And The Treehouse Finally Gets Started

 

   Bradley and Isaiah have been asking for Treehouse forever.  Well, Gpa, along with Chris and Isaiah, took advantage of a beautiful day and got started on it.  The plan is to add the floor, railings and then a roof at some point.

   Apparently, the boys could not wait for the official floors too get on, so they improvised with some wood they found in the shop.  It was another beautiful day outside, so they decided to do their schoolwork in their treehouse.  Our Heather, their mother, knows our grandsons, aged 14 (yes, Bradley is now 14!) and Isaiah (who will be 13 soon), realized that they would be so distracted if trapped inside to do school, let them just do it outside.  Smart lady!  This is one of the many advantages to homeschooling. 😁

   Hopefully Jeff, Chris and the boys will be able to do more work on the treehouse as funds allow.  This has been a wonderful project and the boys have learned so much about building and all the measurements, making sure things are well supported and safe, and patience.  I have loved seeing them all work on this together.

Frugal Friday Wrap Up a Day Early 2/19/26

 

     Isn't God the most amazing artist?  I woke up really early this morning and was greeted with this beautiful sunrise.  I quickly grabbed my phone and took picture after picture trying to capture the awesomeness of it all.  Truely breath taking don't you think?

   I know this post is technically a day early, with this being Thursday and not Friday, but my husband is off at work today and I find that since he is home on Fridays, I have not gotten around to posting much.  I'm not saying that having him home on Fridays is a bad thing, quite the opposite.  I really enjoy spending time with my husband and I don't want to ever take away from my first priority which will always be my family.  I know that everyone who reads this will understand.  

   

   Our son Chris took myself and one of his friends fishing last week.  His friend Jim is 90 years old and is the person that sold Chris's boat to him (and gave him a great deal on it).  I had been looking forward to this day for a long time.  Yes, it was cold, but the sun was out and it felt glorious on my face.  The sun reflected off the ripples in the water and reminded me of the days I would spend at the beach growing up in Hawaii.  I felt totally at peace and I even caught the first, and the largest fish of the day.  Chris took it home, filleted it out for me, and it is now in his freezer awaiting my drive over to pick it up and to drop off some things for him.  The whole day was just what I needed since I had been struggling with SAD due to there having been way too many gray days leading up to it.  Jim and Chris were wonderful company and my heart was filled to the brim with calm and love.

   While I was out fishing with Chris, Bradly, our oldest grandson who will be 14 in 2 weeks, came over to spend the day with Gpa (my husband) and change the struts out on the car that he will soon be gifted.  We had made this promise to both Bradley and Isaiah, that when Gpa retired fully, that they would get the car.  Originally, they were going to have to share the car, but then Aunt Helen gifted her car to the boys before she died.  Isaiah has decided he wants Aunt Helen's car, which made Bradley very happy since he wanted my husband's car.  The boys live out in the country and needed a way to get to and from work.  The deal we made with the boys had been that when we gifted them the car, that they were going to have to work to pay at least part of their car insure (on their parent's plan) and their own gas.  I know my oldest 2 grandsons well and that they would be more than willing to do this to have a car of their own.  So, Jeff and Bradley got the struts changed out and spent the rest of the day having pizza and watching movies before they set out to buy a Valentine's gift for me that I had seen and picked out earlier that morning.  This leads us to a list of some of the other frugal doings over the past few weeks...

~Jeff bought me a one-of-a-kind gorgeous antique stained glass hanging lamp.  It has metal work on it over each lower panel of glass that depicts a lake scene, complete with the shorelines, pine trees and a little cabin at either sunrise at either sunrise or sunset.  Each panel's glass is unique.  It originally was $295 but Jeff walked away at first and she brought the price down to $200.  Jeff rewired it for me and it is now hanging in our living room.

~We have been searching for a recliner that would actually fit my hubby and his extra-long legs. ;)  This search has been going on for months now since his recliner that he did have at that point was so low to the ground, making it hard for him to get up and out of, and was too short for his legs.  We even (gulp), looked at furniture stores, but the one that came closest to fitting him cost over $1000.  That was not something we could afford.  On a hunch, I asked my husband if we could go to the grand reopening of a thrift store near us and guess what we found...yes, the perfect sized recliner for my hubby (and his long legs) that is also the right height for him to get up out of easily.  All in, we paid a little over $100 for it.  That was a savings of $1100 over what the other one at the furniture store would have cost and it fit him even better!

~Our neighbor was gifted 2 apple pies and she gave one of them to us.  It is delicious!

~Our pellet stove control panel went out (luckily, we do have a furnace as a back up source of heat).  Jeff had me go on line and order a new control panel for it.  Cost was $382 after taxes and shipping.  It sure beats the cost of a new pellet stove and Jeff can install the new control panel himself.  Savings over $2000 for the lower end priced pellet stoves.

~I have been trying to cook more from our freezer and pantry.  A few of the meals I have made lately are a rich elk burger soup that used a Bear Creek Beef soup mix along with a pound of cooked elk burger.  So delicious on a cold day!  Homemade Fettuccini Alfredo using linguini noodles since I was out of fettuccini, along with the last of my half and half, and some Parmesan-Roman cheese that I had previously bought on sale and thrown in the freezer.  This is one of Jeff's favorites.  Air friend Panko breaded chicken with Colby-Jack cheese melted on top served with a green salad and rice pilaf.  A sheet pan dinner of baked Italian Sausages (served on buns) and sweet potato wedges.  This was served with homemade applesauce that I had previously made from some apples from our tree and frozen. A shrimp and cabbage Asian style salad with shrimp that I had bought on sale and thrown in the freezer. Teriyaki meatloaf made with venison burger, served with rice and green beans.

