Monday, February 28, 2022

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 2/25/21



   See Midgy above, please don't be like her just laying around and not doing anything to prepare for the inevitable harder times that are coming our way.  We all know that our world is going nuts at the moment with the horrible war being waged by Russia against the Ukranian people. My heart breaks for the innocent people who are being hurt, killed and terrorized by the madman Putin. We also still have the supply chain issues and the truckers protests here in the USA.  In case I have not said it before, I support the truckers.  Have you seen what the trucks looked like in Canada when the truckers there were finally able to get their trucks back from impound yards?  The windows had been rolled down so that the snow could get in and some of the truckers had money stolen from their trucks.  All I could think of is what is wrong with people to be so petty as to do something so childish and hurtful. So here we are with an unstable world, rapidly rising prices, and still, we have people in our lives who don't see the big picture and are not stocking up as a hedge against inflation and to make sure that they have food on hand to feed their family for at least three weeks without having to go to the stores, let alone long term food storage.  We all face financial setbacks in our lives due to illnesses, a huge unexpected bill, etc., even in the best of times.  Having lived through times when we faced having very little food on hand, I now make sure that I always have enough to get us through for a couple of months at least.  It is an insurance policy against bad times.  Now onto my week...

  Weekend:

~Jeff built a case to go around a fluorescent light at work to help block the light from going into the office behind him.  His co-worker suffers from bad migraines and the fluorescent lights bring them on.  He did such a good job on it and I really hope it helps his co-worker.

~Sunday we had to go to Walmart to pick up 2 of my prescriptions.  While there we found some great clearance deals on clothing.  I got a shirt and 2 pajama gowns for $1 each and Jeff found a pair of fleece lined jeans at regular price, but given that they rarely have his size in those, we picked them up.

~We spent Sunday afternoon at Jaysn and Rachel's so that Jeff and Jaysn could finish up the baseboard trim in their house.  Steven and I worked on puzzles and spent lots of time cuddling. 💓  Jaysn came back home with us and picked up our truck to use since Rachel's car is having engine trouble.  Hopefully they can get it fixed for not too big a price instead of having to replace the car.

~Dinner that night was a cheese pizza from the freezer that I added chicken and some more cheese too.  Really good!


Monday:  (major fibro flare day...yuck)

~I had a lovely catch up chat with my cousin Jeremy over the phone.  We have all missed him so much since he moved back to Oregon.

~Jeff had leftovers for dinner and I had a veggie burger.

~We watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding 2" that I had borrowed from the library.

~It got super cold Monday night into Tuesday morning so I threw an extra blanket on the bed.  Wind chills were forecasted to bring the wind chill down to -20F!😨


Tuesday:

~Jeff and I headed down to the valley to Home Depot to get a new circuit breaker for one of our outlets.  No luck, they did not have what we needed. We went to two thrift stores, nothing we needed. So no money spent at those stores.

~Winco's prices have gone way up and so has the Grocery Outlet!  The only deal we found was buying some Italian Seasoning in the bulk section.  It only cost me .17 that way.  Bananas are up .20 more per pound that the regular price had been.

~Dollar Tree down in Clarkston had my pesto in stock so I bought all 7 that they had.  They were $1.25 each, but that is still a great deal!  No snack crackers to be found at that store either...so the search continued!

~We stopped at Dutch Brothers for a coffee (a real treat for us) and saw our youngest niece working there.  It had been years since we had seen her due to unfortunate and totally uncalled for family drama that hurt us all.  It was so good to see her and make sure that she knows we love her and are so proud of her.

~On the way home, we stopped at a grocery store in Pullman and scored on the clearance area.  We found the huge containers of the cheese puffs (bought 2 of those and I will use the containers to store rice and pasta in later), family sized boxes of Corn Chex (got 3) and then found snack crackers in the Dollar spot area for $1.25 a box.  Jeff noticed that the box was smaller than before but it still beat the $5 price on the store's own house brand.


Wednesday:

~I made 2 loaves of homemade sandwich bread.

~All the living room blankets were washed.  It has been really cold so we have been using them constantly.  Unfortunately, one of our felines decided that throwing up on one of them would be a good idea.  I decided to just go ahead and wash all of them and get some of the cat hair off them.

~My Berkey filters finally came in to the post office so I called and had them put them in a lock box so Jeff can pick them up on his way home from work.

~Dinner was chicken pineapple and teriyaki meatballs with a homemade sauce over rice.


Thursday:

~Jeff took leftovers for lunch.

~I met Heather, Bradley and Isaiah in town to do some stocking up.  We had coffee at Starbucks before doing the shopping.  It was so nice to have Isaiah be my helper both bagging up my groceries and loading them up in my car.  I am a very blessed Grammie!  

