5 Things Friday!

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Bonus this is my 4th BLOG post this week!  Maybe I can continue!

1. The list of home renovations/updates is shrinking but it feels like we will never finish!   Left to finish
1. paint master bathroom
2.. build shelves in the master bathroom, move items to shelves and relocate metal shelves from the bedroom.
3..Electrical wiring for both front and back
4. After the deck is rebuilt, purchase a new grill.
5. built a covered area to run the generator from.

2. I really enjoyed getting the extra help with the cleaning last week. I am planning to hire another cleaner once the master bathroom is complete. My goal is that this will put me back on a level field and I will be able to maintain the house. This is likely going to become a treat for me maybe every 3 or 6 months depending on my own schedule.

3.  The weather is absolutely gorgeous!  I will likely be opening the window probably during the next week or so.

4. We are heavily into football season.  Zach is currently playing JV, his games are on Thursday night.  Matt, Kendall and Zach are all enjoying attending home varsity games as well.

5. Next week is full of new adventures, the plan is for Kendall to take her driving test and get her provisional license. Zach to get his driving permit!  We also will be traveling to Alabama to attend our niece’s wedding.

 

Tuesday Thoughts

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I have mentioned several times that I have been extremely busy and overwhelmed this summer. One of things that I did not have time to do was review and revise the budget.  I took some time on Friday and Saturday to do just that.

Earlier in the month, I switched our cell phone plan to get unlimited data, after several months of overage. My thought was that it would actually increase my overall bill. However, I discovered that it does qualify for the teacher discount which meant just about the same cost.   After a little bit of research, I signed up for paperless billing and automatic billing. This saved me $60. I also decided to remove my ipad from the overall service because I simply am not using it at all.  Overall, these changes should reduce my bill by around $100 a month!

I have decided to not renew my AAA membership. This will save us $135 a year, Our insurance has towing coverage which is what I used it for. Over the summer, we ended up using the towing 3 times. 2 out of 3 times, the truck did not arrive for 3 plus hours.

Overall, our goals are the same. Reduce credit card debit and stay on budget.  My strategy is a bit different. I am going to slowly accumulate cash at home to cover unexpected expenses.  By only using cash or immediately needing to pay off a card when used this should keep things in check.   I will be keeping my emergency fund in cash as well.

Monday Menu Plan

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This week I am going to focus on the positive because there are so many good things happening. I am also hoping to develop a better/slower routine this week.

Breakfast- Saturday- Fried eggs and toast Sunday- bagels Monday- granola and yogurt Tuesday, Wednesday,Thursday Friday– find it (breakfast burritos, muffins, oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, sausage, pop-tarts, and eggs).

Lunch- Saturday-left-overs    Sunday- Time Square Pizza  (local restaurant) Monday- left-overs   Tuesday,- left overs  Wednesday eat out or leftovers  Thursday- salad. Friday- eat out.

Dinner- Saturday- Ischabaun ( for Zach’s birthday) Sunday-roseteria chicken   Monday-Even more left-overs . Tuesday-Left-overs to make chicken tacos or chicken bowls.  Wednesday- Cheesesteak tortilla Thursday- Chicken enchiladas or chicken pot pie (out of left-overs    Friday- Chicken melts or hot pockets

August in Review

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The fastest summer on record has come and gone. At least for me.! I am working on completing a couple more items that I did not finish this summer. Sounds strange to say but I am hopefully that sense, I am back at work, things will become smoother and less hectic!

Groceries- Budget $975   $ 922.23 Goal Met! I am planning for this number to continue to go down for the rest of the year. My current plan is to shop as close to once a month as possible and to only buy items that are a really good deal or that we are currently completely out of.

Auto/ Gas. Goal -= $600.  Goal Not Met!  We have spent $715.15 This includes all the gas we spent traveling to and from Florida.

Blogging- 15 posts per month. This is post number 5 I just can’t find my groove for blogging. I end up busy and then I just want to veggie. I need to find a balance.

Exercise- I managed to work approximately 30 miles at Disney without pain. But with medication changes and stress, I am now down to walking once a week with lots of pain.

