Frugal Friday Wrap Up 5/13/16

   

   

This was an amazingly frugal week for us!  My husband and I got so many things free by curbside shopping as the WSU students finished off yet another school year and headed home.  We are always amazed at what they toss out that really could and should be donated to thrift stores.  There were so many perfectly good couches, chairs and loveseats that were set out near or even tossed in the trash bins.  A simple phone call to any number of the thrift stores in the area would have had them coming to pick them up for free.  University of Idaho finishes out the school year today so this same process will be repeated there to a lesser extent.  I attribute this to the higher tuition costs at WSU and the students there (or their parents) have more disposable income.  The cars that the students drive for the most part also show this to be true.  I don't think some of these students have any clue about how hard many people work just to afford the things that they have so little disregard for.  Some of them are in for a rude awakening when they have to finally pay for their own way in life. ;)  Stepping down off my soapbox and onto sharing our savings.

Free towels

~A dear friend who is like a sister to me gave Jeff and I a precious gift.  She gave me some money and told me it was for a dinner date or, if I wanted, I could spend it on plants. ;)  I had just been working out in the garden before that and we always share our abundance with her and her family. :)
~I used the crockpot to make dinner in on one of the days when I knew I was going to be really busy working out in the yard.

Free bathroom rug that looked like it had never been used.

~I had a t-shirt that fit too tight around the neck.  I cut the neckband off and also cut off the sleeves.  I then gathered up the material near the shoulders and by the neckline and tied off each of those with some material I cut from the sleeves.  This made for a very comfortable garden work shirt that covers up my tummy well and my waist when I bend over to weed or plant things.
~I cut up a very ripe cantaloupe into cubes because I find that we will eat if before it goes bad if I do this.
~More shows were watched online. :)

Free bath mat that again looked like it had never been used...it still had the tag on it.

~The apple juice that I buy from the stores is way too strong for my liking so I water it down a bit and then it is perfect for me.  This stretches the apple juice and I take in less calories this way.
~Jeff and I went curbside shopping on Saturday and found so many things that the students were just throwing out.  We got a nice dresser for Jaysn and Rachel, a small bakers rack, pots and pans, a huge very nice quality sombrero that was made in Mexico (we have a fun plan for this), lots of wood, very nice quality pots and pans, organizers, Crocs shoes that fit me, a brand new in package ipad portfolio cover, a new with tags scarf and hat set, clothing that I will wash and donate, rugs, household goods, a fake ficus plant that I will put out on the back porch. some perfumes, folding chairs and a 3D bluray player that we also gave to Jaysn and Rachel.  The strangest things we found were Walmart Shopping baskets...we will be returning these to Walmart.  Anything that we can't or won't use and our kids don't want will be donated to the thrift store.

Three free folding chairs.

~Heather made us a very nice dinner on Saturday as an early Mother's Day gift and Jaysn and Rachel took us out for a late lunch on Sunday.
~The mail held free magazines and coupons this week.
~I found some marked down canned biscuits for .25 a can.  I use these to make donut holes and malasadas.  It is cheaper for me to use these than make them from scratch or buy them in the bakery department.

Free small baker's rack rolling shelves and prelit Christmas tree (I have another support leg that will fit the tree).

~Jeff and I split a deli wrap instead of going out to eat while we were out curbside shopping.  Cheaper and much healthier.
~Heather, Chris and the boys gave me a beautiful plant and a carton of Whoppers for Mother's Day.  The grandkids promptly asked me to share my Whoppers with them.  LOL!
~We watched some dvds we borrowed from the library.

Free small cabinet.

~Jeff and I again went curbside shopping on Sunday since we were in town again to meet Jaysn and Rachel for lunch.  We scored big on cleaning supplies, 3 complete bedding sets in great condition, recycling bins, tons of clothing...some brand new, shoes (we are all but 2 pairs to the thrift store and any clothing that we or friends don't want), cutting boards, a cabinet, new moving boxes and the sheets of paper that go with them (will give these to a friend who has a daughter going off to college in the Fall), lots of pens, tape, erasers and binders, more totes, blow dryer, hair straightener (donating this), a prelit Christmas tree, so many really nice towels that we lost count, purses, a backpack, and even money!  I washed all the bedding, clothing and towels and ran them through a hot dryer.

Some of the free kitchen stuff we found.

