Mid July... 11 days to surgery..staying frugal

I have a post it on my desk that I sit down at every morning that says"what can I do frugal today?"

Sometimes that is only take a shower when I really really want to soak in the tub even though we don't pay for water (live in the boonies) we pay for the electric to heat the water and the electric to run the pump for the water. BUT the last few days I've had to soak due to a rash from the weeds we cleared from our daughter's. Not the type of soak I was wanting. I used epsom salt, witch hazel, rubbing alcohol and Aloe on the advice of my doctor since I am allergic to so many things that most use for rashes

Wikibuy cancelled my order for the 2nd dehydrator. I got one during Amazon's Prime day sales for half of the normal price cheaper than what I would have gotten through Wikibuy and BIGGER... that is frugal.

I made 5 gallons of laundry soap that cost me less than $1.50 to make.Used the clothesline or drying rack when I did the laundry.

Used the inserts to the cold cereal (Hubby's meal before he lays down in the mornings)to layer meat on cookie sheets for the freezer to freeze individually before I bag them. I buy cereal when it's on sale and I have coupons that puts a big box around $2.

Hubby fixed his tailgate twice and then fixed his rear lights.

AC has been off a couple nights and I kept the windows shut and just turned the fan in the bedroom on low. Windows open every morning, curtains closed in the afternoon.Hubby ran the window AC in the bedroom when there is enough breeze I won't turn on the Central Air.Lights off when not in room or needed, Computers and coffee makers on powerstrips that are turned off ( I unplug at night or during storms)

The fuel tank for the tiller is to be in this week and that will be fixed. They gave us a discount due the wait of getting the part in.

We used Speedway fuel card and Kroger pts for our gas.

I am weeding daily to keep up with it so Hubby isn't overwhelmed when I go down on surgery. Cherry tomatoes are starting to turn, eggplants are about half my thumb length, bell peppers are getting a decent size, Should have a couple nice green tomatoes to fry next week.Still have lettuce which is a shock with this heat.

I got my son's wardrobe done without buying anything to refinish it. Score for both of us.

I am working on the buy list to be stocked up when Hubby retires and by doing so I have found some things that should have been in one spot but was in another so we aren't as low as I thought.I brought a bookcase that was sitting in the farrowing house (storage building now) that we bought over a year ago and used it upstairs to sort the Personal Items on for storage.I moved a smaller bookcase into another bedroom upstairs to put empty canning jars on so I can get to them if I try canning with one hand.

I dehydrated spearmint, peppermint, thyme and basil.

I used milk/water mixture to treat the mold on the plants. I use borax and sugar at the base of the hummingbirds feeders to get rid of the ants. I use borax to scrub the bathroom and floors.

I changed a 30 day med order to a 90 day on 2 prescriptions saving $10 between the two so that is $40 a year.

We went to a hog roast on behalf of the man that Hubby had to do CPR (none of the Medical people had ever seen someone that gray that survived with very little damage). I took 2 salads from our pantry and gardens.We took water also instead of buying it.

I picked up medical items I will need after surgery on sale at Dollar General.

We went to Menards to pick up weed killer for our daughter (should have done that before we all got rashes from the honeyvine milkweed) and ran across several good FOOD buys of things we needed to fill in the pantry. I almost have my pasta filled back in and I got a few more boxed dinners that Hubby thought he could handle to get us pass the two week mark.I figure by then I can start cooking with one hand and not mess myself up.

I fixed egg sandwiches tonight for dinner just to see if I could crack eggs one handed, fry them and then make the sandwich and then cut it. Closing the bread sack was the hardest.

We are at what Hubby's employer considers catastrophic medical wise so we no longer have copays or deductible which hit just at the right time with the surgery in 11 days. What we do owe is sitting in the saving waiting for the bills. Two of them will give us discounts for paying before the due date. We try to wait until about 3 -4 days before it's due to pay it.

I wrote up a menu for 37 weeks even included sides on some. If there was a recipe I noted where it was (computer bookmarks main, side etc, what cook book , BRANDY.( The Prudent Homemaker) yeah the eat beans for a week and whatever is on her menus that I had already in the pantry and freezers is listed.

 I am half way through my have to be done before surgery list. Even if I only get 1/4th of what is left done... I will consider it a success.

May you find peace in your day
Blessed Be

Second week of July...remembering

Do you have a certain bowl that when the family sees is they can tell you what is in it without looking?

This bowl used to belong to my late Husband's grandmother. After the rest of the family had went through and got what they wanted before the auction, we went through it for what he wanted. I asked for this bowl. He told me that that bowl had mashed potatoes in it during the cold months and either potato salad or macaroni salad during the warm months. SO that's what I put in it. My kids will also tell you that is held popcorn many times also.It was at one time the only large bowl I had. The kids keep trying to claim it.

This bowl doesn't see much action now days with just Hubby and me. I only make about 1/3rd of the potato salad and now pasta salad (Hubby prefers it) and less than that with mashed potatoes. Popcorn is only once in awhile since I have to watch corn products with my Crohn's. Even though it's not used regularly, it sits in the front of the cabinet with mixing bowls.

