Well, I'm still plugging along slowly. I didn't post for Won't Wait Wednesday yesterday because I fell asleep. Woke up about 4 am and turned the computer off, then went back to sleep.
It was payday yesterday but all my money (and then some) is already earmarked for bills, etc. I did go grocery shopping but I made sure I ate dinner first! I spent just over $106 on food for the week, $20 on gas and about $23 on my prescriptions. Again, that $23 wasn't in the original budget for this pay period. Yet another thing to mess with my house of cards.
Today, I took money from my main account and moved it to my other credit union account and my old bank account for various things that are coming out, as well as lent Hubby $20 for a day. I'm supposed to get it back (along with another $80 he needed previously) tomorrow afternoon.
I won't be able to do too much more until after the 7th when I'll have another $400 to play with. And I do hope Green Shield hurries up with that cheque for $127 for the dental. I'll be paying a couple of bills with that.
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label food. Show all posts
Friday, October 30, 2009
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
It's Been a Busy Week
Today was my fave kind of Wednesday: Payday!
It's been a really busy week. Last weekend was the 2 holiday days that finish off Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. Simchat Torah is when we rejoice with the Torah. We finish the cycle of the year's reading with the end of Devarim [Deuteronomy] and begin again with Bereshit [Genesis]. At Simchat Torah there's singing & dancing with the Torah, a lot of l'chaims [toasts] and it's always fun. Dear Child had a great time dancing with 2 of her school friends. They were all over the place, dancing in a circle or a line with hands on each other's shoulders, on both the men's and women's sides. She also went outside with her Abba when they took the Torah out and danced it around the major intersection just outside the shul doors.
Sunday night, as soon as the holiday was over, we took down the sukkah (in the dark) and loaded it into the van. We got everything together and headed out for our rural home. It was late when we got there and it was pretty cold because we keep the thermostat at 10 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) when we're not at the house. We cranked it up and got to bed pretty late but DC and I were still up by 8:30 am Monday morning.
We did a lot in one day. I weeded all over, pruned my lavender, did laundry, shrinkwrapped DC's and the spare bedroom windows and put together one of two IKEA bookshelves. Hubby did the lawn, watered and took out 2 dead cedars. We loaded everything up and drove home again, arriving just before midnight. It was one busy day.
Anyway, back to today. Did I manage to accomplish as much today financially as I did physically on Monday? Well, not exactly. I did a lot of food-related things though.
First of all, I somehow didn't get the form for hot lunch. It was due this morning so I had to go into the school office and fill out the form and pay for it. After school Dear Child and I went grocery shopping. We got pretty much enough food for meals for everyday for 10 days or more and half a salmon, which is 2 Shabbos meals (but I don't usually use it even 2 weeks in a row, let alone serve it twice on the same Shabbos). So, I have at least one more Shabbos meal to figure out before Friday afternoon but that's not too bad.
We got breakfast cereal and oatmeal, snacks for DC's lunch for over a week and some paper goods. Actually, I spent $10 on facial tissue. Does that sound like a lot of money, just so we can blow our noses? At Safeway one box usually costs about $4. Now, that's a lot. Today, they had bundles of 6 for $9.97. That's only $1.66 each. But it gets better. The bundles were Buy One, Get One Free. I ended up with 12, count 'em, twelve boxes for only $0.83 each! All in all, I spent about $200 on food and household products but that included a couple of pricy items, like a big jar of decaf coffee, that will last much longer than 2 weeks.
On the way home I put $40 worth of gas into the car, which was almost empty. It didn't fill it totally but it's now over 3/4 full. I still have a couple of bills to pay over the next day or so but it's good to know that I won't be running out of food or gas anytime soon.
It's been a really busy week. Last weekend was the 2 holiday days that finish off Sukkot, Shemini Atzeret and Simchat Torah. Simchat Torah is when we rejoice with the Torah. We finish the cycle of the year's reading with the end of Devarim [Deuteronomy] and begin again with Bereshit [Genesis]. At Simchat Torah there's singing & dancing with the Torah, a lot of l'chaims [toasts] and it's always fun. Dear Child had a great time dancing with 2 of her school friends. They were all over the place, dancing in a circle or a line with hands on each other's shoulders, on both the men's and women's sides. She also went outside with her Abba when they took the Torah out and danced it around the major intersection just outside the shul doors.
Sunday night, as soon as the holiday was over, we took down the sukkah (in the dark) and loaded it into the van. We got everything together and headed out for our rural home. It was late when we got there and it was pretty cold because we keep the thermostat at 10 degrees Celsius (50 Fahrenheit) when we're not at the house. We cranked it up and got to bed pretty late but DC and I were still up by 8:30 am Monday morning.
We did a lot in one day. I weeded all over, pruned my lavender, did laundry, shrinkwrapped DC's and the spare bedroom windows and put together one of two IKEA bookshelves. Hubby did the lawn, watered and took out 2 dead cedars. We loaded everything up and drove home again, arriving just before midnight. It was one busy day.
Anyway, back to today. Did I manage to accomplish as much today financially as I did physically on Monday? Well, not exactly. I did a lot of food-related things though.
First of all, I somehow didn't get the form for hot lunch. It was due this morning so I had to go into the school office and fill out the form and pay for it. After school Dear Child and I went grocery shopping. We got pretty much enough food for meals for everyday for 10 days or more and half a salmon, which is 2 Shabbos meals (but I don't usually use it even 2 weeks in a row, let alone serve it twice on the same Shabbos). So, I have at least one more Shabbos meal to figure out before Friday afternoon but that's not too bad.
We got breakfast cereal and oatmeal, snacks for DC's lunch for over a week and some paper goods. Actually, I spent $10 on facial tissue. Does that sound like a lot of money, just so we can blow our noses? At Safeway one box usually costs about $4. Now, that's a lot. Today, they had bundles of 6 for $9.97. That's only $1.66 each. But it gets better. The bundles were Buy One, Get One Free. I ended up with 12, count 'em, twelve boxes for only $0.83 each! All in all, I spent about $200 on food and household products but that included a couple of pricy items, like a big jar of decaf coffee, that will last much longer than 2 weeks.
On the way home I put $40 worth of gas into the car, which was almost empty. It didn't fill it totally but it's now over 3/4 full. I still have a couple of bills to pay over the next day or so but it's good to know that I won't be running out of food or gas anytime soon.
Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Racing to the Next Holiday
Yom Kippur is over and Sukkot is on the way! Okay, a fast day isn't generally very expensive but Rosh Hashana was and Sukkot will be too.
At least we have our very own top quality 8 x 10 foot sukkah. It cost us about $800 three years ago and should last us for at least 20 years. We've had at least 4 or 5 sukkahs over the years and none has lasted more than 5 years (some less, or had to have major parts replaced within a year or 2). This is the first nylon body on a metal frame kind though. The others have been wood based with plywood, 2 x 4s, lattice, clear tarps, etc. I'm sure I've spent more than $800 total on all the previous incarnations.
So we have the sukkah (and it comes with a bamboo mat skach or roof covering). We do need to buy longer 2 x 4s this year to go across the top. The ones we bought in the Okanagan a couple of years ago were just a few inches too short to fit in the holders that go on top and we've had to lay them creatively (on the diagonal, etc.) in order for them to hold the skach up but we've also had them crash down in a wind or while unrolling the skach and have a couple of serious chunks out of our big table as a result. At least we didn't have chunks out of anybody's head! This year we'll get 10' ones to lay across the 8' sides, so they'll extend nicely.
What else do we need? More wine! I still have some of the wine I bought before Rosh Hashana, but I think we need a couple more bottles. And food. We want to have another family dinner, since we're staying in town this year, and that means feeding 14 people again. Even if I go for veggie lasagne, it'll probably cost at least $30. It's a lot cheaper than brisket though! And at least a bottle of Crown Royal. Plus there are 4 holiday days (8 meals), not just one big family one. I have to have what to serve for those other meals too. Plus the everyday food needs to be warm, stick to your ribs type stuff as the weather is getting colder and we only eat in the sukkah (yes, even when it rains!).
If the weather is decent tomorrow, we'll try to put the sukkah up except for the skach. I don't know though; it rained today. It has to be fully up by Friday at the latest because the holiday starts Friday at sundown. Oh yes, and we need a table too as our usual one is sitting in my dining room in the Okanagan! My Eldest Daughter said there was one at her work we could probably borrow. We have to check that out. And chairs. Damn, I should have brought the folding chairs when I brought the sukkah. Again, we have 6 of them at the other house! And the electric heater is there too along with the outdoor timer. Sigh. I brought the little LED light string though...
I've ordered our Lulav and Etrog and it will be in sometime this week. I don't know what else I need, but I'm sure I've forgotten some other things!
It's late and I have to get up early to get people to work and school, so I'm just going to go. If you don't know what a sukkah is or about the holiday of Sukkot, check the labels for all the previous posts about Sukkot. I know I had links there. I'm just too brain-dead post fast to look them all up again right now and I really should be trying to get to sleep.
At least we have our very own top quality 8 x 10 foot sukkah. It cost us about $800 three years ago and should last us for at least 20 years. We've had at least 4 or 5 sukkahs over the years and none has lasted more than 5 years (some less, or had to have major parts replaced within a year or 2). This is the first nylon body on a metal frame kind though. The others have been wood based with plywood, 2 x 4s, lattice, clear tarps, etc. I'm sure I've spent more than $800 total on all the previous incarnations.
So we have the sukkah (and it comes with a bamboo mat skach or roof covering). We do need to buy longer 2 x 4s this year to go across the top. The ones we bought in the Okanagan a couple of years ago were just a few inches too short to fit in the holders that go on top and we've had to lay them creatively (on the diagonal, etc.) in order for them to hold the skach up but we've also had them crash down in a wind or while unrolling the skach and have a couple of serious chunks out of our big table as a result. At least we didn't have chunks out of anybody's head! This year we'll get 10' ones to lay across the 8' sides, so they'll extend nicely.
What else do we need? More wine! I still have some of the wine I bought before Rosh Hashana, but I think we need a couple more bottles. And food. We want to have another family dinner, since we're staying in town this year, and that means feeding 14 people again. Even if I go for veggie lasagne, it'll probably cost at least $30. It's a lot cheaper than brisket though! And at least a bottle of Crown Royal. Plus there are 4 holiday days (8 meals), not just one big family one. I have to have what to serve for those other meals too. Plus the everyday food needs to be warm, stick to your ribs type stuff as the weather is getting colder and we only eat in the sukkah (yes, even when it rains!).
