2015 Planning and Goals

As the year inches it's way to a close, I've been thinking about some goals for next year.  

Budgeting and Financial:

1.  Develop a budget with the goal of paying off debt quickly.  

     Goal of paying off all credit cards by June or before.

2.  Continue to contribute to savings at current rate.  HSA at same contribution rate

Advanced goal:  If additional funds are available or when above two goals are met, start double payments on "Snoopy" until paid.  End game, mortgage payoff.

Employment:

3.  Ignore current uncertainty with employment longevity and focus on paycheck.  Eliminate and reduce stress as much as possible.  Limit extra work and/or overtime to necessary only.  Any bonus goes directly to debt reduction.

Home improvement:

4.  Replace at least two windows on rear of house.

5.  Repaint master bath

Advanced goal:  Replace carpet in downstairs bedroom with hardwood.

Health:

6.  Minimum exercise every day.  Increase as endurance allows.  Goal to walk/jog one mile by summer.

Leisure Arts:

7.  Continue hand quilting blue and white dresden quilt.  Goal to complete quilting by April, binding by June.  

8.  Start new quilt (maybe scrap hexi paper piecing)

9.  Read 12 new books

10.  File taxes as soon as possible - February 1?

Because things change so quickly sometimes, these goals may need to be adjusted throughout the year.  For now, we'll start with these.

Getting excited....

Yes, Christmas is almost here.  The gifts, the songs, the food, the family.  It's all good.

As soon as the holidays are over, I'm getting right back to debt reduction.  We have one loan I hope to pay off in January - early February at the latest.  They we have two others I hope to pay off in about two months for each.  That should bring us to May. Then we will only have one credit card, one car loan and our mortgage.  A few months (3-4) for the credit card and wow!  A girl can dream can't she?

I'd love to see us debt free - except for the house by this time next year.

I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to be doubling our mortgage payments and putting money away for retirement.

An unexpected absence

It's hard to believe that it's been almost a month since I posted here.  A lot has been going on and I'll try to briefly catch everyone up.

Sewing:  I finally got the buttons and buttonholes on the three traditional pajama tops today.  The pattern for this top was extremely frustrating and the first one was take apart and resewn several times, especially the collar section.  I have two pairs of pajama pants to stitch up and I'm done with this project.  No quilting recently due to other demands.  I have also completed all the doll clothes to be given as Christmas gifts.  I may complete a few more outfits for the February birthdays - maybe some togas, swimsuits, and princess or jester costume.

Finances:  we have been continuing to pay down debt but did not make a major payment in November.  We had an unexpected car repair and some other expenses.  Debt repayment will resume in January. (See job section below ..)

Jobs:  We had been notified at my work that it is possible that layoffs were possible.  Further information came just this week with several groups getting more definitive information.  Some jobs will be eliminated - through outsourcing - early this year.  While my group has not been advised of any pending changes yet, I suspect that we are probably part of a second or third round to happen sometime after March 1 and maybe as late as mid-year.

DH, on hype other hand, has been courted by his prior employer for several months.  After some serious thought, he has decided to rejoin them.  It means a longer commute but he will have a company vehicle.  This will mean that his "new" car will see even less mileage.  The new job will also mean an increase in salary which will go directly and entirely towards debt reduction.  Our goal is to pay off all debt (except for the house and probably the new car) first.  Imagine the difference in only having a mortgage and utility type payments.   Mmmmm!  Of course, there is a race to see if we can get there before I lose my job.  A race, great!  

Extra thoughts on finances:  to prepare for an unexpected period of unemployment, I have been stocking up on canned goods.  I purchased 92 cans just a few weeks ago at an unbelievable price of .38 per can.  I'm still looking for a good deal on kidney beans.  I've been stocking up on some dry goods (sugar, flour, etc.) with the holiday sales.  I also need to stock up on paper goods; tp, paper towels, napkins and personal care items.  Meat stocking will come later, right now I have almost 40'pounds of chicken in the freezer. Having a stockpile of necessities has served us well during prior periods of unemployment.

Christmas:  The tree is up and decorated and all the outside declarations are done except the angel.  We have some shopping done and, of course, the handmade items.  

Why I don't freeze in plastic zipper bags

We had grilled chicken last night.  I pulled a package of chicken from the freezer yesterday a little too late to thaw in the fridge.  To speed up the process, I placed my freezer paper wrapped chicken inside a new quart sized freezer zipper bag and placed it in a bowl of cold water to speed up the process.

Imagine my surprise at all the water that seeped into the bag!  Why should we pay a premium for freezer bags when they can't even keep water out of our food.  

Vacuum sealer bags do an excellent job and are easy to thaw under water but they are more expensive.  I also find that they are hard to pack with raw chicken.

Wrapped tightly, solid foods hold up very well in regular freezer paper for up to a year - sometimes longer.  It's also cheaper than freezer bags.

Spending morotorium

I went to the grocery store yesterday.  I was hungry.  I know, big mistake.  When I left, my total was $109 plus my cash back.  I think there were 14 items on my list.  What happened?

I'm not really sure. Grocery prices ARE up as evidenced by $8 packages of meat.  I did buy more than I originally intended.

So now, the real question is what to do.  I will need to get some perishable things from the store each week but I plan to use what I have for the rest if October and the first two weeks of November.  If there are some good opportunities to stock up, I may take advantage if that but otherwise, it's the basics.

Busy Weekend

We got a lot done this weekend.  The weather was a little warmer and we took advantage of it.

DH and I were able to overseed the lawn and power wash part of the driveway just close to the garage doors.  (New doors are being installed Thursday and I wanted the driveway clean in that area.)

We worked a little more cleaning the balusters on the front porch by both brush and pressure washer.  The front walk and steps have also been pressure washed for safety of guests on Halloween and the winter months.    

We also cleaned the guest bathroom including some adjustments to the sink and drain.  Most of the clothes are washed - there maybe one load left.  The shower liner has also been cleaned.

I was also able to clean the kitchen window - inside and out.  

This afternoon, I turned two over ripe bananas into muffins.  I had wanted to make apple sauce this weekend and can but it, along with our flu shots, never happened.

The coming week only has three work days for me (yippee).  Thursday morning I pick up 80 pounds of chicken to be trimmed and packaged.  That morning the garage doors are also being installed.  

It's been kind of a crazy week ...

And weekend here.  GS #4 had another stay in the er and hospital early in the week.  We kept #5 and ran him home and to daycare/school until his older brother was released.  I was off Wednesday so he stayed the day with me and then Thursday DH/Papa kept him.  Friday, he stayed with the other side of the family and should be good to go back to school tomorrow.

Saturday morning, I went to one of the kids soccer games while DH ran a few car related errands.  Flirt to the tire shop to get his new setup checked out.  It turns out that he had a nail in one of the tires and they also rebalanced them while he was there.  Taking that road hazard plan on those tires was a good call.  Oop = $0.  Next he headed over to the new mini dealership.  He had noticed that some of the rubberized gaskets around his windshield had cracked off.  He asked, and yes! they will replace it under warranty.  Another win with no out of pocket.

We stopped by BJs and picked up some things, mostly groceries, and we went to Publix today.  I've spent about $160 in groceries this weekend which should leave me about $10 over budget.  At BJs, we purchased two and a half pounds of stew meat.  With the first pound - or maybe a little less - I made a big pot of vegetable beef soup.  We should get two dinners and probably a lunch out of that.  The other meat was cut into large chunks and vacuum packed for the freezer.  

