Frugal Friday 12/9/22

 

   We've had snow this week and I am so grateful that Jeff and I did our big shopping trip over the weekend.  We did notice some things that we use on a regular basis that were missing from the store.  We asked the guy working in the bulk food section of the had any tortellini and he said it was the weirdest thing, but they could not get it from anywhere.  Boy am I glad that I have been trying my best to pick some up every time we go.  The hot cocoa mix was also out, and they did not know when it would be back in stock.  Are you noticing any shortages or missing items in your area?

Weekend:

~We shopped at Goodwill for a few things and used a 20% off coupon on one item each and also got 50% off an additional item since it was their 83rd anniversary.  Jeff got some warm wool socks (new) and some kind of exercise equipment. I got a full place setting of the Winterberry pattern dishes that I love so much, a cute insulated cup, a gorgeous led crystal piece of art, a package of new underwear (again, new and never opened package), and a beautiful pewter votive candle holder.

~I spent a full day doing laundry and getting that caught up from our trip.  I do not use a full capful of laundry detergent because you really do not need that much to clean your clothing.

~Jeff and I did the Winco shopping and got stocked up on things that we needed.  I then entered a picture of my receipt at Swagbucks to get some addition points. By this time the snow was coming on hard so we headed home.

~Jeff got out the Christmas tree for me and the ornaments and wall decorations.  I wrapped additional colored lights around the tree and then worked on the wall decor.  I was really sore after all of that so I stopped decorating for the evening.

~I dehydrated 2 packaged of frozen mixed veggies.  I now have a lot to use in soups, stews, pot pies, etc..

Monday:

~I finished decorating the tree.

~I found a blanket to use under the tree as a tree skirt.

~I found another Christmas themed fleece throw and got that put in the wash so we could use it.

~My father had given each of us a wreath with a candle holder.  I put mine outside near our front door.

~Jeff finished the rest of the shopping that we did not get to over the weekend.  He shopped the sale items at Safeway and then headed over to the Dollar Tree to pick up some things on my list there.

~Pizzas were on sale at Safeway so we cooked two of those up for dinner.  They were the thin crust kind (that was all they had left).  We put two away in the freezer.

Tuesday:

~I made 2 loaves of bread.

~While the bread was baking I worked on the pork rib steaks that Jeff got at Safeway on sale.  Two of them (they were huge) went into my crockpot along with some seasonings, a can of cream of mushroom soup and 3 red potatoes that I sliced up.

~I froze 3 packages of 2 each of the rest of the pork rib steaks for future meals.  I am trying to stock my freezer with sale priced meats.  We usually get a lot of our meat from Chris and Heather, but the hunting has not been as good this year.  The deer that they were going to give to us, they gave to their friends who were going through some rough times financially. Of course we fully supported them in doing that because we have been there before ourselves and they have 4 children to feed.  I don't want anyone to ever go through what we did.

~I watched some trash TV.  LOL!  Yes I find that relaxing.

Wednesday:

~This was mostly a day of rest for me.  I have been pushing myself way too hard trying to get the Christmas decorations up so that we can enjoy them for as long as possible.

~I was able to order 10 more free covid tests to be delivered to our home.  The flu, covid and RSV are hitting our area hard.  The city schools in Moscow, Idaho, where my grandson Steven goes to school, had 33% of their students and staff out sick.  I want us to all have access to home tests so we can tell if it is covid or something else if/when we get sick.

~We did breakfast for dinner.  I made my own version of McDonald's Egg McMuffins with cheese and served them with canned pears.  I sizzled up some shaved ham, had some sliced cheese and fried up 2 eggs for Jeff's sandwiches (I don't like eggs).  It was really good and made my hubby a very happy man!

~One of the representatives of a company that supplies products to the store Jeff works at brought in hats for everyone.  They are really cool looking too!  I may just have to steal the hat from Jeff. 😉

~My Uncle Gary and his wife April sent us a box of Esther Price candy for Christmas.  It is soooooo good!

Thursday:

~Apparently, I was more tired than I thought after our trip.  I took a 2 hour nap in the morning and it felt so good!

~Still dealing with the health insurance company rejecting authorization for an echocardiogram.  I will be changing health insurance again in January and we will have to start this whole process over.  The cardiologist office and I are forming a plan to hopefully get things taken care of and the right information needed onto the preauthorization paperwork this time.

~I keep Christmas music playing in the house via YouTube.  They have a lovely selection to choose from.

Friday:

~I watched some YouTube videos about frugal Christmas appetizers to make.  I needed some new ideas.

~My cousin Jeremy and I had a lovely phone visit.  We all really miss him up this way.

~Heather and I are swapping the days when we each take Steven while he is on Christmas break from school.  His school actually shut down today because so much of the staff and students are out ill.

~I made a large pan of homemade Salsbury Steak and gravy.  I used some elk burger that we had in our freezer, some spices, onions, and made a quick beef gravy (from packets) to pour over it and bake in the oven.  I threw in a large acorn squash in another pan to also bake along with the steaks.  I also made a large pot of rice.  Some of the rice will be used for this meal and the rest will be used in future meals. 

