Frugal Friday Wrap Up 12/15/23

 

   Hello again!  I cannot believe that I am actually posting this on Friday.  Christmas miracles do happen indeed!  😉  It has been a really good week with only one glitch, my mother had her appendix out on Sunday.  By Thursday she was up and doing way too much despite being in pain.  Yep, I am like my mother in so many ways.

   I did not keep track daily of what all I have done, so it is going to be in list form of the things that I can remember.  We all know that my memory is not the best, but I will give it a go.  😉😁

~Jeff and I went to the thrift store in Pullman and I found the handmade basket above.  I did some research and found out that it was made by a local man down in the valley that has since passed away.  I love it and placed a metal Christmas ornament inside it along with a card containing a gift for my Jeff.  While there I also found 2 books and some craft supplies I needed to make a funny ornament for an ornament gift exchange. I can't go into detail about the ornament I made because I do have family who may be reading this and I want it to be a surprise to them also.

~ Bradley and Isaiah spent the night with us on Monday.  We had pizza, cuddled a lot and watched a Christmas movie together.  We loved having then here with us and can't wait until next month when they come again.  While here, Isaiah asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told him that I wanted more time with him and his brother Bradley this coming year.  It really is what I wanted and he and Bradley like that idea too!

~I bought the wrong sized underwear at Walmart and since they were still unopened in the package, I was able to return them and get the right size.  While there we also picked up some juice on clearance and I found my Furukaki seasoning that I use on top my rice.  They had three bottles left so Jeff told me to get all 3 since we are having a harder time finding it now.

~I made more bread and sourdough crackers this week.  Becky, my sourdough starter (doesn't everyone name their starter) is doing great and is loving her "feedings".  She expresses this through bubbling up very nicely and giving me that nice tangy fermented taste in baked goods that I make from her.

~Grocery Outlet did not disappoint when we stopped there on Tuesday.  They had pumpkin bread mixes on sale for .99 each.  I bought 3 and will be using 1 of the boxes for Christmas Eve brunch at Rachel and Jaysn's home.  They also had Beer Brats, so I picked up a package of those and we will be having them for dinner tonight.  I almost forgot, I found a 10 package of hamburger patties marked down by $4, so I picked that up also and then cooked them all up when I got home.  Some were for lunch that day and the rest went into the freezer for future meals.

~I finally got my parents and brother Fritz's Christmas gift mailed off.  I gave them some goodies to eat and a framed picture like the one you see at the top of my blog page.  They really do not want or need more "stuff" but love goodies to eat and family pictures, so that is what I got them.

~Some of the meals we had this week were grilled ham and cheese sandwiches, fruit and cheese plate for lunch for me, homemade scrapple, pancakes with homemade syrup, leftovers, fried eggs for Jeff, sandwiches for lunches for Jeff, and we did go out to the new Denny's on Tuesday night for our "date night".

~Jeff and I watched the movie "White Christmas", as we do most years.  It is one of our favorites!

~I have continued to keep the Christmas music going via YouTube.  It offers so many different winter scenes and kinds of music.  I find that playing Christmas music has the power to calm me and/or excite me about Christmas.  It also makes me extremely grateful for all that we have been blessed with.  I love listening to it while I am working on the computer, cooking or getting Christmas gifts made.

~Speaking of Christmas gifts, I have been working on making some fun and useful Christmas gifts.  I tied ribbons around some of those wonderfully scented liquid hand soaps that I love so much and using them as part of gift baskets.  Below is one I put together with a nice Christmas tea towel (also brand new but found at the thrift store for .99).

~Instead of taking naps this week, I have been sleeping in instead.  I do feel a bit guilty about doing that though since I feed Ginny and Georgie (my outdoor kitties) when I get up and spend some time with them.  Ginny is still my lovebug and Georgie is slowly warming up to me a bit more.  He is my "work in progress" kitty.  My indoor kitties are loving having more cuddle time since I am indoors most of the time now.

~I've continued to do more purging of things that we no longer want, do not use or do not fit.  We have taken bags and bags of things to donate to the thrift stores.

~Since it is the season to cuddle up more, I am finally getting around to reading some of the magazines that I bought for .25 each at, you guessed it, the thrift store.  I got an even better deal on Fridays on some others when I can get buy one get one free on magazines and books.  I looked at the retail prices on some of the magazines and was shocked to see $9.99 and $10.99 !  I'm sorry, but who in their right mind would pay that much for a single copy of a magazine?  Don't get me wrong, I am grateful that someone did so that I could get it later for .25, but still...

   Well that about wraps things up for this week.  Tonight we are going to Facetime with our grandson Tate who had his 3rd birthday yesterday!  He will be opening his gift from us while we visit with him.  Jeff was gone at bowling last night, so we waited until tonight to do it.  I still cannot believe he is 3 already....time goes way too quickly!!!