pedicure this week for sure.  It's getting to be sandal weather and I like to have a pretty manicure for spring.

I have not been happy with my self-image lately.  I'm between sizes.  Too heavy for one size, too small for the next size up.  My hair is looking thin and flat.   Frankly, I'm not taking care of my body overall as I ought to.  This week I am going to take a full block of time as a beauty day for myself.  I know I have planned a busy week but this is to help me feel better about myself.  

Take time to set up outfits that make me feel pretty.  

Sit on the porch.  Journal.  Dream.  Stop filling my mind with empty things.  Oh, so much more!

Diary of a Homemaker's Week: Get It Done

 

Saturday:  We've had a lazy day at home.  I've read, caught up on emails, watched "The Croods" with John, made pizza, and read.  It's been a lovely restful day, just what we needed after our whirlwind last weekend and before the whirlwind that will be next weekend.

My biggest takeaway from this movie is the dad's admonition to "Don't ever stop being afraid."  Reminds me of how John and I were about our trip last week.  I'm so glad we got over being afraid and enjoyed ourselves.

Sunday:  It's been two weeks since we've been at church.  I avoid going at all costs on major holidays.  I prefer less crowded pre-holiday services like Good Friday Communion or Christmas Eve Candlelight service.  I also don't go on Mother's Day if I remember to skip it.  Just personal preference.

Of course last weekend we were in Florida.  We did listen to that service on the live feed on our way home.  But to go in and sit in service, see familiar and smiling faces, was just lovely.

After church, we drove over to Katie's.  She only lives about 10 minutes from the church.  I noted the door was open when we arrived.  I saw Caleb at the glass storm door.  I wish you could have heard the squeal that escaped him when he saw us pull into the yard.  It made us both smile.   We spent time with Taylor, Caleb, and Bella today and thoroughly enjoyed our visit with the family.  I took dinner along.  Everyone ate well and left little. I found the children picking bits off the leftover chicken, lol. 

On the way home, John stopped and bought us an ice cream sandwich.  It was lovely to eat ice cream on our way home.  The temperature was in the high 80s and ice cream suited the sunshine and blue skies.  

I'm going to go play in the kitchen for a little while. I want to make muffins and determine what we can have for supper tonight. I hope your Sunday has been as pleasant as my own.

Monday:  I'm taking a rest break.  I had a crud night due to some major reflux issues last night.  John kindly made breakfast and the bed. 

I blew off the back porch and noted that doing that small task made it look better.  I contemplated the rails and rafters and floor.  They are dirty and need a good cleaning.  I wasn't feeling that ambitious today.

A plant stand blew over on top of my Asiatic lilies.  I cleaned up the mess and found two pots of dead plants to pull out of that flower bed.  I walked along beside the house and decided to weed the huge iris bed about the Sweet Gum tree.  An industrious squirrel had apparently dug up a gladiolus bulb and planted it in that bed.  I left it.  Who am I to argue with a squirrel.  Perhaps that spot will be a good place for a blooming glad.  And if not, then no harm, no foul.

My legs felt like jelly by the time I'd finished that bit of weeding.  Absolute jelly.  Two weeks ago I weeded for hours and had no trouble at all.  Did the beach make me wobbly?  I sat on the back porch and admired the sunny morning, the cool breeze, the birds singing, and the iris blooming next to the shed.  And then I realized with a gasp that the trees behind the shed were no longer young saplings.  

They are true trees and even if they shed their leaves it's doubtful I shall ever again look across the field beyond them to the tree line on my brother's property.  I don't know why I'm surprised.  They've been growing now for more than 25 years.  It's much like being shocked that a friend's young children are now grown men and women.  

After I'd rested a few minutes, I walked out to the shed.  I found that the plant the Google app said was Monarda was no such thing  It's a beautiful Sweet William and it's wonderfully pretty. Once they begin to bloom they will keep it up well into fall.  One more plant that is worth the cost of seed.

I opened the door and was dismayed at the seeming chaos inside but I pulled things out of my way, got into the back corners, and started organizing.  After a half hour, I'd made a noticeable difference there.  All of the baby things are neatly stacked on one side.  I still want to move the barium barrel from the back towards the front.  I usually store my larger nutcrackers or the Christmas tree in that.  I swept out thousands of dead lady beetles and a pile of glitter and dirt.  

