letters from the wilderness
When we went out to an Italian restaurant for my husband’s birthday, I had a dish called an eggplant stack. I decided to use the basic idea to make a dish using up items in the fridge. I hate throwing out food that has gone bad. I love figuring out ways to use stuff up!... Continue Reading →
Time for. a quick update! This is going to turn into an on-going list for the month so be prepared for a long post by the time April 30th rolls around. Identify need-to-buy purchases My daughter's prom tickets, dress, and up-do— My daughter decided to use a dress she bought for a previous dance, plus... Continue Reading →
I'm doing a no-spend month for April. Since I jumped in at the last minute, I'm quickly pulling together my list of things to do for this challenge. I'll be popping in with periodic updates as we move through the month. Identify need-to-buy purchases My daughter's prom tickets, dress, and up-do—While the prom tickets and... Continue Reading →
It seems like just yesterday was the beginning of March, and now it's April all of a sudden. We had to make 2 trips to Pennsylvania which impacted much of the month. 5 years ago, driving or riding in the car for 12 hours in one day wasn't too bad. Now, a trip like that... Continue Reading →
To save money, I decided to make my own homemade salad mix. I bought two items from the store and mixed in some kale and parsley from our overwintered garden. My goal is to use the parsley before it starts flowering, which it will when the weather warms up. Cost breakdown Red lettuce: $2.29 Radicchio:... Continue Reading →
I recently started reading the ChooseFI newsletter. My favorite part is the 1% better section, where readers share their 1% success stories. My 1% better today is draining the last drops from the maple syrup bottle. We buy regular maple syrup from Costco or Kroger. I've been on a roll recently with deals from Kroger... Continue Reading →
This week, I took a trip north of us to pick up my tree order at the Virginia Department of Forestry Augusta nursery. I had elected to pick up my tree order this time rather than pay $25 to ship a $30 order. My tentative plan was to stop at Costco in nearby Charlottesville to... Continue Reading →
Today's trip turned into another higher than budgeted purchase, however, I'm okay with the results for our grocery budget. The monthly total to date is: $675.71 In January, we spent $1078.66. My goal is to come in at that amount or below it. Weekly Shopping: $171.44 I found a carton of 60 eggs in the... Continue Reading →
Spring is so close! Here in southwest Virginia, we are having what's called a false spring, with temperatures reaching 70 degrees. Since I'm a bit behind in getting my cold-weather crops outside, I am using the warmer temperatures to bring my seedlings outside daily. Lots of happy seedlings are doing their thing in our indoor... Continue Reading →
As I pulled my grocery budget numbers together for the first week, I was reminded that it looks like we overspent for the first week and we'll overspend for the 2nd week. However, when the numbers are broken down, it's more complicated. Reminder: I start my budget on Friday, the day after we receive our... Continue Reading →
2 dogs and a house 