Saturday, September 9, 2017

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 9/2- 9/8 2017

   



   



I would like to apologize for those of you who have seen a certain commenter on my blog who includes a link to a rather disgusting adult entert@inment site.  I am trying to delete it as soon as I see it and I would hate to have to start moderating comments, but if they continue to comment here, I may have to.  So if you are reading this and are that certain commenter, please knock it off and do not comment on my site.  Now that that little piece of bloggy business is out of the way, let me give you an update on the fires around us.  We continue to struggle with smoke and fires here and the winds are whipping up here as I write this on Saturday 9/9/17.  The wind is helping to blow some of the smoke out of the area right now, but it also promises to blow more back in later.  There is also the fear of it making the ongoing fires that are burning explode once again and jump containment lines.  I know that the media is focused on the devastating hurricanes, but we are also dealing with devastation due to fires up here also.  Please keep everyone that is dealing with any of this and our brave emergency workers in your prayers.  We all need it right now.  Now, onto the savings...



Jeffs dinner...Chicken breast, green beans from the garden and stuffing.
~We celebrated Jeff's birthday by going out to lunch on Saturday and used gift cards earned through Swagbucks to pay for it.
~We got a free magnetic tool keeper thing after coupon at Harbor Freight.
~I found 2 gorgeous leather Banana Republic purses at a resale shop for $5 each.
~We picked up a few things at the Grocery Outlet while we were up there.
~We bought a new car!  Not the most frugal thing, but the repairs on the other car were going to cost more than it Blue Booked out at.
~When we bought our car, they gave us multiple nice tote bags to put all the stuff from my old car in it to transfer to my new car.
~Our car insurance is going to cost us less due to all the safety features on my new car.


My dinner...chicken breast, squash and tomatoes from the garden and stuffing.

~Sunday we celebrated the baby dedication of our youngest grandson Steven at church and they were very sweet to bless us with a loaf of poppy seed bread.
~We also had a BBQ/potluck at Jaysn and Rachel's house with Rachel's mom and sister, along with our crew to celebrate Steven's dedication and Jeff's birthday.



~More apples, beans, squash and tomatoes were harvested.
~Monday we stayed home so there was no money spent on gas or anything.
~The little boys, Bradley and Isaiah, came and spent Tuesday with us while Chris slept after being up all night fighting wildfires and Heather had appointments.  We had to stay inside due to the smoke so we watched movies, played with Legos and bowled in our long hallway. 😁



~I have been putting the kitchen fruit and veggie peels and cores around the fruit trees to break down into compost.
~Jeff shook out our huge piggy bank and got enough money out of it, along with some other spare change, to pay for his first week of bowling.  The first week costs an additional $25 on top of the weekly fees.
~I've been planning menus and cooking based on what we have on hand for the most part.
~I baked 2 loaves of sandwich bread.



~The library had a book and a movie for me that I had requested.
~We are finishing up the TV series "Last Man Standing" before it is taken off Netflix later this month.
~I placed an order for our supplements at Vitacost using codes there to save 12% sitewide and an additional 20% on all of their own brand vitamins and supplements.  I also went through a link at Swagbucks to get 3 swagbucks per dollar spent.
~I froze a gallon of cherry tomatoes from our garden.



~I made another crockpot full of applesauce from our apples and froze it.
~Chris and Heather gave us $30 to help pay for cat food and kitty litter since we have their 2 cats here living with us.
~I've been working my points programs when time allows.
~The mail brought more free magazines.
~Thursday I stopped at Staples and bought 2 huge double roll 12 packs of toilet paper.  After my coupon, I only paid $2.03 out of pocket!  The young man checking me out was very impressed!



~I stopped at Goodwill looking for some cheap bathtub toys since I had to throw out the old ones and the grandboys were not happy about it.  I did not find any there but I did find a new package of outlet covers for .99 (Rachel needed more for baby proofing because guess who is now beginning to scoot) and a new pair of soft and cozy slippers for $1.99 (future gift or maybe mine).
~I took advantage of some really good deals at one of the grocery stores.  I bought 5 pound bags of onions for $1.67 each (will dehydrate these), mushrooms at $1.47 for 8 oz (I got 2 of these), chicken thighs for .99 a pound (I bought 5 packs and threw them in the freezer), shampoo for .50 a bottle (6 bottles), a cantaloupe for .37 a pound, a container of sour cream for .99, a huge Summer Sausage for $4.99, and bananas at .37 a pound.
~The long haired cats have been leaving hair everywhere and hacking up hairballs so I stopped at the Dollar Tree and got them a brush so I can try to get some of that hair off them.  I picked up a few other items we needed while I was there too including some lavender scented epsom salts to out in my bath and help soak away some of my aching muscles.