I also bound a package of two roast beefs.  One for Tuesday and one for the freezer.  They were pricey but still less than the grocery store.  They were $4.99 a pound versus over $6 at the grocery.  These are very lean, boneless roasts that are perfect for the crockpot.  Each one should feed at least 10 meals, first as roast beef and then as either sandwiches or pot pie, beef and noodles, or soup.

I've started slowly stocking back up on my rice and grains.  My plan this time is to freeze every package at least two weeks before it goes into the bucket and they will stay in their original plastic containers.  I will buy one rice and one dry bean each week for the next 10 weeks.  I'm also planning on stocking up on canned goods: green beans, kidney beans, corn, tomatoes, tomato paste, etc.  I like to buy these in the plastic wrapped cases to keep them clean longer.  Four cans each week over and above what I intend to use for the week.

As for the current week, here's my plan:

Sunday - blackeyed peas with ham

Monday - leftover vegetable beef soup

Tuesday - roast and mashed potatoes

Wednesday - leftover surprise soup/peas

Thursday - leftover roast

Friday - chef salad

Little things to save money

Last weekend we did a few things ourselves that saved us some money.  

One of the light fixtures in the basement had it's pull chain break.  We simply purchased a new fixture at Home Depot and replaced it.  Because it is a very simple, old fashioned socket, it was less than $5. DH also pulled back some items along the basement wall and sprayed it down with a Clorox bleach solution.  We have some moisture seeping in through the block and causing the paint to come off the inside of the wall.  It looks like we will be re painting some of this wall section with some dry lock paint this fall.  

On a fun note, DH wanted to add some side graphics to his car.  Instead of having the dealership or a third party order and apply the decals, we did it ourselves.  It cost about $50 and we spent about an hour with the installation.

The most expensive thing we did was to order some new wheels for the car.  We are hoping to sell the old ones for enough to cover at least half the cost of the new ones.  They are in excellent shape and are oem type wheels.  Keep your fingers crossed that we can find a buyer.

We need to over seed our lawn but the weather has not been cooperating.  The grass needs to be cut but it keeps raining.  

I'm busy creating doll clothes for Christmas gifts, working on my quilt project and some other miscellaneous craft projects.  

Pinching pennies

Every penny counts.

I've started tracking my grocery spending the old fashioned way.  It's a quasi-novel open system.  Instead of actually putting the cash in the envelope, I mark my weekly budget of $100 and reduce the balance by my actual spends.  I'm two weeks in and right now, I have an available balance of $50.

Should I move to a cash system, this is good practice.  It's simple and it's always in my purse.

A statement came for one of our credit cards.  (We're actively trying to get most of these paid off this year.)  I noticed that there was a $70 charge that I was not familiar with.  After further checking, it was an item that automatically renewed and we no longer needed.  A quick call and we're expecting a credit for the full amount.  No sense paying for something you don't want or need.

I may have mentioned this before but I'm changing my payoff method slightly.  Previously, we were paying extra on all our credit accounts.  Now, I'm paying the minimum plus $25 on all but one account.  For. That single account, I am dedicating all extra money earmarked for debt repayment.  Last month, that was $480 on a bill that had a minimum of about $50.  Next month, I hope to dedicate even more.

We're also actively working to brown bag our lunches at least three times a week, if not four.

New creations

I whipped these up today.  Really, it took about an hour and a half to do all three projects.

A witches hat.  I think it needs a little strip of elastic to hold it on.  I'm thinking of making a long black dress to go along with this as a Halloween costume.  I may also make another hat without the brim and add a flowing scarf to the top for a mideaval costume. A brightly color and a festive dress would work well.

 Skirt one is a lightweight cotton gathered with a simple white trim at the hem.  A second skirt from the same pattern is made from denim.  I tried to gather but the fabric was too thick.  I made a few pleats instead.

One more, ...

A crazy week in the making...

This I a looking like it's going to be a crazy week.

We purchased a vehicle from Carmax two weeks ago and we got a warning signal that we needed a brake repair ASAP.  Fortunately, the car is still under warranty and the repair is scheduled for tomorrow.  It should not cost us anything and it will likely eliminate a repair we were thinking would happen before the end of the year.  Because we had to leave it with them, I will need to drop DH off at work and pick him up after work Tuesday.  If all goes well, that will be the end of that adventure.

I'm off Wednesday, so I hope to get laundry caught up then. I'm also on task to take one of the littles to baseball practice that afternoon.  I'd like to also get another outfit finished that day or several cut out.  Maybe even some matching Jammie's made.

We also need to squeeze in my couple of doctors appointments.

Working on Christmas in September...

Warning.... If you're under 10, turn your computer off!

So, I'm working on some sewing for Christmas gifts.  The first two items I sewed were tricky.  The second two came together much more quickly.  I'm 95% done with the patterned tops shown below.  They only need Velcro ( which, oddly enough, I have none).  One of the white karate tops needs to be hemmed and they need Velcro.  Next up, I need to find a pattern for pants so I can complete the karate outfits.

I also want to create a dressy/formal dress and a more unisex pants suit, maybe to look like a tuxedo pant and vest.  If I have time, I'd like to try a jean skirt and a jean type pant.

Finally, I'd like to create some matching pj outfits for the dolls and their owners.  A lot to do and the holidays will be here before we know it.

Updated - Sunday evening:

I made some additional progress this weekend.  I've completed both karate outfits including velcro and ties.  The two pairs of white pants can also be worn with the two peasant tops.  I also made a pair of orange shorts with hem trim for the striped top.  Here they are in outfit form.

Is couponing getting harder and harder?

Or is it just me?

Perhaps I'm just burnt out on coupons. Maybe I'm not spending enough time on it?  Is it just too hard or are there too many roadblocks?  Whatever it is, I need to take a different approach.

When I started couponing in 2008-2009 it was because we needed to.  DH was facing a job loss and the economy stunk.  We had no idea how long he would be out if work.  Our best option was to stock up as we could.

For four plus years I was able to find good deals on many of the things we ate and used in the house.  We had a bounty of goods and I routinely saved 25-50% or more on my purchases.

Fast forward to the last nine months:  grocery prices are up substantially, coupons are harder to find/print and the allure of a stockpile has waned.

Printing coupons has become more difficult because employers have limited access, iPads are not coupon friendly, and coupon apps are very limited. Newspapers have coupons we don't use.

Another thing that has driven our grocery bill up is that we're eating a low sodium, low fat diet now (on doctors orders).  So many of the coupon items are either high in sodium or far.  Cheap meats are also harder to find.  Italian and smoked sausage (frequent coupon items) are now rarely on the menu plan.  

Actually, it's probably been months since I used more than two coupons on a weeks grocery purchase.  I'm still focusing on the sale and BOGO deals but my savings percentage is pathetic.  Couple that with rising prices for a perfect budget busting storm.

I'm looking for eats to reduce my expenses without it becoming a full time job.  

MINI

We've been talking about getting a car for some time now.  Many discussions about what kind (what do we want, what do we need) and if a motorcycle should be our purchase.

We decided on a car and we decided that we'll pass down our CRV to DD just as we did for our DS six years ago.

