Frugal Friday Wrap Up 3/17/23 and 3/24/23

    

   

   Coming at you with a 2 week Frugal Friday Wrap up.  Yes, I have been lazy and yes, I have been dealing with fibro flares, bad back pain and trying to get too much done and not pacing myself.  No, I still have not learned how to pace myself and I may never learn.  No one to blame there but myself for that one. 😉 As I am finishing this off and writing the intro to this post, Jeff is still out there working on his car.  I am beginning to really dislike that car with a huge passion.  He broke another tool while working on it this week and it is taking up weekend time, days after work, etc..  This is a busy time of the year for getting the gardens ready and I need his help.  My back is getting worse, so I am not able to do even the same amount that I was last year.  No, I am NOT happy about that at all.  Having my body betray me like this really bothers me.  I need to get on with the post before I go into a long rant...so here it is:

Week 1

Weekend:

~Saturday Jeff worked until 2 p.m..  While he was at work, I did laundry and worked on a few projects around here.

~Saturday night found us at Chris and Heather's celebrating with family and friend for Bradley's birthday. :)  We had homemade pizzas, salad and lovely desserts.  

~Heather sent us home with cookies and cupcakes.

~I took 6 pounds of rice over for Isaiah to use in his new crafting business.

~Bradley and Isaiah showed us the videos they made (it was hilarious) of why they "needed" their own rooms.  Apparently, it was a very convincing video because they got their wish and are no longer sharing a room. 😉

~Sunday Jeff and I got caught up on our shows that we like to watch.

~We headed into town to get some things at Harbor Freight, including some pop up lanterns that our Steven is obsessed with.  He keeps wanting to play with mine, so we got him one of his own as a present for an upcoming birthday.  We also picked up a tarp and some batteries. 

~Grocery Outlet is right next door, so we popped in there a got a HUGE orange pepper and a mango drink for me.  We got out of there for $1.53...big spenders we are. LOL!

~We decided that since we are not finishing a gallon of milk before it goes bad, to just not pick any up for awhile and use the powdered milk that needs to be used and rotated for a bit. 

~I made chicken salad sandwiches for dinner.

Monday:

~Steven came over to spend the day with me since he is on Spring Break.  He and I worked on a Kiwi Kit building some fun things together.

~My stomach was acting up for a good part of the day.  I think I overdid it on the sugar over the weekend.  I should know better by now.

~Steven helped me get everything ready and measured for split pea soup.  I threw a ham bone in there too and let it cook all day in the crockpot.  Delicious!

~Ginny (cat) got lots of lovies since Steven spent a good amount of time outside with her in the back porch and walkway area.

~Jeff picked up my medications from Walmart while he was on his lunch hour.

~I got the sheets and the mattress protector washed.  I also washed the sheet I keep over the recliner in the living room since the cats love to lay there and they shed so much.

Tuesday:

~I briefly Facetimed with Josh and Lauren as they are finishing the packing up of their home in Las Vegas and getting ready for their move to the Ogden, Utah area tomorrow.  I wish I could be there to take care of the kids while they got things finished up.

~I whipped together a quick dinner of thinly sliced beef strips, onions, mushrooms in a brown gravy sauce and served it over mashed potatoes.

~Uncle Bob's son came over and let me know that the sons all agreed to honor Uncle Bob's wishes to give Chris some of the big tools in the garage that Uncle Bob had told them all he wanted to go to him.  I am so thankful that they did agree.  I know that Uncle Bob would be so proud of them for doing this.  I called Chris and made arrangements for him to come over Wednesday to get them.

Wednesday:

~I borrowed another movie from the library.

~Jeff picked up some chicken thighs that were on a digital coupon sale at Safeway for .77 a pound.  He got two big family packs.  He also picked up a cabbage that was also on sale.  I will divide up the chicken thighs into Ziplock bags and freeze them in smaller portions.

~I got a letter in the mail from my health insurance company telling me that I so have vision care for a year with my insurance policy.  Time to book an eye appointment and get some new glasses because I know my vision has changed.

~Dinner was leftover split pea soup for Jeff and I had a cabbage salad with some ham from the freezer.

Thursday:

~I finally got to sleep in a bit.  I have been totally exhausted and stressed.

~Jeff had bowling league, so I just had a snacky kind of dinner.

Friday:

~Steven was here with me so my little helper and I headed into town to visit G-pa and to do some shopping.  Steven snagged a bag of popcorn from G-pa's workplace. 😉

~Our shopping trip was one to stock up on needed things and groceries.  We found most of what was on our list, but left some things behind because the prices were just too high.

~We went to Goodwill and I found a shirt for Steven that was the half price color tag.  I also bought some new in package underwear for Jeff and a bag full of assorted canning jars.

~Once we were home again, we had lunch and then headed down to the park.  We ran into a nice young family that we had met the previous Summer and had a wonderful visit with them.  Steven was thrilled to make a new friend!

~Dinner was baked chicken thighs and potatoes.

~I finally divided up the boneless skinless chicken thighs and froze 5 smaller bags of them for 5 future meals.

Week 2

Weekend:

~Jeff worked on his car for most of Saturday and ran into all kinds of problems.

~I made 3 loaves of banana bread with some overripe bananas.

~I also made 2 loaves of homemade bread.

~Saturday night we had grilled cheese sandwiches for dinner.

