Lucky Robin's Personal Finance Blog

Yesterday DH and I went grocery shopping at Trader Joe's. I am hoping not to have to shop again except for milk and bananas for about 3 weeks. It is pretty hard to do with the pain and fogginess from my broken nose and what actually probably is a mild concussion. Or else just a reaction to the pain medication. Hard to say, but I feel very out of it.

I spent $162.71. We got a few packaged meals and some other things that will make it easy to fill in around the produce coming in from the garden and the meat in the freezer.

We have canned a lot this week. My husband has done a lot of it under my supervision simply because I get dizzy a lot right now. But between the two of us we have canned:

7 quarts and 1 pint of beef
6 quarts and 1 pint of rabbit
6 quarts of zucchini and summer squash
3 pint and a half jars of green beans
13 pints of rabbit bone broth
6 pints of bread and butter pickles
6 quarts of garlic dill pickles

We also made a batch of rabbit jerky with the abdominal flaps that can be very chewy and basically are only good for being ground or making jerky. Some people make bacon with it, but I feel it is too chewy for bacon.

We plan to can hamburger and more beef chunks today and more rabbit tomorrow. I need to do another batch of garlic dill pickles as the cucumbers are getting ridiculous.

I have an order in with a local place for 20 pounds of no spray green beans. We are having issues with the pole bean crop so I wanted to make sure I had enough green beans canned for the year. I think between that and what we do get from our garden it will cover it. I will be buying some carrots soon, too. We are down to 4 quarts of canned carrots. The ones I am growing are more for fresh eating and a little dehydrating as they don't get very big.

We also have an order in for dill since the stores keep running out. They don't seem to be stocking very well for pickling season this year. They do have those super expensive little plastic packets, but one of those costs about as much as a huge bunch of fresh dill.

I bought a garlic braid since my garlic crop failed. It has about 40 heads of garlic on it, which will meet my needs for the year. I have 5 or 6 left on last year's braid so am going to slice up the cloves, dehydrate them, and grind into powder.

Fortunately a lot of this stuff I can do sitting down. I do have to be careful not to push too hard, but it is difficult when there is so much to do to get ready for winter.

I heard the other day that our beef share should be ready on August 28th or thereabouts. I am getting 1/4 of a grass fed, organic beef. It will work out to $4 per pound. We will can most of the roasts and some of the hamburger. I will also be getting 10 pounds of tallow to render for soap making and lotion making. Beef fat is very good for those things and very healthy for the body, as opposed to a lot of the chemically laden soaps and lotions.

Next month the meat chickens will be ready to butcher as well, so I'll be putting 30 chickens in the freezer. We'll also have 3 rabbits ready to butcher then, too. So lots of work coming up, but it will be so worth it to not buy much meat for a year at the store. And in the long run we save a lot of money buy buying in bulk and preserving or raising our own and preserving.

We will still have to buy sea food since DH's big fishing trip fell through. I was pretty disappointed as they were going to be fishing for King salmon and one of those would have been around 35 pounds, plenty for a year. But life happens and there is nothing we can do about it now.

I lost 10% of my body weight over the past 6 months with an initial bet at dietbet of $125. My winnings for the 6 months was $289.18, netting me a profit of $164.18. Not bad for something I was doing anyway, losing weight. I more than doubled my money. And having money in the game has been the most motivation I've ever had not to screw up my diet. Losing money was not an option for me.

I also have some money in there from doing a couple of monthly dietbets as well and winning them. So there is a total of $324.04 sitting in the account. I have more than doubled my investment.

I am going to take a month off, I think, maybe two (of the dietbet, not the diet) and then do another Transformer. With the broken nose I won't be able to exercise like I have been and so I'll wait until it heals enough to resume that kind of activity before putting money down again.

I am not 100% sure what I will do with the money, but I am leaning towards putting it towards a barrel chicken plucker for the farm.

$3247.54 Starting Balance
+_225.00 Monthly Deposit
---------------
$3472.54 New Balance

$527.46 to go to hit my goal of $4000.

