Good morning and day to you all. Hope this finds you all well and safe.
It is another cold and gray morning here. That has pretty much been the normal this week. By cold, I am speaking of the 30's (F) for a high - which really isn't that cold I guess. It is pretty normal for this time of the year. Gray and clouds have also been the norm. I must admit the sun made an appearance yesterday for part of the day and it was BEAUTIFUL!!! What a mood changer!
The kitties outside enjoyed it as well - they were out sunning even though it was chilly. Poor babies spend most of their time inside the greenhouse due to cold and wet - they love being outside.
Daylight is lasting a little bit longer in the evenings!!!! Mornings are still dark till almost 8AM. Baby steps!
I have spent the first week of this new year pretty quietly. I have rested and read and watched and learned. Nothing much in the way of projects. I plan to get myself in gear this next week and get back to being productive.
- Started a new daily/weekly journal (small notebook) for the year. Last one lasted exactly 2 years with just a couple pages left!!!
- Met with my finance guy and made a few changes to protect myself better and also to hopefully protect my heirs (if I don't spend it first!!!)
- Put away my little tree finally. I have a couple 'winter' decorations out - but Christmas is down and put away.
- Made a new bottle of FeBreeze - 1/3 liquid fabric softener and 2/3 water. Haven't made in ages - and don't use often. It is for when Coogy makes "stinky"!
- Put together another bottle of shampoo (watered down)
- Used the soda stream for carbonated water to which I added fruit juice
- Used all leftovers in some new way
- Stayed home all week and ZERO spending
- Going over the craft area again and re-straightening since holidays are over. It became the dumping ground - I need to get back into sewing.
- Just doing all the usual everyday stuff - nothing exciting
- Chopped and froze a bunch of celery that needed to be used
- Cleaned the bottom end on celery bunch (any ick and scraped natural seal off the bottom and have it in water to grow my own!
Meals this past week:
Soft tacos
Shredded cabbage and carrots with leftover ham & soy sauce over rice
Homemade pizza - 2X
Tostadas (scraped off topping from pizza left and added to taco meat - birds got crust treat!)
Loaded baked potato - used leftover taco stuff, sour cream and cheese & side salad
Smoked sausage links with kraut (in frig) & fried hominy/peppers/onion
Simple meals - but filling & tasty to me!
How was your week? Did you get any deals or did you stay to zero spending as well? Working on any new crafts? What is going on in your frugal world?
I pray that each of you are well, healthy and safe. May your week ahead be enjoyable and bountiful.
Blessings from my humble little home to yours.
Be strong and of good courage, do not fear or be in dread of them: for it is the Lord your God who goes with you; He will not fail you or forsake you.
Deuteronomy 31:6
I haven't left the cabin property since arriving on 12/27. I'm out of milk but if it doesn't need milk, we can eat for our remaining 3d here. So.....no we won't need milk ;-)
ReplyDeleteOther than ordering clothing to ship to 2 girls who've been abandoned and a disabled friend is trying to keep them out of the system, I have spent no money since 12/23.
Meals:
-pasta/peanut sauce w/sauted veg
-stew last weekend. Froze the rest and taking out today, adding carrots and celery and will eat for 2 dinners.
-Pasta/freezer ratatouille from my garden, frozen "Italian meat"
-Taco salad w the last of frozen shredded roast beef
-omelette and hash brown casserole (plenty to freeze for 4 more meals)
I will grocery shop on Wednesday.
Just the word cabin sounds wonderful. How kind of you to be helping the girls and your friend. Donating is something that should be a regular thing - I wish more did it.
DeleteYour meals sound great.
Enjoy the cabin stay
We went out one day this week to do curbside pickup at Aldi and Publix, but came right home afterwards. The weather here is around 32 too and chilly for sure. Our cats prefer being outside too. I let them in to get warm and they want to go right back outside. LOL
ReplyDeleteSounds like a nice and quiet week. I like those.
Sounds like you got it all covered this week.
DeleteKitties just like colder much better than we people!!!
I about done with quiet and ready to get busy again.
Have a good one
Zero spending here, I haven't left our little cottage since before Christmas but we are running out of fresh fruit and veg so need to go shopping early next week.
ReplyDeleteGood job! I am still eating on fruit I got before Christmas too. May need milk this week - but I could survive without. I have dry and evaporated.
DeleteEvery day home saves a little!
We're having a gray and overcast day here today, with lots of frost - my evergreen is nearly white in color. Yesterday, we had enough sunshine that Sasha was able to nap out in the sunroom, even though it was still chilly out there. Cats do love the sun.
