Trying to Prepare for what is to Come

I think by now we all realize, wherever we live, that things are getting rough financially for so many of us. Rising costs on just about everything and shortages on things like baby formula and now disel, should scare you. The problems that led to the baby formula shortages we known about months ago, and yet the FDA has not allowed to manufacturing plant to reopen, even though the problems have been fixed. Meanwhile, there are pallets and pallets full of formula in warehouses down at our southern border for people who are crossing into our country illegally. I realize that the babies being brought in also may need formula, but what about the babies who are legal citizens of our country? Why are they deemed "not importantant enough" to warrent the same abount of concern? I just don't get it and quite frankly, it makes me angry! Jeff and I are very concerned about what is to come with the rising costs. I am a planner and want to have all my ducks in a row so to speak in order to feel safe. Jeff on the other hand will get overwhelmed with all that there is to do and is not fond of my list making and discussions about what all we need to do. He is more than willing to work on the projects that I have lined up for us, but with his new work schedule, there is less time in the day to do them and that is stressing him out. I am trying to get more things done to take some pressure off of him, and our Steven has been a wonderful helper to me. I think Jeff is now feeling what I have for most of my life, being totally overwhelmed by too much to do. It is like we are swithching roles in a sense and I don't think either of us are really thrilled about it. In trying to save money to put elsewhere where it is needed, we are doing some familiar things and others, that are not something that we have normally done. I did buy the capri leggings pictures above for $3.33 each, and they were brand new, at a yard sale a few weeks back. I needed a few extra pairs since that is what I live in during the hotter months of the year. I also found some plain colored shirts for $1 each at Dollar Tree, before the prices went up. I'm glad I got them then. Speaking of rising prices, I realized that the 50 pound bags of flour that I got for $12.00 a year ago where now $29.00 at Winco the last time I checked! They are only going to get higher too. I am so glad I bought an extra 50 pounds awhile back when the prices were at $19.00 a bag. The college students are leaving and at one of the colleges, WSU, many of the students just throw out their things. We were able to get a nice chair, which we will sell, some clothing, a door mat, and a metal headboard, which I will use as a cucumber trellis in the garden. I am hoping to go back and find more things. I know in the past we have found furniture and sold it, but it seems more people are now strapped for cash and are doing the same thing we do. With the pressing issue of the diesel shortages, I asked Jeff to please buy 2 more gas cans and fill them up today before he comes home. Diesel is needed to power the trucks that deliver the gas and we are already seeing some gas shortages in our area. I want to have at least 10 gallons of gas set aside just for filling up Jeff's little comuter car. I also want him to top off one of the ones that we have here already and have been using for the lawn mower. I do have a 4th can and that is just for the generator if needed. My big fear is that gas prices will either go sky high here soon, or we will not be able to find gas and that Jeff would not be able to make it to work. He commutes about 34 miles each way 5 days a week. Luckily his paycheck is a bit higher this time due to some overtime pay, so we can comfortably do this at the moment without it taking away from something else. Jeff is hoping to finish the greenhouse for me this weekend and I, if I am able since I am sick right now with a horrible cold that I think I caught from our Steven, want to get more seeds going in the greenhouse. I also need to do more direct sowing of some of the cooler weather plants. I have already started harvesting spinach and radishes from my first planting and the second planting is coming along nicely for the most part. Sadly, the pok choi did not come up and I have no idea why. I will try a second planting and see what happens. I've made a detailed list of things that we will need and are low on or that I just feel need to be added to what we already have. Yes, I started to read the list to Jeff and he kind of shut down a bit. That is when he told me about how he was feeling. I had totally forgotten that he had told me this before and I appologized to him. I will keep the list in my notebook and pick up what we need without telling him everything. My goal honestly is to have at least a year's worth of stuff that we use on a regular basis on hand. Jeff has his own list of things that he wants to have here and bills that he wants to get paid off. It is stressing him out to not be able to put bigger chunks of money on paying off some of the bills, and I understand that. Luckily for us, Summer is a time of being able to eat more out of the garden, so we will spend much less on fresh produce. Jeff has gotten really good about trying new things in his salads, so that is really helpful when it comes to nutrition also. I'm super proud of him for that. The laundry line, rain barrels, free buckets, and other things will all be used extensively to help save us money. Steven and I will be working the gardens like crazy and will be doing more succession planting. I'll be sending home fresh produce with him and also giving some to Chris and Heather, while still trying to preserve a bunch of it for us. Heather has said she will continue to provide us with eggs free of cost, so that is a huge help right there also. Be blessed all and try to stay positive in these unsettling times. By the way, this is not supposed to be all one big run on paragraph, but blogger is being strange and this is how it all came out!