In my February grocery budget post, I mentioned creating a price book to track prices. Given the rising cost of eggs due to the bird flu and the rising cost of other grocery items as various tariffs kick in, we are going to see prices rise. Prices have already been rising at the grocery store... Continue Reading →
march electricity challenge
In my February grocery budget post, I mentioned doing a March grocery challenge. I am also doing an electricity challenge. In our area of Virginia, our electricity is supplied by Appalachian Power. In our home, all our appliances, heat pump, hot water, lighting, and air conditioning are powered by electricity. Only the stove is powered... Continue Reading →
february grocery spending
In May 2024, I challenged myself to reduce our grocery bill. At the time it was about $1,300. At the end of January 2025, I had brought it down to $1,007. Unfortunately, for February, we were back up at $1,320.91. Granted this includes Valentine's Day shopping, dessert for my birthday, pizza from Domino's for my... Continue Reading →
direct sowing: snap peas
Thanks to warmer temperatures this week, I've been preparing the outdoor beds for spring. Though a week behind, I planted many snap peas and a few sweet peas. I need to pick up more sweet pea seeds this weekend. Anyhoo, I'm still getting accustomed to planting snap peas in mid-February instead of mid-March like I... Continue Reading →
seed starting: creeping thyme
Late last year, work crews came through and dug up large sections of our thyme bed to put in fiber optic. We were NOT happy about the digging. They probably destroyed close to a $1,000 worth of plants, bulbs, and soil. The area is covered in straw and grass seed courtesy of the work crew,... Continue Reading →
reframing my scarcity mindset
I've been quiet here thanks to my new job at Kohl's starting in November 2024. During the holiday season, I juggled 30 hours weekly with trips to Pennsylvania, holiday preparation, and normal family stuff. It was a lot, especially the physical side of the job. While being an Associate is not physically taxing, I did... Continue Reading →
frugal friday 11.15.24
Even though we've had quite a few expenses recently between a funeral, car repairs, and medical stuff, I'm focusing on saving where I can. Recently, a financial newsletter I read weekly talked about saving money as the skill of spending. I really liked that! Not buy Starbucks or Joe Beans coffee; made coffee at home... Continue Reading →
rain garden update
This weekend I spent time digging and digging. The rain garden is one area I tackled which I'll work on again this week. This area has been eroded by the downhill flow of water and the 2 pipes attached to the rain gutters. You can see the pipe ends (black) marked by a rock in... Continue Reading →
2 dogs and a house 