What I am Thankful For...

As I have been reading blogs the last few days...or weeks really...I have noticed the common theme of thankfulness coming up as people prepare for Thanksgiving. I guess that makes sense, considering Thanksgiving is a time for people to think about and remember the things they are thankful for. Thanksgiving was never really a big holiday in my family...my dad was typically working and my mom sometimes had to work too. When I was younger, there were a few years my sister and I went to the Outer Banks with my aunt, uncle and cousins for Thanksgiving...but that stopped when my skating took off. After that, I never really went anywhere until I started dating my ex, and celebrating Thanksgiving with his family. After we broke up, and my dad passed away, I stopped Thanksgiving all together. Some of this had to do with the fact that we set up the tree lot on Thanksgiving, some of it had to do with the fact that I felt I had nowhere to go.

I will admit, that the last few years of my life, I have not felt that thankful. I've focused a lot on the bad things that have happened...and sometimes wallowed in my pity. I've felt bitter and angry and held on to things that happened as I was growing up, that happened recently, and that continue to happen...some of these things I've talked about on this blog already, and others maybe one day I will be brave enough to share. The point is though, that I've allowed my pessimistic side to show and take over. I don't really know when this happened. But it has really taken over...to the point where sometimes I just think that there is no way a good thing will happen, and am not surprised when the bad thing ends up happening. Perhaps it is the expecting the bad thing that makes it happen. I don't know.

There is a huge part of me that misses the happy-go-lucky person I once was. I miss the confidence and the feeling that things would go my way. I wonder where she went and how she disappeared. I truly don't know why I let her go so far away, and I don't know how to get her back. I miss that person. B thinks I need to start thinking about the good things that have happened rather then focusing on the bad. I tend to think he is right (don't tell him that though! :)) but have a hard time getting there. One of the ways I am going to start, is by listing five things I am thankful for as it is Thanksgiving (or thereabouts...this post has taken me a bit to finish).

So, here goes:

1) I am thankful for B. He is an amazing man...I talk about him a lot on here, but have never really given you an idea of who he is...one day, hopefully. But, he has supported me and loved me through difficult times and struggles, and loves me even though I am nowhere near perfect, or good at cleaning. :) Seriously though, I can be a frustrating individual at times. I'm stubborn, and ridiculously set in my ways, and am trying to figure out my place in life. And this guy decided that despite those things, he wanted to spend forever with me anyway. He loves me very well and I am incredibly thankful for the one person in life that loves me despite all my flaws.

2) I am incredibly thankful for my friends K and Neil. I miss them terribly since they both moved away last summer, and I am not the best person at keeping in touch with people, even when they are my best friends. But, I know that if I need them they will be there for me in a heartbeat and with sound advice and ears.

3) I am thankful for my beautiful house and property that allows me to have all my animals close to me. For so many years I lived away from my animals...my animals are one of my biggest passions...and it was incredibly difficult for me. Now, they are all here. Finally. After 4 years. I can look out my bedroom windows in the morning and on one side I see my horses, and I can look out the other side and see our pond and the rest of our horses. It is a beautiful sight. I can hear our wolves howling at night, and can walk outside to play with my dogs. The dogs can run and enjoy themselves. My animals help me in so many ways and I love them all for different reasons...but mostly for their unconditional devotion and love. They are such amazing companions.

4) I am thankful that B and I are able to live ok without two solid incomes for a little while while I find a job that has some meaning to me. While I loved my last job...things happened and I also had to live on-campus, which I no longer wanted to do. I am thankful I was able to leave (so I could experience number 3) and have time to find something else that will be a suitable fit and not stress me out as much as my last job. I know that not everyone out there has that privilege and I am grateful for what we have.

5) Although I may not always be so positive, I am thankful for my life. B shared the following story with me the day before Thanksgiving...and I think it puts things in perspective. And it really made me think. This little guy did pass away...and you can find more stories about him on YouTube, etc.



I hope all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving and time with your family. I am thankful for my bloggy friends as well!

I'm a Slacker

Seriously. I haven't been updating my blog well at all the last few weeks. In all honesty, I have been a bit busy... Not only was I sick with the dreaded cold for over 3 weeks, but I had to grade papers (and I was VERY behind since I was sick) and I also picked up some more hours at work. After this week though...my life will become a little more boring.

