After hurricane Irma, I haven't gotten back to my normal routines yet. I will be going back to work on Monday, and will have a fast-paced schedule to makeup for the lost time. The electric company says that 90% of their customers have power now, but suddenly it goes out and then comes back after several minutes. Garbage removal hasn't resumed yet. I am not complaining though, I know I am extremely lucky to escape from Irma without any injuries to myself or the house.
I think I have to postpone living on 50% of the income challenge. After receiving my first paycheck I was able to balance the new budget to live on 50% of the income. I increased the grocery budget to $150 from last month's $140. As soon as I finished setting up the budget, the news of Irma came so I spent nearly $150 for non-perishable food and extra batteries. I just looked at the total expenses for this month and I have already spent 90% of the budget. And there are two more weeks to go!
I had to throw out fish, meat, and milk in the fridge and the freezer because I didn't have power for over three days. Yesterday I went to Sam's Club and all freezers and refrigerators were empty. No fresh produce except for tomatoes, potatoes, onions, garlic and several fruits. I still have small amounts of somewhat wilted vegetables in the fridge, so I should be fine until stores stock up again.
Last night I made a quinoa salad and also baked a half of a cauliflower.
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| Baked cauliflower. |
I will try my best to stick to the new budget. If not, I will start again in October. When I set the budget, I set aside $250 payment towards the principal of the mortgage. I plan to start it this month even if other expenses are over the set limits.
Having no power and therefore no internet gave me more time to read. I started and finished a non-fiction called Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America. Now I am reading another non-fiction; A Square Meal: A Culinary History of the Great Depression. I was using my phone as a Wi-Fi hotspot to connect with my family, and for quick updates to friends and family on Facebook, so I wasn't online much. I also did my cross stitch a bit. After power was restored, I read all my favorite blogs and visited The Home Maker's Forum . Catching up with the forum news is not easy because there are hundreds of posts, but I read my favorite threads there as well. I did a load of laundry, and dried on racks without using the dryer. I have a couple of clothes that need to be ironed. I will get it done this evening and also organize the patio a bit.
It's time to get busy. I will see you again soon.
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Nil
Hi Nil, It's good that you spent that money on batteries and canned food. Thank goodness you had it! It's too bad that you lost so much food. This is a lesson to me in stockpiling. It sounds like Sam's Club had to throw away a lot of perishables, as well. It's shocking to read. You are doing great with your budget. I am so impressed.
ReplyDeleteYes, Stephenie. Though it's good to have a freezer and a fridge full of food, next time if there's a hurricane, I'm going to use it up. When there is no electricity for several days, canned food makes a better stockpile. One of these days I'm going to learn how to can. Yes, it was strange to see rows and rows of empty fridges and freezers at Sam's Club. The greeter at the door was telling everyone that there was no fish or meat.
DeleteYou have been doing so well Nil with your budget and that also allowed you to purchase those batteries and non-perishable items and I'm so glad you did. It's a shame you lost that food in the freezer but like you said you were not injured and your home is fine.
ReplyDeleteHopefully shops will have stock very soon.
Kylie
Yes Kylie. I'm fortunate to have enough savings so I could stock up before the hurricane. I will be better prepare for the next hurricane season, because I learned so much this year.
DeleteShame about the power and having to throw out food isn't it, but you were lucky in that it didn't affect like some others who lost everything. I tried roasted cauliflower this week and loved it, really delicious will be on the menu regularly now.
ReplyDeleteRoasted cauliflower is lovely. I try different spice combinations and they all turn out equally well. :)
DeleteNil, I agree with Kylie. You wouldn't have been able to stockpile non-perishables except that you have been so good with your budget rather than sitting on a zero bank account and living off credit cards. If you have to start the 50 percent income challenge again in October, October will be there waiting for you.
ReplyDeleteThanks Priscilla. I'm definitely going to try the challenge next month. :)
DeleteGlad your loses were only food based, having no power for several days when we rely so heavily on it is frustrating. Stockpiling bottled and canned goods is a better choice. I have been lucky over the years with power outages 12 hours was the longest.
ReplyDeleteYes, Deb. It really reminded me how dependent we are on electricity. I'm going to seriously change the way I stockpile for the next hurricane season. Several years without hurricanes made me forget how critical it can be.
DeleteVery glad that you came through the hurricane safely, Nil and that you had those supplies, like the extra batteries, in case you needed them. While that's put a dent in your budgeting plans, it meant you were well prepared and like you said, you've learnt a lot from the experience. It's not until a natural disaster sometimes that we realise just how vulnerable we can be to catastrophic natural weather events and what that can mean for supplies of water, food, electricity etc. that we rely on.
ReplyDeleteSo true, Meg. I've already compiled a list of things I'm going to have for the next year. The first is to install hurricane shutters. It's expensive, so I must start saving now. :)
DeleteI have been pondering over this post for a while now and it has led me to think more deeply about our total reliance on electricity and the probable virtues of canned meats over frozen....hmmm.
ReplyDeleteExactly, Phil. I'm thinking of having more canned food and less frozen food during the hurricane season each year.
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