~I took cash out of the Credit Union from our savings.  I am worried about the possibility of cyberattacks messing with our



financial institutions.


Friday:

~I spent the day at home getting a few projects done around here.

~I made a nice dinner in the crockpot of kielbasa sausage cut into coin sized pieces, potatoes, onions and cabbage cooked in chicken broth.  I served this over the leftover rice.  I also made cornbread to serve with it.  It was so good!


   I want to wrap this up urging everyone reading this to please please continue to pray for the people of Ukraine and the brave people in Russia who are standing up to Putin and protesting what he is doing.  I cannot even imagine what they are all going through.  Be blessed my sweet friends and keep on stocking up.












Friday, February 25, 2022

Try to be Prepared for Anything!

 


   I know that this is Friday and that I should be posting a Frugal Friday thingy, but the day is not over yet and I have something pressing on my heart that I need to share.  Please do consider what I am going to share with you as our world is changing so quickly.  Please also keep the people in the Ukraine and also in Russia in your prayers.  They are all victims of the egomaniacal Putin.


   As you may have all heard, NATO and its allies are putting all kinds of sanctions on Russia's elites and the country itself, trying to isolate them financially from the rest of the world.  They have also sent troops to the borders to try and stop the possible advance of Putin's military outside of Ukraine and are arming the Ukrainian military (without going into the country themselves).  Given Putin's history and his "playbook", I think it is a foregone conclusion that he is going to hit back against these sanctions. I fully expect cyberattacks to begin outside of the Ukraine ones that he is already doing. We also need to bear in mind that IF Putin gains control of Ukraine and sets up a puppet government there, that we are all at his mercy when it comes to the natural resources that we and other countries currently pay from the Ukraine.  The county is amazingly rich in natural assets, and Putin want control of all of it!


   So here are some things that I am doing to try and prepare for just about anything, including cyberattacks:

~I took money out of the credit union and have it on hand in case our banking system goes down.

~I'm keeping the tanks on our vehicles filled up and will have Jeff go and fill our spare gas can tonight.

~I have propane on hand in case the power goes out and I have to cook on the grill.  I also have a charcoal grill and will have Jeff pick up some charcoal to have on hand just in case we need it.

~I stocked up on seeds so that we can plant a larger garden. I had already done this to help with lowering our food costs in the future, but this added a whole other level of urgency to it. I also have some bagged compost, as well as the compost I am making and gardening tools here.  Hopefully we will get more rain this Summer so that I can use my water barrels more.

~I'm trying to keep up on the laundry daily so that IF we lose power, most of it is done.

~I have extra sets of sheets, blankets and quilts on hand.  

~I know that I can wash clothing in the bathtub and hang it out to dry on sunny days if needed. Having a clothesline and clothespins is another HUGE help and it saves so much money!

~I met my Heather and oldest grandboys in town yesterday and she and I did some stock up shopping.  Her cart was filled to the brim, mine not so much since I have been stocking up for awhile now.  I bought more canned chicken, pasta, some tea, bulk baking goods and milk. I did appreciate having my grandson Isaiah as my helper though.  He bagged up my groceries for me at Winco and then loaded them into my car.

~Walmart is clearing out their winter clothing and selling it really cheap right now, so I bought some pajamas for $1 each and another set for $3.50, and some shirts.

~I have ready to eat items on hand that do not require cooking.

~My new replacement filters for my Berkey are here.  Make sure you have some sort of way to filter your water just in case.

~Speaking of water, I have bottled water on hand also.

~Books!!!  Make sure you have books on hand to get needed information from and for pleasure reading.  A basic medical book, along with gardening, herbal remedies, first aid, cookbooks, etc. is always a good idea as are hard copies of addresses and phone numbers for family and friends.  My number one book though is the Bible.  There is so much knowledge and comfort to be found there.

~Make sure to have those medications that you need, both prescription and OTC stocked.  I have 3 month supplies for most of my medications that are prescriptions and about a years supply of OTC meds.  Don't forget those first aid supplies too.  I am stocked at this point. 

~Cleaning supplies and toilet paper are all stocked up here too.  Nobody wants to be caught without TP...am I right? 😉


   I hope that this "tip of the iceberg" so to speak on how I am preparing and trying to stay prepared has helped anyone who may read this.  Well, I am off to change over the laundry loads and stir dinner in the crockpot.  I'm trying to get as much as I can done today without wearing myself out too much and yes, I am trying to pace myself.  Easier said than done, but at least I am trying.  Be blessed, stay stocked up and keep prayed up.