Why? Because it reminds me to be frugal in the kitchen. Grandma Cate grew all their food and took care of the farm animals while Grandpa ran the sawmill. If she didn't grow it, find it wild and can or dry it  they didn't have it to eat. They ate fresh in season, milk came from the cow in the barn, ham from the pig. She had chickens always and 2 turkeys that she raised for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I never got to meet her but I try to honor the lessons she passed to her grandson who is now with her.

Hubby and I spent his "shut down" working around the house and helping our youngest with her to do list at her house. Older daughter didn't have anything that needed done right now but will before winter hits so we postponed going to her house. Yard work caught up, all gardens weeded and planted , there is no room for anything else at this point.. I potted up 8 of the tomato plants and 2 dozen onions to give to youngest daughter as she is the only one gardening this year besides us. I found some strawberry plants that had came up in the old strawberry box so I transplanted them into the new beds. The old bed got killed off last winter and these just started up. We put the swing together and moved the set into the garage so we can sit and swing in the garage during the heat of the day when we are out in the back yard area.Moved the fire pit to the driveway. It's portable and kept blowing away in the other area of the yard , I can roll it in the garage during storms and it's not going to catch anything on fire in the driveway plus the garden hose is right there if needed.

Wikibuy cancelled my dehydrator order due to lack of supplies...so back to hunting for that.

Turned off AC when we were outside all day. I opened windows and doors every morning,open curtains in the morning, close the top of them in the afternoons to keep the sun out but breeze coming through the screens.Walked behind Hubby turning off lights and fans when he left the room. He got better by the end of the week of stopping before he left a room and checking to make sure he left nothing on. He called it practicing for retirement of not having me nagging him about it. It's funny because he used to get on the oldest about her leaving tvs and lights on in HER home 24/7 and then complain about her electric bill.

We went out once with our friends (coupon) and ordered calzones once (daily special).

We ate onions and lettuce from the gardens and I had mint tea from the garden.. Have blooms on tomato plants and some soon to be cherry tomatoes. Have an eggplant growing. Have spinach that will be ready this week. Have jalapeno peppers that I can pick today for our meal. Harvest spearmint and peppermint.Checked the garlic that is curing.

Moved dehydrator to garage. Usually in the summer I set it on the table on the front porch so it doesn't heat up the house but this summer the table is turned upside down every day to keep it from blowing away with the storms that are rolling through. So it went to the garage. The good side of that is Hubby cleaned half of one side of the garage so nothing would be around the dehydrator and in doing so found several things he thought he had lost. Lost it alright in his clutter of dump here and deal with it later.

I finished son's wardrobe and can take it to him on Thursday when we flip our truck for his car so we can go see Dad and take Dad out to eat. Dad can't get in and out of our truck. Son uses the truck to haul stuff he can't move in his car while he has it.

I finished getting the emergency supplies with a note to myself that we can eat everything in that area in December as I get fresh supplies in March.

I decluttered a couple boxes in the front room and put them in storage where they belong.

We used Speedway fuel card and Kroger points for gas.

I combined coupons and sales to stock up for this winter when we have no income and for items that I will need while down due to surgery.

I bought Hamburger Helper ...4 boxes (my coupon stated I had to have 4) that was on sale. I don't usually buy Hamburger Helper but Hubby used to when he was a single parent. So I got them for when he is cooking while I am down. We figure 8 wks of me not cooking at all. I can't lift my pots and pans with one hand (both shoulders need surgery, right one is the first one to operated on). I found hamburger on sale, I cooked 3 lbs and divided it in to 4 bags (yes I know that's less than a pound but Hubby who is a big meat eater doesn't realize it ), and labeled the bags for the Hamburger Helper and froze it. I will make some meatloaf in cupcake tins. prebake them and then freeze them also. I found pork loin on sale and then marked down, cut it in half for pork roasts as we have plenty of pork chops in the freezer. I can always use the meat slicer to cut it in to pork chops if needed. I found London Broil beef marked down, cut it in half and froze it. It can be London Broil or sliced on meat slicer for Philly steak or stirfries. I am trying to get 8 wks of meals that are just warm up or finish putting together.

I got several medical supplies, dish soap and body soap with coupons and on sale. I bought Olay bar soap, coupon and sale to make laundry soap. It seems to be the only soap both of us can stand the smell of .

We both are losing weight but decided (again) to postpone buying anything.

I watched fireworks twice from our front porch and Hubby worked the pit during the fireworks in town. We had brats and watermelon and potato salad on the 4th. We ate twice a day while he was off work and had a snack of ice cream that I had put between cookies and froze.I think I will put some in the freezer before surgery including some brownies.

We get the grocery ads on Tuesday in the mail. They go straight to the burn trash.

I decluttered the area that I store the bath/health products.

I took yarn that I already had from other projects to crochet a twin size afghan for my great grandson that I am now finishing up as his first birthday is right after my surgery.

I got frozen peas and frozen peas and carrots for 10 for $10 to finish the "stocking" of the freezers. If I don't freeze or can anything , we will be okay going through the winter until next garden season.We use one bag a month except in the spring when peas come on.

