Retirement Mid Jan

Okay, I would have to say flipping to retirement ins has been a lesson in having patience for companies that do not have things in place BEFORE it's needed. We are still waiting for the money that Hubby's company gave him for medical, still waiting for our insurance to show I am covered and not just Hubby. I just want to bang my head on the table when I keep getting excuses as why things are still messed up after 6 wks of dealing when it was suppose to be only 4 wks..

Glad we put back 3 months of costs of ins in savings since we are having to use OUR money instead of the money the company gave us for that.

Glad We put back the FULL amount of out of pocket/deductible also because we are using it to pay medical bills because they keep saying Hubby is covered under family plan but I am not the family...I'm the only other one besides him on this insurance.

Glad we had 3 months of household bill amts in savings so we weren't late in paying the bills when it took 4 days to transfer his monthly amt from his 401k to our checking...don't seem to have even a 1 day delay when it comes out of the checking for bills so I don't understand the issue of it going in to the checking. BUT still at least our bank warned us to not count on it for 5 business days.

Glad he isn't driving to work every night during these winter storms that keep hitting every 3-4 days.

Paying bills once a month is kind of yucky... but I found we actually save more money when worried we won't have money towards the "end" off our month, which is actually the middle of the month now.

We are more focused on what we can make do with now to have money when we move which we priced out at $4000 not counting someone to pack it in their boxes, just load it and drive it and unload it.. We plan on FREE boxes except for my canning jars, just because we have dealt with broken canning jars of food. Daughter 2 thinks some of the boxes they get in would work for canning jars boxes also so she is going to bring them home if I ever can get her to REMEMBER as she is leaving work LOL.

Blessed Be

Update on new house

This is one of the 3 upstairs bedrooms. Two of them are this size, the 3rd is a bit smaller.There is one area that isn't finished that we are debating on making attic storage or another bedroom.Probably will be storage as it has NO windows and unless we put in skylights there is not another option for a window. Might be just me but I have problems with rooms without windows.Beautiful wood...BUT I am not a fan of total wood BUT I don't want to remove it or paint it either... A friend suggested I leave the ceiling part wood and make a "quilt" railing to hang fabric from . Then I could change the "colors" as I wanted and not mess up the wood. Might work...I could even change the fabric due to the seasons.

Since the central air will not be in this area we decides on this style of ductless AC

None of the bedrooms have closets. Two of the are open lofts with no privacy at all.

We thought about doing something along this line, this is a partial wall

and it also being the back of the closet. . Daughter 2 lived in a house that had these type of sloping ceilings in the bedrooms said they put in drawers on the lower side and the double bars on the higher side and it worked decent for her sons, one that has more clothes than his mother LOL.. Still in thinking stage as this probably won't be done until next fall/winter.

The well has been chlorinated and flushed and tested so that's off the list. Still waiting on getting the septic tank cleaned that the septic tested but the winter storms rolling through has been an issue.

Contractor is having 2 antique sinks refinished and I get first choice to look is I want one of them for the kitchen... If not I have picked this one out

The top faucet is probably what I will buy as it is the style I have used for years and does well with my large pots.

Hubby liked this type of shower head for  the showers. Son 2 has one and it does well for handicap also.

We both thought this style faucet would be good for the bathroom sinks and tub.

or maybe one with two handles for the water but same style.

We don't know if we will have ceiling lights but we are looking to see what we like. We also know we want an outside light at each door but haven't found "the one" yet. We have a chandelier,pot rack, 2 ceiling fans and 2 old copper lights that we could reuse.

This is the color (cherry cocoa) and style of the kitchen cabinets I chose. I don't want my kitchen to blend in since the dining room.family room and kitchen are one room. I would love to have a granite counter top with shades of green and rust(copper) in it but I can't afford granite so our contractor is looking to see what he can find in our price range to give me the same look.

Appliances will be black

this in black with brass handles would be my dream stove...not sure that dream is going to happen because it is the last thing we will buy.

We have to replace our French door with freezer on the bottom frig as our repairman said it was dying . He's repaired it four times already and it's on it's last legs. Guess 10 yrs is the best you can get now days. I have a smaller second one so if it goes out before we are ready to replace it.

