FRUGAL JULY

 https://www.frugalwoods.com/2022/06/23/join-me-for-the-july-2022-uber-frugal-month-challenge/

I have joined this challenge for years and she usually does it twice a year.

I told Hubby we were doing it again.

 We are 1/3rd to having what we need to pay off the grid items and  next year's health ins deductible. 

I moved money to savings after paying the bills. Left only a couple hundred in checking and Hubby decided to leave his personal credit card at home. He has to carry the business one as he usually gets diesel once a day if he has worked all day hauling.

 He handed me a list of two things we might need to buy , batteries for the solar pump that he hasn't even priced (update... $1000 for the 2 batteries) but will need when it comes in and a new saw (his table saw died so he is using a small chain saw) to cut the wood he is bringing home (update...hasn't found anything that will work better) .

 Groceries will be, milk, heavy cream and half and half.  Dog food for Charlotte. No stock up bought. It will go on a list for later. Will do  celery, carrots, fresh mushrooms and tricolored bell peppers(I can't eat green which is actually not ripe bell peppers) once a month. Grocery budget is set at $200. 

He frowned when I said NO EATING OUT. He said he noticed more and more of the Amish men are eating what he calls a lettuce sandwich, the lettuce has replaced the bread and there is only 1 lettuce leaf. We have plenty of lettuce in the garden at the moment LOL. 

Instead of spending $300/cord of wood (going price) he is lending an Amish his small trailer to haul wood (not cured yet) to the Amish's dad and a widow and reloading the trailer with leftover slab wood from his saw mill which is CURED hard wood. Means we don't have to stack it twice, once for curing, lots of air needed etc. compared to cutting and stacking directly in to barn . We won't need much if any kindling wood and we can get that for free from E. We should get another load in a couple weeks from the other guy. Gives Hubby a chance to catch up with cutting it.(Side Note, E has offered to come over and finish cutting slab wood since he borrowed his brother's saw to get some of his own wood cut) 

Hubby signed the papers to have his IRAs transferred to the same place I go. The other place said Hubby need to have 10 % on federal taxes (I said 15%) My guy had me call who did our taxes and she said 14% average is good ball park figure. Do not want to owe a lot but don't need to give the gov't an interest free loan of our money.  We would have owed over $3000 in federal taxes if he had agreed to the 10% federal tax.  Hubby called them and let them know he was transferring his money. He also told them the 10% would have cost him over $3000 in federal taxes as it was an incorrect amount. The office manager called when she got back from her vacation and told him she would have never let it go through as she knows there is other income in the home and that changes the rate of taxes. She had the corp. send notices out to ALL to not base taxes only on what is being with drawled but on total income of household. Glad we said something. My place charges 1/5th of what Hubby's place charges plus it's 25 mins. away AND we can go see his parents at the same time. That will also save us $125/ year in gas AND 10 hrs. of travel time. 

Even with it being hot we have still kept the AC off. ONLY if the house gets 85 do we turn on the AC and then will shut it down when the outside temp drops below that. 

Harvest from the gardens. 1 tomato, several cherry tomatoes, lettuce, turnips (greens dehydrated), scallions, red raspberries, and blackberries.

Given 4 zucchini, 6 dozen eggs, and a raspberry pie.

I made angel food cake (had peaches and mixed berries as options to put on it) and peach ice cream. 

Meals were:

fried egg sandwich with salad

Homemade pizza Twice

BLT wraps

zucchini bread pancakes  

Lunch meat wraps (finished lunch meat)

Frittata