Saturday, December 2, 2017

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 11/25-12/1 2017

 



   It is early Saturday morning, like really early (1:00a.m.) and I can't sleep so I thought I would get this post finished and posted before I head to take a shower and then to bed.  I've been listening to Christmas music and enjoying myself this evening for the most part.  Two of the cats have been a pain and both got squirted multiple times for fighting.  Most of the time they are fine but for some reason, late at night they kind of lose their kitty minds.  I managed to find all my wax melts and changed out one of my Scentsy burners for Christmas themed one.  I did have to take the bulb from the one I have been using and put it in the Christmas burner since the bulb burnt out within a few minutes of me having it on. The burner I was previously using was a gift years ago from my sweet SIL Christie and the Christmas one is a recent find from Goodwill.  Both Jeff and I are enjoying them. Most of my wax melts have been found at thrift stores or on great sales at Walmart so that is a huge savings right there. Onto the rest of the savings this week... 


~Saturday we hosted a party here at our house for friends and family.  We did it potluck style of course. ;)  It was supposed to just be snack stuff but I had a feeling that we would need more than that so in addition to the crab and cheese wontons that I made I also raided the pantry and freezer and came up with homemade sweet potato fries with chipotle and sea salt seasoning and cut up 2 packages of turkey smoked sausages and served those in BBQ sauce.  I also baked up a frozen Dutch Apple Pie and served that along with the Pumpkin Pie that Rachel's mom made for us.  I'm glad I made extras because everyone was really hungry!  We had a wonderful time getting caught up with Roni, Char and Erica.  I found out that Roni has now moved to Palm Springs, CA and will be a short 2 hour drive away from where Josh is being transferred to!  That makes us all very happy indeed!
~We had Jaysn and Rachel shop our pantry for canned goods that they needed.  Rachel took home lots of assorted cans of beans and Jaysn found a few of his favorite things to take home too.


~Sunday we ran into town to do the grocery shopping and we again hit Goodwill.  I am on the
lookout for a Santa suit for Steven.  I did not find that but did find shirts and a sleeper for the grandboys, a brand new shirt for me, a pretty jacket that was half off due to it being the colored tag of the week, a package of baby proofing cabinet latches (we needed to both baby and cat proof the kitchen cabinets), a new cookbook, and something else that Jeff wanted that has now slipped my mind.
~We found some great deals in the clearance section at Old Navy and spent under $20 for 3 shirts and some socks.


~We stopped in at Bath and Body Works so I could pick up a few things that were on sale.  I also had  coupons for a free item when I spent $10.  I saw a young woman in line and gave her one of the coupons.  She was thrilled and was able to get another body spray as a Christmas gift for her mother.  It just made me happy to be able to bless her!
~We watched several movies on Netflix including "The Adams Family" and a documentary on the new lead singer for Journey.
~Monday we stayed home and relaxed.  I got out a big 1000 piece puzzle and started to work on that.
~Jeff was craving Sloppy Joes so I made those for dinner.
~As I was cutting up the veggies for the Sloppy Joes, I froze some of the extra celery to use in soup later.


~We borrowed the new "Wonder Woman" movie from the library along with 2 other movies.
~Tuesday I made 3 loaves of banana bread with some overripe bananas.
~I marinated some elk steaks in wine and seasonings for dinner on Tuesday.  These were served with wild rice mix and carrot sticks.  My steak also had mushrooms topping it.  Jeff is not a fan of mushrooms in general.
~Wednesday I cut Jeff's hair for him.


~Jeff took me out for an early dinner and we arrived at Happy Hour.  We both ordered appetizers ($3 off each one) and I had a drink ($3).  We then had dessert.  We saved $9 on dinner by going during Happy Hour. :)  I also figured out how to make Jeff's Pulled Pork Nachos and both of our desserts so I can recreate them here at home.
~We stopped at the Dollar Tree and picked up a few needed items there.  I found some new puzzles for the little boys to work on when they are here.  One is even 3D!


~We made another stop at the thrift store and I found a onesie for Steven for .10, a brand new throw pillow with a down inner pillow for $4.98 (new store tag said it was $38.93 originally), another Hawaiian CD, a Christmas ornament, some pie servers and a heavy duty pizza cutter for Heather, .99 each, a Christmas book for the little boys, a gorgeous red pitcher, a hat and some cozy fleece lined mittens for baby Steven and some wax melts.



