A Smokey Frugal Friday Wrap Up 7/16/21

 

  Fire season is continuing around here and the smoke filled air has made it hard to breath at times.  We have been taking advantage of the few moments where the wind has blown the smoke away from our home and given us moments of clearer air.  We are under a Hazardous Air Quality Warning and have been for the past week.  The only "upside" to this has been that the children who moved into our neighborhood were inside for the most part so I did not hear their constant screeching all day.  Now I understand that children can be loud and all, but these kids honestly screech at the top of their lungs all day and their mother does not appear to do anything to stop them or try to quiet them down a bit.  UGH!  

   I was not good about keeping a running list again this week.  I was busy getting a lot done and by the time the evening came around, I was honestly just too worn out to do a whole lot.  I really should learn to just copy down my daily list that I put up on the white board each day before I erase it at night and get the next day's list up.  I arranged a surprise for Jeff this week and had Isaiah come and spend the night with us on Wednesday. 😁  It was one of those last minute ideas and I do love having each of the grandkids come over for special one on one time with us.  Isaiah was a HUGE help in the garden and in the house the next day when Jeff  was at work.  He and I work really well as a team and we decided that he needed to be my helper again soon and every year from now on when we process cherries. 😉  Now onto the savings and the pictures that follow at then end of the post:

~Jeff and I had some really easy and great meals this week.  Everything was from the garden and/or freezer and pantry.

~We did do some shopping earlier in the week and found some free items and even some money maker deals combining sales and coupons.  

~We made a donation at Goodwill and I ran in to see what they had while Jeff went out to his place of work to get the right part to fix our kitchen sink drain (yes, it is now finally fixed).  I found 2 brand new dresses there and since it was a Monday, we got 20% off everything we bought since we are "old".  LOL!  I am saving the 20% off coupon we got for donating for another time when it is not a Monday.

~Over the weekend, we made a trip up to CouerD'Alene, Idaho and had lunch at Olive Garden.  We did their soup, salad and bread stick special.  So good!

~We also did some shopping up there and found a really nice soft fleece throw for Isaiah for his upcoming birthday (it was on his list), a olive oil dispenser jar, and a planner for me at TJ MAXX and Ross.

~We harvested more raspberries, cherries, blueberries, and squash from the garden.  Most of the raspberries were frozen.

~Isaiah helped me pit the second bag full of cherries (I had already done the first bag earlier in the week) and we now have 40 cups of frozen sweet cherries all from our tree.

~Isaiah and I picked a little over 2 quarts of raspberries on Thursday morning and sent them home with him so Heather could make a raspberry pie.

~Isaiah also helped me prune the leaves on the squash plants so the bees could find the flowers more easily.  He is such a huge help and loves being able to be out in the garden.

~More bread and croutons were made.

~I made my favorite squash casserole with some of the first squash from the garden.

~We watched some movies on Disney Plus and some HGTV shows.

~I have been having trouble with my eyes and spent 3 hours finding an eye doctor that could get me in within 2 months.  Luckily it will only be a $10 co-pay.  My old eye doctor's office does not take my new health insurance unfortunately.

~When Heather, Chris and Bradley came over to pick up Isaiah, I sent them home with 4 pounds of butter (I have a ton in my freezer and she uses lots of butter in her side business of making cinnamon rolls), 2 quarts of raspberries, some frozen pitted cherries, a big bag full of fresh cherries, a new shirt for Heather, and some of my favorite summer sandals that I can no longer wear.  Heather and I wear the same size shoes.  In the Fall we will go through my shoes again and she can have any of the colder weather shoes that don't work for me anymore that she wants.  My arthritis is getting so much worse in one of my feet and is making is super painful to wear many of my shoes now.

~I made a detailed shopping list that will net me free items with sales and coupons combined when we go shopping on Monday.  Please, if you are reading this, stock up on things that are made from grains (cereals, flour, pastas, etc.) while you can.  With the severe drought in my area coupled with the wildfires, the wheat harvest, along with other grains and legumes is being hit hard. It is 1/3 of what it normally is at the moment and could go lower than that according to our local farmers. Then there is the flooding in the Midwest which is greatly affecting crops there.  Produce is also being wiped out in California due to water shortages and the drought.  If you find fresh produce on sale that you can freeze or dehydrate, do it now!

~My garden is doing really well and we have been enjoying fresh greens and the first of the tomatoes.

~I picked up a free body mist from Bath and Body Works.  Into the gift stash it goes!

Now for some of the pictures:

   So that's it for for now.  Praying for everyone in the lines of these fires and bad weather hitting us all.  Please keep the firefighters and other first responders and their families in your prayers...they are literally laying their lives on the lines for all of us every single day and every day I hear about the tragic loss of at least one of them it seems.