August goals

Sit out on the front porch with my morning coffee (and according to Rascal, play ball).Miss Kira is still staying in the house, needs to cool off about 10° for her to want to be out much. She's over 11 yrs old so we don't fuss at her much about coming out with us.She does go out around the perimeter about 5:30 in the morning. I'm not ready to sit on the porch at that time.

I am still struggling adjusting my routine around my health. I am thinking of physical work one morning and then not doing any more physical work until the next day afternoon to give my body time to recover and hopefully get more done than what I am without causing a total break down where I am down for the count for weeks.

Keep up with the gardens coming in, tidy the gardens and plant some fall crops, not a lot just some.Clear the flower garden. Maybe get some fall pansys  for the front porch for this fall.

Reset the budget. We are coming out of a chapter 13 (Hubby went to 3 days a week for 2 yrs and we pretty much sold everything we could to survive until my medical bills with my heart failure hit and buried us).We know what we have to do to rebuild our credit BUT we also realize that by paying cash for most things we don't build credit that way.Our bank suggested a secure credit card through them that would be half of what we have/will have in savings then if we got hit with another 3 day a week work we would have the money to pay it off and not be in debt (we would pay it off before due EACH month anyways, Hubby learned that lesson) and it would help build the credit. They also suggested since we both have accounts (My son is connected to mine) that we split the savings between us instead of just in Hubby's and that way neither of us pays a fee(my son pays my fee but still).Other than that they felt we were doing really good compared to others customers that went through what we did as almost everyone in this area was affected by that 3 day work week.

Hubby is riding the motorcycle back and forth to work, truck takes 1 gal of gas to go to and from work,bike uses 1 gal to go 10 days to and from work. We do have to watch the weather, if storms are forecasted he doesn't ride, we had a friend get hit by lightening while riding to work and died.

We caught ourselves running to town 3-4 times a week and stopped that. I figured it was over changing when we went to the store to get double fuel pts and not changing when we ran errands plus we take the dogs to the vets for nail clipping (takes 2 people to hold them down to get them clipped and someone to clip them). So I am working on scheduling things when we will already BE in town.

Our youngest is helping me figure out where to cut the budget for the Tday dinner we have. We serve close to 40 people and we provide the most of the meal. I make most of it from scratch. Still through the years we have noticed the old favorites aren't getting ate and even though I don't mind the family taking home leftovers, I don't want to supply all the kids with a week's worth of groceries.Our one daughter has taken on some of the meat so that helps.

Continue to save one dollar bills for Christmas gag gifts (almost have enough). THEN it will be save for the gag gift , then the wrapping paper, then the scotch tape.

Also instead of both of us getting our eyeglasses the same year, we will rotate which one of us gets them.That dropped the budget $600 a year, I have big issues with my eyes . We already reuse frames unless the ins is paying for the frame. We go where our ins pays for the glasses but we both NEED the extras and the ins only pays for basic. My reading glasses (I wear 3 pairs, down from 4 prs) is my cheapest at $25. Our eye doctor runs my most expensive pair through ins first.

Our mechanic (He is a BLESSING) suggested we split getting tires as get 2 tires every 6 months and put the spares in that rotation. He does this for a lot of his senior customers and himself.He is good about checking things out and maintenance. Like telling our son that his tie rod will need replaced so the next oil change that will be done also as you have to remove the oil filter to remove the tie rod.

I talked to my 3 doctors, they have changed my medication so I am still being taken care of but keeping the costs down. My left thumb has a scar that peels regularly. They have prescribed different things that help some for awhile. My primary's daughter that is a doctor also that does missionary work told me to use petroleum jelly. They use it for open wounds etc in the missionary work. It has helped the most and for the longest.SO I need to focus on updating my knowledge of natural meds. Both my great grandmothers are probably rolling in their graves with lack of use I do. One was a "wise" woman (old Celtic) and the other a medicine woman (Cherokee/Black Foot).

I  am focus on keeping the electric bill down to $100 (that's the lowest it goes here and it was running $450 when we moved in, electric heat upstairs and no insulation) and I have already dropped the propane budget down another third from last year. Which is over half from what it was (heats 1st floor only).Landlord replaced the back door( it almost fell off) so that will help. I want to do some caulking on some windows, add batting or old blankets to old curtains to help and plastic the one bedroom window upstairs that is really bad but landlord isn't going to replace it yet.Farm isn't making enough to pay for the repairs.

Stock the non-food. For the first time I have a non-food list and I've been stocking it up with sales and coupons.I printed it off, highlighted with orange what was a NEED NOW, highlighted with yellow is going to need soon and highlighted with green with if on sale and have coupon. What isn't highlighted isn't needed. I do need some shelving to organize this. I have some barn doors that are coming apart, I am going to see if I can use them to make shelves.

Stock the pantry. SIGH..okay deep breath , first, stock the pantry so I can make cookies and candy for Christmas....When I got eggs for 49¢ a dozen I dehydrated 12 dozen for cookies. That's the amt I need to make them. Now eggs are 79¢ a dozen, I am going to get some to dehydrate to make noodles for Tday. They usually run over $1.29 a dozen. I have been matching coupons and sales for baking items.I know I use over 50 lbs of flour so that's on the list.

I updated my pantry list after the last buying session, I printed off only what is needed, if it's not on this list , I don't need to buy it even if it's on sale. My money needs to be stocking what is not already in the pantry at what I consider a "full" amt.I highlighted in orange what was needed now, yellow soon, green is coupons and sales BUT blue is buy in season...example is winter squash, potatoes,sweet potatoes and storage onions.Maple syrup and pie fillings at Tday. Pumpkin in Oct and Nov.Honey is starting to go up in price so I need to get it now.

I'll be moving some of what I store to other places so they store better. My Dad gave me some milk crates for my potatoes with the advice to hang them from the beams or put up on wood and not on concrete.

I plan to finish painting the craft room and set it up so I can do the sewing I want to get down and make the crafts for Christmas without having to keep clearing the dining table.