New Budget for 2021

 Now that all the kids and a few grandkids have had their input on our budget. LOL 😄

Daughter 4 has made my basic grocery list with the only thing I am allowed to stock up for is ham for the year * I buy 4* at Christmas. Hubby got a turkey to smoke, I will cut off the legs and wings to roast and he will just smoke the breast for Thanksgiving ... Just the two of us.  And I have several packages already of turkey in the freezers

We had a talk about him picking extra thing up at the grocery store , spent $61, when Daughter 4 has cut the budget for groceries to $50 A MONTH with NO stock up. He asked if she gave us a grace period and I said, yes but it is firm starting Dec 21st.

She listed the following. Did price points also so we would know if it is higher something else is not going to get bought. 

3 gal of vitamin D milk , I use 1 gal every 2 wks, 3rd gal is for yogurt that I have been told I need to make my self. I will use the whey in baking so it's not wasted.

2 dozen eggs... even our Amish neighbor had to buy store bought eggs this week. She got so mad at her 50 chickens for not laying enough even in a week that she butchered them and canned them. New batch came in but won't be laying for about a month.

2 large curd cottage cheese.

1 sour cream

1 Dean's chip dip though I have been strongly encouraged to change to dill dip and make my own as it will save me 50 cents since I grow my own dill weed and seed and just buy sour cream.

1 qrt half and half. I was reminded I could mix heavy cream with milk for this until she checked prices and decided that the price of making it would be more than the price of buying it.

1 qrt heavy cream.

16 oz. of white mushrooms * half of my normal amt.*

16 oz. of portabella mushrooms *half of my normal amt.*

1 package of tricolor bell peppers * half of my normal amt.* I can't eat the green ones

1 bunch of celery 

2 lbs. of regular carrots 

3lbs. onions* Not going to be needed for a good month or two* 

Baking potatoes or sweet potatoes are limited by price of $4.* I have some sweet potatoes we grew. They didn't get very big and I have some small fresh white potatoes we grew. I would have to bake enough to make a serving. I might get sweet potatoes when I pick up the ham to have enough to late spring.

$ 8 is left for cheese or something else like extra sweet potatoes or frozen peas or broccoli if we shop Kroger's (after chiro as ours closed)or Walmart 5 miles from us.

$17 is left for cheese or something else if we shop Aldi's after chiro appts. There is two things they don't carry we would have to get else where or go with out.

$20 is left for cheese or something else if we shop Save A Lot which is 6 miles from us . There is 1 thing they don't carry that would be picked up else where. 

We know one of the gals. of milk will be through the month so what ever is not bought on the main shopping can be bought then. 

Daughter 1 who works in a grocery store as a manager told us to do our grocery shopping  AFTER the second Wed (social security starts their payments ) and the last week of the month, more clearance of what is Best used by date at that time. 

We are not going to starve for sure . I am canning more tomatoes this week and look to finish the last 4 hot sauces.

Goals... 

that by end of 2021 Daughter 4 is back on her feet from fighting cancer and can start making payments back. AND can buy my car that she drives most the time anyways. I really don't like how small it is but it was what was available at the right price when the other died.

That we have the huge  mortgage, back loans and the work truck (business usually pays unless don't make enough) paid in full... in five years so we only need Social security for living and the Ira be for medical coverage as needed. LIKE my Daddy had been doing. That is $350,000 in 5 yrs. We know we can do it in 8 even if she can't pay us back as fast as she hopes to. But I know we have paid far more off in the same amount of time with 1/4th less income. We can do it again.

I am thankful

 that no one of my children and one grandson worry about offending me over anything.  

I have treaded lightly with my own parents when they were alive. Hubby does it now with his own. 

But our kids and one grandson have decided that treading lightly doesn't always get the job done. 

After dealing with Mother's negative estate, having to sell everything to try to pay things off and Pop having to move in with his son. We share exactly where we are at financial and medical wise with all 6 kids and the grandkids who are in their teens and twenties. They all know who will be in charge of the estate(they actually talked it over between them and chose Son2) if we both die, they all know exactly were things stand.

With in the past week I have all 6 kids tell me our budget is whacked out and made suggestions, reasonable suggestions that was put in place saving us $500 a month. The biggest savings was when Daughter 1 told me to go back and see how much went to out of pocket medical and since I maxed out (we have a limit on oop) to check what would have also had to go out if I hadn't met my limit. Our co pay to doctors is counted towards our OOP. Unusual I am told but it is how it is with our insurance. I still have to call Humira with my insurance change for prescriptions but they are still going to work with me.

 Daughter 4 who was the last one to go through the budget and figured out that she would rather do $400/ wk like a pay day than $2000 a month as we put in . Her budget is $1800 a month IF she doesn't have to pay for any meds and no increase in food or diapers.(She is thankful I insisted she take a package home because the radiation triggered her in the middle of the night. Her daughter's boyfriend went and got her more this morning) BUT she wants to focus on working while she can part time and putting that money back to cover the rest knowing she can ask if she really is in need. She plans to be back to work full time Oct 22 2021(her 27th birthday if no problem working with this pandemic) 

Our grandson against his mother's advice told me to go back to the old recipe of Buckeye candy , not what I used last time as every single one of them pitched them in the trash as he had asked. Then he asked if they said anything to me, nope. We don't eat them so I did not know what they tasted like. I thanked him for being truthful, When his mom heard him tell me she flat out said I told you to keep your mouth shut. HE  come back with he wants buckeyes and not me wasting my time and money. I didn't need to do that. I backed him on that.  AND she admitted she went into the mode of not saying anything about the gift because MY MOTHER would had been a terror over it when she gave them food they did not eat and she told Mother that they didn't eat it. 

