The humidity continues here, which is unusual this time of year for us. So, I have been able to continue to collect several gallons of water a day from the a/c drip and use it to water plants, along with shower-warm up water. I have been adding a tablespoon of epsom salt to my shower warm-up water (I keep a 3-gallon bucket in my shower). This is an inexpensive way to fertilize the plants I am watering with it.
I spent two days photographing the menu items at the restaurant where I work for their new menu. The other days were spent editing photos, which meant I didn’t have to drive. Work is a ways from home, and I evaluated the two different routes there. One route only takes 3 minutes more than the other, and it’s less accident-prone, but my map app showed me that that route is 34 miles, versus the 27 miles going the other route. I had been planning to take the longer route, as there is less traffic and it’s a nicer drive (and I didn’t realize it was that big of a difference in miles when it was only 2 to 3 minutes more!), but now I know I will need to primarily take the shorter route, due to gas–at least on the drive there. I may still take the longer route back sometimes, as the slower traffic and number of accidents on the way home will make for more time idling on the freeway (it’s 35 minutes with little traffic on the way there, as I go after rush hour, but 60 minutes home that same way, as rush hour starts at 3 p.m. here and goes through 7 p.m.) , and a greater chance of accidents, but I will take the shorter route on the way TO work for certain–something I had not been initially planning on at all.
Monday was cloudy, which gave me a longer time to photograph before the sun would be across the area I was shooting, so I shot for longer than I initially planned, making it possible for me to shoot the menu in two days instead of three like I had first planned, saving me time and gas.
I mended several irrigation leaks that had developed in the garden.
The mornings are starting to cool down. I was able to open the windows and cool down the house in the mornings and turn off the ac for several hours.
I washed the vacuum filter. I’m so grateful for washable filters; I remember buying paper filters years ago and am grateful that that is no longer an expense.
Fruit prices are so high this year. I decided to buy more bananas, as they are cheaper per pound, and have been on sale lately for less than I’ve seen them in the past. I worried about the loss in weight of the peel, but at 50 cents a pound versus $2 a pound for other fruit, we are now (as of this past week) having bananas more often. The only hard thing is the children are eating so many so quickly! I ended up going to the store twice for bananas, as four children decided that around 50 bananas was how many they needed! (I went to the store this morning and bought 64! I’m glad they’re eating fruit and not junk).
I am also burying all the banana peels throughout the garden. They breakdown completely in about a month. Improving my soil and feeding the worms will make for a much more productive garden. I kept a trowel just outside the door and grabbed it to bury the peels throughout the day.
I managed to get to bed earlier each night, and get up early. I find it easier to be more productive in the early mornings rather than at night. I had been struggling to do this all year since the car accident in March, but most of my pain is gone now and I am trying to get back on my early schedule. I was told by the doctor that I will always have pain from the accident, unfortunately. I’m just glad it’s less.
What did you do to save money this past week?
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Do you have a Kroger family store there? We don’t have one here, but my dd finds some great red bag deals at her fred meyer. Recently she’s told me about finding bags of 6 avocados, 3 lbs of apples, and one day she found a bag of star fruit. Her bags cost $1.50 each. She also finds veggies, but you mentioned fruit prices so that’s what I told you about lol.
Diane
Our Kroger affiliate is Smith’s, and both my mom and I rarely shop there anymore. Their prices are much higher than they used to be, and the produce sales are pretty much non-existent now.
I believe it varies from store to store. We have 3 Kroger stores in our town, and they rarely have clearance deals. Also, I have found their produce spoils quickly.
I was able to buy a case of 25 red peppers at the discount produce store for .25 cents each. I took some to Ann and some to the food pantry and we had some on pizza for dinner tonight. I will keep some fresh and chop and freeze the rest.
I found our US credit card had a $331 statement credit-which I used to book a 2 night hotel stay at Marriott in Copenhagen next summer for just $77 out of pocket.
I have a $200 statement credit on another card which I will use towards my final payment on the European cruise. A $55 statement credit on another card went towards paying for another trip.
I applied for another credit card that gives a lot of airline miles for using it. When I picked it up at the bank they also offered me $750 to open an account with them so we will see.
