Spending less from less

I know it has been a long time since I have posted. It has been a slightly stressful year. I am once again trying to figure out how to save some money out of not much money. I think I go through this every year about this time when review the years finances and realize you are barely getting by with your bills paid. I do miss the days when spending an extra 60 - 100 a week on whatever without much thought to how it was effecting the bank book. Those days are gone. The trucking business is not what it used to be, the loads are cheap and getting harder to get with lots of over the road drivers turning to local work. 10 loads to 60 drivers is getting ridiculous but it is the career my hubby has and knows like the back of his hand. With just 7 yrs left before retirement it looks like we are just going to have to adjust more than we already have over the last few years. I just don't know how. I have watched our yearly income drop from 45 to 26 with help from family and yes even some from the government. I feel frustrated and overwhelmed at times. I used to know how to live on 800 a month, but that was no phone, computer, tv and not going anywhere except to dr appointments, those were horrible times and impossible now. So I have spent the evening looking for anything that will help me cut expenses. Blogs about not buying anything for a year has been my focus this year. I have to admit there are some things I have purchased this past year that I could have gone without. I'm looking right at the packages that come in the mail a few days ago.. a new foot for my sewing machine and some cotton cord for making my own piping and of course 2 yds of fabric. Are you making the same excuses I am... but those are for your crafts, your going to be making things with those. Yeah, I justify things like that BUT I totally shouldn't. I have fabric, I could make stuff that didn't require piping and then that would have eliminated the need for the piping foot. The point is some purchases could be avoided if I truly tried hard enough. I can't say that it will give us great savings BUT it could put an extra 20 in my pocket at the end of the month. Hey, who knows I might save enough to make an extra car payment! I wasn't having much luck with with the sites I was reading. I mean seriously... one guy saved 44 grand in one year by not spending a grand a week one god knows what! Or the girl who had a shopping addiction to buying clothes or shoes or eating out every night with her besties and saved nearly 10 grand. I never seem to find the posts that I can truly relate to. Like the fortune 500 lady that is going to forgo buying new clothes and cosmetics. Hahaha, as if I buy clothes and cosmetics!! I am making my resolution to not spend any "extra" money on things we truly don't need. The birds can find their own food and so can the deer. The dogs can do without doggiebones and the cats don't really need treats. Hubby doesn't need ice cream and I can do without... I want to say craft supplies but I know that wont do cause I already have an order waiting to be filled, shipped and paid for. I'm not sure what I can do without, I guess that extra yd of fabric that I really didn't need, just wanted.

February's New Dish

Last week I was sitting there in the chair telling hubby I still haven't thought about what February's new meal was going to be. Up pops a commercial for sloppy Joe pies. Hubby looks at me and I look at him and we decide that is what it is going to be. It looked good!

I proceeded to roll out the biscuits..hmm. Maybe some flour will help and that wax paper my sil was talking about. Yeah, it's working!

Set them out on the pan...hmm. I can only set 3 out on the pan at one time. Hubby walked in and suggested taking one biscuit for the bottom and one for the top. Sounds good to me.

Scoop in the sloppy joe mix, sprinkle some cheese and top with other biscuit.

Toss in oven...hmm. Well first thing to remember for next time is to seal the biscuits with some water. They are separating. 

Bring out of oven...hmm. Maybe next time I should use the glass pan or raise the rack. The bottoms are a little crispy.

Set on plate and serve...hmm. Next time I definitely need to bust it open and let it cool off before serving. The noises we were making cause it was too hot for the mouth was making me laugh.

After dinner was finished... we both decided that there wouldn't be a next time.

It wasn't a thumbs up or a thumbs down, it was average. We do average enough, we are looking for something different.

NOW, hubby says that since that meal wasn't a great success, I need to do a different February meal. YEAH RIGHT, BUSTER! He's lucky I still remembered to do this challenge. :)

New Year and Resolutions

Hi, it's me! The girl who was supposed to have done the December challenge and fizzled out on ya... sorry.
 
The first day of the new year is almost over, in some places already. I have had a busy day getting some orders finished up and some started. Although I am soo ready to go to bed, I promised myself I would write at least a little something on this blog that I have truly neglected.

New Years resolutions...

I have 2.

#1... crochet and finish at least one item a week. Sometimes this will be easy to stick with but there are some weeks that I just can't seem to get anything done. So, some work is needed to accomplish this one.

 #2... I promised the hubs that I was going to "TRY" to do at least one new recipe a month. The challenge is 1) remember to do it! 2) find inexpensive and stretchable meals. 3) BAKE! LOL!(for those that know me, will know why that is funny)A lot of work is needed to accomplish this one!

I hope you all had a good 2012 and have an even better 2013!