~I love shopping at the Dollar Tree store.  This week I bought large jars of pepperoncinis, 4 bags of cheese tortellini, some strawberry and applesauce cups, and spinach dip mix,
~A stop at the thrift store got us a full sized spare tire for Jeff's car ($5), a new with tags shirt for me ($2.97), a picture frame, a Scrabble dictionary, a fan and some food storage containers for Heather.
~We are continuing to cool down the house at night by leaving the windows open until I go to bed at night.  We don't want to have to start using our swamp cooler until absolutely necessary.

More free kitchen stuff.  This rice cooker is one of the more expensive brands.

~We watched 3 movies that we had borrowed from the library over the weekend.
~We passed on some dvds that we had already watched to Rachel and Jaysn.
~I got an email from my mother asking if we would like the queen sized bed (to replace our's that has seen better days) that was in the "Eagle's Nest" guest bedroom suite that we used to stay in, we now stay in the "Lakeview" bedroom.  That bed is so comfy and they are needing to get rid of it.  My Dad and my brother will be bringing it over to us. :)  I am so thankful for their generosity and we will get another visit with my Dad and also with my brother who I have not seen since last year. :)

Some of the free bedding sets we found.  All were washed in hot water and then hung out on the line to dry.

~Heather and I, along with the grandboys, headed down to the valley to do some shopping.  The Safeway there is closing so we got some really good deals on things since they are marking everything way down.  I will not have to buy chicken bouillon for a very long time. ;)
~Heather was so sweet.  Since I drove my car down to the valley, she bought me lunch and a pair of earrings.  She also let me shop on her Costco membership.  I got some great deals on sesame seeds, pink Himalayan salt, apples, granola bars, cheese, salad, feta cheese, and yeast.

The Italian sausages I found on clearance all packaged up into meal sized portions and them frozen.

~Since our weather was nice this week, I hung almost all the laundry out to dry.
~I cut some flowers from the garden to make a bouquet for in the house.
~Signed up for some free samples of feminine protection products.

~Jeff got the rain barrel and the soaker hoses set up in the backyard gardens.  Jeff also fixed a leaking splitter with a washer from another hose that was broken and needed to be tossed.
~More homemade sourdough bread and croutons were made.
~I once again started putting the hot coffee into a thermal carafe after I got my fresh brewed cup in the morning.  It does keep it pretty hot for hours and I like that!
~This may not seem much like a frugal tip but for me it is.  I folded all the full sized sheet sets and put them in their respective pillow cases.  This makes it easy for me to know which sheet sets are full sized (for one of our guest beds) and which are twin sized (for the other 2 guest beds).  The sheet sets are some that I got free this week.
~After washing all the free linens I got this week, I separated them out.  There is one bedding set that I will not be using on our guest beds because it is very little girlish.  I am putting this set away for now and will either use it later when we have a granddaughter or I will reuse the more neutral duvet cover backing material to make new things with. :)

~Among the free finds this week were lots of pens and pencils.  I got all the white board markers sorted out from the rest and have them in a pretty glass that I use to hold those kinds of markers.  It has been fun having new colors to use on my white board (otherwise known as my "brain" since it keeps me organized).

~I sent off a fun birthday card to my father that I found at the Dollar Tree.  He is turning 78 in a few days. :)
~Thursday's mail brought me a box full of samples from "Pinch Me".
~I took advantage of another free photo offer from Walgreens and ordered a picture of my son Chris with our grandboys.

Free bedding set all folded up and waiting to be put on the bed in the front guest bedroom.  This set included the bedskirt, sheets, quilt, pillow cases and shams.

~One of my former students was working in the Shopko Garden Center and I was so happy to see him.  We shared a hug and he helped us get the best deals possible and turned us on to a coupon that saved us $10 on top of all the sales prices.  I paid a little under $20 and got 12 tomato plants, a Million Bells plant, 8 Lobelia plants, and 12 Petunia plants.

~Jeff was in need of new underwear and found some on clearance.
~I cut up and froze 2 bags of mini peppers and shredded and froze 3 bags of mozzarella cheese.

~Reusing hanging baskets from years past to pot up and create my own hanging baskets for 1/6th of the cost with some of the plants we got on Thursday.
~Using the water from the dog and cat's water dishes to water some plants each day before I refill the water dishes with clean water.
~I found some great marked down for quick sale items at the grocery store including 12 packs of Italian sausages.  I got 2 packages, brought them home and divided them up into meal sized portions and then froze them.