If the weather is decent tomorrow, we'll try to put the sukkah up except for the skach. I don't know though; it rained today. It has to be fully up by Friday at the latest because the holiday starts Friday at sundown. Oh yes, and we need a table too as our usual one is sitting in my dining room in the Okanagan! My Eldest Daughter said there was one at her work we could probably borrow. We have to check that out. And chairs. Damn, I should have brought the folding chairs when I brought the sukkah. Again, we have 6 of them at the other house! And the electric heater is there too along with the outdoor timer. Sigh. I brought the little LED light string though...
I've ordered our Lulav and Etrog and it will be in sometime this week. I don't know what else I need, but I'm sure I've forgotten some other things!
It's late and I have to get up early to get people to work and school, so I'm just going to go. If you don't know what a sukkah is or about the holiday of Sukkot, check the labels for all the previous posts about Sukkot. I know I had links there. I'm just too brain-dead post fast to look them all up again right now and I really should be trying to get to sleep.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
The Black Hole aka The Car
I am fed up to the teeth with cars and car repairs. Hubby took the car in to have the bushings done and ended up going to a different place than at first (one that had been recommended though) and there's both good news and bad news.
The good news is that this place will do the bushings and tie rod for less than we were first quoted. Much less, like half the original quote. The bad news is that the bushing repair is the least of our worries. This place actually *looked* at the car obviously (unlike every other place we've been to for the past year it appears), because they figured out what's wrong with it and told us why it's been going through rear tires at a rapid pace.
The. Back. Axle. Is. Bent.
Yes, bent. They asked if we'd been in an accident. Uh, no. They showed Hubby the damage and he says it's pretty clear. Too bad we don't know what caused it. The only thing I can think of is the time last winter when we bottomed out badly in the alley about a block from our house during that bad snow. It took me several hours to dig the car out because it was actually wedged onto that icy snow so badly that the wheels weren't quite touching the ground (like by a fraction of an inch). Maybe we bent the axle when we bottomed out?
Regardless, now we know what the problem is and the solution is clear. It's not going to get better unless we replace the axle so that's what we're doing. It won't be ready until some time tomorrow and we're getting a "good" price on the work but it's still going to cost $1,000!
I've mostly finished hyperventilating (although we'll see if I manage to sleep through the night or wake up with an anxiety attack). What's really crazy is that I was looking back through my own blog archives to see what my menu was for last Rosh Hashana and I realized that it was at this very time last year that the water pump problem manifested. That repair ended up costing us $2,000! What is it about this time of year? This is also when both the fire and the flood happened in the condo I used to own.
As for Rosh Hashana, I got paid today and went grocery shopping. When the dust cleared I'd spent $300 and I have food for the holiday this weekend plus another 4 or 5 meals. Actually, $50 of that is a payment for food I charged 6 months ago at Pesach, so it's not quite as bad as it sounds but I still don't have enough money to pay all my bills, let alone do anything much extra. I'm very pleased that this is a 3 paycheque month. If it wasn't, I'd be in big trouble.
What did I get? Round challahs, salmon and a brisket. I was pretty dead on with my cost estimate too. The brisket cost just over $57. Half a salmon was just over $20. I got the items for the various simanim too (carrots, dates, pomegranate, squash, etc.) and all the disposable table items for the meal, as well as some everyday food needs, things for Dear Child's breakfasts and lunches, etc. And some junk. Hey, I've been waiting a very long time for the full size Oreo cookies to be kosher and they were all labeled with the OU dairy today! I bought a package of them, but they were on sale too. But I figure the healthy stuff, like the cheese sticks, cream cheese and yogurt balance the cookies out.
I have to get the kitchen ready tomorrow and we're closing the office at noon on Friday so I'll be cooking then. Luckily, Eldest Daughter will also be home so I won't be cooking with kidlets underfoot. Candlelighting is at 7 pm so I should have enough time to get it all done....
Before I close, I'd just like to say something to each one of my readers. If I've upset you this year, hurt your feelings in any way or whatever, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Have a happy and healthy year full of all good things!
The good news is that this place will do the bushings and tie rod for less than we were first quoted. Much less, like half the original quote. The bad news is that the bushing repair is the least of our worries. This place actually *looked* at the car obviously (unlike every other place we've been to for the past year it appears), because they figured out what's wrong with it and told us why it's been going through rear tires at a rapid pace.
The. Back. Axle. Is. Bent.
Yes, bent. They asked if we'd been in an accident. Uh, no. They showed Hubby the damage and he says it's pretty clear. Too bad we don't know what caused it. The only thing I can think of is the time last winter when we bottomed out badly in the alley about a block from our house during that bad snow. It took me several hours to dig the car out because it was actually wedged onto that icy snow so badly that the wheels weren't quite touching the ground (like by a fraction of an inch). Maybe we bent the axle when we bottomed out?
Regardless, now we know what the problem is and the solution is clear. It's not going to get better unless we replace the axle so that's what we're doing. It won't be ready until some time tomorrow and we're getting a "good" price on the work but it's still going to cost $1,000!
I've mostly finished hyperventilating (although we'll see if I manage to sleep through the night or wake up with an anxiety attack). What's really crazy is that I was looking back through my own blog archives to see what my menu was for last Rosh Hashana and I realized that it was at this very time last year that the water pump problem manifested. That repair ended up costing us $2,000! What is it about this time of year? This is also when both the fire and the flood happened in the condo I used to own.
As for Rosh Hashana, I got paid today and went grocery shopping. When the dust cleared I'd spent $300 and I have food for the holiday this weekend plus another 4 or 5 meals. Actually, $50 of that is a payment for food I charged 6 months ago at Pesach, so it's not quite as bad as it sounds but I still don't have enough money to pay all my bills, let alone do anything much extra. I'm very pleased that this is a 3 paycheque month. If it wasn't, I'd be in big trouble.
What did I get? Round challahs, salmon and a brisket. I was pretty dead on with my cost estimate too. The brisket cost just over $57. Half a salmon was just over $20. I got the items for the various simanim too (carrots, dates, pomegranate, squash, etc.) and all the disposable table items for the meal, as well as some everyday food needs, things for Dear Child's breakfasts and lunches, etc. And some junk. Hey, I've been waiting a very long time for the full size Oreo cookies to be kosher and they were all labeled with the OU dairy today! I bought a package of them, but they were on sale too. But I figure the healthy stuff, like the cheese sticks, cream cheese and yogurt balance the cookies out.
I have to get the kitchen ready tomorrow and we're closing the office at noon on Friday so I'll be cooking then. Luckily, Eldest Daughter will also be home so I won't be cooking with kidlets underfoot. Candlelighting is at 7 pm so I should have enough time to get it all done....
Before I close, I'd just like to say something to each one of my readers. If I've upset you this year, hurt your feelings in any way or whatever, I'm sorry. Please forgive me. Have a happy and healthy year full of all good things!
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Stockpiling Revisited
I wrote about stockpiling back in May 2009, the first month I was blogging. Today Rina has a post about stockpiling on her great site, Gotta Little Space and asked what her readers stockpile and whether she'd missed anything.
I've commented but I thought I'd write a little more about the kinds of things I stockpiled several years ago, since my earlier post was kind of a "stockpile lite" version of some things I was planning to stockpile again.
Water
Water is vital. You can live for weeks without food but for only a few days without water. It's also one of the first things that will likely not be available in an emergency. Since I don't drink tap water (I'm allergic to chlorine and my rural home is in an area where there are periodic "boil water" warnings) I always have bottled water on hand. The 2 litres/person/day amount that Rina refers to is for drinking and cooking. You also need additional water for bathing and handwashing, dishes and laundry. You may also need water to flush your toilet if the water supply is off. The usual recommendation is that you store 1 gallon/person/day for a minimum of 3 days. While it can all be commercial bottled water, it's also possible to store bottled water for drinking only and to store tap water in approved containers for washing. I try to keep 3 to 4 of the 5 gallon bottles on hand, one in use and the others in reserve and I rotate them so the oldest one is always the next one to be used.
Beverages
Coffee beans (regular and decaf)
Coffee, instant (regular and decaf)
Grape juice (case of 750 ml bottles)
Instant hot chocolate
Tea bags (Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Chai, all decaf)
Tetra paks of Almond Breeze, especially the chocolate one
Tetra paks of soup (Tomato)
Wine, red and white
Dry groceries
Whole wheat pasta (elbow macaroni, rotini, spaghetti, linguine, lasagne noodles)
Wacky Mac (mac & cheese)
Basmati rice
White beans
Ramen noodle soups in a cup
Oatmeal bulk and instant, packaged
Sugar, granulated
Canned items (tins or jars)
Tuna
Salmon
Sardines
Jam, jelly or marmelade
Peanut butter
Chocolate spread (like Nutella)
Honey
Olive oil
Sunflower oil
Tomato sauce
Tomato paste
Chili tomatoes
Kidney beans
Applesauce
Freezer
Butter (2 lb per month)
1/2 Salmon
French fries
Hash browns
Ready-to-eat food
Cold cereal
Soft granola bars
Pretzels
Fruit rollups
Cookies
Chocolate
Personal
Toothpaste
Dental floss
Feminine products (3 months per female)
Deodorant
Cotton swabs
Contact solution, if needed
Diapers, disposable & 12 flat flannelette plus pkg of diaper pins (if there are babies or toddlers)
Baby wipes (even if there aren't babies, always useful!)
Toilet paper
Kleenex
Liquid soap
Waterless hand cleaner, antibacterial
Multivitamins (even if you're not a vitamin person, very useful when your food is limited & you're under stress)
Cleaning Products
Dish soap
Laundry detergent
Multipurpose cleaning product for counters and floors
Toilet cleaner
First Aid Kit
St. John's Ambulance makes a good one.
Medication
Advil
Migraine meds
Children's Advil
Polysporin
Prescription meds (3 months supply if possible)
Ipecac
Anti-diarrhea medication
Gravol
Other (very important!)
Manual can opener
Bottle opener
Corkscrew
Aluminum foil
Ziplok bags (heavy)
Coleman camp stove with at least 3 small cans of propane (or big tank and converter)
Candles, Shabbat (72 to a box)
Candles, yahrzeit (in metal tins, burn over 24 hours)
Candles, tea lights (from IKEA 100/pkg)
Matches and waterproof container
Flint/striker
Manual coffee grinder (I have my grandmother's)
Coffee filters
Stir sticks (I buy the long hollow ones that double as straws, they come 1000/box)
Garbage bags (many uses in addition to holding garbage)
Space blankets 1/person (in case of extended power outages during cold weather)
Pets
Dry food
Water (2 litres/pet/day)
Any meds
Litter for cats (I don't have cats now, but have in the past)
So, those are the types of things that I have stockpiled or would stockpile. My ideal is to have a year's worth of stuff stored. This is not because I believe we'd go through a year long emergency but there could be a series of emergencies or the family breadwinner could become unemployed for several months or we could need to provide for more than our immediate family.