I must get busy once more.  There's housework to be done and meals to prepare. I've rested long enough for just now.

later:  I've just taken a late lunch break.  John has gone off to mow and I've been busy.  I got the kitchen cleaned up and the dishwasher unloaded.  Then I got a notebook and went to inventory my supplies in the bathroom.   I started an inventory notebook to try and keep better track of what we have.  I plan to do this through the house for every area where we might have stored something we've purchased and use often.  

That task took a good hour or more. I made lunch, and while I waited on things, I also worked ahead on supper. I stopped working when it was time to eat...but I'm not done for the day just yet.  I've more tasks to attend to.  A woman's work...and all that good stuff.

Tuesday: I spoke with Lily this morning.  Her travel plans are complicated.  She's flying into Orlando.  Sam is picking her up there.  Rather than stay in a hotel Lily wanted to know if they might stay here.  I assured her we'd be glad to host her and her friend who is traveling with her.  I worry that the girls will find it boring here in the country but they're only here for three days.  No one dies of boredom and with family visits and such, she's unlikely to have time to be too bored.

Today I've been steadily working on various little tasks.  And here it is now 5pm and John's asking what's for supper?  There's a question...What is for supper?  I used one meal Sunday night that I hadn't planned to use then, and didn't have items for another menu plan as I thought I did...So I'm two meals short on my plans. This week's meal plans have not gone well.

Wednesday:  Today I gave up.  

I have been trying to slog through the book, Jesus Through Medieval Eyes for weeks (months) now.  Parts of the book are interesting. Parts are just so much rhetoric related to the modern-day world that I was distracted from the author's subject matter about the portrayal of Christ in art and writings from the Middle Ages.  To be honest, I almost finished it.  I did.  I have less than two chapters to go but I just can't bring myself to continue with it.  

What I didn't give up on was my vision of a clean, neat home.  I painted and wore at least as much as I put on the items I was painting.  I don't know if I want to wear more paint this week.  

Sam and Millie stopped by this morning. He had a minor accident while he was working in the yard over the weekend and was hurt enough to stay abed.  John told me about it Monday evening but said that he seemed okay.  I meant to check in on him yesterday.  I'd already determined I was going over to visit him today, so I was glad to see him here this morning.  He said he was feeling much better and had plans to work in the yard again.  

I got a late start on work this morning with the visit.  John hauled the headboard from the guest room outdoors and I sat in the sun to do my painting.  Let me tell you all something.  It was hot.  And humid.  And it was warm enough outdoors that the AC came on well before noon today.  We are getting into the warming season here!  

Yesterday's breeze that blew about me as I sat resting on the back porch was warmer and had fewer cool undertones than any breeze we've had yet this year.  I will continue to work outdoors for as long as I can but my periods outdoors may be getting shorter and work relegated to the early morning, not the latter ones.  

Thursday: I had tentative plans for today which didn't work out.  I'm not complaining.  Days so often don't go as I'd planned.   We hadn't started work this morning when Katie texted me asking if they might come out to visit.  

I hung the pictures in the guest room and then asked John to put the headboard back in place.  I'm so glad I painted both frames and the bed black. The room looks lovely.  It's a much calmer, more sedate room now.  

I have dreams for that room but not until I find all the elements I want to use. For now, this is looking better. I will look for a mirror to hang above the sewing machine and get some furniture polish or wax to go on the sewing machine.  

I thought Caleb would love playing outdoors but he wasn't feeling it today.  He wanted all of us to go outdoors with him, and then he sat with us on the porch and didn't play at all.  He was afraid of a beetle that had wedged itself into a crevice on the porch floor.  John finally poked the bug and he fell through the crack entirely, but Caleb was still uneasy about him.  

He ate and ate while he was here.   Katie went into town to get a couple of items to round out our lunch.  The poor little boy came indoors just as upset as could be because "Mama didn't even wave goodbye..."  I reminded him that she'd TOLD him goodbye, told him she'd be right back and he'd said "Okay, bye!"  No solace for him until she returned.  Silly little boy.  After lunch, he picked up all the toys he'd brought out and they were about to leave.  As they were leaving he started crying in the car.  Katie said "You're just tired..." and he wailed, "I am too..."

