Hello everyone. It is Sunday again - one week down in another month. Two weeks until Spring equinox. WOOHOO.
It will a week of March madness here this week - and I am not speaking of basketball! Yesterday we got to 75* and very windy. Next Saturday has a prediction of the 20's for a high!!!! WHAT? 70's - 20's, rain, storms, and flurries - the madness of March is upon us.
This morning I got myself up and ready, fed all the cats, wrangled an opossum from the greenhouse and had my breakfast drink made my 6:20AM! It was dark - but the birds were singing happily, and it was 66*. We had rain and super high winds overnight. I slept with the ceiling fan on and the window open a bit. No heat at all! Tonight we have another big storm front coming through. UGH! But, spring rains bring growth and life.
I saw a couple flies outside yesterday!! LOL
My week:
- Cooked up a pound of ground sausage into patties. Used a couple and froze the rest for a quick fix
- I repackaged a big bag of rice I have. I refilled my gallon jar in pantry and filled 3 more gallon jars for future. I think I am good with rice for a long while!
- Cleared out under the bar area downstairs (it will be a good hidden storage area). Many old drink mixers and bits and drabs of alcohol - all trashed (so old). I did keep some lovely bottles and cleaned them
- I got Roku this week. My neighbor picked up device for me and helped me install. It will take some getting used to. This hopefully puts me one step closer to getting rid of cable
- Laundry done in cold and got to line dry it yesterday!
- I went to Kroger - peer pressure! LOL. I needed nothing, but keep hearing I should go. I did get a few bargains - but would have been fine if I hadn't!!! I did get 56 more cans of cat food (that's only a couple weeks or so). Got some snacks and produce marked down and also drink mixes
Got drink flavors on clearance for 37/box of 6 (got 10 boxes). Gatorade/no sugar mix for 1.04 box. DEAL!
- Got gas while out early in week. I had a .10 discount - paid 3.39/gal. I only needed a little over 1/4 tank. This was the first time of buying gas since 12/29!!!!! Staying home pays!
- I did stop at CVS while out and got a couple bottles of vitamins and herbs I needed
- I also stopped at Dol. Gen. and Fam. Dol. (all in same parking lot) - found absolutely nothing in either place.
- Cleaning and organizing more. Declutter still happening - getting boxes and bags together for donation
- Meals from home and using what I have. Using or freezing all leftovers
- Just doing all the normal stuff
- Airing house 3 days!!
Meals this week:
Scrambled eggs, sausage patties and toast
Combo of fried cabbage, potatoes and bacon (used the last bit of cabbage)
Homemade pizza - supreme - using what I had
Tamales over rice
Grilled egg/ham/Swiss sandwich and sauteed asparagus
Baked potato w/cheese and sour cream and salad
SNACKS - donuts, popcorn, veggies & dip, fruit
How was your week? Did you find any deals? How is your weather doing? I hope you are all doing good. I love hearing from you all.
I know prices are going up on everything - but we should be thankful we have our pantries and freezers. I know I am not rich by any means - but I will gladly pay what I need to - to know your children, grandchildren and my nieces and nephews are NOT being bombed or having to hide in underground facilities and to know are families aren't being torn apart! We are blessed in so many ways. I pray it stays that way.
My thoughts and prayers for all that may be in harms way. The evil must be and will be stopped and goodness will prevail.
Prayers you are all safe and healthy. Blessings from my humble little home to you and yours.
I will instruct you and teach you the way you should go; I will counsel you with my eye upon you.
Psalm 32:8
For the upright will inhabit the land, and men of integrity will remain in it; but the wicked will be cut off from the land, and the treacherous will be rooted out.
Proverbs 2:21-22
Congrats on keeping your gas needs minimal. I always approve high gas prices. We should restrict our consumption in order to help the planet as extraction and burning of fuel are so damaging but it takes a hit on the pocketbook to get folks motivated. Our gas has hit $1.80 a liter and heading up.
