April Goals

I hope to be fully recovered from surgery before mid-April but did list things that I can do if I am not up and around much.

Daily: Flylady  habits: shine my sink, 15 mins decluttering, Get dressed with jewelry,and make the bed.All of these I do most days anyways.

Food:  Each of us eat 2 1/2 cups of veggies and 2 cups of fruit,eat from the pantry. I need to
inventory all 3 deep freezers, refrigerator freezer and pantries.I'll know if I need to get any staples in but at this point I don't think so.This will also let me know what we need to grow this year.

Gardens: condition straw bales(doing straw bale gardening as an experiment especially for growing potatoes)  refresh square foot gardens and till the in ground garden section. Prepare and plant pots.  Plan gardens based on what we need (which is why I need an updated inventory) for storage and what we are going to eat as fresh only. Armenian cucumbers for sure. Weed flower gardens and check on herb gardens Amish auction where we get most of our plants from is April 15th.

I will start picking up canning jar lids and supplies, for my vacuum bag sealer a little bit each time I go to the store.

Education: I have a nutrition class twice a week the month of April, taking a class of norm for me but this one has extra homework that I'm not used to so I will have to allow Homework Time also.I have down loaded a couple books on finances I want to read and a couple other "classes" that concern gardening and such.

I found a pattern for a skort which is what I prefer to wear in warm weather. I will have to get material for it this coming week. I need to catch up the mending I had planned to do while down now that I can wear my glasses so I can see what I am doing.I have an apron I prefer (based on 1940's canning apron) and will be making a pattern of it to sew more.I have worn out the aprons I have even though they aren't what I prefer.

My flowers are not coming in much yet, so I might if I find a good sale buy a couple more bouquets before May. We have a local florist that has sales pretty regular and has shown me how to make them last a couple weeks.Last batch I got from her lasted 3 wks. Not something frugal (she charges $15 and uses my vase) unless you count it's cheaper for me to be happy there is flowers on the table than depressed and back in for meds. I have S.A.D. so I save up through the "sunny" months to pay for "sunshine" items through the dreary ones.I was hoping my daffodils would be blooming before this bouquet died off.

I am still working on getting a good routine for the home blessing and garden work and food processing. I think the change is going to be me getting up earlier.

We have increased our savings and plan to pay off another bill with in the next 2 wks. Our goals of the last 5 yrs when we lost over 70% of our income for over 2 yrs(and our home) was to rebuild in 5 yrs. We had 28 debts and are down to 5. We decide to not buy a home in this area because when Hubby retires we won't need to live here and can move closer to the kids, grandkids and great grandson (due Aug). We are paying less here on the farm than if we were renting an apt.plus our landlord is okay with my gardening. He usually ends up with some of it anyways.

We have maintained the retirement even when we lost everything else. We could have borrowed against is but we wasn't willing. We can work and go without now instead of having to work in our 70s. We increase that amt every Jan.Better off than others our age but not where we want to be.

We have decided when we retire to living in about 1400 sq ft.with a 2  1/2 car garage or a 2 car garage with an 8 x 10 shed. SO we have chosen to start clearing this home(we rent 2200 sq ft, 2 1.2 car garage and about 20 x 30 storage) so a yr before we buy we are already living in that amt. We measured here and I know what rooms  have to be cleared.If I stacked what is in the storage up like I would a storage unit I could get by with a 10 x 10. This downsizing part will start be actively worked on  weekly starting the first week of April.

Have a blessed week.

Surgery update Celebrating

Why? First the surgery went very well and I didn't end up with the black eyes like I was warned I would have. Second after 2 wks I can wear my glasses. Even though my Doctor made a plastic bridge so I could, my face was too swollen for me to wear it.I can't read, drive or go outside in sunlight without glasses,I wear 4 pairs. I wasn't smiling in this picture because when I smile, my glasses slide down my nose, need to get those adjusted LOL. Recovery has been harder than I was prepared for and I still have the debridgement (final cleaning) for my nose on Friday. I was warned I would probably go backwards in recovery for 7-14 days.

On the frugal side, we didn't go anywhere except appts and one trip to the store to get more "quick" foods for Hubby to fix while I was down and to get more tissues as I had went through the first 10 boxes. For the month we remained on budget including the extra supplies needed due to the surgery and recovery.

We bought take out twice, both times fed us 4 meals for less than $5 a meal and I had actually figured on twice that amt in the food budget while I was down.

The car maintenance budget has taken a big hit, my son's car's front bearing is going out, he brought it to us for our mechanic to fix (his mechanic is having surgery) and I gave him my car and took his to our mechanic. The next day we had to call our mechanic and ask if we could drive it because our truck's fuel pump went out. So the mechanic brought us our son's car (can get back and forth to work last night but that's about it) and the fuel pump was ordered and should be in the truck today so we can once again get my son's car the to mechanic. MEANTIME my son calls and starts telling me things he found wasn't working right on MY car.Most of it Hubby can deal with if son doesn't go ahead and do on his own. I haven't been driving much since last fall and the car kind of sits. If Hubby didn't have to have a way to work I'd sell it but since his truck is a 1998 I'm not comfortable with it being the only thing here. Work is a bit too far away for him to be walking, let alone down a highway to get to work and he's the only one working 3rd in this area.

Blessed be

REALITY sigh

Feb 14th my reality became a sever nose bleeds  2-3 times a day with passing large clots...GROSS.

Got into on an emergency appt to primary doctor, who immediately scheduled me for ENT but that was 2 wk wait.SO now it's March

ENT doctor sends me to CT Scan which was a 1 wk wait.

Get CT scan and back to ENT doctor on same day and then schedule surgery...

