Another Wednesday has rolled around, and it’s time to answer some questions for Wednesday Hodgepodge.

1. Do you complete your own taxes? Besides actual taxes, what’s something you’ve found taxing lately?

As a self-employed person, I do complete my own taxes. The process is simple enough for me at the moment as I’m not a high earner with lots of income and expenses, but if it ever got complicated, I would hire an accountant to do them.

Something I’ve found taxing lately is the state of the economy. I don’t and probably never will discuss politics on my blog, but that doesn’t mean I’m not paying attention.

2.  What are three values you treasure most in a friendship? 

Number one, at the top of the list, would be humour. Laughter and a good sense of humour are so important in a friendship to me. I love the friends you can have a good laugh with, the kind that hurts your belly.

Trust and honesty are other values that I treasure, too. You share your life and your thoughts with your friends, and you want to be confident that you can trust them with those things.

3. Do you meal plan or do you mostly wing it? Share your dinner menus for this week. 

Every Sunday evening, I make a meal plan for the week ahead. Having a meal plan makes me feel more organised and also reduces the stress of having to think of something to cook every night. Last September, I started writing the meal plan on a whiteboard in the kitchen because I was fed up with constantly being asked what we were having only to be met with disappointment and grumbling. Now, everyone knows what is on the menu and what to expect.

I keep the meal plan simple as I live with people who are very fussy about what they will eat. Here’s what we are having this week.

Monday- Bacon Rolls (Our original plans changed as it was a sad day with having to say goodbye to our cat)

Tuesday- Beef & Gravy Pie with Chips

Wednesday – Rogan josh Curry with Pilau Rice

Thursday- Tomato, Chicken and Marcapone Pasta  with Garlic Bread

Friday – Free (choose what you want from the freezer or cupboard)

Saturday – Pizza Night

Sunday – Chicken Roast Dinner

4. Thomas Sowell is credited as saying, ‘‘There are no solutions, only trade-offs.’ Agree or disagree? Discuss.

I agree with Thomas Sowell’s statement that “There are no solutions, only trade-offs.” Solving one problem often creates another or requires sacrificing something else. It’s rarely about finding a perfect answer; it’s about choosing the best possible option.

5. What’s the best perk you’ve enjoyed at a job?

I used to work in the offices of a supermarket retailer as an administrative assistant to one of the buyers. Brand reps would visit often and bring samples with them and give them to the office staff. I often went home with bags of new products and merchandise, I loved that job.

6.  Insert your own random thought here. 

It’s been a really sad week for us as we had to say goodbye to our cat Mo. He was 16 years old and was the best boy, enjoying belly rubs and head boops regularly. I’ve been thinking a lot about how much our pets mean to us; they become part of our family, and their loss leaves a big hole.