Sept grocery round up

We finished the month at $468.92...that's over our $350 budget by $118.92.

I don't feel bad about it because $63.00 of that was 4 1/2 bushels of green beans which made 243 pints of green beans.That comes out to be 26¢ per pint (a 15.5 oz can is running $1.69 here) AND we got 12 acorn squash for $5.70 that would have cost us $17.59 at the local farmer's market.

 The rest of the over budget amount was eating out twice while I was canning the 243 pints and then taking Pat out after his last soccer game which they won.

October's budget is $600. I know we will be stocking up on winter squash,onions and potatoes on top of starting to stock up for the holiday baking.

I would love to find a used chest freezer before Nov  but that is low on the buy list.

Blessed Be

Grocery update

We didn't do so well last week with our grocery budget.  I spent $67.03 at the grocery store and that included some stocking up. That part was good...the bad part was I didn't check the calendar when I made the menu and didn't take in account there would be 2 nights of us not being home until around 7 pm...not a good time to start cooking or even eating when Pat goes to bed at 8 and Hubby goes to work at 8:30.

So I spent $21.98 at Taco Bells getting 2 boxes of soft tacos. That fed us with additions of fruit and raw veggies for dinner , Hubby's lunch at work, and the next night's dinner also.

The other time was I had been canning all day, knew I would be the day before but still didn't engage the brain and fix something so I wouldn't be trying to deal with all the canning and the dinner.Hubby called in a couple orders for fried chicken (4 pieces and sides each meal that we split 4 ways ) at a tavern (which is known more for it's food) that is only 3 miles away. He spent $20.49...actually we got it for a better deal....the server gave Hubby the wrong meals and he didn't realize it until I opened it up at home so they gave those to us free and he went back and got our chicken. So we had extra veggies that night and Hubby got 2 extra lunches and Pat got to have chili fries with the left over fries.Works for me LOL.

This week I really checked the calendar, paid attention to the fact I will have more canning to do this week and several appointments.We are also trying to get more color on our plates which meant more fruits and veggies then I normally get since we lost most of our colorful veggies and fruits when the deep freezer died.

Still we have $28.45 left out of the $350 budget and 9 more days of this month.I might splurge and buy some pork chops as they have been out of our budget for a couple months now. I will see...

Blessed Be

The day of rest and the week to come.

I am looking forward to when our trees look like this.I won't have to rake them because they blow away over the fields so I get the pleasure of looking without the work though I image I will have to rake some up or let Pat rake some up for him to jump in. Maybe burn a few since we can do open burn in this area if the winds are not blowing much.

Hard to rest today when I look around and see all the work still to do before winter hits. I compromise with myself and spent the day planning for the work load this week.

I hope to have most of the harvest done this week and most of the gardens prepped for winter.It would be nice to not start my spring planting with clearing last year's mess.

I have started the fall cleaning and weatherization, yes, even though I do Flylady (www.flylady.net) I still do fall cleaning. I just break it down in to steps so I don't over whelm my self...or at least I try to. Yesterday I spent 6 hours in the pantry in the basement and I know I have another 4-5 hrs left of cleaning, reorganizing,inventorying etc left to do in that area (12 x 26 with 8 ft ceilings which the shelves go to the ceiling.... 32 shelves that are 3 x 8). That is the priority of this week as I need to keep the groceries down as low as possible and by not knowing what is in the pantry I end up buying food while what is in the pantry goes to waste.

I am not going to get my sewing done like I want until the harvest is done and I can paint my craft room and set up my sewing area again.

Blessed be

Grocery budget update,goals,frugal accomplishments

Grocery budget update : we spent $62.09 this week. We bought 31 lbs of dog food (will last 2 wks) and 3 bags of softener salt which came to $42.73 of that $62.09. Non-food costs us more than actual food ( this week was only veggies) does most of the time.

We haven't eaten out, Hubby and Pat even pushed their lunches back last Saturday until they got to the cookout so they wouldn't be spending any money eating out.

I fixed pizza and spag at the beginning of the week and we ate it as left overs the rest of the week until last night. Last night was breaded pork tenderloin for us and grilled cheese for Pat, his lucky sandwich when he has games. It's just Hubby and I this weekend as Pat is going to spend the weekend with his Dad so we will just raid and see what we find to eat.

