Hello and happy Tuesday. This month is flying right along - good grief, time flies. It is a lovely morning here. It is in the mid 60's, dewy and getting more humid. Kind of cloudy at the moment, which is fine with me - it keeps it from feeling so hot. We will get rain later today. Yesterday had a couple of rain showers - I went out to mow early, and only got the front done. It started lightly raining on me as I finished.
My first peony opened yesterday! Many, many more to come. Poppies are glorious.
I think we all get to a point sometime in life where we need to quit something. It may be a hated job, or a toxic relationship, or just unplugging, or always being the 'yes' person, buying stuff.............. whatever it is, if you feel you need to quit, then think about it and do it. NO is still an answer!
My point is reached with grocery shopping. I know lots of people are panicking about buying this or that to have for whatever reason. I am past that. I have ENOUGH!
For that I am so grateful.
I have an upright freezer packed full, my fridge freezer is packed again, and I have a pantry and deep pantry that are full of all kinds of goodies.
Being a deal shopper, and person who has always tried to be prepared for anything - has paid off. I have bought so many deals and have gotten so many wonderful deals that my home is more than stocked. I bet if you priced what I have, it would be worth more than 2X what I have paid.
I even have months' worth of TP, laundry soap, and dish soap, and stuff like that.
I have plenty of dry food for the cat/cats, may concentrate on getting more wet food.
I have been using my goods. I know many of you are doing the same thing. That is great. YES, buying things in the future will maybe cost more than what we have now. BUT, if you have it and don't use it, it does no one any good, it is just wasted money. You have to use and when the time comes, think about replacing with deals.
The garden will be producing in a couple months - so fresh goods will be wonderful and as simple to have as walking out the door and picking!!!
I will continue to buy milk, and any fresh produce I may need - but that is it!
Now, I know you and I both chuckle - thinking well, if there is a deal that 'can't be passed up' - hmmmm.
I am sure going to try and resist. Maybe if it is that good - I will get for someone else!
We are blessed - we truly are. I mean, what a problem to have. I am a firm believer of enough is enough and I have more than enough!
I am trying to be creative. There is that word again! My word of the year!! It is something we all need to do.
I will post some fun ideas for using things I have in different ways and enjoying them - soon.
So give it a thought! Maybe you can quit too for a while. Take the summer off. Enjoy the freshness that summer will bring. Do NOT panic, do NOT fret, things work out. Another post soon will be about all the things we have available to eat - that most never even think about!
Let's have fun and get creative. If we share ideas and encourage each other - we will all do great.
Have a fantastical kind of day!!
I've told the story before of eating down the protein in the freezer before replacing it with any more; it took 6 mos. Stocking up with sale products just makes good sense. Then use it.
ReplyDeleteSee, it is amazing how long what we have will last! It would last even longer, if we ate a little less protein per meal or had meatless days.
DeleteYes, no other way than sales to stock up in my book.
Great job!
I'm doing the same thing, Cheryl, not only with food, but sewing and crafting supplies. I have enough!! Grocery-wise, only fresh fruit and veggies as needed. Our freezers are well stocked with our protein needs and frozen fruit and veggies. I've been in the sewing room all week making jar openers with fabric scraps and potholders and hot pads to match getting a head start on Christmas gifts. We're doing another "no spend" Christmas. Gifts will come from what we've created. Have a blessed day. Cookie
ReplyDeleteGood for you! I think we are all so blessed with so much of everything, that it would help us all to do this.
DeleteHeck yes, use up the stuff you have and make gifts. That is a win-win in my book. I love the no spend idea on Christmas. We get so caught up in commercialism in all aspects of life - let us all get creative. You are a smart 'Cookie'!
Funny, my daughter mentioned yesterday that she realized there is more meat in the downstairs freezer than she realized. While I am away she won't be shopping for anything more than fresh veg and fruit, her soda pop (it's her choice rather than coffee/tea). I hope she sticks to it. I did got through the freezer here and it's a little low so hopefully there are good sales this week.
ReplyDeleteBy the way, I used to have a sign when my children were younger that read, "Teenagers, No is a complete sentence."
I think we all end up with way more than we actually think we have sometimes - with everything. Hopefully she gets a good opportunity to use some of it up.
