july has been the month of new beginnings. i know, i know, january was the month of new beginnings, but really, january through june were a lead up, and july, well, in july, we began life anew. mike and i hit a wall, then hit july hand-in-hand, exactly the way it should be. and that counts for so much, don't you think? i am so lucky to be on this journey with my best friend.
tested:
the kitchen aid mixer (again), the bath faucet (again), the stove, the washing machine, and my sewing machine all broke this month. we managed to fix all of them ourselves.
groceries:
this includes food, health & body, and household items bought this month, but restaurant food comes from another category. this month, we were feeding 4 people.
i went to the cash method with a budget of $400.
here is what it $284.64 got us:
1 large bottle tapatio, 8 gallons milk, 9lb oatmeal, 15 lb black beans, 4lb grape tomatoes (pesticide free), 4lb frozen berries, 5 dozen eggs, 8 loaves natural bread, 12lb bananas, 1lb blue cheese, 4 lb cheddar cheese, 11lb organic carrots, 6 lb cottage cheese, 4lb organic spinach, 1.5 lb sandwich turkey, 2lb? soy flour, 100 pk corn tortillas, 20pk whole wheat flour tortillas, big bottle organic salsa (we are out of homemade now), bunch cilantro (ours went to seed), 8lb reduced price bananas, 1 large organic cucumber, 1 bunch organic celery, 1 pk organic blueberries reduced for quick sale, 1 cantaloupe, 13 organic apples, 5 lb tofu, 1 bottle hoison sauce, 1 onion, 1 head red cabbage, handful yogurt covered raisins (treat for mamma!), tub of hummus (for a party we were attending), 2lb organic whole wheat pasta, 2 package ak-mak crackers, box decaf tea, small container yogurt, 6lb mozzarella, 3lb organic caf coffee, 3lb decaf coffee, 5lb clementines, 4 baskets organic strawberries, 3 organic sweet potatoes, 1.75 qrt ice cream, 2 cans of 100% juice concentrate, 1 pack rice noodles, 1 box dishwasher powder (i make mine, but occasionally run a load with natural store bought. not sure why i do this really. i haven't noticed a difference.), 2 six oz tubes sunblock, 1 box cotton swabs, 1 package paper pull-ups (we are going away and can't do cloth), 2 boxes Os cereal (great for homemade trail snack for the kids), 1 box lasagne noodles. whew.
acquired free/barter/gift:
- several articles of clothing for me. freecycle, although i traded away this colorful/green mei tai i made. the woman seemed genuinely thrilled. i am glad...i never liked it as much as the first one i made, but i felt a little guilty giving away the carrier i had made especially for finnian. i don't think he'll notice, though! ;)
- 2 toy trucks; 1 dump truck and 1 metal (fabulous quality) tonka back hoe. my dad snatched these up from a spot next to the dumpster when up in the mountains. and my truck loving girl was thrilled beyond belief.
- book: animal, vegetable, miracle. thanks, kate and anne!
- lidded pyrex bowl/container, soy flour, sheets for sewing, school backpack for lala, and embroidery thread. thanks, lisa!
- small pile of adorable clothes for finnian. thanks, karen!
- cast iron bench ends and the matching bed to lala's (to make bunk beds). thanks, annie!
- almost full 5 gallon bucket of primer, 2 rolls painting rosin paper, and 4 new gallons of paint (hello, "new" kitchen and then some!)
- another backpack for lala (this one new, freecycle, and a bit more suitable*)
- a dress for lala and a onesie for finn. a cup warmer, videos, and a book. thanks, mom and dad!
- swim trunks for finn in a bigger size. thanks, annie!
- a needle felting starter kit from a new, local, crafty friend. thanks, marina!
- 2 skirts for me and 2 pairs of shorts for finn. thanks, rachel!
*lisa, this one was brand new, so i didn't need to make any repairs. yours will find a good home. thank you!
bought used:
- air compressor
- 3 books for bella, which we have checked out of the library 4 times each now. i put them in the "family store" bucket
- 1 pr pants, 2 shirts, all for me
bought new:
- 2 stainless steel water bottles. (kate and anne say they have seen them at their thrift stores in seattle. no dice around here!)
- sport top bottle for kids to use with stainless steel bottles
- book for a friend
- tights for me (should have held out for used, although these would be tough to find and mike says they fall in the "underwear" category, making them legal within our rules)
- car repair book - could not find used
- small parts and pieces for car and home repair
- sewing notions (i am now collecting a list of what to stock up on at next year's warehouse sale)
- kitchen aid parts for repair (again)