I didn't accomplish much of any thing with my goals. Had a lot of appointments and phone calls to get medical bills paid (GRRRR) that should have just been paid the first time. Hopefully I will be able to get more done this week even though I have some appt or game almost every day to get to.

Frugal accomplishments....we didn't waste any food this week...not one thing :) I mended a couple tee shirts for Pat and sewed a button on a shirt for Hubby. I moved laundry day so I could use the clothes line.

Be safe
Blessed Be

This week's groceries

Last week I spent $43.36 and it was on non-food only not even a gal of milk. :)

This week I spent $54.70 on food. Bought milk, half and half, coffee beans, baking potatoes,apples,2 juices, 4 dozen eggs,and a loaf of sliced white bread.

That brings the total so far to $98.06 leaving $251.94 out of the $350. budget I set for this month.

I have realized that Hubby and I are not on the same page of what to do with the leftovers or other items that need ate with in a few days.

I usually put these type of items in the frig in the kitchen, the one that has the water pitcher and milk so during the day I see them and figure out how to serve them.

Hubby put them in the white frig as there was more room...and I didn't notice it or more I didn't pay attention so we lost a couple things :(  I figured out it came to about $5 but still that is the same as pouring 2 gals of milk down the drain.

So we talked about figuring out where the items go, and to list them on the menu immediately or put them in the freezer.

I am looking at how to organize the frigs better also.

Other good news is we didn't eat out at all but boy did I want to with the appts and game during the week

Hubby and Pat might today grab a sandwich because they are working the parade in town this morning and I did make sure both had a good breakfast and then going to a HAM radio thing this afternoon. I know they will have hotdogs and brats at the HAM radio thing because our friend told me that he was grilling them for the group but it might be more of a dinner thing than a lunch thing.

All week our dinners average $2-$4 per meal (3 ,might as well say adults as Pat eats as much as I do and I am not a small eater, and then we pack Hubby's lunch for workout of dinner)...not per serving. The main part of the meal is out of our garden or friends gardens that was given to us free. Meat has been more of a condiment than the main course but with us eating protein through the day I don't worry about that being low at dinner.

I baked bread today using a different recipe. Cheaper 18 ¢ per loaf compared to my 32¢ per loaf recipe. I spent $16.83 a month for the last 4 months to buy just bread. That is way too much on something I can make that is just as good if not better.

This coming week is going to be a rough one. We have an appt or a soccer game right at dinner time 4 nights this week. Pat eats early on game nights so he doesn't get tummy cramps during the game.So those nights need to be something he can eat before the game and Hubby and I can eat after the game.

I am thinking of the following:

Sunday is left over pizza or baked potatoes and corn on the cob. We have a reunion that day and we will pig out there.

Monday: spaghetti and meatballs (the "boys' favorite) salad with lots of veggies, home made bread and mandarin oranges

Tuesday: Chicken nuggets, sweet potato fries, corn on the cob, carrots and dip and apple slices

Wednesday: beef roast with root veggies,home made bread, cobbler or crisp depending on what fruit needs used up.

Thursday: beef in homemade noodles, mashed potatoes, coleslaw or veggie salad (depending on what needs used up) and some kind of fruit...depending on what needs used up.

Friday is still open...maybe leftovers if there is any or a breakfast for dinner.

Saturday will depend on whether my son and his family can come up or not.

Blessed be

What to do?

Which bill do we pay? The rent that the landlord is okay with being late as we do work on the house for lower rent anyways or the medical bill that we save on by paying ahead of time?

What necessities have to be bought? Last week was none food, this week is food.

What do we do about the child that says one thing to us and another to his teacher and both are lies that could cause someone trouble?

What do we do about the mother of the child (our daughter) that isn't doing what she should so she can see him (been a month) let alone have him living with her again?

What do we do about both the SUV and the truck needing repairs?

Do I work on the house getting it winterized for this winter?

OR

Do the washing that has the winter bedding and clothes so I can dry them on the line to keep the electric bill down.

OR

Just focus on the incoming harvest?