First it was suppose to be March 24th (3 wk wait)...then the hospital blocked out that day so it got moved to the 29th ...meantime nose bleeds are starting to last about 30 min a couple times of day. ENT doctor is worrying that I am going to need to go through the ER to get surgery due to the stress it's causing with my heart failure.

THEN MIRACLE...someone canceled and I am going in the 17th...

Dealing with the bleeds and trying to get things done so I can be in recovery without a total mess on my hands or Hubby's as he get homeblessing and cheffing for 2 wks until I am recovered enough to do it. Has been hard with NO energy due to bleeding and not being able to breath right.

Main thing was the ENT doctor took one look and said we are fixing the problem right the first time (YES)...Reduction of turbinates (think filters for you nose) deviated septum straightened and rhinoplasty to fix the nose that has been broken and now turns black and blue when I wear my glasses because of how crooked it is. I wear glasses all the time now days. In fact I have 4 different pairs I have to wear depending on what I am trying to do. Sitting at the computer I can zoom if needed. He will be using a hard plastic bridge on my nose so I can wear my glasses while recovering.

MEANTIME trying to stay frugal.....Been eating at home mostly, not a lot as there is no appetite.
Did some decluttering so I won't be looking at it when I am down and can't deal with it. Helps with the depression.  Picked up some sour hard candy that is suppose to help with dry mouth and the taste of drainage. Had to buy some foods ...soft foods and medical supplies that was needed. Still we are in budget for the month since we know what we are eating while I am done.

Frugal also is the surgery was scheduled (17th) to reflect that Hubby wouldn't have to take off a whole week of work (lower paycheck as it doesn't include his shift pay or his EMT pay or his TL pay).

I already cooked a turkey and bagged the meat. Each bag will make 2 meals so it gives us 2 options of what we are eating. Tonight is ham, I will slice and dice leftovers and then but some back to grind for ham salad and scalloped potatoes and scrambled eggs. Bean soup also....I will be roasting a prime rib (in freezer, Christmas gift) for Monday(slice and dice it also) and having pork chops on Wed as that is the last night for 2 wks I can actually chew solid food and it's my favorite. Hubby might have to pick up some odds and ends and we have some friends that are willing to step in and help especially like laundry as I refuse to let him touch my wringer washer except to do maintenance.

I am going to gather a few things around that I can do that is sitting (and I don't have to wear glasses for) and I already down loaded books I want to read to my Fire Kindle. I have a list of things to do so when I whine I am bored Hubby can check it and remind me of what I wanted to get done.

I will do a good home blessing on Tuesday and Wednesday we will do the laundry and get the last of any groceries we need. Thursday morning I will do our finances (normal routine) and spend some time rubbing nuzzling my dogs as that won't happen for a bit.

I'm looking forward to getting this done as this is the 2nd time I've had surgery for my nose (31 yrs ago ) and I remember the pain of the packing, breathing through my mouth dryness and the pain of having the the packing removed...let alone my daughter that was 1 smacking me in the face pain....I am still ready to do this...hope the rest of my body agrees including my Crohns as usually stress triggers it big time and it's already complaining of the drainage with blood...

Blessed Be

Being Frugal when ill

It's very hard to do any kind of work when you spend 2-3 times a day with a sever nose bleed. Seeing ENT doctor today with hopefully a solution to the problem. Our humidity is at 45-50% so it's not dry air or blood thinners as I haven't been on them for a year.I am looking forward to answers, I am not looking forward to a very painful exam.

So in the last month what I have done to be frugal  is the following

Groceries came in $14.39 over budget.I need to focus on coupons and sales better for non food things. WHICH is pretty well stocked up except for the dogs stuff. I saved the average of 16.11% Goal is to be closer to 25% AND under budget.

We needed clothes...I've been hitting the thrift shops but not finding anything in our size or what we would wear. I'm looking at 60 and don't want to look like I am wearing something that belongs to my granddaughters.It's been almost 5 yrs since we bought new clothes beyond underclothes and socks and I wasn't looking forward to doing it. A friend clued me into retailmenot and freeshipping. Pretty much set for the next 3-5 yrs (HA HA) except for pants for Hubby (short legged) and pants/shorts/skorts for me. I got a lead on a pattern for skorts so I might end up making my own unless I take my favorite skort apart for a pattern. End savings for for clothes 76%...yes really I shopped clearances and sales, used discounts  and freeshipping. NOT only that but actually found tanks that I LOVE instead of just taking what I can find at the price I am willing to pay AND they were cheaper than what I usually spend. Kohls and Walmart online were the best I got. IT was even cheaper than the thrift store on some things.

I sorted the pantry, have one area yet to go through. Found I had things I needed to use up and some that needed to go on the list to buy when it goes on sale.

I saved a repair call , we have a frig that will freeze up a couple times a year, the repairman that is a friend said it's a character fault of the beast. Since I really like my frig and don't want to replace it , he showed me how to deal with it and save a $100 repair bill. While dealing with this I cleaned it very well and reorganized it so I had a place to put a container of fruit, a container of potatoes cooked for home fries and a half sheet with lid for when I make 1 sheet pan meals and want to prep in the morning.I put condiments together in bins also.

I decluttered 2 rooms (300 sq ft) and hauled it to the kids that wanted it. The plan is to only be using 1200 sq ft in this house by the end of summer so we can adjust to a smaller home when Hubby retires in 3 yrs.  I didn't have to pay for it to be hauled away AND I got to visit with the kids and grandkids.

We decided to try straw bale gardening this yr and give our north garden a rest. Plus with the way my health has been, it should be easier for Hubby to maintain if I go down,again, some more, what ever.
Bales were running around $4.25 so after putting it out we were looking for around 36 bales a friend offered to sell what he isn't going to use for $2 a bale.

Hope you are having a  Blessed Month