Keeping track of what you buy

I was out hanging laundry this morning and the next door neighbor told me that the rabbits are now eating his irrigation hose.  I pulled mine up and they still want to eat black hose so they just moved over 50 feet and found his.  I suggested we trick them and leave some chewed up hose laying around.  Maybe they won't eat his good hose.  He suggested trapping them and eating them.  Good idea.  Do you want to borrow my traps?

I was in Home Depot the other day buying the parts needed to put in the sprinklers for the raspberries. I overheard one couple talking about what type of lamp they were going to purchase. In the middle of the conversation the lady remembered that she had already purchased the lamp and it was stored away in the closet waiting for the day they would install it. They almost made the purchase again. We've all done that. Gone to the store to buy something that we already had.

I do that a lot but most of the time I do so because I don't want to use the “spare” at home. I'd rather always have an extra as long as I have the ability to go to the store and buy another. There are a couple of issues here. One is remembering what you have on hand. The other is knowing where to look for it. Now my mother has an even bigger issue. She knows where it is but can't get to it because there's so much stacked in front of it. She will just go to the store and buy more.

Christmas is coming. Yes, I know it's not Thanksgiving yet. Do you have your wrapping paper? Did you buy it last year after Christmas? Do you know where it is? I remember years ago, when the day after Christmas sales started at the early hour of 8:00 in the morning (stores didn't open until 10 normally). My sister and I would hang out together and hit all the sales so we could store it for the next year or two. It was a good idea because we bought a supply of a couple of years and we actually used it until it was almost gone. Then we'd repeat the shopping spree. Great bonding time! On the other end of this spectrum is someone like my mother who probably has 50 rolls of wrapping paper. But for the next holiday she will go out and buy more because it's easier to buy more than to move boxes around to get to what she has.

So, while I was at Home Depot overhearing that couple, I was wondering to myself about how many things most people buy intending to do that project on our next rainy day bit of free time. I have an ongoing project list. It's never ending. I mean, does anyone ever have a project list that is ever complete? Right now my list includes repairing the trailer vent (I bought and repaired two. I needed 3), winter trim the fruit trees, repair the garden beds, clean out the center barn, fix the chipper, fix the kids shower knob, rewax both toilets, paint the laundry room, and the list goes on and on. I can purchase items in advance for many of these projects. For these projects I need one vent cover, trailer bathroom vent fan, screw driver, electrical tape, ladder, 3 dozen 6” nails, drill, gas hose, pliers, a slip ring and the pliers for it, a new knob, toilet wax rings, paint, brushes, etc. On the list next to each project I write down items necessary, what is on hand and what needs to be purchased.

For example, to fix the trailer vents I need to purchase one more cover and a vent fan. I have the ladder, screw driver, and electrical tape. Even if I wasn't planning on completing this task for another month or so, or six, if I bought the vent and fan I'd check them off on the list. That project could get completed at any time. (Like before the rain!)

Tonight we had fried chicken and fried zucchini. Sometimes I'm just in a mood for fried food. The three year old granddaughter is over for the night and she helped me pick the zucchini. Yes, it's the middle of November and I'm still picking zucchini from the garden. In 16 years of gardening here in the Great Central Valley I've never had zucchini, eggplant, and even tomatoes still flowering in November!

At bedtime the little one asked if she could wear Girl's pjs from when she was little.  Sure.  I pulled out two of the four pairs of Girls pjs from when she was three.  Do you want the two piece thermals or the one-piece foot pjs with the long zipper? She chose the one-piece today.  I have really cut back on how many clothes I keep on hand for just-in-case.  With all the hand-me-downs plus the few I bought for Girl she had drawers stuffed with clothes.  Just because a little one may have 20 t-shirts doesn't mean I need to keep all 20.  Two or three is plenty.  The younger grandkids all come with a bag of clothes to use during their stay, but they always want to wear Girl's or Boy's clothes from when they were little.  It's cute. 

I was told I'm keeping my job. I'm glad, but a part of me was really wishing I'd have gotten laid off. I'm not quite financially ready to not have a job, but we would have managed, and I would have been able to really concentrate on working here on the property. But, this means that although I don't have much time to spend concentrating on prepping, the money is still there to be able to purchase prep items.

 

I've gotten used to the new cell phone already.  No more bouts of frustration.  I do have to watch how much time I'm tethering the phone to the computer but so far, so good.