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by Hope

I bet long term readers of BAD saw the title and slapped their foreheads, thinking here we go again. Hope will never learn.

However, I am here to show you differently. For the first time, maybe ever, I have no travel plans for the next 8 months. And that seems like an eternity. (We are going to go to Texas for Thanksgiving this year – driving.)

So with no plans to leave, especially over the summer. It is the perfect year to dig in to my garden. Every year in the past, I have gone somewhere for a week or two, typically Texas, and my garden just falls apart without maintenance and watering and care. But this year…

The long term goal

My long term goal is to create a super low maintenance, mostly edible yard. And this will be the perfect year to reposition and make use of everything I have…3 standing beds, 2 tall raised beds, and 1 typical raised bed. And really make a plan that I can implement over time and as materials are available.

I found this resource on The Soccer Mom Blog while researching plants and positioning and frugal gardening that I thought others mind find helpful if they are interested in frugal gardening.

I have to admit that we don’t eat a great deal of these items. Maybe about 1/2. But I love the idea of having a continuous supply of the ones we do eat. And have already started a few in my kitchen.

I have left over seeds from last year that I’ve started germinating and am following some gardeners on my social media accounts to gain more knowledge. We do eat a TON of veggies and salads so a good garden would really make a difference, and give us more variety than what we currently have. Our baby carrots that I planted last year are in use now so I’ll definitely replant them. And I am the queen of growing tomatoes. But would really like to be more successful at the vining veggies and fruits. And if I can, I hope to plant some berry bushes and maybe fruit trees (maybe).

If we could eat mostly from our own garden this year and just purchase eggs, chicken, and bacon…that would be amazing. We shall see. (I typically don’t eat as heavy during the summer so a good breakfast plus a salad with protein will be perfect for hot summer days.)

Hope

Hope is a resourceful, solutions-driven online business manager with over two decades of experience helping clients streamline operations, manage projects, and grow their businesses through digital marketing and technology.

But life has a way of rewriting your plans.

A year ago, Hope made the decision to move in with her aging parents full time – a season she wouldn’t trade, even as it came with its own financial and emotional weight. Earlier this year, she lost her mother, and is now walking the tender, disorienting path of grief while learning what “forward” looks like from here.

Hope came to the Blogging Away Debt community in 2015 as a single mom raising five foster and adoptive children. She’s written through job changes, financial setbacks, and the bittersweet transition to an empty nest. Her kids are finding their footing in the world now – and so is she.

Rooted in faith and fueled by the same perseverance she’s brought to every hard season, Hope is ready to face her finances with fresh eyes and an honest pen. She believes that clarity, courage, and community can change the trajectory of anyone’s story including her own.

She lives in Austin, TX with her dad, loves adventures with her dog Addie, and is figuring out, one step at a time, what this next chapter is meant to be.