Summer Goals
1. Kitchen Floor- Complete with a nightmare story. I can’t share due to my agreement. But I was not happy.
2. Bathroom Floor (Matt responsible) – This has started and will likely be finished mid September.
3. New to me car- Purchased and it is the nicest car I have ever owned. I am curently looking at refinancing for a lower interest rate and easier payment method.
4. Back Deck- We have an estimate and it will be after the Bathroom is completed.
5.  Purchase and process a whole cow including canning broth and ground hamburger. DONE!
6. Restock freezer with 100 meals and at least 50 breakfast burritos and 52 packs of bagels. I am going to make this as a success!!!! I am actually surprised and pleased with how much food we currently have on hand!

 

Menu Planning Monday

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This is a hard time of year for me. I am attempting to balance the usage and benefit of prepared meal with continuing to bring things in from the garden and not wasting stuff.  So far, this first week of school is extremely busy but so is this season of life. 

Breakfast- Saturday- Biscuit King Sunday- Strawberry Baked Oatmeal Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday Friday– find it (breakfast burritos, muffins, oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, sausage, pop-tarts, and eggs). 

Lunch- Saturday-Salsa and chips   Sunday- Gregg’s (local restaurant) Monday- eat out Tuesday,- salad Wednesday eat out or leftovers Thursday- salad. Friday- eat out. 

Dinner- Saturday- Mi Cancun (yes 3 meals out this weekend).  Sunday-Pizza crescent rolls, Monday-Salsa chicken and Mexican rice. Tuesday- Hamburgers, chips and cantaloupe Wednesday- Spaghetti, Thursday- Arby’s on the way to the ballgame   Friday- pepper steak and rice. 

Every little bit Challenge
Tuesday- Wax Peppers (1 cup for next year)
Wednesday- Enchilada Sauce- this puts me over a year and close to 2 years supply.
Thursday- nothing -no time
Friday- Baked oatmeal prep
Saturday- canned pears
Sunday- I made lunches and planned dinners for the week.
Monday- 2 bags of squash casserole. 

Menu Planning Monday

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All good things must come to an end. I would classify this summer as extremely busy but good. I needed and enjoyed the 10 day break to Florida but now I must return to work this week.  I am hoping that all my busyness and hard work pays off with an easy start to the school year.

Breakfast- Saturday- Breakfast in the camper Sunday- Bucees on the way home. Monday, ,Thursday Friday– find it (breakfast burritos, muffins, oatmeal, omelets cereal and milk, French toast sticks, sausage, pop-tarts, and eggs). Tuesday- Bagels. Wednesday my plan is to make Baked oatmeal with hopefully preparation of at least 12 dry mixes on Tuesday night.

Lunch- Saturday-left-over from Yak and Yeti.   Sunday- Cracker Barrel Monday- Squash Lasagna Tuesday, -Wednesday, Thursday- salads and pasta salads

Dinner- Saturday- Ford’s Garage.  Sunday-snacks in the Tahoe Monday-Squash lasagna. Tuesday- Pasta Salad Wednesday-Pork chops with green beans and squash, cucumber salad.    Thursday- Eat on the way to the ballgame    Friday- KFC bowls

 

Of course, I did not complete the challenge while in Florida, but I have been strong so far this week.  Sunday- bread crumbs, Monday- Squash lasagna for freezer. Plan for making Enchilada sauce and canning this week as well.