I transferred more savings to Ally bank and noticed we made more in the interest in one month than we did in 2 yrs together from our regular bank.

We carried individual thermos of water while out instead of buying water some where.

I've started a list of items we need from Menard's , we are waiting until the 11% rebate comes along. I still check Lowe's (no Home Depot around) to see what they are sale price is .

Hello July

and the flowers continue to grow LOL. If you read June's post this is the same flower box. Notice how much the scarlet runner beans have grew.You can just barely see the red on the blooms that are starting. You will also notice spots from where flower pots sat for a week to catch the rain that kept coming in like a watering hose set on a timer.

Mommy Hummer isn't around any more but Daddy Hummer is using the back yard feeder while Baby Hummer is using the front yard feeder... much longer and I won't be able to tell the difference between Daddy and Baby as Baby's green feathers are getting more like Daddy's.

I got all the warm weather clothes, bedding and furniture throws out and the cold weather ones washed, dried and put away correctly (meaning I didn't dump it somewhere instead of walking upstairs and putting it in the closets where it belongs out of season).

We got all the yard mowed (4 hr job just mowing) and the bushes all trimmed and about half the things trimmed with weed eater ...that will be finished tomorrow. Plus Hubby needs to cut a tree that has decided to grow up in the lilac bush. Landlord's oldest (has cattle and hogs in the barn here at the house) did some tree trimming on the other trees and then hauled that wood including some bigger limbs that had fell out of other trees during the storms for us since we "look" after the cattle and hogs for free.

Bugs got the rhubarb but I didn't cut it down, I hope the bugs stay on the rhubarb and leave the rest of the garden alone.

Garden produce done:rhubarb, strawberries(which we didn't get any due to late freeze), snow peas, garlic scapes, leaf lettuce, radishes, beets(actually just the greens as the beets didn't grow),rose petals and lavender.

I pulled the garlic, it's about a month earlier than normal but it's ready and with the constant flow of rains I didn't want it to rot in ground.It's taking it about 2 wks longer to cure than normal.

I harvested one lonely green bell pepper that is suppose to be red or orange but fell off it's plant during the last storm.I can't eat green bell peppers (messes with my Crohn's) so Hubby is going to get to eat it with his brats tomorrow with cooked onions.

I planted more tomato plants and still have 18 more to get in ground this coming week.

I planted more onions...over 100... and I have 200 more to plant. I just can't bring myself to toss them away and no one wants them to grow so in they go. I usually store them in panty hose hung from rafters or rod in closets along with drying a few. A friend mentioned she cuts some up while in the "green onion" stage including the green and dehydrates them for winter....she also stores the dehydrated green to use instead of chives. I grow chives regular and garlic so I don't need to do that but a mixture of onion and their greens would work for me I think.

I have 3 heads of lettuce that need ate this week...We will only eat two and I will let the other bolt and reseed for this fall. There is some spinach ready also.

I need to replant lettuce, spinach, onions (SIGH) and then I will have to think because I am having surgery and will be down to one shoulder for about 4 months...end of July until end of Nov. and then the plan is for me to have the same surgery on the other. I don't think the doctor thought I was funny when he asked how I was even using the arm with the way it was torn and I held my arm up and said like this. But Hubby is concerned with him being able to handle MY workload on top of his and taking care of me.

I spent $30 at the end of June for sea salt grinders (idine salt causes me issues with my Crohn's) tortilla wraps, milk and lunch meat that I had coupons for and was on sale. Even though we don't care for sandwiches much we have been eating lunch meat, cheese and veggies in wraps for our mid day meals. I struggle to eat, always thinking of causing a flare up.

I have my son's wardrobe and small cabinet yet to do and a set date to go to the older daughter's to help her with yard work that she doesn't have tools for.We want to go see both our parents before my surgery.

I had 71 declutter missions from Home Storage Solutions 101 declutter 365 at the beginning of June. I am down to 55 (go me ;) ) 22 which can be done with 1 hand!

Yeah that is a biggy. If you wonder why, tie your dominate arm to your side as if in a sling and not move the arm away from your body for the day.I  saute a lot of fresh veggies that have to be cut...try cutting with one hand. I have a meat slicer, mandoline, chopper, and apple peeler. Hubby knows he is going to be prepping. Better is I was born left handed and was changed to right due to superstition so I'm not as bad off as other can be.

We hauled 3 loads (about 5 -10 boxes) to thrift shop. Took some leftover scrap wood from the old homestead (moved in 2008) and built 4 bedside stands for the youngest daughter and her kids. I thought that dropped it down to only OUR stuff...nope, I already saw 4 boxes of assorted toys and books that belong to the grandkids that they have out grown so nope, not yet. I should have charge when it went over a certain amt of time of me storing this.

I switched where I was getting my vsl from and saved over $10 a bottle AND it arrives on time.

We bought a plumbing auger (snake), we have a drain that is starting to cause problems and we have natural drains (hole in concrete basement floor for pipes to go into to flow down field tile and then we have a separate sewer line which goes to the septic tank and leach beds. Luckily it's the gray water drain but I don't like using much drain cleaners because the fumes come back up those natural drains in the basement. Got it on sale and used it here and then at the one daughter's who was going to pay around $60 for a house call.