He was not rude, just plain spoken. He was proud of saying his is his Nonna's child LOL.

I am thankful that we realized we had an air leak in the upstairs east and/or west loft when I noticed the curtain hung in the staircase (no door) moving. Furnace was not on, not even the ceiling fans as it had been a decent start to the day of warmth  (not now 30 mph plus winds and cold front dropped us 20 degrees). I found both small windows leaking air even though they were locked and have decent insulation. That means the outside needs caulked as the inside already is. I covered the entire window with plastic and then made sure the insulated curtain covered the window.

I am thankful Charlotte let us know we had a mouse in the basement. It ate the corner off the organic whole wheat flour (thankful it was a 2 lb bag not a 5 lb) I had just took down to the basement. That Hubby was going to put in the freezer when he put the turkey in... two hours later. We know exactly where it came in (drain pipe it ate through the cover. SO now there is metal cover with weight on on. THEN we heard it in the vent run that goes to the east loft while we was sitting at the table. So I went the basement to see if it could be the one that got in from the pipe... Yep, found evidence were it chewed the drywall to get from the freezer room (I keep that door shut to keep the heat from the frigs and freezer out of the pantry part) into the mechanical room because Hubby had shut that door and then where it went through the insulation board Hubby had just installed over the crawl space opening. Hubby put out poison since it would be where the dogs couldn't get to it and fixed the insulation board. I can tell you it is dead from the odor in the east loft. Glad that is not a room we use much during the winter. Odor will probably be there 3 days. 

Blessed be  

Thankful 13th

Dropped off box of stuff to Daughter 4 on her porch , keeping both of us safe even though we missed the hugs. 

Dropped off bed frame to Son 2 on his patio. Not going in his house or garage since I would be touching his door knobs and he has several come down with covid in the last week. 

Had follow up with back doctor. Told me even if things get shut down to call him if I am in pain and he can ordered me meds through the pharmacy if he can't give me an injection.

Traffic was crazy, should have expected it as it was Friday the 13th.

Got home safe but stressed and Hubby had to help me in the house because my right leg was having fits of the long 2 hr drive even though I took a 10 min break every hour.

Repair guy got the stove working but said the regulator is acting up and its' on back order. SO Hubby went out and put the canning stove together we bought and figured out he needed one part to be able to hook it up. Since it's in the barn and we can open the big door to keep carbon issues down if needed  It should be fine as back up.  I am thankful it is working and I have options if it goes back down.

Nov 12 th Thankful

 That my appliance repairman can squeeze me in on Friday (Hubby staying home as I have an appt) to fix my cookstove that is completely broke down. The regulator that controls oxygen and propane went out. Can't use it due to carbon monoxide issues. So glad I was finish caramelizing the onions for the freezer when it started acting up. But since it did act up I just tossed the ripe tomatoes in the freezer to deal with later.

Thankful for the acknowledgement of a classmate that said his wife and him have been watching our FB and this blog to decide it they want to move to the country when they retire in 3 yrs. I did give him a heads up of things he really needs to check out ,like health coverage in that area, as he is moving out of state. Since he lived in Las Vegas for 8 yrs he understands high utility bills.

I am thankful Son2 warned me not to come in his home. His local VFW where he is an officer had a "river" of covid, one of them caught it working at the school and then they sponsored a toy run for bikers so over 1000 in tracing to begin with. SIGH.  He does not have any signs of it but why take a chance. If I am in the area I usually stop for the bathroom and kitty fix... okay mostly for the kitty fix but since I am there might as well use the bathroom Right? 

I am thankful I have a day that I can spending cleaning without trying to juggle other things in between. We have a phone conference with our one financial guy, the son is taking over the business and he just wants to touch base of where we are, what we need and how we want to continue. .

Blessed Be

Veterans day

 I am thankful for the Veterans. Even if you don't agree with military, they serve to give you the right to disagree. 

I am thankful for Daughter 2 as it's her birthday. Daddy said when she was born, she was the best Veteran's day gift he ever got.

I am thankful for being an USA citizen.

I am thankful I can chose my own faith and how I practice that faith. 

I am thankful when E asked if we were putting the wreath back up on the barn. Since it faces his house I thought OOPS... I asked if it bothered them? He said no, the kids liked it but asked if it was just a pretty or if it had meaning.  I told him the evergreen is to represents everlasting life through Jesus and the circle is for GOD with no beginning or ending. He really liked it had meaning that relates to their own faith.

Great Saphenous vein surgery

 on left leg due to damage from a blood clot (not DVT OR EB) . Procedure 1 will be fiber optic laser on Dec 2nd. Procedure 2 will be injection two weeks later. Good news is my body still makes veins.. it shows in the ultra sound and the right leg has good veins. Better news is due to it NOT being cosmetic surgery, it causing my bp to drop when I stand up or sit up in bed AND it raises my BP when I walk. Guess it can't make up it's mind ? 

