Frugal Friday Wrap Up 5/17-5/23 2019

 


   

Midgy keeping me company while I snuggle under a colorful and cheery quilt that my mom made.

   Here we are at the end of another frugal week.  Not going to lie, it has been a rollercoaster of one for me.  I had lots of energy on Sunday and overdid it which sent me into a horrible flare that I am still in.  😞  It has been a long time since I have had a Fibro flare that has lasted this long, so for that, I really do need to be grateful.  I do think it was the perfect storm so to speak though.  I am grieving several losses in my life lately and the weather is strange with constant changes, which also causes me to flare.  My parents are coming for a visit for the long holiday weekend and are staying in a hotel and as much as I love having them stay here with us, this time it is making things easier because I did not have to get the guest bedrooms ready, do a bunch of baking and menu planning. There is also the added bonus of having a swimming pool at the hotel for the grandkids to go swimming in. 😉 Now onto my frugal doings for the week...

   

Friday:
~Stayed home and worked my points programs.
~Tamales, rice and salad for dinner.  Tamales were ones I had gotten on sale in a family pack and split into 5 meal sized portions.  Rice was free and was seasoned with some spices and some tomato powder that I made from our tomatoes from the garden previously.
~I watched the movie "Goodbye Charlie" on YouTube.  I love classic old movies and this one had Debbie Reynolds and Tony Curtis in it.

Saturday:
~It was May Day in our little town so we went down to the park and visited with everyone.  We did not buy food there but instead came home and had lunch here.
~Jeff and I watched the movie "Crocodile Dundee 2" that he found on our previous trip out of town.
~We also used our hot tub and really enjoyed a long soak in it.

Sunday:
~Busy day out in the garden for us both since the weather was good.  Lots of weeding got done.
~Jeff repurposed the fence and gate he had built for keeping Steven in the yard at their old apartment (which we had to remove when they left) to put around my newly expanded blackberry patch.  I now have a nice gate to get in and out of the patch and do not have to climb over a fence and possibly injure myself again like I did last year. ;)
~A friend made a surprise visit and I sent her home with some mint plants from our garden.
~I had some tortillas that needed to be used up and had not made any bread yet so I made chicken salad sandwich wraps with those.  I added some coleslaw cabbage mix to the wraps for some added nutrients and crunch.  I was surprised that Jeff like it so much.  Good to know for next time!
~I cooked 2 pork loins that I had got on sale in the crockpot, shredded those and added BBQ sauce to it.  It made lots of it!  We had some on buns, along with some carrot sticks for dinner.  I had cut up multiple carrots so we would have some leftover for snacking on or with meals within the next few days.
~Our sheets were washed and hung out on the line to dry.  I love the smell and feel of line dried sheets.
~We needed more pancake mix so I stirred up another batch of it.  It is so handy to have this ready to just add the wet ingredients to.

Monday:
~I found some clematis plants clearanced at Walmart for $2.69 each.  I had been looking for 2 more at a good price and this was even better than I could have hoped for.
~We also found a few more marked down grocery items there.
~We made sandwiches for lunch and then I took a 4 hours nap.  I was exhausted.
~Dinner was a grab what you want kind of deal.
~I cooked up 3 artichokes in the Instant Pot and had one of those for dinner. I will have the other 2 late in the week.
~I found the movie "The Five Little Peppers" on YouTube and watched that.

Tuesday:
~I made a batch of pancakes with some of our homemade mix.
~It was a stay at home day and was much needed.
Tuesday:
~Still flaring so I worked on my points programs and got all the laundry folded.
~Jeff worked out in the garden and got the big tomato plant in while I planted the clematis.  He then worked on getting the composted manure worked into the soil in the front garden bed and then moved onto the side garden where he transplanted all the volunteer sunflowers into one area.
~Jeff finished off the rest of the pancakes that I made on Tuesday.

Wednesday:
~I borrowed 3 dvds and 1 book from the library.  I also donated some magazines to them.
~Walmart had 2 prescriptions ready for me so we headed into town to get those and pick up some more sale priced manure/compost for the side garden.
~We stopped at the thrift store and found a beautiful painting, some cds and 2 kitchen items.  We ended up getting the painting, which was marked at $19.98 for free since I had a customer loyalty card filled up and that gave me $20 to spend in the store for free.  I had a "gut feeling" about the painting and looked up the artist and found that his works start at about $200 for the smaller ones and go up from there.  Mine is pretty large!
~I again worked my points programs while sitting in my recliner.  I am still in a flare and the trip into town just did me in.