Why is that? Well...I mentioned a little while ago that I had quit my job. I gave my bosses two months notice. In reality, I wanted to quit then and there (as we all know how much I really love this job....), but I know during December they are short staffed, and I didn't feel it would be right to do so. So I decided to stick it out until right before Christmas. Well, it seems I didn't have to do that. We got the schedule for December, and my hours have been cut in half. Some weeks, more then half. I feel as if I am being punished for quitting. Some days, I don't go in until 3:00pm and work until 5:00pm. What is the point of that? There really is no point. In fact, it takes me 25 minutes to drive in to work. I feel like it is a waste of gas and my time. But, I am too nice to go in and tell them that it is BS and I shouldn't even bother. Not only did they cut my hours back, but they took me out of the one room where I knew all the kids and moved me to a different one where I don't know any of the kids. I guess I can say without a doubt that I made the right decision in quitting. I just wish now that I had the balls to tell them that unless I have more hours, I don't want to come back after Thanksgiving. I guess I'm not really sure what kind of people feel it is ok to cut a person's hours back without telling them...and also think it is feasible for people to come in in the middle of the afternoon for such a short time. I quit because it was not the right job for me...I wasn't happy...it was a pain in the behind...and the people I worked for were not too pleasant. But I guess the right thing to do would have been to stay right? Not give them notice?

Who knows. I can't say I'm not happy for a little free time. I just don't like feeling like I'm wasting my time, which is what I will be doing several days over the next month as I drive for an hour...to work two. Ugh.

Anyway, hopefully, I'll have some more time and motivation to post now that I'll be home more...and not coming home exhausted and in need of just plain old me time!

Saturday Savings!

Here is how the shopping trip went this week...not as amazing as last week (how could it be when last week was Kroger's MEGA-sale?), but I am still happy with how I did. I saved more then I typically would, and if I had been paying better attention (I'll explain in a second), I would have been much closer to my $50 grocery goal then I was.

Ok, to start, I was lucky enough to come across a blog that mentioned a $4 off Purina cat food coupon and a $2 off Goody Ouchless hair tie coupon. The blog mentioned that if you went to Walmart, the items would be free or close to free. Turns out my Walmart is a little more pricey then hers, but still, I got the following items:


for a total of $4.66! I saved $12.00. And, to make things better, I have a mail in rebate on the chapstick, so I actually I spent $2.12. B and I typically get our catfood bulk because we have so many cats to feed, but how can you resist 3.5lbs of catfood for $.78? And I'm really happy about the hairties, because I am using my last one...I lost the rest that I had in our move.

CVS this week had a lot of interesting deals. I am trying not to spend over $20 out of pocket (oop) at CVS each week, although I made an exception this week because of the opportunity to earn ECBs. I see a lot of people buying things that they don't need at CVS just because it gives them an opportunity to make equal or more in ECBs...but I don't want things I can't eventually use. So, I might have a more difficult time mastering the ECB program then I thought...but this is only my second week, so I'm giving it time! Ok, I bought:

for a total of $22.93. I saved...$31.30 through coupons and use of my ECBs from last week and my first stop this week (I didn't buy enough batteries the first stop to get the ECB bonus...so I went back today...pictured and talked about though is my ENTIRE CVS purchase for the week...and it turns out it was a good thing I didn't buy enough, I used my ECBs from the first stop to pay for most of my purchase on the second stop!). Are these items necessities? No. But, they are things that B and I will use eventually and it doesn't hurt to have them. I now have $20 in ECBs...which means in reality, I only paid $2.93 I guess. Although, in reality, the ECBs don't count since I'll be talking about how I saved using them next week! Confusing...

My last stop was of course, Kroger. I bought all of this:


for $71.26. And saved $56.28. Sooo....I spent more then I saved. BUT. I'm not disappointed. I'm still much lower then my old $100 orso a week. And, some of it was my own stupidity. I bought the wrong size pumpkin because I wasn't paying attention...which makes a big difference actually...as purchasing the wrong size cost me $3.00. I paid $2.00 a can rather then $.50... I also bought Ritz when they weren't on sale and I only had a coupon...and I probably didn't need to buy the Oscar Mayer bacon that was BOGO after I found the $.99 bacon (manager's special...love those tags since I don't care since I just freeze anyway!), but I decided to get it because bacon is not BOGO very often and I've NEVER seen the $.99 bacon before...and I look for it (and technically, I saved another $10 by buying the manager's special bacon...it just doesn't show up as savings when you get rung up)! I was excited to get both the Cottonelle and the Duncan Hines cake for free though. I love free stuff!

So all in all, this week I spent $98.85 (less then last week!!!) and saved $99.58! I still saved more then I spent! Whoo!