Trying to do all 3 just put me down for 2 days with my Crohn's. It doesn't like stress...Even my Hubby that never has complained of stress in over 20 yrs. complained of stress yesterday and considering we have dealt with 2 different children being suicidal, kids losing homes, us losing homes, my heart failure, my Crohn's and his work went down to 3 days a week for 2 yrs and mine going away completely causing us into a Chapter 13 bankruptcy (slow pay)etc...it takes a lot for him to acknowledge he is stressing...which, of course, stressed me even more.

What to do?

Hold on to my faith with both hands.

Take a deep breath, release....okay, do it again and again and again.

First is, pay the medical bill, landlord is okay with being paid on next Thursday. His running joke is he knows were we live and he can always shop for his groceries in my pantry...true, very true and he knows if we weren't here that the house would sit empty and he would have nothing coming in anyways except the bills of keeping it in good condition. It's the old homestead and he was leery of renting it out anyways and can't rent to family due to tax reasons.

Second,I think milk, coffee beans (we use less if we grind our own then if we buy ground coffee, saves us about $10/wk) and possible in season fruit and veggies that we don't have in our garden.

Third,Okay, we dumped that on the school counselor and his psychologist. I am dumping mine on my counselor.

Fourth, I can't force my daughter to do anything, it's to the point that she threatens to harm us if we are anywhere near her. I leave her in God's hands.THAT IS HARD.

Fifth,make a list of repairs needed, price out what is needed and prioritize the repairs. What can we do ourselves and what will have to be hired. We have 2 very good and affordable mechanics.

LAST...winter wash, weatherization,harvest...all 3 are very important but nothing gets done when I am down with my Crohn's. I can weatherize when it's raining, I can do the winter wash on good days. Harvest can be done rain or shine...the in ground garden is when its shine and the rest in square foot gardens can be done in the rain. I have been known to put my muck boots on and go in the in ground garden and harvest...horrible and messy but doable.

Sometimes I just need to stop and write it out.

Goals for this week

Caulk windows the 2 of the upstairs bedrooms, the last 5 windows out of 24.

Caulk the crown molding in the one upstairs bedroom.

Craft room:second coat of primer, 2 coats of paint, closet painted, woodwork cleaned and oiled and room put back together ORGANIZED.

Sewing including insulated curtains for all windows and Autumn aprons and finish the mending.

Write up description and post at Hubby's work the front load washer we have removed from basement and is now sitting in the garage.

Fall clean 9 rooms (half of what I have to do) including getting it ready for winter.

Finish inventorying the basement pantry, set it up for the last of the crops to come in(area for root cellar) and give it a good cleaning which is one of those 9 rooms of fall cleaning).

Check out FaceBook's garage sale page for book shelves.

Continue with the canning of tomatoes,banana peppers, cabbage and what ever else comes our way.

I plan to buy Pat some knit hats and knit gloves along with a heavy winter coat. I will start looking at yard sales and thrift shops for these items now and buy new as a last resort.

We will eat from the pantry...no fast food this week. Between doctor appointments, counseling sessions, soccer practices,and tests at the hospital we have been eating out a lot.

Blessed Be

Thanks Brandi the prudent homemaker

Brandi does frugal accomplishments and weekly goals over at
theprudenthomemakerblog.blogspot.com.

My frugal accomplishments this past week were:

I mended 2 shirts and 2 pairs of shorts.

I glued a pair of shoes back together for myself.

The dryer died, but we were storing our son's dryer so he is "lending" it to us until he decides if he needs it back or not. Hubby tightened the clothes lines so I can hang the wash on good days. I have been trying to float when I do the laundry to days that I can use the line and if we need something that can't wait I hang it on the drying rack in the basement.

Hubby has been taking the motorcycle to work instead of driving the truck when weather is good.

Tomatoes, green beans, banana peppers and green bell peppers, zucchini and yellow squash has been coming in so they have been canned, froze or dehydrated.

Some friends gave us some zucchini, cantaloupe,banana peppers, hot peppers, green bell peppers and cucumbers. They are pretty much to the point of just eating from the garden instead of preserving it..

I am trying to use hydroponic with my strawberry runners to get more plants so put else where and to share with the friend that gave me the produce.

