This Week..Beyond Money 3/13 - 3/20

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've been harvesting small amounts of kale from the indoor garden. So far, it hasn't been enough for a salad, but I've been getting enough to go on our sandwiches. I've also been craving good bitter greens, so I've taken to nibbling on leaves randomly throughout the day.
* I started my pepper plants. I am using old seed, so I'm not sure how the germination rate will be. I plated heavy and after awhile, if I've had too poor of germination, I'll buy a single packet at the box store. I used salvaged plastic containers to start them. I had some salad green clam shells that were perfect. I closed the lid to hold the moisture in and will remove it after germination. I also planted two types of tomatoes. I'll plant more tomatoes later. I ran out of potting mix.
* My overwintered pepper plants are putting on a lot of fresh growth.
* If I can get decent enough germination, I hope to use almost entirely old seed to use it up and cut costs this year. I was planning on buying one pack of zucchini or summer squash seeds since I didn't have any. At a thrift store, I found a packet for $.29. I'm expecting a pretty busy summer, so I'm scaling back my plans. I am planning on growing mainly tomatoes, peppers, okra, beans and squash. I figured these things would be a good thing to plant and get a good yield without quite as much fuss as I usually have with carrots, lettuce, radishes, etc. I'm hoping to get them established, then mulch them well to reduce weeding. Usually, I interplant heavily, so I can't mulch the beds. Weeding becomes a nightmare. This year will be way too busy for intensive weeding. I definitely want to garden, but with different goals than previous years.
* The garlic is growing well. There were some that volunteered in last year's garlic bed. They were in clumps, so this week I divided the clumps and spaced them out. I have maybe 8-10 volunteers.

Cooking/Groceries:
* We had spaghetti with sausage one evening. We had some sausages leftover that I used for breakfast wraps later in the week.
* We had grilled cheese and soup a few times. It was a busy week, so quick and easy was just the reality of our cooking.
* I made a huge batch of Trash Chili. I added 10 jars of random leftovers/tomato sauce jar rinse water/fond from cooking meat, a jar of dehydrated peppers, 2 small jars of dehydrated tomatoes, 1/4 jar of dehydrated squash (because I had it and wanted to use it up), half an onion leftover from another meal, a huge jar of black turtle beans (had been in storage a long while; soaked overnight), a small jar of TVP granules, a sprinkling of veggie powder and a packet of chili seasoning (got in a HUGE bag from the salvage grocer for around $.02). It was tasty and provided several meals.
* I made chili dogs one evening using leftover chili and a bit of cheddar cheese.
* I made Colcannon twice with the bargain potatoes ($.20/lb) and cabbage ($.15/lb) I got for St. Patrick's Day sales.

Food Preservation:
* I froze a tray full of strawberries, cantaloupe, grapes and pineapple I got for free from my job. In summer, these will go into slushies, smoothies and margaritas. I can also use them for pies, quick breads and desserts.

Fun:
* We went out with our friends for our monthly pizza outings. We spent a little more than we intended, but it wasn't too bad. We split a pizza with one friend to cut costs a bit.
* We went to Rita's Italian Ice on Sunday. They had free small ices for the first day of spring. It was a perfect little date. We threw a dollar in the tip jar, so it was $.50 each. Not too bad.

Frugality:
* The bank I have my mortgage through changed their website. Now I can pay my mortgage on their website with my debit card from another bank without a fee (previously you could pay on their website by transferring from an account through them which I didn't have, on the phone with a $10 fee or by check in the mail). Not only is this more convenient, but it it will save me the cost of a stamp. Also, since it takes a few days for a check to get through the mail, then perhaps a day or two until it gets processed, but paying online, I can save a tiny amount of interest for those 5 days. While these are small savings, over a 30 year loan, it will add up.

Waste Reduction:
* Saved the bread crumbs from the bottom of the bag to air dry. Will use them for topping casseroles or for coating when pan frying meats or veggies.
* I composted lots of weird things.
*I reused plastic food containers to start seedlings.

Work:
* I worked two days at my regular job and two days at the supplemental job. I worked 1.5 hours overtime at the regular job.
* I packed a lunch each day I worked the regular job and ate free fruit on days I worked the second.
* I brought home a 1.5 quart container of fruit scraps.

