The Backyard

The Backyard

Monday, February 28, 2011

Could Spending More Time in the Backyard Be On The Horizon?

Yes my friends, hubby and I are talking the R word. We're both a little young, but if push comes to shove at my job and Pennsylvania goes the way of Wisconsin with cutting benefits and salaries for government workers, retirement may be sooner than expected -- like maybe in three months. The other deciding factor is the rising price of gas. Right now, today, it costs us almost $8.00 to drive our 50 mpg car to and from work every day on our 100 mile round trip. That's a little too salty. We've both been saving our pennies like crazy people and got rid of all debt, so we feel confident we'll be ok financially. But the other confidence builder is what I can produce in the back yard and my other frugal plans to save money. Simple things like riding bike to the grocery store, giving up using the dryer, and driving as little as possible will save money. Hubby is giving the go-ahead to plant lots of food to save on the grocery bill. I just ordered onions. Rows and rows of black beans, kidney beans, and white beans are going in the ground in May. The broccoli is started, and the greens will go in sometime in April as will the peas. Sweet potatoes are on tap as is butternut squash. I'll try to freeze as much as I can and use my mom's huge chest freezer if need be. Lots to think about over the next three months. But the main, top priority is starting my spring bike training on March 7 for my 7-day stage mountain bike race the end of May and early June. All else comes in behind the training. The gardening and retirement planning is done on down time from riding bike. There are a bunch of female professional mountain bikers coming to the event I'm entered and I'm honored to be in the mix with them. Without a doubt, riding takes top priority this spring.

4 comments:

DailySAHM said...

If I were you I would absolutely retire without hesitation. When does Rick thing the big R is on his horizon?

Chili said...

Rick says he's not quite ready yet -- maybe two years. He really wanted me to go two more years too, but I'd rather retire and work part time in the valley -- maybe even start that "naturally grown" CSA I thought about for years! (Can't say "organic" without having the federal certification which costs over $500 - ferget it!).

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Trashmaster46 said...

Ah, if only we could grow sweet potatoes here. Fortunately, "regular" potatoes (what would they be called, to differentiate them from sweets?) grow well in our yard. Too bad for all this rain right now. If I'd been on schedule planting stuff, it would all have washed away by now. I guess procrastination occasionally has its advantages.