John and I did nothing after that.  I replanned supper since we'd eaten my planned supper for lunch. I read a chapter in The Rosemary Tree and felt compelled to take a ten-minute nap before reading emails and trying to fight these grammar programs to make sensible sentences.  

I fussed about these programs last week.  I don't know how on earth I've written a legible word in the past 30 years of writing because according to these programs I haven't a clue how to write a proper sentence.  It's very frustrating to me.  I thought I'd found a way to turn it off but alas, no such luck.  

Friday:  We have been busy this morning and I think we're both ready for a spell of quiet work and rest.  Just our usual Friday cleaning went on but intensified because I actually made out my work plan for next week and while I didn't feel up to weeding or a session in the shed this morning, I was determined to make the morning work hard.  

John did three loads of clothes and vacuumed.  I stripped the bed right down to the mattress.  So he washed the mattress pad, winter blanket, etc.  I have put on the summer spread and shams decided to skip using the handsewn shams I'd been using, and took the velvet covers off the throw pillows.  

John wasn't the only busy one.  I've been steadily cleaning, making meals, planning weekend food, and all the usual tasks.  Truly, I am not yet finished.  There are floors to sweep, clothes to fold, and when the mattress pad and winter blanket are dry, I've got to pack them away and then clean up my closet which is destroyed since I emptied out the trunk to get to the summer stuff and the other mattress pad.

It's been a busy, pleasant week with a busier weekend ahead of us.  I hope that you and yours have something good in your plans to enjoy, even if it's just a good book or a movie.  

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Thrifty Thursday: Try Harder

 

Friday:  I was awake very early this morning.  Very early.  I decided to watch vlogs until John woke.  Several weeks ago I subscribed to a vlog I'd stumbled upon "Becoming a Farm Girl".  This young woman lives in a townhouse.  She grows vegetables on her balcony, cans and preserves, pickles and ferments, and stockpiles.  She doesn't raise her own meat or many of the foods she eats.  But she is most definitely living the homestead sort of life.  

I'm often hindered by what I can't do, but after listening to her I realize I can do what I can.  You can do what you can do.  We don't have to all look the same in our journey, or do the same things.  The important thing is to take the path that is available at the moment.

Coffee Chat: Just Chatting

 

I hadn't checked the USDA guidelines for food costs in the last few months.  I watched a See Mindy Mom vlog this past week and she mentioned that costs for her family based on the Low-cost chart was nearly $1000 a month for a family of five.  I looked at the proposed costs for a two-person household.  I'm budgeting lower than they suggest I could be spending, but only just barely less.  Good to know.  I've only used those guidelines to ensure I'm not thinking in governmental spending terms. I noted that the site has added a new budget line for Alaska and Hawaii, where food costs are higher than in the continental U.S. 

Do you routinely check that site to see how your spending falls in line?

One of the most fun challenges I've given myself is using the older items in the freezer and pantry.  I have not begun to dig in the cupboards, though now and then in a week I'll think of some item that I know is near or just past expiration that ought to be used.  We've eaten some really delicious meals, too.  

Here's what I've learned about myself during this challenge. I  want to 'save' items that I consider more expensive even if I did buy them on sale.  Even if they cost less than items I'd purchased at full price that I consider to be frugal meal choices, like chicken or ground beef.  Kind of silly of me.  So rather than enjoy the excellent bargain-priced cuts, I'll keep making what I consider to be the 'cheaper' foods.  The result of this push to use up the saved items that had gotten old, but were not, thankfully, freezer-burned is that for the past month, we've eaten what my Granny would have called, "High on the hog", which means essentially that we're getting the good stuff and not the offcuts.

Where the pantry is concerned, I find the reason I have expiring items is because I've bought things that others recommended as good pantry items...even though we don't generally use them!  A second thing I've done is grab things that were on a clearance shelf because they are typically more expensive items that were reduced to an affordable price...See a pattern there? Yeah, me too. 

The third flaw I've found in myself: saving odds and ends and never using them.  Just today John and I noted we had about six bags of chips open in the pantry.  I'll lay odds that six of those bags are down to the crumbles at the bottom but frugality demands I hang on to those bits that no one wants to eat.