 I am thankful that the doctor decided to bill it all including follow up appts as one amount so everything would be covered under this year's insurance which I have already maxed my out of pocket and co pays.

I do have to have blood work down but they agreed it could be done the week before when  I get my other blood work done.

Bad news is I have to go back to the ortho because the ultra sound of the right leg showed nothing from the veins so it has to be a muscle problem...That appt is now Monday at noon since they had a cancelation . BUT thankful they got me in now so it's on this year's ins

Good news is... the brussels sprout plants are pulled YEA!!!! I got 4 gallons of sprouts now in the freezer.   I still have 5 trays of green tomatoes.... well it's 4 trays as one is almost completely ripe and will be canned in next couple days.

 

Thankful 9th and menu for busy week

 I am thankful my cousin's hubby is okay. He had a light stroke. She is in poor health also. Only a few years older than me but as nurse she did NOT follow advice of losing the weight (over 100 lbs OVER weight) went into diabetes and still eats everything and anything and does no exercise. SIGH. Does the I take a shot so I can eat what ever I want.  

Our grandson lost his great grandmother on his late Dad's side. He said he was thankful she went in her sleep and she didn't have covid. She was in her late 80s.

Hubby said the old fence lost ... it's the one that "bit" him. I am thankful he is an EMT and makes sure we have a full supply of first Aid. I get the OTC meds but he does bandages etc.

Rascal (black) and Charlotte (white) checking out the new fence. Charlotte loves putting her head through it to smell the grass on the other side. We decided to replace the white wood fence with pipe next year if money is available. That will match E's side ours connects to at his pasture south of us. It is also a lot less maintenance.

I have to prop my feet up above my heart 3 times a day. I say nap and all 3 dogs head to the bed. Yesterday I didn't say anything out loud. Just texted Hubby I was going to do the legs prop.. 

Rascal is usually the one that follows me everywhere . But Wilbur realized what I was doing and wanted me to hold him. 

I froze 1 gal of brussels sprouts. Last 2 plants will be harvested today.

I canned 2 1/2 pints of tomato juice from tomatoes that finally turned. I have another tray that is almost red enough to can mid week.

I roasted 2 chickens, ate 3 meals from them, deboned (got 2 bags that have 3 cups of meat for potpie) and 4 1/2 pints of broth canned.

I made the menu

Today we have to take the work truck in for a repair that is tomorrow morning the dealership said to bring it in today and then we can pick it up after our appts. It's a 4 hr job.  That's 2 1/2 hours of today on the road to drop off and come back home. The repair is under warranty so has to be done by dealership.

I am doing regular Monday laundry, clean frigs, trash to road stuff. Hubby wants to burn a stump he has been trying to burn all week. Clear the old dog stuff and work on getting concrete off the metal clothes line poles as I am nagging about this old trailer and crap on it that was supposed to go to junk yard two years ago.

Tuesday... last warm day over 70 for the year most likely. I have appt with vein doc which is 75 min from here. He is going to tell me what the results are from ultra sound, he thought they should know how much the insurance would cover as it is affecting my heart failure and schedule the surgery. Then Hubby and I both have chiro appts. Hubby is taking a return to UPS for Amazon of what was sent wasn't what I ordered. We need to stop at Aldi's and Krogers. Looking for turkey breast for Tday and gal of milk (will have cooler and ice packs) THEN  we will stop on way home to pick up the work truck. 

Wednesday This day is suppose to be back into the 50s . I plan to do some sewing but we will see. Probably canning another tray of red tomatoes.

Thursday... home but Hubby's financial guy is calling  to do our yearly "meeting" . His office is still only doing phone or Zoom. We don't do Zoom. We already have figured out the budget. We are still debating about one check to cover my surgery and Daughter 4. Going to depend on the costs of the surgery.

Friday I have follow up appt for my back injections. That's 2 hr 15 min one way ride. We will pit stop at Daughter 4s. if she needs anything dropped off or picked up (aka empty jars). That pretty much wipes out the day for us.

Saturday will be catch up on the housework, etc.

Blessed Be 

Thankful 7th and 8th

I am thankful I got a lot of work done yesterday even though that meant I didn't blog. I have 2 brussels sprout  plants to harvest still after harvesting 3 plants... probably about a quart of sprouts between the two as we've ate off both plants through the season. I canned 2 1/2 pints of tomato juice. Looks like I will have a tray of red tomatoes mid week. I deboned chicken and made broth. 

I am thankful that when Hubby ran a metal fastener from the old fence through 2 of his fingers that he had a tetanus shot and it only went through meat of his index and middle finger. He pulled it back out himself and I washed and bandage. The one could have used 1 or 2 stitches...no sense wasting my breathe as I know he wouldn't go get that done so I taped it. Looked good when I checked it last night .

I am thankful the last of the old fence is down. That leaves the old dog house that has metal roofing and it's fence and the old clothesline poles we pulled out (they were 4 ft off the ground. Pretty worthless for anything buy small items) that need concrete beat off them and he can haul the old trailer and all the crap on it like old appliances the kids couldn't get hauled away to the junk yard and get a bit of cash from it.