We used our Kroger points and Speedway fuel card for gas.

We have been doing better about eating out of the pantry until last Friday when I was in the ER for my Crohn's (stress of medical issues and surgery).

Yes Hubby is sleeping. He's had a lot of practice through the years of sleeping at the hospital with one us. He is the one the kids, especially the girls want with them when they go in , even now as adults.

The bad news was partial blockage of bowel and major Crohn's flare up. The decent news was I could go home with a pain med of my choice( I can only take 3 different ones or I flare up) and drink my meals for 3 days and see if I could "get through" it. Better news was if we paid the copay right there as I was being registered we could save 5 %..Hubby wrote the check. That made the fourth medical bill we paid that we got discounted for paying before it was due.

Not so much good news is Hubby bought his meals for the weekend at the grocery store since I was on liquids. The OK news was he bought a family size meal of fried chicken and split it up so I wasn't smelling him cooking. He used the last of the chicken to make himself chicken salad. I am thankful today I am back to eating somewhat. I'll probably be eating baby food while in my wheelchair when I get older.

We researched money market vs savings etc for our new savings for emergency acct. Best interest was Ally Bank.

I ordered a 2nd dehydrator just like my other one. Excalibur dehydrator. I found one on Amazon for what I thought was the lowest price I could find until I hit Wikibuy and got it for $40 less. I read about Wikibuy on Forbes.

I have a lot of things I have to get done before the surgery at the end of the month or they won't get done at all. Like my great grandson's afghan for his first birthday about a month after my surgery.

The "good" side of this surgery besides getting my arm and shoulder fixed is it will give us the expenses of when it's done on the NEW ins that starts in Jan. We pay 10 % now and will be paying 20% then.

One last picture...this is our lane, 2/10ths (why don't they call it 1/5th) of a mile. Hubby usually mows it last so when he is coming back up it he knows he is coming home and the job is finished.

Blessed Be

End of June frugal

I have scarlet runner beans on the trellis. These were "leftover" flowers from the ones that went into hanging pots my daughters made. So I decided to plant them here with the scarlet runner beans I plant each year for the humming birds.They like the red blooms.

Every day frugal choices... windows open when it's cool, curtains shut during hottest part of day. Fans when in rooms and turned off when not. AC only when it's above 80° and it's set for 78°. We wash dishes by hand,,,no dishwasher here. I mix blue Dawn ,2/3rds soap to 1/3rd water and put that in small dish soap bottles. I use blue Dawn because it is a multi-use item. I use vinegar to clean the windows and the sinks (vinegar and baking soda helps keep drains clear).Turn off power strips to coffee makers, computers etc. We had summer heat in  the 90s-100s and now are down to low 70's with night lows in the low 50's ...was tempting to turn furnace on when the house was down in low 60's but instead got "Fall" like clothes back out and wore them. Did laundry with cold tap water, homemade laundry soap and dried on clothes line and drying rack.Make a point of transferring money to savings acct every week even it's only $1. Save all my change. Use Speedway rewards card for 3¢ off a gal. Used Kroger's rewards card  and split the point into 2 different fill ups. Used CVS points to get money off items that was on sale and I had coupons for. Kept my Walgreen's card connected to my exercise tracker to get points there.

Didn't water the gardens because of all the rain. Also couldn't fertilize so that's going to go farther.

Reorganized stock up in upstairs... made list of what is needed to run us through 6 months, figuring 4 months without income or very little income beginning of 2018 when Hubby retires. Researched his options with retirement. We paid off our Ch 13 (slow pay bankruptcy) in Dec that was caused when he went to 3 days a wk for 2 yrs and medical bills going through the roof with my heart failure. Rebuilding credit and savings and researched the credit cards to get. One for each of us. Didn't worry about interest rate because we pay in full before it's due. Do need to research best place to put savings for 3-6 months emergency fund.

Did click list at Kroger's. Definitely kept me reined in.  THEN went a week later to Kroger's with paper coupons after matching meat coupons with sales . Yes meat coupons that are so few and far between.My meat slicer I replaced has had a work out.  I also pulled a London broil that had been in the freezer and sliced half of it very thin for  Philly steak subs(wraps) and then used the leftover for stir fry with snow peas from the garden and finished those leftovers in a frittata. The other half was marinaded,
 grilled and then sliced. We used the leftovers on top of salad from the garden. Sliced eggplant, yellow squash and zucchini with my meat slicer for several meals.Sliced chicken breasts and did the same as the London Broil.

Harvest garlic scapes, garlic, storage onions, green onions, lettuce, snow peas (done), radishes (done),
thyme, oregano, garlic chives, chives, rose petals(done), and lavender. Have more herbs that will need harvested and processed for storage this coming week.

Cut my pain meds in 4ths with approval of doctor.

Got a $20 discount, swagbucks and 2 days free on the car rental I got last week when we were down to only the motorcycle and it was storming.