Preparedness:
* I took a free class through the sheriff's department in my county. CRASE (Civilian Response to Active Shooter Event) teaches you stats on active shooter events in the U.S., how to be prepared for such an event mentally and what to do when you are in an event. If your county sheriff's department offers a class, I would highly suggest signing up (and bring your family too). The things I learned are applicable in situations other than just an active shooter event.

Future:
* We got a printout of our sales for the pay period that just ended. We almost doubled sales! So exciting!

Setbacks:
* During a particularly bad storm, our house flooded a bit. Fortunately, Trucker found it before it got too bad and was able to move our belongings away from the flooded area and got the incoming water under control. We have a few minor repairs to make, but it could have been much worse.

Community:
* During the storm, I was reminded again how wonderful Trucker is. Whenever we have setbacks, he is quick to step up and take care of things. I was at work when the flooding started, but by the time I got home, he had everything under control and had already cleaned the first floor. No matter what happens, it isn't insurmountable with such a lovely partner.

 How was your week?

This Week...Beyond Money TWO WEEKS 2/29 - 3/13

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.

Sorry for the delay again. The last couple of weeks have been intense. There was a death in the family, so we drove out of state for the memorial. As soon as we got back, my mother was hospitalized. Needless to say, the last week has been a blur.

Gardening:
* Now that it is warmer, the bunnies aren't eating as much. Soon I'll be able to start feeding them yard wastes (tree trimmings, weeds, tall grass) and my feed costs will drop significantly.

Cooking/Groceries:
* I made a big batch of zucchini bread. I made two regular sized loaves, 6 muffins and a large round loaf. I didn't have enough shredded zucchini thawed (I always forget how much water drains off), so I shredded two apples from storage. To half of the batch, I added a cup of dried cranberries and a half cup of chocolate chips.
* We made tacos one evening with a manager's special steak ($3).
* I made jalapeno poppers a couple times. I'd gotten a huge bag of jalapeno's for $.50 on manager's special. I cut the peppers in half longways, and cut out the seeds and membrane. I mixed together a few pieces of crumbled bacon  (leftover from another meal) with some cream cheese and cheddar cheese. I stuffed that into the pepper halves, topped with seasoning salt and pepper and a light sprinkling of cheddar. Delicious! Health food this is not, but oh my. The second time I made them (well, I had to prevent those other peppers from going to waste, now didn't I?), I didn't have enough cream cheese to fill them all. I had some low-fat sour cream veggie dip that substituted just fine. In general, I try to always use up bits from the refrigerator. It reduces food waste, saves money over having to buy more ingredients, and saves a trip to the grocery store. Plus, sometimes it ends up tasting better than the original recipe, as it did this time.
* Trucker grilled out one evening. We grilled potatoes and a steak that he found on manager's special for $5 (usually $10). It was enough for both of us to eat some for dinner that night and we had some leftover. So, it was $1.25 per meal, still more than we usually spend, but not unreasonable, so far as splurges go.
* The next night, I sliced the leftover steak as thin as possible. I caramelized some onions (because those make everything better). I made a pizza crust (using my favorite recipe, Valentino's), used ranch dressing in place of sauce, and layered on steak, caramelized onions and canned roasted peppers (from the salvage grocery). I used cheddar cheese because it was what I had. Trucker loved it, so I will put this in our rotation.

Fun:
* Last week, my favorite singer/songwriter, David Ramirez, came into town. He was the musician we drove out of state to see last summer. We did pay for tickets this time, but the $13 each was much less than a 20 hour round trip drive. It was a fantastic show. We rarely pay for shows, but make exceptions for our faves sometimes. Years ago, Trucker was a concert promoter and ran a successful music review website. During that time, we went to shows 3-5 times a week, so after awhile, we got pretty burned out on frequent concerts. Now, we go less often, but enjoy them much more.
* We had a coffee date, $3.18. Another time, they gave us our coffee for free with our travel mugs.
* Our dear friends took us out for a wine tasting at a winery outside of the city as their Christmas gift for us. We had a wonderful time, as we always do with them. We had a tasting of 8 wines with a cheese plate. After the tasting, we went back to our place for dessert. I'd dipped a bunch of fruit in chocolate. I had some chocolate covered strawberries from my job, and also served pineapple, apples and clementines. I topped the apples with chopped peanuts and the pineapple with bourbon smoked sugar (I bought this on a trip a year or so ago. I spent $2 on a baggie of it, and since I use just a pinch at a time, it has lasted a long time).
* Trucker's birthday was this week. With everything that was going on, I hadn't gotten to make plans (our original plans fell through a few days before everything else went down). He said that what he really wanted was just a day to hang out with me and go picking out of town. So after I got out of work (the girls insisted I leave a little early so I could take him out), we drove an hour or so out. We did some good picking and had a lovely time together. We went out for Chinese buffet  (his pick). They had a pretty epic sushi bar, so I was thrilled. It was a simple day, but lovely. Also, one of the girls from work sent me home with a big basket of chocolate-covered strawberries ($45 retail) that were expiring that day and would otherwise have been thrown away. Nice little gift for him.
* We went out with our movie group to see 10 Cloverfield Lane. I loved it, but I always love alien movies.