   As our temperatures are expected to plumet this coming week and I trying to come up with a menu plan that is filling and comforting.  I am so glad that I have so many cookbooks here at home to browse through.  I think I many also dig out a quilt to have on the couch to cuddle under since I am not sure if just a thinnish fleece blanket will be up to the job.  It seems like it will be the perfect time to snuggle in and read.  Be blessed all!

Covid has Struck YUCK!

 

   Well it finally happened.  Covid has struck on the home front.  Apparently the funeral for Heather's grandfather Carl was a super spreader event.  Everyone there seemed healthy, but by Tuesday, several people started feeling ill, followed by others the following days.  My guess is that someone was asymptomatic at the time of the funeral and had no idea they were sick.

   Jaysn, Rachel and Jeff all tested positive.  Steven's test was not considered accurate since they could not get a good sample from him.  I have not tested, as have others that were there, but some of them have symptoms also and are just assuming they have it.  I'm not feeling all that great today, but I do not know if I am getting it or if it is just my fibro flaring up yet again.  Some of the people who have it have been vaccinated, and some have not.  The three in our family that I know for sure have it all have been vaccinated.  We know though that the newer variants in this area are not respecting the vaccine. 😖

   Jeff had already taken today, Friday, off for a vacation day, but had to take yesterday off also.  So much for a vacation right?  He does not have "sick time" at his work, so he has to use his paid time off that he has accrued to cover this.  I am hoping that by Tuesday he will be over this and test negative so he can go back to work.  This leads me to why we all need to be prepared to the best of our ability for just about anything life throws our way.

   Because we have been diligent in trying to have our bills paid ahead of time, if at all possible, we are not in panic mode about that.  We are waiting for the credit card bill to come in, but luckily, that is being paid down quickly also.  I need to remind Jeff that since it is through our credit union, that I can just pay it straight out of our checking account online.  Our property taxes were also just paid off for the year and our expenses are not high right at the moment.

   We have a fully stocked medicine cabinet with all the things you need to combat covid at home.  We also have all the medications that I need for daily use here and have built up a bit of a surplus of them too over the past 2 years.  That is a huge blessing!

   Food wise, we are just fine.  Our pantry is well stocked, as are the freezers.  The garden is producing strawberries, herbs, spinach and lettuce at the moment, so we are good there too.  I make our bread, and have everything on hand to continue to do that for months on end.  I'm going to make a casserole or something today that we can eat on for a few days in case I get sick too.  

   Entertainment is not a problem with all the movies, books and streaming services (all free) that we have here.  My friend Ami had also lent me a book that I wanted to read, so this is the perfect time to do that.  I think the harder part is keeping Jeff from going stir crazy since he is looking outside at the grass that needs to be mowed and really wants to be out there doing it right this moment.  We are expecting rain in a few days so he is feeling the pressure.  I wish he would just relax a bit more, but he is a stubborn man. 😉 I do love him with all my heart though.

   I am praying that none of you end up with this new round of covid.  I just wish it would go away.  Be blessed all, stay healthy, cool, look for the silver linings in life.

   

Some Thoughts and Observations

 

   The photo above is of my oldest two grandboys, Bradley and Isaiah first thing in the morning and yes, they are still in their jammies.  Isaiah LOVES his very patient chicken "Roostie" and was very excited to find chicken halters and leashes online.  He bought a package and there were two sets in there so of course Mr. Whiskers had to have one put on him as well.  Roostie seems to like going for walks with his, but Mr. Whiskers, not so much! LOL!  These boys are always keeping us amused with their antics.

   I did not post a Frugal Friday update for this past week but I did keep track of things and will include it as part of a two week update this coming weekend.  We got busy over the weekend helping (well Jeff did) Chris with his shop build and I spent some lovely time visiting with the grandboys, Heather, Heather's SIL Amber and her two youngest boys.  Sunday we ran into town to do some shopping and found some incredible deals!  My freezer is again filled to the brim.

  Monday and Tuesday found me exhausted and I just needed to "down time".  We did run into town Tuesday night to pick up more garden seeds from the Dollar Tree and some grocery and HBA staples that we always try to have on hand.  I found a great deal on canned veggies for .48 each, so I bought a flat of each of those to add to the pantry.  I am really worried about the state of our economy and all the supply chain issues so I am trying my best to make sure that we have what we need.  I am now the proud owner of many seeds that I can share with my kids and still have enough for two years at least.  I plan on doubling my garden output this Spring, Summer and Fall and will add more container gardens to help facilitate this.  I talked to Jeff about building me a small green house off to the side of the house that gets sun most of the day.  I want to start seeds there this Spring to give them a good head start.

  Speaking of gardens, my kale loving moose are back.  Momma and her babies have been up eating the fallen apples at our neighbor's house.  I am really glad I had our fence between them and I.  I love watching them.  They really are beautiful animals.  They are welcome to eat the kale and even the Swiss chard that is now uncovered since the snow has melted in the garden beds.  However, once Spring arrives, Jeff will be putting up a fence to keep them out of the side garden area.  I really don't want them to eat all the Spring planting that I will be doing.