~We donated so many bags of things to the thrift store while we have been slowly going through things that we no longer need.  For each donation, we get a 20% off one item coupon.  We use the coupons on bigger ticket items.  We mostly shop on Mondays since that is Senior day and all of our items, except the half off color tags of the week, along with the new merchandise, are 20% off.  I stocked up on some nice Land's End cap sleeved dresses for the warmer months since I practically live in dresses when it is hot.  I also found a long short-sleeved dress which is also perfect for the hotter weather and works great as a beach cover up too.  Jeff found some comfy lounge pants and shirts.

~Jeff and I gave each other haircuts.  He cut mine way shorter than he normally does and I now look more and more like my mother with her short haircut.  I have to say, I kind of like it!  I have always looked like my mother when it comes to our eyes and expressions (I even sound like her), and thus also look like my great grandmother (my Tutu) in the eyes.  Now I look like her hair-wise too. :)

~Jeff got us restocked on another ton of pellets for our pellet stove.

~We took Maggie to the do-it-yourself dog wash in town.  She desperately needed a good bath!  She likes the blow dryer on the low setting there and will even come into the bathroom at home now on occasion when I am blow-drying my hair to get her turn in too.  Silly dog!

~I put away the Christmas decor and have now replaced it with Winter decor that I already have.  

~I picked up a few more classic movies and musicals on DVD.  We really enjoy these!  And yes, I got them at another thrift store.

~I made Jeff a loaf of banana bread with some over-ripe bananas that I had peeled and put in the freezer for such a time as this. ;)  Food is one of his top love-languages and boy did he feel loved!  He was making happy sounds while he was eating. 

   So there we are once again!  Oh, and by the way, my shingles are healing up nicely now and I don't think I will have any scarring at this point.  I still have some nerve thingy going on in some spots, but that is to be expected.  Be blessed and have a wonderful day!

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 5/1/24 and 5/10/24

 

   Grammie brag!!! Our Isaiah is quite the hunter, he lined up his shot and got both turkeys with one bullet!  We are so proud of him.  His daddy also got a turkey so they now have 3 for the freezer. 😊  Isaiah is our hands on, outdoor loving kid who is happiest fishing and hunting.  I love that he shares this passion with his dad (our son Chris).

   Life once again got away from us.  We have been so busy both physically and mentally.  Many, many phone calls have been made concerning Jeff's aunt's trailer and her care. There was also a trip up there and another one coming up this Monday to hopefully finalize the Power of Attorney for Jeff's aunt and pick up the last of the items that she wants from her home.  A few will be going to her at the care center to help decorate her space.  I really hope that will help he feel more settled in.  This has been a rough journey for her, and for someone who has lived alone most of her life, a HUGE adjustment.

   

Week 1:

~We went to a dear friend and his son's birthday party over the weekend and had a wonderful time!

~Jeff installed the new toilet into our guest bathroom.

~I got the steaks I bought on sale repacked up, along with 1-pound blocks of Mozzarella cheese and food savered them, then froze them.

~I marinated steak tips in red wine and Montreal Steak Seasoning and the cooked those up with onions and sweet red bell peppers.  I served those with well-seasoned mashed potatoes.

~We made a last-minute trip up to see Jeff's aunt on Monday and cleared out more of her house for her. When we got home, I changed into pajamas and went to bed.  I was totally exhausted and hurting so badly.  Cleaning out houses when having fibromyalgia is not a good combination.

~Tuesday Jeff went to work, and I got up early, feeling an urgency to pray.  As I opened up Facebook, I found out why.  So many of my friends and family need prayer.  This became even more apparent later in the day also. Of course, this made my fibromyalgia flare even worse and I am so glad I had leftover pizza in the refrigerator that I could warm up for lunch.

~I spent most of Tuesday on the couch, in pain, and getting caught up on a few shows on TV.

~Dinner Tuesday night was cheese and crackers.  Jeff and I both thought that sounded good and it was very easy to pull together.

~I uploaded Safeway's digital coupons onto my card.  I will have Jeff pick me up some of the creamer that is on sale.

~We worked on many projects around the house.

Week 2:

~Jeff and I went "treasure hunting" at the apartment complexes that WSU students moved out of.  We found and collected the following: a fun t-shirt, an Eddie Bauer light down filled jacket (this is going to Chris and Isaiah), a heavy weight winter jacket, a fleece pullover, a lightweight hoodie, a Carhart jacket that fits Jeff, a round side table, 2 milk crates, and a large plastic tote (which was much needed).

~I cut a really big pork loin roast in half so it would fit in my largest crockpot and made Kalua Pig with it.  I added spinach from our garden shortly before it was done and after I shredded the meat and put it back in the juices and broth.

~Jeff and I worked on the gardens, and he got the tomato support and the bean arch done and in place.  He made these with pig panels and some t-posts.

~I got more things seeded in.  I also trimmed back plants that had gotten hit by the frost we had about 3 weeks ago.

~We shopped the loss leaders at the grocery stores.

~Our entertainment for the week was going to a very cold and windy baseball game to see Bradley and Isaiah play.  They both did great!  My biggest surprise and blessing was Steven seeing Jeff and I arrive there and running up to me yelling Grammie with a huge smile on his face!  We both has really missed each other.  It was so good to see Jaysn and Rachel too...it has been way too long with them and us having been super busy lately.  I have to give it to my family, they really do try to be there for one another as much as possible, and that makes my heart smile.

~We got to talk to Josh and Lauren about when would be best to come down and see them.  Jeff and I were both giggling listening to them both stop mid-sentence multiple times to tell the little ones something.  It brought back many memories of our boys growing up and us doing the same thing.

~I have been trying to use up things that have been in the freezer for a while.  I will need the space when the gardens start producing so I am getting ready now.