I should be able to hit this goal by the end of September or the first week of October. Then I will use the weekly and monthly deposits and the coin jar and farm sales money for my Christmas Fund. Christmas is going to be pretty low-key again, like last year, so we should easily be able to have enough money for that by the end of the year.

The other big milestone for me, is that we have hit over $50K in savings. Between the Emergency Fund, the Farm Down Payment Fund, and the other smaller, short-term funds, we have gone over $50K in the bank for the first time. I am not counting the money we owe the contractor as I consider that his money that we are holding. We have never had that much money in the bank before. It's really nice. I know it will drop down in January when we need to use the JMF, but it won't take too long to get it there again after that. We should have it there by April.

$3237.54 Staring Balance
+__10.00 Weekly Deposit
------------------------
$3247.54 New Balance

$752.46 to go to hit my goal of $4000.

Aw, life...you give me only one day off after getting over the stomach flu. I wouldn't call this a Murphy event, this was just a stupid freak thing, but I managed to drop a box fan on my face. I was sorting through a box of stuff under the window and I must have moved the box in such a way as to pull the cord on the box fan. The edge of it came down and hit me in the bridge of the nose sending my glasses flying across the room.

Well, the doctor had a cancellation and I was able to get in and it is definitely broken, but as far as breaks go it was real even and didn't need to be set and there isn't really anything to be done at this point. It just hurts a lot, and I'm to use 800 mg Ibuprofen and ice (which I had already done) and call if the pain gets worse and then they will give me something stronger.

My eyes are blood shot from it breaking some blood vessels and I am starting to get black eyes, but I put ice on right away so hopefully they won't be too bad. The swelling is affecting my breathing though, just a little, I can still breathe, but it is definitely not at full capacity, and I am not sure if I will be able to use my c-pap mask since it is the kind that goes up my nose.

And I had to go get my glasses fixed because they got bent out of shape. And she loosened the nose pads for me because of the swelling. She said to come back when the swelling went down. Of course the break is right where the glasses sit, plus there is a cut there, too, so I have to pull my glasses down my nose a bit to use them.

Hopefully this won't end up being too expensive. If I re-deviated my septum and have to go through sinus surgery again, I will be the unhappiest of campers.

At least the stomach flu is over though. I can't imagine doing the kind of throwing up where it comes out your nose right now. That's fun enough when the nose isn't broken.

Other than hurting, I actually have a pretty good attitude about it. It could be worse. I could have given myself a concussion while I was at it. And I have a ton of ice packs for my knee, so I will be able to keep ice on my nose as much as I need to, which really works far better than the ibuprofen at this point.

At least DH is home and DD is well. Since DS had ingrown toenail surgery on both big toes today and can't do anything, at least I will have help with farm chores.

It is a weird feeling to have paid almost all of the bills for the month of August out of the July 31st paycheck. I only have 2 payments left to make, one mid-month that is reoccurring and then the monthly payoff of DH's travel credit card towards the end of the month. I will also be putting an additional $225 in the JMF, but that's not a bill, that's savings.

I seem not to blog too much when things are going smoothly and this is the sort of thing that feels very smooth indeed. Saving up for things does not seem to have the same urgency that paying stuff off has. We are not striving to pay off a mortgage anymore. We are not striving to pay off huge amounts of credit card or medical debt. We are not striving to pay off a car loan. It's almost a bit of a let down feeling.

Maybe it is because we spent so much of the last 15 years paying down debt. Maybe it is feeling like there is a lack of focus since the consumer debt is gone. I mean, I don't want it back, at all. But it was almost like there was always an over-riding uber purpose to our financial life. This is totally a first world problem, I know.

I know that when I don't blog, there is much more of a tendency to fritter money away. I'm not sure quite where that balance is yet. I wish I could get more excited about savings. It just seems like it is going to take a long time to get where we are going and most of what we save is now so automatic. I pay savings like I pay any other bill.