   The Winter "Blahs" have started with me.  It happens every year at this time.  When Caesar was still alive he and I would go for walks to help me get rid of some of my depression and anxiety.  I sure miss my huge shedding happy dog.  He was my buddy and I loved him so much.  Without him to motivate me, I have spent most of my days inside the house and have had way too much time to let my mind wander to places that I have not allowed myself to go to for a long time.  Those places are scary, dark, and filled with memories that I really would rather not revisit ever.  The nightmares came back, but I now have the tools needed to deal with them, as painful as they are.  Maybe now is the time to deal with them once and for all and then be done with it.  Something to ponder upon...

   Covid-10 has once again found its way into our lives.  Lauren tested positive for it after coming back from Ohio and her uncle's funeral.  More members of her family also have tested positive and Josh is pretty sure that he has it too.  Lauren, Tate and Josh are now home in isolation with Lauren thankfully being able to work from home.  Tate seems fine so far and for that I am very thankful.  Lauren and Josh's symptoms are very mild and they both have been vaxed and boosted.  On a side note, they met someone at the funeral who knows my Uncle Gary, who also lives in that area.  They remember him as a police officer and also the owner of the ACE hardware store that he and my Uncle Ronnie and Aunt Susie bought and ran for years.  Small world.  Please keep them all in our prayers.

   I suppose I should get going.  I have a bed to make and laundry to fold.  There is a list a mile long to get done and I have very little energy to do so.  I may take a page out of my youngest grandson Tate's book and take a nap.  Or...I may take a page out of my grandson Steven's book and make something sweet to eat, complete with lots of sprinkles on top!  This could get interesting.

Be blessed my friends!

   

   

 

   

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 10/1/21

 

   I came across this picture in my files from a few years ago and thought it was the perfect header picture for our post today.  I remember making that fettuccini with what I had on hand and how good it was.  I'm thinking I may have to work that into our menu again for this coming week. 😉  I still cannot believe it is October already.  The maple tree across the street from us is putting on a magnificent show, as is our neighbor's burning bush.  I just Love Fall!

   Here is just a few of the frugal things we have done this week.  Of course I forgot to write things down as I went, so we may we all now bow our heads and pray I can remember things...LOL!

~Jeff and I harvested about a gallon more blackberries off our plants.  We bagged up the first half gallon and spread the love to our neighbors.

~Three more cantaloupes were ready to pick.  YUM!  I took one over to our neighbor/hanai sister Shannon.

~Tomatoes, beans and squash were also harvested.

~I have sliced tomatoes going in the dehydrator.  I will turn them into tomato powder.

~I started my $200 October Grocery challenge and am being careful about what I buy.

~We stopped at the Dollar Tree to get a few things and were very happily surprised that the food aisle had been restocked, as well as the HBA Aisle.  I picked up more parchment paper, fabric band aids, baby wipes, spaghetti sauce, socks, Pink Bismoth, a plastic coated shopping bag and a movie for Steven to add to his Christmas gifts.

~Washington State started it's single use plastic bag ban so we now have to bring our own bags to the stores. I did buy one at the Dollar Tree, but also had a bunch in the car for the other things we bought at Walmart and the Grocery Outlet.

~The Grocery Outlet had all their summer items at half off so I bought more swim googles and diving towns for Bradley and Isaiah to go along with their Christmas gifts.  They have a pool in their back yard and spend hours playing in it.  I wanted them to have extra goggles and toys for when friends come over.

~I found a baby toy marked down to $2.50 in the clearance Aisle at Walmart.  I picked it up for Tate and he will get it early when we see him at Thanksgiving.

~Jeff picked up my feather bed from the dry cleaners and I cannot tell you how happy I am to have it on the guest bed now.  I usually go to sleep in there because I need to stretch out to sleep and sometimes toss and turn a lot.  I don't want to keep Jeff awake in our room.

~Bread and muffins were baked.

~I cooked up a large pork loin roast, along with baked potatoes.  I served it with fresh pear slices from our trees.  YUMMY and it made for 3 complete meals.

~One night I was really tired so we had canned chicken noodle soup (I had not had that in years since I usually make my own) and crescent rolls.

~I made some Krab salad (like you find at the deli) and a tomato, feta, and cucumber salad (using produce from our garden).

~I chose to use my $35 in Walmart gift cards (Swagbucks and MyPoints) to stock up on toilet paper, tissues, kitty litter, and used the remainder of the balance towards groceries.  This will really help with my October Grocery Budget Challenge since that is money that will not have to come out of my personal grocery budget for the month.

~I did skip our town's food commodities give away again this month.  Our Covid-19 cases are really high and I did not want to be in a small building with others that might possibly have it.  I know of families that have been affected by it and some of them are still going down there, even if they should be staying home.  Not worth the risk!

~Since I am still adjusting to my medications, I am not driving myself anywhere, not even down to the library or the post office, which has cut down on the gas bill.

~It's that time of year where I switch out my purses.  I went through my large collection and found a beautiful Brighton leather woven bag that I had not worn yet, so that shall be my Fall bag, for awhile at least.  I did buy it at a thrift store about 2 years ago, but due to Covid-19, had not used it yet since I did not really go anywhere last Fall.

~Jeff's work had 2 BBQ's this week so that is 2 lunches that he did not have to take to work.

~I made a large homemade lasagna and added some red wine to the sauce...oh my goodness did that elevate the flavor!

