New Year Thinking: Past and Future

I am going to combine things in this post, both a sort of review of the year past and a good look ahead at what I would like to do in 2018.  I'm excited by what 2017 has been and by what 2018 might well prove to be.

Food and Pantry

I'll start with food because it's my biggest expense area and because I love to cook and I like eating better than most.  It runs in the family.  Taylor loathed Uncle Sam until he said the word 'food' recently and suddenly she popped out "I like food!" and that was the ice breaker.  From that point on she was friendly as could be with Uncle Sam.  See?  I told you it runs in the family, lol!



This year on the blog and in my home, we started out January with a cheap food challenge and I carried it through the first few months of the year. I learned a few things: we have room enough to cut our budget and still eat well; eating cheap requires more work which didn't bother me.  It was my failure to plan ahead and work ahead that was often to my detriment where both budget and meals were concerned.  I took these lessons seriously this past year and noted what I was willing to do and what I wasn't, in order to cut our food budget.  The take away in the end was that I found towards autumn that we'd begun shopping about every three weeks.  I also began a concentrated 'use it all' campaign in my kitchen and have had much less waste this year than ever and though I say so myself, I had gotten pretty good about staying atop waste. I am not counting in the food that spoils within a day or so of bringing in from the store, but of those things I myself wasted by not using in a timely manner or trying to save if I realized I couldn't.   It was a great series of lessons for me.

It was about this time that John wanted to follow the Daniel fast diet for three weeks and that too was an interesting experiment in  food.  We introduced a lot of new meatless recipes to our diet and enjoyed some of them.  I learned which ones worked best for me and which ones failed the diabetic diet needs.  This experiment too was more work than I'd thought it might be and again it was planning and then not working ahead that was often my failure.

This year, I would love to do a return to the 'extreme food budget' experiment and just keep in practice but it won't be in January which is full enough at the moment.  I may play with that idea come the warmer months when produce is at best prices.    However, here in January I do intend to push for 'simpler' meals.  Mama and I were discussing this on Christmas morning when I called to wish her a Merry Christmas.  Simpler meals that use fewer ingredients often kept in the pantry...What I used to call 'country cooking'.    I'd like to focus on stocking up my pantry, personal care items, paper and cleaning products.  Fortunately the sort of meals I am referring to are perfect for the cooler months of the year and so I can both trim the grocery budget and restock the pantry while serving up hearty meals that warm us inside and out for little money. 

I expect that John will want to follow a Daniel fast diet for 21 days again and I have pinned several meat free recipes and am anxious to repeat the successful ones from last year's experience while trying more new recipes.  Ultimately I'd like to find  meatless meals that we truly enjoy and incorporate them into our weekly menu plan.

I already see, looking at my overflowing fridge that I shall be able to return easily to an every three or four week grocery shopping cycle because when I am not preparing company meals, foods just naturally last us a longer while.  I'll start January with lettuce, fruits, eggs, milk and bread on hand, not to mention freezer foods and pantry stock.   We'll survive on a longer period between grocery shops quite well.

I would like, here in the early months of the New Year to stock up heavily in my pantry.  Here in December we ran out of tomatoes and canned green beans and I started November with no pineapple.  I'd really like to bring my pantry up to a full six months level and I don't mind doing it with a portion of savings to get it done.  Then at least I'm assured of having a good stock and can wait until things are on a very good sale or use the 'use 2 add 2' method of keeping it stocked.

Last year, I found a rather good deal through Target with a coupon that allowed me to restock cleaning and paper products with a buy $50 save $15 deal.   It didn't cover  us for a full year but it did see us easily through six months and I think this time around I'd rather just go on and do the shopping trip twice with two different coupons and stock for the year.   Not to mention the savings possibilities increase dramatically as well.  I am now down to 1 bottle of shampoo in our pantry stock on personal care items so I'll be watching for a good opportunity to rebuild that area, as well.  I'll include razors, q-tips, lotions and powder, moisturizers and cleansers for skin and bath soap in the 'need to stock up' lists.