ReplyDeleteToo bad you ditched your alcohol. It never goes bad, no matter how old and it's a disinfectant if you don't want to consume it. However, that's all water under the bridge. You weren't using it and now you will enjoy your pretty bottles. I do not drink alcohol so have old bottles too. I slowly use it for soaking Christmas cakes or other food related needs. Old beer can be used to make beer bread.
Enjoy the awakening of spring. Always a joyful time of year.
The alcohol I threw out was just dribs and drabs of nasty stuff hubs tried years ago. Nothing really lost! Any that had a decent amount in it - I kept. Not for drinking, but other things.
DeleteI don't mind the high gas prices - it has happened many times in my life. People seem to forget how many times it has been super high.
Have a good week
Well, I used a bit more gas than you. I decided I'm tanking up every time I'm down to half so Friday I did the deed. 10 gallons, only 204 miles driven in 2 months.
ReplyDeleteMy garden continues to give. From the freezer: roasted zucchini, chopped red/orange bell peppers, diced onions, basil pesto......add some fresh garlic, pour in a little half n half and some penne...............I've got dinner for days 🤩😍
I went to 1 store Friday and used a bunch of coupons they had sent. While there, my favorite brand chocolate had 1 type closing out at 50% off. I bought a bunch (might go back for more as it's just 2miles from home).
So, not much excitement in my life 🤣🤣
Your life is as exciting as mine - so that's OK!
DeleteWonderful that the garden still provides - that is just so neat. I love it.
Good idea on filling up every week even if only needing a little. It sure won't hurt as bad.
Have a great one
Not filling every week.....every time I get below half tank ;-)
DeleteAt least you will be keeping up with it.
DeleteGreetings on this 1st Sunday of March! I'm excited to share with you (and your readers) that yesterday I discovered you can make the most DELICIOUS whole cranberry sauce using dried cranberries, bottle apple juice and a tiny bit of sugar. You know we're moving soon. I had 2/3rds of a large bag of low sugar dried cranberries leftover from the 2020 holiday season. I also had 2/3rds of a bottle of apple juice. Both went into a large pot, I brought it to boil, reduced heat to low, covered and simmered for an hour or so. When most of the liquid was gone, I stirred in 2 T. sugar and simmered another 10-15 minutes. Cooled and chilled, it was a big hit with the turkey dinner made yesterday (remember that 99 cent per pound turkey?).
ReplyDeleteToday I have turkey broth simmering in a large pot on the stove using the fat skimmed brown-n-bag juices, bones and water. About 1/2 of the turkey meat leftovers went home with oldest son last night. The rest will be used for meals for a few days and I'll have the broth for soup of some kind for another few days.
Gasoline here is $5.39 a gallon. Yes, you read that correctly. Highest in the nation, we're told. And, unfortunately, with a move at the end of the month, we'll be burning some gas over the next few weeks. But for the frugal car bit we got new tires at $99 per tire at Walmart. Not bad.
Praying every day for those in Ukraine. --Elise
WOW - aren't you thrifty. Thank you for advising about the cranberry sauce. I have dried berries as well and apple juice! Hmmmmm.
DeleteTurkey sounds good. I have a pack in the freezer yet, from the holidays. May get that out this week.
I have heard CA is by far the highest on prices. Of course, I have always heard everything there is expensive. It sure is nice being in the midwest - things don't get quite as bad.
Not bad on the tires!
Have a good week.
EM, mine is $7.80 a gallon today Sunday
DeleteWe refer to it as the "Paradise Tax" here, Cheryl. That's one of the main reasons we're retiring elsewhere. Not everyone is able to do that. We're very, very grateful we can. Even if it means snow in winter again. At least where we're going it melts of fast!
Delete"off" ... oops!
DeleteParadise tac - now that is funny. Nah, I don't think I would care for paradise that bad! LOL
Delete7.80!!!!!!!!!!! Wow, that is high.
We went to SAM's and only bought five items. Boy, were there huge packages. Massive. The cart was filled.
ReplyDeleteYep - they have huge parcels. I haven't been there in over 3 years - I let my membership go. Just not worth it for me.
