The winds of Change...

There came a time in our lives when our planning just didn’t make the cut. We recently moved in with family due to Chevy Man injuring his foot. I know a lot of you will understand that when you live paycheck to paycheck there just isn’t enough money to put aside for a rainy day.

Now I am learning to pinch my pennies even harder than I did before. Chevy Man was in an accident on September 24^th with a friend and injured his foot. The first doctors told us he broke his ankle and put him into a cast and on crutches for 8 weeks, with possible surgery. I was relieved that he wasn’t hurt more than he was, but what were we gonna do for 8 weeks!?!

I called my Grandma and asked if it was alright if we stayed with her for a while. We were planning on moving to this area anyways at the end of the year so that just moved us faster and in a little less desirable situation than we would have liked. But I am so very thankful for my family. They are amazing.

I packed all of our belongings into a 10x10 storage unit. Kept our clothes and bedding out and loaded into my little 4 door Jetta and off we went to Grandma’s, 150 miles away on October 6^th. 4 days later we scheduled Chevy Man for a doctor appointment in this area. While there we learned his foot wasn’t broke, he didn’t need crutches, but he would still be out of work the total 8 weeks. A lot better news! He had in fact torn the ligaments in his ankle. This is often worse than a break but no surgery!

As of today we are 5 weeks into recovery. Chevy Man is doing well and we are all adjusting to living with my Grandparents. It has been a fun challenge. I enjoy learning and helping them every day. I currently am looking for a job and getting signed up for school. I am narrowing the prospects of schools and should come to a decision soon. I can’t wait to say I’m a college student again!

Comments

Why are you frugal?

Frugality has always been in my life. I spent my summers as a child with my grandma in a very very small town about 150 miles away from where I lived the rest of the year. My grandpa is/was a farmer, had cows, and a diesel mechanic. My grandma was a farmer’s wife. I learned how to garden, sew, cook, move pipe, change oil, and learned how to drive on a tractor. At home during the school year none of these tasks were put to use. We lived in a suburb of a city with nearly 50,000 people, we didn’t have a garden, we had a dishwasher, etc. So at the end of the school year I was ecstatic to get to go my grandma’s house! I loved being there; I loved the fruits of my labor there. I felt as though I had a purpose. Fast forward to 5 years ago. I graduated high school, moved to Phoenix, got into a heap of money issues, wanted everything in sight, forgot everything my grandma ever taught me and then I moved back to Idaho. About a year and a half later I came to the realization that something had to...

Brown Sugar Meatloaf

Really? Meatloaf? Actually this is really good! We usually have it a few times a month. Super easy too! 1/2 cup packed brown sugar 1/2 cup ketchup 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef {I use 1 pound} 3/4 cup milk 2 eggs {I only use 1 egg} 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper 1 small onion, chopped 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger 3/4 cup finely crushed saltine cracker crumbs {I usually use pretzels, I never seem to buy saltines} Directions 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a 5x9 inch loaf pan. 2. Press the brown sugar in the bottom of the prepared loaf pan and spread the ketchup over the sugar. 3. In a mixing bowl, mix thoroughly all remaining ingredients and shape into a loaf. Place on top of the ketchup. 4. Bake in preheated oven for 1 hour or until juices are clear. {source} What's for Dinner tonight in your house?

USDA National Grocery Averages

Sometimes it takes the simplest thing to change your life, for me it was one of these reports. I have come across a few of these since joining forums a few years ago. The first year I saw one we were in the moderate to liberal plan. I was just coming to the realization that if we kept living the way we were, that we would be homeless. We both had full time jobs, 2 vehicles with 2 car payments, just about the only thing we had going for us was that our apartment was pretty cheap for this area. A lady posted this report and I just about died. I have never realized that we spent that much money eating out. I went into super frugal mode. We went from eating out at least once a day, if not 2 times a day to almost homemade everything and no eating out. Looking back this was honestly one of those “turning points” in my life. So I want to share it with you too! Check out the USDA National Grocery Average Report I’m curious to see where everyone lands! Where does your family fall?

Frugal Farmhouse

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