Home and Garden

We replaced all but four  bulbs in the house with LED lights this past year.  We discovered that they come in different brightness levels though the wattage is the same.  "Daylight" is really a bright clear white bulb and it's wonderful in areas that are naturally dark or for reading.  "Soft white" is good for general lighting purposes.  I have not seen any great savings on our electric bill despite this switch but the bulbs should certainly last long enough to warrant their cost and it's an acceptable lighting option to replace the incandescent bulbs I preferred and can no longer purchase.  It is my great hopes that we will see a savings on our current bill, but since we have used AC through November, who knows?  Perhaps December's final bill will be the one that shows the savings.

We finished carpet in the house this past February which was stage II of Project Flooring.   This year ahead I'd like to get both our bathrooms retiled.   I think we have enough flooring left from our kitchen to do the guest bath floor.  We just need the guys to come to install it.  We want to replace toilets when we do the bathroom floors.  I'd like to put a new vanity in  both bathrooms. The guest bath vanity should be relatively inexpensive to replace and will be an easy upgrade.

 In our bath I'd love a double vanity and to remove the current linen cupboard and build one into the nook where our current shower resides.  It would please me no end if I could come up with enough cash to get the new shower put into our bathroom and remove the old one.   At the very least we'll get flooring, remove the tub and replace the toilet in the master bath.   I think we might possibly swing the bathroom work if savings in 2018 goes as well as 2017 savings went. That may not be entirely impossible.  We were quoted  a price last year for removing the garden tub and putting in a shower that isn't astronomical but did necessitate pushing that project to the lower levels of our 'to be done' list.  However, we did better at savings this year than expected and it seems more probable that we might manage in 2018.   

 I'd  like to have John retile the closets and laundry area with sheet tile.  I'm pretty sure he can do this job on his own and it would be a nice update for the house as a whole without costing too much. I'd like something that coordinates nicely with the flooring and carpet we've installed.  I really want the carpet out of the guest closet while we're using it as a pantry because it just seems tile would be the far better option in an area designated as food storage.  Or is that just me?lol

We managed to save a nice chunk of money to put towards the top two projects on our list (new underpinning and new windows for the whole house).   John needs to call to get project quotes on those two jobs.   We also plan to put down concrete under the carport and a pad behind John's work shed so that he can build a lean to over the back and permanently set up his grinder.  We had asked for a quote on that last year and are still waiting on the contractor (my brother) to get around to us.  I think we're going to end up having to call someone else because I don't think his schedule is going to fit us in anytime soon.  John also wants to run an electric wire to the shed but that  shouldn't be too big a job moneywise since we have a power source near the shed.

I don't have any desire to do too much to the interior of the house as far as decorating goes.  I'd like to replace the file cabinet and old dresser on the entry wall with a cube cabinet.  I've seen what I want from the Better Homes line at Walmart and it's affordable enough to do right away.  I've toyed with the idea of replacing the 26 year old bookcases in the living room with something that coordinates with the cube cabinet but we'll see. I'm not committing on that just yet.  I'd heaps rather put money into flooring and bath than into bookcases.

I want a new mattress for the guest bedroom and I am still looking for a vanity or old fashioned dresser to use in that room.

I've told John I plan to have our son build us a sturdy bench for the back entryway.   This will be a double duty item as it will not only give us a place to remove and put on shoes, but serve at the dining table when we have the family over.

I need two new slipcovers for current chairs we have.  Both are fraying and while I can patch them I don't think they'll hold up much longer.   I've had them both now for a number of years and they've been well worn and well washed over that time.

I plan   to continue to work at the flower beds I want to surround the house.  I made a little progress last year but hope to push harder this year and finish the project entirely though I've been holding back waiting on the work to be done on the underpinning.   I'll be doing the painting of the porches and the sheds this year,  as well.  We have the white paint needed and just need to purchase the gray paint for the floors and sheds.

We are definitely going to get a pest control service to start spraying the house and foundation on a routine basis.  I am DONE with the constant battle with the ants and the granddaddy long legs spiders on the porches and about the outdoors  and the roaches that keep coming into our home from who knows where.  Our budget can certainly handle a monthly fee rather easily and it would be more than worth while in my opinion.

