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Yay! I spent the entire day  today working on prepping the garden beds, washing the windows inside and out, weeding and fertilizing the plants, moving some survivors to where some didn't make it through winter and my downtime was spent starting at the beginning, re reading your blog posts!  I get a bunch of comfort from them as well as learn something. I tend to someone who enjoys getting things done myself if at all possible and love the feeling of a day's hard work (and night as I work 3-1130pm full time). I am always analyzing how to do things better and more the old school way and really enjoy doing so. I am going to teach myself how to re concrete my sidewalk as it wasn't done properly by the professionals when I purchased the house apparently! I agree, it's getting beyond my ability to fathom what is going on in the world at this point. I no longer listen to news and if I watch TV, it's brit box shows. I am fully aware of the possibilities of current events and don't have my head in the sand. What I can control is preparing myself to sustain my life and help my kids and mom. So, I do what I can control. I saw this coming in November. I am here to love others, help when i can, do what I can to live a simple life and appreciate what I have. I have found that with having a full time job,two part time jobs, caring for my mom and her home as well as all the care and maintenance on my home, there is no time to sit on the  phone and doom scroll. I do notice I tend to be one who enjoys moving and doing and in downtime I enjoy doing something where I am learning, like re reading your posts!!  I think these phones have been the downfall of productivity and actual accomplishments, giving users a false sense of time. I see the much younger coworkers (I am 55) complaining non stop about time, jumping at the first chance of voluntary time off, and find out it's to go watch tv or sit on the phone and do nothing. I am glad I taught my children down time is important but not the better part of your day. Pay attention to how much time you are on your phones and use your time wisely. They are very goal oriented and successful hard workers but still have social lives, it can be done! 

Question! I have wanted to ask and kept forgetting! Are any of Madge's kitties still with you? I know the oldest (?) one passed but don't remember seeing anything about the other. 

Thanks for the great site, I love re reading them and gleaning ideas. 

I don't know what I would do without your wisdom and encouragement, Grandma Donna. My husband and I have been so worried lately. Worried that he might lose his job in the economic upheaval, and we are not ready for that! 

We have done well with our garden. That's one bright spot. This year I am letting some radishes go to seed and we got some Southern cream peas to save seed from. It took us awhile to find varieties we like of things and that grow well here, but I think we've got all of them now. We did buy a few strawberry plants early this year, but we'll use the runners to expand the bed from now on. 

Our electricity is cheaper after 10pm and before 6am, so we've been doing laundry between those hours, and some cooking ahead, and charging phones, and anything else we can think of. We have a small solar generator that we use if we want to watch TV. It also runs the living room lamp. We're still working on only using the car once a week. Our meals are getting simpler and simpler. 

We don't have enough money put away to get through a depression. We have some dental work that we're getting done this year and then we won't have to worry about that or if we still have dental insurance or not. But we need the whole year to get through all the procedures. It's things like that that eat up money that could go to savings. We have a small amount of investment. If the market doesn't completely collapse, it would provide enough money to pay the property taxes and insurance. But our mortgage won't be paid off for another two years. So I just need a little more time to pay things off and put more money away. We're cutting all of our expenses down as far as we can to try and make it in time before something happens. 

And I love the Peek Week and new direction of the blog. I still have my money can on my kitchen counter from the last depression study. We use it a lot to count out change for what we need. A new old way we have of buying is using our credit card for purchases or payments (we leave the money in the bank, it's not really credit) so we can get Amazon points and get things from Amazon with the points. 

Your posts always brighten my day! These are trying times, indeed. We've watched our retirement diminish in a matter of days, and now my son's Medicaid account is under review. I can't lie, I'm terrified of our future stability as a family. I try to find solace in reading library books and taking walks in the woods. 

My daughter, who is taking horticulture in high school, is helping me with a little garden out back. Not much since we will buy from our local farm stand this summer. But, anything helps at this point!

Your posts on economizing and prioritizing the home are truly helping my balance my emotional state and help me surge ahead. Thank you!

A whole week of posts from you is just the boost I need! I'm feeling adrift, too, and trying to find solace in the ordinary stuff of life. Taking stock and reassessing what we need to focus on.

It's lovely to see your garden in full bloom. I'm in the Chicago area, so we're a good two months behind you, but I've been diligently prepping beds, tidying, and planning. We have a three year old, so our beds have been a bit neglected aside from some tomatoes and herbs the past few years. I'm looking forward to getting reacquainted with my garden. There's nothing like getting your hands dirty in the sunshine to take your mind off things!

It is so true what you said about people today not having the skills to survive another depression.  When I read blogs/vlogs about something as simple as saving money on food, I have to laugh about some of the ideas.  I'd have to spend a lot more to "save" as they do!!  As long as people believe opening a box or package of food and heating it at home is cooking dinner, I have little hope for them surviving hard times.

Sewing on a button is an unknown skill for the vast majority let alone making a garment.  And specially making a garment from a thrifted garment.  Somewhere I have a very old Extension Service booklet on remaking garments into new garments.  I've done so many times.  I once found some HUGE garments at a thrift store.  A floor length knit dress became slacks for my two dd's with enough left over for a pair of shorts.  A nightgown became a crib sheet and a half dozen bibs.  

Speaking of buttons, how many people today have a button box where they've saved buttons from discarded garments?  I inherited my grandmother's button box and have many jars of my own buttons organized by color.  I've purchased shirts at thrift shops minus a button and added a button and wore the shirt.  People actually discard a shirt due to lack of a button or an open seam both easy fixes.  