Frugality:
* Paid extra on a couple of debts.
* I got gas at work to save $.10-.25/gallon.

Nature:
* We got out for a 2 mile walk at a nearby metropark.

Waste Reduction:
* I scraped out the fond from the skillet when making tacos into the Trash Chili container in the freezer. Since I often make my Trash Chili with TVP instead of ground beef, every bit of extra flavor is important.
* My new job is okay with me taking packing supplies that will otherwise get thrown away. We have all sorts of boxes, bubble wrap and padding that gets thrown away each day. Everyone saves it for me, so each day I bring home lots of material. We try to always use salvaged materials in shipping our online sales, both for financial and environmental reasons.
* I composted lots of random things.

Work:
* I called off one day from my regular part time job. We had gotten in late from Chicago and I knew I wouldn't be able to do a good job. It was my first time calling off, so I really hated it (although, I'd saved up 5 days in my bank). As it happens, my mom went to the hospital that morning, so it was good I was off to go with her.
* I worked a couple hours of overtime at the regular job. I also worked an extra 2 hours one week at the second job. One day the delivery driver called off, so I got a crash course on delivery. No one yelled at me and I got chased by no animals, so I suppose it went well.
* I packed a lunch each day I worked the regular job. The second job I work short enough shifts that I don't need to pack.
* The second job has a lovely perk: I get to take home fruit scraps. I took home a half gallon of pineapple and cantaloupe scraps. Score! I'm thinking of freezing or dehydrating some scraps in the future. I made a crisp one day from scraps, which turned out well. I like to give jars of dehydrated snacks to friends and family, so this might be a fun addition to the regular apple chips and bananas.

Future:
* We went picking often the last two weeks.
* Our sales have been really good. I can envision us branching out into other malls and doing this as a bigger part of our lives. We are learning so much and our sales improve as we do.
* I received the issue of The Dollar Stretcher that I am published in. It is my first print (and paid!) publication.www

Health:
* I haven't had a chance to check my blood pressure this week, but I can't imagine it is at a good level considering.

Setbacks:
* Trucker's uncle died this week, so we drove out to for the memorial service 6.5 hours away. Fortunately, we'd had money saved up to cover the costs. I used hotel.com to book the room and saved 30% (plus earned towards our free night; $80 after tax). We drove our Honda, so the gas costs were minimal (I believe it was around $50 total). We packed snacks and drinks from the salvage grocery (at $.05-.10 each, they were much cheaper than anything we could buy on the road). Our hotel had a pool, so we went swimming in the evening in lieu of other entertainment. It offered a decent free breakfast, so we didn't have to pay for breakfast or lunch. We got an early dinner on the way home at a truck stop I love (incredible fried chicken despite the horrible service). We split a 4-piece meal, so including tip, the meal for two was $12. It was the only time we went out to eat on the trip.
* My mom got sick this week and ended up in the hospital. She had to have surgery. Thankfully, she is recovering well. I took one day off work and the next day was a regular day off so I was able to be with her for two full days.

Community:
* I realized something when my dad and I were sitting with my mom in the recovery room. From the beginning in the ER til she was released, there was laughter. At every moment we were making jokes and telling stories to keep spirits up. This was the first time either of my parents has been seriously sick, but we all pulled together. My sister drove her to the hospital, then I helped my sister get back to take her fiance to see his dad in the hospital. My other sister took my uncle to his doctor's appointment (Mom usually drives him, but it was the day she had her surgery). I spent two days with her at the hospital. Dad spent the night with her and then drove to work at 5 AM each morning. One day her phone died and she didn't have a charger, so I stopped by on my way in to work at 4:30 to give her my charger so she didn't have to spend the whole day isolated (this was the only morning she was alone as we all had to be at work. I knew it would just kill her to not be able to talk with anyone all day, as she is a very sociable person and hates TV). My sister drove her home when she was released so she didn't have to wait til 4 when Dad got off work, then made her lie down and rest (my mom is not a lie down and rest kind of person...ever). My aunt brought dinner to the family the day mom was released (Because mom would honestly have fought to make dinner otherwise). It was really encouraging to see how we do under that kind of pressure.
* I gave my coworker at the kitchen job some of my apple chips and pizza tomato chips. She loved them.

