Sunday, February 26, 2017

Frugal Happenings 2/26

Good morning.  Here we are at the end of another month.  Spring will officially be here in a few short weeks, and the world is starting to awake again.  I will do a picture day one day this week and all the rebirth!

This week we found out that four more acquaintances passed away!  OMG!!!  Getting older, sure does have some downsides and those downsides truly suck!
Also found our that our old neighbors of 25+ years (moved in Oct.) both have cancer, and he is now under Hospice care.  So sad.
I think I am done hearing bad news for the rest of the year.  This year has been crazy for sure.

ON A GOOD NOTE - we got new neighbors on both sides of us this weekend.  One side is a single mom with 2 kids (3 & 10).  They seem really nice and the 10 year old is excited about all the nature we have in our yard.  The other side is a young couple with a cute little lap doggie!  I was so afraid of getting someone with a big mean dog.  They seem nice - he has already told me that if ever I need help, to just yell.

We had a tremendous amount of warm weather this week.  From Friday afternoon to Saturday morning (less than 24 hours) we dropped 43*!!  Had 73* on Friday with rain - awoke to snow on Saturday!  Crazy stuff.  This coming week will be warmer again.
I saw the red winged black birds back at the feeder this week.  Such a pleasure to see here in the city.

My week:
  • Got all the spring door decorations up.  Used what I had on hand.
  • dehydrated 4 bags of marshmallows (there's a story - I'll tell later!)
  • Did a lot of yard work.  My neighbor 2 doors down wanted all the sticks and limbs I picked up - for his fire pit.  Saved me from putting them in trash!  RECYCLE at it's best
  • Stopped by the vet and picked up my sweet kitties' cremains.  We received a lovely card and laminated copy of the Rainbow Bridge in the mail from the vet.  They are so sweet
  • Cut G's and my hair
  • Put a new battery in my watch - from the ones I bought last year 4/$1 at Dollar Tree.  The last one lasted months.
  • Stopped at Kroger while out and found Domino powdered sugar - 1 lb. boxes - for .39 each on clearance.  I bought 6.  Along with what I had, I am good for a couple years. (It's dated 12/2018 - but it doesn't go bad)
  • Removed ham slices from the freezer for easy breakfast and lunch eats
  • Also removed banana bread from freezer for snacking
  • Got to line dry some laundry!
  • No heat much of the week and aired out house a lot
  • An old co-worker stopped by one day and told me he started his own handyman business.  We were just talking about finding someone to help with some projects.  God sends what we need when we need it!
Meals and snacks
Leftover lasagna with a small side salad
Loaded hot dogs with chips and dip
Pork cube steaks and dirty rice
Enchilada casserole and salad (2X)
Pork chops, fried green tomatoes and breaded/fried onion slices
Leftover pork, tomatoes, onions and oven fries

Snacks/desserts were orange cream pudding, banana bread, a homemade sundae, real banana pudding (yum), pop corn 


How did your frugal week go?  Any deals or special projects? 
I hope you are getting to enjoy some of this wonderful pre-spring weather in your area.
I look forward to doing some spring cleaning this week.

May the sun shine upon your face and the wind be at your back.  I pray each of everyone has a blessed and beautiful week.
God bless

14 comments:

  1. Wish your friend could come here Cheryl. It's always great to know who the handyman is! I'm so glad you were blessed with great neighbors. That's always a worry. We finally had someone new move in next door They have a few little ones and they go to work every morning. We love that. We will get to know them more when they are out in the yard this summer. Have a great day!

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    1. Yes mam it is always good to have a handyman you know and trust.
      Oh I was really worried about getting new neighbors - yes, it is always a worry. I think we lucked out. Like you said, we will see when the weather gets better and everyone is out a lot.
      I am glad you like your new neighbor.
      Have a great one my friend.

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  2. What a great deal on the confectioners sugar!!! Nancy

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  3. Glad to hear you got new neighbors and that they are good ones!
    I'm ready for spring too. We are still having cold temps and always having that threat of snow in the forecast.
    So sorry to hear about your former neighbors being so ill and that you lost some more of your acquaintances.
    Yes, getting older is not for the faint of heart.

    I did some baking yesterday and used up some blueberries and made muffins. I also made some poppy seed muffins and jazzed them up a bit with orange essence extract. Really a lovely fragrance.

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    1. Laurie, yep, it surely is not for the faint of heart. Years ago an elderly neighbor (in her 90's) said calling them the 'Golden years" is a bunch of s**t!!!! she cracked me up and I have never forgotten that!

      Your muffins all sound so good. I sure do love extracts. I have a lot of different ones - need to start making my own!
      Have a great week!

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  4. Laurie, that all sounds so good and tasty!
    Cheryl, wow - that is a lot of news and new neighbors news too, what a relief! And wow on the handyman, nice to know, send him out here too.

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    1. Ellen - things do stay active around here that's for sure - especially for a lady who HATES drama! Geesh.

      I am relieved on both the neighbors and the handyman find!
      Have a great day.

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  5. Hi Cheryl,
    Sorry to hear you had sad news this week. I pray it gets better. I am happy that you got wonderful neighbors. I have been praying for your neighbors. We got new neighbors on the right side and they have settled in and are doing well. We share walls we live in a condo. We are praying for good neighbors on the other side as that condo just sold. We are believing for wonderful neighbors.What a blessing for you that they seem nice. What a blessing you could be to a single mom teaching her your frugal ways :) Many young
    people do not really know how to cook from scratch. They
    do not know how to make a dollar go farther at the grocery store. Or even just putting dinner in the crock pot before work means you come home to dinner done.The couple on the other side sound nice too.
    Blessings,
    Patti

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    1. Patti - oh things will get better. It's just been a couple emotional weeks for sure.
      Glad you were blessed with good neighbors as well.
      I was thinking the same thing - maybe I can be of some 'frugal' help to the young folks. We'll see, as I get to know them.

      Hope all is well with you. have a good day.

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  6. You got a lot of great deals this week! Sorry to hear about all the losses you've experienced recently. That's always nice to have good neighbors who are interested in one another's lives and are supportive of each other.

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    1. Thank you for your kind words.
      Good neighbors are a blessing for sure. It is always scary when getting new neighbors.

      Thank you for stopping by. Have a great day!

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  7. ((((HUGS)))) Cheryl. It is sad that we are at that age where we are losing friends. I understand how you feel. We just lost 3 within the past few weeks and it sure makes me think about my own mortality.

    On a happier note, I am so glad you got good neighbors! That is a huge blessing and I know a relief for you. Great job on the frugal doings!

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    1. Debbie it does make you look at your own mortality. When I think about that, I get very sad!
      So sorry for your losses.

      We just keep pluggin' along!
      have a good one.

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