Our son borrowed our truck while his was in for repairs and he found we had a very small gas leak in the fuel line as he parks in the garage and we are on a gravel lane. Our mechanic (who lets us make payments without interest) said if he can just repair it instead of replace it he will. That will be done during shut down so we won't need to rent a car. Mechanic will bring Hubby back home when he drops it off and drop off truck here at home when it's done. Our youngest has our car as she lost her ride to work when she left her ex.

I cashed in my Pine Cone survey points and my Swag bucks.

Our landlord decided to NOT raise the rent with property taxes that went up and since we pay for our dogs to be here on a monthly charge we figured he would just want to leave is as if we still had Miss Kira but he actually lowered it by 5% due to us doing all the mowing including the part he said he would take care of in the lease. He has mowed the entire thing a couple times when our mower was down for repairs.

Hubby repaired the riding lawn mower, wheel broke off the mower deck.

Hubby got a bonus and we put half in savings and the other half was for a trimmer as ours died and it's big need here. We found one at the hardware store on sale for $50 cheaper than I had priced everywhere else at PLUS we had a $25 coupon off  $100 of anything we bought at the store AND then since we bought a gal of the fuel (50/1) for it we got another discount and double the yrs in warranty and they do the servicing of it for the warranty. SO I was able to put more in to savings. :)

Compared to last year we lowered our electric by 5 %. this past month AND our propane usage by 35%

Blessed Be

Mid June frugal?

The climbing rose bush has went wild. The front garden has exploded with flowers(weeds that bloomed) and the birds are thrilled. Frugal we don't have to buy bird food except for the hummingbird and only because we feel it's better for them to have calcium etc to make the egg shells stronger. AND YES I know the back door is propped open. When we are out we prop it open so Rascal will go get a drink of water...bugger butt won't drink out of the outside pan that he drank out before. LOL.

I harvested rose petals, lavender, spearmint,peppermint and choc mint for tea.

I harvest thyme, oregano, chives and garlic chives for the dehydrator and for use.

I harvest lettuce (had some bolt before it got the size of baby lettuce), green onions, some of the garlic bulbs to cure and snow peas. Might get one more meal off the snow peas.

I transplanted a hanging basket that now is 4 pots of flowers.

I planted Italian green beans (wide green bean), over 150 candy onion starts, beets, carrots, nasturtiums, zucchini, yellow summer squash, Armenian cucumbers, pickle cucumbers , red noodle beans and yard long green beans.

We had/have several doctor appts this month. Hubby has one left, I have 5.

Hubby was diagnosed with GERD. ENT doc put him on generic meds and changed his diet...which is now a lot closer to mine (SMILING BIG TIME). Not that I wanted him to have GERD but I'm not having to fix extra stuff for him any more .

I have a bone spur in my rotor cuff that is going to be dealt with ...Jumping the hoops of ins as both shoulders have issues but I can only to one at a time and have to wait for the MRI to be approved etc...

I used short wash with tap cold water and homemade laundry soap and used the clothes line.

I dug out the old drip hoses and put them in the south gardens. We were going to change how we watered but with knowing we will be moving within a year or so we decided to hold off on buying anything for gardens.

I have 2 rooms to finish prepping for summer this coming week and putting the last of the cold weather stuff away.

We took 3 loads of "stuff" to the thrift shop.... I think we are almost through what was the kids stuff. LOL

I turn AC off during the late evening to morning hours (unless it's storming) and leave the windows open.. Hubby runs a small AC in the bedroom while he sleeps days , it's set at 75 with med fan. He prefers 72 but with having the ceiling fan on also (only room with a ceiling fan) he sleeps ok.

We are looking for a home with land, our realtor is sending us updated lists that meets what we told him we were looking for in 6 different counties. Saves everyone time and gas instead of running around. When we go look at the houses , we do a "run by" before we call him... pictures of what looks far off the road or without close neighbors aren't always what they really are.

Hubby ride the motorcycle to work when it's not forecasted for rain.

I changed some of my routine to help ease the grief of losing Miss Kira along with Rascal changing some of his also. Miss Kira did  perimeter clockwise..Rascal walks counterclockwise. If I use the word perimeter he will walk in the driveway and watch me but not walk with me. If I say walk, he runs to the edge of the perimeter across the driveway and waits for me. He begs (sits pretty and barks at the truck door) for a ride in the morning when Hubby gets home and then doesn't care the rest of the day...if I/we are leaving and we tell him he can't go, he goes and lays down unlike Miss Kira that would HOWL and CRY and then go pout.. The only thing he begs for is a ride not food or his treats. He definitely was following Kira's lead instead of being himself. He is more of a barker than she was and he is jumping up and checking whatever is going down the road where she only did it if someone pulled in the drive.

We had our small tiller fixed instead of replacing it but are replacing the weed eater instead of fixing it. Based it on price and the age of what we had.

I broke down and applied through our bank for a credit card so I could rent a car when we went to go to Dad's as we only have the truck and bike now. I don't care for credit cards but rental cars required credit cards. I got a limited at my request amt for 0% interest for 15 billing cycles (which is less than 15 months) and then it goes up...but since I don't carry a balance I don't really care what it goes up to.Bank thought I was weird for requesting a low amt but what ever LOL.

We ate from the pantry except for twice, both times got "lunch" out and took home leftovers for dinner due to doc appts.

