Let's Review June

Again, I did not set any goals for myself for the month of June except to get outside as much as possible to keep the yard presentable. I tried, but I am not doing very well. I did get out, even on rainy days, to get at least one hour in. But we have had so much rain, that I am quickly falling behind. There are still areas that have not seen me at all this year. I have given up on those areas until I can get some more bodies to help. Yesterday I waited until afternoon to go out and try cutting the grass. It was still wet but I managed to do the front and back lawns up to the veggie garden, and then I ran out of gas. I will refill my gas can when I go fill up later today.

I did not get any veggies planted this year at all, but I did manage to harvest some strawberries. I used four cups to bake a double batch of freezer jam. I put 1 cup of berries in with some strawberry Jello to make a dessert one week. I used 2 cups to make Nathalie's strawberry cake, and another cup or more with whipped cream to eat with the cake. I froze a total of 10 cups (five bags of 2 cups each) to use in my baking later in the year.

 I had my brother and sister-in-law (Rick's brother) over to the house to visit. My daughter and two grandchildren came one weekend to visit. I usually have my son and his GF over for dinner on Saturday. I have gone over to my son's place for dinner once in June, and accompanied them to Kiwi Gardens to see the "Art in the Garden" tour. We went to dinner afterwards in Perth.

I made my two medical appointments. The first appointment with the eye doctor was last week and went very well. I do not NEED to change my eyeglasses, but if I decide to get a pair of computer glasses (I still haven't decided), then he will make them up according to my slightly changed prescription. My medical doctor's appointment isn't until next week.

I made cards. I mailed out 10 at the beginning of the month, then 3 for this past weekend, 12 for gifting, and 16 to sell....41 at least, unless I am forgetting some. I need to make at least 4 more this week

When it came to spending money, I had some successes and some failures. I spent $313.13  for household expenses, at least. But that isn't set in stone either because I didn't keep track religiously of every penny. I was sloppy. Groceries cost 164.06 and household expenses cost $149.07 The total for my household expenses comes from my non-food expenses at the grocery store at $74.39, my trip to Perth (admission, my succulents, and dinner out that day) at $41.90, the $15.83 cost for postage, and the $16.95 to top up my cell phone.  The phone is topped off automatically on my credit card, which I pay off with household expenses. I was able to meet all my expenses because I budgeted $160 for Hydro, but it came in at $103.84 (Yay) and I budgeted $200 for gas for the car, but I only put in $50 this month. I put $50 into my Emergency Fund and $50 into savings. I need to do better.

So I guess my goal moving forward is to find more ways of cutting down household expenses. I used to budget $25 per week per person. The cost of groceries has indeed gone up, but I need to clamp down harder on my expenses so I can put more away into savings, which is basically my gift fund. One thing I have done right (imo) is paying an equal amount every month to those bills that I only receive once every two months or once every three. That way there is no big surprise bill waiting for me in the mail. And I am basically only shopping once a month with the occasional need to pick up just a few basics like milk and eggs. Staying out of the stores is my one biggest frugal success.

So there you have it.....a month in review. I can tell this year will be quite the learning experience.

First shop in July

 I am going to write these posts out of order. First I will show you what I bought and how much I spent on Friday (which isn't even July yet, but close enough). Later on I will recap what I got accomplished and how much I spent during the month of June. I realized this morning that I still have not figured out my new grocery budget. It is a work in progress....not good.

My Friday morning began in the rain by my driving to Giant Tiger in Napanee. I wanted to take advantage of the grocery specials there. In the first picture you will see four bags of vegetables with the meat. Ignore them. I just wanted to take the photo so I could get everything in the freezer as quickly as possible. 

Meat cost me $56.00 even

 I bought two packages of my lean ground beef chubs for $10 each (that is a total of 8 pounds for $20). The bacon is not perfect, but cooked up in omelets, or on pizza, etc., who cares. It was only $1.50 a pkg.so I bought two of those. One box of boneless, skinless chicken breasts for $8, 2 boxes of Angus burgers for $8 each,  two pkgs. of beef hotdogs at $1.50 a pkg, and one pkg. of pre-cooked smoked sausages for $3 rounded up my meat purchases.

Veggies cost $15.41, including the four bags of frozen veggies pictured up top.

Pantry items cost $21.00

 Breton crackers cost only $1.50 a box, so I picked up my limit of 5. I opened the tin of red sockeye salmon right away and made salmon salad sandwiches for lunch. I will use the creamed corn to make my potato and corn chowder.

4 Liters of milk cost $4.27

This detergent only cost $1.50 per jug, which is even cheaper than I can make it.