~Jeff and I watched a disaster movie on YouTube.  Yes, it is relaxing to me.  Strange I know.

~I got all of Jeff's aunt's summer clothing washed and ready to go up to her.  I am also throwing in some of my things that I no longer fit in, but I think she will since she has lost a lot of weight.  She was very happy with that idea.

~Since the weather has been much warmer, I hung the sheets and some of the other laundry out on the line to dry.

~For Mother's Day this year I asked for and got 2 green table grape vines.  I usually ask for rose bushes, but this year I changed things up a bit since I found the grape vines at a terrific price and I have always wanted some.  Now to figure out where to put them.

   Be blessed my sweet friends and may your days be filled with beauty, peace, and all things good!

 

It has Finally Come to Fruition!

                 Come Celebrate with Us!!!! 

   After years of dreaming and planning, buckling down and paying off debt, we have finally been able to do it.  Jeff talked to his boss got the thumbs up from them and we filed the paperwork to get the ball rolling with Social Security.  Yes, Jeff is going to semi retire!  He will start part time at work on Monday! 😁

   I cannot even explain how happy this makes both him and I.  I can see a huge weight has been lifted off of him.  He has worked hard for 50 years and yes, he deserves to be able to relax a bit, pursue some hobbies and spend more time with our kids, grandkids and our extended family, along with our friends.

   In typical Jeff fashion, he has already made a list of things he wants to accomplish here at home before Spring hits.  At the top of that list is clearing out the garage and making that into a nice woodworking workshop.  He plans to build outdoor benches and chairs from wood pallets and sell them.  He would build them and I would paint them.  He has built them for us and for our kids who live near us and everyone who sees them comments on them.  I do think they would sell well.

   Of course I am beyond thrilled that I will have my best friend home with me more often.  To be perfectly honest, I desperately need help with keeping up on the house and garden (when it is gardening season) and I will need help with canning in the upcoming canning season.  I also really miss him when he is gone at work.  Yes, I also enjoy and need some "me time", and I will still get that.  

   We have already started a list of things we want to get accomplished, places we want to explore, and people that we want to go and visit.  I see many more camping trips, picnics, going to visit Josh, Lauren and the 2 youngest grands, spending time watching the 2 oldest grandsons playing baseball in the Spring, G-pa and Steven time during the Summer when Steven is here once a week, more grandson sleepovers,  and going to spend time with my parents and brother at the lake.  We are looking forward to more time spent BBQing and then spending Summer days having lunch and or dinner out on our screened in porch.  We will also be able to go for boat rides up the St. Joe River with Chris, and I think hubby might enjoy doing a ride along with him one day or evening at work. 

   So yes, we are continuing to buckle down financially and will be trying to live on just Jeff's part time work or his Social Security checks alone.  I know we can do it.  We have run the numbers and, with having all but one debt (which we will be paying off within 4 months) gone, it is possible to do this.  Our frugal ways have served and will continue to serve us well into retirement.  Oh I am so happy and so is Jeff!

Sometimes We All Need A Little Help

      Yes, that is my middle grandson Steven above.  He apparently needed his kitty to help him play one of his games on his tablet.  I looked over to see him like this and quickly snapped a picture before he noticed. 😉 I think it perfectly sums up what I have been thinking about lately and that is that we all need a little help in many areas of our lives.

   Jeff and I have been trying to get ourselves set up the best we can to weather the hard economic times that we find ourselves in.  As you know, our family works together to try to find the best deals, share our garden produce and share what is gotten while hunting and fishing.  Jeff and I are now trying to extend that to also shopping locally here in town at our Farmer's Market.

   Above is a dinner I cooked last week.  It is elk backstrap steaks with rice pilaf.  We also had apple slices with it.  The elk backstrap steaks were from our kids Chris and Heather and we are so very grateful for them.  The steaks were absolutely delicious!  I had found the rice pilaf mix on sale and had stocked up on it.  The apples were sale priced items too.  

   Yesterday we went to Jeff's company picnic down on the river in Lewiston, Idaho.  It was a really fun time and the food was amazing.  We had never been to Hell's Gate Park before, so we checked out the camping area and the visitors center.  On our way out of town, Rachel called and said they were going to Costco and did we want then to pick up some razor blade refills for Jeff.  I told her we were in Lewiston also, so we met them there at Costco.  It turns out that they were also at the park at the opposite end of the day use area with their church group. 😀

Anyway, we got the razors and had a good look around the clothing area.  I had Jeff try on some of their Sketcher shoes that were on sale, but they did not fit his foot correctly.  Bummer.  Anyway, thanks to Jaysn and Rachel, we now have over a years' worth of razor blades for Jeff for half the price if we had bought them anywhere else.  

   Backtracking even further, Saturday was our family birthday party for Isaiah.  He requested that I make his favorite homemade macaroni and cheese, which I happily obliged.  The minute we arrived at his house, he came running out, checked under the lid of the crockpot to see the said macaroni and cheese and then picked up the crockpot and carried it inside.  Heather made some homemade pizzas to go with it and the most delicious "Death by Chocolate" dessert because, according to Isaiah "G-pa likes it too"...  Why yes he does and he was thrilled to have it.  Chris and Heather had a surprise early birthday present in store for Jeff also.  Chris was feeling bad that his father had to wash all our dishes by hand since our dishwasher broke.  Some friends of his were remodeling their kitchen and were selling their older but still in good working condition, dishwasher.  He bought it for his daddy. Jeff was so very moved by this generous gift!

