Latest Read -- Moneyless Man

I am reading The Moneyless Man by Mark Boyle.  The book chronicles his year of living without using or accepting any money for a year and his challenges to travel, feed himself, bathe himself, communicate and maintain his sanity during his moneyless year.  Very inspiring and occasionally funny.

Gardening Season Necessities

We have about 4 inches of snow on the ground, but the sun is warmer, the days are longer and the seed catalogs are arriving.  For people like us, gardening catalogs are very tantalizing.  My daughter and I spend a great deal of time thumbing through and dog-earring seed catalogs.  We eventually put ourselves on a budget and don't buy the dozens of flower and vegetable varieties we have selected.  Today, I was looking at gardening gadgets in a Lehman's catalog.  Cultivators, special shovels, benches, carriers, mini-hot houses, plant covers and how-to guides abound in gardening.  The real secret is -- you don't need all this stuff.  I like to have a maddock, a shovel, a pitchfork, a basket for harvest time, soaker hoses for the dry months and some milk jugs or big juice bottles.  Other than those items, I just need the seeds or starts.  Maddocks are great for turning rows, digging holes for starts, weeding when needed.  A pitchfork is good for spreading straw. Shovels move manure.  A basket is best for harvest because it can go from garden to kitchen storage.  Soaker hoses save water and keep it away from the paths between rows.  Finally, there appears to be a proliferation of items to keep out the cold and frost -- water walls, plastic barrels, wax paper "hats," but I use translucent milk jugs with the bottom cut out or big apple juice jugs with the bottom cut out.  They make nice mini-greenhouses when you need them and you can even take off the caps and water the plants. 

Balance--or lack thereof

Sometimes, there are just too many expenses for your income.  I've found myself in that situation and I have now acquired an official second job.  I'll be using my nursing license and working about 12 hours a week at the local urgent care.  It should help right the financial ship a bit.  So, now I'll be juggling teaching 4 classes, working at urgent care, my microbusiness, 3 kids, 1 dog, 1 cat, 4 hens, 2 rabbits and myself.  Hopefully, at the end of May, I will be down to one job, one small business.  Until then, I'll be at work! 

my new business website

I have a new website for my business: www.fastfoodie.biz.  Hopefully, by this summer, you'll be able to order directly from the site.

Frugal Fakers

I'm so sick of picking up books by rich people who think they are going green and frugal if they retire early, live off their investments, sell their Manhattan apartment and live in there second home in the country. 
Please! Give me a break.
"We sold our boat...what a sacrifice!" Blah blah blah.
Done venting.
J

Goodwill deals

Went to Goodwill today to help the little girls re-stock their dress-up bag.  We found a long belly-dancing scarf ($1.99) and two clip-on ties in pink and lavender  ($.99 each)  for when they want to be Prince Charming instead of Cinderella.  The ties were there because apparently a local tuxedo rental store brought in a huge amount of stuff -- tuxedos, vests, ties, shoes, etc.  So, if someone local needs a tux, they had better head on down to Goodwill and try some on. 
Also realized while I was there that everything I have on with the exception of socks and underwear is from Goodwill.  And, I am SUCH a fashion plate. 

Using Cash

I decided to put the credit cards in a drawer and just use cash in preparation for my January "austerity" measures when I will try to really keep track of my spending and budget closely.  Tonight, due to some craziness with the girls recital schedule, I took them to Subway for a quick dinner.  And, guess what, I didn't have enough money.  So, I guess the first rule of just carrying cash is to actually have more than $8 in your wallet.  Here's where the joys of small town living come in.  The manager told me to just sit down and eat and come back and pay later.  I did...after I got over being mortified.