Petunia in an Onion Patch

More for the EF

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Tue, 02 Dec 2008 11:52:46 PST

Mr. H caught me about a week ago, and told me he had deposited his paycheck. He deposits set amounts into Checkbook One and Checkbook Two. Generally speaking, he manages Checkbook Two (mortgage, regular bills, medical expenses) and I manage Checkbook One (groceries, gas, clothing,...

$32.50 More to the Challenge and Lifestyle Changes

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Tue, 25 Nov 2008 02:55:52 PST

I had planned to list some of my curriculum items on Craig's list in January or February. This isn't really the time of year that people are buying this kind of item.

But, someone put a "wanted" posting on a local homeschooling yahoo group for a curriculum item that I had. From...

NSD's

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 14:40:56 PST

People, I have a confession to make.

I have a bad, bad habit.

I have an Americano-and-pastry habit. Costwise, I figure it's close to a pack of cigarettes a day. (No, I don't smoke. I just glanced at the price of a pack of cigarettes in a store one day.)

But I'm now at...

EF Revisited

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Thu, 20 Nov 2008 09:43:33 PST

Before I made the last post about Goal 1, DH and I had a discussion about the EF.

It was initiated by him. I think he's getting more concerned about the economy and his job.

Anytime he initiates a conversation about money I'm there. I've worked hard to get to this point....

Goal 1 - A Work in Progress

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Wed, 19 Nov 2008 14:31:18 PST

Goal 1 on the side bar used to be: Get Mr. H more involved in our financial life. At some point after I finish posting this I'm going to change it.

I've been giving some thought to what I might mean by "getting Mr. H more involved in our financial life". To be a goal it has to...

Emergency Fund

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Mon, 17 Nov 2008 10:36:32 PST

I'm still playing with goals. I left what I've had up in my sidebar as goals, although technically they are not goals. They aren't measurable and they don't have a deadline.

Laying in a significant emergency fund seems like a next good goal. Mr. H's job isn't stable, the economy...

Clutter, Weight and Money

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Thu, 13 Nov 2008 13:33:40 PST

** Warning: slightly dramatic and whiny post ahead. Read at your own risk. I don't plan to make a habit of this because in the long run I don't think it will help solve problems. But it helps me clarify some of my own thoughts, and it's a springboard for moving forward into 2009....

Craig's List

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 21:11:34 PST

Finally coming up for air. I think we're adjusted to Daisy's adventure to "away school" now. She is doing well there. Fall's always a little busy around here - the start of the school year (and its activities) is followed by Daisy's birthday, then Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas...

Stir-Fried Green Beans

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Wed, 17 Sep 2008 13:31:19 PST

I like to make Stir-Fried Green beans every year at about this time if I have access to garden-grown green beans. The recipe is in the More With Less Cookbook, and it's a tasty way to use a pound of green beans for a dinner. You can use the large-but-not-yet-woody/rubbery green beans...

Back in the Saddle

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Tue, 16 Sep 2008 09:03:32 PST

After a blogging break I'm going to get back at it.

Daisy has gone to "away school" for the first time and we are all adjusting. She seems to be enjoying it though. The school's quite a distance from our house; some of the fun for her is the carpooling arrangement with four of...

Hot Dog Bun French Toast

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Sun, 10 Aug 2008 06:25:33 PST

We went camping last week. We always have a great time - what's not to like about climbing trees, playing in the creek, riding bikes and hanging out by the fire? Mr H camped as a child and I camped with the scouts, and Daisy loves to go camping.

Usually we have some extra food...

Update and School

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Sat, 09 Aug 2008 16:28:10 PST

After not achieving my previous goal, I've decided to set new goals. They are on the sidebar. I expect to do some work on them next week (Daisy will be at day camp), then not do much until September. (As a sidenote, DH and I had an interesting discussion involving Dave Ramsey's...

Preview Performance

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Thu, 10 Jul 2008 08:10:45 PST

I guess blogging will be at a minimum this summer - we are busy doing summer things, and if Daisy is not occupied she is reading over my shoulder!

A friend of Daisy's is in a local production of a musical. The friend's mom gave me ticket information. I quickly went from "great"...

Cars

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Thu, 12 Jun 2008 12:47:38 PST

We've been talking about vehicles here in the onion patch.

DH owns a 1992 full-sized truck. I have a 1993 station wagon. Both of our vehicles have had a few problems over the years but have been dependable. They also have 160000+ miles on them.

DH commutes about 15 miles,...

Renegotiation

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Tue, 10 Jun 2008 07:19:07 PST

Since I wrote the "Negotiation" post we've had a follow on conversation that sounded something like this:

DH (while sitting at desk, which is in living room, and writing a check): "I'm writing a check for the mutual fund."

Me (knowing that our mutual fund is direct deposit,...

Abridged Version

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Mon, 09 Jun 2008 15:02:52 PST

I suppose some people drop off on their blogs because they don't have much to say. I have plenty to write about, but a bunch of Real Life stuff to take care of and so have had no time for blogging.

The abridged version, with more detailed entries to follow:

* We went out...

Negotiation

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Thu, 22 May 2008 06:02:09 PST

DH and I received a small income tax refund. We actually negotiated what we were going to do with it. This is a big step for us - in the past I made most of the financial decisions. While for some people that might sound ideal it doesn't lead to building togetherness in a marriage....

Reinventing the Wheel

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Wed, 21 May 2008 07:26:45 PST

I was listening to Dave Ramsey on the radio the other day. A caller said that he and his wife had just started doing a budget, and that they kept having all these unexpected expenses - software for his wife's college class, something for the kids (don't recall it specifically) etc....

Empty Checkbook

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Tue, 20 May 2008 06:17:03 PST

It's May 20th, and Checkbook Number One is looking pretty empty.

We got rid of The Dead Zone, so what happened?

Well, several things: the grocery/eating out dollars spent is way over budget, less is being put on the credit card (and thus being put off until next month) and there...

He Asked

westernredcedar1@msn.com (Petunia) — Sat, 17 May 2008 06:44:20 PST

Last night I was out running errands. When I got home DH asked where the Dave Ramsey book was. He had left it on his library book shelf. I had taken it off the shelf in the morning (and finished reading it) and hadn't put it back.

Do you know what this means?? DH is taking...