~We watched some HGTV House Hunters episodes on Youtube.  They had a couple who was relocating to Spokane, WA on.
~Thursday I did the chems and added water to the hot tub and then drained the garden hose again.  My hands were frozen by the time I got done but it needed it and I want to be able to use the hot tub this weekend, if not tonight.
~I baked 2 more loaves of sandwich bread.
~More TV shows were watched online.


~I contacted the Fitbit company online since my fitbit was not working correctly and a very nice representative helped me to reset it.  It is now correctly tracking my sleep once more.
~I used some of the leftover steaks to make Lo Mein for dinner.  I made a large  amount of it and thought I would have leftovers, but it was just so good that both hubby and I had seconds and finished it off.


~Friday I spent some time online viewing videos on how to make simple Christmas crafts with children.  I got some great ideas to do with the little boys.
~We had leftovers for dinner, Jeff had the rest of the Sloppy Joes and I had the leftover Elk Steak thinly sliced with mushrooms and also had some broccoli with a lemon, dill and caper sauce.  Jeff also had pie for dessert.
~I've been trying to make sure to work on my points programs each day.
~My mother celebrated her 77th birthday Friday and we sent her a lovely ecard.  Mom and I agreed long ago that ecards for birthdays are the way to go!  It is so hard for me to think of her as being 77.  She has the energy and stamina of a much younger woman and can run circles around most women in their 50s!


~I could not sleep late into the night on Friday and into the early morning hours Saturday so I put on some Christmas music and did some mending.  I figured if I was up, I might as well be productive. I can do the mending while relaxing in my recliner.
~Christmas books are some of my favorites, so I pulled out some for me and for the grandkids to enjoy. I try to add at least one new one to my personal library each year.



   I am hoping that Jeff can get the outside Christmas lights up this weekend and can help me get some of the other Christmas decorations out of the walk in closet for me.  He had that thing packed like a giant jigsaw puzzle so I just tell him what I want and he finds it for me.  I figure that is fair since I have no idea where he has put most of the stuff.   After the lights are all up outside, all we need is snow!





19 comments:

  1. Debbie you had a great week. It's good to see that you are feeling more positive this week. I haven't commented for a while but I have been following along on the roller coaster of life with you. You are freezing and we are HOT! We have the DIL and Granddaughter staying with us. Miss Tilly has spent a lot of time under the sprinkler or playing with the hose. She is also spending a lot of time naked or in just her nappy. We put up the Christmas Tree tonight. All the ornaments that were at her height are now off the tree and all over the house. It is all part of the fun.

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    1. Hi Jane, it is good to hear from you and I pray that everyone is doing better. What fun for Miss Tilly to be able to play under the sprinkler or with the hose. Why do we spend so much on toys when water will provide loads of fun on hot days? :)

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  2. You are one busy, productive woman Debbie! I don't even know how you managed to remember everything you've done! Baking, thrifting like a mad woman, entertaining, etc. Very inspiring I must say.

    I love me a good bargain too. Who doesn't? One of the best Goodwills I've ever been in was in Asheville NC It was so good we almost moved there just for that lol. Recently I bought a plastic spatula at a dollar store and wouldn't you know it I then read an article that listed it as one of five items never to buy there! Something to do with chemicals of course. I'm just putting it out there as my PSA for the day lol.

    Now slow down and relax this weekend!

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    1. Hi Doreen, I document what I do each day and just add it to the draft for the final post. If I don't, I will and frequently do forget what I have done. There are days that I honestly can't remember what I did just a few hours before. ;)

      I have heard such good things about the Goodwill in Asheville and have seen some amazing hauls from there on YouTube! Thank you for the head's up on the spatulas at the Dollar Tree. :)

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  3. Sounds like you got some great deals this week. You fixed lots of yummy food too!
    I love making homemade lo-mein, it is so easy and so tasty. Don't you love it when your figure out how to make a restaurant dish?
    Have a great weekend.