Thursday:
~I got my leggings and all the napkins washed and hung them out on the line to dry.
~Jeff stripped the leaves off the kale plants that were bolting for me. I washed and froze them to use in soup.
~I used my Vidalia Onion Chopper to cut up potatoes into French Fries.  It worked really well and saved me time and kept my hands from cramping up.
~I cooked the garlic fries on a sheet pan along with some fish fillets for dinner.
~Upon searching the freezer, I found that one of my plastic containers of chili cracked so I thawed it out and put it in another container to eat later this week.
~I froze some leftovers to use for future meals.
~Because we eat dinner so early, and because that is frequently my first meal of the day, I get hungry later at night.  Luckily I had two more cooked artichokes so I had one of them cold with some mayo.  Yum!

   I hope you all have a safe weekend and please reach out to those who may be hurting who have lost loved ones since this is a weekend of remembrance for those who have served our country and are no longer with us.  It may also trigger those same feelings for anyone who has lost a loved one who has not served in the military.  Be blessed.

A Rather Random Frugal Friday Wrap Up 5/9-5/16 2019

Bradley, Steven and Isaiah


This is going to be a rather random Frugal Friday Wrap Up because:
a. I totally spaced keeping track of things
b. I've been in a major Fibro Flare
c. I lost my "mojo"

Over the weekend, Jaysn and Rachel moved into a bigger town closer to both of their jobs and their church.  We had Steven for a portion of both those days and our older grandboys, Bradley and Isaiah, surprised us with a visit while Heather helped with the move.  I cannot tell you how happy it made Jeff and I to have all of them here and watch the sheer delight they all had being able to be together.  We got out the bicycles and the tricycle that we have here for them and they played on those and chased each other all over the yard.  They also spent a lot of time giving each other big bear hugs.  They really love each other and it just makes my heart sing to see them all together.  I hope they always remain this close.

Steven and G-pa

Steven helped G-pa in the garden on Sunday.  Jeff was pulling up weeds and then breaking up the dirt clods so that I could replant the area the Caesar dug up.  Steven was really good and breaking up the dirt clods and loved getting super dirty. ;)  He was rewarded with a nice snack of strawberries when he finished his big job.  Start them young!

My Mother's Day gift that Jeff made me.

Jeff finished building me a cornhole game that I asked for as my Mother's Day gift.  He even customised it, much to my delight.  It is something that the whole family can play together and will provide years of enjoyment for all of us.  Jeff used wood and paint that we had here on hand.  I love it!

Dinner one night.

Now for the rest of the random frugal doings that I can remember. ;)
~I made meals with things we had on hand that we bought at great deals (marked down, loss leaders, etc. and some we frozen or put in the pantry for latter use).
~A pitcher of green iced tea was made with 3 tea bags from a package of 100 that I got at the Dollar Tree.
~We bought lots of marked down meats, cheeses, bakery goods, etc. and froze most of them.  With the college students gone we find the best deals since the stores here tend to over order products and then drastically reduce them.
~We needed some more plants and aged manure for the gardens.  We found a great deal on the bags of manure at Walmart and then I also picked out the pots of plants that had multiple plants (instead of just one plant) in each one.
~We had some bad weather at the end of the week so Jeff used some of our empty pellet bags to put over the smaller tomato plants that we had already got into the ground to protect them from the wind and hail.
~While in town shopping, we realized that we had not had breakfast or lunch, so we picked up a reduced foot long sub sandwich from Walmart and split that.  Lunch for under $4 for 2 people is not a bad deal in my book.
~I worked my points programs and did quite well on those.
~I watched my "trash TV" online.
~I set out buckets to collect the rain water to use to water plants when the rain stops.
~More YouTube videos were watched on money saving and learning new skills.
~When the weather cooled down and got rainy, we did not use the pellet stove but instead just dressed warmer and cuddle up under blankets.  Of course our "portable furry lap warmers" were right there with us purring away and enjoying cuddling with us too.

So that is about it for this week.  Yes, there is most likely is more but even Jeff can't remember at the moment.  Sometimes I think my "Swiss Cheese Brain" is starting for affect him also.  LOL!  They say the longer you are together, the more alike you become.

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 5/3-5/9 2019

  


   

Chicken Cordon Bleu, rice and salad.