   I'm sure there are many more things that we did, but at the moment I am drawing a blank.  I'm waiting on the sheets to dry on the line so Jeff and I can make the beds.  He is out winterizing the gardens and doing some clearing out of them.  We are going to pray that we get more cantaloupe to ripen, along with the peppers, before the frost takes them all out.  Tomorrow Chris is taking us out on his boat and up the St. Joe River.  I love being out on the river or on a lake and the Fall colors are just glorious right now so I will be taking a lot of pictures.  If I get some good ones, I want to frame them and use them as part of my Fall decorations.  Chris will be fishing and I had planned on doing that too until I saw the price for an out of state one day fishing license.  YIKES!  So instead I will just enjoy Jeff and his company and the beautiful scenery.  Be blessed!

A new Personal Grocery Challenge for October and Frugal Meals Lately

 

      I have decided that due to Covid-19 cases being so high in my area and the fact that I really want to save money, I will be challenging myself for the month of October to keep my grocery bill under $200 and that includes paper goods and pet needs.  This should help keep me out of the stores, and to be honest, with prices going up, I am really not seeing many good deals anyway.  Anyone want to join me challenging yourself to a certain grocery budget that you set for your own family?  I would love to see how you do and get some encouragement to keep me on track also. 😃

   I know that I have not been really consistent with my blog posting lately.  There is a lot going on here in my little world including adjusting to new meds.  I was finally approved for the pregabalin and I think it may be helping with the pain, although I am still in the early days of trying it.  I am sleeping better once I actually fall asleep, but I am still some kind of strange night owl type person.  Praying that changes too.  I am also dealing with some really complex feeling due to the death of one of my former pastors who some people are eulogizing like he himself was God when I know the truth about this man and his cult like behavior and abuses of people.  This is also a man who was saying that Covid-19 was just like the flu and that taking the vaccine was a part of government control, etc..  Now I will say that mandating the vaccine is something that I do not agree with, but I also believe that we all have a responsibility to not only have the wisdom to help protect ourselves and our loved one from this horrible virus, but also have to compassion to help protect others around us also.  I am vaccinated, as are most of my family.  I do have family and friends that are not, and that is their choice and I do not think that they should be forced to get the vaccine.  Back to my point...this pastor just died from Covid-19 and from what I can ascertain from their own sermons and the words that came out of their mouths, they tried to cover up that he had it to begin with to their own congregation and now are trying to make sure that anyone outside their church does not know that he died from it.  Someone on staff there, that I personally know, did tell another mutual friend of ours what he died from and when she shared that info online, she got all kinds of backlash and quickly took down her post about his passing.  I am wondering how long it will be before they take down the videos where you can see him struggling with it before he "was out of town".  Anyway, there is a huge part of me that wants to scream to the people that I love and are still deceived by this man that they have been duped by a wolf in sheep's clothing (my personal opinion of this man based on things he said and did to both my family and to many other families) and also recognizing that they really are mourning the death of a person that they genuinely loved and believed in.  Only time will tell if they come to realize what was really going on now that they are out from under his daily influence.

   Anyway, I wanted to share some of the meals that we have had within the past few months.  It is just a small sampling of what we have been eating.  I continue to try and use the produce from our gardens and make the most of what we have and get several meals out of things.  Here we go!

Cantaloupe (we are not starting to get our own cantaloupe out of the garden) and blackberries (also from our garden).

Pork roast with potatoes and carrots along with a side of tortellini salad. 

Tomato (from our garden) and cheese melt on homemade bread.

Lemon Chicken Pasta with produce from our garden.

Burgers with fried potatoes and squash from the garden. The tomato on the burger is also from our garden.

Teriyaki noodles with leftover teriyaki steaks and veggies from the garden.

Tamale pie from pantry and freezer items.

Homemade pancakes to feed the hungry grandboys!

Spicy sausage and potato hash.

Homemade blackberry syrup with some of the blackberries from our garden.

Open face avocado and tomato sandwich with tomatoes from our garden.

Tuna pasta salad with cherry tomatoes from the garden.

Swedish meatballs over egg noodles and a side of fresh from the orchard apple slices.

Homemade cheesy potato and veggie chowder.

Beer brats, roasted russet and sweet potato hash and a side of crisp apple slices.

Homemade cheese lasagna.

Homemade deli style Krab salad and avocado on the side.

Cheesy chicken and rice bake with a side of cantaloupe from our garden.

   Well I am off to get a nice hickory smoked pork loin roast in the oven, along with potatoes and carrots.  I already got a feta cheese, cucumber, squash and tomato salad made with all the produce coming out of our garden.  The pork roast is a pretty large one so it will be made into other meals too.  Be blessed my friends, stay safe and enjoy this beautiful Fall weather!

A Frugal Brain Foggy Day

    

    Tate's expression above expresses is exactly how his Grammie feels today.  He is so cute and I love this silly look on his face. 😁

           

   Today is a major brain fog day.  I get these kind of days sometimes, but today is a particularly bad one.  Not sure if it is just because I am wiped out or because of the gabapentin that I started on last night.  Could be either and only time will tell.  Because of this, there are things on my "to do" list for today that are not going to get done.  I had planned on making applesauce but I really don't trust myself with a knife today.  I did cut open a acorn squash and oh my goodness, that was scary!  So here is what I am attempting to do today that does not take much thinking (or using a knife).  

