Happy 1st Day of Autumn!

I cannot believe that Autumn has arrived! It's my favorite time of the year, with the lovely greens, reds, oranges, yellows, and browns all mixed together to make a lovely palette that only nature can create! The mornings have a chill that warms up to beautiful afternoons, and OH, the smell! Nothing smells like autumn - a smell I wish I could bottle and keep!

Well, I'm still anxiously awaiting the autumn colors. The leaves are falling a bit, but no color changes to speak of yet. The temps have dropped though, with the daytime having 60's and night temps in the 50's, but I see a few 40's in the forecast, so we should be seeing something happening soon.

The stovetop will see lots of soups from now on and breads baking in the oven. I don't make much for cookies anymore since the kids are gone - the same with pies, cakes, etc. It's probable best that way, as the waistline doesn't need them. Funny though, although we don't eat sweets really any longer, the waistline doesn't seem to reflect that. Oh, it's a bummer getting older! LOL

My son's house is coming along nicely. He has almost all his painting done and with the furniture and everything he has done to it, it really looks like a home. So much different than when he purchased it! He did have a lot of issues with the plumbing and heating. That's pretty much been taken care of. Then a new roof, etc. It now looks like a different place, going from an "as is" purchase to one that I bet he could easily sell, but he is far from interested in that at this point. He's so pleased with how it has turned out! I can see why! We are both so proud of his accomplishment.

The garden has been a disappointment. The tomatoes got blight, so no real harvest from them. Yes, with heirlooms, it happens. Then the weather, the downburst that took out most of our corn and the groundhog. We had a bang-up crop of summer squash though and the potatoes still look great, so maybe....  But husband is talking of no more gardens, and his downheartedness is something that is real now, but by next spring, he will be itching to plant again! Gardening is difficult and can break a gardener's heart, especially with all the work that goes into the garden, just to see other forces take that garden and destroy it. Next year will be a new year and hopes again will surface and drive him to plant another year.

How I Beat Grocery Costs

 

Grocery prices seem to get higher every time I walk into the grocery store. What makes it even more difficult is buying for special diet needs for my husband that is medically necessary and not by choice. No noodles, rice, beans or potatoes that could nicely stretch the grocery bill, but a protein rich diet with quite a bit of meat. It makes things a little more interesting when it comes to stretching that paycheck! 

I went to the store yesterday after doing a few errands. It is quite disheartening seeing the cost of meat, especially when I can remember it so much cheaper - and not that long ago! It's hard seeing burger at the cost of what I used to pay for certain cuts of steak when it was on sale! It certainly makes for challenging shopping these days!

I hit the sales and got 3 different types of sausage, chicken, and even some prepared meatballs (never had them before, but they were 60% off on last day date on package). Even on sale, I spent $39 on meat alone. Then, because we are in a state that regulates prices on fluid dairy and select dairy items, milk ran $5.08 (just for the store brand), a block of cheese for $10 and a couple other items - all on sale, and and necessary, and I've spent $74!!! 

I never buy anything that is not on sale or unnecessary. No chips, soda or anything sweet anymore. The budget won't allow it. That's ok, as we don't need that stuff. Shoot - the only reason I got the meatballs was because a pound cost less than half the price of burger! 

I'm always watching adds for sales. I get a part of a cow from a local farmer and supplement veggies from our garden and try to have a decent amount put away for winter. That's not going to happen this year. Between the wildlife and weather, etc., there's not much to put up. It's really disheartening - especially with prices where they are. But we will make it through and hopefully next year will be a more productive season. 

This all keeps life interesting!

How Much Do I Really Need?

I had been "on the wagon" for a good bit of time when it came to not buying yarn. I love yarn but I think I became more a collector than a user. All the pretty colors and the hand-dyed ones were drop dead gorgeous. One thing I was realizing though, was that I would purchase a beautiful hand-dyed yarn online, but by the time it arrived, I was lacking the same enthusiasm that I had when I put it in my basket and hit the purchase button. What happened between the day I purchased it and the day it arrived? I really have no explanation, but that's when I decided to stop buying for awhile. I had not bought a single skein in over 2 years, but decided I would hop off the wagon and get a few solid skeins from Hobbii. With these, I could use them for anything I wanted to make. I find that the hand-dyed (although gorgeous) limited me on how they could be used.

Don't get me wrong. I think hand-dyed yarn is gorgeous, but many of the patterns I have cannot be used with them. It took me forever to realize that. The same with self-patterning commercial yarns. I see many older patterns on Ravelry that are nice but you cannot really see the patterns until they are knit in a plain color or something that is quite subtle. If you have noticed, many of those patterns have only a few projects made, and I assume it's from not being able to see the beauty of the how the pattern was designed - only the yarn patterning. If you look through the few projects, on will find that when made in solid colors or tonals, there's a difference, and the beauty of the pattern stands out.

It's funny how that all came to light while I was not buying any yarn. But the wildest thing is, it has spilled into other areas of my life as well. I look at things differently now. I'm no longer buying things, putting things away for someday or buying just because it's on sale. I don't stock up on many things now. Clothes last forever as long as I chose carefully. Gone are the days of buying cheap clothes that I bought on a whim. Same with practically everything else in my life. 

We do hit grocery sales and stock up when the price is good - but we don't overdo it. Same with other household needs. Only buy when the price is good and when we NEED it, not WANT it. 

It amazes me that by just stopping getting on item for a bit a time, that my whole perspective has changed. I has come at a good time, too, because of the economy. Prices keep continuing to go up, but not our paychecks. But what I think amazes me the most is all the stuff I don't buy any more! I look at things that I like and think, "Do I need it or do I just want it?" and almost all of the time, it doesn't come home with me. 

Yes - the Wagon was a GOOD thing!