Well this is the final day of the third week of using envlopes.

I was budgeting 25 per person per week, but have desided to allow 30 per person per week. I tend to do major projects on the house/yard on the weekends and I put my all into it. Which means I want to increase the food budget so that I can plan for take out/fast food/delivery etc once per weekend.

I stopped at the grocery store today, they had pizza rolls on sale for $.88 I had four internet coupon to save $.55 off two so I got 8 boxes for $.61. I also got four 8 ounce cheese block for $.99 each.

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A while ago I got a landscaping estimate. I was told $3500 for what it would take to put down dirt, level it etc and spray grass seed. Well I have been doing it myself. I have not spent nearly the $1600 which they alloted for dirt. I think I am at $200 or so, anyway I need to buy more dirt for the next section I am going to work on. A while back I bought atleast 110 bags of scotts premium topsoil with peat in it. The store had them on clearance for $.50 a bag. I finally got those put down this morning.

It took four hours and it covered a 32 by 25 foot area. I need to do another two section about that size each. Sadly though I finally got the truck unloaded and the store is out of that soil. Anyway I have a few options the store brand 40 pound bags of potting soil for $1.97 which goes a little farther than the scotts did or a big bag of scotts grass soil on clearance for $3.00. I am not sure which way I am going to go, but I need to make up my mind soon as I took this week off work to finish this up and I dont want to have to run all over town to buy dirt.

Yes I have had dirt delivered by a dump truck and also have hauled FREE dirt using my pickup but when all is said and done doing the bag this comes out cheaper and easier.

We will see how it works out. I also have been putting down a mowing border around the house, it has turned out very nice and much cheaper that what it would have cost me to hire someone to do it.

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Since I planted seed a few weeks ago I upped the watering of the yard to help the seed germanate better, I have turned off the system on days where rain was forcasted, but I must admit I over did it a bit, the new grass is awesome and I want it thick so next year so we can set the sprinkler and mow the grass and that be it, no projects trying to get the grass to grow.

While trying to clean the table off I opened the water bill, I spent $86.52 this month between watering the grass, the ballon fight at the BBQ and filling up the pool. Basically my water bill was $76.52 above my normal bill. Oh well I adjusted the sprinkler so only the new dirt/seed I put down yesterday is getting extra and the rest is getting normal. Even with the extra water cost which we would have had even if we would have hired someone to do the landscaping I am coming in under the cost of hiring for the job.