Maybe it is because there are no big ups and downs anymore. I mean, I do stress when unexpected stuff comes up, but we are able to handle it now, and without touching the Emergency Fund.

Am I even making sense? Has anyone else gone through this sort of loose ends thing after they've paid off their consumer debt? Maybe it is just me. Maybe I am so wired now to pay off debt, I really just don't know what to do now. On paper I feel like we are doing all the right things, but in my head, it still feels like we should be working against something massive, something with urgency. I have to wonder if I will ever get used to not having that anymore.

I should just count my blessings. The last two weeks have shown me that life can change at the drop of a hat and at least we don't have out of state hospital costs and funeral costs to be paying.

We will be having some medical expenses coming up, though, that I will have to work through, 2 more pairs of glasses, in-grown toenail surgery, some dental work, all for the kids. All of that will probably be about $1000 out of pocket. We've maxed our HSA for the year already. But we won't have spent enough to do more than take the standard deduction. Honestly, I think we ought to be able to deduct as much medical as we pay out, but I very much doubt that will ever happen. Oh, well. At least at this point in time, we can afford it.

$31,000.00 Starting Balance
+__,500.00 Deposit
---------------
$31,500.00 New Balance

I'm not really sure what my goal is on this one. Most farms with 5 acres are $350,000, so $70K would be 20%, but I think I'd like to have a bigger chunk than that. I enjoy life without a mortgage and I don't want to have a huge one when we do buy. I guess for now, though $70K can be what I am aiming for with $35K being the first big milestone, since it is the halfway point.

$3053.63 Starting Total
+__31.33 C1-360 Interest
----------------
$3084.96 Subtotal
+__57.75 Farm sales
-----------------
$3142.71 Subtotal
+__16.25 Coin Jar
-----------------
$3158.96 Subtotal
+__21.10 ACOP Survey Check
------------------
$3180.06 Subtotal
+__57.48 Farmer's Co-op Stock Disbursement Check
------------------
$3237.54 New Balance

$762.46 left to hit my goal of $4000.

The farmer's co-op merged with another company and the paperwork that came with the check is hard to figure out what they did exactly. I don't know if this was a difference in the old stock price verses the new stock price or if we no longer have any stake in the co-op at all. Very unclear. We only had one share, but that share got us discounted prices on feed and farm supplies. DH is going to call and find out. The dividends were generally only around $30 a year when we weren't buying propane, but it was always a nice little thing when it showed up.

$3053.63 Starting Balance
+__10.00 Weekly Deposit
--------------------
$3063.63 Ending Balance

$936.37 to go.

My cousin's daughter died today. She was not much older than my daughter. I can't stop crying. Her life was just starting. I wish I could stop thinking about it. They are so far away from most of the family. I know she is with the Lord now and that helps my head, but it doesn't do much for my heart right now.

$2952.13 Starting Balance
+__10.00 Weekly Deposit
+__91.50 Coin Jar and Egg Money
--------------------
$3053.63 New Balance

Less than $1000 to go. Feels good to finally hit the $3000 mark. $946.37 to come up with before the end of the year.

Things are going well in the food preserving department. I am canning green beans and dehydrating many herbs daily. I have several prepared for making teas, some in oil infusions, and some just dried and ready for making medicines.

The tomatoes are filling up with green fruit. I am anxious to see it turn red or yellow. The peppers are putting on good fruit as well. I hope when it is all ripe we will be able to provide all our tomato needs for the year, between diced, sauces, and salsas.

Even more zucchini is coming on, as are cucumbers, and summer squash. In another day or two I will have enough cucumbers to make a batch of bread and butter pickles for DH. I don't care for them, but I have enough dills on the shelves to make a few jars of what he likes for him.

I don't think I'm going to can corn again this year. I think I will cut it off the cob and either freeze or dehydrate it. Maybe both. Neither of the kids seem to like the home canned corn. It's okay, but not as good as TJ's canned corn. I may end up just feeding it to the birds.