I am thankful I have stayed away from family. Even though it ticked off Hubby's parents. His sister's son has covid, he has been in and out of the grandparents home since he goes to school around the corner from them so NOW they understand as they have to turn friends and family away and stay home themselves. Couple grandsons are taking turns picking up groceries and leaving it on the front porch. 

I pray they all get well and stay well as His sister has no spleen. 

Stay safe, be kind 

Thankful 6th

 I am thankful for the wonderful Indian summer week we are getting. One more time of drying the bedding out on the line right down to the mattress protector has been wonderful. 

I am thankful I am bagging the second gallon of brussels sprouts today and harvesting off three more plants. ( I think there are 6 left)

I am thankful I had a set of Christmas LED lights to put inside the Halloween pumpkin (I turn it around so the face doesn't show in Nov) as the one set died. I set pics to Daughter 2 as it was the one she was going to throw away in 2007 and I took it home. Said it was the best $2 she ever spent.

I am thankful that Daughter 3 and her two oldest were not hurt worse when a car pulled out in front of them. Kids were not hurt at all. Daughter 3 broke her heel and is bruised and "burnt" on her arm from the air bag. She was pinned in the seat. Not surprised as she's only 4ft 10 and sits almost on top the of steering wheel. She was in a SUV. If she had been in the small car she would have been crushed according to the officer that was there.  I am thankful her employer will work with her limits of being on her foot. 

Thankful 5th

 Hubby is thankful that the company that does maintenance on his work truck was able to get him right in today and told him they were going to do winter check on it and he could stay in the one office to wait as we live an hour away. SO I don't have to follow, bring him home and then take him back. Not losing 3 hrs of my time or the costs of running the dog truck doing that.

I am thankful for the warm partly sunny day so I can wash all the bedding and furniture throws and hang them on the yard clothesline instead of one by one on a drying rack like it will be during the winter or freeze drying them on the line. 

I am thankful I figured out the laundry room window was not latching and allowing cold air to blow in. Some of the felt weather stripping had shifted and it was making it look like it was latched but wasn't. I shifted it so it would latch and tucked the weather stripping back in place. Windows are still on the punch list.

I am thankful I was able to transfer "paycheck" as Daughter 4 now calls the money we send her for her bills this morning before she leaves for treatment so she could pay her rent this morning. It's due tomorrow but her treatment is tonight and she definitely won't be up to going tomorrow as her landlord does cash only. 

Blessed Be everyone

Thankful 4th

 I am thankful for our mechanic that not only changed the oil and checked the fluids but went over the dog truck to make sure it was ready for winter with us out in the county.

I am thankful that the weather has been nice so Hubby could finish putting up the new fence and burn the last old stump.

I am thankful for E coming across to check on us when he hadn't seen the dog truck for a couple days and wondered if something he could help with. He thought maybe I was with Daughter 4.

I am thankful that Daughter 4 is dealing better than expected with the radiation.

I am thankful we live in a country where we VOTE and just don't get told who was going to run the country. 

Blessed Be

Menu Monday, Frugal Choices.

 

I sat down Sunday night and made the menu. We then decided to freeze the Brussels sprouts so I figured I would pull out the last roasting chicken this morning to make room for the sprouts.

There was 2 roasting chickens. I think one was Son 2's as its smaller than I buy. I told Hubby I was roasting both. They will take less room with the bones out of them and I can make the pot pie and a pot of soup from the birds after a meal of roasted chicken. They are in the downstairs frig thawing.  SO a change in the menu already.

I am definitely ready to be done with the green tomatoes. What ever is left after I can another 16 pints is going to be left to turn red... if they don't turn, sometimes paste tomatoes don't, then they can just go to the compost. No one else wants them.

I called Hubby's finance guy (since we now each have one) and asked it we could meet with him on the same day I have an appt within his area. He is two hours from us so this would save us a lot of time and money if he can. They are doing appt only and he was at an appt outside the office so we have to wait until the secretary gets a hold of him to find out. JUST an update, they decided due to our age and my surgery pending that we would do a phone conference. They offered ZOOM but we don't have that good of internet here for that. 

I've hung clothes on the drying rack and clothes line. 

Hubby went to the store for milk and heavy cream and brought home rolls and French bread that had been marked down. He felt since I couldn't bend over due to back injections that I didn't need to worry about making bread. They were priced lower than my cost of making them would have been.

I put the clean oil lamp wicks I used last year in the windows again to stuff in the windows were there was a draft. Hubby turned the ceiling fans to rotate the other way for winter. I closed the ceiling vent in the front room so heat would not go up to that loft and put a heavy curtain in the stairway to stop heat from going up that way. 

Hubby went out and worked on replacing the old fence. He now has the south section done completely. That leaves the east section. He also mowed the yard mulching the leaves as he went. Two for one.

I used the leftover apple tomato soup to make sauce (added homemade sauce) and made pasta for supper along with meatballs that I made and froze. Sliced some of the French bread and made it into garlic bread.

I paid all our bills that was in or on auto pay (deducted, I just will check to make sure they go through). We have 1 bill still out, that is electric. Our propane company called as we had a winter fill at this time last year and asked if we needed propane... it's fine I have been turning temp down during the day and when we are gone. So that helps. PLUS Hubby got some air gaps closed up so that helps also.