I gathered some of the seeds from the lettuce plant I allowed to go to seed. It's one of them that we prefer. I have some green beans that I am allowing to dry on the vine to replant next year also.I am thinking of saving a couple other green beans also to have the different varieties.

I combined my appointment this with getting the non-food this week and saved $13.10 at the dollar store.

I used my coupons and bought fabric on sale for clothes and home items, including a couple Christmas gifts I need to make and saved $76.20 which shocked the register lady along with Hubby. PLUS got another coupon if I go back this week.

I used my swagbucks to order a couple books from Amazon for free and am saving up again for a book that is on order for end of Oct. Half way to that amount.

We spent Saturday evening with friends and had a cook out.

Blessed be

Back in the old days

of my childhood...this kitchen picture was close to what my Mother's uncle had built in the home we lived in except we had a cabinet under the sink and the top cabinets didn't come all the way down to the counter. The apron was one like my great-uncle's mother-in-law from Italy wore. She insisted I call her Nonna and tell people I was her granddaughter. I didn't have any problem with that at all as I spent as much time as I could with her and my great-aunt and her sister.

Even though money was extremely tight, Mother was not frugal in the kitchen. The only casseroles she ever made was tuna noodle and scalloped potatoes and ham. The only soups was bean soup and chili made with hamburger. There was always a piece of meat, (Dad hunted and fished or there was no meat), potatoes, usually fried, two veggies that had been canned from our garden or that someone gave us that Mother canned if the garden wasn't producing. There was store bought bread and real butter, maybe pudding if the farm that my brother worked at gave us milk or jello. Fruit was only in season and what ever was in the neighborhood. Christmas gifts was an orange. I remember the first time Dad bought meat at the local grocery that had a butcher cut the meat right there. It was t-bone steak, one for each of us. My brother had gotten accepted to a private college, received a scholarship for playing football and Dad had just made the payment for his freshman year. We celebrated with that steak on the grill, we had baked potato with sour cream and butter and a tossed salad and corn on the cob. I didn't see that meal on our table again until my brother graduated from college four years later.

Why the thought of that time? Because I need to cut the budget to make the bills that have came with taking on a grandson to raise and preparing for a winter that they are forecasting to be just like last year...below zero and lots of snow. I am also dealing with losing the deep freezer and all the food that was in it.

So I have accepted Mary's challenge over at www.owlhaven.net/2014/08/29/join-my-spending-challenge. I plan to spend half of what we have been averaging for the months since there is now 3 of us for the month of September. I am hoping for less but the goal is NO MORE than $350 for food and non-food.

Have a blessed day

Garden and juggling act

The tomatoes have started coming in on a daily bases of this amount. I have the blisters inside my mouth that shows I can't control myself with constant eating them or the cherry tomatoes. I finally got myself to at least drink water between them :) . A lot of the plants are starting to die off. That's okay as I have tomatoes that I canned last year still in the pantry. Just filling in the holes so to speak with this years.

The zucchini, yellow squash and cucumbers have died. I might get a couple cantaloupe yet, they are small but don't seem to be growing much.

The yellow wax beans and the first planting of state green beans are pretty much done. I will pull them this week and plant something for this late fall/winter harvest.

The second planting of state green beans and the KY wonder beans are starting to need picked every third day.

The Italian beans are just coming on but haven't started filling out.They were mislabeled as bush beans but are viners so I have a bit of mess of them.

I have some small heads of cabbage that will be ready in a few days. They are from the heads I cut instead of pulling the root out.

I downloaded to my kindle pc "Winter Harvest Handbook" By Eliot Coleman. To the dismay on my Hubby I have decided to try my hand again at a winter garden. The second year here I did one 4x4 (Square Foot gardening) and it was decent until Jan when the winds took it out. We have a lot of high winds here so I think I have figured out how to deal with it.

We have lots of doctors appointments and testing for Pat this week besides my own is going to be a juggling act to put meals on the table between those appointments, soccer practice (almost forgot that one) and the canning that I will be doing.

We will be spending Saturday at our oldest daughter's home to help them finish putting the fence up.