    Continuing the theme of moving backwards, we come to the next money saving, while helping out our community and family moments.  Friday we went down to our local in town Farmer's market.  It is very small with just a few vendors.  We bought pickling cucumbers from one vendor and 2 small baskets of the sweetest apricots.  We also bought dinner from the "Tipsy Heifer" (yes, that is the name of their company) who was selling tacos.  I have no idea what they marinate their chicken in, but my oh my was it good!  Jeff and I rarely eat out anymore, but had heard so many good things about the tacos and at 2/$5, we thought it was a pretty good deal.  Plus we were supporting a local business (who's owner is also one of the EMTs that responded when we had to call the ambulance for Jeff about 2 months ago) and some local farmers.  No gas was spent going out of town either so it was a win/win all around.

   

   Other money saving things we have done recently were participate in our town wide yard sale where we made $121.00 and donated all the leftovers items (with the exception of three things) to a Christian thrift store that helps people who are recovering from drug and alcohol addictions.  Isaiah sold huckle berries that he had picked and gave me the extra bag that did not sell.  He is so sweet!  Heather made huckleberry cinnamon rolls and they sold out quickly!  She made $61 on those alone.  

   Jeff made a deal with his boss at work to buy out some of the excess stock of nails, screws, bolts, etc. that they had sitting around from when they bought the business from the previous owner.  All of this was on a large pallet and shrink wrapped.  It is a huge amount of inventory and Jeff was able to get it all for $50.  The boss also asked him if he wanted one of the old wooden and metal spin around and sectioned off holders for storage of those items...my hubby said yes!  I don't know what the price on that will be, if any, but Jeff got a place all cleared out in the garage next to his workbench for it. (turns out it was $100 and it was so worth it)  Our kids and neighbors will not need to go shopping for some of these items now since we will have them on hand and happily share them.  Jeff is also planning on starting a side business once he retires of fixing furniture and then selling it.

   

      Our garden continues to bless us.  Above is the last of the raspberries.  I had them on cereal along with some very juicy and sweet blueberries.  It made for a lovely breakfast.  Steven and I dug out the last of the potatoes and he helped me harvest tomatoes and squash.  I made my favorite squash casserole and cut up some of the sweet Sungold cherry tomatoes to put on quesadillas.  Yum!  They added the burst of freshness that just took those quesadillas up over the top!  The beans are putting on their blossoms in the front garden bed and the tomatoes are growing like weeds.  I have had to trim branches on the plants so they can have their energy go toward making fruit and need to finish staking up the Black Crim tomatoes.

   I stocked up on a 50 pound bag of flour and a 20 pound bag of rice.  Prices continue to go up, so I am hedging my bets a bit and trying to buy at the lower prices.  More canned pineapple was added to my pantry since Jaysn took some home with him the other day.  Yes, I let my kids shop my pantry...that is what is  there for, our family to use.  As prices continue to rise, I take advantage of sales when I see them and I am also forgoing certain items because the prices have gone too high for my liking. I know that many of my friends and family are doing the same.

   I had better end this here.  Between this energetic boy and a very busy weekend, I have very little voice left and am dead tired.  My heart is full though and I am so very grateful for all God has blessed us with, including an answer to prayer concerning my oldest son Josh and a change to where he will now be deploying to.  I need to now go and finish the laundry, make some bread and get a elk roast going in the crockpot for dinner.  The rest of my list can wait until tomorrow.  A much needed nap sounds so much better than completing my list. 😌

   Be blessed my friends who are reading this post.  I pray that you all are safe, keeping cool, or warm (depending on where in this big world of ours that you are reading this from), and that you are stocking your pantries with food, medical needs and whatever else you may need.  Don't forget to stock up on clothing needs too!  Now is the time in my part of the world to do so. 

   

   
 

Gardening Season and New Front Steps Build have been keeping us busy!

 

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 4/14/23

 

   Here we are, on another Friday morning that started out bright and early for me.  I was up by 5:30 a.m. once again.  My brain was going in all directions as I tried to think of more ways to cut costs.  Everything is getting more expensive, and our budget just cannot handle too much more.

   I did not keep a running list by day of all I did to save money these past 2 weeks, so I am going by my "Swiss cheese" like memory so please bear with me...

~Jeff's work is changing their health insurance company and offerings for the employees.  It was way too expensive for us so I contacted the Washington Health Care Exchange and asked if I could get him on the same plan that I am on with the subsidies from our state.  They said they could and I got him added right away.  His plan will start on May 1st.  We will be paying less than half the price for both of us than we would for the lowest priced plan that his company was able to offer for him alone.  Since he will not be having the money for the company plan deducted from his paycheck, we will be ahead financially there.

~I mended a heating pad thingy that was leaking buckwheat.  Jeff uses this particular pad since it has a strap so he can secure it on his back on a daily basis.

~We had breakfast for dinner one night this week.  I used half a package of precooked sausage patties that I had bought on sale previously, some syrup I got free from Safeway and 2 small packages of pancake mix that were 2 for a dollar at Grocery Outlet.  The entire meal cost me $1.50 to make.  I thought I would have some leftover pancakes but Jeff was very hungry so he finished them off.

~Other dinners this week included teriyaki chicken over rice, stew over rice, chicken and herb sausages baked with salt and pepper seasoned potatoes in the oven, and a cheese, crackers and meat tray that I bought at the Grocery Outlet for $2.99.  I wish I had bought a few more of those now. I honestly cannot remember the meals from the week before.

~I stopped by a local thrift store in the next town over and found 3 pairs of jeans with the elastic waistbands, for $2 each.  I cannot have metal touching my tummy or I get a raw spot there.  They are so comfy and are just the right length.

~Jeff used some of the pavers, that we were given from Uncle Bob's home, to make a nice little area in front of my greenhouse door.  I think Uncle Bob would definitely approve.

~I continue to hang a good portion of our laundry out to dry on the clothesline when the weather cooperates.