I am looking forward to when the winter squash start to bloom as well. I love watching how fast they grow. Actually the watermelon has been growing at that rate. I can't believe we will actually have watermelon this year.

I still want to purchase a side of beef this fall. Just don't know how practical that will be. We'll see in a couple of months.

$2907.63 Starting Balance
+__34.50 Coin Jar and Egg Money
+__10.00 Weekly Deposit
----------------------
$2952.13 Ending Balance

$1047.87 to go to hit my goal of $4K.

It's a slow build, but I am getting there. I still haven't gotten new tires, even though I have the money in the tire fund. We were going to get them last week while DH was home and then he was only home for one week instead of two and it just didn't happen.

I am not driving much, though, with school out, just to the grocery store or the library, PT and the chiropractor. I am maybe driving 10 miles a week right now. And it's not like the tires are bald or anything, just getting to the needing to be replaced point.

My green beans are getting ripe. I harvested a couple quarts this morning. I've picked 5 zucchini this week, only one of which was a monster, and two large bunches of radishes. My biggest watermelon is now bigger than a tennis ball. Yesterday it was about half that size so you have an idea of how fast it is growing. The snap peas are winding down but I am still getting a handful every other day or so. Lettuce, chard, and kale are still going crazy.

I am harvesting and drying sage, yarrow, dandelion leaves, dandelion roots, basil, calendula, thyme, lemon balm, and marjoram. I bought the book (well, with a gift card I got for Christmas) Medicinal Herbs: A Beginner's Guide and I am really learning a lot so far. It took me forever to find any herb books. There were 14 different books on growing pot in the local B&N (cause it's legal here, though I recall seeing a few in the garden section a few years ago before it was) and only 3 on herbs and one was on cooking with them and the other was far too technical for where I'm at. I am saving herbs for culinary and medical uses, some for medical use in the rabbits, like blackberry and raspberry leaves, dandelion, and comfrey.

In reading this book and seeing these remedies I am kind of starting to understand why that little old lady who lived in the woods in the 1700's and had all these healing things at her fingertips might have been considered magical or even a witch. Traditional medicine was nowhere near "there" yet at the time. It must have seemed like something very "other" to those without the knowledge of how to use it.

I'll just be happy if I can do something to clear up some of my colds, allergies, and skin issues, because traditional doesn't work for me. I still need to learn more about essential oils as well and maybe even learn how to make them myself from herbs, though that is a long way down the road as I don't have the space to grow that amount of herbs here.

CCF (I think) had asked what I am doing with essential oils and the only thing I have done so far is to make flu bombs, 5 drops of melalucca oil, 5 drops of oregano oil, 3 drops of lemon oil, and 3 drops of On Guard in a size 00 capsule taken at the onset of flu symptoms or colds, 3 x per day with meals (otherwise you will burp it up all day long) for 48 to 72 hours. It does shorten the duration. It doesn't prevent them, unfortunately, but shorter is better.

Anyway, that's a bit of what I've been up to. I've been making vlogs almost daily on my youtube channel, but not blogging as much as I should be, either here or on the farm blog. There is just so much to do it is easier to just talk into a camera for a few minutes a day than to find the time to sit down and write. But I miss it so I'll try to find the time to sit down and write a little more often.

$2897.63 Starting Balance
+__10.00 Weekly Deposit from 7/9
--------------
$2907.63 Ending Balance

$1092.37 to go to hit my goal of $4K.

I have been saving up my Swagbucks for a while and finally had enough Amazon gift cards to pay for about half of the deluxe model of Excalibur Dehydrator, the one with both temperature settings and a 26 hour timer with automatic shut off. I was trying to go for the whole thing to be free, but then my piece of junk dehydrator quit working. I am in the middle of herb drying season and while I can borrow my mother's cheap piece of junk dehydrator, and did, to keep limping along, it was the push I needed to just go ahead and make the purchase.

