Meat Week

Husband got a deer on Saturday, so that is getting processed tonight. He will do the cutting w. his buddies and then I will package it all up in foodsaver bags. We also went in on a portion of a cow with my sister and my parents. My Dad picked that up today, so this weekend I will process that. Its wrapped in freezer paper, but that wont cut it, so I will do the foodsaver bags on that too. Should be a fun few days, but atleast the freezer will be full!

this week....

I need a little "pull yourself up by the boot straps" speech today.
I'm feeling rotten about money and the more we need it, the more I seem to spend.
So, as a reminder to myself today, I am going to make a list of all the things I have been doing well this week to save money-

1. rekindled my romance with the bread discount store! Cha-ching!
2. thought through my meals for the week- all home cooked (as always) but no last minute pick ups. I am cleaning that cupboard out baby!
3. returned all the bottles we could find- $14 buckaroos! We used it to buy t.p. toothpaste and other needed items.
4. the furnace is off and the woodstove is going. Normally, this is the only time of year we allow the furnace to run at all- just a low temp while we are at work. But this year, we dont have any oil, so the woodstove is on early (we will see how that works out come February!)
5. We both have brought our breakfasts and lunches to work all week- husband is great about this- I am not.

So there we have it. I need to be positive and continue to focus on the things we can improve on to help save us more during these difficult times.

Remember to vote today!

A Monday morning surprise.

It seems sometimes saving money and living simply is only fun and rewarding when it is a choice. But on the other hand the skills do come in handy when all the sudden you find yourself needing to cut corners.

Every year I get a little nutty in the Fall. I think alot of New Englanders get this way. I have the overwhelming urge to stock pile food and firewood and batton down the hatches. Winter here in Maine can be pretty long and brutal and I make every effort I am ready when that first storm hits. Normal financial stresses come along with winter. Bigger electric bills, bigger fuel bills. Holidays. And both of us being in the construction business, sometimes work slows a little in the winter.

This year, before we even see a snowstorm, it sounds like a financial storm is going to hit. Husband found out this morning he is about to be layed off.

In some ways we are very prepared for this. We have about as much food as we can store. We have almost five cords of wood, which will get us into at least February if we are careful. We really aren't behind on any bills and Christmas can be small. But we live hand to mouth on what we make for the most part now and the difference between his check and unemployment is going to hurt us. That means we can put starting a family soon on hold. That means we can forget about (even a cheap) vacation this winter.

When I have money in the bank and I am making my own laundry detergent and eating food I raised, I am so proud. When I don't have two dimes to rub together, the story is slightly different.

Welcome cold weather!

Finally, it's starting to feel like fall! The heat wave is passed and I for one am so ready to move on to the next New England season- fall!
It seems every year we do better and better with being ready for winter and all that comes with it. We have over four cords of wood, all cut, split and stacked under cover. The garden is all pulled and just needs to be raked out. It was a bumper crop this year! 3 huge pumpkins, fresh veggies, pickles, relish, salsa, tomato sauce and plenty of dried herbs later, we made out pretty well I think!
We still have to clean the furnace and chimney, get the yard ready and drain the pool, but we are well ahead of where we have been in seasons past. It gives us more time to spend at the local fairs and having good times!

Summer in Maine...

Its less than 2 days away from Labor Day weekend and Maine is experiencing a heat wave. Don't laugh! I'm not talking 3 days of 80 degree temps here! We've seen the 90's all week and let me tell you, this isnt right!!

Now don't get me wrong, I can deal with a little sunshine and warm weather. But when you live in Maine (most of us anyway!) you get acustom to a 2 month summer of 80 degree temps and some rain here and there. This has been nuts and yes I am complaining!

My garden is done. Looks like someone took a leaf torch to it! I had great sucess with it this year before the heat got so bad and have more produce than I know what to do with! 25 jars of pickles, 6 jars of relish, 6 large frozen bags of tomatoes sauce, 3 huge pumpkins and a summers worth of fresh veggies galore, I have had enough! Bring on the crisp apples, the fall nights, all the good stuff fall has to offer! I am ready!

Praying for rain

This has been a strange week. I don't feel like I should be bothered by it.
But I am.

Husband got a new job, after much encouragement and pushing from me. His old job, while the pay was good, was very stressfull and unstabile. Sometimes he wouldnt get paid for the week. He would come home tired and angry. He would call me several times a day, to check in, say hi, maybe vent a little. During our long work weeks, we stayed connected. We would even ride to work together the last few months. But, atlast he got a job offer and it was time to move on to greener pastures. It's a good job working for a framing contractor.

Great! I thought. This will be a new experience for him. He will have better opportunies, be happier. And in turn, it will make things at home, that much happier.

Wrong.

We are on day 3. I don't like this job. No phone use unless on breaks and even then he doesnt call- doesnt want to call the old lady in front of the new boys at work I suppose. He starts at 6:30 and who knows when he gets out for the day. Last 2 days its been well after dinner time. Last night, I missed him so much (pathetic I know, after 2 days of barley seeing each other) that I decided to make a nice dinner to butter him up and get some attention. He came home late, chowed it down and promptly fell asleep on the couch. No "how was your day". No "thanks for dinner". He was toast. And for the record, he thinks the job is "okay".

So this morning, I woke up, in an empty bed. He was already gone. On the way to work, my hour long commute was very lonely. My hour long lunch break and hour long ride home will be too. I found myself hoping for rain. May it pour and he be rained out of work today. Maybe my old husband who needed me will come back.

homestead update

With all this beautiful summer weather who has time to sit in front of a computer! Not I! But I thought I might take a moment and catch all my loyal readers (um, to date none) up on the happenings of us.

Weather has been hot hot and the garden is doing awesome. We have some japanese beetles and I am going to have to do something about that soon. Corn is tall, blueberrys are plentiful and everything else is trucking along nicely.

The waterbarrel has yet to be used for watering, as I am still nervous about what was in the barrel, but I have been using it to wash dirty hands and feet after gardening and that has worked out really well.

The yard is doing great, we have all of our wood for the winter now, just have to stack it all and fashion a better wall around the wood shed. We are currently on the hunt for some reinforced plastic, tarps just didnt cut it last winter.

Lastly, I've been doing a bunch around the house and things are looking great. New (to us) couch and love seat, lots of weeding out the old and re organizing. I've been repurposing tons of stuff. We also have drastically cut down on waste and expenses by making our own household cleaners and laundry detergent and using alot more rags and less papertowels. I have never been a paper plate person, so our new dishes from the wedding are being used all the time!

Lastly, our new food plan. I work 45 hours a week and commute 10. So when I get home, I want the high heels off, the wine in a glass and dinner to be quick. I love to cook, but by 6 I am done for the day. I've been finding myself running around in circles when I get home, especailly if I have not planned ahead. So we are trying a new way. I do big shopping every 10 days or so. Then I make a list of all of the meals we can make with what I bought and what we have on hand. If this works right, I have atleast 10 meals. I post this list on the fridge. Whomever gets home first, picks a dinner off of the list and starts it up. No fumbling for an idea, no "oh no we dont have that!". Its all there and its ready. And I am efficiently using what is in the cuboard- I buy less because I am putting my pantry to work. It has been a life saver and my husband loves it! He's made dinner 3 times now!

anyway, thats whats new. Hope all is well in your corner of the world!