I bought a pie pumpkin for 1.99, baked it and made some pumpkin bread today and froze the rest for future pies and bread. Considering a can of pumpkin costs about $5 on sale it seemed like good value.
I am looking for a good pumpkin or two for baking this year; canned pumpkin prices are super high. I tried growing them this summer, but they did not make it.
My son bought a 67 pound pumpkin for $9. at the grocery store. After Hallowe’en it will be passed to me.. like coals to Newcastle. We simmer the cubed pumpkin on our woodstove until the liquid evaporates; then freeze for pies. I have wheelbarrows full of squash and I’m afraid some will go onto the compost. The garden was slow to get going but is now providing well. More tomatoes to can today and more cucumber pickles too. I am amazed at the number of bananas your children can consume! I wish you had opportunities like I had last week. Reduced bananas 7# for $2. They run from 70 to 90 cents a pound here. A frozen banana is a great base for a milkshake with ice water, milk powder and a splash of vanilla. Wonderful to see you compensated for your beautiful photography but I think you should take the scenic and safer route both ways because you’re worth it!
I about croaked when I saw canned pumpkin at our local superstore for $6.00 a can on sale here in Alberta ! Glad I still have some frozen bags left from last year.When that runs out I will use cooked mashed carrot or cooked mashed sweet potato instead in my baking,it works very well.I also substitute sliced zuccchini for apples in pies and crisps when apples are too expensive,which they are right now at $3.50 a lb.The pictures of the cakes look very tasty.Hopefully with time your pain will completely go away,I believe in the power of prayer !
If you have a grocery outlet near you, I found canned pumpkin there for $1,69 for a 15 oz can. The app is still showing that price.
Canned pumpkin is outrageously high. Each year I buy several “Sugar” pumpkins and use them to make pumpkin puree. I find the larger pumpkins are too watery. I cook them, use an immersion blender and then freeze the puree.
Well, now I’m hungry after looking at those wonderful food pictures!
I shopped my closet and found many clothes that fit now that I’ve lost 34 pounds. A lot were bought in 2017 when I lost weight and then gained 35 pounds back when something stressful happened and I stopped eating well. In addition to what I already had that fit, I now have an additional 4 pairs of jeans, 2 pairs of dress pants, 12 tops, 2 pairs of shorts, 6 nightgowns, 3 pairs of flannel pajama bottoms and 6 pajama t-shirts to wear. I also have a bunch of tops and sweaters that I kept to wear around the house to save my “good” clothes. I have more clothes that will fit after I lose the next 25 pounds. I filled a big bag to give to a local second-hand store that donates all their profits to local community organizations. I have another bag of things that are too big and too worn or stained to donate that will be turned into rags or used somehow for crafts. I’m retired so I really don’t need as many clothes as I did when I was working.
Our weather cooled off drastically starting on Wednesday. We were in the 60s – the 60s!!!! – (around 20°C) on Thursday for a high! It was marvelous and I spent multiple hours gardening between Thursday and Sunday. I thought about Marivene with every 5 gallon bucket of weeds and dead vegetable plants I pulled. I was excited to find the canteloupe plant has 4 tiny fruits on it, finished the first round of fall seed planting and harvested peppers, cucumbers, and carrots. Our highs will be back to 85-90°F (29-32°C) this week, but with low humidity, so still comfortable and hopefully I won’t not need much air conditioning after it was off for the last 4 days.
I ran multiple errands on Sunday and stopped at Lowe’s, picking up broccoli and lettuce starts as well as several flowering perennial plants and household items. I combined this trip with a farmers market, which had nothing I was willing to spend money on, the ATM and Aldi for 3 items. I was really surprised that there weren’t more shoppers at Lowe’s but Aldi was very busy.
I deep cleaned my living room including rearranging the furniture and gave myself a mani-pedi while watching Saturday college football. Both of those felt mentally great and didn’t cost me a thing.
It’s amazing how changes in your emotional life can effect your eating habits. I wish I could say that I lose my appetite when times are bad, but sadness always drove me to binge eating for comfort.
Beautiful clouds. Here on my walks with my mom, we have been noticing the red roses throughout town.
I also take 2 routes to and from caring for my mom for the exact same reasons.
