Frugal Friday Wrap Up 7/29-8/4 2017

   

   We sure packed a lot into this last week.  Between taking care of baby Steven, community yard sales, a trip to Spokane, more disturbing news concerning my husband's parents and siblings, and just life in general, I am worn out. I did not keep a running list this week so I am going to do my best to remember everything.  As I sit here typing all of this out, we are surrounded by smoke from fires in the area and from smoke coming down from the big fires in British Columbia, Washington and Montana.  My heart and prayers go out to the firefighters and the people who have lost their homes and for everyone who has breathing problems.

~Saturday's community yard sales in our town were wonderful!  I was able to find things on my needs list and my wants list.  I picked up 2 sets of brand new towels and a single kitchen towel (.10 for that one). One set is for the bathroom (.50 for a set of 2) and one set if for the kitchen ($4 for a set of 4).  I also picked up books for .25 each, some needed picture frames, a sweatshirt for Jeff, and some jewelry for $1 each.  Two of the earring sets are Sterling Silver! A friend had also gotten rid of her hot tub and sold me her brominating tablets for $2.  That stuff is expensive and I was so glad to get it at that price.
~Saturday we also stopped at a community thrift store and found books for .25 each.  Most of the books are for gifts from the grandboys.

 ~We bought more of the bar soap that was on sale for .79 for a 3 pack.  We are set for a long time!
~Sunday we checked into the hotel in Spokane for 2 nights.  I had a voucher for 1 free night and our breakfast was included for both days.
~I took our little 4 cup coffee maker that I had got for $2 with us along with some coffee and some snacks.

~We stopped at a Grocery Outlet store near the hotel and bought a few more things for dinner in our room since it has a microwave and refrigerator.  The only meals that we ate out and paid for separately were lunches.
~We enjoyed the pool at the hotel.

~While in Spokane, we hit a few thrift stores and found some beautiful Haviland china that matches some that I already have, a big honu (Hawaiian green sea turtle) mug, some shirts for Jeff, a shirt for me, shorts for Jeff, some cds, books for the little boys, new sippy cups for Steven as he gets older  and some small plastic containers.  I almost forgot, I found a beautiful hard bound book on the history of the college that I went to.

~I hired 2 teenaged girls to watch our fur babies and water the gardens for us while we were gone.  They did a fantastic job and I will be giving them a $10 tip in addition to their pay.
~Tuesday we had to run and pick up Jeff's paycheck on our way back from our short vacation.  We were both tired since we had been up with the fire at the hotel the night before so we stopped at Walmart and I bought 2 large marked down sandwiches to have as meals for that day and the next.  I also picked up a few other needed items.

~I harvested a cucumber, a small yellow squash, lots of tomatoes, green onions, a handful of blueberries and a few raspberries from the garden.
~Wednesday Steven came to stay with us for the day. :)  He just makes my heart so happy and provides lots of entertainment for both Jeff and I.
~I've been watering when it is cooler.

~Working on my points programs has been a priority this week.
~I dried Jeff's work clothing out on the laundry line.
~Thursday I cooked up a bunch of ground elk and made it into taco meat for us to use in salads, tacos, nachos, etc.

~Friday I had another Fibro Flare along with a CFS crash.  I spent most of the day doing things like folding laundry, doing some watering in the garden and other things that were not too taxing on my body and took lots of rest breaks.  I kept entertained and learning new skills while watching youtube.
~I disputed an unauthorized charge on our VISA bill put there by the hotel that we will never be staying at again.  They said they will refund the money and I already disputed the claim with our bank.

   It's now Saturday morning and although there are town wide yard sales in the next town over, I am staying home.  The smoke is really thick in the air and is making it hard for me to breathe.  I also worry about Caesar having to be outside when we are gone and I don't want to have him out there breathing this stuff either.  I'm having to run the fan at night in our bedroom and not use the Swamp Cooler since it brings in air from the outside so that is making sleep a little more difficult for me right now since I need it really cool so sleep well.  I am hoping that this all clears out soon.  We went through this last year too and it was miserable.  I'm really glad we got away earlier this week for our short getaway before all the smoke moved in.