As Rina said, the easiest way to stockpile is to do it a little at a time, buying doubles or triples of items you use when they're on sale. Always rotate your stock and make sure you don't have a cupboard full of expired food! This is the biggest reason for stocking items that your family will actually eat. Eat your stockpiled food on a regular basis and keep replacing it. Then, you won't have a problem convincing your family to eat something new during an emergency. The food I've listed is food we eat.
What would you do differently? Is there anything you think I've omitted?
I've commented but I thought I'd write a little more about the kinds of things I stockpiled several years ago, since my earlier post was kind of a "stockpile lite" version of some things I was planning to stockpile again.
Water
Water is vital. You can live for weeks without food but for only a few days without water. It's also one of the first things that will likely not be available in an emergency. Since I don't drink tap water (I'm allergic to chlorine and my rural home is in an area where there are periodic "boil water" warnings) I always have bottled water on hand. The 2 litres/person/day amount that Rina refers to is for drinking and cooking. You also need additional water for bathing and handwashing, dishes and laundry. You may also need water to flush your toilet if the water supply is off. The usual recommendation is that you store 1 gallon/person/day for a minimum of 3 days. While it can all be commercial bottled water, it's also possible to store bottled water for drinking only and to store tap water in approved containers for washing. I try to keep 3 to 4 of the 5 gallon bottles on hand, one in use and the others in reserve and I rotate them so the oldest one is always the next one to be used.
Beverages
Coffee beans (regular and decaf)
Coffee, instant (regular and decaf)
Grape juice (case of 750 ml bottles)
Instant hot chocolate
Tea bags (Earl Grey, English Breakfast, Chai, all decaf)
Tetra paks of Almond Breeze, especially the chocolate one
Tetra paks of soup (Tomato)
Wine, red and white
Dry groceries
Whole wheat pasta (elbow macaroni, rotini, spaghetti, linguine, lasagne noodles)
Wacky Mac (mac & cheese)
Basmati rice
White beans
Ramen noodle soups in a cup
Oatmeal bulk and instant, packaged
Sugar, granulated
Canned items (tins or jars)
Tuna
Salmon
Sardines
Jam, jelly or marmelade
Peanut butter
Chocolate spread (like Nutella)
Honey
Olive oil
Sunflower oil
Tomato sauce
Tomato paste
Chili tomatoes
Kidney beans
Applesauce
Freezer
Butter (2 lb per month)
1/2 Salmon
French fries
Hash browns
Ready-to-eat food
Cold cereal
Soft granola bars
Pretzels
Fruit rollups
Cookies
Chocolate
Personal
Toothpaste
Dental floss
Feminine products (3 months per female)
Deodorant
Cotton swabs
Contact solution, if needed
Diapers, disposable & 12 flat flannelette plus pkg of diaper pins (if there are babies or toddlers)
Baby wipes (even if there aren't babies, always useful!)
Toilet paper
Kleenex
Liquid soap
Waterless hand cleaner, antibacterial
Multivitamins (even if you're not a vitamin person, very useful when your food is limited & you're under stress)
Cleaning Products
Dish soap
Laundry detergent
Multipurpose cleaning product for counters and floors
Toilet cleaner
First Aid Kit
St. John's Ambulance makes a good one.
Medication
Advil
Migraine meds
Children's Advil
Polysporin
Prescription meds (3 months supply if possible)
Ipecac
Anti-diarrhea medication
Gravol
Other (very important!)
Manual can opener
Bottle opener
Corkscrew
Aluminum foil
Ziplok bags (heavy)
Coleman camp stove with at least 3 small cans of propane (or big tank and converter)
Candles, Shabbat (72 to a box)
Candles, yahrzeit (in metal tins, burn over 24 hours)
Candles, tea lights (from IKEA 100/pkg)
Matches and waterproof container
Flint/striker
Manual coffee grinder (I have my grandmother's)
Coffee filters
Stir sticks (I buy the long hollow ones that double as straws, they come 1000/box)
Garbage bags (many uses in addition to holding garbage)
Space blankets 1/person (in case of extended power outages during cold weather)
Pets
Dry food
Water (2 litres/pet/day)
Any meds
Litter for cats (I don't have cats now, but have in the past)
So, those are the types of things that I have stockpiled or would stockpile. My ideal is to have a year's worth of stuff stored. This is not because I believe we'd go through a year long emergency but there could be a series of emergencies or the family breadwinner could become unemployed for several months or we could need to provide for more than our immediate family.
As Rina said, the easiest way to stockpile is to do it a little at a time, buying doubles or triples of items you use when they're on sale. Always rotate your stock and make sure you don't have a cupboard full of expired food! This is the biggest reason for stocking items that your family will actually eat. Eat your stockpiled food on a regular basis and keep replacing it. Then, you won't have a problem convincing your family to eat something new during an emergency. The food I've listed is food we eat.
What would you do differently? Is there anything you think I've omitted?
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Wednesday Once Again
Today was Wednesday and payday. Usually I'm busy getting things done, paying bills, figuring out what needs to be taken care of and so on.
Today, not so much. I'm still having a hard time getting off my rear end and doing anything. My resistance is getting worse, if that's possible. I wrote a lot of cheques the other day and in some way my mind is telling me I've done a lot and to chill. There's money in the bank to pay the cheques that are coming through right away so that's fine, but I have bills I should have paid and I haven't done so. That really sucks.
I finally forced myself to go look at my account online and it's not too pretty, for a couple of reasons. First, the cheque I wrote for the dentist came through just before my paycheque hit the account and put me in the red. Luckily for me, they just charged me a few cents interest and didn't hit me with an NSF! The $360 or so is a problem because I won't get any of that money back from extended medical. The second issue is the money I've been spending on physio. Now, I will get most of that back, but I need to get the receipts together, fill out the form and send them off. This is a task I'm definitely not good at and I know it. Paperwork, especially financial paperwork and I are not the best of friends. But, if I don't send it in, I won't get any money back. It's a pretty simple concept. And I can't keep spending $100 to $200 per month on physio if I'm not going to do what I need to do in order to get reimbursed.
So, I can tell that I don't have enough money in the bank right now to pay all the bills and that makes me crazy. It's lucky that this month is one of the two times a year that I get 3 paycheques. That will help get me straightened out but I need to do more.
I need to cut down some spending. I know that the one area where I'm really bad is with food I eat out of the house. It's probably lucky in some respects that we keep kosher because I can't just eat out anywhere. There are only 5 places in the city where I can eat a real meal. Four of them I never to seldom eat at. Ah, but that fifth one is a killer! It's the cafe in the building where I work. I always used to have breakfast before I went to the office, mostly my protein drink, which costs about $2.50 per serving. Then I started "forgetting" to buy it or not having enough time to have it at home but "forgetting" to bring it with me. And, wonder of wonders, I discovered how much I liked the coffee and giant cinnamon bun at the cafe. Of course it costs more than my protein drink. I think it costs $4.25 but I'm not positive because, worse than having it on a regular basis, I also tab my breakfasts and pay my tab (or pay it down) when I get paid.
Okay, that's bad enough. Then there's lunch. When I'm home I usually make myself a couple of pieces of cinnamon toast and a cup of coffee. Sometimes I have a couple of cookies or brownies too. Other times I barely remember to eat.
When I work the better part of the day at the office I'm usually ravenous by about 11:30 am. And the cafe has really nice food. Sushi ($7.50), a great sandwich ($7.50), salads ($4.95 to $6.95). I think even the cheese pizza is now $2.95 (and I'm not really full afterwards) and the cold drinks are about $2.50. I've been gradually spending more and more money at the cafe, particularly when I have both breakfast and lunch there and I realize that it can't continue at this rate.
No, I'm not going to suddenly start brown bagging it. Sorry. I've tried it and it doesn't work well for me. I never have the time to make it, we don't keep a lot of food on hand like fruits, veggies and salads because They. Always. Go. Bad. Always. In fact, that's probably my second biggest waste of food money. I keep thinking that "this time" I'll really eat that bag of salad (and I'm not talking the family size bag, just the one for one or two people) but I always end up throwing out a half empty bag of liquified lettuce! I'm wasting both food and money. At least, when I eat at the cafe, I'm eating every bite.
But here's what I'm planning to do. Cut out the breakfasts. Just drink my protein drink. It's cheaper, better for me and probably has less calories! For lunch I'll either have a slice of pizza or a $4.95 salad. This again is cheaper than a full meal because I won't buy a pop or a lemonade or Snapple to go with it and it's healthier (the salad at least) because I never eat veggies at home. And it also has less calories. Do you think that possibly those 2 pounds that snuck onto my body recently could have come from all that food I'm eating at lunch?
So, for now, this is the plan. We'll see if it works or if sometime next week I suddenly crack and start stuffing cinnamon buns down my throat! If I just save $5 per day, that's $100 or more every month! And, just maybe, I might finally be able to lose a pound or two.
Today, not so much. I'm still having a hard time getting off my rear end and doing anything. My resistance is getting worse, if that's possible. I wrote a lot of cheques the other day and in some way my mind is telling me I've done a lot and to chill. There's money in the bank to pay the cheques that are coming through right away so that's fine, but I have bills I should have paid and I haven't done so. That really sucks.
I finally forced myself to go look at my account online and it's not too pretty, for a couple of reasons. First, the cheque I wrote for the dentist came through just before my paycheque hit the account and put me in the red. Luckily for me, they just charged me a few cents interest and didn't hit me with an NSF! The $360 or so is a problem because I won't get any of that money back from extended medical. The second issue is the money I've been spending on physio. Now, I will get most of that back, but I need to get the receipts together, fill out the form and send them off. This is a task I'm definitely not good at and I know it. Paperwork, especially financial paperwork and I are not the best of friends. But, if I don't send it in, I won't get any money back. It's a pretty simple concept. And I can't keep spending $100 to $200 per month on physio if I'm not going to do what I need to do in order to get reimbursed.
So, I can tell that I don't have enough money in the bank right now to pay all the bills and that makes me crazy. It's lucky that this month is one of the two times a year that I get 3 paycheques. That will help get me straightened out but I need to do more.
I need to cut down some spending. I know that the one area where I'm really bad is with food I eat out of the house. It's probably lucky in some respects that we keep kosher because I can't just eat out anywhere. There are only 5 places in the city where I can eat a real meal. Four of them I never to seldom eat at. Ah, but that fifth one is a killer! It's the cafe in the building where I work. I always used to have breakfast before I went to the office, mostly my protein drink, which costs about $2.50 per serving. Then I started "forgetting" to buy it or not having enough time to have it at home but "forgetting" to bring it with me. And, wonder of wonders, I discovered how much I liked the coffee and giant cinnamon bun at the cafe. Of course it costs more than my protein drink. I think it costs $4.25 but I'm not positive because, worse than having it on a regular basis, I also tab my breakfasts and pay my tab (or pay it down) when I get paid.