~I crocheted another washcloth.

~I have been shopping around for different life insurance policies for both Jeff and I.  The ones we have now keep going up in price and are getting rather expensive.  Life insurance is something that we feel we need to help the surviving spouse out, or if both of us pass away together, then it will be divided equally between our children.  We have carried it through most of our marriage.

~Our town librarian, Sarah, asked me to teach a class in May on frugal cooking and meal planning.  I have done something similar in the past for the University of Idaho extension service.  This is something that I am really looking forward to as there are so many people who don't know how to make a basic white sauce that can then be turned into a cheese sauce or a cream of whatever soup.  They have also not been taught how to make homemade soups, chili, stew, French fries, etc.. They don't know how to stock their pantries with ingredients that will allow them to whip up quick and nutritious meals.   They also do not know how to stock those pantries and freezers when they see the items on sale. I want to help people learn these, as I see them, essential skills.  I also want to stress the importance of having a small garden or even a few herb, tomato and lettuce plants in containers on a porch or balcony. I will touch on food preservation too.

~One of the most important things I have learned in my life is that I am never too old to learn new skills.  On that note, I have been learning more about how to make homemade fertilizers for my garden along with when to use those fertilizers to get the best crop yields.

~No update on my echocardiogram results yet.  I will check again later today to see if I got a letter from my doctor, but I think he may still be on vacation.  If that is the case, hopefully he will be back this coming week and I will hear back from him.

~I had a mango mimosa when Jeff took me out to brunch after my echocardiogram.  It was really good and got my wheels a turning in my head.  I have prosecco and some champagne here at home, so I bought some guava nectar at the Dollar Tree.  I already have orange juice concentrate in my freezer and can make some blackberry juice with some of my homegrown blackberries.  I am thinking a mimosa station would be fun at our next family gathering.

~Jeff and I took some of my clothes, purses and wallets to two different consignment stores.  Between both of them, they took on about half of what I brought in.  That is not bad at all!  I am hoping that most of it sells so that we can make some money off of them.  My closet is now much "lighter" and I am more than happy about that.

~I gave one of my suede leather purses to Heather's grandmother Sandra who wanted to make some mittens with leather palms.  It was a purse that I got at a thrift store at some point very cheaply and had planned on selling, but I felt this was a much better use of it.  I always want to help family out whenever possible.

~Jeff and I stopped in to see a dear friend that is at the end stages of her life after a long battle with cancer.  She is in a nursing and rehabilitation home right across from the hospital where I had my echocardiogram.  She was very surprised to see us and asked how I had found her.  I told her I loved her and asked around.  Jeff and I were able to help comfort her and get ahold of her family, as she wanted them to come and see her.  We shared some laughter, hugs, stories and I love yous.  Now that is priceless!

~Loss leaders at the grocery store continue to be bought when needed and for stocking up the pantry and freezer.  I did not have to get much at all these past two weeks, so that is good!

~I've been busy making a list of all the things that we use on a regular basis around or home.  Toothbrushes, razor blades, Q-tips, Zote soap, laundry detergent, clothes pins, light bulbs, an extra thermostat and rope gasket for the pellet stove, wide mouth canning lids, socks and underwear all made the list.  I want to stock up on these things ASAP so we have them on hand and I can get them now while they are still available and reasonably priced.  My goal is to have at least a 2 year supply of these things on hand.

   I know my life may sound boring to some people, but it is mine and is filled with so much love and appreciation for all that Jeff and I been blessed with.  Yes, there are many challenging times and situations that we have been faced with, but we face them head on knowing that we have God, our family and close friends  surrounding us.

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 3/10/23

   

   Here it is at the end of another week.  This one seemed to fly by.  It was our 38th wedding anniversary on Thursday so Jeff I reminisced about all the blessings we have had together and about the close knit family that we have created.  Little did we know when we stood up at the alter so many years ago giggling what was in store for us.  😊

   Now onto the not so nice stuff.  Today a second bank failed...Silicon Valley Bank shut down by regulators in collapse (nypost.com)  Wells Fargo also had what they said was a "computer glitch" that had many people waking up to find that all or most the money in their account was gone.  The failure of the SVB means that all funds are frozen for the time being.  There are both FDIC insured funds (up to $250,000) and ones that are not.  Businesses that have their money in this bank have found that their employees that were due to be paid today out of some of those funds now cannot be paid.  People are panicking. If they do not have cash on hand, a well stocked pantry, an emergency fund (that was not in that bank also), etc., then they are in a heap of trouble.  I don't for one minute believe that the funds will be released on Monday.  Bank runs have already started and many people, who were warned ahead of time, pulled money out of this particular bank and out of others.  Luckily Jeff and I have been preparing for this kind of a situation by paying down our debts as fast as we can, stocking our pantries, keeping cash on hand, and getting supplies that we need for the gardening season.  Bank runs, inflation, lay offs and such will just continue.  Then there are all the natural disasters from the huge amounts of snow and communities being cut off, tornados, and flooding all within the past few weeks and into today.  We need to be as prepared as we possibly can be.  Now onto the frugal doings...

Weekend:

~I cut up the roasts that I bought the day before.  Out of the two roasts, I got the following: 3 packages of stir fry meat, 4 packages stew meat, 1 package of 3 small steaks, and 3 packages of 2 each large sirloin tip steaks.

~I took one of the packages of the stew meat and got a nice stew going in the crockpot. for dinner. I served it Hawaiian Sweet rolls and some homemade applesauce that I pulled out of the freezer.  We had the leftover caramel apple pizza for dessert.

~I cooked up the last of the scrapple and 3 eggs (for Jeff) and we had that for lunch.

~I took a nap on Saturday after lunch.

