My goals for this month are not big hard goals ...However, after spending October with no goals and the second half of the month with John on vacation I am a bit antsy to DO something and goals are the best way to motivate myself.
First, I want to start with our grocery budget.
I often overspend or add in extras, etc. when I'm in the grocery and so my spending is often above my budget. Sometimes sales are really good, sometimes John wants extras that I haven't bought in a while, but mostly I buy because when it comes to groceries, I'm in the habit of buying. Ouch! That hurts to admit but it's truth. Every two weeks, regular as clock work we go shopping and I spend. And that's all fine and well if I really do need things or I'm concentrating on stocking up an area of my pantry or freezer that has fallen behind, but mostly that is not what I'm doing and I shop anyway. When we're on a retirement income there will be less budget and less wiggle room in my budget. And that means making sure what I spend fits what we have chosen to set as our budget.
My goal: $66 a week or $264 a month. I'd like at least 10 % of that money to be pantry boosters each pay period. And if I can possibly spend less, I most certainly will do so. I plan to share my spending on a weekly basis.
So for my first week of November I have spent: $72.68. I saved $43 in purchasing buy one get one sales this week. Nearly all of what I purchased was pantry staples this week. The one thing I know John will want that I didn't buy: chips. However, we have half a bag in the cupboard and he can surely last a week without more. I am a wee bit over my $66 budget by $6.68 and that is strictly due to purchasing half priced Halloween sales candy. However, I've enough candy on hand to last us a couple of months or so. I have learned that my best route is to fill the candy jar and then tuck the rest of the candy (or cookies, chips, etc.) away out of sight in the pantry. I don't refill it right away when it's empty either. We often have cookies or leftover dessert items and don't need to have loads of sweet on display. So yes, those two bags of candy will easily last us thru the end of Christmas.
I spent 'early' for this first pay period in November. I shopped on Friday, November 1 though payday is officially Monday and I typically don't spend before we're paid except during the major holiday season. I did so this time because there were some really good sales at Publix that I wanted to take advantage of and I was in the area on Friday. These sales would end Tuesday and I knew I'd be unable to shop on Tuesday. I'm trying hard to get a small stockpile for a sick shelf in the pantry: saltines, electrolyte drinks, lemons, honey, cough drops, tissues, gelatins, chicken and tomato soups, cold meds. These sales took me a good ways towards that goal as I've now got all but tissues. I'm going to set up a specific area of my pantry for sick day items as soon as I can manage to get time to make room.
I have been slowly culling through my cookbooks. I have two shelves of cookbooks and I typically use three...It just seems silly to keep a big book because I like 1 recipe in it. So I'm going through cookbooks and trying to determine which ones I want to keep and copying out recipes from those that have only one or two that I really want to use.
At some point this month I am going to plan and make a proper Thanksgiving meal. John just loves turkey and stuffing and all the other dishes that comprise a proper Thanksgiving meal. I've promised him I'll make a meal and I shall. Will I do it on Thanksgiving Day? I've no idea. We shall see how things are going but it will happen around that time.
I thought since there's such a short space of time between now and January (which we will call winter, lol) that I might try my hand at wearing my recently featured capsule wardrobe pieces. I had already separated the very lightweight things out of the main portion of my wardrobe to save for spring/summer wear. But in thinking about how I set things away in the pantry to keep us from using them all up at once, it occurred to me that doing something similar with my wardrobe is in actually 'saving' it for use at another time. So that is what I plan to do. I'm going to wear my 'capsule wardrobe' for fall and see how I manage.
I haven't done a thing in my yard in the past two months or so. I'm going to try and make it a priority this month to get it prepared for spring. I can do this by planting what I have on hand that needs to be planted: tulip bulbs, some daylily and iris I dug up in spring and have kept alive all summer long and which will live despite this late planting.
I have also investigated how to overwinter both the mandevilla and bougainvillea that I bought this year. Right now they are basking on the sunny front porch, along with my Boston Fern. John is not fond of my bringing plants indoors but I have explained to him that I paid a pretty penny for these plants and I want to take care of them to have next year if I possibly can.
That's my goals for this month. What are yours?
10 comments:
I am like you when it comes to letting expensive-ish plants just die at the when it gets cold out. I have overwintered mandevillas in the house before. I put them in a south facing window.I trimmed them up just a little before bringing them in, and made sure no stinkbugs were hiding on the vine. Mine dropped some leaves, but bloomed all winter and vined up the miniblinds. I should not have let it do that because it vined all in and out of the little cords that operate the blinds and it was really difficult to get the vines out.
