The Making of Plans

We still have a few weeks left of warm weather but the signs are there. Late summer is here and so is the coming of fall around here. Already some of the trees are showing their bright red fall colors, the grass is wet with dew every morning and the fall wild flowers are starting to bloom and the days are getting shorter.

It’s time to start thinking about the coming of winter around this house…

Over the next few days I will be sharing with you a few thoughts and plans I am making for our family this winter. This year will be a bit different but not a lot from any other year. As fall and winter are about to set in here so come the added expenses of winter such as heat and increased electrical and the cost of food rises.  And too the end to Dick’s summer job until the spring. What is different this year is we don’t have my income to rely on, only what our “winter jobs” will bring. Our savings for winter and our emergency saving are very low this year.

My goal like any other year is to fill the pantry and shop from that over the winter with trips to town only for fresh produce, fruit and things like milk.

This year’s earlier plans were to preserve from our own garden, that isn’t going to happen. So I will stock up on store bought canned and frozen veggies and put up any fresh that come this way from friends and neighbors. So far that isn’t happening this year, their garden’s are as sad as ours.

Our home doesn’t use many cleaning or paper goods but what we do use I will stock up on. Things like, salt, vinegar, castile soap, baking soda and a bit of ammonia and bleach for cleaning. Bathroom paper, wax paper and diapers.

Things like herbs and spices. There are a few herbs I have been drying form our garden all summer and those are doing well for us. There won’t be extra for trading this year though.

Grain and hay for the animals. While this isn’t my first choice for grain as I like to purchase it monthly so it’s fresher I will be putting what I need in the cellar to last us until spring. Our hay has been saved for us so I don’t need to worry about that.

Continue to cut back on electric use. This is a tough one for us. Over 1/2 of our monthly bill is all sorts of fees & taxes-they can not be reduced. The actual energy used here is below the average for our area. But to help I will purchase another wooden drying rack as I generally don’t use our dryer and most of the winter hanging clothes outside is a miserable job to say the least. Shoveling mountains of snow to get to the line, freezing hands….inside is easier for me. The use of lanterns and rechargeable solar lighting inside the house.

Trying to cut back on our propane use for heating this winter. Our home is very energy efficient and well weather proofed but there still are a couple of things I would like to do to help. Window coverings and winter drapes, draft stoppers across the bottom of the doors.

Working out and preparing healthy well balanced meals while cutting back on the cost of those meals. This will be a tricky one, but I have a few ideas.

So while I have been quiet lately I have been busy making plans and ready to share them with you.