Frugal Friday Wrap Up 2/3-2/9 2018

 

Doofy waiting for the pellet stove to kick back on so he could warm himself after being out on the back porch.

   I'm late as usual getting this posted.  Jeff and I took the weekend off just for us and I stayed offline for the most part.  We visited Palouse Falls and had a cold picnic overlooking the falls and then headed down to Walla, Walla, WA on Saturday.  Sunday we spent here at home, napped, hot tubbed and just relaxed.  I'm still adjusting to the new medication so I am sticking very close to my hubby and limiting being around other people for the moment.  Onto the savings...

Homemade syrup.

~Saturday Jeff and I decided to do our grocery shopping and run some errands.  Big mistake shopping the day before the Super Bowl at the grocery store.  It was packed with so many people and the stockers were busy trying to fill all the shelves as people depleted them.  We mainly bought lots of fresh produce since we are trying to eat healthier.
~While in town we stopped by several thrift stores.  Salvation Army had dropped their prices on their books to .89 each.  I was able to find quite a few homeschooling science experiments books for Heather along with some wonderful cookbooks for me.
~Goodwill yielded some treasures for us too.  I found a MegaBlocks set for Steven, a huge Spiderman floor puzzle for Bradley and Isaiah, a nice shirt for me and Jeff found a digital converter box for the TV in our bedroom so that we can get a few more local stations.

Such a cute story done in the style of Downton Abbey.

~I found a source online for my Poha (ground cherry) seeds that I wanted for .99 a package.  I also was able to get some other seeds that I have been wanting to try at .99 a package and the shipping was just $3.95 for everything I ordered.  Most of the other places I tried were sold out and/or wanted an arm and leg for the seeds and then outrageous shipping costs on top of that.
~Sunday we stayed home and I am so glad we did.  The weather was horrible with high winds.  We watched a movie and lots of "Escape to the Country" on YouTube.
~I made 2 loaves of bread and more pancake syrup.
~Monday we ran into town to pick up my prescriptions.  I was pleasantly surprised that it cost under $6 for both of them.

Quick dinner of pot pie and salad.

~My doctor recommended a website called "FitnessBlender" https://www.fitnessblender.com/ that has a variety of workout videos for every fitness level.  It is free and has everything from gentle stretching (his recommendation for me) to getting ready for a marathon.  You can pick your fitness level and also if you want the man or the woman trainer. He thought it would help me with my Fibromyalgia pain and motivation.  I was having a Fibro flare when I went to my appointment and although it was not one of the worst ones I have had, we had a long discussion about that since he could clearly see how much pain I was in. We came up with a plan of to help me.  He is also testing me for Lupus (again) and RA.  Have I mentioned how blessed I feel to have my doctor?
~Jeff took me out for lunch and I ordered the Sushi special.  Jeff got a teriyaki chicken katsu and pork.  Both of us ended up bringing part of our meals home to have for dinner later that night.  We were celebrating paying off our house!!!!  YAY!!!!! 😀

More books found at the thrift store.

~Tuesday was another stay at home day for me.  I worked on my points programs and had enough swagbucks to cash in for a $25 Texas Roadhouse gift card.  Since it was my first gift card redemption of the month, I got it for 2,200 points instead of 2,500 points.
~We took a long walk around town with Caesar and it felt so good.  My legs were aching later in the night, but I don't know if that was from the walk or just my regular Fibro pain.
~I was in need of comfort food so I got some of the smoked turkey and noodle soup that I had previously made out of the freezer and got that heating up.  I added a can of corn, along with it's liquid, into the pot and then mixed up some cornbread and got that to baking.  It made the perfect comfort meal and was much appreciated by my hubby.

Cornbread and Smoked turkey and corn noodle soup.

~Jeff got his all in one gym machine thingy out again in the garage and is back to using it now that the weather is warmer.
~Wednesday I was talking to my friend about how the cloudy and gray weather just gets me so down.  She had me start using her "happy light" to see if that helps.  She is so sweet.  Doofy sure loves it.
~I borrowed a movie from the library.

Pot stickers and braised napa cabbage.

~Jeff and I decided to go with our own personal comfort food for dinner (are you sensing a theme here with comfort food this week yet?).  I cooked up some burritos and made a salad for him and I had potstickers and braised Napa cabbage (this is something I remember from my childhood that was served in the cafeteria, our head cook there focused on local produce whenever possible and was amazing).
~Thursday I worked on a few things around the house like getting laundry caught up.  I hung  the towels up over the bathroom shower curtain rod to dry since it was just a small load of them that Jeff used yesterday when doing some cleaning.  I took breaks between starting loads of laundry and folding them since it hurts to raise my arms up too high at the moment.

Oreo mint chocolate chip ice cream.

~I'm trying to get better about eating at regular interval throughout the day.  It used to be that I ate too much when I was stressed, but I have gotten into the habit of forgetting to eat for the day until my hubby wakes up in the afternoon.  I am making an effort to eat something before 10 a.m. now, have an early afternoon snack and then have dinner with hubby later in the evening.
~Green tea has been my "go to" pick me up drink, along with hot water mixed with my lemon/ginger/honey syrup.
~I won 100 Swagbucks in a search win!!!!

More thrift store finds.

~Friday I ventured out on my own into town since I was feeling a bit more confident and not having a bad anxiety attack.  I stopped and got some Chinese food from the deli for dinner for Jeff and I.
~The thrift store has some great books, some heavy duty organization baskets for me freezer, a bracelet, a Starbuck insulated mug, some Philosophy body wash, and a few other odds and ends.
~I found a marked down cheesecake at Walmart...Yay! 

Strawberry Cheesecake that I got at more than half off.

   We are preparing for more snow later this week and I am praying my plants will be okay.  It has been getting down into the high teens here temperature wise and all the Spring bulbs are up and the trees are budding out.  I am hoping that the snow will help insulated some of the bulbs at least.  Be blessed.