I would like to get some bread baking done but that keeps getting shoved to the bottom of the list. Going to have to suck up the heat and the time...maybe Wednesday when I have to keep Pat up later than normal due to the test the next morning . They want him tired...that's find except I don't do well at staying awake that late and then getting up earlier. I wonder which one of us is going to be the grumpy one.

I have some mending to do that I need to pull out the sewing machine for. Haven't gotten to that either.

Best get back to it, dinner needs to be done so we can get to practice.

Blessed Be

When there is a major loss....

   trauma trauma trauma...
what you are looking at is our main deep freezer that died and everything thawed and was very very warm when I found it.I am usually in it every day even if just to check on it since it's in the garage. Monday I wasn't and Tuesday morning I found it a very warm mess.

All of the broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, zucchini,berries and melons etc. that I had harvested and preserved this year for this coming winter gone. All of our large roasts that was in the bottom drawer and the last of last year's corn gone.

This is a very serious set back for us.

First, that just wiped out 60% of our winter side dishes and 100% of the desserts. Second, those 10 large pieces of meat were a month's worth of entrees for lunch and dinner. Third,I won't be able to replace those veggies and fruit as they are not in season now and fourth...we can't afford to replace the freezer until late fall or maybe even next spring. So fifth, I don't have a place for turkeys,hams and prime rib roasts (I get it for Hubby for his Christmas present when it's on sale)come this fall. That is our main meat supply for the rest of the year.

We have already priced a new freezer so I know what we need to save.

I striped the old freezer of the shelves and drawers. I will use the shelves in the root cellar since I definitely will need to get that done asap so I can at least have some root veggies for fresh veggies this year.

My Daddy called because he had me on his mind and probably wished he hadn't after I downloaded my pity party. He reminded me that both him and Mother grew up with less, that Mother even went hungry and they both were fine and healthy. I needed to be thankful for what I do have, focus on what I can do (root cellar like my childhood) and take those steps.

I am also planting a fall garden, something we had decided against due to other commitments but now putting food on the table is the priority.

I an thankful that it was NOW and not after I loaded it with 6-8 turkeys, 4-6 hams and the prime rib roasts(depends on price and money flow on how many).

Blessed be

August :A New Month

Row after row of field corn ripening in the warm sun of an August day.

This is my time of harvest and preparing for our home for the coming winter.

This year on top of that normal heavy work load we have custody of a young grandson and with us he has a totally different lifestyle and a lot of  counseling and doctor appointments to get through...with me right along beside him each step of the way. We have adjusted better to our changes in our routines then we thought we would.

The last few days I've been laid up from a procedure so I took this time to think about what needed to change to get it all done (yeah right) and smooth things out so I am not running in crisis mode (HEAVENS PLEASE).

First I did a Control Journal (www.flylady.net) for him. Broke down morning, afternoon, evening and bed routines as he does better with being able to read it as he doesn't do well trying to remember things even after doing them for the last 4 months. I also broke his room done into zones so he isn't trying to clean it all in one day, wasting his Saturday of play time.We set times as he has problem with time management. We are strict with that Sunday is the Day of Rest and Church. Even with me down today, he immediately asked if Granddad and him were going to church...YES!!!!!

Now I am working on my own Control Journal, a menu plan that has covers the entire day and lists the sides and adjusting the grocery budget as it almost doubled with having a person in the house with a sugar issue. Can't just fill that empty pit up with bread or grains when it sends sugar up. Already had to change my nightly glass of milk because he can't drink milk at night or his sugar is through the roof even with exercise....bike riding...for at least 30 min after. :(

I started updating my Christmas/winter holiday Control Journal...21 weeks to that as there will be extra "celebrations" and  more gifts under that tree including from Santa....another increase in the budget that has to be worked in.

I need to let some of it stew in my head of what days to do what with acknowledging soccer practice etc that is now in my life.

Blessed be

Weather and back to school

My hand is 6 inches, these were around 2-2 1/2 each. Thank the heavens that there wasn't many of them so there wasn't much damage yesterday when it hit.

I got Pat's bus schedule for school, bus will be here at 7:10 so he has to be at the end of the lane at 7:00. That wouldn't be all bad except he gets motion sickness when he eat and rides so he has to DONE eating by 6:00 so not to get sick. His wake up call is now at 5:45 A.M. just like last year. We were hoping since we transferred him to the local school there would be a later start to our ( MY )day. The good news is he will be home by 3:30 and that's about 1 1/2 hrs earlier than last year.