Now I'm scrambling for recipes to use these items and vowing to not repurchase them. I overbought a few items (hello, tomato soup, jello, instant puddings...)    The pantry items demand I get far more creative in my cookery, not the freezer items.

But true confession time, as much as I've enjoyed this challenge to use up foods that have lingered too long, I'm also tired of it.  I want some of our favorite meals instead of being endlessly creative.  That said, I plan to stick with it a wee bit longer.  I think it's a good exercise

I played with our budget for the second quarter. Not one penny more income is coming into this household. We do not have fewer bills. It was just a matter of determining what we wanted from the money coming in.  I knew we needed to create a gas and maintenance budget for mowing.  I looked at each item of our budget and made some hard decisions about what we were spending and how we could trim them a bit more.  I made it work.  

Now it never fails that if I find a little room in the budget I'll also discover that a bill has gone up $10 a month or there's a new item that must be added and the wiggle is immediately gone but that's okay.    How nice to see it there and then go "Oh okay, I can take that from here..."  In my experience, budgets are never stagnant.  They seldom stay the same for three months at a time.

However, one of the bonuses of the recent budget work was the choice to set aside a monthly amount towards a trip to St. Augustine.  Technically we've been saving here and there since December, but now I'm concentrating on it harder.  And when that fund is sufficient I'll amp up gift/birthday savings so that we can tackle Christmas without incurring expense.  We'll be committed to these savings rather than fritter our money away.  

And no we're not cutting out things we enjoy either.  I'm still buying flowers.  We still have an entertainment budget.  John is very adamant that both of those remain.  And I'm learning to curb his enthusiasm for spending on this and that.  Mind you he's not selfishly spending.  John never spends money on himself. But the man thinks nothing of giving a child $20 for a bookfair or fundraise, buying me a $27 bag of coffee, or spending $12 on out-of-season strawberries.  The trouble is that he never buys those things out of his pocket.  He hands me the receipt and I'm left to figure out where that bit is coming from.  I'm reminding him more often, "That doesn't fit in the budget and if we get it, we'll have to cut out something else, perhaps even something we need."

The yard at present is looking so pretty.  I've tons of Iris blooming in far more colors than I realized I'd had.  I have the white heirloom iris from Debbie, the golden yellow from Grandmother, a deep purple that I'm fairly sure was from Granny's as well as a pinkish-toned one, then a two-toned purple that I think I got from Mama's former next door neighbor and finally a dirty yellow looking one that Mama had shoved in a pot.  I have a maroon-colored iris from Angela that I am waiting to see if it blooms this year.  I can't quite remember exactly where I planted them, but I know they are somewhere around the Gingko tree.

This morning, as we were leaving home, I told John that I would have to divide my iris again.  This is something that is a continual thing.  Iris here multiplies quickly.  I said, "Perhaps I'll put some around that Chinaberry tree there in the middle of the yard and my husband shocked me.  "I think they'd be just beautiful there.  Do it."

I have dianthus blooming and coreopsis is up and budding.  The gladioli that refuse to be removed from the area right next to the house foundation,  have grown and grown this year.  Every year, I dig down and remove bulbs which promptly forget they grew in the poorest soil in the yard and die elsewhere, then the very next year there is a whole new crop of new glads up in the same spot.  This year I've resolved to leave them alone.  The very slow-growing Clematis has never bloomed but this year it's four times as tall as it was last year.  One day...as long as it is determined to grow, I am determined to remain hopeful that it will bloom.

And then there are the roses blooming.  That deep burgundy antique one that Nancy gave me years ago and the New Dawn has slipped in a few early blossoms.  The unnamed rose from Aldi showed up this time as a beautiful pinky coral and golden yellow.  I never know what bloom I'll get from that one.  I think there must be two or three grafts on that one plant.  The deep coral rose that blooms all summer that I bought from the clearance rack at Lowe's last year is looking lovely and has budded up.  Even that stubborn yellow rose is coming up between the porch floorboards once again.  When we get those steps redone I plan to see if we can't dig that root out from under the porch and then I'll plant it somewhere that it can just bloom for all it's worth and grow as it likes.  

