This Week...Beyond Money 11/7 - 11/13

For me, a life beyond money is making choices so that you can live the best possible life, regardless of your income level. Obviously, you have to make a living, but there are many ways to improve your quality of life without increasing your income levels and correspondingly your expenses. This regular post will be some of the ways that we improve our quality of life beyond just trying to make more money.

Gardening:
* I harvested a couple peppers from the indoor garden.
* I fed the bunnies some seconds produce. One rabbit HATES fennel, and the other likes it.

Cooking/Groceries:
* One day for dinner, we lay in bed and nibbled on cheese and crackers (nice cheeses from our last two trips and store brand crackers, hakurei turnips, watermelon radishes, Dragon carrots, lunchbox sweet peppers, candied Jimmy Nardello's peppers and vodka lumpfish Xavier (we found it at a salvage grocer for only $2!). I served with a bottle of sparkling pomegranate soda ($1.50 at Big Lots). it made for a fantastic and cheap date night in, complete with backgammon and talking.
* I made colcannon.

Food Preservation:
* I dehydrated lots of sweet peppers.
*I dehydrated boiled beets.

Fun:
* We went to the library's book sale with Daisy. it was the last day so it was a clearance sale: everything you can fit in a huge bag for $5. In addition to getting items to sell, we got some books to give as gifts, I got a couple programming books. Trucker sneaked in a couple gifts for me: the complete series of my favorite British tv show and a big book of 5 of M.F.K. Fisher's books. afterwards we went to Starbucks for their bogo special on holiday drinks.
* Trucker and I had a coffee date at Starbucks for their bogo sale.

Frugality:
* We used the car's tags for the van. For title, taxes and tags transfer, it only cost $56. I was expecting much more than that.
* I paid an extra $150 on the credit card.

Waste Reduction:
* I composted random things.

House and Home:
* Trucker has been working on little projects throughout the house.
* Trucker moved around our paintings and it looks great. He also got a fantastic tapestry in a ridiculously gawdy gold-colored frame at an auction awhile ago for $7. His research indicates late 1800s, but we hesitate to think we got that good a deal. At any rate, it looks incredible and the frame alone is worth way more than $7 just from the sheer size of it. He hung it in the bedroom where it really makes a statement on the far wall. He moved the painting that was on that wall to the exterior wall and got rid of the awful sunflower print I hated. Now there is only one repop piece in that room, a rather jolting seascape that we both are bothered by, but like. The house is coming together! Absolutely nothing makes me happier in home decorating than good artwork. Over the years, we have built up a rather impressive collection, to the point where we can rotate pieces and have themes in different rooms. Not including my pieces (which as soon as we moved in, Trucker hung along the stairs and hallway), we have around 25 original paintings, and a few choice prints.
* We stopped by the hardward store for some winterizing materials.

Work:
* This was my last week at the farm. It was heartbreaking. I made it out without crying all week, but by the end of the weekend my heart hurt. I gave cards to everyone at the farm and they gave me a lovely one. The boss took us out for fancy pizza at a restaurant we sell to. It was a nice way to end the season, although I miss them already.
* I took home a fair amount of seconds: sweet peppers, beets, radishes, turnips , scallions, carrots, kale (curly and lacinato), collards and Swiss Chard.
* I got a new job. It is working as a package handler for a shipping company. It is not my dream job. It is also part time, however, there are a couple redeeming factors. First, if you just show up every day, they give you a $125 bonus EACH WEEK. It is 2.4 miles away (I keep complaining that my commute is now six times as long...no one feels sorry for me), so the wake up time isn't awful and I will be out no later than 10 AM on a bad day (and sometimes much earlier). I'll get overtime during the holidays; all hours over 5 in one day are overtime. So all told, it may be okay. Also, since it is union, after a year, we would get health insurance. Especially given the fact that we are worried about losing our healthcare.gov plan, I need to do whatever it takes to get us covered through a job. The other benefit, should I stick around, is that they provide education benefits: $2600/semester up to $25,000 lifetime benefit. Not a shabby part-time job.
* I worked a few days for Trucker's job. I like his boss/boss's wife, so it is a fine way to spend some time. We have a lot of fun for being at work. One day as we unloaded the truck, we found some 90 lb weights, so I was running around with them. When I took my farm physical test, I struggled to lift 50 lbs. Now I can carry 90 lb weights across a warehouse. That made me feel tough as nails.

Future:
* Trucker took a free acting class put on by a casting agency he has worked with. The class was two hours away. We drove up together and I dropped him off. I went to a Panera and got a coffee (with travel mug) while I waited.

Health:
* Trucker is doing much better. No signs of concussion anymore. His chest is feeling much better as well, 2-3 pain level.

Community:
* I asked my boss if I could pick some extra produce for one of my clients that I had been close to. She is one of the most incredible people I've ever met, and I was bummed I missed her the last week of the farm stands. I wrote a card for her. I stopped at the grocery store and got her a pack of ham hocks to go with the collards. It was so great to get to see her. She sent me home with a piece of pumpkin pie from our pumpkins that was "big enough for you and hubby". I am going to miss her presence in my life each week.

How was your week?