Back on Budget with groceries.

 Good morning my dear friends!  How are things!  The fun keeps funnin here.  Einstein, our oldest son, has tested positive for Covid.  He is symptomatic.  Bless his heart!  Went to the Doc yesterday because of a fever and congestion.  The list of meds is long, but we're so blessed in that we now have a doctor who's going to get him the care he needs.  Einstein's powering thru though.  He's out of work for 10 days, but will still be paid.  So that's nice.  

Our other son, Rubic, also tested positive for Covid.  We're thinking his was Omicron in that his symptoms were mild and only lasted a day or so.  He's 100% now and he tested Positive Christmas Day.  Einstein's symptoms mimic mine and Dh's and so I'm thinking his may be Delta.

This is all 2021 saying good bye.  It will be a tearful "so long"......NOT!  

Anyhoo.  With the New Year on the way and the holiday baking supplies shopping/stocking season in the rearview mirror, I've put aside my pantry storage extravaganza and am looking to get back on my normal grocery budget.  My pantry storage extravaganza is mainly due to the fact that basics are more than likely what's on sale during the holiday season.  For that reason, I buy and store more in Nov-Dec than any other time of year.  There were deals, but few and far between, sad to say.  Some I was able to get and some were out of stock.   Because I'm stocking up, I increase my budget this time of year.  I even will draw from savings if need be.  At least that's what I've done this year.  I figured it would be cheaper to get it now than wait for the inevitable increase in the new year.  Did you hear Dollar Tree is raising their prices to $1.25 in the new year?  (sigh)

With all that behind me though, I'm getting back on a normal budget.  Maybe I should say normal(ish).  Right now my plan is to increase our grocery budget to adjust for inflation.  So I added an extra $28 dollars a month.  My budget will go from $400 to $428 a  month.  I haven't raised my grocery budget for years, but feel the need to do it now.  I'm hopeful I can raise it that much.  That's an extra $728 dollars a year for one category!  That doesn't count increases in everything else; Gas, energy, house hold expenses, etc.  That amount is my plan for the grocery budget, we'll have to see if we can afford it.  I may be cutting that back.  It might be hard to even hit $400.  So that's up in the air for now.

I've seen some "Pantry challenge" or "No Spend" month videos on Youtube for the New Year.  While I understand the concept of a pantry/no spend challenge to use up things in your pantry: I'm not comfortable with that personally with inflation on the rise.  If I'm holding off buying an item for a no spend challenge, it's only going to be more expensive when I do get around to getting it or replacing it once used.  Plus, there are still things that are a good deal to store even in Jan and Feb

Instead I'm opting to focus more on 

1) What I have canned up, dehydrated, or frozen from the garden.  I want to use those before I allow myself to buy anything in the produce category.  The thought being, these will be replaced thru planting seeds I already have rather than making another purchase.  I'm just finishing up my blueberries (sad face).  

2)  Growing more; even now.  I currently have broccoli, cauliflower, spinach, parsley, lettuce, a volunteer kale, and a volunteer Bok Choy growing in my green house!  Yes I now have a "Greenhouse".  It's not perfect, but it's functional!  

I know. It looks like something a Batman Villain would make.  If you don't know that reference; my apologies.  Go watch an old Adam West as Batman show and you will know of what I speak.  I always say this project will never be in Better Homes and Gardens, but it deserves an honorable mention in the Red Neck quarterly!

In addition, I've thinned out my blackberry, strawberry, and a few blueberry pants and transplanted the thinned plants into other parts of the garden.  I'm hopeful this will insure a larger harvest this summer.  This is a great investment, because they are perennials, which means they come back every year.  No buying new plants!

If interested in building a Hoop Greenhouse of your own, do a search on Hoop Greenhouses and you will see "How to" videos galore!

3) Minimizing leftovers.  Any left overs we have need to be lunch the next day or used in another recipe: meat loaf into spaghetti sauce or chili, left over baked potatoes become hash browns for the next days breakfast, etc.  This also includes repurposing items that might go bad.  Sour milk replaces butter milk in baked goods.  So does Yogurt, and sour cream.  These are just a few examples.  