Blessed Be.




 

What I bought,what I will buy, what's in the garden

and the plans for it... just so you have some understanding of our home life... Hubby works graveyard shift at a physical demanding job. Both of us have  cholesterol issues...well he doesn't if he doesn't eat certain seafood). Mine is all over the place and it doesn't seem to matter if I just look at it or eat it. I have Crohn's. Regretfully with Crohn's it isn't just a one diet fits all and a lot of time something I ate last week that was fine won't be fine next week. It also calls absorption issues so I fight malnutrition constantly. I border lined diabetes due to meds...steroids... I am on a different steroid that doesn't seem to mess that up as bad and I am SLOWLY coming back down the dosage... My GI hopes I can come back off completely without a flare up. We eat from the pantry will fill  that I fill with food from my 1200 sq ft gardens and the Amish produce auction along with sales from the stores. I regularly shop Aldi's , Kroger's, Wagner IGA, Anna IGA( both IGA cut their meat and grind the hamburger and sausage in house), CVS and Walgreen's. Once a year I get meat from butcher shops, Kah and Davis butcher shops and I get my bologna (half roll of about 17 thick slices) from G&R bar and grill (well known in OH).

for total of $187.41

What I bought for emergency supplies in tornado shelter
2 beef stew
5 gal of water
4 canned kraut
4 canned peas and carrots
4 canned hominy
4 canned wax beans
Instant mashed potatoes

What I bought for stocking the pantry
2 each lunch meat ham and turkey (on sale with coupon now in freezer)
4 canned hominy
2 sweet relish
2 dill relish
2 coney sauce
3 tortilla wraps ( in freezer 3 sizes)

What I bought for NOW
10 lbs potatoes
1 milk
2 cottage cheese
10 lbs on sale apples (Hubby takes one to work every night and for apple salad plus to lettuce salads)
 ice cream 1 bucket and 2 Klondikes
4 Hot pockets/lean pockets for Hubby for lunch when we have soup or there isn't enough left to make his lunch from. (coupon with sale)
2 shredded cheese Co jack and moz)
1 each lunch meat:turkey and ham. (coupon and sale)
1 sliced cheese (coupon and sale) provolone
Ammonia (outside of windows need washed)
lettuce ,lettuce is just coming up and isn't going to produce enough ...planting more 30 day mix bag of romaine and 1 bibb
1  celery
2 avocado
4 ears of corn on the cob (I eat one for lunch)
4 limes
bag lemons
Lipton instant tea ( I make ice tea for me and can't drink it fast enough to keep it from going bad so I use instant lemon tea mixed with raspberry tea)
3-8 pks coke (sale with coupon)
4 canned hominy (Hubby eats it when I eat spinach)
1 ea. tortilla wraps of 3 sizes
1 pk of 8 slider buns that I also use as rolls
4 lbs strawberries (lost this years crop due to late freeze)
2 lbs grapes
1 pint blueberries
2 lbs bananas
2 lbs peaches
2 pints cherry tomatoes
2 lbs slicing tomatoes.
5 doz. eggs

What I will still buy this month 
raspberries (sale)
strawberries (sale)
broccoli
2.5 gal jugs of water (emergency supplies)
asparagus (sale)
chicken breast (sale)
London broil beef (sale)
Havarti cheese slices (sale)
bulk sausage
paper plates (sale)
milk
pork loin (sale) for roast and chops.
pork tenderloin (sale) to smoke for "Canadian bacon"
tomatoes/ milk/ bananas/ in season fruit later in month.
cabbage or cole slaw mix
Hamburger patties (Wagner's)
sausage patties (Wagner's)
smoked sausage
BRATS (LOL Hubby just reminded me)

ON THE MENU 
potato salad
mac salad
pasta salad
cole slaw
cucumber and tom salad (sometimes onion also)
anti-pasta salad (pepperoni, black olives, canned mushrooms, cherry tom, in Italian dressing)
Jell-o salad
broccoli salad
carrot raisin salad
assorted lettuce salads
mixed fruit salad
egg salad
deviled eggs
bologna salad
chicken salad
cucumbers sandwiches
frittata
123 pasta
mac and cheese
kabobs
stirfries
wraps (meat and veggies in a tortilla wrap)
quesadillas/burritos/ enchiladas/tacos
smoked sausage
brats (grill)
hotdogs (grill)
pork chops (grill)
steak (in freezer/grill)
hamburgers (grill)
sausage patties (grill)
chicken (grill)
fried bologna sandwiches
options for homemade subs/pizza/calzones

In the gardens
rhubarb about done

green onions (few)

snow peas are blooming but the regular peas didn't make it

lettuce is coming on a little bit

Will plant beans, radishes,other lettuce, spinach (again) zucchini and yellow squash

tomato plants are in except the 36 baby plants I was given that should have been started earlier. They might be big enough to plant next month. We plan to cover them this fall if necessary.

Planting more Candy onions for storage.

what is your plans?
Blessed Be

To do for June

We have a 60th birthday party that is 3 hrs away, 12 doctor appts/ medical testing and 2 days for Ham Radio field day, not counting going to see our parents (2 trips) and our kids  this month as 3 need help around their homes and 1 is having surgery on her shoulder.