I'm late again on posting.  Rachel and Jaysn moved this past weekend and we have been helping watch Steven for them while they are busy.  We've enjoyed every moment but the Grammie has been exhausted when he leaves. ;)  I hope everyone had a great Mother's Day!

Hubby BBQed burgers and sweet potatoes.

Friday:
~I hung 2 loads of laundry out on the line to dry.
~Rachel's cousin Doug had come for a 2 night visit with them and she invited Jeff and I to come down for dinner.  She made homemade pizzas and contributed some pepperoni for it along with some strawberries to have as a side dish.  Dinner was fantastic but the company was even better!  Jeff and I just love Doug and it was so good to see him.  Grammie also got her Steven fix! ;)
~I watched a few videos on YouTube, pinned some recipes to my Pinterest board that I want to try and worked my points programs.
~Jeff took the dishwasher apart and gave it a deep cleaning.  Hopefully it will work better and last longer this way.
~Since my sleep pattern is so messed up, I usually have a snack at around midnight.  Tonight I opted for cottage cheese with sunflower seeds mixed into it.
Saturday:
~Jeff got home from work around 3:45 a.m. and I was still awake.  We both were hungry so we got up and made pancakes.  I put some homegrown blackberries that I had frozen in mine and we topped it with homemade syrup.  After that we went to bed with full and not rumbly tummies.
~We had our morning coffee out on the back porch and listened to the bees buzzing in the cherry tree and the birds calling to each other.  I love slow mornings like that and waking up to the sounds of nature.  There is just something so calming about it.
~Jeff finished up the leftover pancakes for lunch.
~We went to a friend's college graduation party and had dinner there. The food was fantastic and the company was amazing.  We got to visit with friends we had not seen in years and get caught up on each other's lives.
~We did a bit a "curb shopping" as the college students were graduating this weekend.  We found a shoe organizer, a lamp and a whole package of new flooring.  SCORE!!!
~We stopped by Walmart and picked up some stuff to change the oil in my car, some things for the rototiller and found 2 marked down rotisserie chickens (froze one), bread, ice cream and tangerines.  Yay!!!!
Sunday:
~I was totally wiped out and hurting badly so we stayed home.  I did manage to get Jeff's laundry washed and hung up on the line to dry.
~Jeff worked on building a cornhole game for me for Mother's Day.  This is the gift that I wanted because it is something I can play and that the whole family will enjoy.  Most of the materials to build it were things we already had on hand.
~Lunch was a tuna pasta salad with green onions from our garden.  I served radishes and carrots with it on the side.
~I pulled out a old hand held massager thingy from Bath and Body Works that I got years ago and used it to work on all the muscle knots in my legs.  It really did help and I will use it more often.
Monday:
~Jeff and I went "curb shopping" once again and got lots of wood for projects, a really nice oak futon frame, lots of blankets and towels that I am washing and giving to the Humane Society where we got Doofy (they are always in need of these things for bedding and cleaning there), some clothing and lots of housewares (most of which will be donated).
~I once again hung laundry out on the line to dry.
~Jeff and I picked up a few reduced priced groceries at Walmart (salad, bread, cereal, sandwich, lunchmeat from the deli) and also found a marked down hanging basket plant that I just had to have.  Later in the day, when I hung it up, I read the name of it and it said "Hawaiian Kona Flamingo".  I was raised in Hawaii and in Kona!  It was meant to be!
~I picked up some things from the library.
~Leftovers were for dinner.
~I took two bags full of smaller grocery bags down to our little convenience store here in town and she gave me 2 cans of soda for them.  She reuses the bags in her store.