Everything I bought at Giant Tiger, including the Canada T-shirt for $7, was sale priced except for the milk. I paid a total, with taxes, of $104.86

After returning home and taking photos and putting away the groceries, I made lunch and then proceeded to work on some more card-making. I was invited to my son's for a dinner birthday party for a friend. On the way to their house I stopped at Walmart to pick up some more specials and used some coupons.

My bill at Walmart was $47.64

I used a $5 coupon against the already low price of $32.98 for 20 kg of Pedigree (lowest price in town). I used a $2 coupon against the cost of the Pedigree DentaFlex. I bought a box of Multi Grain Cheerios to get a free box of Maple Cheerios (a Friday Freebie), and I used a coupon to get a free box of All-Bran Crunch. I bought the block of Armstrong old cheddar cheese for only $3.77 (an unadvertised special), and I paid full price for Walmart's own brand of Stevia. I had 4 coupons worth $15.95

I also dropped into Dollar Tree to pick up more art supplies and some Herbal Teas for a total of $12.39 with tax.

I thought my son was cooking a BBQ for the birthday celebration, but we had a lovely sit down dinner of salad and Penne a la Vodka with tomatoes, heavy cream and bacon. When did he get to be a great cook?? He had also baked the birthday cake from scratch.

On the way home I stopped in at No-Frills to pick up their weekend specials.

Not pictured here is a gallon of white vinegar. My total bill here was $35.76

I bought 3 bags of sugar for $1.50 each, 3 cans of frozen juice concentrate for 50 cents each, 2 jars of dry roasted  peanuts for $1.97 each, and 2 boxes of Celebration cookies for $1.50 each. The 2 liter size of Chapman's ice-cream was on sale for $1.50 each (which is a fantastic price) but I had a $4 coupon, so I picked up 6 liters of ice cream for 50 cents. I paid regular price for the oils (baking spray,olive oil and sesame oil), the white vinegar and the T.P. I also bought a ready made potato salad which I would eventually take to Amherst Island the next day, along with a carrot salad I made with the 2 lb bag of carrots, one green pepper and a Spanish onion. 

So far I have spent a total of $200.65  in one shopping day. That is nuts. However, I  have already put most of it aside for my company coming at the end of the month. I will also be doing some baking and putting that away in the freezer. My breakdown is such: food cost $143.28 and non-food items cost $57.37 (dog food, T-shirt, T.P. and laundry detergent) I have just recently started using the second half of the dog food I bought a month ago. I probably didn't need to buy another bag so quickly, but I now have a reserve and I was able to use a high end coupon with it. Because it was a holiday weekend, I was able to take advantage of a lot of sales. I am very happy with a full freezer and pantry. 

Daybook Monday: July 3/17

Outside my window.....it is a gorgeous sunny day and not too hot. The grass desperately needs cutting and trimming after days of rain.

I am thinking.....of all the fun I had this past weekend, but also the busyness of it all which prevented my getting any reading done. I have to catch up on my email and blogs.

I am thankful for.....all my wonderful friends.

From the kitchen.....I made a large carrot salad which I was able to bring to both potluck BBQs this weekend. I also made a batch of dog biscuits yesterday morning and a large pitcher of raspberry iced tea this morning.

I am wearing.....royal blue capris and a white printed T-shirt that says "Learning as a Journey". I have no idea where it came from but it is another "working shirt" as it is stained with paint and garden soil.

I am creating.....at least 4 more birthday cards this week for my own use. Before the weekend, I had 31 cards made (birthday and all-occasion) with envelopes and in gift boxes I also made. I prepared a gift pack of 12 for my friend's birthday on Canada Day, two gift packs of 8 cards each which I sold, and 3 for my own use. I attended three birthdays in the past three days.

I am going.....down for a wee nap this afternoon because I cannot keep my eyes open right now. All this partying has me tuckered out. Ha.

I am hoping.....the weather stays nice for a few days at least. There is so much yard work to do since all the rain (and the socializing) has kept me from working out in the yard.

I am hearing.....the window fan humming beside me, and the occasional road traffic.

Around the house.....my son is here doing up his laundry for the week. I did mine up yesterday morning while baking the dog's treats, and this morning while reading some blogs. It is hanging outside to dry. He dries his in the dryer to save time. It isn't ideal for me who is trying to use less electricity, but he only does it on weekends and holidays when it costs the least. I would ask him to cut the lawn for me, but he is working on his own project outside which will allow him to take all of his cactus plants home to his apartment. And THAT is more important to me.

One of my favourite things.....is my outdoor umbrella clothes line. I lo-o-ove clothes dried outdoors.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....include catching  up on reading and commenting on blogs, as well as catching up on writing more of my own. I have finally taken a look at my spending for June. I also did a major grocery shop for July and I need to post the results. I have two doctors' appointments next week, but none this week. There is no need to go anywhere, so there are no plans except to work outdoors whenever I can.