~I washed all the bathroom rugs and bath mats and hung them out to dry on the laundry line.  It is a cloudy but warmish and windy day so they should dry rather quickly.  I try to do this at least once a month.

~I have Italian sausage and the acorn squash sharing a cookie sheet divided by separate aluminum foil liners in the oven cooking.  Both needed to be baked and this is a good way to do it and save electricity.

~More money saving videos were watched on YouTube.  I seem to glean something new or am reminded of something that I used to do, but stopped doing for whatever reason, each time I watch these.

~The water that was collected in the rain bucket was used to water some of the potted plants in the back yard.

~The cats and I enjoyed some time on the back screened in porch.  I know that our time is going to come to an end soon being able to use this other room that we enjoy so much so we are taking full advantage of it.

~I cleaned out the refrigerator and found some things that needed to be used up ASAP.  This is something that I really do need to do more often. The refrigerator was cleaned out a little at a time since I kept forgetting to get back to it and was getting very distracted.

~I redeemed my points at Mypoints for a $10 Walmart gift card.

~I did some surveys at Swagbucks and earned enough to cash in for a $25 Walmart gift card.

~More clean masks were loaded up into my purse.  Jeff and I forgot to grab some when we went out yesterday and thank goodness I had 2 in my purse.  Those are now in the laundry, so I had to "refill" my purse once again.

~Jeff called from work to let me know that he had accidently run over his phone.  I told him to bring it home and if the sim card was not damaged, we could just put that in my old phone that is the same model.  If not, we will have to get it switched over through the company.  Luckily we did keep my old phone.

~I made a huge lasagna for dinner.  It is a favorite around here and is one of Jeff's favorites.  I used some of the parsley from the garden in the cheese mixture and also put some leftover red wine I had in the refrigerator into the sauce.

~Chris called and we had a really nice visit.  He gave me an update on some friends and relatives that are dealing with Covid and other health issues.  It sounds like the ones with Covid are starting to finally feel better, praise God!

   That is about it for my frugal day.  The plan for tonight is to take things easy, enjoy the lasagna and watch a few TV shows.  I'm hoping that I can fall asleep earlier tonight since I am totally wiped out.  Take care and God bless!

   

Cha Cha Cha Changes

 

   It is another day with more changes happening in my little world.  I had a telemedicine appointment with my doctor today to go over my bloodwork results.  Well...to say my cholesterol levels are a bit elevated would be an understatement.  Those suckers are high!  So onto statin meds I go along with another supplement and after being turned down by my insurance company to go on pregabalin, we are now going to try the gabapentin and hope that I will not have bad side effects from it.  If I do, then we can try to get approval once again for the pregabalin.   I have been warned that the statins themselves can have some side effects, as can the gabapentin...this could get interesting. *  I just found out how expensive my meds are going to be...thank God for GoodRX.com coupons to help bring the price way down even after insurance.

   This past weekend Jeff and I ran up to Spokane to pick up a part for our pellet stove.  While we were up there, there was a shooting a few blocks from where we were.  YIKES!  We also ran into instance after instance of people not wearing masks and no enforcement of the governor's mandate to do so.  There were so many rude people who kept crowding around me even though they could see that I was wearing a mask, which should signal to them that I have concerns about staying healthy.  Trader Joes was a madhouse, as was Marshall's.  The only place people were even slightly considerate was the ARC thrift store, where I did find some lovely treasures.

   Yesterday we went to Moscow, Idaho in the afternoon since I was having a panic attack and needed to get out for a bit.  I think my panic attack was brought on by several things like the shooting in Spokane, covid-19 cases going through the roof with our high school on virtual learning for 2 weeks due to so many students and staff having it (40% of the students were out with it the previous week), family and friends having covid-19 with several struggling and some having to be hospitalized, and knowing that it is hitting the kids in our area pretty hard.  :(  It is sad, scary and in many cases, very preventable.

   Anyway, we went to Moscow and I saw first hand the shortages and price hikes on food once more.  Dollar Tree had very little food on their shelves and the prices at Winco have gone up steeply on some items, while remaining constant on others.  I only found 1 food item and none of the other things I was looking for while at Dollar Tree.  We did stop at Goodwill and Jeff found a brand new car seat cover for his car and a battery powered tool there.  He likes to have multiples of his battery powered tools so he can use one while the other is still charging.  Honestly, I have no problem with him buying tools he needs because he really does use them a lot.  

   Fall is definitely in the air, even though we are having a warm spell here in the day right now.  Jeff ended up breaking the weld on one of the wire connections on the pellet stove when he was installing the new part and was so frustrated with himself.  Luckily for us, he knows how to do welding and our amazing neighbors had a wire welder in their shop that they let us borrow.  Jeff got it all fixed and running and I sent him up with a large container of freshly picked blackberries from our garden as a thank you.  They were so happy to have been given the blackberries and we are very grateful to them for their generosity in letting us use their tools.

