Frugal Friday Wrap Up 5/6-5/12 2017

 

   Well I am still sick with this nasty virus and at this rate it looks like I will be spending Mother's Day at home and not with my kids, grandkids and cousin Jeremy.  I'm bummed because we are also celebrating Jeremy's birthday and I so wanted to make it special for him.  I told Jeff that I still wanted him to go so he could take cards for our girls and Jeremy's gift to him and have some family time with them all.  I really need to kick this thing since Steven is due any time now.  Grammie does not have time to be sick and I do not want to pass this on to anyone else.  Josh called me earlier today to tell me that he too has the crud.  He is in Washington DC and has some really intense training coming up next week that is physically exhausting, so he does not have time for this either.  Please keep us both in your prayers and or thoughts.  Onto the savings...

~We went "treasure hunting" twice this week and found some great items that were free to us compliments of college students moving out of their apartments.  The highlight was a solid oak drop leaf table that just needs to be refinished.  I was thinking we could flip it after refinishing it but Jeff wants to keep it.  Other items found...scanner/printer, dishes, cookware, a brand new in box hot air popcorn maker, lots of office and craft supplies, planter pots, a very cool sign that our son Josh will love, a working lightweight vacuum cleaner (which has been so easy and quick for me to vacuum up the daily waves of dog hair in this house), kitty litter, cleaning supplies and a very cool shirt.  Oh we also found some house slippers that looked new in Jeff's size.  I washed them up and they are now ready to go! I almost forgot, we found a really nice card table that will be perfect for extra seating when the gang is all here and we can also take it camping with us.
~Walmart had some of their plants on clearance and I found a beautiful fuchsia hanging basket for under $8.  They usually retail for $25 and up!  I told Jeff that could be my Mother's Day gift from him since I love them but could not justify spending over $25 for one.
~Shopko and their 4 packs of some of their annuals for $1.87 so I bought 6 of them to fill 2 other hanging baskets and some planters I have here at home.
~Many loads of laundry were hung out on the line to dry.
~The Asian Market yielded some really great items that I needed for a fraction of the cost of buying them elsewhere.

~I was able to get some free items at Safeway thanks to their Monopoly game.  I got free pasta, tuna and a Cheddar cheese bagel.
~My tulips are blooming and bring me great joy...you can't put a price on that.
~We bought Mother's Day and birthday cards at the Dollar Tree along with some Italian Salad Dressing that I needed for making my Pasta Salad.
~Jeff and I watch the dvd "Passengers" that I borrowed from the library.  We both really liked it.
~Since I was feeling really crummy Wednesday due to the virus and an asthma flare caused by the farmers spraying Round Up on their fields around us, I was not able to make it down to the library.  Sarah graciously pushed through renewing my items for me so that I would not get late charges on them.
~Leftovers were on the menu a lot this week due to me being sick.
~We had turkey that I had previously  made and frozen for dinner on  Wednesday night along with some stuffing and salad.  I took the leftover turkey and made a curried turkey with apple salad with it.

~I watched more shows online.
~More bread was made Thursday morning before the thunderstorm hit because I was afraid we might lose power.
~My tomato plants were getting white spots on the leaves so I looked up what might be causing it and treated them with a small bit of epsom salts dissolved in water and sprayed the leaves.
~I froze some leftovers to use for future meals.
~Mypoints and Swagbucks were worked for points.
~I've been harvesting and using green onions that overwintered in our garden.
~The birds have been more than happy to help clean up all the dog hair I brushed off Caesar.  I see them come and carry some off to their nests.

~The hummingbirds are back and have been providing great entertainment for Doofy and I as they go from flower to flower in all the trees in bloom in our backyard.
~It rained on Friday so I put the potted plants out where they could get watered that way.
~We are still working on all those chicken fried steaks that I got for free and froze a couple months ago.  I cooked up a bunch of them since I knew I would not have the energy to make lots of different meals.
~A free Parents magazine along with a free Bowhunting magazine came in the mail.  These go to Heather and Chris.
~More videos have been watched on YouTube for frugal recipes.
~Heather and her Aunt Cha Cha both gave me a recipe for a homemade cough remedy.  I whipped some up Friday evening and it stopped the cough immediately!  http://nancyvienneau.com/blog/articles/home-remedy/

 
   I will say that me being sick has saved us money.  I had cold meds on hand here at home to use and for the most part have been able to cook except for a few days.  It has been tempting a few times to just order something from the local tavern for dinner, but I have resisted the urge and we had leftovers.  The weather makes my Fibro flare and it, combined with this virus, is doing me in today.  It has, for the most part, been a day spent on the couch which keeps me home and not out spending money.