I was able to purchase a half peck of green beans to can. We had a rainy weekend and the farm stand gave me a nice discount as they were not expecting much traffic. Over the weekend I canned green beans, black and pinto beans.
Hope everyone has a calm and productive week!
What beautiful pictures. I am sorry about your pain. I fell years ago and my knee hurts when the weather changes. Fruit is very expensive. I have been getting frozen fruit when I can find it a good price. I found quite a few packages of meat on clearance this past week. I felt very blessed. The temperature has dropped here and we made vegetable soup. We have started putting a new roof on our house. Neighbors are doing the labor and we are buying the supplies. We will pay labor but not as much as it could be. We are very fortunate that we help each other out. I have helped his wife in her garden this summer and my husband helped build them a green house. Please pray for my sister that lost her husband. I carried her dinner this evening and she is not in a good place. She has lost weight and I am worried about her.
Maybe you could get her over to your place to engage her more. Suggest making dinner together or ask her to help you with some things. Keeping her busy feeling useful while not alone will be helpful to her. As a widow as well, it helped me.
I am so sorry your sister is having such a difficult and stressful time, I have 2 sisters and can only imagine your worry. I will say a prayer and wish good energy to your family
Prayers for your sister as she goes through this painful time.
We bought apple and seconds at the orchard about 10 miles from our house and canned apple sauce, the apples have gone up in price but are still about .60 per lb so they’re a good deal and they were blemish free.
My parents have apple trees as well, but they don’t spray and the apples are a bit wonky and difficult to peel, so next week we’ll be making juice from their apples and canning that as well. The only cost will be a new lid for the jar when we can it and whatever fuel it takes to can them.
Jam in the store has been so very expensive that I bought several lbs of frozen berries from azure standard and will make jam when things quiet down. The fruit is much less expensive than PYO and much less per jar than the grocery store when canned. I always complain when I have to a lot of canning to do, but we’re always grateful when we have it in the pantry.
We’re really focused on only purchasing what we need right now rather than wants. It’s showing in the budget which is good, but it’s always a little surprising that it’s not giving us the wiggle room we expect.
Apples are $1.69 a pound to $2.49 a pound here on sale right now. It’s higher than I’ve seen in the past for apples at the peak of harvest season. I’m glad you have a great source of apples for that price!
Brandy, Have you checked out the price of bananas at Costco or Sam’s-they seem to have the best price here.
Forgot to mention in my earlier post that Elections Alberta called me to see if I wanted to count referendum ballots overnight for a 12 hr shift. They were only paying $20 per hour so I turned them down. It would take me a week to recover from an all nighter-especially since I have a few days of childcare lined up right before.
Here in NY around Lake Ontario I can get a bag of autumn crisp 15 apples in a bag for $5, honeycrisp are $8. Right now we have grapes, apples, pears, all kinds of squash in abundance. We are very lucky
If you have an Aldi nearby, they have a 2 lb bag of apples for 1.99 in their ad this week. Walmart’s website is showing a 3 lb bag of Gala apples on rollback for $2.72. I realize prices vary by location and these deals may not be available in your area, but I thought I would mention these.
No Aldi here, but hopefully those prices will help someone else! Thanks for sharing!
Brandy, Every time this week I saw a good deal on apples I thought of you-and wished I could fill your crisper for a reasonable price!
Just whipped up a pot of ham and lentil soup and a pumpkin cake-this will serve us quite a few meals.
I lived near my aunt when I was a teenager and they were missionaries with an extremely tight budget. They had 3 children and my aunt had to make food last. She would put a date on the top of the milk and that date was how long the milk had to last until. So if they children drank it quicker than that, they had to do without milk until that date. I didn’t drink milk so it never affected me. Now that I’m an adult who has lived through periods of low and no income, I realize the sacrifice it was for her to drive and pick me up and feed me over a weekend. And she did it regularly. She’s still a big part of my life.
Today I had a stay-at-home day which was lovely. I reconfigured some drip lines, covered the seat of 2 dining chairs (a task I had been putting off), read to my grandchildren on Whatsapp, studied Spanish, exercised, nursed my cold and had leftovers for dinner. But the big creative win was staining a pair of lampshades. The lamps are on my mantle and the white shades were much more blue-toned than the white paint on my walls. It is trivial, I know, but it annoyed me. I was not going to get rid of perfectly good lamps though. I did some research and I found that if I just wanted a warmer tone on the same lampshade I could use tea to stain them. So I brewed tea using the teabags that no one likes, dipped a rag in it and brushed it onto the lampshades. They are now the perfect warmer white!