Here's the picture I am sharing.....this is the only Canada T-shirt I could find to buy this year. I knew I needed to buy a new one because I remembered the one from last year was stained. I left it too long and so by the time I visited the stores on Friday, everyone seemed to have sold out. I found this one in Giant Tiger hanging on a rack where it shouldn't have been. Lucky me!

For all you cat fanciers out there.

Wet and Chilly Tuesday

I wanted to get out in the garden at least for an hour each day. So I am guessing that if you add up all the times I tried to go out and weed yesterday, I think that cumulatively I probably spent an hour out of doors. Each time I tried, it would begin to rain again and would send me indoors. Last night we had an electrical storm move through our area and it dumped quite a bit of driving rain. This morning we again had some more rain and some very cold temperatures for the end of June. When I checked the weather, it was only 15 Celsius, feeling like 14. (57 degrees Fahrenheit)  Does that mean there was a wind chill factor? Anyway, the sun is trying to come out now at 1 PM and it is supposed to warm up to a whopping 18 degrees for a high. 
I did not make iced tea this morning because there is still some left from yesterday. I have been drinking cups of hot tea to warm up.

On Sunday, I finally left for Amerstview to pick up my prescription that I had dropped off last Monday. While there I spent another $13.26 on a few things. I wanted oatmeal to make more oatmeal cranberry muffins and some herbal tea bags to make iced tea. I chose to buy lemon and ginger tea because I like a flavoured tea cold. I also picked up another dozen eggs because they were on for only $1.99 and a package of mozzarella cheese. Next time I go to the Dollar Tree, I think I will pick up some herbal tea there.

Yesterday I packaged up 4 bags of strawberries for the freezer (2 cups each) that I had washed and hulled on Sunday afternoon.

I spent the rest of the time, when I wasn't outside pulling weeds, commenting on blogs and waiting for the rain to stop. As many of you know, I don't plan a weekly menu because it is just me to cook for,  so I have decided to just report on what I have eaten during the last week.

Monday:  pork chop, boiled potato, burgundy beans
Tuesday: chicken stir fry over Ramen noodles
Wednesday: left-over chicken stir fry over brown rice
Thursday: battered fish fillets (pollack), boiled potatoes, carrots
Friday: chicken  nuggets (in the freezer from when my grands were here), boiled potatoes,  peas
Saturday: baked chicken breasts in mushroom soup, mashed potatoes, carrots and green beans, and strawberry cake with more strawberries and whipped cream for dessert.
Sunday: the last 2 battered fish fillets, boiled potatoes, niblets corn

Here are some photos of what is in the garden this week.

Yellow flowers are common Primrose

Blue and white Campanula (peach leaved Bell Flowers)

Lavender

Pink Spirea bush

Fushia flowers grow on the Rose Campion

 Spider Wort or Widow's Tears come in shades of blue and purple

as well as white

Yellow Loosestrife

I will be adding up my grocery receipts to report how much I was over my household budget for June. 

Daybook: Monday June 26/17

Outside my window.....it is a somewhat sunny day with a few cloudy breaks after a night of rain. The temperature is comfortable, which means a little on the cool side.

I am thinking.....if I don't write this post now, it may not get written today.

I am thankful for.....living in Canada. It will be our country's 150th birthday on the first of July and preparations are being made for the weekend. Although I like traveling to other places, I love this country.

From the kitchen.....I baked a strawberry cake from Nathalie's blog here, some more oatmeal cranberry muffins from this website, and I washed and hulled more strawberries from the garden. I made the cake for my son and his GF coming for dinner on Saturday, along with more fresh strawberries and whipped cream. The cake itself is a stand alone success. It doesn't need anything else with it because it is so moist and delicious; but I had the extra berries that I didn't need for the recipe, so I decided to make it a strawberry, strawberry short cake. *laugh*. The muffins were a repeat recipe from the weekend before, because I loved them also. It requires a cup of yoghurt mixed with a cup of oatmeal, so I used my homemade yoghurt with this recipe, and the muffins come out so moist and yummy.

I am wearing.....some "working out in the garden clothes", which include denim capris and a yellow T-shirt with a picture of a loon on it.

I am creating.....some all-occasion cards for a friend. She wants to buy some from me as a gift for someone she knows from her Church. I'm not sure how many she has in mind, but you know me; I will use up whatever I don't sell. I like to keep enough cards in my stash. I have 8 birthdays in July alone that need cards made for. As well, my friends birthday is on July 1st (Canada Day), and I have been gifting her with homemade cards each year as well.

I am going.....outside for at least an hour each day to pull some weeds and/or mow some of the lawn. All the rain we have been getting is really making stuff grow.

I am hoping.....I can stay on top of things as far as the yard is concerned.

I am hearing.....car traffic and some birds, especially some very noisy seagulls. 

