I know I am going to forget...so

I thought I would jot these frugal moments down.

I put foam insulators in the outlets and switches. Since I didn't have many (I know we have a ton some where in the barn) I started in the wheelchair bathroom as it's outside wall socket is on the northwest corner... WIND  came through the actual socket. YIPS. I put the insulator on and then did the north wall in the front room...same WIND. The front room east wall had some but not as bad.

Hubby went out in the barn and found some pieces of insulation board and a couple wood boards and put them on the northwest and north walls foundation of the house. He also insulated the old breaker box that is NOT connected to anything but we didn't get off the side of the house last summer and thought that was also part of the draft probably. There is still a 3 degree temp between the front room and Wheelchair bathroom and the rest of the outside walls. We will be doing insulation this summer. I don't think they put insulation where the garage walls met the foundation when they converted the garage to the front room and bathroom.

I found a hole in the foundation of the pump house that Hubby now has plugged. We have a gas heater in there also so that also saves on the propane being used to keep the pump from freezing.

I already noticed a drop in the amount of propane we use each week even though our propane company let us know we are 5 % below average usage for this house and what appliances use gas including me canning and baking.

I found more outlet and switch insulators so I continue around the outside walls.Child safety plugs are on the to buy list to stop the cold air coming through the actually outlet holes ( update, got some and have about half the house outlets now plugged)

With the change to LED Christmas lights even with more expensive electric here than the old place where the bill would have been around $225... it was $128 . We averaged 45 cents/day compared to the month before for the use of the LED lights. I see more LED Christmas lights in the future as the fake tree had regular lights on it this year so that is on the to buy list.

I continue to turn the furnace down to 60 when we are out of the house more than 4 hrs, I turn it down to 64 when we are gone less than 4 hrs.

I now unplug my laptops not just turn them off along with unplugging phone chargers and the 2 extra landline phones base. I found the landlines don't go dead for a week even off the chargers. I want to see if this brings down the electric this month. Hubby put his on a power strip as it doesn't plug in to an easy place to get to.

I had to bake 4 different things at 4 different temps so I started with the lowest setting and time it so there was only about 10 min between what I was baking. The last was dinner at 400 for 15 min.

I wrote up the menu and the baking menu..figured out the temps so I can do more combined baking to save propane.

I have to replace some baking pans. Since I bake  and I will be doing more of baking I am not buying cheap, but well made sturdy that will hold up years. I checked out Wilton first , it's been my go to for decades but the last 4 pans I bought did not hold up past 3 yrs. My son 2 had a pan from King Arthur that he has used for everything, deep dish pizza, lasagna ( I use glass for this but son uses parchment paper to line when using acid stuff in his metal pans), cakes, etc. YES HE BAKES. He has had this pan for 10 yrs. So I am going to try King Arthur (had a gift card from Son 2 which made the cost more in line with what I was willing to spend and stay in budget. This is out of my spending money for myself budget.

I ordered my canning supplies through Fillmore. Mason jar rings and lids. I pick up jars when they go on sale at the end of the canning season and stores are clearing them out.That was in the garden budget.

The house humidity is 36 and needs to be at least 42 so Hubby is picking up distilled water for the humidifier  after work today after he goes to the bank... won't have to back track for anything that way. I don't NEED anything from the store.Usually we have to start the humidifier in Nov so we have save $$ not having to buy distilled water for 2 1/2 months.

My Auto ins agent was checking our policy (he does every 2 months) and was able to reduce our payments by $80/ month since I turn 60 this month.

I am hanging laundry on the kitchen porch line to freeze dry LOL or become damp and finish drying on drying rack. When I don't want to do this I remind myself that I want the deck this early summer not next year and the money I save pays for the gravel we need to put the deck up.

We did splurge and bought dinner at a different Chinese restaurant. Hubby paid using the money he got helping the neighbor. We had enough left over of 2 dinners(Hubby eats SPICY) that we had 2 more meals each. So that actually made it as cheap as the Chinese buffet with a coupon. Hubby was happier as he got SPICY. Next he will get something with seafood...I know him. LOL

I was making the grocery list last night as my basement frig froze my carrots and celery (grr.. This happens a couple times a year and I can fix it myself since my Appliance guy showed me how). I asked Hubby if he still wanted apples for his lunches. He thought about it and said NO, he wouldn't need them to next week... I came back with I am not going to the store next week so you will need to figure out what you want to use instead....He changed it to YES, he wanted apples. He takes apples, crackers and peanut butter for snacks for work. They work nice if he's not able to get back into the main post to eat something. He takes a thermos of hot food, trail mix and a thermos of coffee as he drinks water when he is at the main post or out post.  I am going to the store about every 2 wks I would love to stretch it to 3 if I can get milk that is dated a bit farther out than 1 week.

I had some errands to run to pay some bills and appointments this week. I am glad I made phone calls. One bill was not only paid over the phone they set me up for auto pay, they don't have a website. Two others told me of better times to come in on different days. Sounds like Monday and Fridays are horrible. I was suppose to go to 4 stores(rebates combined with sales) BUT two of those might not happen as the one appt was cancelled so I won't be in that area. I am not sure the savings is worth the trip and the rebates don't have expire until next month. So instead of running around using $20 of gas and waiting in long lines today I am home making soup (was suppose to be creamy enchiladas from The Prudent Homemaker) but decided to do a soup(carries better for hubby in his thermos) of dried diced potatoes, dried carrots, dried red onions, dried celery, dried parsley, dried oregano,powered marjoram , 2 cups of diced turkey, 6 large bouillon cubes and 8 cups of water. Was good...think I will do beef bouillon cubes, diced beef and add dried mushrooms next time and see how that goes. Might toss barley in there also.

Hubby has 10 % of what he needs to save for the trailers he is wanting. He should get his first paycheck this week so he can fill his truck up as he as made his fuel last 4 wks ...he has a 40 gal tank. His pay goes into his savings for the 2 trailers he wants to buy.

We have 50 % of what we will owe on taxes, might be more with the changes of deductibles.

We have 50 % of what we want saved to pay for health ins in 2 yr when Hubby's old employer no longer pays our share.

As I remind myself daily when looking for ways to save Money that I am saving for the gravel and gardens and maybe some Christmas lights that are LED at this time.

I have saved 35 % of the amount needed for the gravel for the deck.

I have 75 % of the amount to cover what I feel I need in the gardens.

I probably forgot something LOL