How was your week?

This Week...Beyond Money 2/22 - 2/28

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:

* The lettuce succumbed to the aphids. This was my first time having issues with bugs in the winter lettuce garden. I think the big issue was that I had a container that had been outside, but hadn't germinated well, I just mixed in a little new potting soil since I didn't want to "waste" it. So the aphids probably got in that way. Next year I'll just use all fresh potting soil in the indoor garden and dump any from outdoor containers onto the garden beds.
* Speaking of aphids, the overwintered peppers this year had no issues. Last year, I lost 4 pepper plants to aphids when the infestation got bad enough that the stems were pretty well coated in eggs. Yuck. The problem was that last year I wasn't vigilant about thoroughly hosing down the containers and plants (including underside of leaves) immediately before bringing them in. This year, I hosed them down (excessively?) and brought them immediately inside. I didn't see a single aphid on the pepper plants all year.
* The kale has just been chilling all winter, but now that there's more sunlight, it's growing well. I'll have my first harvest within the week. This experiment in growing greens over winter indoors has been perfect for me. Even though it's a small harvest late in the season, it will be nice to get a harvest before I've even planted anything in the main garden. Also, I like having things growing in the house over winter to try to purify the air a little.

Cooking/Groceries:
* I made stir fry with chicken using carrots, squash, and onions from storage, the last of the asparagus from the loss leader sale, and garlic from the garden (stored and hung to dry). Served over rice. I also tossed some dehydrated green beans in with the rice as it cooked. There was enough leftover for a work lunch.
* We had spaghetti and tomato sauce one evening.
* I bought a loaf of discount three-cheese bread at the grocery store for $1.29.
* I stopped at the salvage grocery store after work one day. I stocked up on organic cereal for $.49/box, juice boxes for $.07/each, jerky for $.49/package, salad dressing $.20/bottle, coffee $2.49/12 oz, herbal shampoo $.49/bottle, and toilet paper at $.99/4 pack.
* I hard boiled some eggs that were getting a little on the old side. Eggs are usually good for a bit after the "sell-by" date.

Fun:
* We went out for a coffee date. We used our travel mugs, and I had earned a reward for $1/coffee. Our date cost $2.18. Another time we went, Trucker had a reward for a free coffee, so the date cost $1.59.
* My friend and I went out for coffee. While we were out, another friend showed up and joined us. Nice evening. Afterwards, we went grocery shopping together. It truly takes an awesome friend to have fun running errands together.

Nature:
* We enjoyed a 3.8 mile walk around a local metro park. It was a crazy nice day, mid 60s and breezy. Perfect.

Frugality:
* We took our main car to my uncle for a tune. He did all routine maintenance and replaced a couple transmission lines for $200.
* We planned errands to reduce driving time.

Waste Reduction:
* I composted lots of weird things.

Future:
* We continue to do well at the booth. It is a lot of fun. I've especially loved talking with our customers when I go in to straighten up the booth.

Health:
* I went out on a few good walks, including a 4.5 mile walk to the grocery store (half of it weighed down with groceries). Trucker and I also went out for a 3.8 mile walk at a local park.

Community:
* My coworker accidentally bought pole beans instead of the bush beans he meant to buy. He doesn't grow poles, and when he found out that I did, he gave me a large pack of them.
* I helped my friend write her resume.

How was your week?

This Week...Beyond Money 2/15 - 2/21

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 have aphids in my indoor lettuce garden. I harvested what I could, then threw it outside since it is going to freeze later this week. I can't let them get to my overwintered pepper plants.
* I fed the bunnies dried carrot leaves from last year's garden. They loved them.