 ~One of the hardware stores had all their gardening stuff on sale so I picked up an seed starter kit and am going to try and grow some lettuce inside the house over the cold months.  I have a grow light that I will have Jeff set up for me.
~I gave Jeff a much needed haircut.
~After all my running around, doing the shopping and cutting Jeff's hair on Thursday, I rewarded myself with a nice glass of wine here at home. 😊 Not going to lie, it helped with the stir crazy feeling of being locked up in a hot house due to the smoky skies outside too.



~Friday, my wonderful hanai sister Shannon brought me over a air purifier to use and a bottle of wine.  She is such a sweetheart!  I sent her home with a basket of freshly picked cherry tomatoes from our garden.
~We have been watching the news on Youtube of all places since they have the live streams.  It has helped keep us up to date on the areas that have been hit or will be hit by the hurricanes since we have friends and loved ones in those areas.
~I spent Friday here at home and got my free foraged plums cut up and frozen.
~Friday night I had some Bruschetta, grapes, crackers, summer sausage and wine for dinner.  It was really good and I enjoyed it while watching some shows on Netflix.  Sometimes a girl has to treat herself and I had everything here on hand to do so.



~We SKYPEd several times with our son Josh this week.  It is always so nice to be able to actually see him while we talk.  Only a few more weeks and I get to hug that boy tight!
~I've been monitoring all of our accounts online, especially since the whole Equifax breach.




   So that is it for me my wrap up.  Yes, we spent lots of money on a new car, but it was a need and one that hopefully will serve us well for years to come.  I'm praying that this coming week will be a lot more frugal for us. I'm also looking forward to spending more time with all 3 of our grandsons!

20 comments:

  1. Sounds like quite a lovely week to me. Congrats on the new vehicle.
    I buy the lavender Epsom salts too - love it.

    Praying that all the disasters going on around the country end quickly. I feel so bad for everyone. Stay safe.

    You do know you can ban someone from commenting? I had to do it once, just because of the same reason.
    Take care and have a great weekend.

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    1. Hi Cheryl, can you please tell me how to ban someone from commenting? I had no idea that I had that option. Thanks!

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  2. Look at all those Legos! And it looks like Caesar wants to play along. Very cute.
    Sounds like a very productive week. Nice that your new car will lower your insurance costs - that's a win you'll enjoy.
    Today is the second day in a row we've had rain. I've never been so happy with a rainy day. The air is so nice and clean. Hope you're getting some too as long as you don't the lightening.
    I'm feeling better today. Just needed a few days of down time.
    Be blessed.
    SJ

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    1. Hi SJ,

      Those used to be our boys Legos and now the grandboys are enjoying them. :) Caesar loves those little boys and wants to be right with them all the time.

      I'm glad you are feeling better and enjoy all that blessed rain! We got a few sprinkles here, but nothing that will make any difference really. The smoke is not as thick right now though so that is a huge improvement. :) I can even be outside in the garden and not cough.

      Take care my friend!

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  3. I hope it is not my site as I am very careful. But how awful is that?

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    1. It's not you...it is some random person that just started commenting here and linked to an adult site. Apparently they are hitting quite a few bloggers right now. YUCK!

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  4. How cool is that to have your own bowling alley in your house?! :D The grandsons must have loved it.

    I'm sorry to read about all the fires and the poor air quality and everything else that go with wild fires. I hope your son and all the others battling the fires are safe; they certainly put their lives on the line to protect others.

    It sounds like you had a full week with lots going on. Hope you continue to manage to do what needs to be done, even with all your health challenges.

    By the way, may I ask what you do with all those handbags you buy? Do you use all of them or do you re-sell them? My sister, too, has a bunch of handbags and my daughter loves handbags. I have one for everyday use and I bought a cheap second one to use when I go to a fancy party because my everyday one looks so worn. I do tend to carry everything but the proverbial kitchen sink in my handbags, so they become shapeless and worn, very quickly!

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    1. HI Bless,

      Yes, skinny hallways make for great bowling alleys for grandboys. ;) Chris is not out fighting fires anymore, it seems that the state has enough people that they have brought in along with the company that owns lots of the land itself.

      As for those handbags, I have sold a few but want to sell even more. I am trying to see if I could build an online reselling business or if selling them at a local consignment shop would be more profitable for me. Maybe you can look at thrift stores and find a nice leather handbag to replace your worn everyday purse. I am amazed at what I find, some even brand new.

      Take care!

