Rose Arbor from Allposters
It has been awhile since I have posted and I am going to enjoy explaining the reason:
I might have mentioned that we share one car in our family, and it seems to work out well for us. When my husband is not needing the car, I use it to go to my usual places: the grocery store, Post Office, any visits I need to make, etc.
As I noticed higher prices (which is usually what happens in winter months, especially fresh foods) I began to be concerned about expenses. I got the big idea to combine my necessary errands with my husband's just to be more frugal with gas. His trips involved stops at so many places, at such great distances apart that it took all day. Usually when he is away doing all his business, I stay home so I can get tend to the house and yard and meal preparation. I like to have the main things in order before nightfall. I began to get behind on so many things that after a week of catching rides with him, and even getting dropped off at places I like to see, I found it just was not very efficient use of my time. I was so tired upon our arrival at home in the evenings and got further behind on things.
Now that experiment and experience is over, I am back doing things the way I did before - staying home and going out on short trips only when I need to. My husband likes to stop and get things I need when he is on the way home from somewhere, and he is good about getting the exact brand and price I request, so it works out better if I do not combine my trips with his!
Hobby Lobby has big display of cotton fabrics in delicious shades of color, for $4.44 a yard. I found this peach color to go with a hat that has been around here for a long time. The store let me use my 40 percent coupon on the fabric, so I felt I got a real bargain, which amounted to a little more than $2.00 a yard. I did find some fabric the exact color of the straw hat but it was $9.00 a yard so I decided on the peach fabric at the lower price.
The dress is for someone else, so I hope to begin sewing soon.
After not spending much time at home, my thought today is: Time spent at home is well spent!
11 comments:
Like you I tried that "catch a ride with husband" for a trip to town. I also found it was an unwise use of my time since my husband enjoys taking long visits with friends and I end up sitting in the truck waiting for him. Time I could be spending on projects or getting things done at home.
I have budgeted gas for my car to get to town twice a week. One day for church on Sunday and one day for bible study, grocery shopping and visiting my parents.
If I wish to go another day for any other reason, I have to save up for extra gas since we are on a fixed retirement income now.
Thank you for sharing your experience. Guess I'm not alone.
Mrs. J.
Janet, the more I stay put, the easier it is to run the home, and the better I feel. Too much running around and waiting for each other at various stops also took up extra time on his part too.
Your fabric and hat are a very pretty find. I like the sheen on the fabric. And thank you for sharing with us. We appreciate your blog so much.
I wanted to comment a bit more about saving money since the price of things are always on the rise.
I have found that during the summer there are savings to be had if one lives close U-pick farms.
We can save on all sorts of produce by picking them ourselves and drying, canning or freezing it for future use.
Department stores have 50-70% off sales right after Christmas.
Once a yr. grocery stores have
"case sales" on all sorts of canned goods. Certain times of the year the stores have meats on sale that they purchase at the local 4-H auctions.
"End of season sales" are always good times to stock up on supplies for the next season or year.
There are no sales on time so I must try to figure how to find it and use it more wisely.
Thanks Lydia for taking the time to share with us.
Mrs. J.
Very witty, Mrs. j. You are right. Time is to valuable to waste.
I missed your blog and I am so thankful that you are okay. I was praying that you were just busy. Welcome Home!!
Thank you Debbie. I will be setting aside blogging time.
Janet, Debbie, I didn't find the trips in the truck very productive in the past and I get so much more done at home.
I noticed a lot more noise "out there" compared to home. Music (noisic) in all the stores and public buildings, and a lot of other noises, all at one time. So the week traveling in the car made me see how much quiet there is at home.
We are a one car family here, too. It works out for us at this time, and is quite a bit less of an expense than having two cars.
It works best for me to have just one or sometimes two scheduled errand days a week, and the other days at home. There is always plenty to do here at home. I'm a home body at heart and start to get a bit frazzled doing too many errands in one day. I, too, have often noticed the uncomfortable noise levels in some stores. It always feels good to finish up and get out of those establishments.
That is very pretty fabric. I really like that pale peach color and the texture is nice, too.
Have a wonderful week!
I text message my husband with my shopping list if I can't go out. Like you, we only have one car, but my husband has a company van, and my son uses the car to go to work.
It's also handy if he wants to pick up something special from the Greek diner to bring home. I text him what I want, and voila it's home.
You were missed! Thank you for sharing your finds!
Post a Comment