We have lawn care (4 hrs each time) and gardens which is averaged at 3 hrs each time not including harvest and processing.

Hubby going to have to go to work to rest.

I had to get right up on the window (notice I remembered to move the screen up last night) and zoom in when he started drinking...this is Baby Hummer... he (as he is getting bright green feathers like his Daddy. Mommy is a greenish gray color)Baby Hummer is almost as big as his Mommy. We eat our bfast and watch them come and go.

I am half way through my classes and should finish up this month and hopefully finish or come close to finishing great grandson's afghan at same time.

We need to weed, plant last of plants and seeds and harvest last of rhubarb (grateful for rain even with the problems it's causing of getting into the gardens)

I need to flip warm weather clothes and cold weather clothes

I need to finish flipping warm weather curtains and cold weather curtains

I need to flip out warm weather bedding and furniture throws and cold weather bedding and furniture throws.

Which means I NEED to winds to drop down to around 10 mph with gusts under 15 instead of the 15 mph and the gust over 20 as everything in storage or in use like furniture throws need washed and dried

I need to put the swing together. Older daughter gave us back the old set we had gave her but the swing was in too bad of shape to use.

I have a few pumpkins and winter sq that is STILL good that I need to process

I need to clear the area beside the garage that has became the drop it and deal with it later of misc stuff that needs hauled to junk yard or limbs to be burnt.

I need to finish stocking the root cellar for emergencies .

We need to take 1 load AT LEAST every 2 wks to thrift shop...I just love it when I send a pic to my kids's cell phones and they ask me why I've held on to something of theirs and the answer is BECAUSE you put it here>>>DUH.

I have my son's wardrobe and a small cabinet he asked me to refinish and I've dragged my feet on it.Both simple and maybe only 20 hrs together. Time to get that off the list also.

I have been doing Home Storage Solutions 101 Declutter 365 since Jan. I'm ahead sort of.. I'm down to 71 of the "to do's ) but these 71 will most likely take me the rest of the year. My goal is to do 6 this month. Four of them has to do with flipping season clothes.

Set goals have a better chance of being done that just thoughts/wishes on the air.

Blessed Be

Frugal end to May

Rascal was messing around the climbing rose bush and got this stuck on him some how so I put it in the vase for my dining table.

It's been a rough week emotionally, 2 different tornadoes was within 1/4 of mile from our son's, worried a lot as he has no basement, he had some limbs down but no real damage, then  our dog Miss Kira  passing and Hubby , who is an EMT at work having to do CPR on a co-worker for about 10 min and said he didn't think the guy was going to come back...THANKFULLY , he is recovering and now out of ICU. I gave Hubby the last of the grocery money to get gas to go see him and to donate some to help the guy as his wife and him are raising 3 young grandkids. My emotions triggered my Crohn's and then we had a 2 hr drive (1 way) to Hubby's brother's wedding the day after Miss Kira died, rough leaving Rascal here alone. We used Kroger points and Speedway gas cards to save on gas.

The Gardens have been soaked repeatedly that I am not sure if I will be able to finish planting or get in to weed what was planted.  I keep moving the potted plants off the porch to the yard when it's going to rain to not have to water them .I did plant some scarlet runner beans in the front flower bed, more for the blooms for the hummingbirds than for the beans. I was given under size tomato plants that need to be repotted and allowed to get bigger before planting in the garden.

Sorry, I keep forgetting to raise the screen in the mornings so I can get better pictures LOL. This is Mommy Hummer... Daddy Hummer usually uses the other feeder ...this morning (when I didn't have my phone) Baby Hummer came by himself to feed at this feeder. The other day he was with Mommy Hummer.

I have been listening to my online classes through our health ins (we have earned enough pts that if Hubby doesn't retire this year, his health ins will be free next year and mine will be $1.50 a week.Plus we save $ on the copay and deductible and have a 90-10 plan instead of the 80-20 plan with larger payments,co pays and deductibles. We are planning on him coming out this year BUT you just never know what life is going to throw at you. I work on the afghan I am crocheting for my great grandson. Over half way done. On the days I don't have class I do Swagbucks videos for the same length of time.

I mixed equal amounts of 20 mule team borax and sugar for the ants.


I harvest thyme (twice), garlic scapes (twice), chives, garlic chives, lavender and rose petals.

We ate most of what was on the menu, the leftover was what Kira (and Rascal also even though he ate 3 bowls of dry dog food also) was eating as she could no longer handle dry dog food.

Electric bill came in $50 under budget.That will go back up as I had to turn the dehumidifier on because it's 90% humidity in the basement pantry.

While I was in the root cellar during tornadoes I made a list of what was still missing and plan to have it finished by July. Part of it I think I can find stuff we have to work (like plastic to keep things from getting wet if the house gets blew off it's foundation), so that's the focus of this week.

We also started listing what we use daily so I can makes sure that is stocked for the 4 months we go without income. Our neighbors that farm and run a construction business said they thought they could give us some off and on work, that was nice for the offer even if they can't do it at the time because construction and farming slows down a lot during the winter.