   My days are filled with spending time in the gardens trying to coax the last of the produce to ripen before the killing frost comes.  I have had to cover up the pepper and cantaloupe bed several times now, along with the front tomato plants.  The side bed with tomato plants has some natural protection, but I know the time will come soon where it too will either be hit hard or I will have to begin covering it up also.  I'm also enjoying being able to hang sheets out on the line to dry now that the rain knocked the smoke from the wildfires out of the sky.

   Our evenings are now mostly spent with the fire going in the pellet stove and the cats curled up and snuggled in on our laps.  The lap quilts that my mom made us are in constant use now and I have started to have a cup of evening herbal tea once more.  It is a nice routine to be getting back into after the long and busy days of Summer.  Our ROKU had been acting up, so I set it back to factory settings and we are once again able to get things to load and our YouTube channel is also working.  Jeff is happy to be able to watch his bowling...I know he was missing it. ;)

   I'd better go and check the blackberries and see if there is a bunch ready to pick or if I should wait another day.  If they are ready, I shall pick them, if not, I'll water them deeply and try to pick tomorrow.  Be blessed, stay safe and healthy and enjoy the beauty that is Fall!

I Took a Much Needed Break

 

   The picture above is from last year, but it is the same thing that is going on in my home for the past few weeks, with  yet more to come.  Apples, apples, everywhere.  What I am not making into applesauce from our tree, I have been getting from the local apple orchard for eating fresh.  We took Bradley and Isaiah up last weekend to pick apples for us and for their family since they had spent the Friday night with us.  I've also bee trying to keep up with the glut of fresh blackberries, squash and tomatoes that are coming out of the garden at the moment.  I must admit that I am failing miserably at it though.  So much produce, so little energy to deal with it all.

   Today I did make it out into the garden, despite being exhausted and sore from picking a gallon of blackberries yesterday, to harvest herbs to make my homemade herb salt.  I love this stuff and I use it as gifts too!  I also picked more apples off our tree, the ones that I could reach (I do not do ladders), to make yet another batch of applesauce tomorrow while Jeff is at work.  The herb salt is now going in the dehydrator and I have meatballs in mushroom sauce going in the crockpot for dinner.  I will just boil up some noodles and quickly stir fry some fresh green beans to go with them for dinner.  The kitchen is a disaster so Jeff will clean that tonight so I can bake bread tomorrow also.

   I'm currently sitting out on the back porch and there is the combination of smoke from the wildfires and the damp from the incoming rain (praise God for rain!).  The sky is getting darker and darker and the outside temperature is quickly dropping.  I am LOVING this.  Hopefully the rain will knock the smoke from the sky and put out any fire starts along with any ongoing fires.

   Today is the funeral of the former fire chief in Colfax, WA who our Chris got his fire training under.  Chief Krouse was an amazing man who helped so many young men and women get their starts as firefighters and EMTs.  After he retired, he continued to volunteer as a firefighter until his death of a heart attack while pulling line on a fire.  It was his 4th call that day.  His fellow firefighters and EMTs tried to save him, but they sadly could not.  He did go out the way he wanted though...fighting fires and helping in his community.  Our Chris is at the funeral, sitting with some of the men and women from his original crew that he worked with at the start.  Chris is now the interim fire chief for his local community and is taking this hard.  There is an outpouring of love and respect from all over the state and from other states as well.  Our governor even ordered that flags across the state be flown at half mast for Chief Krouse for his life long service.  Many firefighters and EMTs across our state and others got their starts under this remarkable and caring man.  Our family and community owe this man so much!

   The covid-19 numbers in our area continue to climb and Northern Idaho is in crisis care mode now.  The national guard, Pentagon and other agencies, along with a call for volunteers, have been called in to help.  Conference rooms have been turned into covid units at one of the hospitals about an hour north of us and even that is filling up quickly.  New federal and state mandates and restrictions are now in place in Washington state also and we are seeing events being cancelled right and left.  The day before the newest mandates were announced, I did a HUGE stock up shopping trip.  And yes, I wore my mask the entire time!  It's not just covid causing issues and shortages, but supply issues as well, so I wanted to get the things I needed while they were still there and before more panic buying occurs.  Luckily I have been stocking up all along, but they were still some holes in my pantry and HBA cabinets that needed to be filled.  The last thing on my list is to go and get bloodwork done so I can get refills on al my meds and hopefully they will do a 3 month supply for me on one of them and then just send the the one they can only refill monthly through the mail once more.  My prescriptions are totally covered under my health insurance so I don't need to worry about paying for them out of pocket.

   My task this upcoming week is to organize the pantry once more and continue to harvest and process the fruit and veggies from our garden.  Hopefully I can also get in to get that bloodwork done ASAP also.  The weather is cooling way down to more Fall-like temperatures, so that is a huge blessing when I am trying to get things done.  Regulating my body temperature is a HUGE problem for me with Fibro and the cooler temps do help with that.  Jeff will also be picking up some items that I did not find or forgot to add to my cart when I was out earlier in the week, so that will also help.

   I'm going to head inside and check on dinner in the crockpot and on the herb salt that is going in the dehydrator.  I think I will also lay down for a bit as I am really sore at the moment.  Be blessed, stay safe and stay healthy!