Now on to decisions about a car.  We're looking to put a little fun into the everyday.  With this in mind and our satisfaction level with the 2008 Mini we bought used about three years ago, we decided to do it again.

We're now a two mini family.  Buying a car is full of uncertainties and can be a stressful occasion.  I'm debt averse.  I've been working on getting us debt free for several years. (We're closer now than ever.)  

We decided to go used to save that depreciation expense.  We also decided to go with a short term loan (36 month) and we got a great rate.  

With careful attention to our money and no disruptions in our income, we could have this paid off in two years.  I also hope to have two or three small loans/credit cards paid off in that time frame as well.

For now, we will continue to make our money work for us and enjoy along the way.

Peer pressure, bullying and social norms

I frequent a popular sewing blog.  A couple of weeks ago, I commented that I would "like to see more sleeves in our clothing" noting that I was frequently cold in air condoned situations without sleeves.  I also noted that some ladies may need a little cover on their upper arms.

I was surprised at the response I got.  The blog author was gracious in responding that her preference was sleeveless but she was working on some designs that included sleeve options.  The response from another reader was not so gracious indicating that she didn't care what other people thought about her arms.  Interesting.  I still can't figure out why this person, that I don't know, felt the need to be so argumentative.  I guess any opinion that was different from theirs was 'offensive.'

It got me thinking about our society as a whole.  Bosses and coworkers bully employees into working excessive hours fearing loss of a job or retribution.  The political correctness police threaten to label every one who disagrees with them a "racist" to quiet and diminish their voices.

Even a old fashioned chain letter or the current equivalent on social media - the ice bucket challenge - dares you not to conform at the risk of embarrassment or bad karma.

We're so concerned about children being bullied but we need to start thinking about how we're bulling other adults on a daily basis.  The ability to be anonymous on social media has caused an explosion in this bad behavior.  Just check out the comments on any news story on line.  Even if you disagree, there's a nice way to say it without bulling and insulting.

Remember two important rules:  Do unto others as you would have them do unto you.  If you don't have something nice to say, say nothing at all.

Passive income

We recently moved our money from the mega banks into a regional credit union.  From my calculations, we're looking at a fair amount if passive income from the change.  

Wells Fargo and Bank of America had free checking but paid virtually no interest on the money in their accounts.  The credit union offers a small dividend if you meet certain requirements.

We're not going to get rich but our checking is now earning more money than our cd was at BOA!

Menu and goals for the week

First the menu:  

Monday - Chinese chicken with vegetables, lo mein

Tuesday - Beef Roast with mashed potatoes and broccoli

Wednesday - Jambalaya with double smoked beef sausage

Thursday - salad or leftovers

Friday - choice not taken above

Goals for the week:

1.  Make two doctors appointments - half done

2.  Pick up prescriptions - done

3.  Catch up on laundry - done and dishes caught up, too!

4.  Stay on track with hand quilting - making good progress, should be able to roll again on Thursday - done

5.  Pre-planning for some Christmas gifts (sewing) - done

6.  Better grocery list for this weekend

      a.  More use of freezer and pantry items

      b.  Use coupons and buy sale items

      c.  Reduce food waste

      d.  Take lunch four times - almost there

      e.  Reduce dollars spent

7.  Make hair appointment - done

That's one goal per day.  Some are pretty quick and easy, others not so much.

Now, one item I wanted to address this week is the cost of food.  I do 80-90% of my grocery shopping at Publix.  Generally, I'm very happy with quality, cleanliness and customer service.  I have small issues with selection as there are several items I have to buy elsewhere.  Historically, I've accepted that Publix's prices are slightly higher than average but buying driven by sales and prudent coupon use made Publix slightly less than average price wise and sometimes a real bargain.

Because of some health issues, we trying to eat better by reducing our fat and sodium consumption.  Making these changes really affected my grocery bill.  I am sometimes able to modify packaged items (I replace half of the seasoning package in RiceaRoni Spanish rice with non-salt seasoning to reduce sodium) but most of my choices have been changed to items specifically lowering fat and sodium.  As a result,my grocery bill is now significantly higher than last year.

Yesterday, I was shocked at the price of some items.  For example, low sodium deli ham is over $10 per pound - that's about a .50 jump in the last week or two.  A beef pot roast was $5.99 a pound with a significant layer of fat.  Just weeks ago, I could have purchased steaks for that price point.  Finally, a hot house cucumber was only $1.99 the last time I purchased, over $2 this time.  I'm not sure what was driving this price hike since the media has been warning of price increases for weeks.

As a result, I will be rethinking how I can produce some low cost meals to offset these prices.  A good example is my menu choice of jambalaya this week.  The Zadarains mix is the lowest sodium prepackaged rice mix. I will use some no salt added tomatoes and add some beef sausage from the freezer.  No additional out of pocket.  

Meat is definitely going to become a side and not the star of the meal.  I have ordered a box of Zaycon Foods chicken breasts.  These are looking like a real bargain at less than $2 a pound.

Dump the big banks - phase two

Yesterday, I stopped by our second big bank to pull the plug.  (I still have a cd that doesn't mature til next month there but everything else is done.)

To make it an even better week, I pushed the button to pay off a student loan today.   

The new credit union account is already paying more interest than the mega bank with no threat of service fees for low balances.  Yippee!

I really feel like I have accomplished something this week and getting our list if debts pruned is exciting.  It's slow but steady.  

I was running some numbers today and under the MOST optimistic of circumstances we "could" be completely debt free in about five years.  Of course, something always happens to slow that progress down.

This week's menu

Sunday - rotisserie chicken, mashed potatoes, green beans

Monday - ham steak, beans, corn on the cob, sliced tomatoes

Tuesday - spaghetti with meat sauce, salad and bread with garlic cheese spread

Wednesday - teriyaki salmon and chicken, fried rice, egg roll

Thursday - salad

Friday - to be determined

Another red letter day

I've been busy the last month transitioning our finances into fewer accounts.  We're closing our accounts with the mega banks and consolidating into credit union accounts.  

I closed the first mega bank this past Friday and will close the other this coming weekend.  

Because of this and DH changing jobs recently, we've not been as aggressive with our debt repayment.  (We tend to be cautious when changing jobs to ensure that we have plenty if cash.)

Well, that changed today when I submitted a payment that will payoff one of our credit cards!  Yippee!!

As soon as that clears, we close the second mega bank account and move it.  My plan is to payoff a student loan at the end of the month - next week.  After that we start rolling that money we've set aside for debt repayment into our other balances.  Every day, we get a little closer.

In checking some statements this afternoon, I've discovered that our smallest school loan is actually a hundred dollars less than I thought.  I will also be paying this off next week at the end of the week.  

How I saved $15 on my prescription

I take several drugs for migraine headaches.  Last year (2013), both medications had become available as generics and my insurance would cover them (after jumping through some hoops) at a $10 copayment each.

This year with all the changes to health insurance, we have no company's on medications unless they're preventative.  With preventative drugs, we pay a portion on the cost and that amount is applied to our out if pocket amount but not counted towards our deductible.

It's very confusing.  For one drug, I filled it in April at Walgreens and my cost for nine tablets was $36 using my insurance coverage.  Costco advertises it for $19.68 (no insurance) but the nearest one is a headache in itself!  

I used a website called GoodRX and it will tell you who has the lowest price in your area.  You present the coupon to the pharmacy.  My price at Publix was advertised at $19.42.  Honestly, I didn't think they would take it but it was worth the effort.  