Homemade croutons

Tuesday:
~I had a wonderful visit with my hanai sister Shannon over our back fence.
~Steven came up and spent the afternoon with us so his parents could get some packing done.  He helped me pot up some flowers.  He also helped take some tulips from our garden that we picked over to Aunt Norma.  Uncle Bob gave him a cookie and he loved it!  He kept saying "yum!" and "oooooohhhhh".  He is a funny little guy.  I gave him a bath and fed him dinner before Rachel came to pick him up to make life easier on them.  I'm going to miss having him so close.
~I tried to recreate one of our favorite dinners from a local restaurant.  I made Teriyaki glazed salmon with my own homemade sauce and served that with rice and a salad.  Jeff and I like different salads so he had his one way and I made a Asian inspired sweet salad dressing (again, homemade) and served that over my salad and added some fresh mango chunks to it.  Delicious dinner and even better to eat it outside on our back porch looking out at all our fruit trees in bloom.
~With the hotter weather upon us, I brewed up some iced green tea.
~I opened up the windows at night to cool the house off so I could sleep better.  It got up close to 80F today.
~More shows were watched online.
Wednesday:
~I used the leftover salmon I made last night and made a delicious salmon salad with it.
~Laundry done and hung out on the line to dry.
~I potted up some basil and it is loving having more space to spread out in the bigger pot.
~Jeff loves homemade croutons so I took an entire loaf of French Bread and made it into garlic croutons for him.  He was so happy when he got up today. :)
~I love our library.  I was able to borrow another cookbook from it today.
~I went through and sorted more of our "curbside shopping" finds.
~Jeff BBQed burgers for us for dinner along with some sweet potatoes.  He made enough for another meal also.
Thursday:
~Stayed home and played with my youngest grandson.

Teriyaki glazed salmon in a fresh salad.

   Praying that everyone has a blessed week!

Spring 2019 Garden

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 4/10-5/2 2019

Strawberries and Cottage Cheese as a late night snack.

 
   It has been a busy week for me and I am definitely feeling it.  I'm trying my best to rest as much as I can today and just doing a few things around the house as this weekend and coming week are set to be busy ones also.  I'm trying my best to get back on the Frugal Train once more and to try to put money back into savings after we took some out for our weekend away.  Onto the savings that I can remember (I again forgot to write it down during the week, I really should know better by now).

Pork chop and rice casserole, salad and iced tea for dinner one night this past week.

~Jeff and I went away for the weekend and I got a great deal on the hotel room.  Breakfast was included and they had free coffee, tea, lemon ice water, hot cocoa and cider 24/7.  They also had fresh cookies at night.  We enjoyed using the hot tub there and met some really nice people.
~We used a gift card for Texas Road House and had that for a late lunch on Saturday.  We were so full that we did not eat dinner that night.

Some of the CDs we bought at half price at the thrift store.

~Jeff and I picked up snacks and dinner that we could microwave at Grocery Outlet along with some other items.
~We had dinner our room on Sunday night with items from Grocery Outlet.
~We tried out a Mexican Restaurant that had good reviews and was cheap for lunch on Sunday...I was not impressed at all.  At least it was cheap!

Shirt found at the thrift store.

~Jeff and I did a lot of thrift store shopping and hit the jackpot with half off everything in one store, 50% and 75% off tags in another, and half off movies, books and cds.  We stocked up on some cds, a few books, clothes for Steven (he is outgrowing everything right now), clothes for Jeff and I, and a few other items.
~We used some other gift cards this week.
~Laundry has been hung out on the line.
~I bought some plants while out of town because they are so much cheaper there.  They are living on the hot tub cover until I get them all in the ground after the threat of frost passes.
~We stocked up on sale priced meats and things and then repackaged them in smaller meal sizes to use for future meals.

Books from the thrift.

~Dollar Tree once again saved the day as I had to buy lots of cards for graduations, birthdays, Mother's Day, and anniversaries.  I also bought more crackers while we were there since we go through them so quickly.
~I signed up for a free game of bowling through gobowling.com
Our family loves to go bowling so this will come in handy.
~Jeff got the back porch all cleaned and got the patio furniture out so we can enjoy it even more now.
~I made a big batch of Zuppa Toscana in the InstantPot and used kale from our garden in it.  YUM!

Homemade Zuppa Toscana.

~More TV shows were watched online.
~I bought new checks online and got in on a buy 1 get one for .99 deal.
~We've been enjoying the warmer weather and working out in the yard.  Great exercise and it sure is a mood lifter.
~I've been making bouquets from flowers in our garden.
~We created a little secret garden fort for our grandboys in behind the hot tub and under a tree and bush.  They are going to love it and so will Caesar because it is nice and cool back there.

Another thrifted blouse.

    

   That is about all I can remember at the moment.  I know there is more but this foggy brain of mine is really having trouble focusing right now.  Be blessed and have a wonderful weekend!

Silly Patches relaxing. :)

Winds Are Whipping!

