Paul and I used to make a lot of money. In fact, there were two years that we pushed the $100K annual income as a couple.
We lived extravagantly; we bought groceries at Whole Foods, ate out several times weekly, went to the movies, smoked expensive cigarettes, bought lots of expensive wine and beer and other intoxicants, bought fancy gifts, and in general, bought whatever we wanted. That was fun! And easy. Although, no debts were being actively paid down during that time. We only had a loose budget system, to make sure there was enough money in the checking account to pay bills. There was no control over spending, really. We made ourselves a little more accountable when we were expecting our baby and we knew that I wouldn't return to full-time work after the birth...we quit smoking and cut out intoxicants, and ate healthy foods at home, mostly. But still, lots of money flying out the window!
Looking back at this time, I want to smack myself in the forehead! Since then, Paul has been laid off, I went to part-time work after Henry was born, and now, with just Paul working (by our choice), our income is less than half what it used to be. We're actively trying to pay down debts, with a goal of being debt-free (aside from mortgage) in about 3-4 years. We've transitioned to living in this new town, and are buying another "starter" home while we rent out "starter" home in Ypsi out to another young family. Sadly, we bought a car just before Paul was laid off last year...at least it was used, but still was financed, so we have a monthly car payment. With most other things, we buy used. Clothes, household goods, etc are all purchased used or repaired to re-use as much as we can. We walk and bike (even more now that we live in a small town) and try to group our travel to save on gas. We conserve water and energy to keep the bills down, although that's hard at Grandma's for various reasons...mostly because she keeps the thermostat set around 78 and we keep a fan and window open in our bedroom so we don't suffocate at night. Also, there's no clothesline, so we're using a dryer a lot more than we would at home. Electric dryers are SUPER expensive. Yikes.
To top it off, with the move and Paul not being paid until he'd worked for a month, as well as expenses related to renting out Lamay house, we ran through our savings. All. Of. It. So, now, the debt repayment has to slow down in order for us to start saving for our emergency fund again. Argh.
The main thing that we are not being super frugal with is food. I've been reading the Tightwad Gazette by Amy Dacyczn, and she states that her food budget for a family of 5 is around $200 a month!! They eat a lot of crappy food, in my opinion. Seems like a lot of factory farmed meat and eggs, dried milk (??) and packaged foods bought in bulk, like cereal.
We spend around $500...she'd probably choke!
Don't get me wrong, we are being frugal with food while still eating clean, nutritious, healthy food that is as local as possible. Options for local food are limited here in the UP, especially as far as beans, grains, etc. We buy bulk grains, flour, legumes, honey, peanut butter, maple syrup, oil and raisins at the coop. I cook a lot of dried beans, and pantry meals. However, we bought grass-fed beef in bulk last fall; this wasn't cheap, per se, but in our view, buying cheap meat wasn't the best use of our food dollar. Same with dairy. We also eat a lot of fresh produce, organic when possible, and hopefully, as the season changes, local. We do buy some luxury foods, like nice coffee and chocolate, but that's minor in the grand scheme of things.
We're going to invest in a CSA this year for vegetables, beef, pork and eggs. Next year, we hope to make a "for real" garden at our house and ditch the veggie CSA share, preserving our own vegetable to enjoy over the winter, rather than buying at the store. I'm planning to buy canning tomatoes and storage vegetables at the end of summer this year, and make a cold storage area in our basement. There's a lot to learn about storage, and canning, but I'm eager to do it and to make our food budget smaller overall, as well as make our food intake healthier and more self-sustaining. We're definitely buying bulk beef, and perhaps pork. I haven't identified a local source of pastured poultry yet, but that's on the docket. I don't know how we'll get away from feeling the need for fresh fruit in the house. Paul is a maniac for apples and grapefruit, especially in the winter. We'll see...
Speaking of canning, here's a Grandma nugget. She has a great canning book, hardly even opened, from the 1970s. I was reading it today and asked her if I could borrow it for my kitchen when we move out. She looked over her glasses at me and asked "Where did you get that book anyway?" I replied that I'd spied it on her kitchen shelf, with her cookbooks. She sort of tsk-ed and told me "I supposeyou can borrow it." Okay, if you know me, you know I am kind of sharp. My initial reaction was going to be "Oh, are you going to be canning this summer?" knowing full well she hasn't canned in at least 25 years. Thankfully, I have been developing the ability to hold my tongue and evaluate my thoughts before I let them fly (I think this is called "a filter"). So, I just said thanks, and kept reading it, uttering a heavy sigh mentally.
