So much great advice! Thank you Ingrid and Michaelg! I know someone who goes to a feed store for horses. I will tell him to pick me up some 40lb bags of alfalfa and I can collect leaves from the local parks to mulch with. Checking Ashdown and Vintage for the sales, too. Thanks Diane_nj, Moroseaz, Silverkelt, Karl_bapst_rosenut, Predfern, Terryjean, Sammy, Jacqueline3, Roselvr and Canadian_rose for the wealth of info.!!! You all have made me realize that compost makes the garden world go 'round. Also thanks Hoovb and Particentral, for putting things in perspective. I suppose it's all relative and there are other hobbies that can be more expensive, but creating a gardening budget will help me get to the point of being wealthy enough to fly airplanes as a hobby, keep show grade koi and collect expensive art. Now, dealing with show dogs is not a hobby I would pursue. :) Juliet

Amex has always charged more than the other cc companies. Others have already pointed out that those mall cc purchases really hit small businesses hard. We have customers that are kind enough to be aware of that and write checks or use their debit card, or even, believe it or not, pay in cash. A lot of you have mentioned Costco. I've never shopped at one because they're just not convenient to me, but I used to shop at Sam's. I quit doing that years ago because they had an annual fee, and I didn't feel like I was saving enough to make up for that annual fee. Most of what I got at Sams I could buy as a loss leader at a regular grocery store. I've also not found coupons to be very useful, because they're rarely for real food, just processed food. After seeing several stories on the news, and listening to co-workers, I broke down and bought a Sunday paper several weeks ago for the coupons. Boy, was I disappointed. I spent $2.00 on the paper, and maybe found that much worth in coupons that I might use, (which I have to admit I've forgotten about), and then I had all this mess of paper to deal with. What a waste of time that was. Sally

You don't say where you live. I assume its in the south somewhere? Even here in NH its been very hot this past week (in the 90s) and humid. However it did cool down to about 70 at night. We don't have ac because the climate doesn't need it very often, but we do have a whole house fan that we run at night. Its great! The key is the strategic opening of windows so the ww fan will draw cool air all through the house. If a window is open right next to the fan that's where it will draw most the air from so you don't do that. Before the fan we would open the windows as soon as it got cooler out than in, and have fans blowing OUT the upstairs windows, and then close everything down in the morning when it got warmer again. This made a huge difference. Maybe the ww fan would work for you in spring and fall if you live in a very hot place, and save money on ac. It would definitely keep your upstairs cooler since they blow into the attic (also called attic fans). This makes me wonder if your attic is properly vented. Its possible that a po did something that they shouldn't have to your attic vents. OUr house is very well insulated. My dh keeps adding insultation to the attic, and years ago he blew in insulation in the walls. Our heating bill last winter was about $400, with the upstairs kept cool. My moms was $2000 tho for a somewhat bigger victorian house but she keeps her thermostat on 62. We replaced a few windows that were in terrible condition (with wooden windows) but our house is very plain and from the 1920s so not that old. We got 2 over 1 s like the rest of the house and they seem to blend in. I understand what people are saying though. Sometimes you see window replacements and it looks like the soul is gone from the house after. Some folks also object to getting rid of the old weight system windows, but that big gap in the wall where the weight is is an uninsulated weak spot. My dh retrofited many of our old windows so we don't have the weights and he filled the gaps with insulation. I must admit tho that the weight system works great, and I have an easier time opening the windows in which the old system remains. We got interior storm windows which cost about $170 each and they had to be custom cuz the window openings are all slightly different sizes. They are great, but finding a place to store them is a challenge even tho we only take down the ones where we put screens for the summer. They are less expensive than replacement windows, clearly. It did make a big difference in our comfort this winter, and they are a lot nicer than plastic. The other bad thing about them is that they take up some windowsill space and they don't come in very many colors. Good Luck!