   I hope you have all had a frugal week and will have a great weekend also.  This is our first weekend in a long time where we do not have any outside commitments.  Our plan is to putter around here and work on some projects and in the garden, watch some movies here at home and use our hot tub.  Be blessed!

Beautiful Blossoms

Rufus is demonstrating perfectly how I feel today.  I'm out of juice...zip, nada, none.  So, instead of a blog post filled with ways I saved money today or cute grandboys, I will instead share some of the lovely blossoms from my garden.  Have a wonderful day!

Another Busy Day at Home

 

   Yesterday I spent the day with my DIL Heather and my grandsons.  They had to go down to the valley to exchange some pants at Costco that did not fit my son and asked me if I would like to go with them.  We did our shopping there, at a Safeway that is closing and at Shopko.  There was one other stop we wanted to make but decided to skip it because the natives, aka the little guys, were getting restless. ;)  It was a full day, especially since the 2 year old decided to do the whole "terrible twos" thing and had to be firmly reminded several times that Mommy and Grammie were not going to put up with his shenanigans.  It's a good thing he is cute. ;)  Luckily, the 4 year old decided that he would be on his best behavior. :)  All that being said, I had a lot to catch up on here at home today.

   A few of the things that I did  the night before in order to get my day off to a easier start was to have a load of laundry ready to hang out on the line in the morning.  I started a load of bedding before I went to sleep.  I knew that I wanted to hang that load up on the laundry line to dry during the day.  I also made a list of  things I wanted to get done and put that on my whiteboard.  This way I would not toss and turn at night wondering if I would remember what it was that I needed to do today.  The last thing I did was plan out something easy for dinner knowing that I would be tired after a long day of projects and also knowing that my energy levels would be pretty low at the end of the day.

   This morning I realized that my energy level was really low so after I got my coffee brewing I got the load of laundry hung out on the line that I washed last night and threw a second load in the washer and got that going.  I watered the houseplants and the plants on the porch and then looked over my list and prioritized it.  Some things are not as crucial to get done today and could be moved to tomorrow's list if needed.  I then had my coffee, checked my email and the weather forecast and worked a bit on one of my points programs.

   The second load of laundry finished washing and got hung out to dry and a third load was started.  I also got some sourdough bread going in the breadmaker.  The bread was a "must do" because my hubby needed it for his work lunches later tonight.   Two more loads of laundry were washed and hung out to dry throughout the day.

   I took a shower and headed down town to get the mail and pick up some things at the library.  Upon my return home, I took care of the hot tub and then took some pictures of the flowers that are blooming in our yard.  Next came the gardening.  More things were planted and seeded in and then that garden was given a good watering.  Confession time...I did take many breaks while I was gardening because my back again was killing me.

   At around 2 p.m. I realized that I needed to eat something.  My husband also woke up about this time.  He and I both had salads for lunch and watched some TV online.   He decided to do some work in the yard and I headed out to get the laundry off the line that was dry and get that folded.  At about this point I knew I was pretty much done for the day.

   I have to say I am pretty proud of myself for getting so much done despite having such low energy.  I do find that having a list on my whiteboard that I can cross things off of as I go is very motivating to me.  Without it, I can't remember things and become frustrated and/or I feel like I have not gotten anything done at all.  This was I have proof for myself that I actually did accomplish things during the day and that sure helps me feel like I am indeed contributing to our household. :)

   Be blessed all!

Frugal Friday Wrap up 5/6/16

 

   
   Happy Friday Everyone!  It has been a very productive and frugal week around here.  Lots of gardening tasks were accomplished and many many things on our ongoing list of things that we wanted or needed were found at thrift stores or yard sales.  My parents came to visit and they generously blessed us in so many material ways but the best "thing" was just being able to spend time with both of them.  That gift is priceless!

~We had my parents here this weekend and had the family over for dinners and BBQs 2 of those nights.  Our kids and my cousin pitched in since we did it potluck style.
~My parents treated us and my in-laws to lunch on Sunday.
~Sunday night we had leftovers for dinner because we had so much food from the potlucks.
~I froze 2 pans of baked ziti and Italian sausage, 3 quarts of chicken noodle soup and 5 ears of corn that we all leftover from our weekend meals.