I also won't be on the road 5 hrs a day with transporting him so along with the huge savings in money I will be able to get my own work done instead of sliding it to the back burner and operating in crisis mode.

I've been inventorying the freezers and doing a good cleaning. Down to the last one in the kitchen refrigerator to do tomorrow morning as I start the "back to school" schedule since my wake up call will be 4:45 A.M.

Hope everyone is doing well...and HEALTHY

Blessed Be

Best laid plans

The best laid plans... is when the produce it coming in, stop every thing else :)

Usually I get about 1/4th of the cabbage I plant and no cauliflower. This year I got 1/4th the of the cauliflower and almost everyone of the 90 some heads of cabbage I planted. Wished I had made sure they were Kraut cabbage, being what they are, more of a spring cabbage than fall, they are too dry to make kraut so I am pickling some, made cabbage rolls for the freezer, blanched some and am dehydrating some.

Pat started riding his bike, still can't start off at a standing stop, needs an incline to get it moving but he is riding and keeping his balance for short distances.

We have also got back some news about Pat's medical problems. He is hypoglycemic and has issues with red food coloring. We are still jumping hoops with ins. for testing of other things including a learning disability/memory problem.

The rest of my goals and plans have fell apart, part of the garden coming in and Pat's issues that needed dealt with and now I have to have 2 procedures on my back within the next 2 wks....fun,fun.

Blessed Be

Goals accomplished Goals for this coming week

Garden: harvested 3 heads of cabbage, harvested green onions, harvested radishes. Planted bush green beans, radishes and more green onions. Used clothes pins to pull outer leaves to cover cauliflower.

Preserving: dehydrated oregano.

Sewing: mended Trenton's shorts and Patrick's shorts. Sewed button on Trenton's other shorts.Mended Patrick's new pillowcase that he stabbed with Lego sword causing holes, he won't do that again.

Cooking: made treats for the kids instead of buying them. Been awhile since I had to be in that mode. :)

Service to others: helped find a honey supplier for a friend that can't use any other sweetener and her supplier lost 60% of their bee hive due to our last winter. Shared some of the garden harvest with a family that is struggling to put food on the table and their own garden isn't doing well.

Organization: broke down the to do list in to different areas so I can focus on what is most important first and not just what annoys me the most.

Blogging: read my favorite blogs and wrote my own for my own blog.

Next week's goals:

Organization : my desk, 3 boxes of papers,the garage and my sewing room.

Gardening: weeded, fertilized and plant fall crops.

Sewing: start on insulated curtains or making winter curtains,catch up on mending.

Preserving: cauliflower, cabbage, oregano, parsley, radishes, and onions.

Service to Others: help my daughter and older grandson paint his room. Send recipe for homemade noodles to my Dad.

Cooking: granola bars,cookies,ice cream, possible noodles and bread.

Blogging: post 2 - 3 times including pictures and check out new blogs of being frugal/gardening/sewing.

Blessed Be

another summer day

Hot....humid... and very limited on activities.

Grandkids had swimming lessons this morning. The older ones had a good time as they are diving now. The youngest doesn't like it that he has to put his head in the water, more he has to stop talking or he gets water in his mouth.

The kids are learning to be quiet because Hubby sleeps days from 12 to 5. Not a long time but he does take a nap before going to work at night.  Youngest thinks he needs to run everything and everyone...even though he is 7 and we just got custody of him, it's like a newborn that can get into everything and talk the whole time. We thought he would be better since he was in school but found out the teacher he had treated him as teacher's pet and pretty much allowed him to run the show and do what ever he wanted ...sigh...this next year is going to be rough with a different school system that will be expecting more out of him.

Tstorms in the forecast today so I am not getting out the sprinkler. They are tired of the videos, legos and games...the preteen is missing her friends and her own pool.

Tomorrow is the last day for the older 2 to be here...Sorry to see them go, I'd keep them forever...but I know they have had enough.

Blessed be

Sunday

After Hubby spent the day mowing ,I spent the day planting the gardens south of the grainary  and Patrick spent the day in the sand box, we gathered together at the end of the day on the front porch with our two dogs.

