Go a whole year only buying food and other necessities

I have finally managed to complete this goal. I don’t even know where to begin actually. If you look back over the history of my posts, I think the words I wish to convey might be found there.

Every struggle, trial, through both good times and bad. Times when everything seemed to be conspiring against this goal and during others where circumstance worked in my favor.

I just feel elated. I’m going to go rest now and finish up a knitting project once I’m up. LOL

In an ironic twist of fate, what should come in the mail today but the Seeds of Change seed catalogue and The Yarn Collection catalogue. Usually, where there’s TYC there’s soon to be the Big Book of Yarn. A tome that carries heavy weight with me in that it’s usually loaded with a high number of yummy yarns.

Even so, I must remain calm and think from a rational, practical standpoint.

/doing the happy naked knitting dance of joy/

As far as seeds, I found quite a few varieties that look interesting and are actually perfectly suited to the planting arrangement I usually have here during the warmer months.

Even if I don’t get some of it, I’ll still have my SSW facing window for the plants more easily grown in containers. For extra light, I’m going to have to research how well the new lightbulbs work in that regard. I have an extra one and I also happen to have a lamp downstairs not being used.

Plans plans… /collapsing/

I feel so nervous. I am less than two days away from completing this goal.

I feel so…how to even describe it. Antsy, nervous, agitated. Those don’t come close. For the longest time, I thought I couldn’t do it. There were quite a few times when I was actually willing to give in and, as many had suggested, just forget about the goal.

I’m glad I didn’t listen though because, in addition to feeling accomplished about the completion of this goal, I’ve proven to both others and, most importantly, to myself that I can acheive even the things that seem difficult and in which the goal is often distant enough as to not be seen right away. It’s only through patience, preserverance, and faith in myself that I was able to complete this.

If I can do this, then I can graduate from University and accomplish all the other things that other people [and myself] have been telling me I couldn’t do over the past few years.

The clock is ticking. Heck, I’m ticking. I’m so anxious about completing this goal that I actually missed a day in posting about it. Hopefully, that won’t happen again.

Without sounding all consumerist, I made out a list of a few things that we’re desperately in need of in the next year. Its kind of funny what you come to value when you limit your intake for so long.

From Drugstore.com, a few items to maintain the household like toothpaste, deordorant, and various things.

From either Restockit.com or Overstock.com, a 50lbs bucket of Borateem laundry detergent. If I can find a cheaper, equally reliable merchant, believe me, I’d go there.

From Seeds of Change, tomato, pepper, basil, and other seeds for growing food. I buy Seeds of Change because those seeds are idiot proof.

From the local garden center, one 5lbs bag each of potting soil and potting media, enough plastic pots to grow this stuff, fertilizer, sphagnum moss, rooting hormone, clear plastic sheeting, and the biggest container of insecticide I can wheel home. Those little so and so’s are going DOWN.

As much as I hate doing it, the rubber tree also needs trimming. The rooted branches can go to the kind neighbors who’ve helped us out these past few years.

From Bulkfoods.com, probably a few staples like beans. I’ve got rice and a promise of trade for other things from select people. Still, it would be nice to have the stable variety of more than one heavy food in the house.

For clothing, socks for both myself and my mother, shoes for my mother, and probably u-wear too. My mantra is that one can never have enough of basic supplies and u-wear would fit into that category.

For knitting and sewing, more sewing needles for the machine. It’s a Singer and I don’t want to take chances buying somethng that claims can be fitted into it.

Knitting/crochet supplies like double pointed needles [to make socks and other items with], lots of YARN in both solid and multi-color, and maybe a crochet hook. I’m sitting on the fence about that last one since I’ve got a size 10US 10in crochet hook in Yarn Bin Overladen right now. I’ve also got the gift set my mother never used.

I still can’t crochet right now but, from friends, videos and Knit and Crochet Today, I’m starting to get the hang of it. Knitting on the other hand is a much better endeavor for me.

Any way you see it, I can still make a lot of my own clothes and sell what extra I do make.

Whatever is left is going straight to my bank account. Hopefully, it will stay there and increase through hard [and hopefully not so hard] work and prudent saving.