Carol - Here's the short and long version of the recipe. I have it taped to my bread machine on a 3x5 card. It's our everyday bread, and I also use it for dinner rolls, cinnamon rolls, burger buns and hot dog buns. I've also included the long version of the recipe which includes instructions for making it in the bread machine, as well as by hand. I lovingly call the recipe "Mildred Bread". It was based on a recipe my friend, Mildred, got from Pleasant Hill Grain and some input from me. Sponge: 3/4 c. warm buttermilk (I use kefir) 3/4 c. warm water 2-1/2 c. milled whole wheat flour 1/4 t. ascorbic acid 2 t. instant yeast Mix on quick dough cycle for a few minutes. Stop machine and rest the sponge at least 2-1/2-hours. Stir in these ingredients: 1/3-1/2 c. chia seed goop (optional) 2 T. coconut oil (butter or vegetable oil can also be used) 2 T. agave nectar (or honey) 1 egg Add to the top: 2-1/4 c. whole wheat flour 2 t. salt (on top) Process on the quick dough cycle. Remove as soon as the kneading has stopped. Note: I sometimes add 1/3-1/2 c. multi-grain cereal at the add-in beep, and also add 2 T. flaxmeal. ----------------------------------------------------- The long version: 100% Whole Wheat Bread Bread Machine (changes for by hand in italic) Sponge: 3/4 c. lukewarm buttermilk (I use homemade kefir.) 3/4 c. lukewarm water 2-1/2 c. freshly-milled whole wheat flour (Prairie Gold from Wheat Montana is my favorite wheat) 1/4 t. ascorbic acid* 2 t. SAF-Instant Yeast Mix these ingredients in the bread machine pan and set the machine to QUICK DOUGH. As soon as the mixture is well mixed, unplug the machine and allow to sit (with the lid closed) at least 2-1/2 hours or up to 12 hours, or something in between. If you use a red variety of wheat, it will be less acidic-tasting if you use a 12-hour sponge. After the sponge has set, mix these ingredients into the sponge: 2 T. melted coconut oil (or butter or veg. oil) 2 T. agave nectar (or honey) 1 egg (I also add 1/3-1/2 c. chia seed gel. **) Add to the top of the sponge mixture in the pan: 2-1/4 c. freshly-milled whole wheat flour 2 t. salt (on top the flour) Set the bread machine on regular DOUGH cycle and process. Check the dough to make sure it's formed into a nice soft ball and adjust the hydration as needed. My changes: I process the dough in the bread machine until the dough is mixed and kneaded. I don't let it rise in the machine. I place the dough in a dough rising bucket, place the lid on the top and allow the dough to ALMOST rise to double. Whole wheat dough does NOT have the extensibility that white bread dough does, so try not to let it go more than double. Using a dough rising bucket helps you to accurately judge when dough has doubled. Place the dough into a dough rising bucket. It should come up to the 1-quart line. It's doubled when it reaches the 2-quart line. You can get plastic food storage containers (with a tight-fitting lid and graduated measures on the side) at restaurant supply stores (or through King Arthur Flour - aka dough doubler). For this recipe a 2-quart container works perfectly.) After the bread machine finishes the dough cycle (or has doubled in the dough rising bucket), dump the dough onto a Silpat and with oiled/greased hands deflate the dough by pushing it in the middle with your fist then drawing all edges of the outside dough into the middle (turning the dough inside-out so to speak). Divide the dough into portions (I scale the dough for accuracy.) Round each portion (make it into a smooth ball) so that all the gluten strands are going into the same direction. Cover and allow to rest 10-15 minutes so the gluten relaxes. Form dough, pan, cover with plastic wrap for the final proofing - etc.... I make this bread into 3 small loaves (7-1/2x3-1/2-inch pans - 350°F for 20-25 minutes), OR one 1# Pullman Loaf and use the other 1# of dough for 6 pecan rolls OR an 8-inch pan of dinner rolls - sometimes I use a portion of the recipe for hamburger or hot dog buns. A very versatile dough. ------------------------------------------------------ * ascorbic acid powder is available at most health food stores. It's a very important ingredient ANY time you make bread that includes wheat germ (which is in whole wheat flour). There is a substance in wheat germ called Glutathione. This substance breaks down the gluten and can result in a short loaf. The bran in whole wheat bread can also cut the gluten strands which results in a short squatty loaf. The sponge helps to soften the bran. The addition of 1/8 t. ascorbic acid per loaf of bread will counteract the negative effects of Glutathione. It will help prevent the gluten bonds from breaking down and will also help repair gluten bonds that have been broken. The ascorbic acid also helps sustain the leavening of bread loaves during baking. Yeast grows longer and faster when there is also ascorbic acid. Do not add it to sourdough recipes because they are naturally an acidic atmosphere. ** Chia seed gel is a mixture of chia seeds and water (1 part chia seeds to 9 parts water). This mixture thickens as the seeds absorb the water and adds hydration to the crumb of the loaf. It looks like poppy seeds in the bread after it's baked. Excellent nutritional boost and additional fiber. By hand, place sponge ingredients in a glass or plastic bowl and mix the sponge ingredients together with a Danish dough whisk or a wooden spoon and beat the ingredients about 100 strokes. Cover, and allow to sit at room temperature at least 2-1/2 hours. After the sponge is done: add the flour gradually to the sponge mixture using a Danish dough whisk (or wooden spoon) and carefully beat in each addition of flour before adding more. You may end up beating the dough 500-800 strokes, but do as much mixing as you have the strength to do. If you need to stop and rest, that's fine. The rest will allow the dough to hydrate. Towards the end of mixing, add the salt (DON'T FORGET!!!). The gluten will tighten up and make mixing harder after adding salt. The better job you do of mixing the dough and developing the gluten while it's in the bowl, the less time you'll need to knead it. When you knead the dough, avoid adding a lot of bench flour. If you have a problem adding too much flour during kneading, grease/oil your hands during kneading instead - especially during the last 2-3 minutes of kneading. -Grainlady