Life Changes

 March 10th 2018 we bought this farm for a half of million..Thirty year loan. Not what I wanted but Hubby missed farming. I insisted NO farm animals. Looking at being 60, I didn't want to be dealing with 4:30 am( I am up and down all night with Charlotte that is giving our youngest a run for the money of getting me up more than the now 42 yr old) and evening duties. He was okay with that. We planned to raise most of our veggies, a couple years later we added berries. 

IN 2021, interest dropped to half so I talked Hubby into refinancing. BUT still a 30 yr loan.  BUT I had the debt down to $350 K. So between the first loan and second we were looking at 34 yrs of loan total.

Hubby wants it paid off by March 2031.I already have it paid down to Oct. 2041.I figured it up and kept my mouth shut on how tight the budget would be until he told me WHY.

Social Security is forecasted to run out in 2032, the year the truck is paid off. I don't want to use MY $$ from my late dad to pay off the house, but to cover emergency expenses that Hubby never thought of...like a pto hose on tractor that just broke or the $17000 on the basement repair or the blowed drain to the county drain that runs across 2 acres from the barn to the county pipe.

So where to cut???

Buy 2 tons coal we  had not been firm on and add it to the wood especially at night or when we go away, to make the wood stove heat last longer. We should have enough coal to go 3 years.That will stretch the wood supply AND make it easier for Hubby. The heat this summer has been too high for him to be cutting wood.  He's commented daily he is behind on that...like looking out by the fence between us and E and seeing 2 large tree trunks that still need cut up for winter wood wouldn't clue me in on that.

Get wood scraps (sometimes free) and blocks from Amish sawmill. Less than $1000 for a years worth of heat. I use the wood scraps to take the chill off the house. Some call it the shoulder months. That would be there early fall and late spring.

Get mineral spirits for oil lamps to keep electric down. Open curtains for light.

I got the propane already for the other cook stove, instant hot water heater, pump house heater and the furnace.Saved $1/gallon($500 total) by ordering and prepaying early and got the grill tank filled for free. What ever we don't use will be transferred to the following year. Got the amount down from 2200 gallons first year we lived here to 225 gallons this past winter.

Called our insurance agent for house and trucks. Got rid of 1 truck, not easy to adjust to that. But it dropped ins some about $200/month , didn't change coverage on farm.

Saved $$ for meat we will have come in this late fall. I put it in Ally CDs so getting some interest also.KEEPS hands off it also instead of the mental thought "I can save it up again".

Reread some cookbooks for frugal basic dishes that have disappeared through the years. A lot of Amish do one in the oven, one on stove top and one from the shelf (pickles, fruit etc) for their lunch and suppers. One told me she makes a casserole one day, left over casserole is made into soup for the lunch the next day. Oatmeal, potatoes and eggs with bread is most mornings unless they do a bfast casserole.M has 14 in the family, she does scrambled eggs with a little meat if any is left over from the night before serves it with oatmeal and bread most mornings. Bfast is at 5:30 after chores. Their day starts at 4:30 A.M. and ends around 9-no later than 10 at night. She averages $200 a month for groceries that they can't raise theirself like sugar 

Found a recipe book called One skillet that has several recipes we already have to stuff for. Made note of that to focus on using what we have. 

Decided to can most of the meat we have coming in late fall/early winter. So checked if I needed lids or jars. Don't need either. Should have enough to can it. 

FYI,  I use about 10,000 canning jars a year.I did a order through ULine during the pandemic, ordered a semi load, shared the order with some of the Amish. BEST thing I did and the jars were half of what store costs was if you could even find them.

I ordered food grade buckets with Gamma lids to change pasta and dried fruit to buckets and free up qrt jars. Debated on that one but Hubby has tremors and had dropped a couple glass jars when getting dried fruit. 

Goals for Sept.

Get the basement pantry back together. Should be finished Tuesday and then have to let cement cure before moving shelving units back in.

Make list of what is needed, looking at changing from 18 month supplies to at least 2 yrs./2 1/2 yrs.

Soup at least once a week. Take eating out or ordering down to once a month.

Update vaccines

Add more wood/coal to supply

Order bulk softener salt delivery. 

Get more mineral spirits for oil lamps

Clear the gardens and finish dehydrating...cabbages, kale, onions, celery, carrots. ETC.

Separate shelfstable foods from rest, have in another area or at least shelving unit.

Straighten and update medical supplies.

Start the deep cleaning.

Find a place to store what we want to get rid of during township sping clean up day.

Back in to routine of dropping off donations *not sitting at the front door for WEEKS.

Go through the garden supplies and seeds. Make list before the catalogs start coming in. 

That might go through October. My fibromyagia is playing with my cerebral palsy and it's not a nice time.

Stay safe,