Buckle Up Baby! It's About to get Rough Again...
I'm getting that worried feeling again. Covid-19 cases are climbing with the new variants in our state and is being made so much worse by the partying college kids at WSU. Our county is going to have to revert back a phase with further restrictions going into place that we just had come out of. That is what is going on locally here. Now add to that all the national debt that our country is adding, inflated housing prices and rising taxes to pay for all the "special programs" and things that for some reason are seeming to be prioritized over what is good for and helps the actual American people as a whole. Why we are paying for gender studies in other countries just baffles my mind when we have so many people hurting here right now that do need help. All this frivolous government spending with no regard to the amount of debt we are saddling our children and grandchildren with just ticks me off to no end. I can also see a huge economic crash on the horizon with hyper inflation, lots of home foreclosures and even more suffering. If you have studied that stock market crash and what led to the Great Depression, you will see a lot of similarities to what has been going on currently. Buckle up people, we are in for a world of hurt if we are not prepared for what is to come.
Bearing all of the above in mind, along with having a goal of Jeff being able to at least semi retire at age 65 before his back gives out (degenerative disk disease that runs in his family), Jeff and I have decided to buckle down even more and try to pay off debt at an more accelerated rate than we have been. Our goal of having 3 months worth of income in our emergency fund is just about there so once that happens, every spare bit of money over what is needed to pay for basic living expenses and some big projects around here will be going to debt repayment.
While Jeff is outside right now working on getting the garden cleaned out and trimming trees, I am inside working on a few things myself. I have rice cooking to go with our dinner of leftovers. We have have lettuce, tomatoes, salmon loaf, carrots, and tamale pie that need to be eaten tonight. I am cooking a large pot of rice to go along with this, making sure that I cook extra to us in future meals. Two loaves of homemade bread just came out of the oven and the leftover bread from earlier in the week has been made into homemade garlic croutons (which Jeff loves). I quickly broiled some asparagus while the oven is still hot and use that to have with dinner also and use some cold in a pasta salad also. Asparagus is one of my favorites and I only buy it when it is on sale in the Spring. By using the same pan that I did the croutons on, I was able to not only use the heat from the oven, but also save on washing another pan and the pan itself already had olive oil and garlic salt on it. All I had to do was add a bit more oil, roll the asparagus around on it and then add some freshly cracked pepper and Himalayan salt to it and pop it in the oven. Easy, quick, frugal and will make for a delicious treat! I will have half of the asparagus with dinner and use the other half in a future pasta salad.
Jeff has been working on making my raised garden beds with free lumber and some old metal roofing. He took down a fence in our yard today and will use some of that on the raised beds also. We are going to go out to Chris and Heather's to see if the dirt that they had cleared for a pad for their future shop will work to help fill the raised beds and all we would have to add is some compost that we are going to be buying in bulk. Jeff has been really good about using our compost pile to put dead grass and kitchen scraps in along with weeds so they can compost down. Tomorrow I need to put the leftover used coffee grounds around the blueberry bushes. They love the acid in it and it helps keep them healthy and productive. Since it is so warm, I am thinking it might be I will get some of the cold weather crop seeds started within the next few days. The hot tub area is the perfect area to start seeds in because it is protected from the wind and if you put the seed trays on the hot tub cover, the warmth from the hot tub helps the seeds get off to a good start.
I want to encourage people to learn as many skills as they can and always look for new ways to save a penny here, a dime there and a dollar today and tomorrow. Be conscious of food waste and freeze things if you cannot use them up right away IF they can be frozen. Try to eat what is in season and stock up on fruits and veggies at their lowest prices. Enjoy them in season and freeze some for later. When you see a good sale on canned goods, pasta, or things that you use on a regular basis and can safely store, buy them so that you do not pay inflated prices later. Look at the thrift stores for things that you need. I even find new sheet sets at Goodwill for 1/4 (or less) of the retail prices. The hand held high pressure shower head Jeff found for $12.99 and installed in our shower retails for about $50 and it has 6 settings. We love it! It has excellent reviews and makes showering much easier for me since I can then direct the flow of water water where I need it and not have to bend and twist as much. I know I sound like a broken record, but YouTube is your friend. You can learn so many new skills, see how to do repairs, learn a new craft, cooking videos and even find some amazing movies there. This is how Jeff and I watch the news too. Honestly, you do not need to be paying for cable TV or monthly streaming services. The Dollar Tree is a great place to buy laundry detergent, dishwashing soap for your dishwasher, huge packages of napkins, bags of Himalayan salt, cotto salami, medicated body powder and the generic version of Neosporin. I also buy my jarred pesto sauce there, garden seeds, kitchen gadgets like scrapers, ziplock type bags and parchment paper, foil containers for freezing homemade make ahead meals in, etc.. I even found a small front door mat there that Isaiah and I will be painting together. Try to think outside the box and substitute things when you can. Even though the road ahead may be rough and bumpy, we can still find ways to cut costs and enjoy life!
Amen - Preach it sister. Not just the great depression but remember the times around 2008. Housing prices were inflated, markets crashed and people lost a bunch. The economy sucked.
ReplyDeleteWe really need to stop this mess going on - not sure how. PRAY!
You might want to keep a small chunk of funds at home as well - I mean if the banks closed (wouldn't surprise me) what would you do?
Great ideas and suggestions. Keep the faith and keep doing your best. Have a great weekend.
THank you Cheryl! I was just thinking about how the oil embargo thing in the 70's affected gas prices and how that also led to huge increases across the board for food and other goods also. Thank you also for the reminder to keep a small chunk of funds at home...we usually do that but I know that we have recently used what I did have here on hand.
DeleteSounds like you've been busy! Good decision to pay down the debt. Stay safe and keep well.
