Almost Garden Time!

Well it is getting to be that awesome time of year... the time when we can start our garden! This year we are increasing the size by A LOT. I have reading up on canning, freezing, and dehydrating. How awesome would it be to not have to buy many veggies in the winter? I started some tomatoes inside just to see how it would work. I used the bottom half of milk jugs and on the sunny days put them outside and cover them with the top of the milk jug to create a little greenhouse. Will keep you posted on how well that works.
And I'm working on starting a compost pile. I had a thought the other day about what to use to keep it contained and to keep the dogs from rooting in it. I'm going to get one of those tall plastic laundry baskets and cut the bottom out. Then I'm going to sink it in the ground. This way it stays put and the air gets to it through the holes in the basket. I am a firm believer that compost does not have to be difficult!
This week I got back on schedule using meal plans and it works out great. I keep our meals so much healthier just by planning them. Last weekend I went through the fridge, freezer, and cupboards and took inventory. Then tried to schedule meals using those ingredients so I had minimal shopping to do. This is also good because we're replacing the kitchen in a couple weeks and I'm going to have to find a spot for all this food while it's being done!
One thing I need to work on this week is our budget! We've been spending TOO MUCH and not even realizing it. So I need to find a way to keep track of all our spending, big and small. I'll start there today. God Bless you all.