Thinking Out Loud

So, we go on vay-cay (pix later), and the day we come back, Shanti gets laid off.

I'm stressed (bc that's what I do), but we're in pretty good standing, all things considered...

1. We don't eat meat, and that is the #1 food expense
2. We are just getting into spring; winter is by far the most expensive season, between heating and no solar power
3. I have a pantry full of tomato sauce, tomatoes, flour, oats, sugar and salt; for the last 2 yrs, I've been buying 50# bags of the staples
4. I have a freezer full of more tomatoes, canned peaches, coffee and cheese
5. Gardening season is just getting under way
6. We have spent the last 8 yrs building up enough savings to live on for a year (putting this much into savings and not buying/doing fun things was painful, but I'm glad now!)
7. We are also pre-paid on our house through July 
8. We owe only on our house, and we are not upside-down there (no car or c/c debt)
9. The hens have just started their laying season, and 3 new little layers are coming soon!
10. Car insurance is paid through June, home insurance through next March, property tax through November

So, all is not lost.  I will be much happier when Shanti gets a new job, but I am grateful for my paranoid planning. :)