ReplyDelete:) Thank you! Trying to stay as busy as my body will allow me to be. I actually got a few things planted in the garden today. :)
DeleteI think your right about the mis-management going on in our government right now.
ReplyDeleteIt’s both sad and scary.
Best wishes to y’all on getting your finances in the place you want them.
We just paid for new vinyl privacy fencing and I’m back in 100% frugal mindset to build our savings back up.
Hi Rhonda! I'll bet you will enjoy that fence for years to come! Good investment.
DeleteI've been following for awhile and this is my first comment. I live in Illinois and people are jumping ship left and right. My property go up $500-$600 a year. If it weren't for our boys we'd be gone. Thank you for speaking the truth, Patti Ann
ReplyDeleteI'm terrible at the computer, that would be property taxes go up....
DeleteWelcome Patti Ann and thank you for your comment. :) That is a huge jump in your property tax bill...I am so sorry! Believe me, if we could afford to, we would be moving out of Washington state and into Idaho but the housing in hard to find in the area that we want to move to and the prices are sky high. We want to stay close to family there.
DeleteThis government has had to do something, after the serious debt and mismanagement of the previous president
ReplyDeleteI'm curious to know what examples you have of mismanagement and huge added debt that President Trump did. I'm always wanting to learn and have an open and respectful discussion. :)
DeleteSorry Debbie, but I think you need to do more research. The national debt rose almost 7.8 Trillion during President Trump's time in office. And that was mostly before the pandemic started. Oh you know that thing that was a hoax. That was going away like a miracle. That has killed millions?
DeleteOh and the corporate tax rate was cut from 35% to 21%. Don't you think that added to the huge debt?
I can go on and on if you want me to?
Frankly the debt scares me too, but Trump helped dig the hole that we are in now.
I love YouTube. It is such a valuable resource. So far the economic indicators have said that we will have continual economic growth. The basis for that is what the new administration is doing for the working classes. That said having at least a year's wages in savings gives a household a safety net.
ReplyDeleteThe last administration's tax cut benefitted the super rich and did not raise wages for most of the workers. There was not the return growth of businesses that the administration felt might happen. The rich just kept the money and benefitted from the tax advantages. This administration is trying another tactic to help those left out of the economic pie. We hope this works. Also, this administration has promised to help with the price of drugs and medical costs. Having the federal government, meaning our taxes, paying for the Covid vaccine so all can get it for free is a wonderful way to collectively help all.
I am totally onboard with you about making sure that everyone can get the vaccine that wants it. Our last administration is the one who pushed for and invested in getting this vaccine developed, preordered it and help pay for the development of such. The current administration is also continuing trying to get it out there, so kudos to both. :)
DeleteUnfortunately, due to the pandemic and businesses having to shut down, some did go out of business and many workers lost their jobs. I have 2 family members that lost their businesses, one had a small store and the other had a chain of restaurants across the USA. The one with the chain of restaurants was paying his employees out of his own personal bank account to try and help keep the families afloat until he had nothing left. His assets and personal wealth went from way up there to very little. :( Before the pandemic hit, he was expanding his business empire and doing well employing so many people. Most business owners I know were having great growth in their businesses before the pandemic hit.
Honestly, I have HUGE concerns with all the spending that the current administration is doing while undoing some of the positive things that our former administration put in place. The spending is out of control and will continue to be if someone does not put a stop to it. It is unfair to saddle our children, grandchildren and greatgrandchildren with HUGE debts. Taxes are already being raised on fuel both federally and in some states. There will be a 60 cents per gallon increase in my state per gallon between the two. That will be felt not only at the gas pump,, but it will increase costs on everything. Our food prices are already taking a huge jump in prices, freight companies are raising their prices which is then passed on to the consumers (my hubby works for a freight company so I know what is going on in that field), and this will end up affecting any travel related business because people will not be able to travel. That means restaurants, airlines, hotels, shops that depend on tourism, attractions, etc.. I used to work in the hospitality business and my father managed a resort for 38 years, so I know all about how the economy affects all that, I've lived it. All this is going to take the biggest toll on those in the lower income brackets...the same people who are already struggling to make ends meet. I have many friends who have lost their homes and are struggling to make it day to day. I don't understand how we can continue to spend money to house and educate people who come to our country illegally and yet we have so many homeless out on the streets including families. I don't understand how our own children cannot be in school due to the pandemic and yet we will educate children who are not citizens and are crammed into tiny spaces also putting them at further risk for spreading covid-19 and other illnesses among themselves...that is just cruel to ALL the children. I also know kids who have been used by the drug cartels to move their drugs up into our country and how their sisters have been sex trafficked and their families held hostage. The policy that is out there now is actually encouraging instead of discouraging this heinous behavior.
The economic indicators that I am seeing are not indicating growth. Family connections there too and what they are telling me is scary along with what I am seeing in the stock markets and the plays behind the scenes with the banking industry.
I can only go on what I personally have seen play out over the years, my contacts with people in business and government, my heartbreaking dealings with people who have been trafficked, and knowing the ripple effect that each decision to spend more than we have has on future generations. All those "freebies" now will have to be paid for by all of us for many generations to come putting even more economic pressure on everyone.
We are getting the garden ready, too. I had such a productive garden last summer, and want to repeat that. I canned over 1,000 jars of various items, hoping to have a carry-over since we had used so much during that first period of Covid stay-at-home restrictions. Happily, I love to can and preserve, because we do have a carry-over, but it's not as big as I wanted, so I still get to can like crazy this summer! As my Mom always said, "it's like money in the bank to have a lot of home-preserved foods." Every little thing, right?
ReplyDeleteWell hello there Becky! You did great on your canning. I need to stop by your blog and see all that you have been up to. This past year has been one where I have kinda of withdrawn a bit but I am hoping to reach out more. :)
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