To my surprise, Publix honored the coupon - although my price ended up being $21.60 instead of $19.42 but close enough.  I saved $15 over the Walgreens price.  

I'm not sure if this will be counted towards my out of pocket costs or not.  I'll have to look into that but since I won't fill this more than a couple of times this year, it won'take much of an impact either way.

Why don't you see if GoodRX could save you some money?

...and miles to go before I sleep

Actually, no more miles.

Part of our grand plan for this year was to find new employment for DH that would reduce his stress, reduce his work hours and reduce his commute time and miles.

Now, changing jobs is never an easy task.  First, you have to find one and then go through the motions of the transition.  DH had about a 30 mile (one way) commute to his job.  It was mostly expressway which you would think would make it easier.  In metro Atlanta, being on the interstates is never "express."  It would take him nearly and hour each way if there was no significant backup or accidents.  This is in heavy, bumper to bumper traffic.  Fortunately, he was provided a vehicle so we didn't have to worry about vehicle wear and tear or gasoline.  Still, with this long of a commute, he would frequently arrive home after a ten hour work day and an hour afternoon drive late and needing to decompress.

The great news is that he's taken a new job.  He drives his own can and pays for his own gas but he's SIX miles from home.  SIX.  No highway traffic.  No worries about accidents or delays.  SIX miles on local roads - mostly against traffic.  Yum.

To make this story even sweeter, DD has also changed jobs releasing her of a similar commute.  She still has to take the kids to sitters and preschool but she's very close to her new location.  

I figure we've saved six hours a week in commute time.  She's probably saving five hours a week or more with running to the sitters plus she's saving both gas expense and wearp and tear on her car.

An easy way to save a buck

I paid my electric bill today and in doing so, I saved about $13.

My company charges a $4.95 fee to pay instantly on line.  They also give a discount for an early payment.  

We're in the process of moving all of our payments and banking to the new credit union account.  I set up the electric bill for bill pay through the credit union.  Because I didn't use the instant service and I paid it before the due date, I saved not only the fee plus I saved the amount of the discount amounting to about a $13 savings.

Now that it's set up, I'll be able to easily and quickly pay this every month.

This week's menu plan

Sunday - hamburger steak, baked potato

Monday - BBQ pork chops, blackeyed peas

Tuesday- stuffed potatoes

Wednesday- spaghetti

Thursday - salad

Friday - sub sandwiches ?

I always look for opportunities to use up leftovers and incorporate freezer and pantry goods into the weekly menu.

This week we're eating leftover blackeyed peas with pork chops from the freezer.

As I begin thinking about next week, I thought I'd give you some insight into how I plan my grocery list and weekly menu.

Monday morning I check I heart Publix to find out what will go on sale that week.  I select things that I normally buy that will be on sale that week.  If there are coupons, I print those.  I will also frequently check the store flyer on line to catch any other items advertised.

Then I form a tentative menu for the week keeping in mind what I already have on hand.  After that, I add items to the list I will need for those meals.

Finally, I round out my list with everyday items we need .. Milk, bread, creamer, etc.

A pet peeve...

I was just looking at a recipe on a recipe site for Bourbon Chicken.  It looked absolutely delicious.  Unfortunately, I'll probably never try it for two reasons.

First, the author advocates thawing frozen chicken by covering it with hot water and letting it sit for 10 minutes and then repeating for another 10 minutes.  In my mind, and by food preparation standards, this is a real no-no.  It makes me question the safety of her recipes.

Second, even though the recipe is called Bourbon Chicken, it - get this - doesn't contain any bourbon.  Essentially, they've made a barbecue sauce that includes pineapple juice and soy sauce.  I get it that you might be out of bourbon and need to substitute or that you may not drink bourbon but give it a new name.  It's patently false advertising!

Christmas in July

It's a rainy day today and I have little to do at work.  My mind starts wandering and lands today in homemade Christmas gifts.

Of course, it's always frustrating to come up with ideas and not be able to put them into motion because you're stuck at work.  Worst yet, sitting here doing nothing.

I'm thinking that I will be making applesauce again this year, small jars of pepper jelly, a cherry pineapple jam and strawberries in vanilla syrup.  Mmm.  I think I will also dry some apple rings.

Then, I need some simple sewing projects for the kids.  Doll clothes and what?  My mind just goes blank!

Sometimes a sale really isn't a deal

To follow up on my last post, I decided to order checks on my own versus having the bank do it.  It was going to cost about $20 to order through the bank.  I thought I could do better especially since we don't write that many checks.

I first looked into Current - a company I've order checks from before.  Not a bad price but not a great one either.

Then I tried Vista Print.  We've ordered business cards from them.  They also had a sale going for 50% off.  That made a book if checks $3 plus $2 and change for duplicates.  Ok, that's a great price.  The next quantity up is six books of checks - way too many, so I went with just the one.

It was all going well until the shipping.  $8 for 10 day shipping!  Agg!  Whatever.  I was so over it at this point that I was ready to be done with it.  I guess I still saved a few bucks over ordering through the bank.

Bye, bye big banks!

Yesterday, we took the first step towards breaking up with our big banks.  (Yes, note that I did say banks with an s.)  We opened a credit union account and will be working on transitioning our stuff out of WF and BOA over the next month or so.  We don't have any specific complaints about the big banks except that they've gotten harder and harder to deal with and were getting nothing out of the arrangement.  Interest on all accounts is practically nil.  Recently, one of the banks eliminated drive thru service on Saturdays.  That might have been the last straw.

With the new credit union, we have a free account that might earn us a little interest without the potential of a monthly fee that we had with the mega bank.  The interest rate on their cd products is also higher.

It's a pain and we've talked about doing this for over a year.  We finally took the plunge with the job change.  We will also be consolidating two of our accounts into one.  For now, I'm keeping my other credit union account because I've financed two vehicles with them and they are very easy to deal with. I'm also keeping the Capital One 360 (formerly ING Direct) for now as it is "ot of sight, out of mind!"

My menu plan

We're starting this week off with leftovers Monday - brisket, beans and potato salad.

For Tuesday, I'm thinking about some thin sliced pork chops in BBQ.  I could seriously dump this entirely and go rogue.

Wednesday will be a crockpot roast with potatoes and carrots.  Broccoli on the side.

Thursday will likely be a big salad.

Friday is up in the air for now.

Something from nothing

It's my favorite kind a meal, when I take a little leftover something - that by itself is really nothing - and turn it into a meal for two.

Sunday we grilled a couple of steaks I found in the freezer for dinner.  Unfortunately, with a baked potato and salad, we simply could not eat the whole steak.  I took what was left over, cut the steak in small pieces and covered in steak sauce (A1).  Tonight, I put that steak - less than a cup for sure - into a pot with a can of beef broth and some water.  I added about a half of a small can of tomato paste and simmered along with a handful of carrots chopped small and a rib of celery diced.  A slow simmer tenderizes the meat and releases it's flavor.

In a small skilled, I caramelized half an onion in some margarine until slightly brown and well done, add to soup.  Adjust with extra water, broth or tomato paste to taste.  Do NOT add extra salt.  Finally, add in about one to two cups of whole wheat egg noodles and simmer until noodles are tender.  The noodles will thicken the broth slightly.