I had $121.75 in gift cards and it cost $225. I also had to purchase the fruit leather trays because they don't come with any model of the machine. Well, maybe the $500 professional one, but no. I ended up paying a total of $156.63. Part of that was tax of $20.76 and then the trays were $32.62 (for 9) and the rest was the part of the dehydrator not covered by the gift cards.

With the fruit leather trays I can dehydrate tomato puree, mashed squash, even chicken stock all to be ground to make powders. Dehydrated chicken stock put through a spice grinder makes boullion powder without any of those nasty chemicals from store bought versions. As well as very tiny herb leaves like thyme or flower petals like calendula without having to worry about them falling through trays.

Right now I have 5 trays of basil dehydrating which will be followed tomorrow by more calendula, lemon balm, and yarrow. I am hoping that I won't have to buy many herbs this year at all and I will be able to make salves and other herbal remedies. I'm already on my way with the calendula:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Nf1XLNCzj0

I did dry all of my oregano in bundles up on the wall and not in the dehydrator. If you'd like to see how I process that I did a video of it, too.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A4hUBym8C2c

Herbs are so expensive for such a tiny amount, especially if you want organic. I will really be saving a lot of money this year by growing so many myself.

I'm really getting into herbal healing, doing a lot of research and trying to figure out what works best for my needs. Heaven knows the store bought remedies are not working well for me. While I don't think herbs are going to be a miracle cure, so far from what I've done myself with essential oils, they do seem to work. I will approach it with healthy skepticism until I have first hand experience with all of it.

I went to Joe's Garden and bought some broccoli and cauliflower and green onion plugs and got those planted today to replace all the ones I've harvested. I also bought some more basil plants. I spent $25.38 there.

I haven't been updating much on the garden output as I've just been trying to keep up with it and getting it eaten and/or preserved. But I've been keeping a tally and so far I've harvested enough food to equal $602.50 if I bought the same thing in the organic section of the grocery store.

And the zucchini, summer squash, peppers, beans, corn and tomatoes are just starting to fruit and we still have potatoes and winter squash, cucumbers, watermelon, sunflower seeds, and cantaloupe to come. We have now paid back the amount we spent on building the raised beds and the money we spent on bringing in three cubic yards of good organic soil. I am beyond thrilled at this garden year.

We had two litters of rabbit kits born this weekend. There were five whites born on the 3rd and 7 reds born on the 4th. The red runt died, though. It had no sucking reflex and couldn't nurse. But we still have 11 healthy kits. One of the rabbits didn't deliver though. Sometimes when it is too hot the bucks will go temporarily sterile. This is the second time this has happened this year, though it was a different doe each time. I am glad I am breeding 3 pairs at a time.

I've got orders for fertile turkey eggs. The first one will be filled tomorrow. It's just two. Then I have an order for 12, then 2, then 12 again. It's only 50 cents an egg. I could charge more, these are heritage breed turkeys and rare, but I am in it more for breed preservation than for making money. It's nice having a waiting list. I just wish I had more than one female so I could fill orders faster, but we don't have the space for it so that will have to wait until we buy our farm and move.

$2725.91 Old Balance
+__10.00 Weekly Deposit
--------------------
$2735.91 Subtotal
+_100.00 Monthly Deposit
---------------------
$2835.91 Subtotal
+__29.85 C1-360 Interest
+__37.71 WECU Interest
+____.16 WE Interest
----------------------
$2897.63 New Balance

$1102.37 to go to hit my goal of $4K.

I am not sure what is going on with the blogs, but I can't get to my blog. When I click on the link it just takes me back to the home page. Or takes me to a page not found screen. If I try to click on anyone's blog it actually does that. It did let me open this posting page so hopefully it works and someone will see this. Am I the only one this one is happening to?

I did really well on this. I spent maybe $75 on groceries for the entire month of June. I saved $750 from eating from the pantry, freezer, and garden and not going out to eat at all. I only went into the grocery stores to buy milk and a little bit of vegetables. I stopped by a fruit stand for cherries a couple of times. In season WA state cherries are something I seemingly can't resist.

