Helping Mrs. HB Get Control of Her Grocery Budget – Week 16

Another week another dollar saved. This week, as I mentioned last week, I was away at a business meeting. I didn’t prepare any meals nor go to the grocery store. However, I know I will have to go one day just to buy a few essentials; aka nonfat greek yogurt and a couple of things for my quinoa salad. I have missed it much! On a good note, my Mother in Law didn’t use any of my freezer meals (I think she likes to cook for the crew while I am away) so I can use them this week! YAY! And as far as Costco goes…. check out this receipt! The boys went wild while I was away … Can you believe what they thought they needed and bought it?

At least it won’t be on my list later. The only good thing about having to go to a business meeting is that everything is done for you. All my meals made and severed to me. My bedroom cleaned and bed made every day. I didn’t have to drive around like a crazy person getting HB kids to this and that after work. And I didn’t have to cook or clean for anyone else. I got to nap and read trash magazines on the plane as a bonus. But you know what? I would trade it all not to have had to go, ever again. I miss my HB family and I hate business trips!!!!

Before I left I did make a planned trip to Home Goods and Marshalls. I know what you are all thinking and I stayed focused. I have been looking for a couple of tall ceramic pots to go on my front porch for about a year. I have found many that I like but I just haven’t been able to pull the trigger, especially now since I have been on my budget. All the ones I have wanted have been between $300 or $600. Or on sale for buy one at full price and get the second half off. It’s just not enough off.

There is NO way I am going to spend that much on a planter. I don’t care where it’s made or who I buy it from they just can’t be really worth THAT much! I also know that Costco sells them periodically and at the right price point. But for the past couple of seasons the ones they have been selling aren’t the color, material or shape I wanted. So I decided to keep waiting. But on this particular day I decided to venture into Home Goods and there they were! The tall one was 49.99 and the smaller, 29.99. Perfect! I would like to find one more of the tall ones. Called around to other Home Goods but no luck… I will keep my fingers crossed that another comes in somewhere.

Hillbilly boy made $128 this weekend at a Boy scouts fundraiser. Good for him right! They made planters, potatoes boxes and flower planters. Home Depot donated the materials. Isn’t that nice! I did purchase a couple of the items for the expansion of our garden. As well he sold several other items to family and friends. They got to keep a percentage of what they sold only if they built the planters as well.

The money goes to the cost of future Boy Scout outings… I figured I got to get what I wanted for our Hillbilly garden. HB Hubby and I got to join in on the fun build and HB Boy has an outing paid for. It’s a win, win, win situation! Plus it was a fun project!
I love this time of year…staying lighter later…

After building all those boxes I was sweaty and gross. So when I came home I just had the itch to get out in the yard, even though it was raining. I think sitting in a hotel all week in meetings just made me hanker for the outdoors. And Lord knows you can’t count on the sun to come out around here. If I did that I would never get out into nature.

Anyway I ended up expanding the HB garden. It may not look like much in the picture but I can tell you driving 8 iron poles in the hard rocky dirt with a sled hammer is tiring. I am already sore! I put the garden boxes and potatoes boxes in. As well as the planters I bartered with Ms. Mavis a couple of weeks ago. I can’t even remember what I gave her for those.

I did plant onion starts and several old potatoes from last year that have been sitting in our pantry growing green stems. They both are doing well and peeking out. I can’t wait to plant the starts Ms. Mavis and I planted way back when. I have done what Ms. Mavis told me to toughen them up and they are now acclimated to the outside and have been staying out there all week.

This is a good thing because if I still had them inside while I was away, I don’t know if they would have been watered once. At least outside I know they have been…… rain rain rain…. go away and please don’t come back for at least several days!!!

Hope all is going well with you and your budget.
Until next week,
Ms. Hillbilly