Okay, that's bad enough. Then there's lunch. When I'm home I usually make myself a couple of pieces of cinnamon toast and a cup of coffee. Sometimes I have a couple of cookies or brownies too. Other times I barely remember to eat.
When I work the better part of the day at the office I'm usually ravenous by about 11:30 am. And the cafe has really nice food. Sushi ($7.50), a great sandwich ($7.50), salads ($4.95 to $6.95). I think even the cheese pizza is now $2.95 (and I'm not really full afterwards) and the cold drinks are about $2.50. I've been gradually spending more and more money at the cafe, particularly when I have both breakfast and lunch there and I realize that it can't continue at this rate.
No, I'm not going to suddenly start brown bagging it. Sorry. I've tried it and it doesn't work well for me. I never have the time to make it, we don't keep a lot of food on hand like fruits, veggies and salads because They. Always. Go. Bad. Always. In fact, that's probably my second biggest waste of food money. I keep thinking that "this time" I'll really eat that bag of salad (and I'm not talking the family size bag, just the one for one or two people) but I always end up throwing out a half empty bag of liquified lettuce! I'm wasting both food and money. At least, when I eat at the cafe, I'm eating every bite.
But here's what I'm planning to do. Cut out the breakfasts. Just drink my protein drink. It's cheaper, better for me and probably has less calories! For lunch I'll either have a slice of pizza or a $4.95 salad. This again is cheaper than a full meal because I won't buy a pop or a lemonade or Snapple to go with it and it's healthier (the salad at least) because I never eat veggies at home. And it also has less calories. Do you think that possibly those 2 pounds that snuck onto my body recently could have come from all that food I'm eating at lunch?
So, for now, this is the plan. We'll see if it works or if sometime next week I suddenly crack and start stuffing cinnamon buns down my throat! If I just save $5 per day, that's $100 or more every month! And, just maybe, I might finally be able to lose a pound or two.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Money In, Money Out
Yesterday was payday. What did I do? I paid a bunch of bills. First, I paid the tab I run at the cafe in the building where I work, then I paid the bottled water company, MasterCard and the cable company for my internet. That last one was a biggie, 3 months worth of service.
As I wrote yesterday, my account had gotten kicked off the pre-authorized payment plan and then I didn't get a bill until a couple of weeks ago (immediately followed by a second bill). Now it's taken care of and I have it listed as a bill on my credit union account so I can pay it easily. I think I'll leave it like this for a while rather than getting back onto PAP on my "new" account. (Yes, I know I've had this credit union account for about 6 months now but it's still pretty new to me!)
I paid $40 yesterday for 3 tunics, 2 long-sleeved shirts, a gym skort and 2 sweatshirts (with school logo)! That was a killer deal. Buying used is good! Today after school I took Dear Child to the official uniform store (45 minutes drive from the school) and bought 2 short-sleeved shirts for hot weather, a gym tshirt (with logo), 5 pairs of knee socks (4 navy, 1 white) and 4 pair of navy tights. I got 10% off the purchase price of everything this week (why I bought them now) and still paid just over $100!
Just think if I'd had to buy everything there! It would have cost close to $300, but I spent less than 1/2 that.
I brought DC home to her father and went grocery shopping at the deli and Superstore. I spent about $100 on food and had a bit of a disaster in the store. I was buying my Bolthouse Protein Drink that I have for breakfast and it was at a really good price. I took 2 bottles and the next 2 bottles behind them just kind of jumped off the shelf (which I think must have been slanted), hit the floor and exploded all over me! I was wearing flip flops and a long denim skirt and I was a mess. I was squishing protein drink between my toes and was sticky wet with the drink up to my knees and all inside my skirt. Yuck! They let me go in the back where they keep the produce and wash up at a sink with paper towels. Then I got to the checkout and couldn't find my cell phone with all my debit cards tucked into the case! Luckily it had fallen out of my purse in the car rather than somewhere in the store, but it was a pain and I was verging on a panic attack. I was just terrified that I'd lost it when I got doused.
Anyway, I'm off to bed. It's Sports Day at school tomorrow and I have to make sure DC is ready for it with a bunch of extra things, including sunscreen.
As I wrote yesterday, my account had gotten kicked off the pre-authorized payment plan and then I didn't get a bill until a couple of weeks ago (immediately followed by a second bill). Now it's taken care of and I have it listed as a bill on my credit union account so I can pay it easily. I think I'll leave it like this for a while rather than getting back onto PAP on my "new" account. (Yes, I know I've had this credit union account for about 6 months now but it's still pretty new to me!)
I paid $40 yesterday for 3 tunics, 2 long-sleeved shirts, a gym skort and 2 sweatshirts (with school logo)! That was a killer deal. Buying used is good! Today after school I took Dear Child to the official uniform store (45 minutes drive from the school) and bought 2 short-sleeved shirts for hot weather, a gym tshirt (with logo), 5 pairs of knee socks (4 navy, 1 white) and 4 pair of navy tights. I got 10% off the purchase price of everything this week (why I bought them now) and still paid just over $100!
Just think if I'd had to buy everything there! It would have cost close to $300, but I spent less than 1/2 that.
I brought DC home to her father and went grocery shopping at the deli and Superstore. I spent about $100 on food and had a bit of a disaster in the store. I was buying my Bolthouse Protein Drink that I have for breakfast and it was at a really good price. I took 2 bottles and the next 2 bottles behind them just kind of jumped off the shelf (which I think must have been slanted), hit the floor and exploded all over me! I was wearing flip flops and a long denim skirt and I was a mess. I was squishing protein drink between my toes and was sticky wet with the drink up to my knees and all inside my skirt. Yuck! They let me go in the back where they keep the produce and wash up at a sink with paper towels. Then I got to the checkout and couldn't find my cell phone with all my debit cards tucked into the case! Luckily it had fallen out of my purse in the car rather than somewhere in the store, but it was a pain and I was verging on a panic attack. I was just terrified that I'd lost it when I got doused.
Anyway, I'm off to bed. It's Sports Day at school tomorrow and I have to make sure DC is ready for it with a bunch of extra things, including sunscreen.
Friday, April 17, 2009
Slowly Getting Back to Normal
Well, Pesach is over. I'm not turning the kitchen back until after Shabbos though. It's just too much work. Especially when we have to go to our paid employment tomorrow morning. Dear Child is still off school and could stay home with her brother-in-law and the girls but has voted to go to work with Abba [Daddy] for the day instead. I'm going to leave work an hour early and pick her up on the way to go get Dog!
It has been a very expensive time, as it is every year, and I'm going to have to sit down and figure it all out sooner or later. Last year was the first time I put my notes, menus, shopping lists, etc. onto the computer and I'm planning to update all of this year's stuff with how it went very soon (before I forget). What got wasted? What went over like a lead balloon? What was finished off way too early? What did DC like last year but not this year or vice versa?
Right off the top, we did much better this year with getting the right amount of matzo. I've got about 1 lb. left, mostly broken up pieces. We have 4 bottles of grape juice out of six but that's not a problem because they were a couple of bucks per bottle cheaper than the ones I usually buy. Not a different brand, a different place. We'll use them over the next couple of months and that will help lower the weekly grocery bills over that time period.
I also have 4 or possibly 5 bottles of wine left. Now, one bottle is because my son brought 2 bottles to the seder when I thought he was just bringing one. But I'm surprised that I have so much wine left when I think I had more people drinking wine this year than usual. I know Eldest Son normally has 1 glass of wine and the other 3 grape juice when he has to drive home. This year they all slept over so he had wine. Hubby had less wine the second night, after having a headache the first day, but I don't think anybody else did. And there were no pregnant or nursing mothers this year. Again, it's not a problem per se. Shabbos comes around every week and it will be lovely to make kiddush on wine. We've been using grape juice for quite a while because we couldn't afford wine. But I paid a lot of money for the wine. The bottles I bought ranged in price from $9 to $25 and that's all money I actually spent up front because BC Liquor Control doesn't allow you to run a tab (for obvious reasons)! That's $69 (or $78, if there's still a bottle of Manischewitz left) that could have been put to other things.
Like my tab at 2 kosher food stores. Yes, I tabbed most of the food (the meat, dairy and a bunch of grocery items, plus candles) and will be paying it off over time. So it makes me a little sick to my stomach to realize that one $21 roasting chicken has been sitting thawed out in the back of my fridge on the bottom shelf for the past 8 days, behind a bunch of other stuff. I don't think it can be safe to eat any more but it's going to hurt to have to throw it out.
As I mentioned previously, I bought a new kind of Shabbos warming tray and never used it (partly because it's too big for my counter space and partly because it only has one heat all over). I'm going to try to take it back but I don't know if they'll refund my money or not. We'll see. It was $95 though, so it's really worth trying.
It's getting late though, and I have to get up in the morning so I'm going to go to bed now. I doubt that I'll have time to write tomorrow before Shabbos, what with the 2 hours it will take to bring Dog home and all, but I'll be back soon. Maybe Motzai Shabbos [Saturday night, after dark] or on Sunday.
It has been a very expensive time, as it is every year, and I'm going to have to sit down and figure it all out sooner or later. Last year was the first time I put my notes, menus, shopping lists, etc. onto the computer and I'm planning to update all of this year's stuff with how it went very soon (before I forget). What got wasted? What went over like a lead balloon? What was finished off way too early? What did DC like last year but not this year or vice versa?
Right off the top, we did much better this year with getting the right amount of matzo. I've got about 1 lb. left, mostly broken up pieces. We have 4 bottles of grape juice out of six but that's not a problem because they were a couple of bucks per bottle cheaper than the ones I usually buy. Not a different brand, a different place. We'll use them over the next couple of months and that will help lower the weekly grocery bills over that time period.
I also have 4 or possibly 5 bottles of wine left. Now, one bottle is because my son brought 2 bottles to the seder when I thought he was just bringing one. But I'm surprised that I have so much wine left when I think I had more people drinking wine this year than usual. I know Eldest Son normally has 1 glass of wine and the other 3 grape juice when he has to drive home. This year they all slept over so he had wine. Hubby had less wine the second night, after having a headache the first day, but I don't think anybody else did. And there were no pregnant or nursing mothers this year. Again, it's not a problem per se. Shabbos comes around every week and it will be lovely to make kiddush on wine. We've been using grape juice for quite a while because we couldn't afford wine. But I paid a lot of money for the wine. The bottles I bought ranged in price from $9 to $25 and that's all money I actually spent up front because BC Liquor Control doesn't allow you to run a tab (for obvious reasons)! That's $69 (or $78, if there's still a bottle of Manischewitz left) that could have been put to other things.