I did videos of the meals if anyone wants to see them. If you go to the actual entry they are hyperlinked and you can just click through. They don't seem to be hyperlinked otherwise.

Week 3:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t5v1V_ExMTk

Week 4:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yEkj54qsp2U

And if you are curious to see how I did my meal planning under these circumstances, I did a video on that as well. I really learned a lot about myself and my habits from this challenge. I was also surprised at just how much more variety I had in my meals than usual when I buy groceries more often. I had thought it would go the other way, but it didn't.

Pantry Meal Planning:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1LdgFPZ4aQM

$600.00 Old Balance
+400.00 Deposit
-------------------
1000.00 New Balance

$750 came from the grocery and eating out budget that I saved from doing the Eat from the Pantry Challenge for 4 weeks.

$2715.91 Old Balance
+__10.00 Weekly Deposit (6/25)
------------------
$2725.91 New Balance

$1274.09 to go to hit 4K.

$2705.91 Beginning Balance
+__10.00 Weekly Deposit
-----------------
$2715.91 New Balance

$1284.09 to go to hit my goal of $4000.

This has gone much better than expected. I did give in any buy fresh local WA state cherries and the husband got his jar of bread and butter pickle chips and the yogurt he likes. He doesn't like what is on hand that the kids eat. Otherwise no spending on groceries this week.

I am starting to see space in my freezer again and that is good. I will need that room and any more I can make when we purchase a half a beef later this year and for when we butcher our 30 meat chickens in 10 more weeks. Not to mention the 8 rabbits we are doing this week, though I may debone and can it instead of freezing it. I like having it canned, but I don't like picking out the bones when I open the jar.

Anyway I posted this week's meal plan. I deviated somewhat from my last meal plan, but not from the pantry challenge really, other than to get those cherries.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8duz3Dlkoc

Monday:
BBQ Chicken Legs
Broccoli/cauliflower
Cherries
Home canned corn
Chocolate

Tuesday:
Grilled ham and cheese sandwiches
Chili for boys
Chicken noodle soup for the girls
Strawberries
Kohlrabi

Wednesday:
Brined pork chops
Fried potatoes
Home canned Applesauce
Broccoli/cauliflower

Thursday:
Sloppy Hoppies on homemade buns
Sweet potato fries
Blueberries
Salad

Friday:
Meatloaf
Fried potatoes
Green beans
Snow peas

Saturday:
Homemade pizza with ham, sausage, pepperoni, bell pepper strips, onion strips, basil
Salad

Sunday:
Tacos
Strawberries

$2663.91 Old Balance
+__10.00 Weekly Deposit
+___9.00 Egg Money
+__23.00 Coin Jar Money
-------------------
$2705.91 New Balance

$1294.09 to go to hit my goal of $4000.

$400.00 Old Balance
+200.00 Deposit
---------------
$600.00 New Balance

$400.00 to go to hit my goal of $1000.

I feel like I am starting to settle into a routine now between the garden and the farm chores and making all of my meals from what is available here and not by making a quick run to the store or getting take out. As the garden moves into heavier production more time needs to be spent there.

I have harvested a pound of snow peas from the garden this week, 2 bunches of kale, 1 head of lettuce, 2 bunches of green onions, and 3 kohlrabi. My broccoli is getting close to harvest size, which astounds me. It is all so early, but with this weather, I can't blame it.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jzII-hvqugA

I am enjoying the cooking this week more than I have in a long while. I don't know if it is just access to super fresh ingredients from the garden or knowing it is all food I grew and/or preserved myself, but it feels different. I haven't felt any resentment over cooking like I sometimes do. I mean I love cooking, but I am often irritated when it all falls on me. This last week I don't seem to care about that. It's like an attitude has shifted. Of course the children are helping far more than they ever have before so maybe that is why?