Cooking/Groceries:
* Trucker made BLTs one evening when I got home from work.
* We made dinner together when I got off work one afternoon. We had roasted veggies (asparagus, carrots, onions, brussels sprouts, and peppers; polish sausage and a small portion of homemade mac n cheese.
* I bought asparagus at a loss leader sale for $1.25/lb.
* I bought a bag of clementines on managers special. They cost $.02 each. Can't beat that.
* I made goldenrod eggs one day. I chopped in a leftover half polish sausage to up the protein and use up leftovers. I served over mini bagels that I had in the freezer so I could avoid going to the grocery store another day.
* I bought a few basics at the grocery stores in the store brand: tortillas, bread, coffee. I got a pound of broccoli on sale for $.99/lb. I plan to make broccoli cheddar soup later this week. Milk was on sale for $2/gallon.
* I cooked the rest of the Brussels sprouts for my dinner one evening while Trucker was at work.

Fun:
* We went out for a long coffee date one evening. $3.18 with our travel mugs. Another day we went out for coffee and got one coffee for free with our rewards card.
* I took my sister out one evening as a belated birthday celebration. There was a free Happy Hour at the local theatre downtown. We got all dolled up and ran out the door. We didn't have time for dinner, so we swung in the the local donut shoppe to get the best donuts in town. In hindsight, maybe we were too formal for the location. There were free light appetizers at the theatre and we got to catch up a bit. The Columbus Symphony Orchestra played three pieces. It was a wonderful show. Afterwards, we walked down to a coffee shop for more talking and cafe au lait. It was a lovely night, and, everything in, was around $10.
* My friend and her daughter had their birthday party at a restaurant nearby. I ate a little before I went so I wasn't ravenously hungry. I ordered a small appetizer for $5 instead of ordering a $15 meal.

Nature:
* We went for a couple walks around the neighborhood to enjoy the fresh air and sunlight.

Frugality:
* We are decluttering in a major way. I keep going through closets and drawers and pulling out lots of clothes to get rid of. I am also wearing each pair of shoes I have. If they are unreasonably  uncomfortable by the end of the day, they go in the box. I have a problem with buying adorable shoes at thrift stores that fit okay, but aren't comfortable for real-life wearing. However, I have a hard time getting rid of items after I purchase them, so the closet has gotten full. I have 130 items so far. I plan to stop at a consignment store to try to pawn some off, then offer to friends and family, and then donate the rest. We are going through items on the Amazon store and deleting anything that has dropped in value. Those items we take up to the used book store. It pays terribly, but it is something. I am also planning on taking a load up to the household consignment stores. So far we have made $37 selling clutter.
* I have put all consignment money into savings. I also saved my writing check. We have been more mindful of spending the last few months and it has paid off. When I got my first check from the new job, I looked at my accounts. Despite working 50% less over the previous two weeks at the regular job, I had enough to cover all my bills for the period, so the entire check went into savings as well.
* I am concentrating my debt repayment on two debts in particular. One has a ridiculous interest rate (I'll call the bank to ask if they can drop the rate, as situations have changed in the 5 years since I got the card). The other was a promotion for buying tires and if I pay them off by the May, I don't pay any interest, so it will save $30. I only have $50 left on that card, so that is not an issue whatsoever. The other card I have made 5 payments in the last 3 weeks of various amounts, but each time higher than the minimum payment. It's nice to see the interest charge drop each month.

Waste Reduction:
* I composted weird things.

Work:
* Worked 1 hour overtime at my regular job.
* I packed lunch each day I worked. Steve ate for free at his job.
* I got a job offer at the place I temped last week. I get a decent hourly wage and a set schedule. This is really nice. I enjoy the work (it's kitchen work, but very pleasant) and the coworkers and manager are nice.

Future:
* I got my very first check for writing (First time getting paid for writing ever, except for a writing contest in high school, where I got $3 for a first place, $2 for a 2nd place and $1 for a 3rd place winning...lol). It was for $73. I was too excited. I took a photo before cashing it. They asked if I wanted to have a check mailed or a deposit into my Paypal account. Even though I would have gotten the money quicker by having a direct deposit, I wanted to physically hold that check in my hand. I'd been dreaming of that moment for a good 20 years.
* We went picking together one afternoon. We had $5 off $10 coupons, plus got some items that were half off. We did really well and got some good, fun items to bring up to the booth or list on Etsy.
* I focused on getting items listed on Etsy this week. I'm making good sales and it was nice to get the pile of to-list items knocked out. I only have a couple more items unlisted.