Listed more on Vinted and fb marketplace. Took 2 sales to PO (by bike) and then browsed the independent bookstore for book ideas to read with my grandchildren. Gas is over $6/gallon and we are making as few trips as possible. Dh rode his motorcycle over to dd’s this evening to take her a couple things she needed, instead of having me drive the car there tomorrow. We’re still eating the last of our free apples, that is our only fruit right now. We’re harvesting kale, chives, tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden. I have new kale planted as well as seedlings up for arugula, swiss chard and kale. These 2 will be the bulk of our winter vegetables, I buy carrots and potatoes and occasionally mushrooms. I have chive powder made from my own chives which I use instead of onions, which I cannot eat. I also have preserved enough parsley and basil for the year. We still have 2 gallons of green beans in the freezer from last summer’s bumper crop. We’re forecast to have 2 weeks of unusual heat and potentially the late green beans I planted might produce.
I like your lampshade hack! Clever!
I painted a pair in my bedroom navy blue (formerly dingy white).
What a generous heart your aunt has. She is a beautiful example of of kindness.
I love the picture of the sky and clouds. It is gorgeous!
I had a busy week, but also a short one, as I spent three days with my son, dil, and granddaughters. They are 3 1/2, 2 and 10 weeks. Busy family.
Garden – canned eleven jars of crushed tomatoes, dried four trays of thyme and four trays of basil. Picked a bunch of corn and froze sixteen cups. Picked all of our onions, jalapenos, polls now and Anaheim peppers. While I was with the kids, my DH picked all our corn, peppers and corn. We were expecting a frost, so had to get things picked.
Cooking – potato corn chowder, meat loaf, blueberry zucchini bread, and corn as wanted. Chopped a jar of onions.
Others – cut DHs hair, did two days of volunteer work. Got a few good deals – sour cream 16 ounce containers for $0.98, olives $8 for a case of 12 (got three), different kinds of canned tomatoes $8 for a case of12 (got five different kinds), Powerade $10 for a case of 15 (got two).
Hope everyone has a good week.
This week, I unexpectedly found 10 pound tubes of ground beef for $2.99/pound. I remember when I would have cringed and turned away at that price! But, I checked with my 4 friends and daughter who still have kiddos at home and after they told me what they wanted, I bought 60 pounds- 10 pounds for each of them and 10 pounds for me.
A few days later, Giant Eagle grocery chain (who are celebrating their 95th year in business with 95 cent special sales each week) had their 12 oz packages of bacon on sale for 95 cents/package. After checking with my 4 friends and daughter, we picked up 38 packages total for them and 5 for us. These were marked $6.49/packages total as their regular price! 😱
Every week we find deals on Flashfood or sales like this to help these 5 families stretch their grocery budgets and we have been blessed with opportunities. Our own food storage pantry and freezer have a good reserve but we remember what it was like raising kids on limited budgets. Since we are empty nesters and retired, we have more time to search out and purchase good deals for them and they reimburse us the sale cost. We are so blessed to be in a position to give back. in small measure, to others.
We are still making 3 quarts of Greek yogurt every week, often using mark down milk. We are also making our own wheat bread every week using our wheat from the basement. The amount we purchase from the regular grocery store is very small and mostly loss leaders . It seems that more of the loss leaders advertised these days seem to be for “empty calorie” items- chips, soda, etc. . We are concentrating on replenishing staple ingredients.
We have a large volunteer pumpkin growing in our yard and overtaking our fire pit. I’m guesstimating that it will end up weighing 15 pounds or so. Not bad for something we didn’t plant!
Surprisingly, my long arm quilting business has shown no signs of slowing down this year and in fact, we project will be a higher amount than last year (which had been almost 4 times more than the previous year). We are approaching our 8th year doing it and each year there has been a steady increase in income, although our prices remain the same that we started with 7 years ago. We still enjoy it which is why we continue.