Finances

Last December I'd made a statement that if I could use holiday and overtime to build up our sub accounts we'd be able to save more money overall.  I.was.so.RIGHT.  I mean it sincerely.  I had no idea how right I was. 

I was able to fill up all our sub accounts in the first couple of months of the year with holiday and overtime pays.  This allowed me to save money right away on some of the monthly payments vs. annual paid in full costs of insurances.  It also allowed me to save all but a few dollars needed to pay for our annual vacation and all of a new set of tires for my car and a couple of other major purchses we made...AND I have over three quarters of the sub account fees required for 2018 already saved. As of the last week of  December 2017  I need to save funds to cover house insurance renewal in 2018 and the second half of the car insurance renewal for the last six months of the year.  When  Mama gifted us money for birthdays and Christmas we were able to set money aside for windows and underpinning fund and I've been able to add to that savings each month for the past six months.

I see absolutely no reason to change this!  Anything that worked so very well has to be worth repeating, right?

For some reason, Pinecone research completely dropped me.  I have written to ask why but received no reply but because they changed their format for surveys this past year, I often was disqualified.  An older white woman with no children is NOT the target market they are looking to survey with new and existing products.  

Though we switched internet servers I find that Swagbucks is just not a pressing priority with me for earning money any longer.  I do try to gain a few points daily but I won't spend hours hoping to qualify for a survey which is where the bigger points are awarded, especially as I'm an older white female with no children.  Again, NOT the target market.

So to try to generate a little income this year, I shall be actively starting work with Jamberry as a consultant.  Bess has asked me to continue as her party planner which earns me a percentage of sales, as well.  We are planning to work as a team and if the consultant thing doesn't work out, I'll still be earning.  It's my hopes I do well with all things Jamberry.

I also agreed to take on a weekly housekeeping job.  Not big money but surely enough to help me save towards the bathroom and kitchen remodel jobs I hope to do.   I've been told this job will continue when the family move here as it will be a huge help to  mom with small children to have that added hand in keeping the house clean.

At this point there is a rumor that John might receive a decent raise in January but we shall see. I never count county chickens until I see 'em!

We changed our contract with AT&T and dropped Hughes net and that saved us a portion of money monthly.  I think likely this savings will be what pays for that monthly pest control.  So be it.  I'd rather make the swap to bug and spider free than continue to worry that I'm going to wake to an army of ants pushing me out of bed.

I'm happy to report that I once again found a health insurance policy and saved a few dollars over last year's costs.  This is something John and I differ in how we think about it,  but as long as I can mange it I shall have medical insurance. If I can make good headway on the two insurance renewals I'm going to start my own medical savings account to help cover deductible costs.  They don't offer one through John's workplace but I figure it's just another subaccount really with the added advantage I don't have to worry about spending it down at year end.

I think we did very well overall last year and I feel confident we shall do better in the year ahead.

I've taken time to plan ahead and made out a list of purchases I know we need to make here in the first months of the year.  Having a list means that I can watch for good sales on these items, including the major items we'll need (toilets and possibly vanities), as well as hitting the right sales months for the items needed.

All that said, one area where I really turned loose in 2017 and could have done a whole lot better was in how much I charged on my credit card each month.  It started with that Hughesnet bill which was fairly large and I'm afraid my attitude was pretty much, "Well there's already a big charge on it..." and so I'd freely charge.   I didn't keep track.  Some months I was mighty shocked at the total.  True I managed to pay it in full each month but my attitude towards it overall was not what it ought to have been.  I realized that I might well have had ALL of the 2018 fees saved had I not played about so with that credit card.  This year, I mean to be more thoughtful and far more careful.  My mantra shall be  'Money works hard for me, I don't work hard for money.'   And each charge I make will be kept track of. I started it today when I added a business expense to the credit card.  I wrote both fees down in my planner and I've set aside funds to cover both items.  No more nasty surprises.  I plan to stay fully aware of what I've charged and where and I plan to use all my money for the things I really want and not spent on a bunch of stuff I barely remember!

Personal

This past year was one of my better years.  Physically I feel better overall and I find my strength has greatly improved as well as my stamina.  The new work schedule for John is hard on us both but we're learning to rest and finding we can cram more into a day than we thought we might.  It's funny but I'm actually starting to wake most days at 5am and am ready for bed most nights by 9:30pm.