4)  Making more items myself rather than buying them.  There are times I've cheated and bought (usually breads) things at the store to save time.  Then I started reading labels.  When I bought whole wheat bagels, for instance, I discovered the ingredient list contained things that cause inflammation or were otherwise unhealthy.  Better I just do it myself.  Along these same lines: for health and frugality, I'm focusing on making desserts that use less fat and sugar.  Butter is a luxury that's becoming more expensive by the day.  I can make chocolate chip cookies blind folded, but none of us need those, and using a half a package of butter to make it probably isn't the best idea.  Enter items like the Chocolate Pumpkin cake or Banana chocolate chip cake.  These two examples are made with 100% whole wheat,  2 cups of pumpkin or mashed banana, less sugar, and only 1 TBS of butter in the whole thing!  When I top the Banana chocolate chip cake, it's with way fewer chocolate chips than I would use in cookies.  You can find the recipe on my desserts page.  I also am looking to expand my horizons into other things I can make at home instead of buy.  Hmmmmm

5)  Looking into bartering more.  Come spring we're hopeful to be covered up with eggs.  There's only so many I need to freeze.  So I'm looking to trade for things I can't grow.  This one is still a plan in the works,  Not sure how it's going to succeed, but I'm willing to try.  

These are some of the ideas I have to make the food dollars stretch!  What are some of yours?  

Please Live Again!

 Merry day after Christmas, and Happy New Year!  

Can I pose a potential New Years resolution?  Just a suggestion.  Start off 2022 with a new lease on life.  In other words don't pay any attention to the panic purveyors, those gumbas that insist on keeping us masked, isolated, etc by using a virus who's latest variant, Omicron, is so mild as to be regulated to the common cold.  

According to Dr Marty Makary of John Hopkins, Omicron doesn't infiltrate the lungs.  Instead it's superficial, much like our common cold.  You didn't live in fear of the common cold before.  Don't now.  I don't care what they say.  Throw off your mask!  Gather together!  Ring in the new year!  

Personally we're looking forward to 2022 in the hopes it's a little easier on us.  2021 has been a challenge.  Even with the challenges of 2021 we have much to celebrate and thank 2021 for!  

1) My husband was able to have back surgery that allowed him to regain the use of his legs.  By the time the surgery day came he was having a hard time even walking a few feet.  Now he's back to his workouts and his flexibility is almost back

2) My husbands surgery is now paid in full!  In addition, that surgery covered our deductible which kept my hospital stay from hitting us financially.  We only owed a small amount.  

3) Dh and I are now fully vaccinated in that we've both had Covid.  Now I did end up with Myocarditis from my bout with Covid, but it's since resolved and I'm back to a normal (ish) workout on the treadmill.  Plus, my bout with myocarditis, brought me to my new Doctor.

4) Our youngest son has worked hard to get past his own hurdles and is well on the way towards his future.  

5) Our Daughter got a job she loves.  

8) The greatest blessing of this year is the fact that thru lost work hours, cuts in pay, hospital expenses, illness and injury, and a variety of other obstacles; God has seen us thru it all.  God has provided strength, healing, and provision anywhere it was needed.  

Guess what!  God will provide the same in 2022!  We're not any more special than anyone else.  God doesn't show favoritism.  He loves all of us (you too!) and will see you thru anything you face as well.  You only have to ask.  

So instead of focusing on the fears, failures, and other problems of 2021; focus on how God has seen you thru those things.  How can you see His provision?  Look for the silver lining in every circumstance.  We could've focused on the problems this year instead of focusing on God provision.  Our perspective and reaction would have been much different.  Shift your focus towards God's provision.  It changes things.  '

So while we would like things to be easier in 2022, I'm confident that whatever 2022 holds, God will hold us.  

So we say "Thanks" to 2021 and goodbye(ahem somewhat gladly), and "Hello" and a little "Bring it on" to 2022.

Had to share again!

 I just had to share this again given that this old post from a long while back is still relevant today.  It's so easy to get caught up with the trappings of what the world says Christmas is about: shopping, getting, spending, over eating, etc.

  Take a minute, and remember exactly what we were given on that Silent Night so long ago.  This gift is eternal, and given with a love our minds can't fathom.  It's the gift of Jesus Christ.  He loves you.  He came for you.  He died for you.  He rose FOR YOU!.  If you were the only one that needed this gift. HE WOULD STILL COME!  Hold that thought as you read on....