Good luck overwintering your plants.
Thanks for sharing your goals with us!
I really need to try to get my grocery spending down. I was averaging about $100/week for the four of us, but this past month, I have been spending $115/120 a week. I don't know if prices have gone up that much or if I am just spending more. I'm guessing it is both. Have you noticed everything being more expensive lately?
Thanks for the idea for a sick shelf. I would like to do that too.
The pictures of your capsule wardrobe look lovely. I think you did a great job.
I'm hoping to keep some of my plants alive through the winter. I put my fern in the garage, and I want to repot my mother in law plant. Cats ate my bamboo plant leaves, but I'm going to try to repot it too.
Hope you have a great week.
I really stocked up on pantry things and splurged a bit on groceries this past month, so I too need to get back into buying what we “need” and that’s it. My freezers are stuffed with the harvest that I have put up and I must plan from them first!
Your comment on the sick cupboard reminded me that I must finish preparing that. My 3rd son had what looked like the flu this past weekend, but I had some homemade elderberry syrup that he took several times that day along with homeopathic oscillococcinum, which we rotated with an EO blend and he was much better yesterday. I finally ordered more elderberries this weekend as the harvest is in and if you don’t order them, you will be without. I guess elderberry syrup has become quite popular. I must make up a large batch and give a bottle to my two older sons who are out of the house, as well as my parents. I have them freeze it as I don’t put alcohol in my blend, but there is a lot of honey so you can keep it in the fridge for a while. Then I just need to turn to making an medicinal essential oil order and stock up on saltine crackers and I should be ready with that.
I must, must get the coat closet cleaned out, summer stuff in the basement, and organize and make sure everyone has winter outdoor gear that fits and is washed and ready to go. A dress coat must go to the dry cleaners.! I do not believe that we are getting an Indian Summer this year and I am caught not ready! The weather has turned cold and the forecast only shows that it will be colder. We had two early snows too. It may be one of those years that I don’t get my perennials cleaned up. We have a few leeks in the garden that must be dug up and then we just have to cut down the asparagus fronds now that we had a harder frost. It’s not very often that we get a year where the cold sets in right at the end of October and doesn’t lift. I don’t like doing yard work when it is in the 20s or 30s!!
I have been stocking up on soap making supplies and must order some lip balm tubes. I can make high quality lip balm for pennies a piece and everyone loves it. I put a combination of spearmint and peppermint essential oils in it, which goes well with the cocoa butter. I met a lady from a church who volunteers with the homeless and she wants to make some soap with me and put them in kits with some body butter and lip balm, and some shaving supplies for the men. Now that I am stocked up, I think I will tell her it’s a go. I have been wanting to give my soap to food pantries, etc., but I have to have them properly labeled. I have some 100% coconut oil soap cured and bought some washing soda and Borax so all I need to do it take some time to make a batch of homemade laundry soap. I have never done laundry soap before so I am excited. It will be such a savings if I like it. My 19 yo son said he was sick of buying expensive laundry soap, so that’s what gave me the push to finally try it.
Other than that, I will plan a proper Thanksgiving for here at home. Next weekend I plan to do our annual fall doughnut making day. I think it would be a good weekend to do that! Actually, eating doughnuts reminds me that I have to get back into the habit of walking almost every day....fell of the wagon there last few weeks and I can feel it. The colder weather does NOT entice me to walk!
I will be thinking of you and Katie the next few days and praying for Katie and her baby! Here’s to a wonderful November! Hugs to you.
I finally got my grocery shopping under control by really having a detailed list when I leave the house that I do not deviate from unless a super good deal presents itself at the store. I also have to need it. I have been guilty in the past of buying too much to get through while it is still good. Second guessing myself at the store always results in buying too much. If I did not put it on the list then I did not need it! And this is especially produce! You can do it! I am averaging $175 a month now and we eat very well. IBotta has helped me quite a bit. I cashed out for $55 last month and that all went right back into the grocery budget!
My number one goal is to have all the Christmas presents bought and wrapped to go home with our oldest son's family when they are here for Thanksgiving. I would really like to have most everything else bought by then too but all of it will not have to be wrapped.
I have my menu for Thanksgiving weekend written down and need to just pick up what we are lacking in the pantry. That will begin today with on sale turkey breast.