Autumn seems to have arrived- windows open all day and night which is delightful!
We try to be mindful of our budget- reusing things, making our own from materials we already have or just choosing not to buy. These times are challenging but we are optimistic that we will get through.
Thank you, Brandy, and all your commenters over the years who have made such a positive impact on our daily living here in Ohio!!
How do you make your Greek yogurt? If you have a recipe, that would be great! 🙂
Laurie- Here is the link to the YouTube video that taught me (just this summer) how to successfully make Greek yogurt every time!! https://youtu.be/U_RnK0qgYTY?is=l38Kv6wk7OlGryIq
Hope it works as well for you. I tried many times in my IP on the yogurt setting and only had success once. So this tutorial was a game changer for me!!!
Gardenpat
I always wonder when I read your posts how many people snuggle under your quilts to keep warm on a cold night. It is very heartening to think about it.
Elizabeth M- Last year we (my daughter and I) quilted up almost 300 quilts for clients and another 20 or so that we made from our stash and gifted to others. So, hopefully, there are some people snuggling under our quilts! 🤔😉
That’s wonderful! When you think how long a quilt lasts, that’s a lot people kept warm by things that were made and gifted with a lot of love.
You are lucky that your store allows you to buy such large quantities. Ours only allows you to buy 4 at the sale price.
I love reading your blog!
Thank you!
I see you that have Trader Joe’s in Vegas. Their produce is priced per item and their bananas are 23¢ apiece, so I try to only buy bananas from my T.J.’s, as I can choose the bigger bananas which end up being cheaper than buying them by-the-pound from standard stores.
Their heavier produce such as cabbage, cantaloupe, cauliflower and butternut squash end up being a lot cheaper as well.
First of all, that piece of all chocolate cake in the back of your photo has me drooling. Secondly, years ago, I had separated from my first husband and the only job I had was as a bookkeeper in a restaurant for four hours a day. I was raising two small children and my budget was tighter than a tic. They gave us all one free meal a day, as long as we didn’t eat the lobster or the crab, neither of which I liked. I always had their generous rib sandwich and big steak fries. I made it my one big meal of the day and it helped me get by in those hard times.
Hello, frugal friends. It has been a lovely week here in the mountains of southwest Virginia. The weather has finally cooled down and we got a little rain. I was able to plant more spinach and radishes. I got a big container of mushrooms on FlashFood. I do not see the deals that Garden Pat gets but occasionally I see some good deals on meats and produce. It mostly offers discounts on baked goods like birthday cake. I also can only get 1 of any item on the FF app. But every little bit helps the grocery budget. I needed to buy some new jeans. It has been over 10 years since I bought my last pair. I found 2 pair at Kohls for 40% off plus I earned $10 Kohls cash. I will see if I can find something to add to my gift cupboard. Gas here is around $4.29/gallon. I follow a lady on Youtube who does a weekly miracles/tender mercy episode every Sunday. They are short episodes. It is called Single Mom on a Farm. Listening to her review the big and small positives in her week reminds me to be grateful for the blessings I receive each week. There is much I cannot change, like the fees on my electric bill (which is over half of the actual bill) but I can look for ways to reduce what I use and spend. Keeping a positive, grateful attitude has really helped me when in any store or when I evaluate what I think I need. I dehydrated enough parsley for the next few years. This will clear space in my garden for things we really enjoy eating and canning. Speaking of our electric bill, it was only $186 this month, $93 of which are fees. I bought mostly sales and loss leaders and markdowns at the grocery store. My summer farm share is about to end so I have been stocking up on winter squash which should keep for a few months. I will not do a winter share. I feel I got my money’s worth with the summer share as they had a bogo on their tomatoes so I had plenty to can. I think my favorite frugal habit is to hang laundry on the line, which I do most weeks. I did the usual frugal things like cooking from scratch with what we have. Mr. Fiz It brought home some snacks from his Bible study group: 2 small sandwiches, a huge brownie and some grapes. I served the sandwiches with soup from the freezer for dinner. I wish all my frugal friends a week full of blessings.
Such gorgeous photos Brandy!! The picture of the cake has my mouth watering which I am sure, is exactly what the point of the photo!!