"Thoughts of Long Ago"

Christmas Eve makes me remember when I was a child, and December 24th would arrive.  I think Christmas Eve has always been my favorite.  Don't get me wrong.  Presents have always been great so Christmas Morning was the ultimate, but Christmas Morning was the last day.  Once the gifts were unwrapped, the anticipation was over.  Christmas was over, at least in my childhood mind.  Christmas Eve, however, was the height of anticipation.  There was electricity in the air!  As a child I felt like Christmas Day would never come and Christmas Eve seemed to last forever.  But it was fun!

We always got a gift on Christmas Eve.  Some little something to take the edge off; so to speak. Ironically the one gift I remember best from one childhood Christmas Eve, was the one I received in bed because I had the stomach flu.  Stomach flu had gone thru just about everyone in the house, and I was one of the last on the roster.  I had recovered by Christmas Day, but was still shaky.  Anyway, that Christmas Eve I got a Charlie Brown...how would you say?  It was like a magnetic board, but it wasn't magnetic.  It was slick and it had little slick Charlie Brown Characters you could attach in any way you wanted in order to create a scene.  Not a big elaborate gift, but it did the trick.

Christmas Eve was the best after bed time.  Christmas Eve is the one time of year children will willingly go to bed and try to sleep.  Lol.  In order to keep us 5 kids in line, Christmas Eve was the time all us kids slept in the same room with our oldest sister watching us.  We had electric candles in the window and my mom had multiple colors of lights in them.  We got to leave the candles on all night, and the result was surreal.  A rainbow of colors spread across the ceiling! There was little to no sleep....for us or our parents.  My poor parents were up just about the whole night getting everything put out.  I (We, Daddy, I wasn't the only one regardless of what my brothers said) was up the whole night worrying my parents were still going to be awake and Santa wouldn't stop (Bad parents!  lol), or sneaking out to the hall to peer into the darkness (again Daddy I wasn't the only one) in the hopes we could see something after our parents turned the lights off and went to bed.  Needless to say 5 am was a perfectly logical time to drag my sister and subsequently our parents out of the bed to start Christmas Day.

As the years have passed my Christmases have changed.  No longer a child myself, I would see Christmas through the eyes of my children.   Wide eyed wonder at the lights, Santa, the presents, etc.  Now my Children are adults themselves.  My daughter and her husband have the joy of seeing Christmas in their children's eyes.  Christmas has changed for us again.  Now it is really more of a spiritual celebration.  I still love the giving and receiving of gifts, but my focus turns more toward why we give those gifts.

This year, as I laid out the Nativity, it just so happened O Holy Night was playing on Pandora.  The Nativity ended up being laid out with tears. I couldn't help but Praise God for this precious gift.  Over 2000 years ago, on another Christmas Eve, the world held its breath in anticipation of the child to be born on Christmas Day.  I guess anticipation has always been a major part of Christmas, only the first Christmas never ended with the coming of Christmas day.  Instead it became the beginning of everything.

Answers I knew all along!

 Good morning friends!  

Today is 4 weeks exactly since my bout with myocarditis.  I've seen all the doctors, and am cleared for activity as tolerated.  Today is another attempt to get things back on track.  My toleration of exercise is still in the "work back to it" stage, but I'm getting there.  

As I sit here this morning sipping my coffee; which I can taste again Praise God!, I'm filled with a lot of different emotions.  I'm happy, relieved, mad, and VINDICATED!

3 years ago this past August when I had that heart attack, I had lost 63 lbs.  My cholesterol was awesome.  I had no blockages, and yet I've spent the past 3 years fighting with doctors who kept pushing drugs on me.  Drugs that had side effects.  Those side effects kept me fearful that first year after, and it's been down hill from there.  I felt like I was banging my head against a wall.  After a year, I was finally off of them by my choice, but each doctor visit it would be "suggested" that I really need to get my cholesterol down.  It made no sense to me.  

Kinda like everyone needs to get the vaccination cause the vaccinated need protecting from the unvaccinated, cause the vaccination doesn't work?  Okay, that's another rant.

Onto my story!  My OBGYN did suggest Magnesium, so I've been taking that for the past 2 years.  Still, every doctor visit was stressful.  I finally went back to a NP who supported my initial desire of diet and exercise after my heart attack.  Only now, I don't see her, because of my myocarditis.  It's crazy.  