Let me know if you find any deals...and I strongly encourage you to check out my frequently visited blogs...they are where I find most of the deals and coupons (in addition to the ones I clip from the Sunday paper), as well as ideas of how to combine all offers to get the lowest price! Good Luck!

Grief

Lately, I've been thinking about my dad a lot. Not the happy memory thinking, but the "man I miss him so much that it pains me" thinking. Sometimes I am surprised that four years later (I can't believe it is four years later...), I still grieve for him just as much. Not in the same ways that I used to grieve...where I would cry and be mad...but just the sad how I wish I could pick up the phone and hear his voice grieving. The, every time I think of him it still brings tears to my eyes grieving. I often wonder how long this grieving will continue.

It is probably the season. This is the time of year my dad loved so much. It was tree time. He got to spend a month outside, selling the trees he worked so hard to raise, and talk to the customers that came to buy them...many of them buying them year after year. He was so proud of those trees. I was proud to continue selling them, and as I have mentioned before, am struggling with the fact this is the first year I will not be. I am trying to let it go though.

When my dad passed away, I lost an amazing friend. I was a definite "daddy's girl." I sure didn't know that all the time. We had our ups and downs as I was growing up and sometimes I thought I hated him because he expected so much from me or imposed such strict guidelines on me as I was growing up. I can of course, look back on those days now and be thankful for what he did...it is because of him that I have a firm work ethic and firm morals.

My dad had a great smile and laugh. I miss hearing him laugh. His laugh filled a room and was contagious, and when he smiled, you couldn't help but smile back. He worked hard for his family...even when he knew he was at the end, he wanted to make sure we would be ok when he was gone.

When my dad first found out he had cancer, a wise man told me to make sure I told him everything I needed to tell him. That I should be grateful I had the opportunity to let my dad know how much I cared about him, etc. I struggled with that idea. I felt like telling my dad the things I felt bad about... like how I treated him once at a competition we were at when I was struggling through so many things in my life...how much I loved him and appreciated all he did for us... meant that I was giving up on him. That I believed he wasn't going to beat it. And so, I never told him. I waited until he couldn't respond, until I have no idea whether he actually heard what I said. And that bothered me. I wanted him to know. I know the first thing people will want to say is, don't worry he knew. I'm not saying he didn't know I loved him. Or that I went through the growing pains that all teenagers went through. But to have said it would have taken a huge burden off my chest... that way I would know that he knew for sure that I understood my past mistakes.

The hardest thing for me is not being able to pick up the phone to call him and get his advice. Especially as I go through new things and sometimes struggle to find my footing in life. My dad always had the best advice...even when I didn't like it. He had so many life experiences and he knew something about everything. I was only fortunate enough to learn a tiny bit of what he had taught himself over the years. You see, I thought I was going to have many years to learn what he knew. I miss calling and just saying hi. I miss his excitement. Really, I miss everything.

Grief sucks.

Sick

I am, much to my chagrin, still sick. Last Monday, after taking the day off work, I thought I felt soooo much better. I still had a bit of a cough and runny nose, but that was ok. On Friday though, I started to feel it again. My runny nose has gotten worse, I can't sleep (so I'm EXHAUSTED right now), and my throat is a little sore. I wanted to get things done around the house today and all I've been able to do is lay around in bed. Here's to hoping that none of you have had the dreaded bug that has laid me up for over two weeks now...

Savings!!!

Not too long ago, I posted about my attempts to save and become more frugal. I was actually quite frustrated at what I was feeling was not a very successful venture. Since that post, I have been doing more research, reading more blogs, and trying even harder to understand what it is I need to do to save money. I've signed up for several couponing websites and put in for several coupons to be sent to me. I can't say I have become anywhere near an expert. But, I believe I am gaining a greater understanding, and today, I went out and tried my hand at the local Kroger store. Yes, I stuck with Kroger...mostly because they were having a MEGA-sale...buy 10 participating items, and you get $5.00 off. I saw people posting about their savings all over the place and had to try. I was determined to only buy items I had coupons for, and was having a difficult time figuring out where to get some of the coupons people had talked about until I came across this blog. She laid everything out, and included where to get some of the online coupons, and bam, I had tons of new coupons and ideas of what I could include in my shopping list. Also, reading her blog let me know that I could use my e-coupons (ones added to my card) in addition to my paper coupons, which offered even greater savings.