Not much time left of the day but enough to share our day, play ball with the pup (who is actually 2 but will be the pup for ever) and give rubs to the older dog.

This day as it rains and is on the cool side, we are taking the day of Rest and Renew our Spirit.

Blessed be you and yours

Taking a moment

Okay , really it's Saturday morning.

 I need to figure out what work is the priority for this week off the to do list.

 I need to make a basic weekly grocery list so I don't miss toilet paper and sour cream again.

I need to start working on winter bedding and curtains.

I need to start working on preparing the house for winter to keep the costs down.

  The upstairs is electric baseboard heat while the down stairs is propane. The first year here we spent almost $500 a month trying to hold those rooms at 68°. Then we figured out the house wasn't insulated like the new landlord was told (bought house from family member) and the windows were not as new as he thought either or caulked. My answer last winter was to just close it off since it was just the two of us and the dogs. Meant I didn't work on many crafts since that room is upstairs....sad but worth the price in saving on heat.

But this year we will have to heat it. Patrick is now living with us and his bedroom is upstairs. I grew up in a house that only had a space heater in the front room, with my brother's and my rooms upstairs. My own kids grew up in a house that had no heat upstairs, my oldest raised her kids there for awhile and now lives in a house with no heat upstairs either.
                                                                                                             SO why the panic attack?This child is used to having the heat of 68 ° or more in his bedroom, running around in shorts and thin shirt all winter.

 He had done well at adjusting to culture shock between city living,(going to shop daily, fast food,high speed internet, something to do all with the time not spent on xbox or tv,etc) BUT he is constantly cold.

It's summer and yet the house is on the cool side. Great when it's 80 something outside but not so much when it's only 65 ° and breezy.

Landlord is going to caulk the outside of the windows. I am making a comforter of old jeans, might have enough for curtains. My oldest daughter passed flannel pj bottoms down but didn't have any warm pj tops so I need to find thermal shirts for him. Might have to use adults found at the thrift shop to make some for him.

It's a worry with what all ready we having going on and the budget is getting tighter with Hubby looking at having some days laid off of work through the rest of the year. So this morning I am making a list of the priority of the work week, basic grocery list, winter prep and winter needs for Patrick...the time spent planning and organizing will make it easier to do and less likely chance of me forgetting something important ...like toilet paper ...but hey at least we are not OUT, just lower than I like.

How are you doing ?

Blessed Be

It's been awhile

Since I have had time to sit down and write. Several things have happened, a cold spring that stopped us from getting the spring gardens in, a backed up drain in our basement that flooded the pantry,emergency custody of our grandson due to his mom (our youngest) having issues with her health complicated with other things and a cold beginning of summer with rain pretty often to screw with getting the summer garden in topped with messing my back up to the point medications don't help and struggle to get up and down. Already had a xray which confirmed my deformed disk in my lumbar and scoliosis (duh, I already knew that and had it from birth) and go for a MRI next...sigh...

I can say after using 5 hrs of driving grandson daily to his school so he could finish the year out there....I was so far behind in my spring/summer to do list I didn't think I would ever even get close and the budget was whacked out with paying for the gas to get him to school, of course it went UP instead of DOWN.

To keep food on the table and cash for the fuel to get him to school I immediately pulled up The Prudent Pantry(theprudentpantryblog.blogspot.com).
 and followed Brandy's advice more that I usually do.

Hubby came in last night and told me that he ran the rotor tiller in the large in garden and I had lost about 1/3rd of my tomatoes, probably from the family of bunnies that are still running around the house even with 2 large dogs constantly chasing after them. Hubby doesn't hunt or care for wild meat or they would be on the dining table by the weekend.

I remind myself daily that GOD is giving me no more than I can handle and the strength to handle what comes my way.

Meantime since I have to clean out the pantry I decided to change how it is laid out. Hope my back hangs in there long enough to get it done.

Later....Blessed be

Happy Mother's Day

Glad you are not suffering and in Heaven with your sons that had went ahead of you....but Momma I wished for you.

 Happy Mother's day to all of my daughters.

Happy Mother's day to all the women in the world.