Back to work for me as I am now taking the brussels sprouts down and freezing them 

Nov 3rd Thankful

  I am thankful for our forever home that we designed for wheelchair as I talked to an older friend last night that has to walk the furniture as she can't get her walker through her home. Her youngest added railing so she can get out the back door from her bedroom if she needs to get out of the house from the bedroom. 

I am thankful for the sunshine as it's always a better day with sunshine.

I am thankful the Amish man that put up a new rain gutter on the barn and hooked it to the field tile to the pond , checked the rest of the rain gutters and fixed ones he found not working right without add more to the bill. Now we have another section of rain gutter hooked to the field tile for the pond and the cubby hole gutters are one section instead of three and drain out the gravel of the driveway not under the front room and front porch. He also left a note that the birds had a nest in the north gutter but it was starting to down pour so he didn't mess with it. Hubby took care of it the next day along with putting screen in to stop it from nesting there. We had leaf covers installed when we put the gutters on... should have spent the money and got the one piece rain gutters. 

I am thankful that I have my pantry over filled, having to store cases of home canned goods in the upstairs loft as it will allow me to pass organic food to Daughter 4 as she fights cancer.

I am thankful we can vote for our leader,we have a voice in who does win unlike other countries.

What are you thankful for?

Thankful Each Day

Following Brandy over at the Prudent Homemaker who is posting what she is thankful each day of this month..

Nov. 1st. I was thankful that it was just snow flurries and a cold blowing wind and not worse as my soon to be granddaughter's bridal shower was yesterday. I am thankful she thought of me and texted me before the shower as I couldn't go due to needing to "stay at home" to keep safe from Covid because of upcoming surgery. I am thankful for the pint of tomatoes I canned and the 3 apples I had made the soup for dinner and the 75 cent loaf of bread Hubby picked up since I wasn't allowed to bend over after back injections made a nice addition to the soup with it grilled and cheese melted on top.

Nov 2nd I am thankful that an old friend of my parents that is from the old neighborhood called me today to let me know she loved me and if she dies before my birthday she wanted me to know she would be singing to me then. She's not very well and only her one son is in and out of her home.  I am thankful my in laws texted instead of just showing up, not thinking about they shouldn't be in our home especially since they go out and not wear a mask  when I am waiting for surgery (veins in legs affecting my heart). I am thankful we can afford Hubby to turn down some jobs that would open the door to him getting covid and bringing it home to me. I am thankful, even though tired of it, of the green tomatoes I am still running through the food processer to can. Going to have to stop after today as I do not want to run out of canning lids.

What are you thankful for?

Done so far... back to back doctor appts rest of week

 I canned 16 pints of shredded green tomatoes and then shredded enough to do the next batch of green tomato apple pie filling. 

I spent a good part of the day doing phone tag with doctor's offices. I confirmed my appt with the cardiologist that is checking my vein problems for today (Wed). His office called back since they realized I live over an hour away, they got the preapprove from my health ins to run a ultra sound before my appointment so I wouldn't have to make a two more trips. That is very nice. Son 2 and Daughter 1 and 4 warned me when they had ultra sound ran on their legs, they had some issues of keeping their balance. I can't keep my balance to begin with... LOL.

 Hubby can't go in with me so he is going to do some banking for the business and go look for snow shovels. 

Our Chiro office called to confirm we were coming for our adjustments on Thurs. They don't usually call but it was a new girl and she was calling everyone.

My pain doctor's office called and left the message they had ins approval for my injections so to call them to schedule. So I called them back.... and they were at lunch so I had to call back an hour later. That is scheduled for Friday morning.

Which means I won't be doing much more than sitting with ice on my back Friday. I won't do much over the weekend either. 

Do you ever feel like all you do is run to doctor's office or testing? 

Planning for November.

 Finances for both us and Daughter are set. Both households need to stay on budget. We also decided to make 1 extra payment each month on the mortgage.

We completed 4 more things off the punch list and made a new list for Nov.

Our list for November is :

Finish green tomatoes if not done

finish taking down the brussel sprouts and kale.

finish air barrier in North attice

install insulator board on backs of north attic door, east attic door, front room crawl space door and make a door with insulator board for the mechanical room crawl space.

The perimeter fencing to be finished

remove the old fencing, the old dog house(not ours , was N's) and it's fencing and take all the scrap metal to the junk yard.

Install outlet in bucket room of basement by outside door. Wiring is there, for what ever reason the outlet didn't get installed.

Finish mending dining room curtains and make the French door winter curtains.

Finish installing outlet/switch insulators in WC bath, bath, kitchen, laundry room, bedroom, and all 4 lofts.

Do the fall cleaning (20 areas not including the barn)  

Do Nano (me myself and I) 

Get my back injections

Get what ever is causing sever bruising on my legs (varicose veins issues I hope) dealt with.

Do you have plans?

We won't have any family meals or go to our friends due to covid and our grandson's wedding in Dec.

Monday night ...When your finance guy calls in the evening

 your gut kind of drops thinking it's not something good...

He apologized but was looking for someone to cut down trees at the office and thought of us living amongst the Amish that someone would want the wood. So I told him Hubby would ask around and get back to him by Thursday. He did tell me my earnings rate was up. Thought he would offer that. Hubby went to E and he is still clearing dead wood out of his woods and suggested H who lives on the other side of us and sort of behind . The back of his workshop is at the side of our back field. H wants to look at the trees first so Hubby is taking him over to see them tomorrow afternoon.

