Monday,Money saving madness

     First of all thank you to all of your that sent messages on my debt pay off .  It really helps to have cheer leaders.  It also helps to have people who have my back and that I can bounce ideas off of when I need to.

     Well here it is July already and we are 1/2 way through 2017.  It seems hard to believe.  It has gone so quickly yet parts of it were so slow and aggravating.  I  feel like I have accomplished so much in the last 6 months.  I have eliminated a large amount of debt.  I have officially retired form my weekly teaching. Mother is still a significant burden and getting worse all the time.  Thank goodness I have more time to deal with her and her drama.

     The month of July will not be a month where I concentrate on a new debt to eliminate.  Instead I am going to concentrate on savings.  I will pay all my bills and still contribute to my debts but I will not be snowballing any extra money on them.  I will spend the next 2 months trying to save up to $3000.00.  As I have eliminated debt I have more to put on my debts but some of this money will be in savings.  After I reach this goal I will concentrate on paying back another debt.My reason for this savings goal is to help with Christmas and bill paying.  Our monthly bills with the house and debt and monthly expenses come to about $3000.00  I want this amount in the bank to pay all bills on the first and then replace as checks come in.  My goal is to be one month ahead on all my bills except the house.  This will alleviate so much of my stress. I still struggle with monthly bill payments.  I have the money I just don't have it on the day the bill is due.  It is always a scramble and I want an account I can go to that will pay these bills.  We do have a savings account but it is untouchable.  I do use it but I want it to be more sacred so to speak.  I just feel this will work better for me.  If it does not I will try another tack.

     Money Saving Madness
1.  Hung sheets on the fence instead of drying in the dryer
2.  Cooked all meals but one at home
3.  Made 30 jars of jam with frozen fruit from our freezer.  All this fruit was free and I used jars that were given me or picked up for free.  My seals were purchased on a closeout sale for .99 a box. My pectin was also bought for .99 a box at the end of the season. The sugar was purchased at Christmas on loss leader sales.  I know cheap jam at stores is less expensive than making your own.  But the flavor of mine is so much better.  It has no corn syrup, lots of fruit and is worth the time and expense.
4.  Picked all salad fixings from garden.
5. Picked fresh strawberries and blueberries for mom to eat with her breakfasts.
6. Picked green beans, zucchini, cucumbers, yellow squash, for meals
7. Made 8 home made pie crusts for future pies. Froze 6 of them
8.  Used 12 old mealy apples, of different varieties to make a great apple salad and then one apple pie.
9.  Fed all peeling and scraps to the chickens.
10. made two large bags of cherry pie filling from cherries hubs picked off our tree.
11.  Only purchased loss leaders when I went grocery shopping.
12.  Mom wanted Swedish meatballs, so pulled burger bought for under $2.00 a pound out of freezer, needed sausage and went to stare and found sausage from butcher block for $1.29 on sale.  So made 12 dozen large meat balls and froze majority.  Saved all dripping in little containers to make gravy later, also froze.
13.  Needed eye make up remover and found it on sale at Wal-mart


  So all in all it was a good week at saving money.

     I do have to take a girl friend out to lunch on Thursday, but other than that I plan to really try and not spend unless I have to this week.

     I worked like a dog this last weekend, even over did it as far as I am concerned.  Most of my time was spent trying to make Mom happy.  She did not appreciate any of it and went over to Lil sis's and complained about me.  Lil sis jumped me of course and I tried to defend myself.  I only did what mom wanted to do.  She asked to make meatballs.  I was going to make Italian and freeze ahead.  But she wanted Swedish meatballs.  She also had a potluck at her church and wanted to take 4th of July cookies, so I made those with her.

        But she was mad that I made up a meal for a lady in my church whose husband had just gotten home from cancer treatments.  I bought all the food, I did not ask her to buy it.  ( Like she would give up a penny to me) I did all the work while she badgered and watched me.  I did all the clean up.  I waited on her hand and foot.  Out of 144 meatballs I only sent 12 to the sick family.  But she hates my religion so she goes to Lil sis and complains.  I lit into my sister something fierce.  I was so mad.  How dare she.  I know mom is old and nasty and forgetful.  But Lil sis taking her side and chastising me went way beyond.  I don't think she will do it again.  I told her I was packing mom up and moving her over to her house.  I was done.  Well Lil sis does not want her nor can she take care of her.  So she backed down.  But I cried so hard.  I have never had my head hurt so badly while crying before.  I am just so tired of not being appreciated for what I do.


Atten:  I need to retract much of the aforementioned paragraph.  I am not being fair to my sister.  Mom comes between us and the religion thing just put me over the edge.  It was a very hard week with mom.  To take my anger and frustration out on my sister is and was wrong.  We need to stick together.  Using social media to air dirty laundry is wrong.  It is one thing to complain about my situation with mom, who clearly has issues related to age and illness but to take is out on my sister and paint her in a bad light is mean, selfish, and wrong.  I am sorry for my temper and anger.  I can't take back what I wrote or what you might think, but know that I am sorry I besmirched my sweet, funny,caring, kind, generous sister.

     I am tired. In spite of it all I will try to have.....

Have a great and productive day!


Kim