Haven’t posted much lately but I enjoy everyone’s posts and appreciate all the great hints.
Have been experiencing sticker shock even thitough every day the local news reports the average gasoline/diesel prices and how nearly everything has a higher price.
I’ve switched to a local store’s very good sliced Italian bread that is still half the price of bread in the bread aisle. I’m a rookie bread maker so am wondering if flour bought and kept in air tight containers during Covid could possibly be used for baking now??
I’ve begun trying to look at every pantry/household item as “how else can I use this item?” I’ve learned new recipes with eggs with rice, soups and chowders and can now make a wicked milkshake for a family member’s liquid diet restrictions.
As I was folding a couple of very worn towels, I realized they might work well as fill for pot holders I’m needing.
And I’ve been putting a very old folding card table tituse to help contain a very old and nearly blind dog to a couple of rooms so he can’t hurt himself. The card table is strong but lightweight and easy to move as needed.
Did learn the hard way the 15 year old desktop computer jhad become too obsolete to handle any more upgrades and just couldn’t process anymore. Although, we had anti virus and malware protection, the computer repair place found that malware had gotten through to the system but luckily, because the computer was so old, the malware couldn’t process either. It wasn’t a welcome expense but reallyh had no choice but to replace the entire system with today’s technology. All 3 credit agencies have been contacted and our accounts have been frozen so any attempts to apply for credit will be denied. So far, none of our banking has been affected but we’re closely monitoring all accounts.
Another thought for anyone who might have had a lot of medical expenses this year, and met all your deductibles, if a treatment or procedure can be done before the end of the year, it could be a real savings.
Thanks to everyone for posts, especially you Brandy!
Sorry to hear abthe continued pain from the accident.This week I:
got enough fetch rewards for a $5 giftcard, then right after that I got a referral and had enough for another!.
I’m continuing to compost. The garden is slow right now, excefor the watermelons!! My husband rugged up a gutter and barrel to collect rain water for our garden.
Gorgeous photos! That sky! Our weather has turned more Fall-like with temperatures ion the 60s during the day and high 40s at night. We don’t have a/c but do use ceiling fans in the summer on the warmest days so this change means no fans needed – just crisp breezes coming through the window. All clothes were dried on the line as the only rain we had was at night. I cut my bangs to extend the time between haircuts. With the changing season, I am playing with my wardrobe, trying out new to me combinations of outfits. It’s fun and reduces the feeling that something else is needed. I buy all my clothes (except undergarments) secondhand but it can still add up to unnecessary expenditures and a too-full closet if one isn’t careful. My mother did give me a cashmere sweater she found at the thrift shop where she volunteers. It needed a little love in the form of my sweater shaver (love that thing!) and a bath in some Eucalan. I may have mentioned this product before but it has saved so many secondhand sweaters I have found – some that I have kept and some I have sold. It only takes a teaspoon full in a sink full of water and you do not rinse it out. It conditions natural fibers and they come out so soft. I have recommended it to people who say they cannot wear wool and find they can after conditioning their sweaters this way. I never want it to be taken off the market so am doing my best to spread the word! 😊I’m still getting Swiss chard, tomatoes and peppers from the garden and am slowly starting to prepare some of the beds for winter by covering them with fallen leaves and soaking them really well to feed all the critters in the soil. I sold eggs and honey and the antique sales on my booth are steady. All good. Keeping grocery shopping to the absolute minimum and using things up from the pantry. Nothing earth shattering but little everyday things to keep us on track as best as possible. Hope everyone has a lovely week!
I use Eucalan and love it! It also satisfies my low-water use requirements since it doesn’t need rinsed. A friend borrowed a large scar/shawl for an international trip and wanted to pay to have it dry cleaned before she returned it to me. I told her absolutely not to waste the money, I’d just soak it in Eucalan.