We had smoked pork butt along with Simply Ming French Onion soup with apples. I switched the cheese to swiss as it was what I had. Decent soup, though we both thought we could have put the bread to the side instead of in the soup. I wouldn't mind some mushrooms in it. On the time consuming side and a light soup but went very well with the smoke pork. The shallots were costly, next time I will use a small red onion and add a bit more to the garlic. 

I added another meal of meat to the shepherd pie meals in the freezer. I cooked the hamburger for the mild chili and hamburger to make philly cheese egg rolls to finish bagging for freezer tomorrow. I cleaned and prepped red tomatoes for tomorrow. I cleaned out the frigs (nothing in them to toss!!!!) and gathered the trash (forgot my bedroom trash can SIGH) and Hubby took the trash to the road for pick up. Trash is anywhere from 5:30 to 6:30 AM. 

Hubby finished the air barrier in the side attic of the west and east lofts. They are what is commonly called knee wall attics. He has the north loft attic to do yet but it's a regular attic over the dining room ceiling so it's lay the barrier on the studs not staple them to the walls. 

I scheduled my appt with the back doctor, have to go in and do the ins paperwork for approval first. I scheduled my appt with the cardiologist as my primary thinks the problems with my leg veins is coming from my heart failure (I think there was a duh moment there with him) and I scheduled our flu shots at CVS to do before voting. We finished the leftovers.

Tuesday

Turned the tomatoes on to make juice on my way to the first cup of coffee. Gathered the last of the laundry and kicked the washer on. Made my bed and got dressed BEFORE I finished my first cup of coffee... not the norm for me as I don't move quickly when getting up. I think it's the orthostatic hypotension I have is the reason I don't. 

By the second cup I have the tomatoes cooling to be juice, that juice is going into chili. Laundry on drying racks and my emails and FB done and sat and read The Prudent Homemaker comments on her frugal blog. 

I had 4 things to do out in the garden that isn't getting done as it's cold and rainy and I am not chancing getting sick. Winds are out of the north and they are cold. I canned 7 pints of hamburger chili. Hubby decided he didn't want me to make sausage chili so I put those 3 lbs in the freezer to sausage gravy later. I repackaged bacon to make 6 of 1 1/2 lbs packages and put 4 of 1 lbs packages of smoked pork in the freezers.

We had hamburger pie for supper.

Wednesday

We left the dogs in the house, first time in a long time. It was storming and Rascal and Charlotte don't do good with storms. I put the trash can on the front porch so Wilbur wouldn't get into it. Figured we come home to someone's mess as Charlotte has not really had to hold it longer than four hours. She still gets one of us up during the night. NO MESSES at 6 hrs.

I had to be in Centerville for an appt to start the paperwork needed to get my back injections, a 2 1/2 hr drive and had to be there at 8. Got that started.

Pit stopped at Daughter 4 and gave her organic veggies I had and my juicer.

Got home and both of us took a 2 hr nap. I cleaned the jars I canned and Hubby took them down to the pantry for me to put away later. 

I rewrote my to do list as in 10 days I start NANO and want to get most of the stuff done before then. I know I can spend 4 hrs a day writing NANO.

We had chili for supper.

Thursday

pea soup fog this morning

Daughter 4's 36th birthday. She had her first external radiation treatment. Scheduled for Tuesdays and Thursday for the next 6 wks. Said it wasn't as bad as she had planned for it to be. Felt like a sun burn on her stomach. Her daughter said she fell asleep around 4:30 and woke up at 10, ate a salad and salmon, risotto and green beans for supper and went right back to sleep. 

We got our flu shot and went and did early voting.

I washed all the bedding and furniture throws besides regular laundry as this looks to be the last or next to last warm day for it.

We finished 98% of the outdoor work including gardens. There are a couple sq ft gardens with strawberries ,1/3rd of of the north flower garden and the berry trellises that could just a bit more work but if they don't get done this fall it's okay. It's a lot better than last year. I planted 4 types of garlic taking 4 of the 2 ft by 8 ft garden boxes and transplanted walking onions in another 2 ft by 8 ft box.

We finished the chili I didn't can and snacked of apples.

Both of us tired and chilling... I usually have side affects from the flu shot, Hubby usually doesn't by I am thinking this time he is going to.

Storming tonight

Friday

Check on Daughter 4, she said that she felt like she had the flu along with eating something super spicy (radiation can feel like that) that burned all the way back out. Said she tried to work the night before but the storms was too bad so she didn't call in to deliver anything. She does Door dash. Also told she wasn't going to work any as she was told when she called Door Dash this morning that her county is almost to purple on the coved 19... that is level 4 the worse that can be. SO she is staying home, we will all suck up tight budgets with us supporting her.

Hubby started  working on replacing the perimeter fencing between the pond and E's pasture on our south side. Going to take a lot of time but he figured he could do it off and on.

I made meatloaf patties (instead of loaf) and meatballs for the freezer. Sorted the last of the red and green tomatoes to work on over the weekend. Made 2 hot sauces... 5 more to go and if Daughter 4 ever buys her dad something like this again SHE can make the stuff instead of me LOL.

We had meatloaf patties, mashed potatoes and hot pickled cauliflower. Apples for a snack.