My cost for this was about $2 (can of broth) plus the pantry and produce items I already had on hand.  It was delicious.  I prepared a salad but we didn't need it.  I served this with some leftover whole wheat/grain bread.

Why is my water bill so high?

My latest water bill was double the previous one and I'm wondering why.  We did run the sprinkler almost all of Memorial Day and we do tend to bathe more in the summer time.

Now, beyond that, what can I do about it.    First, I'm moving to a full washer policy.  No more partial loads.  Same with the dishwasher and small loads (dishes) will be done by hand.

Thinking about ways to cut expenses every day.

Plan for the week

This week's dinner menu is what I like to call fluid.  We had some chicken breasts left over from dinner tonight so I need to incorporate them into the plan.

Initially, I planned as follows:  Monday was to be chicken enchiladas with some left over shredded chicken, Tuesday was supposed to be Jambalya with some spoken beef sausages, Wednesday will STILL be Italian chicken and mashed potatoes, Thursday will be salad night and Friday will be homemade pizza.

I think I'm swapping up the order and we'll have the Jambalya Monday and the leftover checks Tuesday.  The chicken enchiladas will slide to Saturday.  (A excellent weekend meal maybe with a margarita on the side.)

On other fronts, I'm still working on my Dresden plate quilt top.  I've got it half done and once the other half is done, I will add a border all long the edges as wide as possible and then bind in a contrasting color.  I was hoping that it would make a large enough quilt to make up like a bedspread but it looks like I will still need some pillow shams.  My initial plan is to make a patterned sham and then embroider a plan white pillow case with our monogram.  In my head, it looks lovely!

DH recently repaired our riding lawnmower saying us likely hundreds of dollars.  Right now, we're focusing on small things we can do around the house while spending the least amount of money.

A freezer meal ends a hard day

The last few days have been a real challenge as far as work is concerned.  Normally, this would have been a night that we'd just opt to get something out.

Not tonight.  I dug around in a the the freezer and found some leftover taco meat.  I diced a tomato and heated a cn of black beans.  Easy leash, free from the freezey.

I'm posting my resume on some job boards this week.  It's time for a change.

A no spend day

...well, almost.  I packed a lunch today and ate a pack of instant oatmeal for breakfast.  I stayed away from the snack machine all day.  

Dinner was a BLT and potato soup from what we had on hand.  We did pick up a cup of ice cream from Chick-fil-a to share after dinner. (Less than $2)

Tomorrow I will buy lunch from the cafeteria (limiting this to Tuesday and Thursday only). My goal is to spend less than $10 a week on lunches and snacks at work.

A frugal plan for the week

I spent just under $75 at the grocery store this weekend - two trips.  I still want to pick up two bottles of all and some frozen fruit bars but I'll have to see if I can get back over there.

Tonight, we had Chicken Parmasean for dinner tonight.  Tomorrow, we will be having some BLTs and potato soup with one of the last farm stand tomatoes.  Tuesday night will be something from the freezer and Wednesday will be a chicken dish with the rest of the chicken from Sunday's family pack purchase.  I'm thinking chicken and dumplings.  Thursday, we will likely have a garden salad and I'm planning on homemade pizza for Friday night.

The saying goes that anytime you're trying to payoff debt of minimize expenses there is a phenomenon described as "Murphy".  Murphy is like a bad penny that shows up and costs you money unexpectedly.  Murphy is certainly showing up here.  We've been doing a good job of getting out debt load down and putting some money aside for a rainy day.  Just as we try to make some job changes, it seems like everything is breaking and needs repairs.

First, we had to put new tires on one car and it also needs brakes.  The other car is making a terrible noise and needs to go to the shop.  On top of all of those expenses, our lawnmower quit on us.  (We can't get it to crank!). Our choices for repair are painful.  We either had to rent a trailer to take the mower to the shop (a $60 expense) or have the shop pick it up (a $90 expense) on top of the actual repairs.  DH has taken it on himself to try and repair it (carbuerator clean out and rebuilt).  Kudos to him!  We've spent $40 on parts which is much less than any outside repair.

Clean out the fridge and have salad

Tonight we had a nice chef salad for dinner.  I took the opportunity to clean out the vegetable and deli drawers of the fridge while I was pulling things out.  I was able to include some bits of cheese with our salads to go along with the deli turkey meat that didn't get used in sandwiches this week.

I used a little bit of the Savoy cabbage that was left over from the lo mein last week.  I had enough of the salad left to make a nice lunch for tomorrow.

Next week I will be decreasing the number of lunches I buy at work.  My goals is to reduce from five days a week to only two.  This weekend, I want to limit our meals out to only Saturday's breakfast.  (That may be the hardest!)

I'm also transitioning from aggressive debt payoff to minimum payments on our loans in June.  Hopefully, this will only be temporary to allow us to stash some cash.  

Frugal begins .. Today

More details will be coming in the next few days and weeks but we are back on the frugal train.  This week's emphasis is on eliminating food waste.  Foods sneaking up on their expiration date went into the freezer; a few slices of Canadian Bacon destined for a Hawaiian pizza and an unused two pack of chicken breasts which will likely become some enchiladas or soup over the weekend.

I finished the remaining raspberries with some peaches last night for snack.  

Tomorrow, we will eat a chef salad that will use up some deli turkey, fresh tomatoes from the farm stand with some rolls out of the freezer.  Tonight's dinner was tacos.  Left over taco meat will reappear either in a salad or some tacos over the weekend.

Next week's menu plan will rely heavily on items already on hand:  frozen and staples.  I'm working on setting a weekly grocery budget starting this weekend. 

Menu

Sunday - Turkey with fixings

Monday - grilled cheese & tomato soup

Tuesday - salad

Wednesday - Tacos

Thursday - roast Beef leftovers

Friday - Pizza at home

A Tuesday Triumph

Today is a great day.  Really!

Today we paid off our only auto loan and we are, at least for now, without a car payment.  Our hope is to go through the end of the year before we take the plunge into a car loan again.

This latest auto loan was a triumph of its own.  We purchased a $18k auto by putting down a large downpayment and taking out only a three year loan.  Once our other car was paid for, we rolled that payment into the regular car payment and made quick work of the loan.  Just 25 months into a 36 month loan, we're done.  It's all ours.

Now, that money that was double paying the car loan will simply roll to the next loan - a small balance credit card that should be paid off in just two months or so!  Whoopee!

Baring any unexpected employment changes, we should be able to pay off a couple of credit cards and a small student loan before we need to take action on a car.  Our goal is to get all our non-mortgage loans paid off or paid down to small balances to allow us some breathing room should we need to change jobs.  

As a reminder, all the kitchen renovation was done on a cash basis, leaving us with no new debt.

Menu Monday

If you're watching the prices at the grocery store like I am, you're probably thinking of ways to save some money.  I purchased a 3 pound roast this weekend and it was over $17!  

I think we're looking at two "meatless" meals each week instead of our usual one.  Meatless in our house is defined by a meal who's staring role is not a meat product.  We're also revisiting our leftover plan and food waste reduction.

For this week ..

Monday - tacos (cinco de mayo). Meat leftover in the freezer along with tortillas already on hand.  Two serving package of Spanish rice.

Tuesday - BLT and Potato Soup .. All ingredients on hand.

Wednesday - Spaghetti with meat sauce or sausage ( whatever is already in the freezer). With a salad and bread.