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Monday, April 26, 2010
Monday, 12:25 pm.
Spring is here, I think! Despite one snowy day last week, we're seeing more buds and green. And, last week, I went digging wild leeks (ramps) with my new friends Beth and Erin, and their kiddos. It was cool. About 30 minutes from home, on state land...they were carpeting a wide-open maple forest. I, stupidly, had left my camera at home, because I wasn't sure how much walking/packing/digging we were going to have to do. Turns out we just parked on the side of the dirt road, crossed the ditch, and started digging. The minute I got out of the car, I smelled the ramps...a combo of onion and garlic. It was like a forager's fantasy; green leek tops as far as you could see in every direction. Here and there were granite boulders perfect for perching on to rest or nurse, or to put your leek basket out of reach of Henry's grabby hands.
Here's some of the bounty:
Henry's really been enjoying playing outside. I am so looking forward to our new, fenced back yard...he likes to just wander around looking at stuff and playing with whatever strikes his fancy. I've been letting him play with water a bit, on warm days. He has this birch branch that he loves...he just carries it around like a javelin and uses it to pound and poke things. Sadly, he's also interested in dog poop, so we're being hyper-vigilant about picking it up daily. He actually picked up a turd the other day; thankfully, Paul was right there to knock it back to the ground. GROSS!
Henry's also getting more attached to Grandma, and she to him, which is nice to see. He loves to bring stuff to her while she sits in her chair. He also unties or unfastens her shoes and takes them off...like for 30 minutes at a time this will keep him busy! She is doing well with him, and seems more patient and happy. We were listening to some of Grandpa's music on the stereo on Saturday after supper, and she sang along to Henry. It was really sweet. She doesn't spontaneously listen to music, ever. So, I'll try to do that more often, because she seemed to enjoy it.
I've been thinking a lot about what it will be like for Grandma once we move out. She'll probably enjoy getting back to peace and quiet. But, I'm wondering if she'll be sad. She doesn't get much company...a phone call here and there, and occasional visits from my aunts and uncles. She goes to see her sister in law in the nursing home once in a while, but Dorothy is usually asleep. Yesterday, she went, and Dorothy didn't wake up the whole time. So, Grandma went to the cemetery to check on Grandpa's grave (they will share a plot, and their son, John, is there too). It made me feel lonely when she told me about that...visiting a sleeping woman in a nursing home, then visiting your husband's grave. Sigh...I think I'm just overly sensitive sometimes, but stuff like that just feels sad to me. I hope that she'll want to visit with us at our new house and come over for supper sometimes. I invited her to go out to lunch and yarn shopping on Friday; she seemed happy and looking forward to it but her back started bothering her and she didn't want to go when it was time to go. We'll try again this week, I suppose. I know she likes to go out for lunch, but we just don't have money for meals out too much, and so I don't want to invite her unless I can pay. Maybe as the weather warms, she'll be up for picnic lunches from home. She seems to feel cold most always, so a 60 degree day that seems warm and lovely to me seems chilly to her. It's been a lot longer for all of us to get used to each other than we thought it would.
Here's some of the bounty:
Henry's really been enjoying playing outside. I am so looking forward to our new, fenced back yard...he likes to just wander around looking at stuff and playing with whatever strikes his fancy. I've been letting him play with water a bit, on warm days. He has this birch branch that he loves...he just carries it around like a javelin and uses it to pound and poke things. Sadly, he's also interested in dog poop, so we're being hyper-vigilant about picking it up daily. He actually picked up a turd the other day; thankfully, Paul was right there to knock it back to the ground. GROSS!
Henry's also getting more attached to Grandma, and she to him, which is nice to see. He loves to bring stuff to her while she sits in her chair. He also unties or unfastens her shoes and takes them off...like for 30 minutes at a time this will keep him busy! She is doing well with him, and seems more patient and happy. We were listening to some of Grandpa's music on the stereo on Saturday after supper, and she sang along to Henry. It was really sweet. She doesn't spontaneously listen to music, ever. So, I'll try to do that more often, because she seemed to enjoy it.