The gardenia is putting out buds, the hydrangea is getting ready to push out buds, the phlox and salvias from last year (part clearance-priced plants, part sales plants) are all looking incredible as are the chrysanthemums and pansies from last fall. 

I told John that seeing all these plants makes me so happy and reinforces my determination to work on planting perennials that will bloom all through the summer.  

I mentioned earlier this week my disgust with USPS.  Honestly, I have a fondness for the USPS.  My dad was a mail carrier before his retirement.  So I have a personal attachment to the Post Office.  Mail in the rural areas is a big deal.  I well recall Granny receiving mail order packages from the mail lady.  It's one facet of shopping online I truly love. 

Our main mail carrier is a lovely woman who has worked this route for years.  She delivered Granny's mail, that's how long she's been on this route.  She is always friendly and upbeat.  Now the one who spots for her on her days off, you can have him.  He's prone to shove a too-large package in the box, or leave it propped against the mailbox pole rather than drive up to the house as Mary does.  And if he is forced to come up the drive one of two things will occur.  He'll leave a notice saying we weren't home when we are to avoid the drive, or he'll bring up the package but not the loose mail items which means going down to the mailbox to fetch them.  Mary will bring up the packages and the loose mail and if we are not home, she places the package on the back porch and loose mail in the box on her way back out of the drive.

I also like going to the post office or did.  Often it was a place to meet others and see people that one seldom saw otherwise, like going into the local stores or the library.  It is true, however, that most of the people I knew have died since they were all much older than myself.  The new employees are not friendly.    

The personal touch and human connection are quickly being removed from so much of our lives that I want to cling to what remains.   Everything is distanced, and self-serve (think ATMs and check-outs at the store).  I stubbornly refused to use the ATM for the longest time because I wanted personal contact with the teller even if it was through a glass window until they closed up the windows and put in vacuum tubes, a camera in your face that reveals you to the teller but doesn't allow you to see them and then I figured it was easiest to just use the ATM since I wasn't interacting with anyone anyway.  It was even worse during the trying time of our lives when doors closed and stayed closed far longer than suggested.  

I've heard much about the libraries Libby app which sounds perfectly nice until you consider that half the fun of going to the library was that it offered the opportunity to speak with the librarians who would make recommendations of books that fell into your preferred genres, or even shook you out of the ruts you'd gotten in by urging you to try something entirely new.  And then there's the whole sensory thing of handling the books and smelling the pages.  Alas, I get double vision if I stare at a Kindle screen too long and I have an aversion to the black screens with white type.  Don't ask me why but I find them mighty irritating.

 We are losing much with all of this contact-free business.  What's next?  Will we sit down before a machine that will automatically cut our hair based on a pre-selected style?  Will we lose the ability to make small talk with strangers?  Will we forget the common human courtesies?  What if we did the radical thing and opted to wait in the long line with a clerk who would ring up the groceries?  And what if we dared to say, "How's your day?" to a perfect stranger?  Or smiled and thanked them?  Gasp!  Could we survive doing such as that?

Don't get me wrong.  There is much to love about the online world.  I can find nearly anything my heart desires or something I need without hearing, "Oh we don't carry that.." "Sorry, but we can't get one in on the next shipment."  I love having information and knowledge at my fingertips.  I'll be the first to take up my phone and look up a new word or a quick study on a country I've never heard of, or to discover a musician or artist that is mentioned in a book or on a blog.   I still love mail-order clothing.  I just do, because it's a nostalgic thing for me and it saves me countless hours driving.  But I am also nostalgic for things like friendliness and neighborliness and people who know their business and can actually give you an answer.  And for faces that recognize you and smile when they see you approaching.  Those are all disappearing far too quickly.  Say what you like, it's just not the same when a computer program pops up a box that says, "Hi, Terri..."

I know that things can't always be as they used to be.  Yep, got that memo a long time ago.  But it's not going to stop me missing chatting with the clerk. The world is getting increasingly lonely for many people and part of that reason is generated by the push to do more online activities.  