Saturday

I finished red tomatoes !!!!!

Still have a wagon full of green ones. 

I did another hot sauce... four more to go.

Hubby did some "taxi" driving for the Amish. They had a wedding on Thursday and a death of Friday. He helped get those that were needing to change bus tickets into town to get that done and then were they were staying over the weekend. He picked up calzones and popcorn chicken that a few of the Amish got together and paid for as a thank you for helping them as he didn't accept any money for being taxi. We don't when it's an emergency and having a family member die the night of a wedding qualifies in our mind.

So we had the popcorn chicken with butter garlic dipping sauce and split a calzone. 

Sunday 

Day of rest... I did dishes and a load of laundry to hang on drying rack as the loads on Saturday were more than the drying racks could handle. Damp again today.

Hubby carried down the canning to the pantry and I put them away. I went ahead and cleaned out the frigs... NOTHING TO TOSS 2nd wk in a row. 

I checked the finances for Daughter 4 and we decided we were going to run money for her from my personal acct instead of the joint acct. She put herself on a budget that is less than we figured and she wants it weekly like a paycheck since that is what she is used to and she knows what she pulls out when. She figures habit will work over the brain fog she knows she will get with the chemo when that starts. I have her set until Jan.

I checked our finances, put in for the transfers (as I don't keep money sitting in accts that don't make much interest) and when it comes in so Nov will be mostly paid for. I cut our budget to cover Daughter 4 budget. Organic non processed food is going to take a good bite above what she normally buys.

We had arugula salad with apple, pecans, bacon and feta cheese and split the second calzone for supper.

I have at least 1 doctor appt due to problems with veins in my legs and maybe if the insurance processes the paperwork for the back injection I might get that one in also this week. Fingers crossed.

How did your week go?

Blessed Be

 

 

On Budget

 Since we are also supporting Daughter 4 we are double checking the budget every day. Granddaughter said something about money and Daughter 4 pointed out that she shared the budget with all 3 of them (2 sons and daughter) so they would know what was going on. They wanted a pizza and Daughter 4 wasn't willing to pull money for a pizza so the 3 kids chipped in and got a cauliflower crust loaded with veggies. Daughter 4 thinks she has automatically bought take out when ever the kids asked as they don't live with her,*her medical put her repeatedly in the hospital so the kids lived with their dads to stay stable. She was able to pick up some work this weekend (starts treatment Thursday) so used it for oil change, gas, vet bill, dog food and groceries. 

We went to the store and got hamburger for 36 meals (Shepherd pie, taco meat, eggroll meat, meatballs and meatloaf) to fix and put in freezers. I will make chili with some of it and can that . I found some beef roast marked down that I cut into chunks for stew and froze that also. I got 3 lbs zesty sausage for chili for Hubby. I eat the hamburger one.

We caulked the north window in the front room. HAD the caulking. It was allowing air to come in from the sides of the window frame. No condensation on the inside window now.

I have used the clothes lines or drying racks for the laundry. Been raining or 30 mph winds have been blowing.

Hubby burnt some stumps to get that done off the punch list. He used scented oil for oil lamps that triggered my asthma so it was not wasted.

I am still , some more, what ever canning red and green tomatoes. Apples are next and then brussels sprouts . Kale is being used as fresh  as I have plenty dried for soups. I dehydrated the tomato skins to grind into powder for my supplies. I got a bushel of 48 lbs. Honeycrisp apples for $22 Local store would have been $109.92. I got a bushel 48 lbs. Mutsu (crispin) apples for $11 for $80. but would have had to ordered them and was warned they would be bruised in shipping. I found a recipe for green tomato apple pie filling to can.

A friend across state sent us a medium size box of medical supplies she no longer uses including a nebulizer that will be welcomed in the Amish community.

We ate mostly from the menu. The one night we had pizza from our favorite place over in Sidney as I ended up with 2 doctor appts at the last minute and wasn't getting home until after 6. (homemade pot pie was on the menu) The pizza along with 2 salads made 4 meals. Gave me time to go later to the store to finish the shopping.

Rest of YEAR groceries will be dairy, some produce and 1 turkey breast to smoke and at least 2 hams if not more depending on room in freezers. And 1 prime rib roast for Christmas eve size depending on that kids show up. Usually it's one of our boys. 

I have been having some vein issues in my legs. My primary decided to send me to a cardiologist instead of a vein specialist so I could get my heart failure check up at the same time. One co pay and one appt. Right now I have to have my legs up for 10-15 minutes a time,  4 times a day 

I harvested some volunteer kale and swiss chard from the north gardens. I might get one more pick.

I mended a skort and one of Hubby's shirts.

I turned the furnace off a couple days when it was warm with the sunshine. I found out that if I turn the bfast bar ceiling light it gives enough light off to see over the entire kitchen and dining room otherwise I have to turn on 2 or 3 lights.

Hubby used dirt from a pile to contractors left 2 yrs ago from digging to install our water lines. I said something about I was tired of seeing the pile at the deck. He mentioned he had left there so he could use it to fill in holes on the property. SO I took white fence posts (used for electric fencing) and stuck on in every hole I had found. The dirt is now down by half and we know next spring we will need more since he burnt down 6 tree stumps and dug up the field tile.  At least we aren't buying dirt for filling.

Have a safe week everyone.