As usual we are looking at a house this morning and now I feel all at loose ends because what if it is actually THE house and we have to move at holiday time. YIKES!
Not the house. Teeny, tiny master shower and closet and the house smelled like pee. Ugh!
For anyone needing elderberry syrup and you don't have the availability of berries to make it-I have gotten it from Vitacost. Nature's Way is the brand.
Like Karen, our sick pantry is essential oils and taking D3 daily which just keeps us well. I do have a few oils in my cart at Hopewell that I need to go ahead and order. Hopewell's Tummy Soothe will knock out just about any stomach virus issue or food poisoning and even norovirus. You must take it internally in a capsule for it to work.
Susie, I don't have a single south facing window, but my front porch gets some southern sun each day and I'm trying to remember to put the plants OUT when it's nice and bring them in when it's to go below freezing. The porch is fairly protected too, so that's a help.
Kathy, I think things have gone up a little. Sarah was sharing in last post about meat prices rising on pork and beef due to the low grain harvest from the midwest's wet spring. It's something to keep in mind. After they reno'd our Aldi we had more products available and a higher turn around on produce so things spoil less often than they did BUT I also noticed some items are exactly the same price at mainstream groceries and prices overall were higher. So I"m back to the mode of looking for the lowest price.
Lana, sorry the house wasn't 'the one'. But it will come exactly when it's meant to come along and you'll sell yours as well. I am learning to stick hard to a list. Also to NOT walk into the store with Katie if Ive no need of anything. I just let her go do her own stuff, lol.
Karen, we really have to do very little winter prep overall, except wrap outdoor faucets and keep a light on in pump house when days and nights are right at freezing level. I can't even imagine the sort of cold you all have and that's truth. But now that it's gotten cool, our autumn appears to be just slightly cooler than in years past.
Food has definitely gone up in price. I’m not necessarily a couponer, because I mostly cook scratch. The things that I buy for snacks don’t usually have a coupon attached. My husband NEEDS his Pepsi and Doritos! 😂. So I indulge him because if nothing else in life, he wants to eat what he wants. After September 11th 2001, we look at things a little differently. I recently went to dollar tree, and noticed they have honey, and cherry type cough drops. I bought a couple packs for my stockpile, and travel tissues as well. We use a lot of NyQuil when we get sick here, and I swear it fixes a cold/ cough like magic! No doctors needed. So I do look for coupons for this item, and try to stock up. Have a great week!
Hi Terri!
My goals for this month are to continue decluttering. Last month I went through our longer term pantry and am so happy to have done this. We have more than I thought and after reorganizing I have so much more room and can actually easily find the things which was my biggest issue before the clean out haha! Obviously, the disorder defeated the purpose. My next project/goal for this month( and probably the next month as well... because it's out of hand...embarrassingly) is to totally declutter and reorganize my craft room/office. Also I need to do some spot painting in the master bath and get our new mirrors hung properly! While it's technically only two things, it's all I can focus on right now because the craft room is absolutely a HUGE project. So, please wish me good luck and pray for my sustained focus haha! I'm off now to do some laundry and finish tonight's meal so that it's ready to warm in the toaster oven for dinner. As I've probably told you, it's been my longtime habit to get dinner cooked and plated in the first half of the day and that allows me to relax with Mike in the evenings. It wasn't always feasible when all the kids were home, but with just Mike and I it's an almost perfect plan for us! Well...I'm off!
As always, thanks so much for the inspiration and thoughts.
Much love,
Tracey
x0x
Liz, for John it's Coke once a day and Aldi's brand wavy chips he wants now and then and very occasionally he'll ask for something else. John is the first one to cut back and go without when things are snug and I will not deny him the few treats he looks forward to. Like the pint of chocolate ice cream that costs exactly HALF what the big half gallon size costs but he won't allow himself that indulgence, lol. And I suppose in the end he IS saving us half isn't he?
Tracey, someone told me that I am always decluttering...And I explained that once having got atop the mess, you find yourself extremely loathe to let it go back to what it was. I am longing to dig into my things and cull a few but no time just now. It is indeed a concentrated effort! I love how you streamline dinner for the two of you. My goal when I plan big projects is always to start with our dinner preparations and then go get stuck in the project. Big hugs and prayers on your behalf for sure, lol!
Terri, I have been thinking and praying for Katie and her baby. I hope all went well! Hugs and love to you!
Post a Comment