Thursday - black eyed peas with ham ( using a ham bone tucked away in the freezer and beans from the pantry.  Cornbread on the side.  Served with diced peppers and rice.

Friday - pizza at home.  

Shredding Cheese

Last night I shredded cheese for tonight's dinner.  Usually this involves getting out the hand shredder and tiring my arm or pulling out the food processor and having to wash 10 parts.  Not last night!

Because I now have room for my KitchenAid mixer on my counter, I just pulled out my shredding attachment and started to work.  Less than 3 minutes later, the work was done.  Two parts to wash so they went straight into the dishwasher.

Dinner sits in the fridge waiting for me today.  An hour and a half in the oven and we'll be feasting on Chicken Enchilada Casserole.  I'll just need to throw a salad together and maybe a dessert!  

A well organized kitchen is a pleasure to work in.

All in the details

      I'm working on a series of posts detailing the kitchen renovation.  In the meantime, here's a sneak peek at some of the details I'm loving..

One drawer is dedicated to potato, onion, garlic and other root vegetable storage.  I was able to repurpose two baskets I already had to separate the players.  I moved these further away from the dishwasher to keep these items cool and fresh longer.

Pots and pans organized!  Before, I had to fight to get the pans into the cabinet without everything falling out.  The lid holder keeps all the lids handy.  A second drawer holds larger pots and baking sheets.  The corner cabinet has a pull out organizer that is housing my glass and Corning wear baking pans, wok, strainers and other miscellaneous items.  

This could be my favorite - at least this week - a drawer dedicated to bread products.  Before, these were all piled up on top of the toaster.  Every time we needed to use the toaster, every bread item had to be moved.  This is a modern day take on a bread box.

Dedicated food storage in this cabinet.  On the counter canisters have been eliminated in favor of plastic containers in the cabinet.  Adjustable shelves allow for customized storage.

Adjustable shelves (I a deed two extra shelves in this cabinet). Allow for more storage when the shelves are only as tall as the items stored.  This cabinet keeps my salad bowl at hand and my cake plate clean and handy. I still need to work on other items to be stored in this cabinet.

And the final reveal for this post is my spice cabinet.  I added an extra shelf to this cabinet as well.  Four turntables allow for easy access to all the spices, sauces and cooking aids.  I really like that my cookbooks are easily at hand.  I have that one shelf that I need to work on.  My personal cookbooks are there now.  I need to find a smaller binder for the red one that will fit on that top shelf.

That's all for now.  More details coming soon.

Weekly Menu

This week we go back to home cooked meals full time.  The kitchen is fully functional even if we do have some final touches left.

Sunday - pork chops, potatoes with onions and green beans

Monday - ham steak with baked sweet potato, steamed broccoli

Tuesday - chef salad with wheat rolls

Wednesday - taco night

Thursday- spaghetti with sausage

Friday - chicken on the grill

Weekly Menu

This week we go back to home cooked meals full time.  The kitchen is fully functional even if we do have some final touches left.

Sunday - pork chops, potatoes with onions and green beans

Monday - ham steak with baked sweet potato, steamed broccoli

Tuesday - chef salad with wheat rolls

Wednesday - taco night

Thursday- spaghetti with sausage

Friday - chicken on the grill

Cash is king!

We're remodeling our kitchen completely from funds on hand.  No credit cards, no 90 days same as cash.  We started with a basic budget that we thought we could meet.

Unfortunately, we're running a little over budget.  It seems that my estimate for floor installation was woefully short.  Fortunately, it's only a couple of hundred dollars.  We are lucky to have enough cushion that won't be an issue. 

I also discovered today that my estimate for the electrician was way off.  This is going to tax our budget enough that we may need to hold off on purchasing our microwave for a little while.  I'll also be looking for more opportunities to save a buck.  

Perhaps as enticing as it would be to have the tile guys install the backsplash, that may remain a DIY project to recoup some cash.  

After day one of tiling...

Our first day of tiling got off to a slow start.  The weather here is miserable and the crew had to go for supplies early on.

By the end of the workday (about 5:30 ish), all of the backer board was down as was half of the tile in the kitchen area.  

I'm thinking that the rest if the kitchen area will go quickly but the hall and laundry will be slower because of more trimming and cutting.  I'm hoping that all the tile is down by the time u get home tonight.

I feel like I lost a night last might because I really couldn't do anything.  Tonight I will work on getting one cabinet assembled as a trial run.

I need to paint and fix drywall but that has to wait until the floor is finished.  Tonight I will work on getting trim paint and the hardware template found.

Bring on the tile guys!

Its been a very long weekend.  I got about 60% of the kitchen items packed Thursday night before I had to stop for the evening.  Friday while I was at work, DH pulled all the cabinet doors off so what was left in the cabinets was exposed.  He had also been to the Home Depot and purchased some Masonite board to protect our hardwood floors while we stored our appliances on them.  He also picked up an appliance dolly from a nearby rental shop.  While we waited on the Ikea delivery, I continued to pack up things until I got about 99% done.  The fella from Ikeas came about 7:00 and then we headed out for dinner.  

We were up before 7:00 am Saturday morning ready to go.  I headed off to get a big box of coffee and a dozen donuts.  DH cleared out the end base cabinet and countertop before I could get back.  DSIL came overe for the "early" shift.  With his help, we were able to get the stove moved to the dining room, remove the dishwasher and sink countertop.  That sink piece was a hard job.  Usually, you can break the seal and take the sink out but they must have used super glue to put it in.  They had to saw the counter into a couple of pieces to get it off the cabinets and out the door.  DSIL was off to his morning t-ball coaching duties with DD for an hour or so but when he returned, they were able to get the rest of the cabinets out and get the fridge moved down to the basement.  (That turned out to be a job since we had to remove the doors and take it out the back door, through the yard, down the street and back up the driveway.  What a funny sight!)

After taking a few minutes to clean up, we took a break for lunch and to pick some heavy duty trash bags up from the store.  After lunch DS came over to help with the floor removal.  Originally, he thought that he might be able to reuse the floor for his shop but as we started working with it, we discovered that the flooring had been glued at every joint.  The laminate was fairly easy to remove but under it, there were two TWO layers of vinyl flooring.  Both layers came up pretty easily but left a fair amount of glue residue behind.  Both DH and SD spend a considerable amount of time removing that residue.  I worked on removing the baseboards.  I was able to remove it without damaging the wall but we'll be buying new baseboard material to replace it.  Most pieces could not be removed without some breakage.

Sunday, DH removed the tile backsplash, the remaining glue residue and we made sure that no nail heads remained.  We cleaned a couple of small spots that looked like some mold and coated any questionable areas with some Kilz paint.  Finally, we removed the washer and dryer out of the laundry closet and removed the vinyl floor in that closet.  The floor has been thoroughly vacuumed and is as ready as it can be for the flooring to start tomorrow.

I was also able to check the Ikea order and only one item wash short from what we expected.  Ikea was already aware of this and it will arrive Tuesday by Federal Express.  So far, I'm happy with the level of customer service.  They also anticipate that my remaining pieces should be ther by next weekend.

Our next steps include starting to assemble the cabinets, cleaning the crown molding and painting the small area between the crown molding and the top of the cabinets.  I also need to schedule the electrician for Thursday.  The condition of the area for the backsplash concerns me a little but I will work on that during the week as I am able.