I hope the microwave doesn't crap as it's on the "old" side also.

We have to start thinking about furniture also as somethings we have too much and others what we have needs redone or replaced.

Enjoy the day
Blessed Be

Jan 9th another week of being frugal

But Mommy I am so sweet and innocent

He deserved to have his face ripped off.

Life with a puppy. The only good part is this is a stuffed bear that the youngest grandson was going to throw away as there is no place around here that will take used stuffed toys so he gave it the pup.Pup had it 3 months before she decided he needed to die.

Tuesday we went to town for an appointment so took stuff to Goodwill and check in the store for a pole lamp. There was no lamp but I was able to get Daughter( actually I should list daughters as 1,2,3,and 4...she would be 2) 3 dozen plastic hangers and 2 pairs of gloves for $7.

We went to Menard's to get dog food, distilled water for humidifier,a clip on light for above the stove due that light fixture dying and 3 pots for Daughter's vines she has salvaged from a dying plant.Along with what was on the list we found a pole lamp in our price range,got LED light bulbs for the pole lamp and clap lamp(I did not want to buy a new fixture since we are moving and won't have that stove  after wards and we decided only LED lights at the new home) Out of pocket ZERO as we used the rebates we had saved. We also checked out some sinks, faucets and lights that we might want for the new house.

We went to Kroger's and got milk, heavy cream, half and half, cottage cheese, chip dip, sour cream, Greek yogurt,colby cheese(sliced for daughter), Single serving package of guac(daughter's lunches), moz sticks, red and green leaf lettuce, romaine lettuce, bibb lettuce , baby spinach, carrots,celery, broccoli,Frito's, chips and a beef roast as Son #1 called and said he was coming home tomorrow to visit for the day (he didn't make it home for Christmas due to work) so I decided a pot roast with root veggies would work as I wouldn't be in the kitchen and we could do more visiting. I had a small roast that would work for 2 people but not enough for 4.... out of pocket for the groceries of $131. ZERO ... I had a gift card that I used.

FINALLY they figured out what was wrong with our health ins BILLING acct and got it fixed so we can at least get it set up on auto pay. AND they got it so we can check our health ins.

I made my Swag buck's goal 4 times this week.

I saved 3 five dollar bills and 5 one dollar bills and some change for our Christmas savings.

WEDNESDAY  We finished taking down the Christmas decorations and picking up some down limbes out in the yard. I decluttered a cabinet in the kitchen. Ate beef roast(what I had bought along with what was in the freezer) with the potatoes from root celler  I tossed in the roaster with it and salad and the last of the cookie brownies and cherry pie while visiting SON 1. Daughter got in late after taking her son home after he got off work as his car is broke down and in the repair shop.

THURSDAY. Strange to not be finance day after decades of it being finance day. So I just checked to make sure everything was as it was suppose to be.

Dropped off Fed ex stuff to local hardware store pick up. Got gas at the cheapest place according to Gasbuddy, went to the bank and then put the mail in the mail box at the end of the lane on the way back in.Basically it was a big block drive so the dogs got a ride this morning.

 I decluttered the mudroom and sorted through the fruit we store there and cleaned out the mudroom frig. Need to inventory it still but at least nothing falls out when you open the door. Hubby straightened up his tools so he isn't buying something because he couldn't find it.

Hubby and SON 1 along with a friend plan to go deep sea fishing this fall , celebrete Hubby's retirement and turning 60. Friend found a better deal for 1/3rd the original price so they are going to lock that deal down NOW.

Realtor called and let us know the outhouse will be torn down tomorrow and the septic guy who lives right aroung the corner will hopefully be able to deal with cleaning it and running the test by tomorrow evening if the weather we are getting doesn't put a stop all the whole project. Freezing rain and sleet tonight, 4-7 inches of snow over night with 30 mph winds tomorrow...

Hubby bought us sandwiches for dinner using a coupon and gift card so ZERO out of pocket.