~Jeff and I finally got my haircut.  I feel like a new woman again. 😉

~Jeff took me out on a date Sunday for our anniversary.  We went to the Mad Greek restaurant.  It is one of our favorite places to go.  I brought home some of my meal and had it for dinner later in the evening. Some people might recognize the name of the restaurant from the news as it is the place that 2 of the girls that were University of Idaho students and were murdered worked and where the "alleged" murderer was known to have gone to.  It was eerie to see the candles outside that were burnt at night as a vigil to all the innocent lives that were taken.

~After leaving the Mad Greek, we went to Goodwill and set a limit of $20 to spend there.  Our Goodwill now gets donations from Target.  I was able to find a nice bathmat for our master bathroom (the old one is falling apart) for $5.99, an 11 pack of underwear for $5.97, a bra (which was the color tag of the week, so half price) for $1.99, and some liquid hand soap (also half priced) for .99.  In addition, we were able to use a 20% off coupon on one item.  We spent just over $15 with tax.  Not bad and all the items were brand new.

~We picked up the rest of our grocery needs from Winco.  It was a very small shopping trip because not much was needed.  We should be fine for the next 2 weeks other than having to pick up more milk and some bananas next week.

~Our entertainment for Sunday evening was watching "Wakanda Forever" while munching on some popcorn here at home.

Monday:

~We had leftovers for dinner.  

~I had a long chat with one of Uncle Bob's sons and he showed me around the house and what they had done to it so far.  I helped him come up with a realistic price to sell the house for since the price that they thought they would start at, knowing that they would have to come down from, would make it so people would not look at the house to begin with.  I have been following the housing market in our area for awhile, so I know what is selling and for what price.

~I've been reading some books that I borrowed from the library.

Tuesday:

~Jeff had the day off so he worked on making a screened window for the greenhouse on the opposite side of the other one.  This window will be high up so that the hot air can escape when the temps are really high. It got so hot in there last Summer that it ended up melting some of the plastic trays that I start plants in. YIKES!

~I pulled a nice big boneless skinless chicken breast out of the freezer to thaw for dinner.  I also got some pulled pork out to use for dinner Wednesday.

~A HUGE red bell pepper was cut up and most of it was frozen. 

~I made fettuccini alfredo for dinner and added the thinly sliced chicken breast, along with some of the diced up red pepper to it.  It was amazing!

~Jeff and I watched "The Ark" together.

Wednesday:

~I had the leftover fettuccini alfredo for lunch.

~Uncle Bob's son Alan came over and gave me a birdbath that belonged to his parents.  I had expressed interest in buying it, but he just gave it to me.  He also gave me a bunch of cement pavers that were much appreciated since we were going to have to buy some to finish a project we have here.

~I watched several shows on Youtube and Paramount during the day.

~Jeff and I watched "Survivor".  I am so thankful to our kids for sharing their subscriptions with us so we can watch it.

~Dinner was pulled pork that I had pulled out of the freezer combined with some BBQ sauce served on the last of the hamburger buns, baby carrots and some canned fruit.

~I baked 2 loaves of sandwich bread.

~It was Bradley's 11th birthday!  How can he be this old already?  I started my blog right before he was born.  He is such a special, kindhearted, smart, handsome and yes, sarcastic young man.  I would not want him any other way!

Thursday:

~It was Jeff and my 38th wedding anniversary and he left little love notes for me around the house to find when I woke up.  He has been doing this for a few years now for special occasions and it is something that I look forward to and get such a kick out of!

~I made some krab salad for dinner.  I really enjoy this salad and it is so costly to buy it premade and only takes me about 10 minutes to make it here at home myself.

~Jeff finished off the last of the pork loin roast when he got home from bowling.

Friday:

~Jeff went into work early, is working through lunch and working half an hour later to make up some hours he is missing since he works a shorter shift this Saturday.

~I spent the morning following the news of the banks closing and the effect that is having on the stock market and other banks in general.  Ten more are at risk of closing also.

~After the news of what is going on with the banks, I quickly took inventory of our medicines, personal care products, etc.  I know we are good on food, but those other items are ones that I know could use some topping off.

~Jeff is picking up 2 pizzas from Safeway for $2.99 each for us to have for dinner tonight.  Easy peesy!

   My dear friends, buckle up...we are in for one heck of a bumpy ride.  Since our family is getting together tomorrow to celebrate Bradley's birthday, I am going to talk to the family about what our plans will be to help one another out and who has what resources.  I really do want to make a master list to help us all out so that we can share and no one goes out to buy something that someone else already has equipment wise. I already have raspberry and blackberry starts promised to Heather and to her mom Tammy.  I'm going to see if I can get some strawberry plants from a friend since some of mine need replacing.  I'll work out a trade of some sort with them also.  

Be blessed all!

  

Income Going Down, Quality of Life Going Up

  

   In my last post I shared how our income might be going down.  Today we found out it will be and we could not be happier! 😁  I know that might sound strange, but stick with me here.  Jeff applied for a different job at a building supply company as the person who works with the contractors and builders.  He has the skill set and experience for this since he worked at and helped set up a new building supply store in the past, was the yard supervisor there and also worked as a carpenter building homes.  He has the connections in the building industry and he is a local guy who knows a lot of people in the area.  The assistant manager of the store he will be working for is someone he worked for in the past and who knows and appreciates Jeff's work ethic.  The new job is in Moscow, Idaho (Jeff's hometown that he grew up in) and is a daytime shift!  Woohoo!  Mostly he will work on weekdays with an occasional Saturday thrown in.  Yes, he will no longer be part of the night dwelling mole people!  LOL!  His new job is also just a few miles from Jaysn and Rachel's new place, so on the Saturdays that he has to work, he can run out there and have lunch with them and Steven.  He will also be getting off in time to go to most of Bradley and Isaiah's baseball games during the week.  Win-win!