More forward progress..

I ordered our cabinets today.  It only took about an hour at the store because the plan was already put together and saved.  We took the handles off and added two shelves.  We did get the 10% off sale price! Yea!

Most of the parts are in stock and will be delivered Friday.  Yes, this Friday!  There are a couple of doors, a drawer front and two side panels that are not in stock but that shouldn't keep us from moving forward with the install.

I'm planning to make a final color choice on the counter top next Tuesday.  I'll have cabinet color and tile color in hand then. 

The missing pieces should be in within two weeks which will be about the time we're wrapping up installation and waiting on counter tops.  

Since I was home early, I also ran the lawnmower to tame the weeds in the yard.  For dinner, we had a big pot of spicy chicken vegetable soup with some freshly baked oatmeal cookies for dessert.

It's amazing what you can accomplish with a few extra hours in the day.  

The plan for the rest of the week is to cook dinner tomorrow night (tacos) and then heat up soup for Thursday.   The kitchen will the be closed for the duration of the remodel.  I've got a few ideas of meals without use of the stove/oven and/or use of a traditional kitchen sink.  I'll address those ideas in a separate post.

Our project moves forward...

The Ikea planner was here last Wednesday and, after a couple of minor revisions, we now have a cabinet plan.  I will be going to Ikea Tuesday to place the order.  Our anticipated amount is several hundred dollars more than I had estimated but it includes several drawer units, trim and hardware.  We will not be buying the Ikea handles as we have found some at Lowes that we like better.

I went by the counter top company Wednesday and got a quote on a Corian top.  I've nt decided on a color yeat, but the price is very reasonable and includes a stainless steel sink installed by the counter top company.  This will keep me pretty close to budget.

We picked up our tile Saturday and it is safely stored in the basement.  It was much heavier (per box) than we anticipated and I am very grateful that we had some help getting it unloaded.  We had no unanticipated costs with this pickup.

We also ordered our dishwasher and arranged to have it delivered along with the fridge on the 22nd.  Luckily, we were able to get it under a 10% sale price.  

I've started. Leaning out cabinets and moving items to the basement.  I'll be working on this all through the week anticipating our demo this weekend.

Next things to do:

1.  Order cabinets

2.  Arrange for an electrician

     a.  Remove 220 outlet for stove - unneeded

     b.  Convert hardwire to an outlet over stove for microwave

     c.  Convert wire coming through wall to a real junction box for over sink light

3.  Clean out cabinets thoroughly

4.  Ensure that all washing - dishes and clothes - is done by Friday

Full speed ahead...

After a disappointing first quote to tile our kitchen floor, we have decided on a contractor and have a date for installation, March 17.  Before then, we need to demo the floor and cabinets in the kitchen, hall and laundry closet.

I've pushed back the fridge delivery to March 22nd and the Ikea planner comes Wednesday.  I hope to get over to the countertop vendor Wednesday afternoon to get some ideas and information on sink choices and installation details.

Tomorrow night, I'll work on a calendar so we can "schedule" what needs to be done when.  Of upmost importance, I need to find some boxes, bins, etc. and start packing away some of my kitchen things.

So, to recap:  

1). the fridge is purchased and delivery has been scheduled.  

2). A cabinet plan will be in place by eod Wednesday

3). Tile is purchased and will be picked up this weekend

4). I've tentatively selected a wall color

5).  Still need to purchase a dishwasher and microwave.

6).  Need to schedule an electrician ?

7. And lots of work...

A freezer find!

I'm currently limiting my grocery shopping to necessities in February.  I picked up some lean ground beef, buns and potatoes yesterday but otherwise, nothing else yet.  I'll be stopping by the store tomorrow because we need some coffee cream and deli meat.  It will be short list.

Tonight for dinner, we had a win-win.  I found two cubed steaks in June freezer to go along with some leftover red potatoes.  I opened a can of green beans and we called it dinner.  This was DH's splurge meat at home for the week.  The cube steaks are lightly dredged with flour and pan fried.  This time, I limited the salt and increased the cayenne and black pepper.  I used just enough oil to cover the bottom of the pan.  When they were done, they sat on a paper towel briefly to absorb some additional oil.  Hopefully, it made it just a little healthier.

DH says his tummy is happy.  My wallet is happy and one more thing out of the freezer.

Solving a problem by making the best of the situation

I mentioned before that our new washer and dryer would not fit behind the laundry room door.  I was very disappointed at this but my hubby, not so much.  He has always hated the doors - they get in his way, they're noisy and not particularly efficient.

While we were at IKEA this weekend, I found a perfect curtain that would cover the opening and provide enough camouflage while staying classy.  It was only $20 plus the curtain rod.  It hangs almost to the ceiling and just skims the floor.  This picture shows the colors a little off.  While we were at it, I decided that the cheap globe light in the hallway, which gave out a pitiful amount of lit needed to be replaced/ upgraded if we could find a frugal choice.  Lowes had a very inexpensive flush mount light that had a frosted globe and brushed nickel finish to very closely coordinates with the light fixtures in the kitchen and bath.  DH installed that today.   For just a tad over $50, we' ve refashioned the hallway.  It does need a new coat of paint soon.

I'm still searching for a floor tile that will work for our kitchen remodel.  The sample I got from Floor and Decor just seems dirty.  HD and Lowes had nothing I was happy with.  One piece at HD was a good color and pattern fit but I didn't care for the 18x18 tile size. 

Old man winter

This has definitely been a weird week.  DH and I both headed to our jobs Monday knowing that we would likely be hunkered down at home for a while.  Tuesday was supposed to be the first day of ice but we really didn't get too much.  It was a good thing that I stayed home because I had a little tummy bug that stayed with me mot of the day.  I was able to get a few things done for work and generally keep up with everything that was going on both at work and weather wise.

By Tuesday afternoon, my office had made the decision to close our building Tuesday and run everyone home by 5pm - presumably to avoid the situation two weeks ago when a hundred people were stuck at work overnight (two days for me).  On a side note, I find it strange that they have to run people out of the building to get them to go home.  At first you might think it is total dedication to their jobs but personally, I think it has more to do with either not wanting to go home or being afraid to leave work.  I spent my free time making sure that we had all our laundry done, all the dishes were clean, etc.  DH made a run to take some firewood to DD given that they have a fireplace and a 8 month old.

Wednesday we were iced in.  The Roads were impassable and nothing was open.  Constant news and weather on the local stations.  DH and I continued to work at our business responsibilities and squeeze in some fun things like a video game or some quilting.  We kept thinking that we could loose power at any minute so we watched to ensure that our electronic devices stayed mostly charged.

By Thursday morning, we had a fresh, thick blanket of snow covering all the ice and sleet from Wednesday.  Our businesses were still closed by we continued to monitor our email and work on some projects.  By noon, we shoveled some of the ice and snow on hype driveway to ensure that I could back out of the garage without sliding into the ditch.  Then we got out and went for some lunch.  There weren't many places open but we found a pizza joint that was.  We checked on our peeps and headed home.

Before dark, DH sprinkled some ice melt over the inclined areas on the driveway that we cleared so it would not refreze tonight.  It's back to work tomorrow.  Our pre-preparations were overkill for the storm that we had but it's always good to get those supplies and know where they are.

Next month, it will be time to get another load of firewood.  This current stack has lasted us almost two years and we still have quite a bit.  I find that by ordering it after the cold weather ends, I get a better deal and it can dry out over the summer.