I've been thinking a lot about what it will be like for Grandma once we move out. She'll probably enjoy getting back to peace and quiet. But, I'm wondering if she'll be sad. She doesn't get much company...a phone call here and there, and occasional visits from my aunts and uncles. She goes to see her sister in law in the nursing home once in a while, but Dorothy is usually asleep. Yesterday, she went, and Dorothy didn't wake up the whole time. So, Grandma went to the cemetery to check on Grandpa's grave (they will share a plot, and their son, John, is there too). It made me feel lonely when she told me about that...visiting a sleeping woman in a nursing home, then visiting your husband's grave. Sigh...I think I'm just overly sensitive sometimes, but stuff like that just feels sad to me. I hope that she'll want to visit with us at our new house and come over for supper sometimes. I invited her to go out to lunch and yarn shopping on Friday; she seemed happy and looking forward to it but her back started bothering her and she didn't want to go when it was time to go. We'll try again this week, I suppose. I know she likes to go out for lunch, but we just don't have money for meals out too much, and so I don't want to invite her unless I can pay. Maybe as the weather warms, she'll be up for picnic lunches from home. She seems to feel cold most always, so a 60 degree day that seems warm and lovely to me seems chilly to her. It's been a lot longer for all of us to get used to each other than we thought it would.
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Am I the worst blogger ever?
I have determined that I am not really a natural blogger...
As I've said, I think of a lot of things to write about, but when it comes down to it, I just have difficulty making the time to do it. For example, one might think that naptime would be the best time for me to sit at the computer and dink around. But, really, it's the time that I get to shower, read, do 15 minutes of yoga; whatever. Or, admittedly, I sometimes just zone out on the internet, because I can bring that to a halt quickly if Henry wakes up.
So anyway, excuses aside, things have been good here lately, although we're still waiting for a closing date on 215 Case Street. This is frustrating! It's been several weeks since our accepted offer, and we just want to know when we can move in already! Things are fine with Grandma, although we're still feeling moderate stress related to the lack of babyproofing.
Henry has started teething on some new molars, and is grouchy, uncomfortable and only wants me. This is rough for him, and for me, although I'm trying to stay super patient with the whining and frequent night-waking. Sometimes I fantasize about just being alone in a quiet place for an entire day...but then, I'd miss Henry too much! We've been having fun taking family bike rides, and playing at the park. He loves the little play set, and has started going down the slide like Superman...a little cringe-inducing for a mama but fun for him. Here's a few pictures of Henry playing at the park the other day...
Quick shoes!
Love the cloth diaper poking out of the pants.
How big is Henry?
My beautiful boy...it sometimes seems like he's surrounded by fireworks or sparkles or something...he just exudes happiness.
We went to a meeting of the "Yooper Nursers" last night. A bunch of nursing mamas and kids, it was really chaotic and noisy, and not much of a meeting. But, I met some nice ladies, and saw Beth and Erin, the two moms I met a couple of weeks ago. I'd like to be involved in the breastfeeding community here...there's no La Leche League group, and no peer support for nursing moms other than this group that I've been able to identify. I'd love to help new mamas with nursing, a la LLL. I didn't get a chance to talk specifically about this with the group's organizers, but would love to help them if they move in this direction. I've been thinking about getting started on working toward being a lactation consultant too. I have lots of ideas, and we'll see where they all end up. I imagine getting settled in our new home, doing a garden, wrangling Henry and thinking about being pregnant again will pretty much take up the next 6 months or so! But, I'd love to put my skills, knowledge and passion to good use here, just not in a hospital!
As I've said, I think of a lot of things to write about, but when it comes down to it, I just have difficulty making the time to do it. For example, one might think that naptime would be the best time for me to sit at the computer and dink around. But, really, it's the time that I get to shower, read, do 15 minutes of yoga; whatever. Or, admittedly, I sometimes just zone out on the internet, because I can bring that to a halt quickly if Henry wakes up.
So anyway, excuses aside, things have been good here lately, although we're still waiting for a closing date on 215 Case Street. This is frustrating! It's been several weeks since our accepted offer, and we just want to know when we can move in already! Things are fine with Grandma, although we're still feeling moderate stress related to the lack of babyproofing.