5 Things Friday

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  1. One of the areas that I have been struggling with getting and keeping the house clean. For the past many years, I have been paying different kids to complete cleaning around the house. But currently, both the girls are working pretty much every day, so no time for cleaning.  One purchase we have made is robot vacuums’. One for the upstairs, main area of the house and a second for the living room which is down a set of steps.  Matt is in charge of emptying these. It is getting easier to remember to turn them on and I think we have been able to remove all the things that they get caught on.
  2. Our house projects are getting completed. The bathroom and deck should be completed before the end of August. We have decided that we need to have a couple of additional electrical outlets installed including one dedicated for the camper. We still need to order and install a new front door.  One last project will be once the bathroom is done, we are planning to build shelves in the closet area.
  3. I am feeling a bit overwhelmed today. We are heading to me returning to work full time and I still have several things on my personal list that I want to tackle this summer.  I am waking up without an alarm and trying just to do the next right thing. I am actually looking forward to the trip to take Lily as this will force me to just stop and enjoy the ride.
  4. My garden has been so crazy this year.  I have been able to harvest and preserve many items but June was extremely dry and July has been the wettest on record.  I am planning to post pictures because I think my garden looks more like beginning of July instead of the beginning of August. That is not a bad think but may mean lots of preserving even after I return to work.
  5. I had not planned to participate in August in the “Every Bit Challenge”  I return to work in the middle of the month and with our trip at the first of the month I did not think I would be able to preserve much at all. However, that has not been the case so far. Yesterday, I made 3 bags of grilled chicken, 5 bags of cubed chicken and 6 bags of shredded chicken. Today, I canned 5 quarts of broth and made 6 bags of tomato sauce.

Bonus List of Every Bit Counts Challenge list:
3 chicken and broccoli casseroles
20 pints of salsa
45 quarts and 12 pints of spaghetti sauce
4 quarts of baked beans
4 cheeseburger pizza bags and dough
3 cheeseburger Pies
30 omelet bags
chicken spinach lasagna
2 million Dollar Spaghetti Pies
6 bags of squash casserole mix
Frozen blueberries
Frozen bananas
4 pints of strawberry syrup
15 quarts and 3 pints of beef broth
21# of canned shelf stable ground beef. These are in pint jars so approximately 1# per jar.
4 meals of Sloppy Joes canned in addition to our lunch for Saturday as well.
30 Salisbury steaks cooked and vacuum sealed in the freezer.
30 Cheddar Bacon Hamburger patties
38 Regular plain Hamburger patties!

July in Review

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I am afraid to say this out loud but I feel that July was the slowest month of the year for us. This has included multiple doctor appointments, both Lily and Kendall working pretty much every day and Zach having both driver’s education and football. I do remember this busy season when we have teenagers in the house before, so I knew in the back of my head it was coming.  The good news is that I was able to sneak in a trip to the outlet mall to purchase back to school clothing as well.  Another plus is that we actually have accomplished most of my goals for the summer. I currently have 21 days until returning to work fulltime ready or not.

Groceries- Budget $975   $ 1051.13 Goal Not Met! I did purchase 4 boxes of tomatoes. Otherwise it has been purchasing things to restock the pantry. I have decided that I would like to use the pantry August through May and only buy what is needed/ we are out of and use the summer to get things back in order.

Auto/ Gas. Goal -= $600.  Goal Met!  We have spent $374.50 It does help with our gas cost that I am not driving to work currently.

Blogging- 15 posts per month. This is post number 11. I just can’t find my groove for blogging. I end up busy and then I just want to veggie. I need to find a balance.

Exercise- I got a shot in my knee in the middle of July. So far since then I have logged 4 days of exercise.

Summer Goals
1. Kitchen Floor- Complete with a nightmare story. I can’t share due to my agreement. But I was not happy.
2. Bathroom Floor (Matt responsible) – We have an estimate and waiting on the installation. We met with the contractor and this should start in a couple of weeks.
3. New to me car- Purchased and it is the nicest car I have ever owned.
4. Back Deck- We have an estimate and it will be after the Bathroom is completed.
5.  Purchase and process a whole cow including canning broth and ground hamburger. DONE!
6. Restock freezer with 100 meals and at least 50 breakfast burritos and 52 packs of bagels.  I have made huge progress in this area. In fact, the kids are complaining that the freezer is getting too full. I have the breakfast burritos. I have 42 jars of spaghetti sauce along with 3 cheeseburger pies, a chicken lasagna, 4 cheeseburger pizzas, a baked ziti and 3 baked spaghettis. I also have another 20 jars of cooked hamburger meat in the canning pantry along with multiple jars of soups.  I need to add chicken and pork chops, but I am getting very close on this one.

August is a extremely busy but exciting month. My birthday trip is to Disney, Lily moves to Disney for the college program, Kendall starts community college and Zach is playing football!