   The winds are whipping outside today and of course I decided that it would be a good day to hang some laundry out on the line to dry.  I washed the leggings that I had been using over the past two weeks (I did also wear other things too so please don't think this is all I wore), along with my bras and got them hung out.  Sorry if bras on the line may offend some people, but hey, this is real life folks and I did put them behind the leggings and did them while people are at work or school.  See, I am a considerate neighbor like that. 😀

   I had planned on planting some of the plants I picked up over the past weekend, but decided that I would wait a few more days so they would not be stressed by the wind.  I try to baby my plants when I first get them to give them the best chance possible.  I did notice that some of the primroses are perking back up that I got for .50 each on the discount table.  They just needed a good watering and some tender loving care.  They are loving being in the hot tub enclosure, along with the other plants, staying warm and being protected.

   We are entering a really busy season full of graduations, weddings, birthdays, anniversaries, and other holidays.  I tried to get ahead of things by buying all the cards I needed for these events in May at the Dollar Tree yesterday.  At least I have that off my list.  Now I just have to see what gifts I have already bought for these occasions.  I almost forgot, Jaysn and Rachel are also moving this month, but at least I don't need to get a card for that. 😉

   Sometimes I feel overwhelmed with all that is going on and like I am being blown this way and that by the buffeting winds in my life.  There is so much going on and I am still grieving the loss of my rambunctious Doofy boy cat.  It's crazy, I can now have plants and bouquets of flowers in my house (he would destroy them), which is nice, but I would trade all that to have him back being his obnoxious self.  My Facebook memory feed brought up pictures of him from 3 years ago today and it made me realize what a short time I actually had him in my life but what a huge impact he had on me.  I miss his daily craziness and playing tag with him.  I also miss his snuggles at night in the crook of my knees in bed or curled up on my lap during the days and evenings.  Midgey and Patches are doing their best to try and make up for his absence, but he was such a big personality and his passing has left a huge hole in my world.

   There are other things going on in our lives at the moment that I won't go into that are also kind of weighing on me even though I realize that there is nothing we can do about them but just be ourselves and let our actions and character speak for themselves.  If other people want to play games, they are going to have to play without us because we are done with that nonsense.  Enough said.

   Right now I need to just center myself, prioritize things and try to not get stressed out.  I can already feel things taking a huge toll on me and I need to do what I can to combat that.  I'm thinking a walk later today with Jeff and Caesar is in order.  I think we could all benefit from that.

   Be blessed all!

   

   

   

   

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 4/19-4/25 2019

  I did better this week at tracking things so that is progress.  My camera is packed at the moment and I forgot to download the photos before doing so.  My bad.  Hope you enjoy this weekend all!


Saturday:
~Jeff and I headed into town to pick up my new glasses.  It is wonderful to not have scratched lenses anymore.
~We found t-shirts marked down at Old Navy as Easter gifts for the grandboys.
~Jeff found a nice deadbolt and door nob set in silver at Ross.  We have been wanting to change out our front door hardware and get a single keyed set.
~We watched a movie on Netflix
Sunday:
~We had a family potluck and Easter Egg hunt our at Chris and Heather's place.  So much good food and fun!
~Jeremy brought me some of my favorite goat cheese from Trader Joes.
~One of our lamps sold at Jeremy's shop so he gave me the profits for it.
~I was able to help Jeremy go through some purses he bought at auction and decided what to sell online and what to sell in the shop.
~Jeremy also gave me a beautiful house plant.
~Leftovers for dinner.
~Worked my points programs.
Monday:
~Jeff planted our Doofy's memorial rosebush.
~I did two loads of laundry and hung Jeff's load out on the laundry line to dry.
~We borrowed 2 movies and a book from the library.
~Rachel and Jaysn sent me home with some leftover hot dogs and sausages from Sunday's BBQ for Jeff to have for dinner.
~I got all the rosebushes pruned.
~Leftovers for lunch.
~Watched a show online.
~Worked my points programs.
Tuesday:
~Stayed home and rested so no money spent.
Wednesday:
~Found marked down meats at Safeway and Walmart.
~Picked up free syrup and drastically reduced priced yogurt at Safeway.
~Watched the movie "Aquaman" that we borrowed from the library.
~Watched more TV shows online.
Thursday:
~I washed Jeff's laundry in half the amount of detergent that I usually put in and they came out just as clean.
~Steven came up to play in the afternoon so that gave me my exercise for the day chasing him around the back yard.
~Put used coffee grounds around the blueberries and ashes from the woodstove around the roses.  They love these things and it really does help them grow.
~Spent some time reading a book from the library.
~Started going through my Spring/Summer clothing and seeing what fits and that I still like.