Henry has started teething on some new molars, and is grouchy, uncomfortable and only wants me. This is rough for him, and for me, although I'm trying to stay super patient with the whining and frequent night-waking. Sometimes I fantasize about just being alone in a quiet place for an entire day...but then, I'd miss Henry too much! We've been having fun taking family bike rides, and playing at the park. He loves the little play set, and has started going down the slide like Superman...a little cringe-inducing for a mama but fun for him. Here's a few pictures of Henry playing at the park the other day...
Quick shoes!
Love the cloth diaper poking out of the pants.
How big is Henry?
My beautiful boy...it sometimes seems like he's surrounded by fireworks or sparkles or something...he just exudes happiness.
We went to a meeting of the "Yooper Nursers" last night. A bunch of nursing mamas and kids, it was really chaotic and noisy, and not much of a meeting. But, I met some nice ladies, and saw Beth and Erin, the two moms I met a couple of weeks ago. I'd like to be involved in the breastfeeding community here...there's no La Leche League group, and no peer support for nursing moms other than this group that I've been able to identify. I'd love to help new mamas with nursing, a la LLL. I didn't get a chance to talk specifically about this with the group's organizers, but would love to help them if they move in this direction. I've been thinking about getting started on working toward being a lactation consultant too. I have lots of ideas, and we'll see where they all end up. I imagine getting settled in our new home, doing a garden, wrangling Henry and thinking about being pregnant again will pretty much take up the next 6 months or so! But, I'd love to put my skills, knowledge and passion to good use here, just not in a hospital!
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Has spring sprung?
Oh, I feel like such a disorganized mess! The camera batteries died, and I couldn't remember where the other rechargeable batteries were, so we couldn't get pictures for days and days!
Paul's folks visited us last weekend, and stayed Saturday through Tuesday. We had Easter dinner at Aunt Cindy's, and just spent the rest of the time visiting and hanging around. I made a small Easter basket for Henry, with some eggs, bubbles, and a stuffed lamb he already had (but has been packed away). I also threw in a UP T shirt that I bought at the Yooper's store. All Henry wanted were the colored eggs...he carried them around, smashing them together and so we had hard boiled eggs for breakfast!
Paul's parents brought Henry a life-sized stuffed cat, as he is in love with kitties and ours don't really tolerate his squeezes!
Paul decided to call the kitty Ralph, so we'll see how long he stays in rotation. Henry likes to take him into the grocery, and in the car, and he went on Henry's first trailer/bike ride yesterday (for which I didn't have a camera...bad mom!).
I spent a fair amount of time on Monday driving around with Paul's folks, looking around Negaunee, Ishpeming and Marquette. They were so happy to see Henry, and as usual, showered him with affection. They also brought him a toy kitchen and some dishes to play with. With the way things are here at Grandma's, I've set it up in the basement for now, so he can play with it and make a mess sort of "out of the way."
Paul's parents with Henry:
We got some snow last week, a couple of inches in fact! I had made plans to meet a local mom and her little boy who is 11 months old, at the park around the corner at 11am. When I woke up, I heard wet traffic sounds, and thought "rats, it rained!" and then looked out the window to see snow, and more falling! So, we ended up meeting up at her house, with another mama and her 11 month old. It was really nice to meet some women who are of like mind with their lifestyles and parenting. They are part of a bigger group of parents that gets together regularly during the warmer months, it seems, to do stuff outside, or at folks' homes. I am really excited to become a part of this community, especially as I have been mourning the loss of the community I was just starting to become a part of back in Ypsi.
We have been moving forward with the house, and we're just soooo eager to get into it. It sounds as though we may be able to close within 4 weeks or so...more on that as it develops. We're just so full of plans and are really looking forward to making the house our home, and one that we can really get comfortable in and stay for a long while.
I'm anxious to get my own kitchen going again, and for my days to settle into their new flow. We're hoping to get a few veggies in the dirt when we get there, but there may not be enough growing time...we'll see. Maybe some potatoes at least, and/or some lettuces? I don't know much about gardening yet, but I am on a mission to learn. And to decrease our food budget (and our budget overall). Any suggestions?
Paul, Henry and I went for a bike ride on the Marquette bike path yesterday...it was so fun! We were feeling really grateful that we get to live here, and it still seems quite unreal, like maybe we'll have to drive back to Lamay Ave sometime soon. The lake is always a source of magic to me, and I can't wait to experience it through the seasons, and through Henry's eyes. He cried so hard when we wouldn't let him walk into the lake yesterday...I just know he's going to be a water baby. I've been thinking about getting him into the Negaunee community swim classes, because I don't know how to swim well, and can't teach him. Starting soon would be a good thing. They're super cheap, like $20 for 5 weeks of class! Same with yoga for me...this community, though small, has a lot to offer.