So, T Minus Three Days and Counting…

Tonight, I’m relaxing. I’ve purchased necessary food for the house, through some twist of fate have gotten even more, and [if the mail comes through for me] will have a check from another medical study coming for me within the next week.

The check will go towards buying laundry detergent and, what’s left over will go towards savings for a big bucket of Borateem Laundry Detergent. Not only does buying the Borateem save money in the long run but its also a great container to store food items once its been emptied and cleaned out properly.

To make the most use of both Borateem and a liquid scented cleaner like Gain or something, I put a quarter cap full of liquid detergent in with a full scoop of the powder. The powder is what actually does the cleaning but, because it is scentless, the scent of the liquid detergent is picked up by the clothes. I’ve made this whole thing last upwards of one year on weekly laundry.

Winner takes all.

So, T Minus Five Days…and counting…

Today is Christmas. This is a day where people expect me to stuff my face with loads of food and be a jovial person for the next 24 hours.

Well, 23 hours and some minutes as of this posting. I’m on EST in case this post has a funny time.

I’m not stuffing my face. I couldn’t, even if I wanted to in the way they want me to. Since starting this medical study and learning to minimize and prioritize what has true value in my life, I’ve found that the whole gluttony thing just isn’t me.

So, I’ll be there, but with my knitting yarn, needles, pom pom card, crochet needle, and a bag full of yarn to work with.

I messed up the count of this big time but that doesn’t matter. It’s almost over. I’ve practically completed this goal. From [technically] 31 December of 2007 up to this upcoming 1 January, I will have gone one complete year without buying frivolities.

With the end of this goal, I’ll also be able to crack open the box of clothes I packed away at the same time in order to prove that a person can lead a frugal lifestyle without having an acre of clothing to wear. It wasn’t even remotely tough either. Now though, it will be nice to have smaller clothing because, I’ve lost some weight since this whole thing started out. My hope is to lose more in the upcoming year to justify giving my larger clothing away and, unlike in the past, it will be for good this time.

So, SEVEN DAYS.

Edit – Fixed the count. Everything should [hopefully] be in its correct timeframe.

Trust me to be ill on the one day I am meant to go to an important appointment.

I don’t know what manner of heck I am carting around but, for some reason, this series of ailments have been introducing themselves to me over the past few days.

If I could, I’d go around in a HAZMAT suit during this time of year. Entirely too many people coughing and sneezing all over the place.

I rescheduled for tomorrow. If I can get through the night without vomiting, even with the fever, I consider that a good thing. I do not want to throw up on the MARC or WMATA Metro.

Aside from that, the goal is going well. Due to illness, I haven’t left the house much for it to go any other way.

Err…It is only now that I realize that something is wrong with my numbering. I am going to have to go back over these entries to see where I went wrong. I’m not working with a Julian calender where I can add whole Leap Months…

Now for perspective. In other words, a less whiny version of yesterdays post.

Thanks to my prudent saving, I am able to make it to an appointment in Bethesda.

While its disappointing that I won’t be able to see Smackdown and my favorite wrestler in particular, the timing being so unfortunate as to be on the same day, I can at least be comforted in knowing that I did the responsible thing and thought more with regard to both my previously arranged engagements and long term future.

When restraint was necessary, I didn’t give in to wanton desire. I think that’s a sure sign of a responsible person.

Ah, the first real challenge. Darn my hormones and the horse they rode in on.

There is an upcoming wrestling event here in Baltimore. Smackdown is coming here. Given the recent broadcast history, ten to one, one wrestler…one hot wrestler in particular will be appearing.

Damn this goal. Damn this goal to the fiery pits of the Judas Circle of Hell. For it is a traitor to me. A false friend keeping me from drool factor. Why, nay, how could a true and tried friend do this… /sniffle/

Edit – What’s even worse, I have the money AND I’m even going to be right down by the Baltimore [1st Mariner] Arena waiting for the train to get to a prior appointment arranged a few weeks ago in Bethesda that morning.

As if that weren’t painful enough, I’d be coming back into Baltimore right in time to see the show if I got on the early train at Union Station…

Life… ;;;;headdesk;;;;