ReplyDeleteTake care and stay well!y
Them kitties do love their sun! I can't say I blame them.
DeleteI know winter just started - but I'm over it!! LOL
Have a good one
It was just around freezing point most of the week - quite mild for here at this time of year and the snow that fell on New Year's day has all melted so it makes for clear walking. Most days were rather grey but Friday and Saturday were lovely. My bubble friend and I managed 3 long walks, through the local cemetery, down by the lake and along the river. We spotted a huge hawk and a beautiful cardinal who was making a lot of noise! My friend even spotted a beaver when she was down at the lake by herself one morning. We've been laughing as all us city folk have turned into nature buffs and bird-watchers! :-)
ReplyDeleteI have spent my total food budget for the month - and actually added a few dollars from my allowance. I hadn't intended to do this but it looks as though even stricter lockdown rules may be coming on Tuesday - including a possible curfew - so I decided to buy a few extras so that I can stay in as much as possible (aside from maybe 3 walks per week). Our numbers are too high and my province has run out of vaccine (more due this week) so best to stay put. The province next to mine put in a curfew as of last night and really, I don't understand why anyone would fuss - if you are following the rules then you've really no need to be out late at night anyway. If you work a late shift or you need to go for medical reasons, or you need to walk your dog - that's all fine. The stores are closed, restaurants (for takeout) will just close an hour or so earlier, and all the entertainment venues are closed so there's nowhere to go anyway....
I did an inventory of my small freezer unit and moved up some items to the top trays to be used over the next couple of weeks. There is plenty. I would have bought some chicken thighs if I'd seen some this morning but it was the one cut that had run out so I didn't bother. I did pick up lots of fruit & veg - both fresh and frozen, plus some dairy and bread. That should be it for the next few weeks.
I finished one batch of lentil soup and made another pot of onion soup for this week. I ate salads with chicken x 2, ham with mashed potato, broccoli and red cabbage x 2, salmon with veg one night and sausage & onion casserole x 2. Using up leftovers and repurposing others is still the order of the day - I had lots of onion/beef gravy left from the sausages so I thinned it out with some beef broth, added more onions, carrots, peas and barley and turned it into soup.
Stay well.
Glad you got out to walk and get to see so much wildlife. That sounds nice. We have had very little snow at all so far. Fine with me.
DeleteYour meals sound good. Great idea on the beef and gravy into soup.
Have a good one.
A cold, dreary week here, too, though the sun did shine yesterday. Made me much more productive. The birds know the days are getting longer. The male cardinals are starting to court at the bird feeder.
ReplyDeleteI had planned on spending no money last week, but my internet modem/router had other ideas. It had been kicking me offline at least once per session for quite a while, but the problem was getting worse and the wifi signal was weak. Ordered online from Best Buy and it was delivered within a couple of hours. Then spent much of the next morning with a call center in India trying to get Comcast to activate it. Their automated phone system is probably the worst I've ever encountered.
The modem solved only part of my computer problem. My sewing room laptop has finally gotten so slow as to be unusable. It was refurbished to begin with and isn't worth adding RAM and memory. I contacted a former coworker who refurbishes laptops and he is selling me a much better, newer one for $150 as soon as he gets the hard drive. Then I'll have music to sew by again.
I've been piecing Project Linus blankets from fleece offcuts this past week. Finished a couple of baby quilts and pulled fabric from my fabric pantry for a few more.
Frugalities this past week include getting a box of raisins someone left in the box of food pantry rejects at the mail station. Printed out a free monthly 2021 calendar to log my menus and to-do list. Ordered more books from the library instead of buying them used. Activated texting on my cell phone (not a smart phone) instead of buying a smart phone and upgrading our account. Texts are 20 cents each, but it seems like so many places and business websites are sending confirmation codes via text that it has become a necessity.
Meals this week include hamburger stroganoff, salmon patties and hot dogs.
This coming week I will be stocking up again at Aldi and WalMart. I don't like the current upheaval and uncertainty and will feel better when my pantry and freezer are back up to full capacity.
Hope everyone has a safe and frugal week!
Seems cloudy is the word. I guess January is one of the cloudiest months.
DeleteHow nice on getting more blankets done. I have a baby quilt or 2 to do.
Bummer on the internet and computer. That is a great however.
I just have a little flip phone, I have finally learned to basic text. Nothing but a few words! I get them, just don't answer much.