Health:
* My blood pressure and heart rate has stayed at a good level. I've lost 3.5 pounds in the last two months. I'm not actively trying to lose weight, exactly, just trying to be healthy. If I lose too quickly, it always comes back, so this slow and steady pace is good. I'm feeling so much better lately. Now that the weather is getting nicer, I need to get back into my regular running schedule and I'll be even better.
* We went for a few walks to enjoy the weather.
* I realized that I have improved my tastes over the last year. My new job involves dipping loads of fruit into chocolate all day long. I don't even crave the chocolate, whereas when I was a baker, I'd mindlessly nibble on baked sweets all day.

So maybe I am obsessed, but how could one not be?

How was your week?

This Week...Beyond Money 2/8 - 2/14

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 bought another bag of rabbit feed for $16, bringing my total cost for the rabbits to $212. I need to try to breed them again. Maybe in the next couple of weeks, as my schedule winds down a bit.
* Harvested 1 1/2 cups of greens from the indoor garden.

Cooking/Groceries:
* I came home from work one day and Trucker had made dinner. He made scrambled eggs with onions, black olives and peppers and we put them in wraps with strips of bacon. Delicious. So kind of him.
* Trucker had coffee ready for me every morning when I got up for work. Too sweet! He also made breakfast one day. Other days, I grabbed toast and Nutella or a protein bar.
* As I was gone most of the week, I didn't eat at home much. I'm not sure what Trucker ate while I was gone, but I know I keep a well-stocked pantry, so there were options.

Fun:
* We printed off coupons for Einstein Bros Bagels for a free breakfast sandwich with any purchase. We each got a small coffee (in our travel mugs to save the cup) and got our sandwiches. It was a lovely little date and the cost, including tip was $5.
* We went to our local discount theater's discount day. We don't mind watching movies long after their initial release, which works in our favor. We saw the Martian which we loved and it only cost $2.50 total! Great frugal date, and I was geeking hard the entire time.
* Trucker got a great Groupon for our Valentine's date (we went on Friday since I worked 11 hours on Valentine's day). He found a local pizzaria we wanted to try offering $13 for a large one item pizza, an order of garlic bread and two sodas. He used Honey when ordering to get another $2.50 off, so it was $10.50 before tip. Great cheap date and very fun. I love that we enjoy our cheap dates just fine and don't need to spend $100 to have a good time.
* My friend came over one evening. I made dinner of bacon, lettuce and avocado sandwiches. We spent some time drawing. I'm a little rusty as it's been awhile. However, it was really fun.
* That night, the three of us went to the opening of a movie we were excited about. First time we paid full price for a movie in a long time.
* This week appears more spend-thrifty entertainment wise than usual (Two theater movies and two restaurant meals???). However, our average week is much less.  Some weeks we only spend $3 on a single coffee date out and the rest of the time we're reading library books and hiking. It's all about balance really.

Frugality:
* Trucker got a free full-sized deodorant trial in the mail.
* I went through the closet to get rid of a few more items. I'll take them to a consignment store to try to make a few bucks.
* I took another box of items to Half Price Books.
Waste Reduction:
* we composted lots of random things.

Work:
* Worked a half hour overtime one day at the regular pt job.
* I brought food with me each day I worked at the regular job.
* Trucker ate for free at his job.
* I worked a lot this week. I worked Monday and Wednesday at the regular part time job, then Thursday through Sunday at the temp job (followed by Monday at the regular job). Including commute, it was 75-80 hours. Tiring, but I made some good money to put towards our goals.
* I enjoyed the temp job. It was physically exhausting at times (I worked a couple 11 hour shifts), but not bad. The manager supplied breakfast, coffee and Starbucks since we were all crazy busy. Very nice.

Future:
* We got our largest paycheck yet from the booth.
* I've been selling lots of cake pans online.
* Trucker was offered an acting gig, but wasn't able to drive across the state in time for it. Still exciting that he got the offer.

Health:
* I came down with a cold. Ugh. I rested a lot and took vitamin C like crazy. It broke after 4 days, just in time to start the new job. Phew.  I looked back over the last several years and realized something. I rarely get sick, but every time I do, it is when I get a new job. Every time.

Community:
* Trucker got some gifts for my dad at auction to help him start his business when he retires he is saving it for his birthday and plans to give them all to him at once.
* A friend gave me a couple of books that were falling apart for me to use in a craft project I want to do. I love books too much to tear apart a good book, but wanted to try some crafts with book pages.

