Square Foot Gardening Roundup

Last year’s table-top design. This year we’re going with several raised bed boxes.
This week I took a look at the 10-day forecast and it revealed temperatures hovering in the mid-sixties for highs, and lows safely above freezing. That means it’s time to start thinking about gardening! Last year we gave square foot gardening a try, and enjoyed some limited success. This year we we plan to expand our plans from a simple tabletop design to a few raised beds directly on the ground.
So over the next couple weekends I’ll be building the 2×4 boxes, preparing the soil, and coming up with a way to keep our dog from trampling the garden (this might prove to be the hardest part!). We’ve already picked up our seed packs and look forward to a summer crop of cucumbers, squash, tomatoes, peas, carrots, strawberries, and a variety of peppers for homemade salsa. I’ll keep you posted!
The Roundup
15 Graceful Ways to Say “No.” My first year of blogging I said yes to everything – every deal, every freelance opportunity, and ever PR pitch asking for a mention. I did it in the interest of growing the blog, but quickly found out it is impossible to say yes to everyone, so I’ve become a bit more discriminating to protect my own schedule.
Severe Drought Adds to Hardships in California. We were planning to expand our square foot garden this year anyway, but news of water rationing in California (which will lead to higher produce prices this summer) have reinforced these plans.
Cheap Meals and Easy Dinner Ideas: Recession Dining For Under $10. My favorite part of this post was the “Meals from the Depression” cooking YouTube video with Clara, a 91 year-old grandmother who cooks recipes right in her kitchen. Cool stuff!
Mortgage Rates Are Low, But It May Still Cost You. A good reminder that while rates are hovering near historic lows, there are still plenty of fees to contend with when navigating a new mortgage.
Job Search – FInd a Freelance Job. Nice rundown of the places to land a side hustle; something more and more of us may be looking for as traditional employment continues to dry up in many major markets.
Save Money on Hotels. Planning a spring break getaway soon? Here’s a collection of tips to save money on your next hotel stay. We are not planning an extended trip any time soon, but do plan to squeeze in a long weekend with a short hotel stay somewhere in the mountains this spring.
A Walkthrough and Cost Breakdown of Brewing Your Own Beer. I was at the grocery store last night and they had a deal where you could pick any 6 bottled beers and make your variety six-pack for a special price. It was tempting, but having just read this article hours before I decided to pass and reconsider home brewing.
The Pursuit of Wealth For The Sake of Others. One of my motivators to building wealth is that I can give some of it away. Admittedly, I would also like to help family first, but if I can accumulate enough I have a long list of “Secret Santa” missions I’d like to participate in!
Should We Downsize? We recently addressed this same question in a review of our 2009 goals (one of which was to downsize our house). In the end, we decided to stay put for now, but it remains a long-term goal for us to reduce our mortgage, our utilities, and our stuff.
Consumer Reports 2009 Best New Car Picks. Still hard for me to get used to the idea that new cars could be a better buy than used, but in this market it’s true. Regardless, I still get a little sticker shock at these prices – a Lexus LS 460 will set you back $64,000 to $77,000…Ouch!
The Frugal Dog – The Cost of Dog Ownership. Frugal pet owners everywhere will appreciate this one! I’ve been a dog owner my whole life, and this list inventories some things even I had not thought about.
Quick Hits
- Bargain Babe is giving away two chances at winning a $25 Starbucks gift card just for signing up to her new blog, BargainBabe.com. I’ve followed Julia since her times at the L.A. Daily News, and have found her new blog worth subscribing to, with or without the Starbucks card!
- Chasing Dollars Instead of Passion (video). So many of us have this backwards, and once you’re headed in that direction, it is hard to turn things around. Are you chasing your passion?
- User Testing Provides Valuable Feedback. WC shared an excellent guest post over at SideHustleBlogging.com. If you run a blog or website, consider asking a spouse, a friend, or even an unbiased third-party to look over your site and solicit feedback.