Around the house.....I managed to get 2 loads of  laundry washed and hung on the line to dry yesterday.

One of my favourite things.....is getting all kinds of phone calls early Sunday morning from friends and family who are checking up on me.   They get news from my blog, but it is nice to hear what they have been up to.

A few plans for the rest of the week.....include an eye examination on Wednesday,  dinner at my son's and GF's on Friday to celebrate another birthday, and Canada Day celebrations on Saturday which we always celebrate on Amherst Island, as it is also my friend's birthday. We "girls" enjoy a pot luck supper, watch the parade, partake of the strawberry social, and settle in for an evening of fireworks before we return by ferry to the mainland. Usually on the boat trip back, we can see the fireworks displays from other towns and cities along the shoreline (Kinston, Bath and Napanee) On Sunday, I will be attending a BBQ and potluck for another friend who is turning 75. It is going to be a busy end of the week.

Here's a picture I am sharing.....of some of the all-occasion cards I have been making this past week-end.

I used the "smooshing" technique on the last three cards, where I applied inks and water to a piece of acetate and "smooshed" a piece of water colour paper into the solution to make a background.

Thank you Nathalie

With Nathalie's help and informative post this morning about "How to fix your pictures..." 

 I am able to post a few more photos from my Kiwi Garden tour from the past weekend. Did I mention that I love birdhouses? Of course I have never bought one; but I really, really like them and I am always scouting for ideas for making my own. As you can see, these are not very useful as birdhouses, but still very decorative in the garden and you could still use the ideas to make a more functional one.

Who wouldn't want one of these moose heads hanging in their outdoor space?

 These are real functioning birdhouses. The door to clean them is on the bottom. This one is decorated with anything that has to do with doors and door locks. In the background you can see lots of different kinds of trellises.

These birdhouses were bolted to the top of a shovel, so they can be "planted" anywhere in the garden. Below you can see some more of those metal sculptures that I like, as well as the fish you would probably affix to a fence or exterior wall. 

I am afraid that we became so engrossed with the tour, that my son's GF forgot she was taking pictures for me, and I was so engaged that I wasn't reminding her. The next exhibit was hand blown glass bird feeders. They were exquisite, but that is the point at which we stopped taking photos and didn't think of it again until we ended the tour. It was my fault for not remembering to bring my camera. I should have put in IN my purse instead of on the table beside my water bottle. Oh well. Better some pictures than none at all. 

Kiwi Garden "Art in the Garden"

I think I have wasted enough time this afternoon trying to figure out why some of the photos are posting sideways. I cannot figure out how to move them clockwise to straighten them out for you to see. So I will only post these ones here. I love any kind of metal sculpture for the garden, especially old iron implements that are re purposed into art. I loved this turtle using a large piece of igneous rock as the body.

Loved these old saw blades, carved out and left to rust naturally. I wish I could do welding.

Sorry. I can't even tell you what these figures are crafted from. They didn't grab me like they did for my son's GF, who took lots of pictures of them.  They looked kind of neat playing in the trees, swinging or climbing up ropes.

But I am kind of traditional in that I would rather have cute animals in the garden than these figures of people.

Birdhouses are my absolute favourite. I have pictures of those, but until I can get them on here up and down. I won't bother putting them on. 

So on Monday I cut the front and back lawns again and spent about an hour outside weeding one of the front garden beds again. I picked strawberries.They aren't very big, but they are plentiful for the few plants I have.

 Yesterday I started my day by driving into Amerstview to drop off my prescription and picking up a few groceries I needed, including 2 packets of Certo and a bag of sugar. I got my 2 loaves of bread, 4 liters of milk and one dozen eggs. I picked up 2 cans of Heinz Zoodles for when the grand kids come next. They were on sale for 99 cents a tin. I spent the afternoon cleaning and hulling all of the berries above, as well as the ones I picked last week and put in the fridge. I made 2 batches of freezer jam, put some sliced berries into a strawberry gelatin dessert and froze a quart bag for later on (perhaps a strawberry-rhubarb pie??)

To be honest, I feel I didn't accomplish much today. I changed out my bedsheets, soaked some things in bleach water and did up a super load of laundry. I folded and put away one load of laundry. I picked up the trashcans from all around the house for the garbage pickup in the morning. There wasn't enough for the pickup last week. I sorted out all the Blue Box recyclables  to put out in the morning. I worked with my Cricut machine for a short while and made some comments on blogs. I did not go outside at all today. There were no big accomplishments....just a bunch of small household chores that needed doing. Some days are like that. Have a great rest of the week, everyone.
And for those of you who like to see the flowers, here are some more peonies.

 Love the colour of these bright pink ones with bright yellow centers.

But love the size and fullness of these pale pink flowers.