Like my tab at 2 kosher food stores. Yes, I tabbed most of the food (the meat, dairy and a bunch of grocery items, plus candles) and will be paying it off over time. So it makes me a little sick to my stomach to realize that one $21 roasting chicken has been sitting thawed out in the back of my fridge on the bottom shelf for the past 8 days, behind a bunch of other stuff. I don't think it can be safe to eat any more but it's going to hurt to have to throw it out.
As I mentioned previously, I bought a new kind of Shabbos warming tray and never used it (partly because it's too big for my counter space and partly because it only has one heat all over). I'm going to try to take it back but I don't know if they'll refund my money or not. We'll see. It was $95 though, so it's really worth trying.
It's getting late though, and I have to get up in the morning so I'm going to go to bed now. I doubt that I'll have time to write tomorrow before Shabbos, what with the 2 hours it will take to bring Dog home and all, but I'll be back soon. Maybe Motzai Shabbos [Saturday night, after dark] or on Sunday.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
Not a Wednesday to Write Home About
I went to work for a couple of hours. I came home. I slept for a while. I packed the contents of the dairy pots and pans shelf. I did some banking. I picked up Dear Child and came home, then went back to work after dinner. I stopped at the grocery store on the way home. And I should be asleep now but I'm blogging instead.
The weather was disgusting. It snowed. Not much, and very wet snow, so it didn't stick. But really. It was April 1st. If I wanted to live somewhere where it snows in April I'd be in Minnesota or New York State or Toronto.
Today was Wednesday. Next Wednesday night is the first seder. I am so not nearly ready that I'm starting to have panic attacks. That was why I forced myself to get up and pack that box. I should have done the meat shelf at the same time and then scrubbed out the cupboard. But I didn't and I'll pay for that tomorrow or later this week. I did do a ton of work on Sunday but I've been feeling sicker ever since then and I'm tired all the time.
I work all day tomorrow and then am home all evening. I really need to do a lot of work then in the kitchen. Right now, just packing up all the everyday stuff so I can scrub everything down and then get out the Passover pots, pans, dishes, etc. is the most important thing. Friday is the last day I'm cooking. After Shabbos I have to clean the stove and self-clean the oven to clean it. Sunday night I have to self-clean it again to make it kosher for Pesach. Monday I have to start cooking for the seders and Shabbos. Plus I have to finish cleaning the rest of the house and be finished by Tuesday night!
The weather was disgusting. It snowed. Not much, and very wet snow, so it didn't stick. But really. It was April 1st. If I wanted to live somewhere where it snows in April I'd be in Minnesota or New York State or Toronto.
Today was Wednesday. Next Wednesday night is the first seder. I am so not nearly ready that I'm starting to have panic attacks. That was why I forced myself to get up and pack that box. I should have done the meat shelf at the same time and then scrubbed out the cupboard. But I didn't and I'll pay for that tomorrow or later this week. I did do a ton of work on Sunday but I've been feeling sicker ever since then and I'm tired all the time.
I work all day tomorrow and then am home all evening. I really need to do a lot of work then in the kitchen. Right now, just packing up all the everyday stuff so I can scrub everything down and then get out the Passover pots, pans, dishes, etc. is the most important thing. Friday is the last day I'm cooking. After Shabbos I have to clean the stove and self-clean the oven to clean it. Sunday night I have to self-clean it again to make it kosher for Pesach. Monday I have to start cooking for the seders and Shabbos. Plus I have to finish cleaning the rest of the house and be finished by Tuesday night!
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Part 3 Parnassah (or How am I Going to Pay for That?)
And now, the answer to the $64,000 question: How am I going to pay for that? (How many of you even remember the $64,000 Question? That goes back quite some time.)
The intelligent way to pay for the extra expenses associated with holidays like Purim and Pesach (fill in your own holidays folks, you all have them) would be to divide up what you typically spend and put away 1/12 of it every month. Then, when the time came, the money would be sitting there in the bank. No nail-biting. No juggling. No running up credit cards.
Well, I am intelligent, the test results all say so; I just don't seem to be very smart. I haven't put away money for expenses in advance for years now. Guess what? I'm 6 and a half weeks away from Pesach and I have no money saved up. So what am I going to do, especially when you consider that the only 2 credit cards we have that allow you to charge things like food are maxed?
For starters I've already arranged to start paying for Dog in advance, so that I'll have made 2 payments before he ever goes away. Plus, I'm counting on the fact that I'm getting 3 paycheques in the month of April and I have a little extra coming in for some other work I've done recently (and some more that I will be doing over the next month or two).
The other thing is that I always overbuy for Pesach. I'm not going to stop that. We don't buy anything once Pesach starts. That means if I don't buy enough we have some seriously grumpy, hungry individuals roaming the house (me included!). I'd much rather buy too much and then incorporate what's left into my menus over the next week or two after Pesach than run short. The fact is, I do always have some food left over. Plus, there's always some food that gets boxed up and sold with the everyday dishes, etc. for the duration of Pesach. Afterwards, I can use it up too.
We eat a lot during Passover, far too much in fact. That means we'll probably welcome an austere week immediately after. All in all, after spending huge amounts of money on food from mid March to early April, we'll probably spend a little less than normal for the rest of the month.
I also hope that I can start to put away even a portion of what we need on a monthly basis in preparation for next year. To really cover it I'd have to save a little over $100 per month and I don't see that happening at the moment until I have all the bills under control and make some serious progress on one or both credit cards. But if I even saved half of that it would cover half our expenses next year and it would be a real help.
The intelligent way to pay for the extra expenses associated with holidays like Purim and Pesach (fill in your own holidays folks, you all have them) would be to divide up what you typically spend and put away 1/12 of it every month. Then, when the time came, the money would be sitting there in the bank. No nail-biting. No juggling. No running up credit cards.
Well, I am intelligent, the test results all say so; I just don't seem to be very smart. I haven't put away money for expenses in advance for years now. Guess what? I'm 6 and a half weeks away from Pesach and I have no money saved up. So what am I going to do, especially when you consider that the only 2 credit cards we have that allow you to charge things like food are maxed?
For starters I've already arranged to start paying for Dog in advance, so that I'll have made 2 payments before he ever goes away. Plus, I'm counting on the fact that I'm getting 3 paycheques in the month of April and I have a little extra coming in for some other work I've done recently (and some more that I will be doing over the next month or two).
The other thing is that I always overbuy for Pesach. I'm not going to stop that. We don't buy anything once Pesach starts. That means if I don't buy enough we have some seriously grumpy, hungry individuals roaming the house (me included!). I'd much rather buy too much and then incorporate what's left into my menus over the next week or two after Pesach than run short. The fact is, I do always have some food left over. Plus, there's always some food that gets boxed up and sold with the everyday dishes, etc. for the duration of Pesach. Afterwards, I can use it up too.
We eat a lot during Passover, far too much in fact. That means we'll probably welcome an austere week immediately after. All in all, after spending huge amounts of money on food from mid March to early April, we'll probably spend a little less than normal for the rest of the month.
I also hope that I can start to put away even a portion of what we need on a monthly basis in preparation for next year. To really cover it I'd have to save a little over $100 per month and I don't see that happening at the moment until I have all the bills under control and make some serious progress on one or both credit cards. But if I even saved half of that it would cover half our expenses next year and it would be a real help.
Thursday, February 12, 2009
Too Busy to Blog?
When I don't write, either in my journal or on my blog one of two things is usually happening. I'm busy or I'm tired. Or both. And I've figured out over the years that when I start getting busy and tired all the time I'm usually overwhelmed in some way.
Sometimes I'm busy at work or with taking care of the kids. Sometimes I'm sick and still trying to push through to the other side. Sometimes I'm stressed about money. Sometimes I've taken on too many things at once.
Right now it's all of the above. I'm in the middle of a very busy time at work. My Eldest Daughter is going to be out of town for the next several days, so I'm going to have the kids more than usual. I've been fighting something for weeks that has me coughing off and on and makes me hoarse. Since one of the kids was diagnosed with croup last week, it's probably laryngitis (the adult version of croup). I have 2 evening classes and I'm finding Hebrew verbs pretty difficult. Passover is now only 8 weeks away and it's time to start cleaning for it. And I have no money to pay some of my regular bills because we threw everything we had at the Home Depot bill. I keep getting good paycheques (all those extra hours I'm putting in) but it doesn't help when half of it goes to get me out of overdraft every payday. Then the pre-authorized stuff comes out and I'm back to zero so I go back into overdraft for food and gas.
Listen, I knew that February was going to be very tight for money. And I know I'm always really busy at this time of year between work and trying to clean for Passover. I'm hoping that I can just hold on for the next 3 weeks or so and that things will get a little better then. At least I sat down the other night and planned out the cleaning. All I have to do now is follow the plan.
Sometimes I'm busy at work or with taking care of the kids. Sometimes I'm sick and still trying to push through to the other side. Sometimes I'm stressed about money. Sometimes I've taken on too many things at once.
Right now it's all of the above. I'm in the middle of a very busy time at work. My Eldest Daughter is going to be out of town for the next several days, so I'm going to have the kids more than usual. I've been fighting something for weeks that has me coughing off and on and makes me hoarse. Since one of the kids was diagnosed with croup last week, it's probably laryngitis (the adult version of croup). I have 2 evening classes and I'm finding Hebrew verbs pretty difficult. Passover is now only 8 weeks away and it's time to start cleaning for it. And I have no money to pay some of my regular bills because we threw everything we had at the Home Depot bill. I keep getting good paycheques (all those extra hours I'm putting in) but it doesn't help when half of it goes to get me out of overdraft every payday. Then the pre-authorized stuff comes out and I'm back to zero so I go back into overdraft for food and gas.
Listen, I knew that February was going to be very tight for money. And I know I'm always really busy at this time of year between work and trying to clean for Passover. I'm hoping that I can just hold on for the next 3 weeks or so and that things will get a little better then. At least I sat down the other night and planned out the cleaning. All I have to do now is follow the plan.
Monday, January 26, 2009
Preparing for an Uncertain Future
Very often the life we end up with is not the life we thought we were going to have. That happens all the time for a variety of reasons (not the least of which is that we're just looking at our little corner of the picture and not even seeing the Big Plan).
But right now there is a lot of uncertainty on both a global and a local level. Globally, we have the whole financial meltdown, banks going under or being acquired by other banks, the big 3 automakers all in trouble, fighting in various corners of the world, the possibility of one or more further waves of credit problems, etc.
Here in Vancouver we have the Olympics coming up in 2010 and some major projects grinding to a halt because of financing issues. The City of Vancouver has guaranteed the completion of the Athlete's Village, which it has been suggested puts the city on the hook for up to $1 BILLION and another recent newspaper headline that puts the total cost of the Games at $6 billion. Vancouver is a pretty wealthy city with a great credit history but that's a hefty price tag for anybody to come up with in the next year!