And mothers who cannot comprehend using cloth diapers while complaining about being broke.   I used cloth diapers for 7 and washed them by hand for #1, used a wringer washer for #2 and #3 and automatic washer for the other 4.  Sometimes had a dryer but mostly used a clothesline.  Good disposable diapers were available for the last 5 and I used them when away from home but at home it was cloth 100% of the time.  The amount of money saved was substantial.

Hi Donna , I love your new blog content . It makes so much sense in today’s world and it makes me feel calm reading it . It’s like a gentle long breath exhale . Everything I read makes sense and it seems sometimes like you can read my mind ! You’re way ahead of me with everything but I’m getting there . Between reading your posts and Rhonda H. Posts , I feel the world will be ok xo 

Grandma Donna Wrote,  Just to let you all know, I will be answering any questions in the Peek Week in the next days blog post.  Michelle, I will answer your question in the Wednesday post.  :) I am happy to see you all.  :)

I love your writing and am slowly making my way through all the topics. I’m so glad to hear you’ll be doing a post a day 

I’ve always gardened and saved seeds (grandparents bought a 250 acre farm when they retired at 65) and this year I’m stepping it up more.  I’m going to take some of your tips and line dry laundry. I already try to conserve electric and heat as much as possible. Utility prices are as crazy as grocery prices. 

I had to smile at above comment about people not knowing how to sew buttons. I work in a big law firm with lots of young attorneys. They send their shirts out for laundry and many times the buttons get broken. I am now the “button girl” and I charge them $1.00 per button ($2.00 if I have to sew button on while they’re wearing the shirt…as in they’re due in court and realize they’re shirt a button).  They all got big sign up bonuses so I don’t feel bad charging them. ????

Anyway… Thank you for so many informative posts. Please don’t stop! 

Maddie M -- I am so impressed! You not only use your skill to save money, but you make money too! I love to line dry. I wash early in the morning to beat the 6am deadline when my rates go up, and then I have the pleasure of hanging my laundry while the birds sing to me. 

I am so happy to see a new post! 

We feel a lot the same as you about the times we are living in.  So many echos of the past.  I try really hard not to dwell on it and just do whatever I can do to be as prepared as I can be.

I am really impressed by how much you and Charles get done.  The fences and replanting your front lawn, rearranging your garden and creating the paths in the back!  That is one thing we need to do here.  Prioritize things that will benefit us at home in the future.  One of the things I would like to try is fencing part of the yard ourselves.  An area for a garden and the dogs.  I grow in containers, but the deer are aggressive and eat everything!   They have lost a lot of their habitat and roam through the neighborhoods.  My husband says to find someone to do it, but I think if we read up on it and take it slow we can try to do it ourselves.  I noticed in the picture of the front of your house that it appears that you have some kind of fence panels?  The black framed fencing on the other side of the big tree.  What it that product?

What kind of mulch is that on your walking paths?  Wood shavings?

I used to sew and create a lot of things, but got out of the habit over the years.  Tomorrow I'm going to the thrift shop to look for a sewing cabinet, one of those things that the sewing machine folds into.  It would be better to have a dedicated space to sew and a cabinet to tuck the machine in then to haul it out of the closet and down to the kitchen table to sew.  I have a few projects lined up.  Thankfully I have a lot of sewing supplies of my own and from my mom.   I was just thinking the other day where will I get patterns in the future?  Joann's closing all their stores has left a huge gap for crafters.  I don't even know where I can get thread!  Maybe the thrift shop?

The picture of the little girl on the bike with her cat is adorable.  Is that you?  Your Mom?  The Cedar Waxwing is lovely.  I've seen pictures of them but never one up close.  

Have a good week ahead, Donna!

Grandma Donna, I am so pleased you are posting more often this week! I find myself spending more and more time on your blog trying to navigate a way forward. It is such a terrific resource and your wealth of knowledge is invaluable. I appreciate you so much.

I really think simplifying our lives is the best way forward. Sometimes we need to take a step back and look at what we did before compared to now. We noticed we haven't saved as much as we could have this month so spending less will be our focus for the month of May. I'll keep all of our receipts so we can see what we can do better on next time. 

I really liked the look of the crochet dishcloth you had from your 1940 study last year. Nice and light and not too large. It inspired me to find a vintage style pattern to make some dishcloths of my own. Please  excuse my crochet work, I'm a bit rusty. The cotton yarn was on sale for $3.60 a ball and I can make two dishcloths per ball of yarn, which I thought was really economical. I should have enough to make one for each day of the week. 

Thankyou Grandma Donna for the latest post. It's amazing how much you and Charles have achieved.

I have been thinking lately about the legacy of my grandparents, part of which is skills they taught me such as sewing, baking and growing vegetables.

That legacy is mine to maintain and pass on to the next generation and I'm glad this forum highlights the value of those basic skills.

I think it kind of skipped a generation with my own parents, who ran their own businesses and, as Baby Boomers, were encouraged to be dutiful Consumers.

I recently made a skirt for my daughter, using the drafting and sewing skills passed on by my Granny. She made a lot of my clothes when I was little.

I spent a lot of time standing still on the table in half-finished dresses, having hems pinned and seams adjusted!

In addition to choosing quality fabric, she would be sure to include wide seam allowances and long hem allowances, so that garments would wear well and could be altered to fit if needed.

Linings, and careful laundering and storage also extend the life of clothing.

Something I learned from my own parents was to look after your shoes. We were never allowed to go out with scuffed shoes; polishing the leather was part of the daily routine.

Then, if the soles or heels wear down, they can be repaired. Not that cheaply, but still for less than the cost of a new pair. And they can be passed on to others in due course.

We were taught that it was a privilege to have warm, well-fitting shoes, and that we should appreciate them.

I just wanted to pop in and say your garden looks so lovely, very interesting and I'm sure it would be fun to walk those paths. 

Many blessings to you both ~ Linda