~I got all the laundry done and was even able to hang the sheets out to dry on the laundry line.  What a joy it was to finally be able to crawl into line dried sheets again.

~Sunday morning found us making a run into town to buy a butane torch to see if Jeff could expand the metal enough on the pipe under the car to break it loose.  Well that did not work, but he does now have a cool new toy to use for other projects.

~We made another stop at Goodwill since I was looking for a hummingbird feeder.  We found one for $3.99!  That sure beats the price of a new one.  I also found a smallish chopper that also has a small slicer that it perfect for slicing potatoes, cucumbers, etc. and saves me from having to get out the food processor.  It also makes quick work of cubing potatoes, onions, carrots, and so much more.  Additional find were a really nice quality knife, a new in package Kwikset doorknob and lock set for $5.99, a heavy duty plastic tote for more storage and keeping things together, a large serving platter in the old Greek Key Haviland china pattern (this in a pattern that I currently have other pieces in and was handed down through my family for generations) for $3.99, a set of 3 Pyrex glass ramekins and another item I cannot put out there as of now since it is a gift.

~Jeff and I both worked in the gardens clearing out the raised beds, him pruning our pear trees, and making plans on how to help control the chaos of our blackberry bushes.

~Sunday's dinner was breakfast for dinner.  I cut up some smoked sausages and pan fried them.  I also fried up 2 eggs for Jeff and he had toast on the side and I had a toasted cinnamon raisin bagel.

Monday:

~I had a rough night of sleep full of pain and nightmares.  I decided to take it easy for the day and just do small things that make me feel better and that will not put me into an even deeper fibro flare than I am currently in. In other words, I decided to be very good to myself. 😊

~I puttered around and looked at some of my misc. china and glass collections.  I came across my Spring plates that I use for decorative purposes and got those up in the kitchen and took down the Winter themed ones and got those put away.

~Dinner was chicken and herb sausages with broccoli cheese rice and crisp baby carrots.

Tuesday:

~Another rough with very little sleep.  I got 3 hours total if I was lucky.  Since I had a doctor's appointment, Jeff called into work and let them know that he needed to take me there.  Between my fibro flare, very little sleep and thick fog, there was no way I was going to be able to get myself there safely or without having a panic attack.  Jeff is going to be making up the hours by going in early and staying a bit later.  Luckily, they are really good about things like this.

~So, yet another "ailment" or condition to add to my long list of health issues.  Apparently I  have scoliosis.  He could see it in my back and then the x-rays confirmed it.  My lower back, near my tailbone, is the worst part of it. No arthritis though, which surprised him and delighted me!  Hey, at this point I will take any "wins" I can get. 😉This explains the cracking, popping and pain. He recommended swimming and hydrotherapy.  If we can get our hot tub fixed, he said that would be great for me.  I have had back problems since I was a child. My doctor is going to resubmit a request for an echocardiogram since the murmur is still there and I may have been having heart palpitations.  It is hard to tell since anxiety also can cause this.  Hopefully the insurance company will approve it but, according to my doctor, my health insurance company does not like to pay out for anything.  I am going to look and see if I can find one that is still affordable but is easier to work with.

~I hung the laundry out to dry on the laundry line.

~An easy dinner was in order, so I made Little Smokies in BBQ sauce, Hawaiian Sweet Rolls, and a homemade coleslaw with carrot ribbons in it also.  Very good and made the hubby a very happy man!

~Jeff picked up my prescriptions from Walmart on his way home from work.  Between that cost and a medical bill that came in for some of his stuff, we had to put some other planned purchases on hold for the time being.  That's life though and I am just thankful we are in a position where we can do that.

Wednesday:

~Jeff took the leftover Little Smokies and some of the rolls for lunch.

~I walked down town to the library and found some really good books to read.

~I stopped by our little convenience store that also has booths selling all kinds of interesting things.  I found a quilting book for my mother on the sale table that I am sure she will enjoy getting inspiration from.

~I pruned some more of our trees.

~I got some blackberry bush starts going in an old tote with drainage holes.  These will be shared with family members.

~For dinner I made an Italian inspired meatloaf that was stuffed with mozzarella cheese.  This was served with butter and garlic noodles and some applesauce.

~Needing to do something creative again, I started crocheting some of the dishcloths that I have been wanting to make.  They are pretty quick to do and I can whip them out while watching television.  It helps me to feel like I really am accomplishing something while sitting down.

Thursday:

~This was a high pain fibro flare day.  I had cereal for dinner.  I also napped.  Nothing got done.

Friday:

~Another high pain day.  Jeff got home from work and baked up some frozen pizzas for our dinner.

~I watched some TV shows.

~Jeff and I went over our budget yet again and found more ways to cut costs.  With all the car repair expenses stuff, along with some medical bills coming in, our checking account is quickly becoming depleted and that scares me.  Jeff only has 3 more weeks of his bowling league and should be getting some money back from that, so that will help.

   These past two weeks watching the banking industry implode has really brought home the importance of trying to get debt free, having a well stocked pantry, having seeds on hand to grow food, and having the tools one needs to do home and car repairs, gardening, and preserving.  I am glad that I have been listening to those nudgings from God to get prepared.  We would be in a world of hurt if Jeff and I both were not on the same page about all of this.  Be blessed and keep getting your homes in order.