Brrr! Snow or ice?

The weather professions here are decidedly certain that we will have two weather events this week instead of one.  The first is scheduled to be a snow and rain event tomorrow.  The second is expected to be rain/snow and ice starting Wednesday.

It wanting to repeat my overnight at the office two weeks ago, I packed up my computer this afternoon and headed home at 4.  Now, it seems that tomorrow might not be so bad but the underlying possibility of getting stuck there for days is not appealing.  I just wait it out here at home while the weather plays itself out.  It probably means that I'll be working late here and there and maybe an extra Saturday as we approach our deadline.

On preparing for the weather, my grocery trip from Friday put us in an excellent situation for the week.  We are well stocked with perishables and with the goodies in the he freezer and stockpile, we can eat for quite a while.

We filled up our gas cans and cranked the generator to ensure it was ready.  We have one propane tank at about 3/4 full.  Our cars are mostly full of gas and we have several cases of bottled water.  We have a fair amount of firewood including some in the garage and some in the fireplace already.  

I will finish up any laundry and or dishes in the morning.  Electronic devices will be charged overnight and at least once during the day tomorrow.  (Keep in mind how you will entertain yourself if you loose power.  I may not be able to work or sew with my machine but I can sew my Dresden plates onto the Muslim squares.  I can also read off my Kindle or from old-fashioned paper books.  Think pioneer times.)

While we may loose heat if we loose our power, I still should be able to cook on my gas stovetop by manually lighting the burners.  I can also grill if I can do it quickly and not slip on the ice!  We have a small camping stove if it all falls apart.  

We have a bag and a half of ice melt from our last ice storm and a bag of kitty litter to help get us out of the house.  

For now, we'll hunker down and ride this out.

First grocery trip

DH and I stopped by Walmart this evening to pick up a couple of things that we needed.  In addition to some Benadryl and anacids, we got some breakfast bars, two tubs of heart healthy butter and a large container of egg beaters.  $22- outrageous isn't it?

I'll be going to the grocery store tomorrow.  I need to get a few necessities - lunch meat and bread, salsa for dinner tomorrow night, etc.  My goal is to buy as little as possible to get us to the following week.  I already have a tentative menu for next week using mostly what we already have.

Saturday night - taco salads and nachos (light tortilla made into bowl, left over taco meat over fresh lettuce, tomatoes with light ranch dressing and salsa.  Since the quantity of meat on a taco salad is less than  taco meal, the fat is reduced.)

Sunday - Ham with a side dish (maybe some roasted veggies)

Monday - French dip with steak fries.  (All ingredients on hand)

Tuesday - leftover ham maybe as ham fried rice with an egg roll from the freezer

Wednesday - spaghetti with sausage (freezer meat - splurge meal) with a salad

Thursday - chef or garden salad with whole grain rolls

Friday - homemade pizza

Ultimately, I have two goals.  Reduce funds spent on groceries and reduce the supply of food in our freezers.

Update:  I spent about $70 at Publix Saturday.  I didn't go too far off my list except to buy a few things that we're eating now that we're on sale.  For example, the Cabot 50% less fat cheese was on sale from $3.89 down to $3.00 each.  I picked up two because they are rarely on sale.  Also, I ended up with a larger quantity of deli meat because the clerk cut more than I asked for.  In the long run, that's going to be ok because of our weather situation here.  I bought no frozen foods, only two cans of no salt added tomatoes for storage.

Frugal February

As we begin a new month, I am beginning a frugal push through the month.  Of particular interest is our grocery expenditures and freezer space.  I spent over $100 Saturday buying groceries.  What I realized when I returned home was that both my fridge and freezer were full.   

In an attempt to reduce cash outflows and reduce some of the excess supplies, my plan is to eliminate grocery purchases unless they are necessary versus what we want.  We're going to eat what we currently have trying to make each meal both frugal and lower fat.  

This week, we'll be having a salad Tuesday, Italian chicken on Wednesday, French dip sandwiches Thursday and homemade pizza for Friday's dinner.  DH enjoys breakfast out on Saturday mornings so I'm going to work on dinner at home Friday nights and lunch in on Saturdays.

We're going to have some unplanned expenses coming up for medical fees incurred in 2013 as well as some household expenses with replacing our washer and dryer.  

Our kitchen remodel is moving forward with about a three to four week delay.  We're planning a on makingq some initial moves within the next week or so with contacts with the Ikea planning service and reaching out to the floor guys.

I suspect that we will accept delivery of our new fridge prior to any actual demolition beginning.  We may need to make some temporary adjustments to fit the fridge in.  Specifically, removing the cabinet over the fridge or possibly relocating the fridge in an alternative location until we can move forward.  

Always expect the unexpected, it always takes longer and costs more than you think.

My snowed out week

This week started just like normal by Monday night the talk of snow became more real.  Although they were not forecasting a significant amount of snow because most would fall south of us.  DH and I headed to work Tuesday morning expecting that we might have to leave a little early if it snowed.

By 11 am, there were snow flakes falling but it didn't appear to be a serious situation.  I initially decided to leave at two just to ensure that I could get home before the weather rush.  I heard reports from my home area that traffic was already crazy and the snow was sticking to the ground.  At that time, I decided that 1 pm was a safer departure time.  DH also decided to leave about this same time.

As soon as I pulled out of my work driveway onto a public street, I knew there're was a problem.  The little three lane road that is rarely crowded was already bumper to bumper.  I finally made it about two miles away and across 285 and thought that if I could just get across the river, I could get home.  It was at that point that I sat for almost three hours not moving more than 30 to 40 feet.  

DH was making some progress getting home but would also frequently sit for long periods of time.  

About three and a half hours into this ordeal, I made a decision to circle back and take a break at a near by Waffle House.  I got a quick bite to eat and decided to try again.  Again, traffic was at a standstill.  I managed to get across the street and fill my car up with gas but it was clear that I was getting nowhere after sitting for another hour in traffic.  I turned around and headed back to work.  Five hours after leaving, I walked through the doors to my office again.

Never in my entire life have I seen every road in every direction at a dead standstill for hours.  It's a hopeless feeling that I would not wish on anybody.  I was not willing to take the chance of it happening again the next day.

DH continued pursuing his way home.  He found an open restaurant and ate dinner.  It was aftere 11 pm before he made it home.  What normally takes an hour to drive took him nearly ten hours.  

I was suck at my office overnight Tuesday and Wednesday evenings and did not get home until Thursday about noon.  (We briefly discussed a rescue mission Wednesday but I was concerned about the road conditions and possibly getting stuck again.)

DSIL did not make it home until nearly 2 am Wednesday morning and DD and her eight month old had to be rescued by four wheeler and they went back to the sitter's house.   She also stayed until Thursday morning because we could not determine any accurate road conditions.  

Never have I been so happy for a real shower and to sleep in my own bed.  Preparations are being made to update our get home bags and include a sleeping bag and pillows in our car.  Food and water are a must as is a change of clothes.  I'll be on the lookout for some discounted or clearance sleeping bags every time I'm out.

It's not an activity that I'm anxious to repeat.  Next time there's a remote chance of snow, I'll be bringing my computer home or taking my sleeping bag as a precaution.  Next time there's any hint of traffic chaos, I'll be on huge road as quick as possible.