Life on a Budget.

If I had my way, I'd hire a house cleaner. And then a dog walker. And then a part-time cook.


But as our bank account is more often on the low side than the high and we are more often running out of time then relishing in extra hours, I try to watch it when it comes to things that some people consider necessities...such as haircuts, dog grooming, etc and attempt to use our time and resources wisely.



Here's a synopsis of things we've tried.



There have been some positives:



Exhibit A:

Rocky, for example... I do not try to humiliate my children without reason. BuT, when they SHED EXCESSIVELY ALL OVER the carpet, and at the very moment I wrap up the vacuum cord and put it away they deposit more bold black hair covering our off-white carpet, I will cut it off. (who puts off-white carpet in a house anyway?)

And really, I can't tell the difference too much. After a shave, a once over with the vacuum cleaner fluffs up his hair and makes it look...fuller...more volumous. It's like a doggy mousse. And much cheaper than the puppy salon.

Exhibit B:

My discovery of Heffron Farms. We feed Adalynn as much organic as possible, and Milk was high on the list of importance for me. But, Hello!! it is super expensive...I just can't pay over $3.00 for a half gallon of milk. And around our house, a half gallon lasts for what, a day? So, as I waited to pick up a closet organizer that I purchased off craigslist, I found myself in this little store. And I was delighted to find antibiotic free, no growth hormones Creamline Whole Milk. At $4.09 a Gallon. That, I can do. And it tastes super good. And I no longer have to scour the pathetic Sunday Ads for sales on organic Milk.

Exhibit C:

Our do-it-yourself Basement Modeling. (is it re-modeling when there is nothing there in the first place?). Since the Masselink Christmas party, Travis and Jeff have worked hard to get the drywall spackled and primed. And this is where it's at right now: The large room is spackled and primed, the laundry room has a couple of coats of spackling and sanding. It looks great, so far.

Exhibit D:

I had taken Jen to Hopscotch, a local Children's Store, to see cloth diapers and some slings for baby-wearing before her baby shower. She really liked the Mei-Tei's, so I thought I'd try my hand at sewing one. I *think* it worked. We'll see when Junior is born!

Exhibit E:

Boarding Kelsey with Owner Labor. We pay a small amount (compared to what the barn next door charges) for a stall, electric, and water. Then we travel 2-3 times daily to feed Patches and Kels, let them out, clean their stall, and provide other manual labor as needed. For the price of full board, I wouldn't change a thing. And I *love* seeing her everyday, it's a great excuse to get out of the house and make sure she's alive and well.

What has NOT worked:

Adalynn and I LOVE cheese. And the price has risen crazily. In light of this, I tried this morning to make my own cheese. With a little kit from Sicliano's, a gallon of Milk (see above), a pot and a colander I thought I was on my way to cheese heaven. Oh, how I do love cheese. However, I looked over the fine print in my excitement and used the only large pot I have...which I suppose has aluminum in it...a big No-No. So my cheese didn't curd.

I will conquer you, cheese. I'll be back.

Exhibit B:

I tried to work more this week, honest I did. I don't normally work on Wednesdays, but this past Wed I headed out bright and early to feed Kels, then see a couple of patients before Travis left for work. But. After feeding Kelsey I hurried back to the nice, warm, running Jeep...only to find that the door had locked. Or I locked the door. I don't know. Not only did it cost us 2 hours, wet socks, almost frostbite, $12 for a new key to unlock the door, and frustration, but I also ran out of time to work. Grrrrr.

Moral of the story? Overachievement is Overrated.

Exhibit C:

The most frustrating for me are the mundane, everyday, gotta-clean-it-cause-it-don't-clean-itself, gotta-buy-it-even-though-it's-expensive-cause-we-can't-live-without-it. Not meaning that Adalynn is a mundane "thing", but she is one of the most frequently cleaned items around here. This one landed her in the bath. Talk about a messy lunch! Beyond wrapping her and our whole house in plastic wrap, then not eating/sleeping/breathing, I don't know of any good solutions to these problems.