Here Comes Spring

I thought I would write since it has been a week or over. I haven't felt like writing with my screwed up computer. It is pretty messed up . The worst thing about it is the space bar is messed up. The cat spilled the last little drops of a soda on the keyboard. I tried cleaning it and popped off the space bar and it has never been the same. I also have many many errors on my computer. It is pretty old anyways. I could use J's but I don't want to sit in the computer room. Basically, I'm lazy and have a ton of excuses why I haven't been keeping up.

I have been busy off and on this past week with spring cleaning. I have actually enjoyed it for a couple of days. I still have tons to do. I have a lot of organizing to do and decluttering. I need to be able to get rid of stuff here so I can clear out storage and not have to pay for it. I hate paying for storage. I have became more frugal in the past 6-7 months and budject minded. I have always went back and forth with being cheap and frugal. It seems more necessary with all of our debt and bill load. Two people being bipolar can really rack up debt. It really helps living by a small town with not spending. It also helps because no one is really fashion conscious either. Keeping up with the Jones here is about who has a cool 4x4, snowmobile, huge ass dock(mine is small) , or monster house. The monster house is for the people that have a second home that they call a cottage. Who I can thank for driving up property tax around here.

I managed to order some more meat at the butchers. I ordered a front of a cow , pork and chicken. I try to order here ahead of Victoria Day as after that meat gets more expensive due to the kick off of summer and tourism. The beef hangs for 3 weeks so it is nice and aged. It is actually so much cheaper to go to the butchers and the quality surpasses anything you would get at a grocery store. I also get them to package it up in packages that 2 people would eat. It is nice to have it all wrapped up in butcher paper. No freezer burn. I can buy organic less than beef that isn't also. It really does taste a lot different. What I really love is less trips to the grocery store. I always have something on hand. I hate lugging groceries and grocery shopping. I like shopping but not for groceries.

I have also planned a trip to see my in-laws. The weather has been so miserable this winter we haven't seen them since November. My mother in law turns 91. We planned to see them for two days but will be in that town for four. It gives us time to do what we want. I'm getting excited as I haven't went this long without a mini-vacation in a long time. I depend on getting to the city. Like I have said this town is very backward. I can't even find stationary. It really is just the basics in this town. I could order on-line and I have for things. It is just not the same touching and feeling things. Also, I'm cheap and hate paying brokers fees. I try my best to shop Canadian sites but they are so lacking compared to the commerce sights in the USA. I really like being in a store though. I can't wait till this week-end even though I don't have a clue what I'm going to buy except stock up on pet food that is cheaper in that area. Also, stuff like spices that I can't find here. Basically household stuff that is hard to find or not offered. I will also be looking at computers. The prices make me choke. Even the cheap ones. The thing is I use one everyday and probably addicted to one. It really is my life line. I do everything on a computer.
I don't want to think about the cost of this upcoming trip. Even doing it on the cheap is expensive. I have been so good about not spending in the past 6-7 months. I think I will try my best but spend like I haven't in months. It scares me a little. I'm just glad they won't be having a motorcycle convention in town . I could see me coming home with one. Or they don't have a Harley store. I can blow a lot of money on clothes . I spent so much money last year in one they gave me a laptop backpack as a gift.

Well, I guess I should get busy with getting a ton done today. I have a ton to get done before we leave and just a ton of stuff that has not been done in awhile. it really makes me feel better being more active and gradually I'm coming back

Things that help a budget and time

I was sitting down thinking with a cup of coffee about how I was going to structure my day since I'm sort of out of my routine lately. I was also thinking about how I cope with domestic chores . I didn't used to cope with domestic chores at all at one time and hated anything domestic. I was either real domestic with my mood or very anti domestic. I thought I would share some of the things that helped me . One of the things that help me is cooking ahead when I feel better. I cook and freeze just about everything when I'm in a good mood in anticipation when Im going to be busy or in a bad mood. I feel eating healthy is a hard thing to do in society anymore . It seems like everyone is busy or something and doesn't have time to fix a healthy meal. I just try to do it ahead. An example , I ended up not cooking yesterday and had a pot of beans frozen in the freezer. All I had to do is defrost it and there was a base of a meal that I didn't have to think about and it was very good. I also have frozen spaghetti sauce for pasta in the freezer and some homemade chicken and noodle soup in there. I'm running low and think I will try to cook extra this week for when I don't feel like it which is a lot. Another thing you do is save when you cook ahead because you don't eat out another thing is generally the foods you freeze up are cheap on the budget. An example a pot of beans cost about 1.00 for probably 2 huge meals for a family or 8 meals for 2 people.

Making list before you go to the store helps from impulse buying and also stocking food makes you make less frequent trips to the store. I really don't like shopping when I'm in certain moods as I buy to much or Im so scattered I forget what Im there for in the first place. That is why I make a menu of the week and stick to it. I don't have to think except one time and that is planning it. Sometimes, I hate the planning more than the cooking.

Today, sense I put off the grocery store ,I will try to go for a short time because this is the last week-end that is going to be unseasonable warm for the week-end. I look forward to the sun in the sky and the warmish weather this part of Ontario is experiencing. I also look forward to next week where it will be cooler but sunny. I like just about any weather that has some sun in it. I want to start the routine of walking more before winter snow. I also want to inquire about the gym next week and get a exercise routine going on when the weather is to cool to walk and jog. I know walking and jogging really help me in many ways .
Back to coffee and more thinking about what I will do on such a nice day .