I don't know if anyone really reads this blog, but I enjoy thinking about it and writing it. I think of stuff to write all the time, but just don't sit down and do it. Mostly, I make a lot of mental lists and have scraps of paper floating around in odd places!
The snow has mostly all melted again, and it's a beautiful sunny Sunday here. We walked for an hour this morning, and are heading down to Marquette as soon as Henry wakes up to hang out with Heather and Eric and Paul (well, the guys are fishing today, but when they're through, we'll all have supper together).
Paul's folks visited us last weekend, and stayed Saturday through Tuesday. We had Easter dinner at Aunt Cindy's, and just spent the rest of the time visiting and hanging around. I made a small Easter basket for Henry, with some eggs, bubbles, and a stuffed lamb he already had (but has been packed away). I also threw in a UP T shirt that I bought at the Yooper's store. All Henry wanted were the colored eggs...he carried them around, smashing them together and so we had hard boiled eggs for breakfast!
Paul's parents brought Henry a life-sized stuffed cat, as he is in love with kitties and ours don't really tolerate his squeezes!
Paul decided to call the kitty Ralph, so we'll see how long he stays in rotation. Henry likes to take him into the grocery, and in the car, and he went on Henry's first trailer/bike ride yesterday (for which I didn't have a camera...bad mom!).
I spent a fair amount of time on Monday driving around with Paul's folks, looking around Negaunee, Ishpeming and Marquette. They were so happy to see Henry, and as usual, showered him with affection. They also brought him a toy kitchen and some dishes to play with. With the way things are here at Grandma's, I've set it up in the basement for now, so he can play with it and make a mess sort of "out of the way."
Paul's parents with Henry:
We got some snow last week, a couple of inches in fact! I had made plans to meet a local mom and her little boy who is 11 months old, at the park around the corner at 11am. When I woke up, I heard wet traffic sounds, and thought "rats, it rained!" and then looked out the window to see snow, and more falling! So, we ended up meeting up at her house, with another mama and her 11 month old. It was really nice to meet some women who are of like mind with their lifestyles and parenting. They are part of a bigger group of parents that gets together regularly during the warmer months, it seems, to do stuff outside, or at folks' homes. I am really excited to become a part of this community, especially as I have been mourning the loss of the community I was just starting to become a part of back in Ypsi.
We have been moving forward with the house, and we're just soooo eager to get into it. It sounds as though we may be able to close within 4 weeks or so...more on that as it develops. We're just so full of plans and are really looking forward to making the house our home, and one that we can really get comfortable in and stay for a long while.
I'm anxious to get my own kitchen going again, and for my days to settle into their new flow. We're hoping to get a few veggies in the dirt when we get there, but there may not be enough growing time...we'll see. Maybe some potatoes at least, and/or some lettuces? I don't know much about gardening yet, but I am on a mission to learn. And to decrease our food budget (and our budget overall). Any suggestions?
Paul, Henry and I went for a bike ride on the Marquette bike path yesterday...it was so fun! We were feeling really grateful that we get to live here, and it still seems quite unreal, like maybe we'll have to drive back to Lamay Ave sometime soon. The lake is always a source of magic to me, and I can't wait to experience it through the seasons, and through Henry's eyes. He cried so hard when we wouldn't let him walk into the lake yesterday...I just know he's going to be a water baby. I've been thinking about getting him into the Negaunee community swim classes, because I don't know how to swim well, and can't teach him. Starting soon would be a good thing. They're super cheap, like $20 for 5 weeks of class! Same with yoga for me...this community, though small, has a lot to offer.
I don't know if anyone really reads this blog, but I enjoy thinking about it and writing it. I think of stuff to write all the time, but just don't sit down and do it. Mostly, I make a lot of mental lists and have scraps of paper floating around in odd places!
The snow has mostly all melted again, and it's a beautiful sunny Sunday here. We walked for an hour this morning, and are heading down to Marquette as soon as Henry wakes up to hang out with Heather and Eric and Paul (well, the guys are fishing today, but when they're through, we'll all have supper together).
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