In the last two weeks , I managed to go out twice. I went by a local salvage store and found Balega sport socks . This store sells everything for $1.00 , I bought a total of 21 pairs for my son , SIL and daughter . I stopped and quickly gathered some fresh fruits and vegetables from my favorite dumpster. Sugar cookie was happy to get green grapes. My budget buys very little with the increase in gasoline and groceries. This week I brought home 8 Smithfield pork loins gifted by the meat manager. I also hauled out a case of yellow squash. My second trip out , I chose to drive to my daughter’s house at night. I stopped at her local Kroger which has great markdowns. I bought 18 lbs of chicken thighs for $8.00 . I also got 12 lbs of pork for ten dollars. At this time of the week , I honestly thought my health was on the mend. Driving in the daylight and again at night left me with horrific headaches. I’ve noticed this week that many of my shingle symptoms have returned. Apparently I’m one of the few who has had a second case of shingles break out on top of my recent case. Today , I had 3 doctors call me to discuss this. Tomorrow, I will go pick up a whole new set of prescriptions. I pray my pain does not escalate to last months levels. I’m so tired of being locked in a dark bedroom. I have so many things I am behind on. We are suppose to go on a trip at the end of the month. Physically , I can handle the trip , but I may need very dark sunglasses and a big hat. I’d like to think I have saved money ,but all the medical co payments add up.
I hope you are able to find relief soon!
I found manager’s specials at Kroger on coffee for $3.50/12 oz bag and $.85 hot sauce (down from $8.49) and got all 4 of both they had left. I again rescued produce, meat, some treats, some shelf-stable foods, some pastries, 2 storage bins that I passed along to a neighbor in need, some energy drinks I gave away, 3 new dog toys I gave away, and a candle. At the community free store, I got a Lodge cast iron & enamel skinny griddle pan that’s in perfect condition and still had the store’s price sticker on the back. I also got a glass food storage bowl + lid set, 2 matching seasonal hand towels, a baking tray, a new pillow and zippered pillow cover, and a 4-cup measuring cup. I cut down on errands again, read printed library books and took walks in my neighborhood. As usual, all meals cooked at home, using up some pantry and assorted fridge ingredients.
A, you got some really nice things . I also brought home two new laundry baskets that were welcomed. I’m anticipating a huge purge right after Halloween , based on last years haul.
Happy Sunday, I hope you are all having a restful day.
The last couple of weeks have been busy, mostly with my jobs. My brother visited from out-of-town last weekend. We did some local traveling to a state park and to an Underground Railroad site that had an open house, but largely ate at home.
We are catching up on our health stuff. Fall vaccinations all around to protect my husband’s one working lung! I got mine at work, but Kroger did not charge my husband for his. (So if money is a concern, you might check there.)
Winding down my garden for the fall. I had hoped to be more “together” and get a fall batch of planting in, but didn’t. It has been so dry anyway. We had some coolish weather so I harvested the last of the green tomatoes and they are ripening in my garage. I need to do a batch of tomatoes for roasting for sauce, but I should have one more round yet in time.
Made bread and a jar of honey garlic.
I planted some onions that had sprouted today (why not) and am getting beds ready to harvest compost and plant garlic in a few weeks.
I’d seen a Costco ad that a couple of things I’d just bought were on sale, and made sure to check the receipt to get a price adjustment. (They already were marked down! Yay!)
I had earned a gift card to Amazon, which I used to print copies of my caregiving books, and a local “makers” store has offered to sell them! So that is exciting.
I signed up for another term of adjunct teaching. I’m a bit nervous as it coincides with the deadline for my major work project, but I’ll do my best!!
Have a blessed week.
Robbie
That cloud photo is spectacular!
On the frugal front, we’ve been staying home as my husband continues to recover. Our son and family came up to help install some handrails and also do some needed outdoor work. We are so fortunate. They live about 8 hours away, but the drive is fairly easy. While they were here, we ate all but one snack at home. They love a local pizza places spuds, so we went out mid afternoon and ordered a large to share.
We routinely have appetizer night when they come up or we get together, so I was able to pull several items from my freezer and create an interesting meal. We had wings, pot stickers, a sausage dish, plus fruit. They added pretzel bites from Costco. Not super healthy but it was nice to clear some items out from the freezer!
Diesel is just under $7 a gallon here, so we are limiting any travel for a while. Feeling for the truckers!! Plus recognizing that cost will roll our way sooner rather than later in increased store prices.
Watching sales and stocking up when it makes sense. I was able to place an online order for some pantry items that were on sale , so saved some $ plus the gas.
Always enjoy reading everyone’s posts!