Frugal Friday Wrap Up 1/22/2021

Hi all!  I have no idea why, but I am having a hard time being able to reply individually to comments that are left on the blog here.  Therefore I will try to answer a few questions before I list my frugal doings for the week.

Orange chicken recipe:  I'm sorry to say that this was just a sauce I picked up at the store and "gussied up" with some soy sauce and honey.  All I did for the chicken was use boneless, skinless chicken breast and thighs along with whatever veggies I had on hand and sautéed them all up and then added that sauce.

My heart goes out to everyone who is dealing with covid-19, Fibromyalgia and any other issue.  ((((((HUGS)))))

Via a message: Am I happy about the results of the election?  I'm a freedom of speech, anti cancel culture, believe in the right to bear arms, Christian who believes in the sanctity of life and that ALL people should be treated as equally.  My family is about as diverse as they come when it comes to gender beliefs, religious beliefs, nationalities, political views, etc. and I love them all.  I believe that everyone should be held to the same standard and that violence is wrong...period!  I will continue to be praying for our nation. That is what I have to say about that. 😉

Yes, I think we have to be extremely good stewards of all we have been blessed with and continue to prepare for hard times ahead.  Our current political climate continues to be scary along with still dealing with the pandemic and the shutting down of more businesses in our area at least.  

Now onto the savings that we managed this week in no particular order:

~I ordered more supplements from Vitacost going through a link via Swagbucks (6 points per dollar spent) and used a coupon code to get a discount also.

~I made 4 loaves of bread.

~I was able to find a gently used (1 year) queen sized bed on a buy and sell group from a graduate student who is moving for $50 for the mattress, box springs and frame.  Of course I will spray it down well with Lysol and then let that air out to make sure there is nothing on it that should not be.  This bed will be going in our guest bedroom and I will be selling the bunk beds that are in there currently.  I wanted a nice bed for Josh and Lauren to use when they are here and was really happy to find this deal.

~We took a truck bed full of lumber, fencing materials and a t poles over the Chris and Heather that we had here on hand for them to use.

~I also took over some homemade mac and cheese and Heather added a salad and dessert to that.  It was nice to have a lunch with them and cuddle with my grandbabies and their cats along with seeing all the big boys new creations!

~Jeff and I had the rest of the mac and cheese that would not fit into the casserole dish before we took it over for dinner the night before.

~Jeff called and got approved for 7 days off in February when Josh, Lauren and Tate come up!

~I trimmed my bangs.

~I watched some movies online. 

~I researched more about Native American culture and history.  Rachel and Steven are part Native American and I had an ancestor kidnapped by Native Americans in the distant past.  I now understand the "whys" of children of homesteaders being taken.  I also had ancestors who were saved by the native peoples when they first landed on the shores on this continent on the Mayflower.  It is important to learn the history of our country...both the good and the bad, and to be able to see things from a point of view that was/and still is not taught in our schools.

~The hot tub was used to soak away some soreness in our muscles.

~Jeff and I have both spent some time purging and sorting through things.

~Jeff picked up some fuel stabilizer for our generator.

~We filled the truck and one of the cars up with gas in Idaho...much cheaper there.

~I put the celery leaf trimming in the freezer to add to soups.

~One of the things I really enjoy doing is changing out my purses "just because", so I did that again this week.  Given that I have a huge purse collection, this is a free and fun thing for me to do.

~Hot tea and cider were my preferred hot drinks in the evening.  Luckily I have a huge stash of both on hand.

~Jeff and I found some amazing deals at the Grocery Outlet and another grocery store.  Large packages of cookies for .17 to .47 cents each (these will go in Jeff's work lunches), Oscar Meyer hot dogs for $1.00 (grandboys will love these), huge bag of Smart Pop Skinny Pop for .99 cents, a case of peach seltzer water for $2.99, turkey pastrami for $2.99 for a package from the deli, bananas for .47 cents a pound, Velveeta Skillet meals 3/$1 and a few other items.  We also found a game on sale that we bought for Bradley's upcoming birthday gift from us.

~Jeff got oil and filters he needed to work on both of the cars.

~Meals this week:

Homemade macaroni and cheese

Spicy Italian meatballs (very spicy, froze the leftovers to use sparingly in soups and sauces), rice, salad and fresh apple slices

Salisbury steaks, rice, carrots and pear slices

Grilled cheese sandwiches

Cheese omelet for Jeff

Homemade Krab salad for me

Leftovers

Split a chicken strip basket from the tavern ($10)

Homemade huckleberry and plain pancakes

Cereal, toast, oatmeal for breakfasts

Nachos

Snacks were fruit, popcorn and chips

   

   Plans for this weekend are to relax on Saturday and then get busy on some projects here in the house.  I have to take pictures of the bunk beds and list them for sale before we take them apart so we can move them out to the garage and get the new bed set up.  I also need to purge a ton of stuff and get it loaded up into the back of the car so we can drop it off and donate it to a thrift store.  I do not want to put big projects until the last minute before Josh, Lauren and the baby get here.  I want them done early so I can recover and hopefully not be in a flare when they come.