Blessed Be 

gardens cleared of tomatoes and dried beans

 won't harvest Brussel sprouts or kale until after frost. 

wagon is full of mostly green tomatoes and I now know where my old cookie sheet went to LOL

We have set the 2021 budget

 On average since Jan 2, 2019 our budget has floated from $8794 to as low as $5062. I've tracked the changes which sometimes incurred every month and the reasons why it changed. The average is $6,690. 

SO with our health insurance changes, higher co pays and 1/3rd increase of out of pocket. (OUCH). AND doing worse scenario for Daughter 4 not working (her doctor doesn't know if she can handle doing Door Dash while in treatment) due to cancer and keeping her in her own home. I just added her $18000 (not counting medical costs) into our budget. She needs $1500 a month to run her home. AND I am paying extra each month on the mortgage. 

We come in at $5500 for us and her $1500 is $7000. Hubby asked how that could me when it's only $310 more than what the budget averaged with increased insurance and daughter. 

What did I change?

Insulated curtains on windows. Keeps the propane down and the electric as the furnace is not kicking on all the time. Opening up house in morning to cool house down and closing curtains when the heat of the summer day comes in. Opening curtains in the winter to help keep lights off and warmth brought in. Covering the crawl space vents at the heater ductwork. Same thing.

Turning down the heat when furnace is on, turning OFF the AC when we leave when it's on. Right now I turn the furnace off when the mornings are no cooler than 55 and I have the furnace set at 70 (68 in the dining room where the thermostat is is 63 in the front room and too cold for Hubby even with long sleeve flannel shirt over his tee shirt.)

Turning off FANS when not in room.

Not using the dryer except to defur dogs beds. I have started hanging out the pillows and blankets to air them out instead of fluffing in the dryer. They actually smell better that way.

Using an oil lamp for mornings at the dining table and a candle at supper... Not for romance though he thought it was. 

Using LED through out the house, using LED for night lights so we are not turning on bigger or more lights. I turn off coffee pots. Unplug computers. Unplug phone chargers You would be surprised what vampire electric appliances cost you. 

Keeping frigs and freezers full (they run less). 

I changed where I get my BP meds because I can't take blue dye. I am now paying $5 for 90 instead of $25 for 30. 

Our prescription meds goes up next year and might costs us more than Good RX will. I just have keep track of what and where I get our meds to see if I can get this amount down. 

The electric bill hit over $200 last year for 5 months. It only hit $166 once this year the rest of the time it was $140 or lower. This month was $105... $45 lower than last year.

I conserve water from showers etc. to water the dogs and plants so the softener isn't using as much salt.  We have dropped 4 bags a year in usage (our salt is based on water used). That saved us $32. PLUS we just have them bring 8 bags and what ever doesn't fit we add later saving 1 service call of $50/yr.

We have rerouted the field tile to go to the pond except one that goes to the county. We will be having some more spouting put on the barn to tie into the pond field tile so we won't need to be running the water pump to put water in the pond to keep the fish alive. That should be happening in the next week or so. Amish is doing it when they get out of the field.

He got the internet/house phone dropped down from $125 to $85.

Our house insurance and car insurance dropped down  and then the umbrella insurance got cut in half. 

I started pricing dogs items and cut the price by 1/4th. Vet wants them to have dental treats as they fight if you try to brush their teeth. Instead of cutting them in 3rd I cut them in 4ths so I have and extra 10 days of the dental. Vet okayed that change. We changed vitamins for them that include the things that Wilbur and Rascal needs and it's okay if Charlotte has it also so I don't have two to three different pills to shove at them. They all hate taking pills but okay with chewable. They think it's a treat.

I cut back on buying chips, Fritos, tortilla chips, chip dip, trail mix completely(he now makes his own) and granola bars. I cut back on candy bars (both of us). I buy these items at the dent store along with cold cereal there also. Though this time Dollar General brand cereal was actually cheaper. I will go back to making yogurt.

I cook from scratch... that takes my time and has at times been an issue, but to stay healthy (so I am not spending so much out of pocket ) I need to cook from scratch.

I buy bulk when it's cheaper, break it down and store it. 

I change the non food as the cleaning rags are right with the paper towels. I use Bounty select a size and still will tear them into 4ths when using them if that is all I need for a smashed stink bug, or in half for grease. I use less than needed with cleaners.  I always price out furnace and frig filters before buying and I buy for the year if I can get them cheaper.

I grew a lot of my herbs/mint teas this year cutting that out of the budget. Last fall I spent over $250. On herbs and teas. I didn't need to buy any this fall.

I cut the grocery budget by $400 a month... first I went back to only going every 2 wks instead of every week. Second I started back into making a lot of my own mixes. Third I change where I bought what I didn't grow and save a lot of money on produce that is organic. 

The garden budget has been cut in half. I have saved several of my own seeds and found Amish that are growing some of the produce that will save me money also as they are willing to barter.

Since I am not running around much and not going to Son 2 's to take care of his cats as he's not going either for work. My maintenance and fuel has dropped by 3/4ths. It also dropped my car ins.

Daughter 4 is looking over her budget again with her 3 children to see if there is any where for her to cut also. 

Paying off the house early is going to make the difference of living only on SS or needing the IRAS to help pay the bills. 

Do you set a budget for your finances?