I've been focusing on our financial situation as a family, the fact that we were spending more than we were taking in and that our debt load was growing. In response, I've been looking for ways to make more money and pay off our debts faster. Because we're coming very late to retirement planning I've also spent time worrying about whether or not we'd be able to manage once we retire.
There's nothing wrong with planning for 10 years down the road or for focusing on paying off debt in 3 years or less. But what if things really fall apart financially in the short term?
For the past while I've been buying as little in the way of groceries as possible and diverting as much money to debt repayment as I could. That's nice, but what if we end up in a situation where we have neither money nor food? What if everything really crashes?
My worst-case scenario would have us move to our rural home (which is fully paid for). We could plant a fairly large garden there and live much more cheaply than we do in the city but I'm hoping it won't ever come to that.
I could make our life more secure here in the city by stocking up on water and groceries but I don't have the money to do that right now. It's also not a good time of the year for me to stock up since we usually spend the couple of months before Passover getting rid of as much non Passover food as possible because it's a pain to box it up and sell it for the duration of the holiday or to toss it or burn it. Permanently disposing of it is also a waste of money and I would argue that boxing it up is too. There have been far too many times that a box of food disappeared into a black hole only to reappear after I'd rebought most of its contents.
So, what will I do? I don't like riding off in six different directions at once but sometimes you have to try to cover a lot of bases all at once. Between now and Passover I should begin to gradually buy extra items of things that are kosher for Passover or that don't require Passover supervision. For instance, I could stock up on toilet paper, facial tissue and grape juice now and wait until after Passover to stock up on things like granola bars or flour or decaf coffee. But I can't lose track of the fact that I'm also trying to pay down debt. I can't start charging things on the credit card or missing payments just so I can buy in bulk.
We also have a much smaller area here (than at the other house) that could be planted in veggies but we could do it and save a certain amount on our food bills. Both Trent at The Simple Dollar and JD at Get Rich Slowly have talked a fair bit about growing food in the garden and Mrs. Accountability has had a couple of really good posts on the subject recently over at Out of Debt Again.
The bottom line is that security isn't just about how much money you have in the bank or have invested (ask anybody who was in the stock market or mutual funds how their portfolio is looking). Security is also knowing that you'll have a place to live and food to eat no matter what.
But right now there is a lot of uncertainty on both a global and a local level. Globally, we have the whole financial meltdown, banks going under or being acquired by other banks, the big 3 automakers all in trouble, fighting in various corners of the world, the possibility of one or more further waves of credit problems, etc.
Here in Vancouver we have the Olympics coming up in 2010 and some major projects grinding to a halt because of financing issues. The City of Vancouver has guaranteed the completion of the Athlete's Village, which it has been suggested puts the city on the hook for up to $1 BILLION and another recent newspaper headline that puts the total cost of the Games at $6 billion. Vancouver is a pretty wealthy city with a great credit history but that's a hefty price tag for anybody to come up with in the next year!
I've been focusing on our financial situation as a family, the fact that we were spending more than we were taking in and that our debt load was growing. In response, I've been looking for ways to make more money and pay off our debts faster. Because we're coming very late to retirement planning I've also spent time worrying about whether or not we'd be able to manage once we retire.
There's nothing wrong with planning for 10 years down the road or for focusing on paying off debt in 3 years or less. But what if things really fall apart financially in the short term?
For the past while I've been buying as little in the way of groceries as possible and diverting as much money to debt repayment as I could. That's nice, but what if we end up in a situation where we have neither money nor food? What if everything really crashes?
My worst-case scenario would have us move to our rural home (which is fully paid for). We could plant a fairly large garden there and live much more cheaply than we do in the city but I'm hoping it won't ever come to that.
I could make our life more secure here in the city by stocking up on water and groceries but I don't have the money to do that right now. It's also not a good time of the year for me to stock up since we usually spend the couple of months before Passover getting rid of as much non Passover food as possible because it's a pain to box it up and sell it for the duration of the holiday or to toss it or burn it. Permanently disposing of it is also a waste of money and I would argue that boxing it up is too. There have been far too many times that a box of food disappeared into a black hole only to reappear after I'd rebought most of its contents.
So, what will I do? I don't like riding off in six different directions at once but sometimes you have to try to cover a lot of bases all at once. Between now and Passover I should begin to gradually buy extra items of things that are kosher for Passover or that don't require Passover supervision. For instance, I could stock up on toilet paper, facial tissue and grape juice now and wait until after Passover to stock up on things like granola bars or flour or decaf coffee. But I can't lose track of the fact that I'm also trying to pay down debt. I can't start charging things on the credit card or missing payments just so I can buy in bulk.
We also have a much smaller area here (than at the other house) that could be planted in veggies but we could do it and save a certain amount on our food bills. Both Trent at The Simple Dollar and JD at Get Rich Slowly have talked a fair bit about growing food in the garden and Mrs. Accountability has had a couple of really good posts on the subject recently over at Out of Debt Again.
The bottom line is that security isn't just about how much money you have in the bank or have invested (ask anybody who was in the stock market or mutual funds how their portfolio is looking). Security is also knowing that you'll have a place to live and food to eat no matter what.
Tuesday, December 2, 2008
Looking Back at November's Goals
I can hardly believe that it's already December and 2008 is almost over. But I did make some financial goals in November. Let's look back and see how I did. My goals were:
1. Not to charge anything during the month.
2. To pay off IKEA.
3. To start paying down my MasterCard.
I'm proud to say I achieved all of my goals! I didn't charge anything on either my MasterCard or the IKEA card during the month (the 2 cards that are in my name). I paid off the total balance owing on my IKEA card and I made a payment of $114 on my MasterCard.
I also worked on catching up on some of my other bills. But all of this bill-paying was tough. We didn't have very much money for food or gas as a result. It's lucky the price of gas has been tumbling for some time, so that we didn't have to spend as much to drive to work and school. And, of course, we didn't go to the house at all during the month.
The food issue was really the hardest. We used up pretty much everything that was in the fridge and the cupboards, including some choices that were not too popular with Dear Child, but we made it. Unfortunately, we're still short of money for another week or two so we're still slogging away.
I have another Safeway card and I'm going to go shopping tonight after work, but that's only another $100. The good thing is that today is the first Tuesday in the month, the day when you save 10% on your grocery bill at Safeway.
1. Not to charge anything during the month.
2. To pay off IKEA.
3. To start paying down my MasterCard.
I'm proud to say I achieved all of my goals! I didn't charge anything on either my MasterCard or the IKEA card during the month (the 2 cards that are in my name). I paid off the total balance owing on my IKEA card and I made a payment of $114 on my MasterCard.
I also worked on catching up on some of my other bills. But all of this bill-paying was tough. We didn't have very much money for food or gas as a result. It's lucky the price of gas has been tumbling for some time, so that we didn't have to spend as much to drive to work and school. And, of course, we didn't go to the house at all during the month.
The food issue was really the hardest. We used up pretty much everything that was in the fridge and the cupboards, including some choices that were not too popular with Dear Child, but we made it. Unfortunately, we're still short of money for another week or two so we're still slogging away.
I have another Safeway card and I'm going to go shopping tonight after work, but that's only another $100. The good thing is that today is the first Tuesday in the month, the day when you save 10% on your grocery bill at Safeway.
Sunday, November 23, 2008
Hunkering Down
Right now I feel like I'm just hunkering down, being really quiet until payday rolls around again next Wednesday.
If I hadn't publicly stated that I wasn't going to use my MasterCard this month I might be tempted to put $20 worth of gas and $20 or $30 worth of groceries on the card, even though it would be dangerous. Right now I'm so close to my limit that just the accrued interest could tip me overlimit if I don't make an appropriate payment next week so charging anything more would be a very poor choice.
I'm close to my overdraft limit on my regular bank account and I have to transfer money into my credit union account for a payment that will come out Thursday so I'm not spending any money at the moment. To make things just that little bit tighter, my monthly UCCB cheque for $100 hasn't arrived yet. I'm hoping it will show up tomorrow.
But, in the meantime, I'm figuring out what we have for dinner for the next couple of nights. I think Monday will be fried eggs and hash browns. Tuesday we can have lemon pepper linguine with butter and the last of the mozzarella cheese. As for breakfast, we have a couple of packets of oatmeal, a box of frozen waffles, plenty of cold cereal and enough of my morning protein drink to last us until payday. There are apples, a few cookies (2 types), a couple of granola bars and some flavoured applesauce for snacks, with challah and 2 types of cream cheese for sandwiches.
So why do I feel so deprived? We're not starving; we just don't have all our preferred junk foods around at the moment. I'll be able to go shopping Wednesday night (although I probably should make sure I eat something before I go or I might buy out the store!). It's just very interesting to see how I'm reacting.
If I hadn't publicly stated that I wasn't going to use my MasterCard this month I might be tempted to put $20 worth of gas and $20 or $30 worth of groceries on the card, even though it would be dangerous. Right now I'm so close to my limit that just the accrued interest could tip me overlimit if I don't make an appropriate payment next week so charging anything more would be a very poor choice.
I'm close to my overdraft limit on my regular bank account and I have to transfer money into my credit union account for a payment that will come out Thursday so I'm not spending any money at the moment. To make things just that little bit tighter, my monthly UCCB cheque for $100 hasn't arrived yet. I'm hoping it will show up tomorrow.
But, in the meantime, I'm figuring out what we have for dinner for the next couple of nights. I think Monday will be fried eggs and hash browns. Tuesday we can have lemon pepper linguine with butter and the last of the mozzarella cheese. As for breakfast, we have a couple of packets of oatmeal, a box of frozen waffles, plenty of cold cereal and enough of my morning protein drink to last us until payday. There are apples, a few cookies (2 types), a couple of granola bars and some flavoured applesauce for snacks, with challah and 2 types of cream cheese for sandwiches.
So why do I feel so deprived? We're not starving; we just don't have all our preferred junk foods around at the moment. I'll be able to go shopping Wednesday night (although I probably should make sure I eat something before I go or I might buy out the store!). It's just very interesting to see how I'm reacting.
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
Sticker Shock
I stopped at Safeway on my way home tonight for a few items that we were out of and looked at the protein drink I have every morning for breakfast. I had only tomorrow's serving left at home and I was considering buying one or two at Safeway rather than driving out of my way to Superstore. As I've noted previously, Safeway has always been about $1.10 more expensive per bottle but the last time I bought them at Superstore I noticed that their price had risen to only about 50 cents cheaper.
The last time I bought the drink at Safeway I paid $4.99 for the large bottle (2 servings for me), while the single serving bottle was $2.99. Tonight they are $6.99 for the large one and $4.99 for the small size!