~After my parents left Monday morning I washed all the bedding and towels and hung them out on the line to dry.
~My parents brought us over the comfy recliner, some homemade raspberry syrup. and several bottles of wine.
~My sweet and amazing mom gave me 2 of her beautiful rings.  One has tourmaline gemstones and the other is her gorgeous opal ring that has an emerald accent off to one side of the large opal.
~Mom also gave Heather, Rachel and I a bunch of fashion earrings.

~My cousin Jeremy had been to an auction and had bought a box full of DVDs.  He pulled what he wanted and brought the rest out here for all of us to pick from on Saturday.  he also got a box full of art supplies for my grandboys.
~Saturday we went to some yard sales and I got 2 seasons of the I love Lucy show on dvd for $1 each, a fishing net for Isaiah (his had broke), some wonderful quilting books for my mom, a gorgeous old story book for me, some books about the planets for the grandboys, a cookbook, some jewelry, a brand new shirt for my hubby and some other movies.

~Sunday I stopped at the Goodwill to try to find some capris.  I did not find any of those but they announced a 15 minute half price special on all their movies.  I got a bag full, including some more seasons of Friends and also Madmen, along with some individual movies.  Jeff found a brand new pair of Cabelas boots in his size for $24.99 (they retail for $139) and another golf club ($4.99) to complete a set we have here for our son Josh who is left handed.
~We watched more shows online.
~The hubby was able to fix and electrical issue his car was having himself.  Cost $5 for him to do it.

~I had a dentist appointment on Monday to get my teeth cleaned. I asked what I owned for my appointment 2 weeks ago and they told me that they did not charge me for it, just for the x-rays and they added that onto today's bill.  They also gave me a discount for paying today. :)  They also sent me home with a new toothbrush and floss.
~There were still a few items on my "to find" list that I did not find at the yard sales this weekend.  I stopped by my favorite thrift store and I found most of the things that I was looking for.  I found some denim jeggings, a beautiful pair of black capris, a wool skirt that I will give my mom to use for her crafting, some shorts, canning jar labels, a nice Tupperware pitcher, 2 storage bins, some Bath and Body Works body wash, a skirt, a cookbook and the first season of Gilmore Girls.  All of those items had been on my list and to find all of them and the clothing in my size that fits perfectly is just such a blessing.  They also started a customer loyalty punch card for me.  I am a regular in the store so she gave me an extra punch on the card since it came out before the last time I was there and they forgot to give me one. :)  They are so good to me there.

~I stopped by the grocery store and picked up 2 copies of the free paper that also had coupons in it.
~More movies were borrowed from the library.
~We received a certificate in the mail for 100 loyalty points on our debit card account.
~I continued to work on my online points programs.

~This week the garden was planted with cucumber, acorn squash, zuchinni and yellow squash seedling that I started here and the pole bean seeds were also planted.
~My long suffering hubby transplanted some roses for me that decided to grow right in the middle of our veggie garden.  We thought we had ripped them out when we had to redo that area due to a pipe leaking but they are back.  I think one of them was a miniature rose but I can't be sure.  It will be interesting to see what they are when they bloom because I had quite a variety in the area previously.
~We had a thunderstorm come through on Wednesday night that not only provided great entertainment for me while I watched the lightening show but also deeply watered our gardens. :)

~I am rereading one of my favorite gardening books "The New Victory Garden" and finding hints and tips in it for helping my struggling blueberry bushes along.
~Our home holds heat and cold pretty well.  I have been opening up the windows and just using the screen doors in the morning and evenings so that I can get cool air into the house since I do not sleep well when it is above 65F in here.  I know that all too soon my hubby will have to get our swamp cooler going so that I do not melt.
~I tried out a new hairspray that I got at the Dollar Tree.  I had not had much luck in the past getting off brand hair sprays there that actually worked but this one does a pretty decent job if it is not a windy day.  I'll save the "good" hairspray for days that I have to go out somewhere and it is windy.

~The students at Washington State University are taking their finals this week.  They are also packing up and have way more stuff now than they had when they first came to college.  They can't take it all home with them so they have been donating to the thrift stores.  Thursday I found the rest of the seasons of Gilmore Girls for $2.99 each. Yay!  I am stocked up for the long Summer nights when I just have to lay in bed with the swamp cooler on to stay cool. ;)  I also found a pair of dark black jeans (which I needed to replace another pair that don't fit me anymore) for $3.97,more brand new underwear (.29 each), another storage crate ($1.79) and the sugar bowl (.79) that matches a fine china platter that I bought awhile ago.
~My best frugal buy of the week is a Nuwave induction cooktop.  I got a brand new one in package for $5.99...I looked it up and it retails at $150.00!!!  I will be using this during canning season out on the back porch so that I don't have to heat up the house.  It will also be great for camping.