I needed a new primary care physician.  Relying on urgent care is not an effective tool.  They don't know you, and really, you get the feeling you're just a number.  I needed someone who would oversee all of my care regardless of what specialty I was going too.  Above that, I wanted someone who would be open minded and independent.  I wanted someone to listen.  A friend recommended a primary care physician about 20 minutes away.  He files no insurance.  You pay at the time of service.  He isn't in a group.  It's his own practice.  He's been a doctor for 40 years.  I went to see him.

THANK THE LORD ALMIGHTY!  This Doctor is the most thorough doctor I've ever seen.  I was the only patient scheduled for that time period.  There is no over booking for appointments.  His clinic is open various hours in order for people that work during the day to come see him when they're off in the evening.  His nurse was in there during the physical exam, taking notes as he dictated them.  He actually read the medical questionnaire(10 pages) I filled out from his office.  He questioned me about everything.  

We get to the subject of my heart attack.  I had already talked to him about my migraines.  I also have raynaud's syndrome which is where the capillaries in my finger tips close in the cold weather.  It's genetic.  A lot of women have this.  He begins to clarify:  "  You had no blockages?".  I answer no.  I tell him my cholesterol was fine as well.  He says" Okay, you had a vasospasm".  I told him that's what I was told.  It means my artery closed temporarily on it's own.  He points to my hands and says "  Raynaud's is a vasospasm".  He points to my head "Your migraines are a vasospasm".  He points to my heart and says "Your heart attack was a vasospasm".  "What you have is a vascular issue".  "The only thing you should have been started on after your heart attack was Magnesium".  "Your OB had it right".  I went ahead and shared with him that my migraines seem to occur during hormonal fluctuations.  I'm premenopausal, so there's a lot of chaos.  My heart attack occurred during a time of hormonal fluctuations.  Could that be linked?  I've asked this question to every doctor I've seen in the past 3 years.  I get a smile and a "No".  Isn't it cute she thinks she's a doctor.  His response?  "Yes".  Apparently it isn't the hormones themselves that are the issue.  It's the wild fluctuations that are the problem.  He said it's hard on kids going into puberty, and it's hard coming out.  He said many children have migraines and such during puberty.  My case isn't any different.   

FINALLY!  I feel like this weight has been lifted!  On the other hand I could, in the words of my mom"  beat those other docs til I'm tired".  Not really guys.  It's just a figure of expression.  Nobody call the cops please.  I'm just so mad, that I lost 3 years of my life over all this!  At a time when I was at my best!  Grrrrr!  

So, you start where you are.  This morning I've done 30 minutes on the treadmill.  I have another 30 to do to compensate for a less intense workout.  My new doctor has all my labs, Dr's notes, etc. from every visit and hospital stay in the last few months as well as those from my heart attack.  In a week or so, we will meet to formulate a plan moving forward.  I'm in good hands.  

NEWS FLASH! Viruses Mutate

 Sooo IT'S HERE!  The latest mutation of Covid has reached our shores.  You'd think we were facing Ebola or something.  Speaking of...remember when two American citizens were brought home with Ebola, about 10 years ago.  That was Ebola, and there wasn't near the craziness with that on our shores.  Now I know it was just a couple of folks, but had Ebola been released here?  YIKES!  That has like a 50% mortality rate!  

Covid still has about a 1% mortality rate.  

So here's the thing.  Viruses mutate.  When they do it's always to become more transmissible, but less lethal.  Hear what I say.  A virus wants to spread, but not kill.  Why do you ask?  Because the virus will die with it's host if it didn't.  It's in it's best interest to not kill the host.  Now the virus doesn't care if it makes the host ill, but it doesn't want to do it in.  

Knowing that, our fearless leaders are still spreading fear amongst the people.  Now why do you think that is?  I don't see the logic in trusting any entity; be it the government or "Medical expert" that

1)  Blocks any differing opinions

2)  Blocks information on and the availability of effective treatments for Covid. Now why would they do this?  Well, just a tidbit of info to make of it what you will, but the FDA(Fduh) wouldn't give emergency authorization for the vaccine if there were any effective treatments.  Sooooo.