I've stuck hard to my personal boundaries and been especially kind to myself when I've had to go long spells without any down time.  I've noticed I sleep poorly and I stress easily when I've gone too many days without any quiet space in it.   I look for moments of time in those busy days when I can excuse myself and listen to something uplifting.  I'm learning to let others help so that I don't run smack into overwhelm.  It's been a big revelation to me that no one ever feels put upon if I ask for help.   I realize that the busyness of the first months of this coming year will be a test for me.  I am curious to see how I handle my personal needs vs. what I hope to be involved in.  It's another stretching exercise for me, so we shall see.

I'm happy.  I mean that.  In years past I've been dissatisfied and stoic but not happy.   In this past year, I realized that I am pretty happy in my life.  I love my husband and family dearly.  I am happy with my home now that I've taken time to make the best of it and happy with the boundaries I put in place that limits exposure to negative persons and happy with my lot in life overall. I'm happy because I decided to do and not just think about doing.   It's made a huge positive impact on my life.

I also noted this past year that time hung heavy on my hands many days.  Housework was done, the house stayed clean,  projects completed and writing  had been enjoyed, but I often felt bored and restless and at loose ends for hours every day.  That's partly why I'm pushing to do more with my time and incorporate more things into my life.   I decided to limit my computer time and enjoy hobbies such as reading and genealogy.  I look forward to learning about new subjects and practicing new projects this coming year.  I want to try my hand at never tried but always meant to cooking projects and expand my skill set with crocheting and embroidery and quilting and more.

I look forward to seeing more of Sam and Bess and the boys.   I hope that Jd and the children stay within range but that is not in my hands.  If they are nearby, I'd like to see more of them, as well.  I want to make more time to travel as I'd planned to do to see Katie.  I'm hoping now that Taylor is a bit older Katie will  be able to come visit us a little more often when Matt is out of town.

I don't generally make resolutions for mundane things like losing weight but I'd really like to drop 20 pounds this year.  And I want to walk more often.  I know I can lose the weight if I focus and pay attention to portion sizes and making good choices.  Walking...well that's a stretching exercise, lol.  I've never seen the point of walking just to walk.  I have to figure out how I can incorporate this into my life with a meaningful purpose to it.  In these cool months I'll try to make it down to the mailbox on foot most days when it's not squishy wet and muddy.

I've done very well with blood sugars for the full of the past year.  I feel I have diabetes well in control at this point and I plan to continue with what clearly works for me but yes, losing weight would likely bring my numbers down to absolute normal at all times, so that's my goal.

I'm continuing to learn how to dress my shape and show my personal style in a way that flatters me.  It's such an individual process!  I am currently looking for a new hair stylist and a slightly altered pixie cut.  I don't think the one I've had the past three or four years is really meant for fine thin hair.  Certainly I've yet to find a stylist able to make it work for me, so maybe it's not the stylists.  As for clothing, I had a major purchase of a wardrobe in fall of this year, for the first time in years.  I was so grateful to have the funds to do it.  I made a few mistakes, some of which I've found ways to correct, and others that I simply must live with for a time but have definitely learned from.  I've still got a lot to learn but I do feel more confident and less random in my style.

Blog

I feel good about the quality of work I put into the blog this past year.  I hope to continue in that because writing is life blood to me.  I do mean to try to have a better balance focus overall rather than lean hard on money matters alone.  After all, a life is made up of far more than money, now isn't it?

I tried hard to post six days a week but it was not only a lot of hard work it sometimes meant I didn't have the quality work I like to see on my blog.  So I'll stick with my present pattern of blogging three or so times a week and doing a few series here and there when inspiration is running high.

Those are all my plans and I expect some and possibly all will be accomplished but who knows what all a new year will bring?   The run of hospitality I had here from September through December astonishes me.  Will God see fit to continue that trend?   There are always the unexpected things and I pray I meet those situations with grace and do not whine over much about what is out of my control.

Have you looked at your year ahead?  Did you make plans you'd like to share?