1. Groceries: We had a no-spend week. Still working on cleaning out the freezer. I want to have most of the current contents gone by August when we'll have more garden produce to freeze.
2. Cooking: I made boiled eggs in the Instant Pot and bread in the bread machine this week. I need to start changing my menu a little bit to absorb all of the eggs we've been getting. I think I'll do egg salad for our "sandwich Thursday" and then a quiche meal, along with my regular eggs for breakfast. I also switched from pancakes on Saturday to French toast, which is another excellent way to use up eggs.
3. Gardening: I continue to watch the little tomato seedlings that I planted last week. Some of the seedlings suffered from damping off. This happened last year, and the year before as well, but NOT the first year I started seeds. I figured out last week that it might be because I'm "frugally" reusing the potting soil. Oops. I guess I'm not saving money if all of the seedlings die. Next year I'm going to use all pellets, which are much easier to store and use than regular seed starter.
4. Clothing: Ironed patches on several pairs of jeans. I still have to sew around the edges in order for the pants to be back in commission. I also picked up more cans to recycle for diaper money. :)
5. Taxes*: we got our taxes back from the accountant this week. Most people don't bother trying to save on taxes, but if you have income besides a paycheck (rent income, small business income, "other" income, etc.), it's worth getting an accountant to help out. We itemize our deductions instead of taking the standard deductions, so there are plenty of ways for us to save on taxes. This includes putting money into tax-sheltered retirement accounts (something anyone can do), writing off all business expenses and even keeping track of Goodwill donations. I made over $600.00 on book royalties, which was super! But even BETTER, we were able to find enough write-offs to eliminate taxes on that income, which would have been at least $120.00. I'm keeping much better track of my writing expenses this year, as the income will probably be quite a bit higher.
6. Books: I ordered another book from our library's interloan system. I also borrowed an audiobook from the library's Libby app.
That's about it for this week. I've been spending some of my afternoons finishing up the first draft of The Housewife's Guide to Frugal Produce (or, Frugal Fruits and Vegetables- I haven't decided.). I'm not finished quite yet, but... soon.
Til next time,
-Bethany
*Just so you all know, I'm not a tax professional by a long shot! But taxes are fascinating to me, and I'm proud to say that I found two legit tax-saving strategies this year, all by myself.
2. Cooking: I made boiled eggs in the Instant Pot and bread in the bread machine this week. I need to start changing my menu a little bit to absorb all of the eggs we've been getting. I think I'll do egg salad for our "sandwich Thursday" and then a quiche meal, along with my regular eggs for breakfast. I also switched from pancakes on Saturday to French toast, which is another excellent way to use up eggs.
3. Gardening: I continue to watch the little tomato seedlings that I planted last week. Some of the seedlings suffered from damping off. This happened last year, and the year before as well, but NOT the first year I started seeds. I figured out last week that it might be because I'm "frugally" reusing the potting soil. Oops. I guess I'm not saving money if all of the seedlings die. Next year I'm going to use all pellets, which are much easier to store and use than regular seed starter.
4. Clothing: Ironed patches on several pairs of jeans. I still have to sew around the edges in order for the pants to be back in commission. I also picked up more cans to recycle for diaper money. :)
5. Taxes*: we got our taxes back from the accountant this week. Most people don't bother trying to save on taxes, but if you have income besides a paycheck (rent income, small business income, "other" income, etc.), it's worth getting an accountant to help out. We itemize our deductions instead of taking the standard deductions, so there are plenty of ways for us to save on taxes. This includes putting money into tax-sheltered retirement accounts (something anyone can do), writing off all business expenses and even keeping track of Goodwill donations. I made over $600.00 on book royalties, which was super! But even BETTER, we were able to find enough write-offs to eliminate taxes on that income, which would have been at least $120.00. I'm keeping much better track of my writing expenses this year, as the income will probably be quite a bit higher.
6. Books: I ordered another book from our library's interloan system. I also borrowed an audiobook from the library's Libby app.
That's about it for this week. I've been spending some of my afternoons finishing up the first draft of The Housewife's Guide to Frugal Produce (or, Frugal Fruits and Vegetables- I haven't decided.). I'm not finished quite yet, but... soon.
Til next time,
-Bethany
*Just so you all know, I'm not a tax professional by a long shot! But taxes are fascinating to me, and I'm proud to say that I found two legit tax-saving strategies this year, all by myself.
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