   Jeff called and gave 3 weeks notice at his current job and one of the owners there was really happy for him.  She sees how hard he works and can also see the toll that this job has taken on his body.  He could have just given two weeks notice but he knew that might put them in a bind and wanted to give them an extra week to try and find someone to take over his route so he could train them.  He could have just given them 2 weeks and taken the 3rd week as a vacation, but that is the kind of guy he is...a truly good and caring person.  

   It was wonderful to both hear and see the absolute relief and genuine excitement that he has over this new job.  It is a field that he loves and is good at, will give him great social interaction with people that he knows and cares about, and will be a lot less taxing on his body.  His quality of life is definitely going up, as will mine since he will not be in so much pain.  It has been extremely concerning to me to see how much pain he has been in and the frustration he has been experiencing.  I love him so much and want to do everything I can to protect him.  I have totally been behind him 100% on this much needed change and I know that together, Jeff and I can still do well on a reduced income.  We have a good plan in place and have already been implementing it in anticipation of this. 😉

   

   

Blissfully Peaceful...for the Moment and Other Thoughts

    

    I just got up (yes, it is close to 1 p.m. but in my defense I did not go to sleep until 5:30 a.m.), got the coffee going, wiped down all the outdoor furniture after yet another dust storm, and am settling down to drink my cup of liquid gold (Coffee).  I'm seated at my outdoor table on the back screened in porch, cats lounging in the sun spots, and am greeted with a picture of my youngest grandson Tate on my computer screen.  How can you not smile when you see that little cutie?  All my grandsons bring me such great joy but since I can see and hug the others in person, this little guy gets the place of honor as my screen saver. 😘

   At the moment it is blissfully peaceful out here in my little oasis.  No dogs barking, the wind is blowing through the trees and the birds are singing their beautiful songs.  I am savoring every moment because I know that it can quickly be shattered at any moment by a screaming lady and her yapping dogs that is back up here for about 6 months again.  Honestly, it is like nails on a chalkboard.  I have tried so hard to be nice and to model good behavior in how to treat your pets for her, but nothing seems to work.  It honestly makes me sad for her dogs and for her family too.  She has been this way for as long back as I can remember her coming up here.  With that said, I am going to continue to soak in the peacefulness for as long as I can. 😉

   Onto other thoughts...lucky you! LOL!  Jeff and I were supposed to get our Johnson and Johnson covid-19 vaccines yesterday.  We were woken up early in the morning with phone calls from his work, messages from the doctor's office and our kids messaging me on facebook that the government put a "pause" on giving that particular vaccine due to rare blood clotting reactions with it.  YIKES!  I talked to my nurse friend who was helping us to get the vaccine and she recommended the Pfizer since we could not do the Johnson and Johnson.  With the cases rising in our county and being put back into Phase 2 with some pretty restrictive measures in place once again, we were getting worried.  So now we go in this Friday night for that and have the weekend to get through the worst of it praying it does not send me into a huge flare since we are helping Jaysn and Rachel move the following weekend.  Jeff is taking that night off. And then, the icing on the cake, is that we get to do it all over again in a month's time. 😞  Maybe it was a blessing in disguise, at least that is the way I am choosing to view it.  Given that I already have anxiety issues, that waiting after the vaccine for a couple of weeks after the J and J vaccine to see if I would get that rare blood clotting issue is not what I need and would have keep me heavily medicated to avoid major panic attacks.  I already am dealing with high anxiety and a few panic attacks at the moment, but I am able to deal with them, even if they are unpleasant and also bring nightmares with them.

   Given that we did not get our jabs yesterday and it was a nice sunny and warm day, Jeff was able to finish building the raised garden bed boxes for both the front and the side gardens.  I am so proud of him for not only building them, but using free lumber and old roofing metal that we had here on hand to do so.  Love that talented and ingenious man of mine! He was so cute, having me come out and check the heights along the way to make sure that they are just how I want them.  I now have 4 lower leveled ones for taller plants and a taller one for things like lettuce and lower growing plants so I can easily harvest from them with out having to bend too much. 🎕

   One of the other things I had done was cook up a huge casserole dish full of homemade macaroni and cheese, 2 loaves of bread and 3 loaves of banana bread for after our jabs on Tuesday.  Well, we are now working on that and I am coming up with plan b for food to get us through the weekend.  I will make more sandwich bread, am making breakfast sausage sandwiches with precooked sausage patties and English muffins from the freezer (I'll have those ready to go in a container in the refrigerator), I cut up a cantaloupe (but I think Jeff will have that gone before Friday so I may have to pick up another on Friday and cut it up that night before the shot really kicks in) and will most likely make some sort of casserole that is easy on the tummy.  In addition to that, the freezers and pantry are stocked with lots of easy precooked foods that will be easy to grab.  I have lots of other fruit on hand and already have water bottles by the beds (I frequently sleep in the guest bedroom since that bed is better for me in dealing with pain), bathrooms are stocked with toilet paper, and I am keeping up on the laundry so we will not have to deal with all that.  I'm thinking the one thing I have not planned for and need to is digging out 2 more sets of queen sized sheets (I know I have at least one extra set) so we can quickly change the sheets if they become sweat soaked (gross right).  Hopefully though, our reactions will be minor like my parents were.  They got the same vaccine and only had sore arms and a little bit of fatigue.