I must admit I was extremely excited (and somewhat nervous) about my shopping trip today. In addition to Kroger, I was going to try my hand at CVS with their Extra Care Bucks today and also try and get some good deals at Walmart. I couldn't sleep last night thinking about it (I'm weird). And I actually had to go in to Kroger and run through to make sure I understood what I was doing once, before I purchased all my items. Ha.

Ok, on to the good stuff. Here is what I bought and my savings.

I'll start with Walmart (have to save the best for last you know!! Building anticipation!) I got all these items:

for a grand total of $23.12! That may seem like a lot (the kitty litter did me in...I can't find any great deals on kitty litter...especially not the kind we like...and had to settle for the fact that I at least had a $1.00 of coupon) but let me tell you my savings... $17.00!! My favorite coupon from this trip was for the Scrubbing Bubbles shower cleaner. It was $13.48 at Walmart (must cheaper then Kroger's $25.00 price) and I had a $10.00 coupon that I got offline.

I then went to CVS, where I am brand new at the Extra Care Bucks (ECB). From what I understand, you have to participate in this for a little bit and put some money OOP in the beginning in order to start getting good savings, so I am going to give it about a month to see if it is truly as amazing as it sounds (with people getting $50some worth of groceries for $1, I hope I can figure it out...). I got this (don't mind the already eaten candy bar, I was hungry after shopping for 3 hours this afternoon/morning):


for a grand total of $16.41. Not awful. Pepsi is expensive now adays... But, I saved $13.84 after coupons and because everything I bought was on sale. After my purchase had earned $5 in ECBs. So, I technically got everything for $11.41... Next time I go in, I'll have $5 to use to purchase more items that will earn me ECBs. I am taking this one slow and steady...

And finally, my Kroger trip! I purchased all of this (excluding the kitten):


for a grand total of $74.67! That is 52 items right there! And guess what I saved? $99.23!!! I saved more then I spent! That is an absolute first right there! I probably would have spent even less if I had purchased only items I had coupons for or were on sale, but I had to give in and purchase a few items that there were no coupons for... I made sure the meat was manager's special (savings there were not included in the final total, but on the pork chops alone, I saved close to $5), and the water, well, B and I like the flavored Aquafina, so I made an exception. I'm really excited to have saved so much. Had I actually had more faith in myself, and more time after I figured out what I was doing, I would have purchased more and probably been able to save even better. But I'm not going to complain.

In all today, I spent a total of $114.20 (and $10.11 for gas, which I got for $1.69 a gallon! Who would have thought I'd see the day when it was that low again!). I saved $130.07 (and probably about $1.80 on my gas purchase). So I saved more then I spent!! Although, I was quite tuckered from my trip and forgot to get the ink for my printer... :)

My goal is still to spend no more then $50 in a week total for everything. I am proud of the fact that in all, my bill came to about as much as I was typically spending at Kroger alone in a week. I'll get it down eventually (especially now that I have discovered the art of stockpiling...), but realize it is going to take some additional work, especially since Kroger's doesn't run MEGA-sales every week.

I'm going to keep trying and keep posting about my efforts. Hopefully you all have some luck with sales too!

All Done...

Well, I am officially done teaching my class for the year. Every year I say I won't ever teach it again because it can be so frustrating...but...I always end up going back. All I have left to do is grade the rest of the papers they turned in (which is going to take me a bit because I got behind when I got sick) and turn in the grades.

I mentioned before that I am surprised by what 18-year olds are doing nowadays, and I continue to be. I guess I must be becoming the old fart I never wanted to be. I always thought that the fact I was young looking, not really THAT old and surrounded by college students meant that I was in tune...but my experiences as a child and teenager were much different then the average person, and in reality, I was probably never in tune (I was such a goody-goody!).

It frustrates me to see that this is our future, and I hope they change. It also scares me for if I have kids. I don't want them to be druggies or drink a lot or have sex when they are in middle school. It amazes me how quickly things can change in our world and how accepted things can become that were once so Taboo. Sometimes it makes me just want to stay in my own little piece of the world and shelter myself...so I'm not so shocked.

With the end of the class I was hoping for more free time. Traditionally, around this time, I would be getting ready for a six-week break...where I would spend the majority of the time selling Christmas trees. I am not doing that for the first time this year, which is sad and I'm not sure how I am going to handle it yet. The free time I was hoping for will most likely not come, as I will likely pick up more hours at work (I'm hoping to know my schedule soon...is it wrong to hope I don't pick up more hours?). There is just so much else I want to do. I want to get the house unpacked and the rooms finished. I want to work with the little horses to get them used to loading in to the trailer and unloading. I want to sit with the wolf pups and I want to read some books. I want to find a job that I actually like...so that maybe then I won't mind spending half my day there.