How was your week?

This Week...Beyond Money 2/1 - 2/7

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 1 1/2 cups of greens from the garden.

Cooking/Groceries:
* We made chicken tortellini one evening for dinner. We used up a bag of tortellini from the salvage grocer, some cheddar cheese powder, onions, garlic, and leftover chicken.
* I found eggs on sale for $.99/dozen. I bought 6 dozen.
* I made quiche one day. I used a container of leftover ham from the freezer, caramelized onions, some leftover mixed greens, and the last of a bag of cheddar cheese.
* I tried something different for our snack. I made chocolate chip cookie dough pop tarts based on the recipe for cookie dough hand pies from the Magpie cookbook. They were fantastic. Trucker loves cookie dough ice cream, so I was excited to surprise him with these. I'll definitely put them into the rotation.

Fun:
* Dad took me out for dinner one evening. We went to a pizza buffet and ordered water. He used a BOGO coupon from the coupon book they buy every year for their county. Total cost: $7.
* We went on a couple coffee dates using our travel mugs, $3.18.
* I went to my grandpa's house one evening to catch up.
* We took a long walk in a fancy neighborhood one nice afternoon.

Nature:
* We went on a lovely hike at a state nature preserve. It was a gorgeous day for February, in the mid 60s and there had been no rain for awhile, so it wasn't soggy. This was one of the nicest places I've hiked in the state. I've shared some of my favorite photos, but it was hard to narrow it down!


Frugality:
* I took a box of books, magazines, DVDs and CDs to Half Price Books. While they don't pay a lot, it was good to clear out some space. The money will go into savings for
travelling to visit family.
* I spent an evening cleaning out the spare room. We will be using it for something else.

Waste Reduction:
* I had a towel that had torn. Rather than throw it away after I bought new towels a couple months ago, I put it in the scrap bag.This week I pulled it out of the bag and cut it into 12 squares. I sewed the raw edges on three of them. These will be used for rags. We use a lot of rags for cleaning items to sell at the booth and around the house/garden/cars. I don't use paper towels at all. When they start to get really rough, I'll use them for cleaning a really gross mess and just throw them away without guilt since they've been used scores of times already.


Work:
* I worked 2 days at my regular part time job.
* Trucker ate for free each day he worked. I brought food from home each day I worked.

Health:
* We went on a really good hike one day. It was 3 miles, but steep so we got a good workout in.
* We went on a few walks around the neighborhood.
* I've been better about eating less lately. I also drink mostly calorie-free or almost calorie-free beverages: water, coffee, hot tea.

Community:
* More exciting things on the horizon. It's a delicate situation right now, but I'm excited to share it with you all just as soon as I can!

How was your week?

This Week....Beyond Money 1/25 - 1/31

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 1 cup of mixed greens from the indoor garden. Nothing is better than fresh greens in January.
* On a particularly nice day, I worked out in the front garden. I pruned a lot of trees and shrubs. I didn't prune the Rose of Sharon shrubs or rose bushes because we probably have some cold coming and I don't want them to put on new growth and then get damaged. However, I cut back a lot of terrible, invasive shrubs we've been trying to eradicate for 3 years. I figure anything I can do to stress these plants might help me get them under control (some of these will get pruned severely in spring, but grow 5+ feet by autumn). I also pulled up dead flowers and cleared branches from the yard. It was such a lovely day, I was glad for the excuse to get outside.
* Trucker was a dear and removed some poison ivy from the front garden so I wouldn't break out horribly.

Cooking/Groceries:
* I made twice baked potatoes to use up the last of the potatoes, plus some leftover bacon. I swished a bit of milk in two almost empty salad dressing bottles and used that to moisten the mix. I topped with a little bit of cheese.
* I used up the leftover potatoes to make Colcannon with some manager's special greens and half a leftover pepper (from manager's special)
* We had a quick dinner one night of grilled cheese and soup.
* Trucker made dinner for us one evening when I got home from work. He made spaghetti with leftover polish sausage. Served with garlic bread. Super frugal meal.
* I woke up one morning to hear Trucker in the kitchen. He'd made me french toast for breakfast. He also made enough extra for me to toss in the toaster for a quick breakfast. I love that thoughtfulness.
* I made sandwiches for our road trip.
* I baked some cookies from frozen dough. I'd gotten it for $.75/package on the after-Christmas sales. I baked off 6 of the 24.
* I baked off a bag of biscotti we'd gotten from Trucker's old job. It was baked the first time and then frozen. I sliced it and baked it off. I saved the crumbs for using in other dishes.
* We had popcorn as a snack one evening.