Delete$3.39 is a deal on gas! We are paying $5.00/up here on the west coast. So thankful for. my 10-year old car that is a hybrid and that I switched jobs about a 1 1/2 years ago (from an hour commute to a 10 minute commute).
ReplyDeleteIt has gone up since then. I think I heard it is 3.99 today. Moving up quickly. To be expected.
DeleteThose short commutes sure are wonderful.
Have a wonderful week.
Cheryl, oh my its so warm here in NI. Today. I've spent all afternoon in the garden. I will probably pay for it later with my pains and aches.
ReplyDeleteYour pizza looks yummy.
Sylvia
So happy you have had such a nice day. Those aches will be worth it!
DeleteThank you - I love homemade pizza
Have a great week.
We have not been out since Friday but gas was 3.99 then. Sam's was 3.19. We are being price gouged because Sam's cannot be selling it at a loss. Glad to hear you found cat food. I am hearing of some cooking meat to feed to their cats.
ReplyDeleteDeals this week included free lettuce because the cashier at Aldi saw that the pack was about to expire and gave it to us for free! I washed and spun and into the produce keeper and it has kept fine. Eggs were .77 so we packed the fridge with 11 dozen. Publix had Chobani milk BOGO and a $2 off coupon dispenser so we bought 5 half gallons and also submitted to iBotta for a profit of 1.25. There was an ecoupon for free cookies so we picked those up. The milk is dated 4/15 so we are set for a while. On to the discount grocery where we bought six 2# bags of coffee beans for 4.99 each, lg. bags of sea salt for 3.49 and 5# of cornmeal for .99. Hubby vacuum sealed the coffee for long term storage since we already had 13 pounds on hand. Cornmeal is stored in the fridge. Sam's club trip to stock up bread flour, another 50 pounds, another TP, 7# brown sugar, our beloved Pioneer Country Gravy mix, chicken thighs for .98#, Angus whole sirloin tip for 3.86# and real maple syrup. The beef was cut into four roasts and vacuum sealed. We put two chicken thighs in a qt freezer bag and push them apart so they are not touching. This way if we want just one we can easily pop one out of the bag and put the other back in the freezer. All produce was prepped and put in produce keepers where it keeps long and well. I made banana pudding with out of date milk and going brown bananas for desserts. I used cottage cheese that was $1 for a whole case at the discount store a few weeks ago in place of ricotta in lasagna and I really think we like that better. My goal is to be so well stocked with non perishable food that we can only buy perishables as the prices go higher.
We both had a free sandwich at Chick fil A and get free senior drinks so we had lunch out for only the cost of one lg FF one day. That was a nice break in the middle of errands.
Have a thrifty week!
I keep tons of tuna on hand as well - just in case for cats.
DeleteWOWZA you got some deals. My goodness, you seemed to have a jackpot of a week. That is fantastic
I have never purchased ricotta - have always used cottage cheese in lasagna. I don't like cottage cheese to eat - but it makes good lasagna.
Hope you have another fantastic week!
That pizza looks great!
ReplyDeleteMy tax filing woes continued this week. I finally filed with H&R Block, since I couldn't figure out the problem with TurboTax. Well, H&R screwed up my state return, leaving the entire second page devoid of entries!! So now it is sitting in cyber limbo at the Dept. of Rev. I know it will be rejected, but I have to wait until the state officially rejects it to know how to rectify the situation. I will probably do whatever needs to be done on paper and snail-mail it. In the course of filing with H&R, I inadvertently found out what my problem was with TurboTax. I tried to do something that H&R gave me an error message for but TT did not, instead putting me into an endless loop. When I logged in to TT and did the item differently, it worked. ARRRRRRGH!!! So now I am out money to H&R but can't file again electronically because my federal return has been accepted by the IRS. And my anxiety level is way up again.
Frustration in the genealogy dept, too. I had worked for weeks on one line of my family, entering detailed sources into FamilySearch for every entry I made. Then another researcher came along and started undoing my work and entering incorrect dates and locations without any sources! I messaged her, asked her to input her sources, and firmly told her to not add info w/o sources. Then I had to fix all the damage she had done.