Mostly I want to understand what the heck I'm supposed to be doing with my life!!

Dear Mr Police Trooper,

Thank you for ruining my day today. $109 is not easy to come by you know, and could pay for many NECESSARY items like food and gas. Thank you for pulling me over, when yes I might have been going somewhat faster then I should have been going, but had zoned out while chewing on my Twizzler, instead of the person who was driving much faster then I was (yes, I saw him pass me not too long before you pulled me over). Thank you for not taking in to consideration my perfect driving record when deciding to give me a ticket, or the fact you falsely accused me of having a bottle of alcohol in my car.

Thank you for making me think that next time I feel crappy, I should just stay home and in bed. And next time my hubby is home sick and I just want to stay home with him, that that is what I should do.

Does it give you joy to charge people outrageous fines in an already poor economy? Ponder that Mr. Police Trooper, while sitting in your cruiser eating your donuts. Some of us actually have to get off our butts to make a living.

Yours Truly,

Wolf

Dear Diary...

As I was cleaning last night, I came across my first diary. You know, the ones with the my diary lock that you really can open no matter what? I got this diary when I was 8...and never finished it...even though I wrote in it until I was 14 on and off. My problem was probably that I had several other diaries/journals and I never knew which one I should be writing in... :) Reading back on these entries made me laugh, as did seeing how my writing style changed over the years. I laugh when I think about what I thought was important to write about, or even how I thought I had to act "cool" when writing in a diary. Ah, the days when I had no clue about life...

I thought I would share an entry with you all. This is from the first year I had the diary, and pretty much every entry from this period of time was the same...I was 8, and I apparently couldn't spell.

Wensday, Aug 6, 1990

Dear Diary,

Today I went to
my cusins Lauren
We are spending
The night at her
house. Her pet
Nekki is hear and
she is a cat.
I love Lauren
and Nekki. Well
my cousen calling
me to go to bed,
Love,
Wolf

A New Blog

Just wanted to let you all know that I have started another blog (Don't worry this one will still be going!) to document me and B's every day life with our amazing wolf dogs. So, if you want to take a look, just go here!

That was rough...

I obviously haven't posted much the last week. I have been beyond sick. Today is the first day I feel somewhat normal, and even that is not that great. The cold I have had has got to be the worst cold I've had in a long time...it's hung on for a week and a half so far... A few things that have happened I haven't been able to post about:

1) Two of our horses got gelded. Talk about an experience. I never thought I'd watch or see something like that. I'd hate to be them.
2) I had to cancel my class last week. Twice. Because of my cold. I have never in the four years that I have been teaching canceled a class. Yeah, I felt like crud.
3) I slept over 35 hours this weekend. It was heaven. But I got nothing done.
4) I called off work on Thursday, only to be made to feel guilty. I go in to work on Friday because I know it will be hard to cover my shift, and receive two messages on my cell phone from work (I don't get cell service at my house) about how they need someone to cover people that have called off...one being from Thursday asking me to work longer hours on Friday. All I could think was "do they not realize how sick I am?" And then I was thanked for coming in on Friday. I would think it to be a bad thing that I came in and could possibly infect the kids, but what do I know?
5) I have officially quit my job, effective January 1. I wish it was effective before then. I really don't think taking this job was the right decision in my life. It is good to get out of the house, but bad to feel as though my talents and smarts are being put to waste and are certainly not appreciated. Funny how that doesn't happen when I'm a stay-at-home-wife though....
6) I survived the busyness of advising time despite being sick. Advising is the only reason I didn't call off work more last week. I had no time to make up those appointments.
7) Only one more week left of teaching my class! Yay! But that doesn't mean more freedom, because it is possible that I will be taking on more hours over the next month... Boo!
8) I find myself wishing more and more that I had more time to do all the things in my life that I would like to try. I don't get why life has to be so overcome with ridiculous things.
9) I'm not a fan of the colder weather. I miss being able to go outside without a coat and without my fingers freezing.

I'm hopeful I'll be able to post more this week now that it seems I may be getting better (I'm crossing my fingers!).

I've Been Picked

I apologize for the lack of posts the last few days. I have not been feeling well. I have a sense that it might be because of the children at my job. One sneezed in my eye last week. Another spit right on my lips. Today a kid wiped his VERY snotty nose on my pant leg (and I had to keep those pants on). And wouldn't you know that I have come down with an evil cold that is downright killing me.