Saturday, February 19, 2022

Some Days I am a Squirrel, Other Days a Sloth

 



   Dear Blog,


     I am sorry that I have been neglecting you yet again.  You see, some days I have felt like a squirrel and other days like a sloth.  I seem to go back and forth between the two ends of the spectrum a lot lately.  Some days, it is a full on sprint to get everything done that I feel like I need to, and others, I am on the couch, barely moving and watching way too much YouTube.  Anyone else ever feel this way?


   My squirrel like behavior has ranged from trying to make sure that I have everything I need here at home to combat the rising prices.  This includes food shopping, storage containers, clothing needs, gardening stuff and HBA items.  To this end, I have been haunting the thrift stores for months trying to find good storage containers and I think I finally have most of what I need.  The only thing left now is to hit up the bakeries to see if I can either buy or get some of their food grade buckets for free.  I've been madly filling up the containers with cereals, grains, popcorn, pastas, etc. to try and make sure that I can extend their life and keep them free of any moisture or pests.  I've also been adding to my canned goods, both veggies, easy meals and some canned meats.  More packets of instant potatoes, rice mixes, cookie and brownie mixes were also added, along with the essential cans of coffee. 

   I had a great "hallelujah" moment here yesterday when I finally found another pair of jeans that I like and are comfy after a 6 month search!  I am super picky about my jeans, as I don't like any metal touching my body when it comes to clothing.  It drives me insane and actually hurts.  The one pair of jeans that I wear constantly are getting to the point that they are going to be worn through or rip in a matter of a few more uses.  I managed to score a pair at Goodwill that are not in my preferred style, but they fit and have no metal on them, so I consider that a huge win!  While there I also found two shirts and a pair of LuLaRoe leggings (brand new) for half off.  I live in leggings for a good part of the year while at home, so I am always happy to find another pair in my size that I like the pattern of.  My best find of the day though was not a clothing item, but rather a cute yellow Fiesta ware pitcher that I will most likely use as a vase.  It was only $3.99 and I snagged it right out of the bins as they brought them out to stock the shelves.  Normally I am not a "yellow" fan, but this was just so darling and made me happy, l so I bought it as a treat for myself.  Another thrift store that I visited had a lovely pink Anne Klein purse (brand new) and some fun fabric that I bought.  I know, I know, I don't NEED another purse, but this one just called my name and I don't have anything like it.  It brough me joy, was a good price, and I will be using it a lot this Spring.


   Jeff and I have been trying to spend as much time with our kids and grandkids as we possibly can and help them out with projects that they have going on.  Jeff has continued to help Chris with his shop build, and Jaysn and Rachel with their trim work in their house.  This weekend he and Jaysn will be finishing up the trim work, so that will be one less project to get done.  Today he is working on yet another project for one of his co-workers.  Eventually he will find time to work on building me more shelves here at home...I hope.  We celebrated with a Superbowl party last weekend with the kids and grandkids, with Rachel hosting us all.  It was potluck style and there was so much good food per usual.  I just could not stop hugging and kissing on the grand boys and my grown boys and girls.  Just being together and watching everyone have a wonderful time filled my love tank to the brim!


   All this activity, while good and wonderful, did wear me out.  I found myself spending days on the couch in between my bursts of energy.  I know I need to pace myself better, but that is still a balance that I have not been able to find yet.  I tried to set a goal for myself to at least shower and get dressed and out of jammies on those days, but many times, even that did not happen.  Even making dinner was a huge drain on me, and a few times I had Jeff just bring something home for us.  Yes, I am not proud of myself for that, but goodness, some nights a girl just needs her Panda Express. 😋 Go ahead and shake your head at me or laugh with me...I'm good either way. LOL!


   Those days on the couch were filled with way too much YouTube, disaster movies or computer "surfing".  I do have a pile of books here, both from the library and from my own stash, that I want to get read, so that will be my goal for this week, along with baking, organizing projects and trying to stay warm as our outside temperature drop down into the single digits.  I fear for my plants that have put on their Spring growth.  My snowdrop flowers are up and blooming, with the tulips, daffodils, and peonies also making their way out of their Winter slumber.  This has been a very strange Winter here with much too long stretches of warmer Spring like weather than normal.  Praying that it does not mess up my fruit trees and bushes.


   I will end this here and try to get back to a few projects that I have here at home today.  There is laundry currently going and I have some overripe bananas that need to be made into banana bread and possibly a homemade chicken pot pie for dinner later this evening.  I will then turn back into a sloth and spend the evening watching a movie that I borrowed from the library while happily munching on popcorn with Jeff. 😉 Sounds like a good balance to me!


  Be blessed, stay prayed up and remember that we are all doing the best that we can so be kind to one another.  Much love to you all!

Monday, February 7, 2022

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 2/4/22







Saturday:

~Jeff's boss bought pizza for the whole Saturday crew, which was really sweet of her.  She sent leftovers home with Jeff for me, also very sweet.

