Fall Festival, fall weather, fall food, fall reflections...

Last night was the fall festival at Brother's school.  It was fun & the kids had a great time.  The weather was breezy and seemed in the high 70s.  It was perfect.  Next week are parent teacher conferences - we will be halfway through our academic year in December!  It's crazy to think how quickly our big adventure is approaching.  We were dreaming and scheming a couple of nights ago about how our life would change if I end up teaching all online classes...then we could live anywhere!

We applied for our passports this week.  I found out that I can volunteer to teach study abroad classes and that the family can come (at our expense of course).  I have an orientation to the study abroad program scheduled for next week.  The prospect of spending time in another country while earning my instructor income is amazing.  For so many years we have been tied to our location through our jobs and home ownership. By reducing our expenses, being content on one income and being conscious of our choices we have opened up, literally, a world of possibilities!

I want what I have, and I have what I want - that is my mantra.  Everyday is Buy Nothing Day - by design we have to be very careful about what we purchase. 

We are doing well following our budget.  We have been reviewing our expenses and can see when we are less mindful of our actions and purchases (when we are under self-inflicted stress). Our monthly expenses total around $1900 (includes lot rental, utilities, food and gas).  We have a contingency pad of $700/month - with that our spending cap equaling $2600/month.  I'm not sure what our food budget "should" be for a vegan/vegetarian/pescatarian family of four - but we are trying to keep it at $200 per week.  We have been packing lunches, eating before we leave the Hideout, and cooking dinner at home.  It makes sense now to cook indoors since it has cooled off significantly - though we still grill and run our bread maker outside.  We've been eating lots of beans, salsa, potatoes, nuts, fruit, and broccoli (we're huge fans of broccoli). 

Last week we planned a meal to cook at a friends house.  It was one of our favorites: Almond Butter Noodles.  We haven't made it since we left the McMansion. It was nice to use a full size stove for this recipe as I needed three burners going at the same time.  Our friend made a delicious fruit salad to go with it and we had a wonderful meal at her place. 

Today my plan is to plan meals for next week with Husband - I am passing the torch, but teaching him what I have learned over the past many years of experiments in vegan cooking.  Husband has cooked some amazing meals.  Another past favorite he has made recently is Easy Bean and Rice Wraps from the Forks Over Knives Cookbook.  We wrap them in whole wheat tortillas from Mama Lola's.  We drive right to the tortilla factory in Phoenix to buy them....THE BEST!

Life is so good.  I am a thankful mama.