Feeling Not So Frugal

I don’t feel that our frugal lifestyle is going ALL that great. No, we are not spending excess money on frivolous things. Nor are we buying tons of things for the vardo. We are actually doing a lot of reusing of items that were headed for the trash. However, regardless of how much we have saved on the project, we have still spent quite a bit.

I have to look at the big picture and know that while we’ve got about $1000 invested in the vardo, it really is worth nearly 35 times that since they run about $35 to $40,000! I need to remember that this investment will last us a good many years and could easily be sold if need be.

With all of these positives, why do I feel so crappy?

It scares me to have very little extra cash. We had to pay our house taxes today and that was $1,100. I took it out of savings and that leaves $0 available for emergencies. We have $550 in there but we are changed if it gets below $500. Therefore, I consider $500 as a -0- balance.

Our checking account looks equally as dismal. The only thing making our vacation possible is the $250 piece of armour that my husband will be selling when we get there (he already has a buyer) and the $175 I will receive from my “job” at war.

Once we get back home, we can tighten up our “thrift belts” and start saving again. Spring is coming up and that means that Hubbyman will be able to get side jobs quite easily. That money will go to pay off credit cards and build up our meager savings account.

Don’t get me wrong. I’m grateful that we have what we have. It makes me feel good to know that we are more fortunate than many people out there.

Home Made Bread

I discovered the joy of home made bread this weekend. Our first loaf was a failure. I think we used the wrong kind of flour (self rising) and too much salt. The second loaf, made on Saturday, was a lovely loaf of hearty potato bread. We had company that night and even though dinner was over, they all pigged out on my bread. The WHOLE loaf was gone!

I have to admit that I’m using a bread machine. Before you ask, NO, I did not buy it. I received it from a neighbor. I would try making it myself but with fibro pain, it is impossible for me to properly knead the dough.

Anyway, if you have a tried and true bread recipe, feel free to share!

Just who do you think you are?

I was writing an introductory post for a community that I belong to and I realized that I've never really told much about myself here. Therefore, I thought I would copy most of that post over here.

My name is Kali and I hail from a small town just outside of Memphis, TN. I work full time in a corporate office and feel very fortunate to leave the corporate mindset behind at 4:00 each day.

My husband and I have been together for nearly 10 years. We have a house full of furkids and love every minute of it. I’ve been on the frugal path for the majority of my adult life. I love to find ways to save even more money. I love making budgets and figuring out the cost per use on items (face it, I’m weird)! Our current goal is to pay off the $6,000 worth of credit card debt and pay off our house in less than 15 years (we have a 20 year mortgage). Ultimately we would like to build a hay bale house on 3 to 4 acres in the country where we can have horses and goats.

This year we chose to join “The Compact” but have done so with our own set of rules. We're simplifying our lives one day at a time. My personal goal is lighten the footprint left on our Mother Earth by my family. We make many of our holiday gifts and skip the silly holiday celebrations. A tour of my house would show you that we have a nicely furnished home with a lot of very cool looking things, however, you won’t find much in the way of new items because we live for thrift stores.

I currently run a thrifty community on Live Journal (LWYM) (it isn't very active) and I have this frugal blog and a simple living blog as well. When not online, I can be found working on my arts and crafts. Currently my obsession is artist trading cards (which I make using card stock that I get for free from my aunt’s work).

I hope that you will enjoy reading my blogs.

Namaste,
Kali