   

   

   

   

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 8/13/21

 

   It has been another week of smoke filled skies here with just a few short and welcomed breaks.  My heart goes out to all the firefighters and those who have lost their homes and livestock, along with some of their pets.  The fires continue to burn all around the Pacific Northwest and with the winds whipping up again, I fear they will spread even more.  Family friends have been out making fire lines hoping to save their towns, homes and crops.  Please join me in sending prayers and good thoughts to them all.

 

   Jeff and I have continued to try to fill our pantry and freezers with food and also stock up on HBA items.  We wanted to try to get ahead of the crowds with all the college students returning and the Covid-19 cases once again rising very quickly in our area.  Each day I have been tracking the number of new cases and we are once again seeing more deaths from it in our area.  We are also trying to get some other things taken care of before prices go up on things like tires.  Yes, I will admit, I am "that person" who tracks things like this.  I want to make sure that we are as prepared as we can be and get the best prices in the process.  Now onto the frugal doings for the week:

   

Weekend:

~Jeff and I stocked up on things at Walmart and the Grocery Outlet.  We got reduced priced meats, Asian noodles, cheesecake (yes a very welcomed treat), fruit, jeans for me at $4 a pair, and some HBA items.

~I packaged up the boneless skinless chicken breasts that I got on sale into individual packages.

~Jeff and I had some cheesecake once we got home from shopping.  I topped mine with berries from our garden and Jeff topped his with some caramel sauce.

~Instead of eating in town on Saturday, I made taco meat and cheese quesadillas for a late lunch.

~Our kitchen sink drain was continuing to give us problems, so Jeff borrowed a 25 foot drain snake from our neighbors.  It is not perfect but it is draining more quickly now.

~I harvested berries, tomatoes, our first cucumber and squash from the garden.

~Jeff was given a Cabela's gift card years ago for Christmas and never used it.  I asked him if I could use it to buy some cast iron skillets.  He said yes.  I got free shipping on my order and after the gift card and taxes my total order came out to $6.02 out of pocket.

~We are selling our large couch to one of Jeff's bosses who is in desperate need of one.  He is paying us $50 for it so I told Jeff to keep the money to use as he wanted since I used his $50 gift card from Cabela's.

~We were able to watch our hanai daughter get married as they streamed the ceremony and the reception on YouTube.  Our twin boys were able to make it down to be with her on her special day and she was thrilled to have her "brothers" there with her.

~I got really stressed out when Jeff tried to fix his car and instead made it undrivable so we are going to now have to tow it and have it fixed.  UGH!  I put on the Hawaiian Slack Guitar Festival on Youtube and listened to that to help calm me down...

(1) 39th Annual Hawaiian Slack Key Guitar Festival "Waikiki Style" - YouTube

~Jeff and I hot tubbed on Sunday night.  It felt so good to finally be able to sit out there without smoke filled skies.

~I made a big pot of broccoli/potato cheese soup.  I had broccoli and some potatoes that needed to be used up ASAP.  I topped mine with homemade croutons...Yum!

~Jeff  watched a Star Wars movie on Sunday night on Disney Plus.

Monday:

~Two more loaves of bread were made.

~I froze some raspberries and some taco meat.

~Seeing a huge pile of yellow squash, I made another squash casserole.

~More tomatoes, squash and another cucumber were harvested, along with some blackberries.

~Jeff and I found several cantaloupes forming on our cantaloupe plants.  YAY!

~Jeff was finally able to go golfing and got a senior discount when he did.  I have been encouraging him to get out and do it for some time now since he really enjoys it and he works so hard for our family.

~Jeff picked a big bucket full of apples off our tree.

~Jeff grilled some bratwurst for us for dinner.

~Jeff also stopped at Winco on his way home to pick up some hot dog buns and said it was a madhouse in there with people filling up their carts like crazy.  I asked him if they were students and he did not think they were.  Panic buying?

Tuesday:

~I harvested squash, swiss chard, tomatoes, beans and blackberries from the garden.

~I had squash casserole for lunch.

~Leftovers were on the menu for dinner.

~We watched some HGTV shows in the evening.

~I was looking for a way to corral all our rice and potato mix packages and found a box that was just the right size to do so.  Free!!!!

Wednesday:

~I found that my Safeway "Just 4 U" app had a $50 off a purchase of $50 or more coupon.  It also had a $4 off a $40 or more coupon.  Apparently they are changing the name of the stores or something and are rewarding their loyal customers.  I downloaded the coupon and am making a list of groceries that are on sale so that I can stretch the $50 as far as it can go!

~Update on what I got for $8.68 after the discounts, coupons, sales and the rest of my gift card at Safeway. And yes, the manager had to manually enter in the $50 off coupon because it was not showing on my card but I could describe what it said Many people are reporting that it disappeared on their cards too after downloading it.  12 pack of cranberry/raspberry sparkling water, 6 pack of paper towels, huge package of TP, 8  pounds of cheese, half gallon of milk, 2 packages of dinner rolls, 2 packages of sausages to grill, 11 large bottles of PowerAde, a package of tortellini, 2 bags of coleslaw mix, 4 pounds of baby peeled carrots, and 3.24 pounds of bananas.