Meals sound good. Do what you need to feel comfortable. I am glad I am at full capacity.
Have a frugal one.
We spent some this week but we did a Sam's run for produce & dairy and DS2's family needed diapers, TP & applesauce and my boss's wife asked us to pick up a few things. I figure it saves in the end as only 1 family had to go instead of 3.
ReplyDeleteOur meals are still from the pantry, fridge & freezers and will be for a number of weeks yet.
I will be doing a Gather my Fragments this week and see what I have to use up. I know of at least 1 yellow pepper and some pork roast (pork fajitas I'm thinking.)
Last week we made Mexican Pork & Black Bean Rice Bowls from leftovers and also some BBQ pork sandwiches.
The Christmas tree will finally come down this afternoon but we will leave the lighted evergreen garland up on the banister for a while to keep it cheery during the long dark evenings.
Hope you continue to stay well.
Gosh I haven't been to Sam's for almost 2 years. I guess I should cancel membership. Nice to go for everyone.
DeleteYum those items mentioned sound good. I love bowl dinners.
I keep looking for some where to put some tiny white lights. They just make me smile. Don't blame you to leave them up.
Stay safe and well.
There have been crazy good sales over the last two weeks here so we have taken advantage of them while we can. We even got TP on sale!
ReplyDeleteI do celery the lazy way which is walk outside and stick it in the dirt. Within a week it is growing. This is summer.
Glad you have good sales - haven't noticed many good ads here since before Christmas. I would do that in summer. I don't buy celery often - so thought I would do this for now.
DeleteI am trying to stay out of stores and I swear we have needed something every dang day!
ReplyDeleteStart thinking about substitutes. I rarely NEED anything bad enough to go out every day. Sorry it hasn't worked out.
DeleteThe days may be getting a bit long but it sure is gloomy. That is to be expected for January, tho. Yep, any ray is sunshine is celebrated! It's good your kitties have a place where they can get in out of the weather. I just looked out the window over my desk and my neighbor's (hairdresser, actually) big black fluffy cat is in one of the windows, wanting in. I think he is the one that I fixed up a box bed for on our front porch and fed last winter. My dogs wouldn't be too happy to have him as a houseguest. ha!
ReplyDeleteI have frozen peppers and potatoes but not celery. Our freezer needs to be straightened up a bit. Back to the old organized vs unorganized method of storing things. Ahem... I tell the Urban Farmer you wouldn't shop in a store that had stuff scattered everywhere.
You have kept a journal for a long time. I keep a calendar but nothing personal written down.
Excellent quote from the old covenant! I am in Jeremiah now. I also am reading through a one year chronological Bible. Our days are bookended with scripture study. Enjoy your day...the sky is lightening a bit but I'll be surprised to see even a single sunbeam today.
Poor kitty. I hope she lets it in. Yeah, doggies might not be happy!
DeleteGray is normal for January - but we always seem to forget that!
Yes - you are right. We wouldn't be happy if the store had stock all willy-nilly!!! It is nice to find what you want and not lose things.
I keep the journal mainly to keep track of my days for the blog. No way could I remember what I did all week!
Here's hoping for a ray of sun or two!!!!!
Agreed Cheryl! Right is right and wrong is wrong and we will all make right and wrong choice on this journey through life. We can't expect people to be perfect, no matter who they are.
ReplyDeleteCold and rainy here but ventured out to a couple stores and got some wonderful deals! I was able to find some gifts for my gift stash and some great deals on food too. Here are some of the deals I found;
- Large box of 24 individual bags of cheese & butter popcorn
paid- $2.40
- Cinnamon wax melts paid- $0.15
- Coffee mug paid- $0.25 (Gift)
- Necklace & Earring Set paid-$2.00 (Gift)
- Reese's Bells & Cups paid-$1.49 a bag
- Plush Trio Car Set paid-$2.99 (Gift)
- Dress paid-$1.00 (for myself)
- Hair Dye paid-$2.10 (for myself)
Hope you have a grea day!
Forgot to add some meals we had this week:
Delete- Roast, mashed potatoes, green beans
- Teriyaki Chicken, Jasmine Rice & Steamed Broccoli
- Leftovers
- Hot dogs, Tater Tots & Green Beans
- Enchilada Casserole, Chopped Salad & Fruit Salad
What wonderful deals you got. My goodness. It sure paid to venture and look. WOW on the melts - that is crazy cheap. You did good.
DeleteOh your meals sound very yummy and comfort food for sure. It is that time of the year.
Delete