Since I'm no longer keeping Caleb, and I only have Millie for a couple of hours here and there, I've been trying to find my way in this season of life.  So much changed over the two years we had Caleb.  I mentioned that Sabbath candle lighting fell by the wayside.  John was invited to participate in a ministry that takes up a Saturday each month.  While Caleb was here we found that unless we left home on a Saturday, we ended up 'babysitting' just as we'd done during the week.  Not saying Katie expected it but Caleb did.  He'd follow the weekday routines and he expected us to be there to give him that structure.  We wanted, Katie and ourselves, for him to see his Mama as an authority figure and to form a routine with her while she was off.  So we left home, which ensured that Katie had time alone with her children and had the opportunity to be a prominent figure in that little boy's life.  After Katie moved, she asked us to plan to come by on Sunday for dinner after church.  She wants the children to have that routine visit on the weekends.

When Katie moved, I didn't even blink.  Between renovations, holidays, and resettling the house after the renovation work was done, there was no time to wonder what this new season would look like.  Now it's impacting me.  

At the same time, as I look at the amount of work that has typically fallen to me (painting porches and sheds, routine cleanings, gardening), I find that while I very much want to see those things done, I don't have the inclination nor the time to work as hard as I did four years ago.  In fact, it's necessary to work at a much slower pace.  Add interruptions from John who has no respect at all for my busyness, days that are often unpredictable based upon who needs me that day, or what John has planned to do, and the usual amount of stuff that must be done, I often wonder if I'll ever again catch up on things.

The truth is that now that I am seldom alone, my time and energy are stretched to cover far more than before. Once I find a recognizable rhythm I might get more done.  But right now, tas I write this,  I am looking for ways to make the work I do more lasting so that I have to repeat things like painting less often.  Plant more perennials and fewer annuals.  Find a paint that doesn't show dirt and mildew as easily as what we have now does.  Ask for John's help.  That is one I find hard.  I'm accustomed to doing things myself, doing them in my way, and accepting that he wasn't here to help.  Only now he is here.  He's not going to help with the gardening part.  He's made it very plain that he has no interest but he will help with other tasks.  

But I'm also having a hard time getting my head organized.  What exactly do I want my life to look like?   We've had to abandon so many plans.  Not enough time, not enough money, not enough want to...but there are many things we both want to do separately and together.  We are finding it necessary to be selfish with our time, as we were when John worked a demanding schedule and our time alone was so very precious. We grew accustomed to being 'on demand' during the past four years for various child- care duties.  Now we're reassessing how often we say "Yes".    We want to spend time with the grandchildren.  We want to spend time doing some of the things we want to do.  We are in a limited time frame.  They will grow.  We're getting older.  We may not be fit to do the things we hope if we push off our plans too long. It's a constant tug back and forth to try and decide how this time in our lives should look.  Frankly, that is not what I expected it to look like from this age.  I thought of it more as freedom, both financially and personally.  I hadn't realized that we'd be looking through the narrower end of  the telescope in so many ways!

Well dears, I've chatted as long as I can.  Time for me to get busy once more.  I hope you've enjoyed your coffee with me.  It won't be long before we're chatting over iced tea!

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The Homemaker Plans Her Week: Planning Much, Doing Much?

 

I wish I could tell you I accomplished loads of things last week.  I didn't.  I wasn't a slacker by any means!  I worked hard and steadily and stuck to my goal of not sitting down with the computer and getting lost for hours on end.  Most of my computer time was at the end of the day and I mean the very end, after dinner was cleared up and put away and I'd taken time to do another task or two.  But it's also true that I was tired from the travel, had company or went to be company, had two days out of the house (Tuesday and Friday), and tried to take a full day off on Thursday to do writing and such but somehow that day didn't go quite as planned.  I'm not complaining.  I got things done, just not all my ambitious self thought I might.

But you know what?  This is a brand new week and we've a few more to go here in April so there's time to get more things done.

Diary of a Homemaker's Week: All Sorts of Adventures

 

Saturday:  We woke really early this morning and went outdoors with coffee.  It's a lovely thing to sit on the beach and watch the dolphins play in the surf.  The birds were so loud.  Little finches and sparrows were in all the trees and shrubs about the motel.  And they were fairly tame.  I had one brave little bird hop up to me looking for food.  Alas, we had nothing to share with them except coffee and frankly, I'm selfish when it comes to my cup of coffee!

It was downright chilly.  I was glad I'd packed my jacket and brought a sweater to go over my dress for the wedding.