FRIDAY
Under a winter weather advisory. Rain this morning, freezing rain/sleet to come along with 3-5 inches of snow and 30 mph winds..... Daughter 2 had to drive an hour in this crap to make appts for her sons that the ex made and then he had to go work out of state... since he is working OUTSIDE in this crap she felt he got the worse end of this deal. BUT since it was crap , she stayed in that area with friends.

SO Hubby and I ate odds and ends out of the frig for our dinner. Hubby listened to the scanner and checked on neighbors and friends by phone to make sure everyone was doing ok. We didn't lose electric but a friend did and had some issues getting his generator to run even after just checking to make sure it was good last week.

We turned the furnace up since we have 2 more tanks to use before we move. Landlord said if we didn't use it all he would buy it from us since he will still have to keep heat in the house so it isn't going to be us losing money. He also reminded us he still had our deposit and he could use it for the last month we are here if we wanted to do it that way or we could pay and then he give back the deposit when we leave.

Landlord told us to turn the water off to the barn as there is going to be no animals in it except the pig(he has a water trough that is filled by bucket, we can fill that in the house if landlord's son doesn't want to transport water from his house that's 1 1/2 miles away). That means we don't have to worry about those pipes freezing. YEAH for all of us.

I inventoried the spice and herb cabinet (took measurements of cabinet so I know what I will need to build when we move). There is over 100 of them, that's down over 20 and I am making a list of what I need to focus on using up that I used cheffing but not so much at home, I would like to get these used up first since there is over 20 of them and that's about a shelf.

 My canning ingredients (pectin, citric acid etc) is also in this cabinet so I listed it so when the season starts I will already know what I need to get.I also know what I need to plant at the new house immediately so I might start those in pots to get them going.

SATURDAY...I'm home alone with 3 dogs that think that means it's a free for all... LOL.

Daughter 2 scheduled an appt to see a apartment at noon as the roads should be better in the area she stayed over night in. The person showing it said if she had to cancel due to weather she would call her and let her know and then they set up an appt as a back up on Tuesday at 10 just in case the roads weren't clear today. Figures cross that this apt will work for her and she can get it if it does. Gets her and the boys all back together and in school district they already are in.  She is also looking at some house rentals today since she is in the area.Hauling kids to games, practices and work ...you know parent stuff. Doing what she can for the stepmom that now has 7 kids under her roof. ( Just update, Daughter 2 didn't get to see the apartment so her and the manager are trying to work out a time this week)

Hubby is at a SCARES event today all day that tests how their HAM radios work in bad weather ,I think they ordered the weather and it came in early :), and what distance the radio signal will go.

SO I decided on using the chili I canned for dinner tonight.

Our "paycheck" LOL as in our monthly stipend for retirement came in yesterday so today is finance day. Takes 4 days for it to process so I can do better about knowing when it will actually come in.

I made a menu of the whiteboard of 5 meals I am fixing this week , not in order because that depends on what is going on. I will make plan overs from the leftovers to get the other 2-3 meals.

I will list what work, eg inventory, decluttering, packing I plan to do this week as Daughter 2 says it helps that she can look at my list when she gets in at night and see if she can do anything to help.

SUNDAY

I fixed beef and noodles and mashed potatoes. Beef and broth was from the roast I made on Wed. I have a quart of some of the beef and broth for soup for Hubby and me that I put in frig,if we don't eat it today or tomorrow I will freeze it.

I repotted Daughter2 vines into bigger pots that have drainage holes in the bottom so it's healthier for the vines. I planted tomato seeds I had harvested from some field paste tomatoes (first time doing that so not sure if they will do well). I did some winter sowing using this website http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2018/01/winter-sowing/. I planted kale, mustard, winter lettuce, mache and spinach. Kind of weird to do this for me but I didn't have to buy anything so if it works I know to plan on using it again.

I got my Swagbucks goal X 7. I usually get half the points through crave first thing in the morning while I do my devotionals and book work. I might have to get on a couple times a day to get it down but right now I want to earn as much as I can within reasonable time to get gift cards for the dogs needs.

Have a warm and safe week
Blessed Be