Yes, that's right. The small one now costs what the large one cost a few days ago! So I bought the other items I needed at Safeway, then headed to Superstore after all. I had about 15 minutes before they closed but I made it and was through the cashier just before 11 pm. And their price for the large bottle? $4.48 each. I took 4, enough for 8 breakfasts, and I'm planning to go back for more when I get paid again in a week's time.
The lesson here is that you always, always need to pay attention in the store. If it's an item you buy regularly you might tend to just buy it on autopilot. Don't. Keep on top of the price increases. Maybe the store that wasn't such a good buy is now better than this one for certain items. Maybe it's time to find a substitute product. Maybe it goes on sale every 6 weeks or so and you can load up on it then. Just keep looking for the most cost-effective solutions that work for you.
The last time I bought the drink at Safeway I paid $4.99 for the large bottle (2 servings for me), while the single serving bottle was $2.99. Tonight they are $6.99 for the large one and $4.99 for the small size!
Yes, that's right. The small one now costs what the large one cost a few days ago! So I bought the other items I needed at Safeway, then headed to Superstore after all. I had about 15 minutes before they closed but I made it and was through the cashier just before 11 pm. And their price for the large bottle? $4.48 each. I took 4, enough for 8 breakfasts, and I'm planning to go back for more when I get paid again in a week's time.
The lesson here is that you always, always need to pay attention in the store. If it's an item you buy regularly you might tend to just buy it on autopilot. Don't. Keep on top of the price increases. Maybe the store that wasn't such a good buy is now better than this one for certain items. Maybe it's time to find a substitute product. Maybe it goes on sale every 6 weeks or so and you can load up on it then. Just keep looking for the most cost-effective solutions that work for you.
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
We Now Return to Everyday Life
The holidays are over. Simchat Torah was great. We finished reading the last verses of Devarim (Deuteronomy) and start the annual cycle over again with Bereshit (Genesis). We danced with the Torah Scrolls and all the men took turns carrying one around while reciting from the prayer book. The really big partying took place last night, with a somewhat more subdued version taking place today in the shul proper.
In our shul (synagogue) the nighttime dancing always spills out into the street and the procession of Torahs and dancing, singing men wends its way from corner to corner until they make it back to where they started. Dear Child had a wonderful time, carried on her father's back. I stood just outside the shul, waving her stuffed Torah, as cars honked cheerfully at everybody.
But now life returns to normal. No more 2 day holidays in the middle of the week. In fact, no more holidays until Hanukkah, which will be late in December this year. In some ways this is good. It's hard to get much work done when you're only in the office for one or 2 days, then off again for a couple of days over and over. Meals can go back to being more simple. In our house we generally don't eat meat or drink wine except on the Sabbath and on festivals, so that will reduce our food expenses. My Dear Child will finally go back to school (next week) and learning can really commence seriously for the year.
But I have to say I'll miss the increased spiritual focus of the past few weeks. Yes, now that we start reading Torah from the beginning again, I'll begin again studying the parsha (portion) of the week with DC. This year she's starting to read and I think that will be exciting. I'll get back to doing my daily learning, Chitas (a portion daily from the Tanya, the Book of Psalms and the weekly portion with commentary). I've tried to keep up but the parsha part of it has suffered the most. Perhaps not surprisingly, I know the opening chapters of Bereshit (Genesis) the best. I'm always on my best behavior, the most motivated, etc. as we start the cycle. And there are no holidays for a while to break my concentration.
The other thing is that, with all these holidays on Wednesdays, I haven't had the opportunity to do my It Won't Wait Wednesday projects over the past month or so. And I've been way too busy to get around to a lot of the things that I've been meaning to do. I've got to get back to that.
And the exercise. What can I say about it? We walk a lot during the High Holy Days. Three weeks out of four we have a 2 day holiday when we have to walk to and from services at least once a day, sometimes twice. Plus the Sabbath keeps rolling around where we do the same. If you live close to your synagogue it's not too big a deal. But we walk an hour and 20 minutes each way! The exercise has probably been good for me, although I don't think I've lost any weight (the walking is counteracted by all the holiday food). But, boy, am I tired!
What happens next? I get up bright and early tomorrow morning and go to work for the whole day. I have to deposit my BC Benefit cheque into the bank and update my passbook, then do a bit of grocery shopping. Welcome back to my (everyday) miscellaneous life.
In our shul (synagogue) the nighttime dancing always spills out into the street and the procession of Torahs and dancing, singing men wends its way from corner to corner until they make it back to where they started. Dear Child had a wonderful time, carried on her father's back. I stood just outside the shul, waving her stuffed Torah, as cars honked cheerfully at everybody.
But now life returns to normal. No more 2 day holidays in the middle of the week. In fact, no more holidays until Hanukkah, which will be late in December this year. In some ways this is good. It's hard to get much work done when you're only in the office for one or 2 days, then off again for a couple of days over and over. Meals can go back to being more simple. In our house we generally don't eat meat or drink wine except on the Sabbath and on festivals, so that will reduce our food expenses. My Dear Child will finally go back to school (next week) and learning can really commence seriously for the year.
But I have to say I'll miss the increased spiritual focus of the past few weeks. Yes, now that we start reading Torah from the beginning again, I'll begin again studying the parsha (portion) of the week with DC. This year she's starting to read and I think that will be exciting. I'll get back to doing my daily learning, Chitas (a portion daily from the Tanya, the Book of Psalms and the weekly portion with commentary). I've tried to keep up but the parsha part of it has suffered the most. Perhaps not surprisingly, I know the opening chapters of Bereshit (Genesis) the best. I'm always on my best behavior, the most motivated, etc. as we start the cycle. And there are no holidays for a while to break my concentration.
The other thing is that, with all these holidays on Wednesdays, I haven't had the opportunity to do my It Won't Wait Wednesday projects over the past month or so. And I've been way too busy to get around to a lot of the things that I've been meaning to do. I've got to get back to that.
And the exercise. What can I say about it? We walk a lot during the High Holy Days. Three weeks out of four we have a 2 day holiday when we have to walk to and from services at least once a day, sometimes twice. Plus the Sabbath keeps rolling around where we do the same. If you live close to your synagogue it's not too big a deal. But we walk an hour and 20 minutes each way! The exercise has probably been good for me, although I don't think I've lost any weight (the walking is counteracted by all the holiday food). But, boy, am I tired!
What happens next? I get up bright and early tomorrow morning and go to work for the whole day. I have to deposit my BC Benefit cheque into the bank and update my passbook, then do a bit of grocery shopping. Welcome back to my (everyday) miscellaneous life.
Wednesday, October 15, 2008
Having Fun
We're into the intermediate days of Sukkot so I can post again. So far it's going very well.
It did rain the first night, so we ate our turkey in the rain but all the rest of the time has been clear. It's been below freezing at night so we dress warmly to eat and we have a heater in there on a timer, so the space is a little warmer in the evening for a couple of hours.
Still, I've davened [prayed] in the sukkah both days. I just haven't hung out in there long enough to sit and learn.
Tomorrow night we're having our neighbours over for a spaghetti dinner with salad and garlic bread. Yes, in the sukkah. We did it last year too and they seemed to enjoy it.
I'll have to go to town tomorrow for a few things but my paycheque should have been deposited today, so I should have a bit of money.
The time is going fast but I've really been enjoying it. I'll be sorry to go home on Sunday.
It did rain the first night, so we ate our turkey in the rain but all the rest of the time has been clear. It's been below freezing at night so we dress warmly to eat and we have a heater in there on a timer, so the space is a little warmer in the evening for a couple of hours.
Still, I've davened [prayed] in the sukkah both days. I just haven't hung out in there long enough to sit and learn.
Tomorrow night we're having our neighbours over for a spaghetti dinner with salad and garlic bread. Yes, in the sukkah. We did it last year too and they seemed to enjoy it.
I'll have to go to town tomorrow for a few things but my paycheque should have been deposited today, so I should have a bit of money.
The time is going fast but I've really been enjoying it. I'll be sorry to go home on Sunday.
Tuesday, October 7, 2008
Let's Have an Upbeat Post
I could write lots of doom and gloom stuff right now. The world financial markets seem to be melting down and things aren't any too hot at my house right now either. The car won't be ready until tomorrow because they found something else wrong that has to do with the water pump (more money!) and they had to order the part. I've been doing some financial work in Excel and our money situation is worse than I'd thought. (Denial, it ain't just a river in Egypt....)
But I thought I'd like to write about something a little happier.
Let's talk about smoked turkey instead. I bought half a smoked turkey for Rosh Hashana dinner. It was literally cut down the middle so it included a wing, a leg and half a breast. Since it was already cooked all I had to do was heat it up in the oven and it fed 7 adults and 3 kids (along with half a salmon and a bunch of other food). My youngest son took a plate home as well.
The 3 of us (me, Hubby and DC) had grilled turkey sandwiches after the Fast of Gedaliah (the day after the 2nd day of Rosh Hashana) and they were great. I cut a round challah into slices, we put in heated smoked turkey (my hubby just sauteed it in a little olive oil) and used margarine on the outside of the bread. We grilled them in the frypan (the way you'd do a grilled cheese sandwich) and when they were toasty I opened them up and added mayo and jellied cranberry sauce. Yum! Hubby & I had 2 sandwiches each and Dear Child had one.
For Shabbos lunch I took the carcass, broke it to fit in the crockpot, added a whole onion, about 3 potatoes cut in chunks, 6 to 10 baby carrots, and a little rosemary. I covered the carcass with water and left it in the crockpot overnight on low. It was the best soup. Ever. DC had a 2nd bowl. She has never done that. With anything, especially anything containing meat. I had a 2nd bowl too.
The turkey wasn't cheap. It cost $46 but it gave us 17 servings of food, which works out to $2.71 per serving. I think that's pretty darn good!
But I thought I'd like to write about something a little happier.
Let's talk about smoked turkey instead. I bought half a smoked turkey for Rosh Hashana dinner. It was literally cut down the middle so it included a wing, a leg and half a breast. Since it was already cooked all I had to do was heat it up in the oven and it fed 7 adults and 3 kids (along with half a salmon and a bunch of other food). My youngest son took a plate home as well.
The 3 of us (me, Hubby and DC) had grilled turkey sandwiches after the Fast of Gedaliah (the day after the 2nd day of Rosh Hashana) and they were great. I cut a round challah into slices, we put in heated smoked turkey (my hubby just sauteed it in a little olive oil) and used margarine on the outside of the bread. We grilled them in the frypan (the way you'd do a grilled cheese sandwich) and when they were toasty I opened them up and added mayo and jellied cranberry sauce. Yum! Hubby & I had 2 sandwiches each and Dear Child had one.
