March 1

I mentioned wanting to make an effort to write daily for a bit and so this seems a good time to give it a go.  A post each day this month.  We'll see.  Surely many will be brief and likely photo-less, but hopefully inspired and leaning more to the 'short and sweet' side than the 'desperate for words so here are a few' side.

March is also when I planned to dive into some boring grocery budgeting, too.  Though to tell the truth, I'm kind of looking forward to it.  I like lists and small challenges posed to myself and such.  The plan is to cash my paycheck tomorrow and stick a certain amount in an envelope marked "groceries" and use that and only that for all of our food/grocery purchases for the month.  Hmm.... do coffee and beer fall under "groceries"?  Surely, they must.  Not long ago I refused to buy groceries other than produce and dairy for a week or so while we cleaned out our freezer and pantry a bit because it seemed like we just kept adding to it and not touching the things hidden in the corners and shadows.  Probably there will be a bit of that this month.  (especially if we want that coffee and occasional decent six pack)

So the amount of money in the envelope....... I'm not sure how much.  I want to do this because I looked at our bank account ledger online a couple weeks back and thought we were spending way too much (and too often) on groceries.  But I don't really know what I think is a reasonable amount for a family of 3 to spend in a month.  Hmm.  I know I can cut it back a bit by doing some meal planning and being a bit more resourceful.  $300?  $400?  I am fine with food being one of our biggest expenses, seeing as how it is so important to eat well and I most certainly like Hippocrates' idea of letting our food be our medicine and our medicine be our food.

In other news, Old Man Winter seems to have decided once and for all to move on out of Western NC for the year.  Of course I won't be surprised if he decides to come back once or twice before all is said and done, but right now there are daffodils and violets flowering, the hawthorne and forsythia is blooming and the windows are open more than they are closed.

Welcome, March.  Here's to more lamb days than lion.