Shopped at Aldi and WalMart this week. Aldi was well stocked. WalMart was not, and prices there have gone up a lot. At WM I get only those things I can't get elsewhere, but when I looked at certain items, the prices had finally reached my "Nope and walk away" breaking point. Even birdseed was up over 100%. The birds may have to fend for themselves this summer.
Gasoline around her on Friday was $3.89. I need to top it off this week. Costco should be 30 cents cheaper or so.
Our weather is much the same as yours. Yesterday was very warm, and we sat outside a little while. Today is very windy with rain and storms predicted for tomorrow. I did get to the walking trail 3 times this past week. The trail conditions the other direction from the parking lot were much better than my usual way. I walked 3.4mi. each day. Sure needed it for my stress level lately! I'm hoping this will be a better week all around.
Bummer on the taxes. That has to be so frustrating. I ALWAYS go snail mail and registered/certified. I refuse to do them electronically.
DeleteThat is a mess with the genealogy. My goodness, she should not have been correcting your work.
If birdseed goes up 100% here - yep, they will be on their own. I will provide for my cats first and foremost. I love feeding the other animals - but 100% is crazy. So many people are just jumping on the price increase bandwagon - before the cart has even left the barn!
I understand things WILL go up with gas and shipping and other inventory problems - but it shouldn't be yet!
Glad you got out and walked. Being out in the lovely air is so nice. I hope your stress goes down some this week! Sorry you are having so many difficulties!
Have a blessed week!
This afternoon, I took out some of my frustrations on an area in the back yard where I want to add another raised bed for vegetables. Had to dig out a very overgrown hosta. That was hard work! Also moved some of the sand from Husband's former exercise area to the base of the back steps. Then I put down the rubber outdoor tiles that used to be in his exercise area to make a 'landing pad' at the bottom of the steps. I'd done this once, but the sand had settled, and the last step was too steep for Husband to safely negotiate. So I was able to reuse some supplies, anyway, though the hosta went on the brush heap. Felt a lot better after all that physical activity. Also know just how out of shape and flabby I've gotten lately!
DeleteSometimes it takes physical labor to make us feel better. Great job. Nice to be able to use the supplies on hand for different projects. I have a big one this year - I hope to reuse much of. We'll see. I am very out of shape after this winter. Slow and steady!
DeleteWell, you have done it now! Everyone that reads your blog is going to want pizza. I need to make some dough for the freezer any way but I have everything else.
ReplyDeleteI have not been out this week. I did see a couple of loss leaders and great prices on a few things. I don't have to have them. Just butter, bacon, hamburger for the freezer, canned tuna and bottled water for the pantry. I just like to get a good deal when I can.
LOL - I guess - many have mentioned the pizza! I had the last from the freezer today!
DeleteGood for you on staying home. I really wish I had. I didn't need what I bought - but now I have it and will use it. So that is OK.
I like a deal too.
Have a good week
Pizza is definitely on the list of to-do's this week. There is a chub of salami that needs using, and I have the rest of the ingredients on hand.
ReplyDeleteMy best deal this week was BOGO chicken breasts. I got four breasts for about C$9. Enough for at least three meals for the two of us. M
Like you, I'm grateful that I live in relative peace, no worries of bombs and snipers in my little part of the world. Our province is home to many Ukrainian immigrants from its inception (1905) and I expect we'll see many more joining us as they must relocate, at least temporarily. I've sent off a small donation to the Red Cross, and hope for a speedy resolution to this mess.
Pizza is it this week!!! LOL
DeleteGood deal on the chicken and to feed 2 for 3 meals - great!
Yes, all cities have problems - but life here is good for the most part. We are so fortunate. I bet you see many more relocating as well. God bless them all.
Have a wonderful week.
That's a good looking pizza! : )
ReplyDeleteRoku, can you tape with that? Here is the Channel Master site, they have a wonderful customer service if you want a thingie you can tape with and onscreen guide with regular antenna tv. Here's the site, I'm not sure if they have the one we have, maybe they are out but it looks like they have others. There is some great info on the site and like I said, they are so nice there for questions. https://www.channelmaster.com/pages/about
Wonderful and appropriate scriptures, I appreciate that and read them.