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    1. Hi Cheryl! It is nice. I was able to figure out a few more recipes this weekend when Jeff and I had lunch out while shopping this weekend. :)

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  4. What a great week you've had! Loved you comment about the Lo-mein being so good that you didn't have leftovers!I remember cooking a few dinners like that.
    So - with your sloppy joes. Do you make the sauce from scratch or use something already made? Those sound really yummy and I have some cooked hamburger in the freezer that needs to be used up. I'm tired of spegetti sauce but sloppy joes sound great.
    Funny to say - I am so not a techie. I wrote you an email yesterday but it went to 'drafts' rather then send. Still not sure what I did or didn't do yesterday. Ha! It's on it's way now...I think..
    I'm having a cozy day at home -once I walk the dog that is. It's pouring here but not cold at all -yea! I can deal with wet much easier then ice/snow.
    Hope you've been able to get some sleep or a nap. And what a blessing you were to share your coupons.
    Cheers, SJ

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    1. Hi SJ, I usually make my Sloppy Joe sauce from scratch but I had a can of it in the pantry that needed to be used up quickly so I used that this time and just stretched it a bit. ;) If you do the Sloppy Joe mix over cornbread, it is delicious too! That is my favorite way to eat it. I have also made a noodle casserole with it before that Jeff went nuts over. I'm really behind on my emails again, but I will be checking them either later tonight or tomorrow. :)
      Did you get the big freeze yet? Our temperatures took a huge nose dive over the weekend and the pellet stove has been almost continually.

      Be blessed and I do hope you can get many more walks in before the weather gets too bad. Be blessed!

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  5. It certainly sounds like you had a very good week, overall, Debbie. Lots of frugal finds and activities. Well done! Would you mind sharing your Lo Mein recipe, when you feel up to it? Or, if you have already shared it, then, point me to it? Thanks.

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    1. Hi BLess, here is the link to my Lo Mein recipe. This time I used Yoshida's Gourmet Sauce and a little slurry of cornstarch and water to thicken it up a bit for my sauce. It was really good. You can take this basic recipe and tweak it to make Yaki Soba if you use worcestershire sauce as your sauce. :)

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  6. I just love your blog. You are so much like me. You had a good week. I love blessing others with extra coupons. I do it all the time at Jo Anns. I really want to get together some time. It would be so much fun to thrift shop with you.

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    1. Hi, I was down your way this weekend and told my hubby that I really want to get together with you sometime too! I found some amazing deals at Goodwill and St Vincent D Paul on Saturday in Lewiston. :) Maybe we can try to find a time after the first of the year when everyone is starting to donate lots of things while clearing out after Christmas and trying to get those tax deductions. ;)

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  7. You had a great week Debbie. That was so nice of you to share your B&BW coupons. I do that too. It is always appreciated. Love all of your thrifty finds.

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    1. Thanks my friend! I found so many Christmas gifts this past weekend too between thrift stores and the Grocery Outlet. I plant to make up several "foodie" gift baskets this year for some of our family members. :)

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  8. I need to go get a Hawaiian Christmas CD this week for our collection. My Mom is the same age as your mom, and last month she flew out here to Hawaii to spend 10 days with us. She said it was the trip of a lifetime:-) By the way, I really like my Scentsy warmers too.

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    1. I am so glad you got to spend time with your mom and that she enjoyed her time in Hawaii with you! This is the Hawaiian Christmas Album I would get, but then I love Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar...https://www.amazon.com/Kimos-Hawaiian-Slack-Key-Christmas/dp/B001PE4Y5C/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1512448063&sr=8-4&keywords=hawaiian+christmas+music
      Hopefully that link will work for you if you do a cut and paste. If not look up Hawaiian Christmas Music on Amazon and you can sample the music there so you know what you do and don't like. :) I'm not sure if Hapa has a Christmas album out, but they are wonderful!

      Mele Kalikimaka to you and your ohana (family)!

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  9. Debbie,
    I enjoyed reading your recent posts. I'm way behind, due to that computer crash, and am having trouble posting comments. This is at least my 3rd attempt. Here's hoping.....

    Anyway, if it goes through this time, I wanted to say that you had a wonderful holiday! There is such a mixture of bittersweet for me at holiday times, because of how wonderful some relationships are and how difficult others are, just as it is for you. I'm so glad you have been able to let some of the "hard" go and embrace the "healthy." Always a challenge!

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    1. Hi Becky, it came through! ;) I do understand how you feel about the holiday. ((((((HUGS)))) Letting go has done wonders for me. I know there will be times when the "toxic ones" will try to cause problems yet again, but at this point, I just want to live my life without them in it. Be blessed!

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