~Our bench that lives on the front walkway into our home is in need of a new paint job.  I found a quart of Krylon Blue paint on clearance at Walmart for $5.99.  This is my Spring project this year.  Last year I repainted the glider rocker that makes it's home on our back screened in porch.
~Found more free coupon inserts in the recycling bin at our Post Office
~The mail brought a free Martha Stewart Living magazine.
~I found some soil acidifying treatment for my blueberry plants that are turning yellow on sale.  They will get a nice treatment today. :)  Hopefully this will give them the boost they need.  I will also use some on the hydrangea plant that has gone from producing blue flowers to producing a pinkish white flower.

~With our hot weather, my volunteer spinach is starting to bolt.  I will  harvesting that today and seeding in some other plants in that area.
~My hubby and I had an early dinner at one of our favorite family owned Chinese restaurants.  They let you order off the lunch menu at any time of day and they will do substitutions for you on some things at no additional cost.  The tea is also free.  I ordered off the lunch menu, had some tea and my hubby ordered his favorite thing there. :)  I also brought home their take home menu to help inspire me to cook more of the dishes at home.  Does anyone else do that?

~Rufus has again been creating havoc with the screen on our screened in porch.  My hubby had to repair it yet again.  Rufus was in major trouble for that one and knew it.  He spent the rest of the evening in the house and was not allowed out on the back porch.
~I pulled some  free venison steaks out of the freezer for dinner this Friday night.  I'll serve that with baked potatoes and a nice green salad.  I'll also bake some extra potatoes to make a nice baked potato salad for the weekend.
~More sourdough bread was made.  With the weather heating up, I start this early in the morning in the breadmaker.

   The students at Washington State University are finishing their finals today and will be moving out of their apartments this weekend.  Next week the whole process will be again repeated at University of Idaho.  This is the perfect time to go curb side treasure hunting!  Last year we found furniture, clothing, plants and many other things and are hoping to do the same again this year.  

I hope you all have a great weekend!

Supplements That Help With My Chronic Fatigue Syndrome

Disclaimer:  I am not a doctor or in the medical field.  I am just sharing what supplements have helped me with my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  Everyone has a different body chemistry so what works for me does not mean it will work for someone else.  Always consult your doctor about any supplements that you are taking or plan to take.  Some supplements do not "play well" with certain medications so it is really important to let your doctor know any and everything that you are taking.

   The picture above is the line up of supplements I take each day to help with my Chronic Fatigue Syndrome.  These, in combination, are what I have found works best for me at the moment.  There may be other things that would work better, but I have not found them yet. ;)  I have tried other supplements as well, but they did not work for me.  So here is the daily lineup:

Vitamin C~ 1000 mg
Potassium Citrate
Magnesium~500 mg
Vitamin D3~20,000 mg (my doctor checks my levels and this is what I personally need to take even though it is a high dose for most people so please get your levels checked before you take 
more than the recommended daily dosage)
Triple Strength Glucosamine Sulfate~1,500 mg (this really helps with the joint pain)
Flax Seed Oil~1,200 mg
MultiVitamin


In addition to this I also take a medication for my sluggish thyroid and a supplement to help with those lovely issues that come with menopause.   ;)

   I can definitely tell when I have not taken my supplements.  I am more achey and tired.  I used to also have terrible yeast infections that anti fungal medications just made worse.  Since having a total hysterectomy, they have not been as major of an issue as they once were.  I also eat lots of yogurt or take probiotics when my system is out of whack and that seems to help also.  If I have to take antibiotics I megadose on probiotics to try to avoid a yeast infection.

   I tried so many different things before I hit on this combination but to be clear once again, everyone's body chemistry is different and what works for me may not work for someone else.  Please do read my disclaimer.  I am just sharing what works for me and not trying to give anyone medical advice.

No, the Dog Did Not Explode

I brushed Caesar today and this is what happened!  You would think he would be bald after this...but no!  He is still shedding like mad with the hotter weather hitting so fast.  At least he is a bit cooler and not panting as much now.  I'm thinking I am going to have to do this at least once a week from now on just to help the poor big guy stay semi cool.