Blessings!
Thanks Amelia. I don't think there is a record option - from what I see everything is basically on demand. Other than buying the device ($30) there is no charge. I CAN buy different groups - but get a lot for no money.
DeleteThank you!
Have a wonderful week.
What a delicious looking pizza. I plan on making one later this month.
ReplyDeleteYou got some great sales there.
God bless.
Thanks - I thought I got some deals. They will be used.
DeleteThe pizza was tasty.
Have a wonderful week.
Still coughing!! However, thanks to my dear husband, the kitchen is cleaned and mopped! He helped me and we cleaned out the fridge, too. I got the ironing done for the week, as well. Boy, did my stamina go down from this cold!!
ReplyDeleteYesterday we had all the windows open and today we have a light layer of snow! March is as fickle as a 13 yr. old girl!! One day it's all sunshine and the next is frigid.
Dang, you win the gas prize!!! December?!?! That's amazing. We don't drive much, but hubs has to get to work so the cost is killing us. It's not forcing us to drive less, it's forcing us to make some tough choices in other necessary areas.
I hear that Sam's is out of TP again here. I'm glad we got some a couple of months ago when hubs got some very rare OT.
Aside from that, not much to report! I'm still in recovery mode.
Sorry you are still coughing - but it sounds as if you are doing a little better. So sweet of hubs for helping. Yes, the weather is fickle. Match is one of those months that you never know from day to day.
DeleteI basically go nowhere - so my gas lasts!
I think a lot of people will be making tough choices in the future.
Seriously? No reason to be out of TP except for people hoarding. I am good here.
Take care and have a good week.
Cheryl, I meant record, not tape. Oops!
ReplyDeleteI know - I mix the two as well!!!
DeleteGreat deals Cheryl. You know I've heard that same sentiment from others and I think that also. Even though it hurts in the wallet we are still safe and that's what matters.
ReplyDeleteHave a great Monday!
Thanks. yes, as long as our families are safe - that is ALL that matters.
DeleteHave a great one
Watching the prices rise is starting to give me anxiety! And, I don't even want to think about what I'll find when logging on to my financial planner's site. He's the expert, so I'm trusting that he knows what he's doing, and if there are changes I need to make, he'll let me know.
ReplyDeleteI'm making the most of the trips I have to make. Over the weekend, I went across the State line to watch my grandniece play in a volleyball tournament. Gas was significantly cheaper in Indiana than it is in Illinois ($3.99 vs. $4.29), so I filled up before heading back home. And I made a stop at Menards for a few things, and then to a grocery store that I knew had some good sales going on. Both were on my way home, so it made sense to stop then, rather than make another trip. My best buy was chicken leg quarters for $0.69/lb. (on sale again this week) and some sub rolls from their bakery section at 3/$1.00. I'll use one for sandwiches and the others for garlic bread. I also snagged some family-size bags of Chex mix for $1.25/bag, for afternoon snacks. A few other items were comparable in price to my regular store, so I grabbed them and will avoid making a grocery run later in the week.
I was starting to think about getting the planters ready for spring gardening, but the weather is not yet stable enough, nor has my wrist healed enough to be moving those heavy pots around. We had severe storms roll through late Sat. night, and the weather service even issued a Red Alert Warning for my area. I slept through it all completely, never heard the wind, rains, nor my phone warning signal. Today, I woke up to snowflakes. Ugh!!!! Hoping it's the last of the "white stuff" we'll see.
Thankful for what we have, even if it costs more. Prayers for those who are suffering, and for the world as a whole.
Lori - I am not even going to check investments! I have lost nothing as long as I don't panic and try to move it. It will return, eventually. Avoid checking if possible - less stress.
DeleteGlad you got better prices in IN. Good to hear. I keep telling people!! LOL
You got some nice deals for sure.
We had rain Saturday night and big storms last night - flurries off and on the rest of the week! It aint done yet!! Sadly.
Hope you have a great week.