{ Economic Slow Down or Reality Check? }

Last night when I finally sat down to catch up with the news the top three stories were about the economy, the gas prices and the housing market...all were dire. And you know what? I get that...things are not great and for some they are down right awful. And while I don't mean to diminish what this means on a day to day for people, I'm going to jump in here and stir the nest a bit.
We are a nation of over indulged, over entitled people who want what we want, right now, now matter what. Restraint and sacrafice are not part of the American narrative. The last time those two characteristics were in play was World War II. Don't get me wrong, I'm not on the soapbox here. I am right down in the mud with the rest of you...clearly, read my posts about my lack of a savings account and budget busting purchases of late. I got the strong sense last night while watching report after report that we are reaping what we've sown and we're experiencing a huge "oh, crap" moment about our choices.

Break it down to the basics. Is your mortgage one you can afford on a fixed income or one income or even your current income? Gas prices are high but are you driving an SUV and only have two kids or less? I am and it hurts everytime I pull into the gas station. How many times did you stop at Starbucks this week? Or eat out? Or grab fast food? When's the last time you packed a lunch? When's the last time you had a simple supper? When's the last time you skipped the $4-$5 cereal box and made oatmeal? Yes, a loaf of bread is $4 but I made my own bread this weekend (and made triple batches that are in the freezer) for a fraction of the price...a two hour committement, big woo. How many cable channels do you have? Does your 11 year old really need a cell phone? Go through your closet and add up the clothes that never get worn.
It is times like these that make our choices so imperative. Just like when I do a budget, throw everything in the middle of the room and decide, is this NECESSARY?

{ Two Forward, Three Back }

Budget woes abound!! Just when I start to feel like I'm getting it...that we're making headway, another snap backwards. We were on track in March and April and now, May has just blown us out of the water budget wise. AGHH!! This weekend I lost it, seriously had a meltdown. Had to get in the car and drive to my favorite paint your own pottery shop and eat tootsie rolls (The Paint Escape, I used to own it, but now Tina is the supplier of the junk food and sympathetic ear).

What I have surmised is that when we feel good about where we are financially we get complacent and then we stop paying attention and slip back into old spending habits. The debit and credit cards come out of storage and then there is no knowing where the balances are until I finally sit down weeks later and do the entry. We have literally set ourselves back four or five months with just few weeks of stupidity and I'm so angry about that I could just spit! It's not one thing or person, it's a way of living that needs to be altered. That "I deserve this" attitude. What we deserve is peace of mind, financial stability and we won't get that until we stop with the "I want this right now" way of thinking. It's about losing priorities and telling ourselves that the right now matters more than the long term...and it doesn't. Immediate gratification is so over rated because the day after really really sucks.

So, tonight I will dig down, figure out how to drain the pittance of savings we were building up to pay off our dalliances and we will begin again. At square one. No savings but no debt either. All plastic will go back into storage and we will be returning to cash only transactions indefinitely.

{ Bring on the sun! }

It's been a crazy week with clients this week! I didn't think I'd be so busy but I am and that's great!! But today is the beginnings of a rare warm spell here so I'm heading out early in the hopes of getting back early. I'd love to dig in the rest of my starts and few impulse periennel purchases and then do some personal finances later tonight.

{ Veggie Garden - The Early Years }

Well, here it is so far. Not quite what I envisoned originally but our mantra all weekend was "It's just the vegetable garden". I know myself well enough to know that it will drastically change over time to make it cuter and more refined. The doo-dads that are hanging down are potentially temporary. They are various pieces of blown glass (thanks, Judith!), wind chimes and bird feeders that serve to create a visual wall for the deer who have poor depth perception (I'm told).

Obviously, we're in need of a gate and to finish our boxes...chicken wire will do for now. We have a break in the weather this week so all four to five of the boxes will be done and filled by the end of this week. You can see how we are builidng each frame. These back two boxes will only last through a season or two but with the exception of 10 new cedar slats, they are made out of recycled wood. The front frames (not shown) are made of surdier 2x4 wood so we'll get more seasons out of them. The black cloth you see (commonly used at garden centers) serves two purposes. The first is I have enough weeding to do and don't need to weed my paths. The second and most important, underneath the black cloth is several inches of packed gravel. We hope that with those two elements and the ability to tent each frame (see the higher corner posts) we'll create a warmer micro climate to extend our season.

Yesterday we bought the last of our starts, potatoes. They will go in the bed you see on the right. Yellow finns, Desiree and one other whose name escapes me. They will go in tonight. All the other veggies will be started by seeds, a $20 investment. The running total on building this veggie garden (with 5 yrds of compost) is at $265. $135 of that total is in wood and framing. We will have a higher water bill this year as we didn't have rain barrels set up this winter but water collection will be next year's big investment. So, project Feed Ourselves has begun. I'll give regular updates throughout the season.

{ Project Feed Ourselves Continues }

I'll post pictures this weekend but I wanted to report in our vegetable garden progress. Last weekend was all about building the physical space to actually plant our food. You see we are not the only beings who like to eat around here. We live in the country and when you plant something as fabulous as lettuce, tomatoes, potatoes and carrots, you must either erect the outdoor version of Fort Knox or throw open the garden gates and say to every mammel and bird, "soup's on!" So, Fort Knox it is! We've sunk posts, fenced in and will bird net a 12x20ft area. We are building tall boxes so that there will be less bending and knelling...and we can control the soil and climate easier as well. Herbs and other sun loving plants will go in the front garden with flowers and other shrubs. Root crops go in now, then salad greens and the winter crops. So far, we have $300 invested plus $20 in seeds. The only thing left to buy is starts this weekend. A large portion of our $300 is in "fixed assets" that will be used over many seasons. All in all, a good start to an ambitious project.