   So I was in for a shock last night when I was looking through the grocery ads.  Have you noticed a HUGE jump in the price of bacon?  Oh my goodness, it's over $9 a package here and we are not talking those huge deli sized packages, but rather the regular small sized ones!!!  Holy piggies! 😲  Packages of crackers have also doubled in price...thank God for the Dollar Tree and Grocery Outlet or we would not be getting any more of those either for awhile.  This is one of those moments when I am so glad that I try to keep a very well stocked pantry so we can avoid having to buy things at outrageous prices or just go without them.  I fear this is just the beginning of prices going through the roof on food.  So glad we are planning for a bigger garden and really working on having great and productive soil this year.

   I think I am going to end this here.  I hear Jeff stirring and I want to be able to just finish my coffee while visiting with him without any other distractions.  We shall see what the afternoon bring us...be blessed!

   

  

Buckle Up...Things are Getting a Bit Dicey Again

    Buckle Up Baby!  It's About to get Rough Again...

   I'm getting that worried feeling again.  Covid-19 cases are climbing with the new variants in our state and is being made so much worse by the partying college kids at WSU.  Our county is going to have to revert back a phase with further restrictions going into place that we just had come out of.   That is what is going on locally here.  Now add to that all the national debt that our country is adding, inflated housing prices and rising taxes to pay for all the "special programs" and things that for some reason are seeming to be prioritized over what is good for and helps the actual American people as a whole.  Why we are paying for gender studies in other countries just baffles my mind when we have so many people hurting here right now that do need help.  All this frivolous government spending with no regard to the amount of debt we are saddling our children and grandchildren with just ticks me off to no end.  I can also see a huge economic crash on the horizon with hyper inflation, lots of home foreclosures and even more suffering.  If you have studied that stock market crash and what led to the Great Depression, you will see a lot of similarities to what has been going on currently.  Buckle up people, we are in for a world of hurt if we are not prepared for what is to come.

   Bearing all of the above in mind, along with having a goal of Jeff being able to at least semi retire at age 65 before his back gives out (degenerative disk disease that runs in his family), Jeff and I have decided to buckle down even more and try to pay off debt at an more accelerated rate than we have been.  Our goal of having 3 months worth of income in our emergency fund is just about there so once that happens, every spare bit of money over what is needed to pay for basic living expenses and some big projects around here will be going to debt repayment.

   While Jeff is outside right now working on getting the garden cleaned out and trimming trees, I am inside working on a few things myself.  I have rice cooking to go with our dinner of leftovers.  We have  have lettuce, tomatoes, salmon loaf, carrots, and tamale pie that need to be eaten tonight.  I am cooking a large pot of rice to go along with this, making sure that I cook extra to us in future meals.  Two loaves of homemade bread just came out of the oven and the leftover bread from earlier in the week has been made into homemade garlic croutons (which Jeff loves).  I quickly broiled some asparagus while the oven is still hot and use that to have with dinner also and use some cold in a pasta salad also.  Asparagus is one of my favorites and I only buy it when it is on sale in the Spring.  By using the same pan that I did the croutons on, I was able to not only use the heat from the oven, but also save on washing another pan and the pan itself already had olive oil and garlic salt on it.  All I had to do was add a bit more oil, roll the asparagus around on it and then add some freshly cracked pepper and Himalayan salt to it and pop it in the oven.  Easy, quick, frugal and will make for a delicious treat! I will have half of the asparagus with dinner and use the other half in a future pasta salad.

   Jeff has been working on making my raised garden beds with free lumber and some old metal roofing.  He took down a fence in our yard today and will use some of that on the raised beds also.  We are going to go out to Chris and Heather's to see if the dirt that they had cleared for a pad for their future shop will work to help fill the raised beds and all we would have to add is some compost that we are going to be buying in bulk.  Jeff has been really good about using our compost pile to put dead grass and kitchen scraps in along with weeds so they can compost down. Tomorrow I need to put the leftover used coffee grounds around the blueberry bushes.  They love the acid in it and it helps keep them healthy and productive.  Since it is so warm, I am thinking it might be I will get some of the cold weather crop seeds started within the next few days.  The hot tub area is the perfect area to start seeds in because it is protected from the wind and if you put the seed trays on the hot tub cover, the warmth from the hot tub helps the seeds get off to a good start.

   I want to encourage people to learn as many skills as they can and always look for new ways to save a penny here, a dime there and a dollar today and tomorrow.  Be conscious of food waste and freeze things if you cannot use them up right away IF they can be frozen.  Try to eat what is in season and stock up on fruits and veggies at their lowest prices.  Enjoy them in season and freeze some for later.  When you see a good sale on canned goods, pasta, or things that you use on a regular basis and can safely store, buy them so that you do not pay inflated prices later.  Look at the thrift stores for things that you need.  I even find new sheet sets at Goodwill for 1/4 (or less) of the retail prices.  The hand held high pressure shower head Jeff found for $12.99 and installed in our shower retails for about $50 and it has 6 settings.  We love it!  It has excellent reviews and makes showering much easier for me since I can then direct the flow of water water where I need it and not have to bend and twist as much.  I know I sound like a broken record, but YouTube is your friend.  You can learn so many new skills, see how to do repairs, learn a new craft, cooking videos and even find some amazing movies there.  This is how Jeff and I watch the news too.  Honestly, you do not need to be paying for cable TV or monthly streaming services.  The Dollar Tree is a great place to buy laundry detergent, dishwashing soap for your dishwasher, huge packages of napkins, bags of Himalayan salt, cotto salami, medicated body powder and the generic version of Neosporin.  I also buy my jarred pesto sauce there, garden seeds, kitchen gadgets like scrapers, ziplock type bags and parchment paper, foil containers for freezing homemade make ahead meals in, etc..  I even found a small front door mat there that Isaiah and I will be painting together.  Try to think outside the box and substitute things when you can.  Even though the road ahead may be rough and bumpy, we can still find ways to cut costs and enjoy life!