~I made a green bean, chicken and stuffing casserole for dinner.  Just think of green bean casserole on steroids with a stuffing topper.


Sunday:

~Jeff and I finished the green bean casserole for lunch.

~Jeff worked on some projects around the house and I worked on getting laundry done.

~We had ham salad sandwiches for dinner.

~We have had some rather large medical bills finally come in and they need to be paid ASAP, so we made a plan to tighten the budget even more.

~I got some fish out to thaw for dinner on Monday.





Monday:

~I was having a rough day, so the fish did not get made.  I did however make a tortellini (bought in bulk previously), red pepper (bought on sale and then chopped up and frozen) and pesto (bought at the Dollar Tree previously) dish and served some crescent rolls (found on sale at Walmart after the holidays because they had bought too much) with it.  There were enough leftovers for my lunch Tuesday.

~My cousin Tim, from my Dad's side of the family, and I had a nice visit via Facebook messenger.  It has been way too long since we have been able to do that.

~One of my friends, who is also Jeff's coworker, has covid-19 and she was not feeling well at all today.  I urged her to go to the doctor before things got worse or she may end up in the hospital.  Well it turns out that she has pneumonia. My heart just hurts for her.  At least they caught it before it got any worse.  I'm so glad I was able to convince her to go and get checked.  It may not have saved me any money, but it sure did her! 

~ Another one of Jeff's coworkers also just tested positive for covid, along with the wife of another one of his coworkers.  I am really praying that he does not get it and bring it home to me.  So far, he seems fine, but just in case, I made a grocery list for him to pick up at the store tomorrow in case we are home sick. Unless he is showing symptoms, he is still able to work.

~Jeff was able to find kitty litter at Walmart today.  We use the Special Kitty brand and it has been out of stock a lot lately.  They must have just got a truck in and stocked the shelves because Jeff said there was a lot of that brand, but very little of any other brand.  Jeff picked up 2 boxes so that we have it here and that should last us at least 1 1/2 months with what we already have.




Tuesday:

~I baked 2 loaves of sandwich bread. I had set the bread pans on top of the pellet stove to rise.

~After the bread came out, I put in a pan of acorn squash to cook. I have a small oven so I had to do this is separate batches.

~All the fruit and veggie scraps, along with eggshells went into the compost pile.

~Leftovers were for lunch for me and took some sandwiches.

~Jeff picked up the groceries on the grocery list that I sent with him.  He only added one item to it, but it was something that he uses on a regular basis and I did not realize that he was running low on it.

~Dinner wad baked cod with olive oil, fresh lemon juice and chipotle salt, cheddar broccoli rice and apple slices.


Wednesday:

~I went "shopping" in my upright freezer and got butter, smoked sausage and corn out.  While in there, I found some more pulled pork and lots of frozen veggies.  I think I may try to dehydrate some of the veggies tomorrow to free up more room in the freezer and to save the veggies from possibly getting freezer burn.

~Dinner was the smoked sausage (cut up and seared), potatoes, onions and cabbage all cooked up to make a large and chunky "hash".  We had corn as the side dish.




Thursday:

~Jeff took the leftover "hash" for lunch, along with a sandwich to have for his dinner.  He has his bowling league tonight so he needed to take dinner with him.

~I trimmed my bangs again.  I really would like to do a full haircut, but I need Jeff's help with that and we have not found the time to do it yet.

~I popped up some popcorn and watched a show on YouTube.


Friday:

~My plan was to go into town this morning and do a bit of shopping but Jeff took my car since his had a flat tire. Hopefully the tire can be fixed. I did save money by not going shopping though. 😜

~Jeff and I save our coffee grounds to use on acid loving plants.  Today I dumped a week's worth of grounds on my hydrangea bush in the back yard.

~Comfort food was needed, so I boiled up some cheese tortellini.  For the sauce, I used olive oil, some cherry tomatoes that were frozen, a salt free seasoning, dried parsley from our garden, a few big grinds of pepper and a dash of sea salt and simmered all that together.  I added the tortellini and mixed it in.  YUMMY!

~Jeff took me into town to do some shopping.  Dollar Tree in Pullman is up to $1.25 now, except for their seeds, which are still 4/$1.  I got some food storage bags, some magnetic clips for the refrigerator, and a few other items.

~We found bananas at 25 cents a pound at Walmart!  Both of us were shocked and we bought 2 bunches.  We picked up some discounted doughnuts too. Lastly, we bought more Powerade for me.

~Dissmores had the huge canisters of their cheese ball snacks discounted for $1!  I bought a canister.

~Dinner was pizzas that we had boughten on sale previously and frozen.