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  5. Forgot to say - and you probably already know this, when I had long hair cats I'dgive them Petromalt weekly. Bought it in a tube at the pet store.
    For the one cat, I'd squirt about a 3/4 inch amount out and would put it on her paw. Then she'd lick it off. The other cat would lick it from the tube. And for her, I had to keep it in the refrigerator, otherwise she'd open the drawer and help herself.
    Cheers,
    SJ

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    1. I used to do that with our other cats. Thanks for the reminder! Midgey seems to like being brushed, but Patches is not so sure about it. Doofy however is loving it! ;)

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  6. Debbie it's awful that you're getting such awful links occurring. I haven't seen them so I hope they aren't piggy backing onto my comments.
    I thought that the smoke would have let up by now. We had bushfires last week, but only had five days of everything smelling of smoke. All the people with respiratory illness would be in dire straights. I love that you were able to provide the little boys with a fun time, even if it had to be inside.
    I was looking at your lovely 'treat' dinner and I thought to myself that it had been a while since I had allowed myself such a delicious and simple meal. It was a girlfriends Birthday last week. Might pack up a picnic and pop over and visit her. Will need to bake a cake as well.
    We too have had a big spend week. I purchased 6 new ceiling fans to replace the rusty old ones. These will go in sometime this week. We are waiting for the electrician to tell us what day this will be. It will be so nice to have the fans not looking so old and grotty.
    I have 4 kgs of tomatoes that I plan on making up into tomato sauce(ketchup) today. Bluey and Katie don't like bought sauce so have been asking when the tomatoes were going to end up as sauce.
    I so hope that the fires burn themselves out and that you can get on with life without smoke. Josh coming home soon will be wonderful for you. I know the feelings you are going through. We have our boys deployment coming up very soon. Not something I look forward to at all. After you give your boy hugs from you, give him another from me and thank him for his service. Much love.

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    1. Hi Jane,

      Our skies have gotten so much better within the past 2 days and the smoke is nowhere near as bad as it had been. I can see the butte off in the distance again, so that is a plus. I still can't see the mountains in Idaho though. A friend of mine did end up in the hospital with breathing issues and others were confined to their homes.

      I am so happy for you that you are getting new fans! How wonderful! I have never made homemade ketchup before but may have to try some. Lord knows I have enough tomatoes here to make some with. ;)

      Thank you about my Josh and I will be praying for your son too. Deployments are hard on families. I do hope he will have access to SKYPE so you can see him when you talk to him...it really does help. Thank your son for me too!

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  7. We have had clearer skies for the past few days, as well. What a welcome relief. The weather has been cooler, and we have received a small amount of rain in the last few days. I'm hoping some of that cooler air and rain reaches the fire areas, but it's supposed to heat back up a bit.....There are still so many fires raging here in Oregon, as well as the ones over in your area. It is encouraging that they don't need your son right now--hopefully things will stay under control.

    We were able to get out and haul some wood to our house, from where we had dumped it at my sister's house when we were moving, and stack it in the shed for winter. I don't thing we actually have enough for the entire winter, but it's a great start. Rob found some wood on Craig's List and we may buy a cord. We usually go out and cut it, but having moved, our usual sources are no longer available. It will still be cheaper to buy some than to use the heater constantly.

    I got salsa canned last night. I may want to do more, but I got 14 small jars, so that 's quite a bit for us to use, so I'm pleased.

    I really want to do a menu plan this week, so that's a goal. It helps things go smoothly since I'm back into my busy season of home-school.

    Have a great week!

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    1. Hi Becky,

      Wasn't that break from the smoke wonderful? Smoke is beginning to move back into our area now from BC and Montana. I am so praying for rain and it looks like parts of Montana and Idaho are even going to get snow.

      I'm glad that you were able to get some wood put in and have a source to buy some more. Jeff was saying the other day that we are going to have to run our pellet stove at night and the swamp cooler by day with the wild fluctuations in temperatures. I told him I like the cold. ;)

      Good for you for getting that salsa canned! I still have a countertop full of produce to work on. I have been having a fibro flare this week, along with being busy, and have not gotten a whole lot done.

      I hope you are having a great week homeschooling! I helped homeschool my older 2 grand boys this week and it was so much fun to do so. :) Be blessed!

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  8. Oh my goodness you have had a fantastic week! And congratulations on your beautiful new car. It is very nice and will serve you well for many years to come, I'm sure. Enjoy it!

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    1. Thank you! We are enjoying the car immensely! Chris did find out why our radio stations were not coming in well though...apparently the antenna is broken off. Oh well, we can always get another one of those or just listen to the jukebox feature or CDs. It's not the bog of a deal really. :)

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  9. I have a tomato plant with about 20 beautiful big tomatoes that are all green! They don't seem to want to ripen. Maybe I'll make some fried green tomatoes. The weird summer weather has done some strange things to our garden this year. Some of my cucumbers came out round and some long - on the same plant. lol. I love bags / purses. Found a Michael Korrs one a few years ago that is real and beautiful at a local thrift store for 5.00. Everyone wants it but it's mine. :)
    Take care. Praying for everyone affected by the fires. My family is all up in Oregon and they have smoke / fires too.

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    1. Hi Crystal,

      I would not have shared that purse either. ;) I have one of the older Michael Korrs handbags and a Kate Spade that I refuse to part with, so I totally get where you are coming from.

      My cucumbers are doing the same thing as your's. Did you know that you can pick the tomatoes while they are green and wrap them up in newspaper individually and they will slowly ripen on their own? I did that 2 years ago and we were eating fresh tomatoes at Thanksgiving. :) I may have to do that here soon again.

      Be blessed!

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