Sunday, March 17, 2019

Frugal Happenings 3/17

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all.  Blessings  upon you all.

What another weather week we had.  It sure has been a mixed bag.  We got to air the house on Tuesday afternoon, then again on Wednesday and the morning temps were acceptable for that on Thursday - but oh my the wind!!!!!  The wind and rain were unbelievable.  There were tornados in surrounding counties and there was a lot of damage all around.  We had gusts of 60 - 70 mph.
Our neighbor called and asked if they could park at our house as their huge pine tree was swaying 'A LOT' in the wind, and she was afraid it would end up on their vehicle.  Crazy.
This morning it is snowing - snowflakes the size of quarters.  They are huge and plentiful and  sticking!  It won't last long on the ground thankfully.
This week it appears that we may get close to 'normal' temps!  Here's hoping.

The Robins returned this week - and they look pretty stunned this morning pecking around in the snow.  Poor babies.  Also saw the return of the red-winged blackbirds and we now have 3 types of woodpeckers visiting.  Spring is close!!!!

We are so blessed as there are so many people around the country that were inundated with snow and rain and flooding.  It is so sad to see the pictures.  I just can't even imagine.
Prayers for all.

Our frugal week:
  • I have always used a microfiber cloth on my Swifter, but this week I came across a stretched out pair of sport socks of G's - and they slide over the Swifter perfectly.  I will use them from now on.
  • The bottom of our jar squirrel feeder was starting to come apart - so I got out there and fixed it.  A few strategic screws worked wonders.  Temporary fix until I get my new one (I got for Christmas) stained and up
  • I ran errands one day - whew I made a day of it.
  • Gas for Blazer - .30/gal discount.  First fill-up since in January
  • Dollar Tree - got the 5 Himalayan pink salt for $1 each and I got ranch dressing/dip mix - 2 double packets for $1 each.  Love having them on hand for a quick dip or dressing.  Those are over $3 at the grocery
  • I then ran into the Kroger by the DT (it's not one I usually go to) just to check for any mark downs.  I found snack cheese on markdown for .99 packet.  These are great for snacks or quick protein fix at lunch.  They had 5 packs and I got them!
  • On to Joann Fabric - looking for a few odds and ends for a project G and I are working on.  Trying to come up with a prototype hand/finger brace/support for his brother.  Frustrating as there is nothing we can find ready made that would work
  • Rural King - last but not least.  Big stock up on canned cat food and some squirrel and bird feed
  • We fixed our ceiling fan/light in the bedroom.  Our neighbor came and worked on it for us.  I had $8 in parts I had purchased a while back, and he did the labor.  Both chains for fan & light had broke off in the base (unit is 31 years old).  It is a Hunter unit and the quality is superb - we sure couldn't replace with something similar for a decent price today.  Love that it is working and saved!
  • Continuing with the deep cleaning  and declutter - never ending chore.
  • All regular  daily chores
  • Made a batch of pecan/toffee brownies for snacks
Meals this past week:
Swiss burgers, pizza rolls & salad
Beef Manhattans and asparagus
Tuna patties, cheesy mac & salad
Baked spaghetti
Pork chops and veggie/pasta salad
Sliders and pasta salad
Grilled Rueben roll-ups
All leftovers used up in other meals

So there you have it.  Not all that exciting, but we did get some frugal deals and fixes.
How was your week?  Any deals?  Fixes?  Projects?
Look forward to hearing from you.

Prayers that you all have a blessed, healthy & safe week.  May we all 'find joy' in the simple things this week.  Some of our happiest moments come from the simple things.

Blessings from our humble home to yours.

10 comments:

  1. This weather has been crazy for sure Cheryl! I love the return of the birds. It's been to quiet and boring without them.
    We have Hunter fans too and they are the only kind we like to buy. It's good to hear they last that long. Have a great St. Patrick's Day!

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    1. I love the birds too - they make me happy.
      Enjoy your corned beef today!!!!

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  2. It is finally about 50 here today but we still have so much snow. It has been such a weird winter.

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    1. Our snow is gone now - actually it melted in a couple hours. Hopefully yours will be gone soon without flooding.

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  3. Cheryl, what day of the week do you find the Kroger treasures? I'm clearly going on the wrong days!!

    But for about 3 snowflakes, our weather was just like yours. The wind knocked some of our back fence loose and I saw that it blew off one side of our bell tower at church! And before the wind, I was expecting to see Noah float by!

    I spent the week in a stupor from the time change. I dread it every year and marvel at how a single hour can reduce my weekly accomplishments to zippo. But for basic cleaning and dinner, I did little.

    Didn't spend much!
    Meals last week were:
    At church- chili and corn bread
    Chinese noodles & veggies
    Corn & potato chowder
    Fish filets & veggies
    Kraut dogs
    Taco soup
    Taquitos & guacamole (boxed, an occasional treat!)

    I have such a hard time remembering!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. That wind was crazy for sure. Glad you are safe.
      I actually stopped in Kroger on Tuesday - and it was a different Kroger than normal.

      I hate that one hour as well. I am still not back to normal. It always takes a while.

      Your dinners all sound yummy. I have to write stuff down or I would not remember anything!

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  4. I know our weather has been wacky too. Had those crazy winds. Had a few nerve wracking moments but all is well. My heart goes out to everyone who was affected so badly. It breaks my heart.

    Fixes- Lots of fixes. Washing machine has been acting crazy since last June. It is an easy to fix washing machine. We couldn't figure out the problem even with the fixes. Then I found an obscure forum with my problem. Turned out to be a $20 part. My machine is fixed! Yes!

    Our poor car that decided it needed to fall apart right before inspection passed inspection. Our state issues new license plates so we have our new ugly license plates, lol.

    I finished Spring cleaning my art studio. I have needed to set up my digital tools much better. I keep trying to save money with this and not purchase new furniture. My DH said buy a new shelf! The night before shelf shopping I was working on a different setup for a different area. Look over at my coloring tools and thought that wire shelf would be perfect for my digital tools. I grabbed it set it up and it was perfect. Now I have no shelf for my coloring tools, lol. It hit me I had a nice metal shelf in the mud room I don't really use and I could replace it with a shelf that was not working in my art studio. Everything went perfect. No money spent. My room is so beautiful now and my items are organized for better work.

    Spring cleaned the kitchen. Love it. My Spring cleaning is pretty much done. I am working on my plants now and my bookshelves. I love Spring cleaning. :)

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    1. Glad you are safe from all that weather. It sure was something.
      Glad you got the washer all fixed - research is amazing. Woohoo that the car passed!

      Everything always looks and feels so much better after cleaning. Love shopping from my own house and using what I have. Great job!
      You can come to my house and clean!

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  5. Our weather has been better, 50's and 60's. I have been going on lots of walks with the puppies. I got 40 raspberry canes free from Craigslist so they got planted this weekend. I am currently working on planting my seeds indoors.

    I would have bought all of the cheese sticks too. You got a great deal on them. Have a great week.

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    1. How wonderful on the raspberry canes. It is slowly getting a little better here. I look forward to 60's and 70's!
      We love cheese and whenever I can get a deal, I go for it.

      You have a good week as well.

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