    *** Just a bit of an aside.   Looky at what I'm taking post Covid to help with my Covid induced Myocarditis!  What do you know it's actually Ivermectin and it's for people!  Who'd a thunk it!  Yea.  It's only been around for over 40 years and the creator is a Nobel Peace Prize winner FOR IT"S CREATION!   

3)  Pushes/Forces a medical procedure on it's citizens without allowing them to be totally informed of risks and benefits of said procedure.

4)  Gives no recourse for those adversely affected by said medical procedure.

5)  Lies about the effectiveness of masking, and the vaccine for that matter..

6)  Sensationalizes the seriousness of the new Omicron variant to push Vaccines/Boosters, probably to set things up for politicians; after all, next year is an election year.  The scientist who discovered the new variant says it is more easily transmitted, but symptoms seem to be less severe.  "Much milder symptoms" is what I believe she said.  That's not what you hear on the news.  

7)  Calls what is at best a therapeutic, a vaccine!  It isn't!  If it was, it wouldn't matter who was vaccinated or not.  If one was vaccinated, they would be protected from those of us who aren't.

They've done all this and there are people who say " that's all fine.  Put whatever that is in my body".  Yea.  Not this little grey duck.

What really stuns me are the number of Healthcare members pushing masks and vaccines when they know the same things I do about infection control, cross contamination, and  now vaccine efficacy.  I actually had a doctor tell me in the ER that I should get the vaccine.  I said, "But I've had Covid".  She said "Oh I know, you can't get the vaccine for 8 months, but then you really should".  I said" But I've had Covid".  She said" but we don't know how long that lasts".  I'm thinking, well we do know how long the vaccines last.  Hence the need for a booster.  Sorry, but I'm not getting on a booster Hamster wheel.  

 Don't let them scare you into compliance.  Educate yourself.  Think critically.  Find a good doctor that thinks for him or her self and doesn't just push pills.  Talk to them.  Don't let the powers that be dictate your health.  They don't have to deal with the repercussions.  You do.  If I'd had an independent Doctor when I had Covid; I might not be dealing with this Myocarditis now.  I have one now, and am grateful.

Not a Prepper. It's just Life

 Nothing like a Pandemic, supply line issues, and inflation to motivate Prepping conversations.  Why you can't sling a 50 lb bag of flour without hitting someone on YouTube talking about prepping.  Actually it's hard to sling a 50 lb bag of  flour without hitting something!  

All this prepping stuff got me to thinking.  Would people think We're Preppers?  They might, I guess, but we don't really think of ourselves that way.  To us this is just how we've chosen to live our life.  

It's to help our children should they need to shop from our pantry

It's to Feed our family healthier (in our opinion) food

It's to save money

It's to fight inflation

It's to protect us in the event of an unexpected illness, layoff, or pay cut.  

It's to help when we have an unexpected expense.

It's to be as self reliant as we can be to limit how much we need big business.  

Every one of these reasons has taken place this year!  Every one!  We didn't have the ice storm, snowed in thing, but if it had happened this year; it would be nice to not have to get out in it to get milk, eggs, and bread.  Aside from that little caveat, we've used our pantry for every one of these reasons THIS YEAR.  It's helped.  It's nice to be able to be able to bypass grocery shopping for a month or so in order to make ends meet.  In the beginning of the year DH lost hours at work both because of work issues and because of his back.  Then he was out for 4 weeks after back surgery.  Then we had hospital bills to pay off.  We had loved ones shop from our pantry.  Both of us had Covid.  Then I got to go to the hospital. The inflation stuff needs no explanation.  

We do not, nor plan to have 25 years worth of food shoved into Mylar bags with O2 absorbers and in 5 gallon buckets.  We do not have MREs.  We don't have security plans.  We do have extra set aside to help in the event of an emergency; your everyday emergency.  We have Matches, candles, batteries incase of a power outage.  That's about it.  

To be honest, the idea that everyone can put aside 25 years worth of things to survive an end of the world as we know it scenario is naïve.   That doesn't mean don't plan for a rainy day, but many don't have the time, money, or space to put up 25 years of stuff.  

I learned a long time ago, there are things we can and should do, but when it all comes down to it, we do what we can and where we can't God can.  We have to leave this in His hands.  It doesn't mean we don't do our part to be prudent, but we can't do it all.