Planning for Spring Already

I've got a plan in mind for Spring.  My plan is to plant a beautiful, bountiful veggie garden.  I see myself picking red ripe tomatoes, sweet corn, succulent cucumbers and fiery jalapeños.  I see colorful jars of salsa, chow chow, ketchup, corn, potatoes, green beans, and pickles lining the shelves in my cupboard. 

The problem?  I live in Oklahoma. It does present some challenges.  First, the soil is mostly red clay.  Second, it gets crazy-hot during the summer.  Third, lots of droughts.  My solution?  Raised beds.  Here is my inspiration.  I love how neat and organized it is and the zinnias add a perky pop of color. 

Raised beds address all three of the problems. I can choose exactly the soil mixture I want to use. I can add shade during those long hot summer days by adding movable hoop houses.  As to droughts, I can focus my sprinkles just on the garden itself and I won't be wasting water to keep a green lawn.  That will now be garden area.  We sit on a bit over 1/2 of an acre so I have a lot of space.

Since our goal is to reduce our spending and increase our self-sufficiency, a garden is the perfect addition to our home.  I do love to cook so canning is something I really look forward to trying.  I've got a huge file of recipes already.  For Yule, I'm asking for canning supplies and books.  I hope I can really decrease our grocery bill significantly next year by utilizing my garden.  Who knows?  Maybe I can even sell some of my produce or canned goods and bring in a little extra cash too. 

The Road Home-It's Official!

I am officially on my 36 month count down. 

Life has thrown Hubs & I a few curve balls in the past few years.  I lost my job of 8 years, which sent me into a scramble searching for something new.  I had a few part-time gigs, a few temp jobs, and am now finally working full time again.  It's not really what I want, but, it's a steady paycheck until a better job comes along.  I have an interview tomorrow and another possibility lurking in the shadow so we shall see where it all leads.

Hubs had a rough time too.  After a hellish 18 months, he quit his crappy job and found out it was tough out there.  He, too, worked some temp jobs until he found a full time position, which he loves.  Needless to say, it was pretty rough for us.  Money was tight and the stress was high. 

I know many others were in the same boat as we were.  We were trying to live the "American Dream" and it almost came crashing down around us.  We were fortunate.  We had enough reserves and credit to make it through.  Yes, we now have some serious debt but at least we were able to keep our beautiful home, cars, and marriage together.  I am heartbroken for the folks who weren't as lucky as us.  We learned a lot of hard lessons during all of this.

One thing we learned was how much we both enjoyed having me at home.  The traditional set-up worked very well for us.  I had time to keep our home really clean, organize the outside chores, take care of errands, cook delicious meals, and enjoy socializing.  I realized just how important this was to me.  I always worked and this was the first time since I was 18 to experience being a full-time housewife.  This was what I was born to do.  This was the "career" that has eluded me all these years!  It really was a revelation.

Hubs got to come home to a relaxed & happy wife, a clean house, and a hot meal on the table.  He was able to focus at work, knowing he was freed from doing chores after work.  He could come home and simply relax.  Yup, this is how it's supposed to be, for us anyway. 

So on that note, we have dedicated ourselves to paying off our debts as quickly as possible, which in our case, looks to be about three years.  36 month.  156 months.  1095 days.  OK, you get the picture.  Yes, I am counting!  We started the countdown when I got my job in July.  So I'm already down almost 2 month!  WOOHOO! 

This blog is to document the road less taken.  The road to financial freedom and the road to becoming a one-income family.  The road to building a longed-for lifestyle that supports our values, our community and our hearts.  The road, literally, home.