Anyway, Yaya over at Yaya Stuff has picked me to be a part of her game TAG.

Here are 7 random tidbits about me:

1. I absolutely have to eat breakfast food to start my day. Even if I wake up very late in the afternoon, I have to have some sort of breakfasty type thing. I cannot eat anything else...I have no idea why.
2. I've applied three times to Survivor...needless to say, I've never been picked (I believe I would totally win).
3. My dream country to visit is Switzerland.
4. I used to LOVE scary movies...in fact I laughed at them...they never scared me. Then I watched Wes Craven's New Nightmare, and after that I could never watch another scary movie without it seriously affecting me (I mean, I even jump at kids movies sometimes...)
5. I was a gymnast until I was 6, at which time I switched to figure skating.
6. I've run two marathons, and as much as I would love to run another, I think I busted my ankle so bad when I was thrown from the horse this summer that it might never be completely healed!
7. I'm a packrat. I can admit it. I have the hardest time getting rid of anything. Especially clothes, because if they still fit, why get rid of them?

And now I tag:

Ann at Pottamus! Where?!
Donn24g at Serendipitous Landing
Imperfect at Beautifully Imperfect

Grocery Shopping and Deer Carcasses

Sundays are my day to go grocery shopping. Today was no exception. I got up with B (even though I have not been feeling well the last few days...hence the lack of posts) and went in to our local Kroger. We have a few grocery stores in our area, and a Super WalMart, but I have always chosen to shop at Kroger...I always felt it wasn't that much more expensive, and the fuel rewards sure were nice as gas prices were skyrocketing.

Today though, I was slightly disillusioned. I have been trying to be more frugal the last month or so when it comes to our grocery purchases...been clipping coupons and paying attention to items that are on sale. I'd love to one day be able to save more then I spend...but that day is probably a ways away. Anyway. I have been saving quite a bit when I have been shopping...around $50 every time, but I am still spending over $100...a week. For two people. That is WAY too much. Now granted I have been trying to stock my pantry (and freezer...we have lots of meat, bread, Gatorade and canned veggies), and trying to get stocked up on cleaning supplies...but I don't think I need to be in the $100 range every week. My goal is to spend $50 a week and no more. I have no idea how to get that low. But am thinking meal planning will be my next step. And sticking to only the things we absolutely NEED for the upcoming week.

So, why am I going on and on about this? Well, I was excited about the 10 for $10 sale at Kroger the last few weeks. Lots of stuff on sale. Like Gatorade. Today was the last day Gatorade was on sale, so I stocked up. I paid for my stuff (was unhappy with how much I spent, even though I saved so much), took it to the car and then went to Walmart to pick up chicken for the wolf pups. Well, on my way to get the chicken, I saw Gatorade in Walmart. I decided to take a quick price check. Well, wouldn't you know. Gatorade was $.98! And it wasn't on sale. $.02 cheaper than the sale price at Kroger! $.07 cheaper then the regular price.

Ok, so I know that $.02 is not a lot. But that makes me wonder how many other things at Walmart are much cheaper. And if it really is worth the gas savings to shop at Kroger. What do you think? Is it worth shopping at Kroger for the gas savings, or would Walmart save me enough on groceries that it erases the gas savings?

So you may be wondering why Deer Carcasses is in the title of the post. Well, that is something else that applies to being more frugal. We have to feed the wolf pups chicken (meat really, but bulk chicken seems to be the cheapest), and chicken and meat in general, is not very cheap. Especially not in the amounts we have to buy it. We have always known that a lot of people who have wolves feed them deer. We put our name on the deer kill list (for those of you who don't know, this is a list of people that they call when someone hits a deer on the road) a few months ago and never heard anything. B found out a few days ago that if we found a deer we could just take it as long as we notified the proper people, so we no longer had to wait to be called. Well, B comes home today. And he has a deer. Now I don't do well with dead things. Granted, I may be a "farm girl," but we never killed our animals or hunted. So that was not a part of my life growing up. I cry if I hit an animal on the road, and just don't deal well with death in general. So even though I was happy we had a deer...I was not too sure I wanted to be a part of it. I challenged myself to stay as B cut it and got the meat. It was not easy. I did not like the smell. I did not like to see the dead animal. But, at least it in his death, the deer was providing for another animal and not going to waste.

The wolves loved the meat. And from the deer, we got enough meat for them for the next 10 days. I'm sure they are going to like the break from chicken! :)