Thursday:

~I made a large tuna pasta salad and added a bag of the coleslaw mix to it...really good!  I love the added crunch and nutrition.  I also added some tomato to mine right before eating it.  Jeff is not a fan of tomatoes, so I add these to my own bowl.

~I froze the remainder of the broccoli/potato cheese soup to use as another meal for both Jeff and I.

~I worked on my points programs.

~It was horribly smoky outside because of all the wildfires so I stayed inside as much as possible until I had to go out and water the gardens in the evening.

Friday:

~Tire prices are reported to be going way up in price soon so Jeff took my car in to get some new tires on it.  We were going to wait a few months more until we read about the continuing price increases.  These increases are due to flooding issues in China, rubber shortages, oil prices rising, increase in shipping rates, etc.. Jeff was able to find a deal on the tires too!  Thank goodness because tires for my car are really expensive. 

Goodyear and Cooper Consumer Tire Prices Are Going Up | Modern Tire Dealer (ratchetandwrench.com)

~One of Jeff's co-workers had their last day at work so they were sending her off with a celebratory and "thank you" lunch.  Jeff did not have to take lunch with him.

~We have been greatly enjoying all the videos that Josh and Lauren are taking of Tate.  He is now crawling and can stand on his own without holding on to anything.  Slow down baby!

~The squash is going nuts!  I harvested 5 more today.  I also got more cherry tomatoes and some blackberries.  I was outside for about 10 minutes and that was all I could handle between the heat and the dangerous air quality.

~I took a bag of squash and tomatoes from our garden over to our hanai sister Shannon.

~Jeff and I had leftovers for dinner and ice cream for dessert.

   Be blessed my friends and I hope you all have a wonderful upcoming week!

Stocking Up and some Observations

   

  Jeff and I have been noticing more and more empty shelves and spaces at some of the grocery stores.  Walmart was especially glaring.  I was worried that with the students coming back, that it would be absolutely horrible to find anything.  However, this weekend the WSU students were hitting Walmart hard and I noticed something interesting.

   Some of the shelves that had been empty were being filled up again...but the produce had obviously been sitting around for awhile and was not very good.  One of the ladies that worked there said they had lots of fresh produce in the back room, but, again, it was not looking it's best.  They had brought a lot in because of the students coming back...however, don't count in it staying well stocked.  

   We found some marked down meats and bought those.  Meat has been hit or miss there for awhile.  We also found packages of plums marked down to $1 each.  They had been sent way to many of them and needed to move them fast.  I bought 2 packages.  HBA items have also been on the lean side for awhile, so I got what I needed to build up my stock a bit more.  I had also been looking for a few more pairs of soft jeans for over a year.  I am very picky about my jeans because so many of the fabrics and/or the buttons, hurt me.  I finally found two pairs on clearance for $4 each.  I have capris in the same fabric and I love them!  These jeans should get me through a few more winters since I mainly wear them when I go somewhere outside of the house and then rest of the time I wear soft leggings at home.

   Jeff and I also went to the Grocery Outlet to try and find some of the jalapeno and cheese snacks that I love.  They were out of those but we did find some more amazing deals.  We picked up 2 racks of cooked and frozen ribs for .97 each...yes you read that right!  I would have bought them out except that I don't have the room in my freezer.  They also had boneless skinless chicken breast that were marked down so I bought a package and came home and divided it up and then froze each breast separately.  Each of those will make a meal for Jeff and I.  Crescent rolls were on sale for 6 for $1.  I bought 3 of them.  Another great deal was their Asian noodles.  They came in 2 packs for .99 each.  I got 4 of them to make stir fry or Asian style soups for Jeff and I.  Way cheaper than going out to eat and satisfies my cravings!

   We are also noticing gas shortages here.  We went to fill up our car with gas only to find that most of the pumps at the lowest priced gas station in town were totally out of fuel.  Luckily there were still 3 pumps with gas so we were able to get some there.  I am going to make sure that Jeff and never let the tanks go below half from now on.

   Covid-19 cases are on the rise here once more and I am noticing that more and more restrictions are coming back into play.  Vaccines are being required not only at some work places for employees, but also if you are a customer.  Colleges here are requiring that you be vaccinated if you are an employee or a student, K-12 are also requiring vaccinations for staff and that masks be worn at all times regardless of if you are vaccinated or not.  Masks are required at grocery stores if you are not vaccinated and the employees are being required to wear them all the time now no matter if they had the jab or not.  I am hearing rumors that some of the grocery stores will soon not be allowing people who are not vaccinated to shop period!  That should scare the pants off everyone!  Looks like we will be doing the shopping for our family members who have not got the jab and don't plan on doing so.  They have their own reasons for not wanting to get it and I totally respect that.  I think everyone should have the right to make their own medical decisions.  Jeff and I did make the choice to get the shots ourselves after weighing the pros and cons and I am glad we did.  I don't think that people who have chosen not to should be vilified though.  Do I worry about those relatives...yes, but again, it is their choice to make, not mine or anyone else's.

   I am fully expecting more restrictions to come into play on the state and national level this coming week.  Things are just moving way too quickly and with all the fires, droughts in this area, flooding in others, coupled with transportation shortages, and this virus making a comeback, things are getting worse.  Looks like time is getting way too short to stock up while you can before the panic buying starts once more.