Fun:
* We went on a coffee date at our regular spot, $3.18 with our travel mugs. We also got a free bagel with our rewards card, with butter instead of cream cheese, as that was free.
* Trucker took me out for a date one afternoon. We love our frugal dates, and I think enjoy them far more than expensive dates. We went to Steak n Shake during their Happy Hour for 1/2 off shakes. He got a regular size and I got a kid's size (which is still half off). Our entire date cost around $5.
* Went over to my friends house for stove top popcorn and talking.
* We went to a city a couple hours away to take care of something exciting (see below). While we were there, we wanted to have a little fun. After we took care of business, we took a long walk around downtown and to the lake. Then we met up with a friend of ours who had moved away a few years ago. We got to meet his better half and had a wonderful double date. Dinner was around $25, but that was our only cost for the day trip, other than the cost of gas. We loved talking and singing together in the car as we drove.

Nature:
* We got to walk around Lake Erie for a bit. The weather has been ridiculous around here this week, mid 60s! Perfect for walking!

Frugality:
* I used the library for books, movies and audiobooks. The library is really an awesome resource. I can't imagine how much I must save each year.

Waste Reduction:
* I saved water from thawing rabbit water bottles to use to water plants once it was at room temperature. I saved other water from rinsing items or while waiting for dish water to get hot. While the water bill isn't super expensive, I think it is important to get in the habit of being responsible with my resources. It may save just a few dollars a year, but small practices become habits and take no real effort after learning. Just because I live in an area that has ample access to good water (for now!), doesn't mean that water will always be readily available. When I was growing up, our town's water would routinely be contaminated. We would have to use bottled water for weeks. Especially given what is going on in Flint right now, I feel it is even more important to be mindful.
* I used the last of a jar of pickles. I used the leftover pickle juice to make mock pickled peppers using dehydrated Hungarian Wax peppers.

Work:
* I packed lunch each day I worked.
* Trucker planned to eat light on days he worked and eat that evening. He had a hard time finishing and meal and hated throwing away part of the meal. So no more is being made, but we save a little money on his food 3 days a week.
* I worked a half hour overtime.

Future:
* Our sales have been fantastic. We did more in the first 9 days of this pay period than we usually do in 15-16 days.
* Trucker published ANOTHER kindle book. I'm overwhelmed by his productivity, passion and dedication. What an awesome partner to have on my team (I am so sappy this post...hehe).
* I listed some more items on my Etsy store.
* Trucker got an audition for a movie! We drove a few hours away so he could audition. Definite bucket list type thing! We are still waiting to hear back.

Health:
* I went for a run one day.
* Trucker and I went for a few nice long walks around the neighborhood.
* I have been getting my appetite under control better for the last few weeks. I don't have the urge to nibble like I used to. It hasn't resulted in a massive weight loss, but I feel better.

Setbacks:
* I've been picking up 2-3 days a week at my factory for the last 5 months. This week I came in and found out that effective that day, I was cut back to 2 days. This cut my income by 50-60%. I had a mild freak out for a minute, but then pulled myself together. However, it has worked out okay. I put in a couple applications and found a place hiring a temp for the 4 days before Valentine's Day. I walked in and filed out an application. They offered me the job on the spot and said if it goes well, there will be a part time job for me. The owner is perfectly willing to work with my factory schedule.

Community:
* I had meet someone from the neighborhood who is heading up a fantastic project right down the road from my house. I'll provide more details once I know exactly what is happening, but sufficed to say, I'm beyond thrilled.
* The common theme in my life has always been the library. When I was a kid, one of my best friends was the 90+ year old librarian who always hooked me up with the best reads. Flash forward a couple decades and I still have to plan at least a half hour when stopping in at the library to talk with everyone. Well, when I was in this week, we got to talking about foreign films. One of the women was telling me about a movie that I had to watch and she said that the system had it. Then she said, "Wait. You know, I have a copy here. I'll be right back." She let me borrow her personal copy. That is a great sign of community building and I can't wait to build it further.
* Basically, this week did a lot of good for me. I feel very optimistic about my place here.

How was your week?