Sunday, March 1, 2020

Weekly Wrap-Up 3/1

Good morning.  It is officially March.  It is now meteorologically spring - however most here in the U.S. wait until the Spring Equinox to claim spring.  It is starting out to be a beautiful day to start the month.  It was cold this morning, but we will get close to 60* today and sunny.
Again this week we had the whole gamut of weather.  Warm, cold, rain, ice, snow, sun, gloom, and warm again!!
This was earlier in the week.  Today, virtually all the snow is gone - just a little in shaded areas.  Rain is supposed to come over night tonight and into tomorrow.   It is going to be a muddy mess again, for a few days!

I have been enjoying the birds and squirrels so much this week.  I have had 18+ cardinals just about every morning and evening.  I had 5 huge blue jays at one time, several times this week.  I think they are all ready for spring as well!

I went to my great nieces wedding yesterday.  It was such a nice affair.  Not too big or small.  It was done a bit differently than any I had been to before.  After they walked down the aisle after the "I do's" - they came back into the church and THEY released each row of people - so they could personally thank each person for coming.  I thought that was really cool.  
There was a lovely reception after.  
They had a buffet of 'finger foods' - wings, egg rolls, fried cheese sticks, fried shrimp, mini sandwiches (turkey & ham) - veggies and dip and lots of fresh fruit chunks.  There was also a dessert bar with cake, brownie bites, cookies, cake pops and cupcakes.  NO ONE left hungry!
I am just so happy I got to celebrate this wonderful day with them and family.  

My frugal week:
  • The neighbor kids (with the dog) brought me a pretty magnet back from their little trip they took (when I dog sat).
  • Had an appointment with insurance agent and now (as of today) I am finally 100% covered by Medicare and some sort of supplemental insurance.  Glad that is over
  • Cleaned out 3 kitchen cabinet drawers (more to go).  Threw out a lot and collected some things to donate
  • Cut my hair at home
  • Colored hair at home
  • Cleaned all my jewelry this week - it looks pretty and sparkles again!
  • I went to the orchard Friday (it closed for season on Sat.).  I got 10 lbs. of apples (2 kinds), 6 lbs. Asian pears, 4 lbs. oranges and a gallon of fresh cider for $21.  I am set with fruit for quite a while!!!!
  • Gave myself a nice 'spa' night
  • doing all the regular things - cooking from scratch and eating what I have, laundry in cold, continuing to clean and de-clutter.
  • My sister gave me 3 magazines

My meals this past week:
Hard tacos - supreme
Grilled turkey (from freezer), cheese and veggie sandwich and cheesy/bacon fries
Pork & veggie stir fry served with rice
Cold cut sandwich, chips and salad
Enchiladas - 2X
Dinner at wedding reception

It was quiet again this week, but it was nice to have a couple highlights.  
How was your week?  Did you do anything frugal?  
Are you still working on your '20' goal?  I have been donating or trashing at least 20 things a week.

I hope you and yours stay healthy, happy and frugal this week.
Blessings from my humble little home to yours.

23 comments:

  1. Great week you've had! The wedding details sound lovely and refreshing. As for us: I haven't bought food stuffs since Feb 19. We've been eating out of the fridge/freezer/pantry. I've decided to continue this as long as I can or until hubby says "please can we have...." We ate out very little. So our food expenses for February are less than half of last year's average!!!! Which is good as we had 4 annual insurances due as well as downhill ski pass bargains for 20/21.

    Cheers to a wonderful March! :-)

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    Replies
    1. Good for you. What a good job you are doing with your food. Don't get too low though - just in case something would happen and you can't get out. Might keep watch of spring sales and start the restock process.
      Sounds like you have done so well.

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  2. Good morning, It sounds like you had a nice quiet week. The wedding sounded wonderful. I bet there were a lot of relatives to visit with. That's always a plus. It's still so cold here, at night. But it can warm up to 60's or better in the daytime. We even have turned on the AC twice! I made chicken enchiladas with DH's help yesterday, so he has that for a few days. Oh, made from my pantry. I have been doing some crochet mostly dish cloths but it passes the time. Enjoy the rest of your day!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Glad to hear your days are warming. It is still cold at night here as well.
      AC oh my!!!!! That won't happen here for a long time.
      Chicken enchiladas sound good - mine were beef. It is nice that you can make a good size dinner and it lasts!!!!
      Have a great day.

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  3. I really love that idea of having the couple greet each of the guests at the church. I remember the days of the reception line...this sounds much more enjoyable.

    We don't get cardinals here, and only the occasional blue jay. They tend to be bullies to the other birds so I'm not as happy to see them. But I do enjoy seeing the birds and the squirrels.

    Have a good week!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The reception line is what I was used to as well - although it has been a while since I have been to a wedding. I loved the meet and greet.
      Our blue jays have really been behaving. They want peanuts and go after them with glee - but aren't too mean to other birds. So many cardinals - I love them.
      They are a joy to watch.
      Have a good one.

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  4. My vertigo was bad this week so I haven't been doing much. Hopefully this week will be better.

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    Replies
    1. Oh my, I am so sorry. Hope you get much better this week. Take care.