Some things were quite challenging since the hot water tank that feeds the main kitchen went out and had to be replaced. We couldn't use the dishwasher and every pot and pan that we cooked in had to be hauled down to the half-kitchen that had hot water. That went on for 5 days, but we got a new tank put in and had hot water again last night.

As promised here is the video of my meals for the first week of the challenge:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEWnzVbQ7UA

I am looking forward to the rest of this challenge. It is good to be feeling so positive about it.

I forgot to add in the $10 weekly deposit on Thursday to the JMF.

$2653.91 Old Balance
+__10.00 Deposit
---------------
$2663.91 New Balance

$1336.09 to go to hit my goal of $4000.

So far the Eat from the Pantry/Freezer/Garden Challenge is going very well here. The garden is really getting going so I am very happy with it. Tomorrow will be my seventh day on it, so after dinner I will post a video with all 7 meals so you can see what I've been doing if you want.

I had to shift some things based on what I had already and the kids wanting pizza, but for the most part I stuck to last week's meal plan. This week's will be:

Monday:
Southern Fried Rabbit (this got shifted)
Fried potatoes
Cole slaw
Grapes

Tuesday:
Lamb chops (for me and the kids)
Pulled pork (for DH)
Broccoli
Canned pineapple

Wednesday:
Rabbit enchiladas
Mexican rice
Salad
Canned nectarines

Thursday:
Spaghetti and Meatballs
Garlic bread
Snow peas

Friday:
Brined pork chops
Fried potatoes
Green beans
Applesauce

Saturday:
Homemade pizza (pepperoni, ham, bell peppers and onions)
Cole slaw

Sunday:
Rabbit bacon cheeseburgers
French fries
Salad
Strawberries (frozen if not enough are ripe yet)

Today is payday so I distributed money to 3 different funds today.

Down Payment Fund

$30,500.00 Beginning Balance
+__,500.00 Deposit
--------------
$31,000.00 Ending Balance

$49K to go to hit my goal.

Tire Fund

$200.00 Beginning Balance
+200.00 Deposit
-----------------
$400.00 Ending Balance

$600 to go to hit my goal of $1000.

January Money Fund

$2523.91 Beginning Balance
+_100.00 Deposit
--------------------
$2653.91 Ending Balance

$1346.09 to go to hit my goal of $4000.

I sent $225 to the January Money Fund today.

$2298.61 Starting Total
+_225.00 Amount Added
-------------
$2523.61 New JM Fund Total

$1476.39 to go to my $4000 goal.

I also sent $200 to start the Tire Fund Today. The goal for that is $1000.

So DH texted me and they found a bed for the extra four nights so we won't have to worry about the four days he had to take off to be home for DD's graduation. I won't have to touch the college fund, the January Money Fund, or the Emergency Fund. So now I can focus on building the JMF and the Tire Fund with no stress hanging over my head. Or at least no more stress than usual. Which is quite a relief.

I sold 2 dozen duck eggs this morning for $9. I gave her a discount since she brought me a dozen egg cartons.

We had one litter of kits born today. Ruby had 5 reds. We are still waiting on Serenity and Phoebe to have their litters. They were due on Sunday, so they are overdue now. Phoebe has pulled fur, but other than building a very nice nest, Serenity shows no signs of being in labor. Hopefully I will come out to more kits in the morning.

As I said in my meal planning post I am going to try to go the whole month eating only from the Pantry/Freezers/Garden. I did go and buy flour and sugar today. I will only buy milk, but I will go u-pick some strawberries to make jam as I won't miss out on making jam for the year when the local berries are in season. I do have a jar of pectin so I won't need to buy that for making jam.

I picked my first snow peas today. I am so happy to have them. We will have them in this week's stir-fry dinner. It is only one serving's worth, so if we put it in the stir-fry we'll all get to have some. We should have a ton more in a couple days and then we can each have a serving of them.

$2258.43 Beginning January Money Fund Total
+__10.00 Weekly Savings Deposit
+__30.18 C1-360 Interest
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$2298.61 New January Money Fund Total