For Shabbos lunch I took the carcass, broke it to fit in the crockpot, added a whole onion, about 3 potatoes cut in chunks, 6 to 10 baby carrots, and a little rosemary. I covered the carcass with water and left it in the crockpot overnight on low. It was the best soup. Ever. DC had a 2nd bowl. She has never done that. With anything, especially anything containing meat. I had a 2nd bowl too.
The turkey wasn't cheap. It cost $46 but it gave us 17 servings of food, which works out to $2.71 per serving. I think that's pretty darn good!
Wednesday, October 1, 2008
It Was a Lovely Holiday
Everything went really well. The weather was gorgeous, sunny and warm enough that we didn't need jackets but not boiling hot.
Dinner the first night was great. The food was really good. I'm glad I did the salmon at the last minute. I put it in at 6 pm and took it out just before candlelighting and it was perfect! There was enough of everything but I don't have huge amounts of leftovers. A little smoked turkey and a little jellied cranberry sauce (mmm, turkey sandwiches for dinner tomorrow I think).
We took all 3 girls to synagogue both days, pushing a double stroller and a single one. (On Yom Tov the rules are similar to those of the Sabbath but you're allowed to cook on an existing flame and to carry, which includes pushing a stroller.) It took an hour and 20 minutes to get to synagogue (and about another 20 minutes to get to the rabbi's house for lunch and 2 hours to get home). That's a lot of walking!
You want to know the most amazing thing? I was just commenting to Abby (from i pick up pennies) the other day that my 3 1/2 year old granddaughter loves to go but can't go on Shabbat because she can't walk all that way. I mean, really, my 5 year old has only recently managed to walk both ways. Today my granddaughter insisted that she wanted to walk and she did! All the way to synagogue, all the way to the rabbi's house and (basically) all the way home! (We started home with her in the single stroller but she loudly insisted on getting out within about a block and walked the rest of the way.) I am, as the British say, gobsmacked!
I guess she can start coming with us on Shabbat now (though it'll still be a while for her little sister). Oh, and my daughter? She walked all the way home today but was happy to ride otherwise.
The baby graciously slept through most of the shofar service yesterday, allowing me to read all the prayers and take part fully. Today, not so much. I spent a lot of the service in another room with her, just dashing to hear each time they blew shofar. But it was still good.
Lunch both days at the rabbi's was as good as always (the food is always tremendous) and the girls enjoyed playing in the back yard on the trampoline and with a bunch of Little Tikes toys.
Tomorrow is a "short" fast, from 5:41 am to 7:20 pm but it's the easiest fast of the year. After 2 days of eating huge meals we could probably use the break. I'm going to eat (including having my protein drink) just before I go to sleep and then I'll be able to make it through okay until dinner. Sometimes I get up early to eat before it starts, but I'm pretty tired so I'll pass on that this time, especially as it's a regular day in all other respects. So we go to work and Dear Child goes to school (not that children fast anyway). The real fast doesn't come until next Thursday when it will be Yom Kippur.
Dinner the first night was great. The food was really good. I'm glad I did the salmon at the last minute. I put it in at 6 pm and took it out just before candlelighting and it was perfect! There was enough of everything but I don't have huge amounts of leftovers. A little smoked turkey and a little jellied cranberry sauce (mmm, turkey sandwiches for dinner tomorrow I think).
We took all 3 girls to synagogue both days, pushing a double stroller and a single one. (On Yom Tov the rules are similar to those of the Sabbath but you're allowed to cook on an existing flame and to carry, which includes pushing a stroller.) It took an hour and 20 minutes to get to synagogue (and about another 20 minutes to get to the rabbi's house for lunch and 2 hours to get home). That's a lot of walking!
You want to know the most amazing thing? I was just commenting to Abby (from i pick up pennies) the other day that my 3 1/2 year old granddaughter loves to go but can't go on Shabbat because she can't walk all that way. I mean, really, my 5 year old has only recently managed to walk both ways. Today my granddaughter insisted that she wanted to walk and she did! All the way to synagogue, all the way to the rabbi's house and (basically) all the way home! (We started home with her in the single stroller but she loudly insisted on getting out within about a block and walked the rest of the way.) I am, as the British say, gobsmacked!
I guess she can start coming with us on Shabbat now (though it'll still be a while for her little sister). Oh, and my daughter? She walked all the way home today but was happy to ride otherwise.
The baby graciously slept through most of the shofar service yesterday, allowing me to read all the prayers and take part fully. Today, not so much. I spent a lot of the service in another room with her, just dashing to hear each time they blew shofar. But it was still good.
Lunch both days at the rabbi's was as good as always (the food is always tremendous) and the girls enjoyed playing in the back yard on the trampoline and with a bunch of Little Tikes toys.
Tomorrow is a "short" fast, from 5:41 am to 7:20 pm but it's the easiest fast of the year. After 2 days of eating huge meals we could probably use the break. I'm going to eat (including having my protein drink) just before I go to sleep and then I'll be able to make it through okay until dinner. Sometimes I get up early to eat before it starts, but I'm pretty tired so I'll pass on that this time, especially as it's a regular day in all other respects. So we go to work and Dear Child goes to school (not that children fast anyway). The real fast doesn't come until next Thursday when it will be Yom Kippur.
Tuesday, September 16, 2008
Thinking About the Upcoming Holidays
I can't believe how fast time is flying. September is halfway through and Rosh Hashana (the Jewish New Year) is coming up very quickly. The High Holy Days are an interesting time in terms of work and time off. Because the Jewish calendar is lunar-based, the days that the holidays fall out on change from year to year. Some combinations seem to be more challenging than others, such as the years that see all the holidays falling out in conjunction with Shabbat, giving us 3 days in a row where no work can be done not once, not twice, but three times in a month. That isn't the case this year, but there are challenges any way it falls out.
This year Rosh Hashana begins just before sundown on Monday, September 29th and ends Wednesday night, October 1st. Yom Kippur is Thursday, October 9th. Sukkot is an 8 day holiday where the first two and last two days are full festivals and the intermediate days are semi-festivals. Its full holiday days are from Monday night, October 13th to Wednesday night, October 15th and from Monday night, October 20th to Wednesday night, October 22nd.
What does that mean? Well, for 2 out of 4 weeks we work Monday, are off Tuesday and Wednesday, then go back to work for Thursday and Friday. The first week should follow that pattern but the Monday is a Statutory Holiday (Candadian Thanksgiving) so we're off that day too. The one week that's different we're off on Thursday instead for a 25 hour fast (no eating or drinking).
It makes for a series of very fractured work weeks and school is also out over this time. For those of us who work for Jewish organizations the time off is not a problem. Our offices are closed and many of us get paid for religious holidays.
But it can be very difficult for Observant Jews who work in secular jobs. Some people take vacation days, others take days without pay and there are definitely employers who make it difficult to take one or 2 days off at a time (because they generally require people to take a week of vacation at a time). It's true that it's a human rights issue (in Canada it is forbidden to discriminate against someone for religious reasons) but it's often difficult to arrange things with employers who have never dealt with this before and who don't understand.
Then there are all the people who think the holidays are just that, days when you kick back and do nothing. Not so much. In addition to walking to and from services each day, there are 2 big meals per day on each holiday (as well as on Shabbat every week). Even when Yom Kippur rolls around there is a meal before the fast that's supposed to carry you through and a break-the-fast meal afterwards. That's a lot of cooking, especially if you have a big family or invite a lot of guests. So the food bills tend to go up at this time of the year even when our take-home pay may be temporarily lower. Since we don't turn lights off and on during holidays or the Sabbath or turn the stove top or oven off or on there is often a bit of an increase in the electric bill (which may or may not be countered by the fact that we don't run the dishwasher or laundry equipment and don't use the TV or computer).
Luckily for me, I get paid for religious holidays (4 hours pay per day) and don't have to use my vacation time for them (except for the intermediate days, if I choose to take them off). And in October I'm going to get 3 pay cheques! Right now I'm hoping that we'll spend the bulk of Sukkot in the Okanagan, which means taking either 2 or possibly 3 days off. We'll see. If I do take the days I already have the money for them sitting in an ING sub account ($50/day after taxes, based on a 4 hour day) and I have 10 days of vacation left.
Now I just have to start thinking about the food and planning when we're having family over, etc. Help!
This year Rosh Hashana begins just before sundown on Monday, September 29th and ends Wednesday night, October 1st. Yom Kippur is Thursday, October 9th. Sukkot is an 8 day holiday where the first two and last two days are full festivals and the intermediate days are semi-festivals. Its full holiday days are from Monday night, October 13th to Wednesday night, October 15th and from Monday night, October 20th to Wednesday night, October 22nd.
What does that mean? Well, for 2 out of 4 weeks we work Monday, are off Tuesday and Wednesday, then go back to work for Thursday and Friday. The first week should follow that pattern but the Monday is a Statutory Holiday (Candadian Thanksgiving) so we're off that day too. The one week that's different we're off on Thursday instead for a 25 hour fast (no eating or drinking).
It makes for a series of very fractured work weeks and school is also out over this time. For those of us who work for Jewish organizations the time off is not a problem. Our offices are closed and many of us get paid for religious holidays.
But it can be very difficult for Observant Jews who work in secular jobs. Some people take vacation days, others take days without pay and there are definitely employers who make it difficult to take one or 2 days off at a time (because they generally require people to take a week of vacation at a time). It's true that it's a human rights issue (in Canada it is forbidden to discriminate against someone for religious reasons) but it's often difficult to arrange things with employers who have never dealt with this before and who don't understand.
Then there are all the people who think the holidays are just that, days when you kick back and do nothing. Not so much. In addition to walking to and from services each day, there are 2 big meals per day on each holiday (as well as on Shabbat every week). Even when Yom Kippur rolls around there is a meal before the fast that's supposed to carry you through and a break-the-fast meal afterwards. That's a lot of cooking, especially if you have a big family or invite a lot of guests. So the food bills tend to go up at this time of the year even when our take-home pay may be temporarily lower. Since we don't turn lights off and on during holidays or the Sabbath or turn the stove top or oven off or on there is often a bit of an increase in the electric bill (which may or may not be countered by the fact that we don't run the dishwasher or laundry equipment and don't use the TV or computer).
Luckily for me, I get paid for religious holidays (4 hours pay per day) and don't have to use my vacation time for them (except for the intermediate days, if I choose to take them off). And in October I'm going to get 3 pay cheques! Right now I'm hoping that we'll spend the bulk of Sukkot in the Okanagan, which means taking either 2 or possibly 3 days off. We'll see. If I do take the days I already have the money for them sitting in an ING sub account ($50/day after taxes, based on a 4 hour day) and I have 10 days of vacation left.
Now I just have to start thinking about the food and planning when we're having family over, etc. Help!
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