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  5. I've been staying busy this week and trying to get things done this weekend. It's a beautiful sunny day here, so I did a couple of things in the yard. I hope it stays sunny this week, it sure does beat the rain. Your trip to the orchard sounds so nice. I love trips like that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We are getting rain again late tonight - and tomorrow. So it will get super muddy again. YUCK. Hope it stays nice and dry for you.
      I enjoyed it. I was the only customer at the time and the clerk (a young gal) and I had a nice talk about life!
      Got to love that sunshine!

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  6. I do love the cardinals and blue jays. Your fruit buy sounds good. Lovely to go to a family wedding.

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    Replies
    1. They are such beautiful and regal birds. Love fresh fruit!!
      I had a really nice time. Family time is always great.

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  7. This is my first time posting. I found your blog a few months ago. I went to a wedding like that about 8 years ago. It was different but nice. I'm glad you got your insurance figured out. I will be 65 this summer and am looking forward to Medicare. My husband is retired military so we have Tricare for our supplement. I have been frugal most of my life, but not as much as others. Hope you have a great week. Hello from West Virginia.

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    Replies
    1. Hello Flora! Glad to have you here.
      It was really refreshing to have the couple acknowledge all the guests personally.
      Medicare is at least cheaper than the insurance I was paying for! It sure has been a journey.
      Frugal comes in all forms. We all do what feels comfortable to us - no right or wrong.
      So happy to have you here. Look forward to hearing from you in the future!
      Have a nice week.

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  8. We're finally getting some warmer weather here after snow and bitter cold temps last week. Robins have been sighted in the trailer park but still have yet to make it up the hill to my house. We had a pair raise three broods last year in nests under the eaves of my mud porch. It will be interesting to see if they nest there again this year.

    I got outside yesterday and picked up a large bag of "trailer trash". My next door and across-the-street neighbors throw garbage off their porches and refuse to cover their garbage and recycling cans, so garbage blows around and the raccoons spread it everywhere, mostly ending up down the hill in the back of my lot. Some people just refuse to be civilized.

    I exercised 21 days in February despite taking off most of last week to nurse a mild foot injury. The foot feels much better today, and I lifted weights at home this morning.

    My best frugal deal last week was $.49 each for 6 Corelle saucers at Goodwill. We use them as small plates and were down to four. We have the plain white round dishes, and these have a gold design around the edge, but they will serve the purpose. I also picked up a spare metal drink bottle for $.99.

    I was disappointed to learn that we spent $609 on groceries last month. While that is better than $740 in January, it is sill a lot. For my calculations, groceries include food, paper products, toiletries, vitamins, and cat food and litter. I did stock up on some things. We don't eat out at all.

    Tried a new crockpot recipe yesterday, and Hubby said it's a keeper: Chicken Marsala. It called for heavy cream, but I didn't want to buy any to use only 1/2 cup, so I substituted sour cream. Still tasted great! It is challenging to find things Hubby can eat with sodium-sensitive high blood pressure, few teeth, and trouble with food getting stuck in his esophagus. I usually make something in the crockpot on Sundays and we eat it for Sunday, Tuesday and Thursday dinner. I also got him to eat spaghetti, since I found whole wheat spaghetti for $1/pkg. A perennial inexpensive dinner.

    I've done very well with personal spending this year. Been using the library and have bought zero books! I did spend $43 on Project Linus supplies, but $38 of that was for two walking feet for the sewing machine to replace one that broke and to have a spare. I make about 12 quilts a month, mostly for the NICU at the Big City children's hospital. They use quilts with dark backs to cover the isolettes to protect the babies' eyes from the harsh lights. The other $5 was for yarn to crochet borders around fleece blankets. I use the leftover yarn to knit a few blankets a year. Lots of hours of entertainment in one skein of yarn! By the way, our Project Linus chapter donated over 15,000 blankets last year!

    Hope everyone has a frugal and safe week!

    ReplyDelete
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    1. That is horrible that the neighbors are that trashy. We usually get trash blowing around after trash-pick up day. Everything in the bins is SUPPOSED to be in bags - but people don't do that. SO when the truck picks up the bins and empties it goes flying around. URG!
      You have done so well with your 20 challenge.
      You are also doing well with the finances. The chicken sounds yummy. I substitute stuff all the time. Use what I have.
      I just love that you are making so many blankies for the babies. That is just lovely.
      Have a great one!

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  9. The wedding sounds lovely. What a sweet idea for the couple to release and greet each guest. I think that I have only seen that done at my cousin's wedding, but I thought it was a great idea.
    Great deals at the orchard! I bought a bag of apples at aldi, and they were soft and didn't taste that good. Maybe I will turn them into apple crisp or something.
    Glad you are enjoying watching your critters. Sounds like they love the treats.
    Hope you have a good week. Rainy here, but hopefully the sun will come out tomorrow. :D

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    Replies
    1. Sorry your apples weren't good. I plan on making fried apples sometime soon. I just love them!
      Nature gives me so much joy.
      Sun came out here this morning after much rain over night!
      Have a good day!

      Delete
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