DeleteLove it. So correct - no is a complete sentence!!!!!
I stay stocked up on everything but not too much to avoid things getting out of date. I used up the green bell peppers from last summers garden this week. I still have a couple of bags of blue berries and a couple of bags of other peppers to use up too. By the time things start coming in my freezer should be ready.
ReplyDeleteThat is good to have last year produce gone when the new things start. Dates are not something I have ever worried about.
DeleteGood for you on using it up.
I feel just like you do Cheryl. No panic buying here. Just the usual stock up on any item that is really on sale. I can last for a long, long time.
ReplyDeletePanic never solves anything. Yep, just continue along at a nice pace and stock along the way. Can substitute if necessary.
DeleteGlad to hear it.
Food wise I'm fine for a few months at least - and yes, in the Summer I give myself a bit of a break from cooking and rely more on a rotisserie chicken, maybe some shrimp and some cold meat & cheese - that sort of thing. Plus lots of salads! It will be another month or so before we start to see local produce (other than greenhouse grown items) but we get lots of imports from overseas so we are lucky to still have a lot of choice.
ReplyDeleteI am trying to eat things down from both the freezer and the pantry as I am also looking to change what I eat a bit - adding more fish and seafood. I probably have about 2 months worth of meals in my small fridge/freezer alone - never mind what is in the pantry so I am making a real effort. I now replace items with the things that I know I will use in a more timely manner - live and learn.
Non food items I am still buying when I see a sale or as I think about something that may not be as easy to find due to tariffs from China and the US - it those sorts of things where I've noticed some gaps on the store shelves. I'm not desperate for anything but keep a note of things that may be getting a bit low so when I see a bargain I can shop then.
I love cooler meals and salads in the summer too. Makes life easy. That is the cool thing - we learn as we go along. Weed out what didn't work and form new habits.
DeleteI hope you find everything you need. Empty shelves is not something I have seen around here. Get stuff while the getting is good.
I'm "eating down" my freezer, in particular, right now. And, I'll reduce inventory of canned goods and home-canned goods, as well. I've got too much languishing and I refuse to pay the high prices for everything right now.
ReplyDeleteIf you got it - eat it and use it. Great way to safe money and it uses up things. I love that so many people are trying to get in the habit of using the older items they have.
DeleteWell said! I just got to this point recently as well. We have more than enough...blessed beyond measure and I need to use up what we have before buying more. Thank you for your blog...I get here when I can, and always enjoy your posts :)
ReplyDeleteThanks. We are blessed beyond measure. So many would love to be in our shoes. I just find if we don't use it - it goes bad - and that creates waste. That is an awful situation!
DeleteGlad to have you here.
Good idea. I don't eat beans much, but I have so many tins of beans in storage, so I aim to eat them more, and not buy any more even if on sale.
ReplyDeleteWhen I was sorting out my clothes a few months ago I added up over 60 pairs of socks, as I kept buying them when they were on sale. I gave a lot away, but I still have enough socks to last me for the rest of my life!
You make a good point - it isn't just food. We tend to accumulate things without realizing it. Yes, we need to use it - we spent money on it - so use it. I like donating too!
DeleteI have too many t-shirts and am thinking there are too many pairs of trousers as well. I kept buying when I saw good stuff at good prices. Now I'm out of space! :D When my local charity store reopens (still closed after that hurricane last fall) I will give some of these things to them to restock the store. It's taking much longer than anyone expected, but I bet that's because so many people need so much rebuilding and fixing that it's hard to find workers!
DeleteMaryB
What a wonderful blessing it will be for many people needing things. I can imagine that there has to be a lack of workers - people get tired and just have to stop sometimes. Organizations have other emergencies - it sure does stretch people thin doesn't it. Hopefully they will be open soon.
DeleteI have only been purchasing what I really need for meat. I was very low on whole chickens, beef roasts, and pork roasts. So when I see a really good sale I grab a couple. I should be good for quite awhile now and will just concentrate on fresh veggies and fruit for the next while. I need to eat down the veggies (beans and carrots) in the chest freezer and have started to do just that to clear it out for this years harvest.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
It looks like many of us shop the same. Buy the best deals when available, and cleaning out/down other items. I am glad you are set for quite a while. Good feeling.
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