Hanging In and Checking Out

Hubby has successfully completed one week of employment at the new job. Hurrah! The first day was probably our biggest concern. We both had a lot of unanswered questions; questions that could only be answered once he started working. Thankfully, he came home at the end of his first day in a very positive mood. Obviously the longevity of this job after only one week is still uncertain. But he likes the work, and he likes the people. Doesn't get better than that! Even when he came home on Friday night, he was in a positive mood. He was even given a lot of positive feedback by the hiring manager on Thursday and Friday, and he's happy about that. So until the permanent job offer comes, we'll just keeping hanging in there...doing what we do best, praying like crazy and living our lives. Writing about all that I've learned over the last six months would take me weeks, but I can tell you one of the most important lessons I've learned...not putting our lives on hold in bad times. Yes, we had to make financial cutbacks and sacrifices, but we were still able to have good times and make plans. It's not easy, but it is possible. And that's the word I want to spread to anyone out there who is looking for work and/or has been out of work for a long time. Don't postpone the part of life where you enjoy something positive every day...no matter how small. Enjoy a good conversation w/your spouse or a close friend. Enjoy a good 15-minute tickle & giggle session with your younger child. Enjoy a fun experience away from the house with an older child, spouse and/or friend. Enjoy life! All worry and depression do is rob us of our lives. Little by little...minute by minute...our lives are on a countdown. Don't waste a single moment!

Hubby is currently a temporary employee on this job, so that brings a certain amount of uncertainty with it. The hiring manager has told him that they will offer him a permanent job if he "works out". It's a try-before-you-buy situation. Maybe it's not ideal, but it is work. The pay during this trial period isn't terrific, but it is more than unemployment. And did I mention that it gets him back to work??

Because the salary at this new job is about 35% below his last salary, we still have to mind our P's and Q's where money is concerned. Even though there will be a little extra each week, we've agreed to shove the extra into savings for now. When he's offered a permanent job (whenever and wherever that is), we will use the funds that we need for big projects around the house....not a second sooner though. We have no plans to deviate from the current budget any time in the near future. Even though we could spend more on groceries, household items or stuff for the kids, we've recognized the need to get serious about saving for some rather big items like a newer car, a bigger emergency fund, kid's college, retirement, etc. So yup, that stingy budget will be around for awhile!

In an effort to stay under or on budget, I'm looking for alternatives to cut expenses. Groceries and eating out use up a lot of our money, so I'm educating myself on how to make all our expensive favorites myself. I've tried a few new recipes that have turned out very nice and will continue in the weeks to come. In addition to making my own convenience foods, I'm also building a cache of freezable recipes. I would love to make my cooking chores a lot easier not only for myself but also for hubby. Depending on the size of our tax refund, I plan to purchase $200-300 worth of staple groceries that I can vacuum seal and store in the freezer or store in the pantry. It might be a big expenditure up front, but I know it will save time and money in the long run. Who couldn't love that?! I'll keep you updated on all my kitchen adventures in the coming months!

I'm also doing research on a raised bed garden for our backyard. Every year we plant tomatoes, but that's all I've ever had time for. Because our girls are older now, I'd really like to add a couple small raised beds to plant additional veggies. The raised beds may just get us through our veggie eating habit for the summer, but that would be okay. It's an experiment. I don't want to sink a ton of money into an experiment that doesn't work well. If we're successful, we can always add on later. I'm most excited about planting a ton of herbs. I love cooking with herbs, and fresh herbs are the BEST! Lots of work will be involved, but that will give the girls & I just one more reason to be outside in the fresh air. Hopefully I can keep them entertained enough to help me for longer periods of time than in the past. Jordi is a little copycat and will do whatever her big sister does, so if I can get Ray to help me for more than 5 minutes, I know Jordi will follow suit.

I'm really looking forward to my upcoming experiments. Hopefully I will get to enjoy the benefits of it, so that I can pass it along to you as well!!