Do the same routine with opening curtains (binder clipping tops to limit sun coming in) and opening windows. Run fans when we are the room. Hubby uses the ceiling fan when he sleeps during the day. We do have a room AC that he also uses if it's too hot for him to sleep so we don't have to use the Central air. When we do use the central air it's at 76.

Hubby needed new shoes( he does one pair for yard work, one for dress..yard work need to go in the trash), there is one pair that is the best for his feet. We priced it at a big shoe store while killing time before the wedding and it was running about $150...OUCH. He was talking about just finding something else. I found them on Amazon for $90... Since they will last him for at least a couple years (yard work pair is over 4 yrs old) it's a price we are willing to pay. I found the shoes I wear at Walmart so used my swagbucks to order through so I would get some back. Also ordered 3 blouses that were on clearance as I wasn't finding anything to go with 4 skirts I bought at yard sales and thrift shops and am down to 1 outfit to wear to weddings and such. We can wear jeans to church.

Blessed Be

Grief

Friday(5/26/ 17) morning at 8:30 I lit this candle on behalf of my older dog Miss Kira. Hubby was taking her to have her put to sleep as she had stopped eating on her own and only ate a little from my hand as I tried to get her to eat. She gave me a kiss instead and I let her go...with heartbreaking and fighting denial that made me want to pretend she would be instantly cured of the tumor or better go in her sleep....

I stayed home with Rascal, he was only 6 wks old and hadn't been with his mommy due to his mommy fighting to live after being starved while she was expecting. So Kira was his doggy mommy when I am just mommy.... I side tracked him so he wouldn't get upset with her getting to go in the truck with Hubby and him not. (her favorite thing to do was ride in the truck with her Daddy without Rascal and me) When Hubby brought her collar home and put it with her leash in the mudroom. Later when the breeze changed direction her tags made a sound and he ran to the mudroom to see her.. with tears running down my face I took the collar and let him smell it. His eyes became sad and his head dropped and walked away and hide between my foot stool and the couch where she hid when she wanted to be left alone. He knew she wouldn't be without that collar,

But life goes on as we grieve . I have her lamb that she rested her head on, at time Rascal and I both need to smell it to smell her one more time. I know her scent will fade with time, and so will the  grief...Walking the perimeter for me is hard, she was my perimeter buddy and her cute prance brought a smile through the worst of weather we walked in. I remind myself she isn't in pain, wasn't when we let her go. She's not stuck in a perimeter and can roam to her heart's content. Her ashes will bring joy to others as they were mixed with wild flowers and sprinkled in a meadow. She loved walking through my flower gardens and smelling the flowers several times a day.

My Hubby grieves, she loved him the most and made that clear. She would sit in truck for hours with him. He said he needed to be the one to take her, to tell her to go on as she stopped and looked back at him as she left him.

Rascal is withdrawn and we try to let him have his time of grief but encourage him to eat, to play to go outside though one of us usually go out with him so he doesn't feel so alone. His routine and habits will change as he is now "top dog" as Hubby calls him. He finally slept on the loveseat and then on the couch that she had claimed as hers. He now lays beside Hubby's chair at the dining table where she laid instead of by me like he did... He's not playing unless we push the issue with him. I get him out to play 10 (10 throws of the ball) and am lucky to get 1 at this point. He will go out with me when I can bring myself to walk the perimeter but doesn't walk with me even if I take the ball to play 10, he will catch the ball and then go back up to the drive to watch me but not be with me.  I hope some day that he will walk with me.

I grieve, I just grieve. She had brought me out of sever depression when I got her out of the shelter 7 yrs ago. Spent 5 yrs of her life in the shelter ( first 2 owners lost their homes and gave her back).Now I fight the depression without her. I fight it in honor of her, to be there for Rascal as she would want me to .... I try to keep in mind she's better, she's free, she's happy...

I told Hubby I am not sure I could handle losing one of the kids, grandkids or great grandson. I nearly starved myself to death when I lost my younger brother...the grief just hits harder and harder as I age.

Hold your love ones a little longer today, call. text, whatever, the ones you can't hold and let them know you love them.

Life is too short, far too short, and shorter when they walk on 4 legs.

Blessed be  my baby girl..Miss Kira

Your last walk baby, I love you. I miss you ...baby girl

 

this week

started out being really frugal.

Monday we went to Wagner's IGA and hit the clearance cart to go along with the few odds and ends I didn't want to pay the Kroger's prices. Did a huge score on different breads and sweets for the freezer.Plus points for fuel and 5¢ each for bringing my own bags.

I stopped a FISH thrift shop and got 2 pillows to recover,scarf,2 skirts(one which be use to recover the one pillow)5 nightgowns of the style I love but never want to pay the price for and 1 pair of shorts for a total of $11.

I went to doctor appt... I had dropped my A1C from 6.4 to 5.8 (GO ME) and my cholesterol below 200, WITHOUT the statin ..haven't seem that low in a decade. Doc took me off 4 different meds as my blood work showed I was finally up to normal. Doc changed my one med from 90 days to 360 and sent it to a certain pharmacy because they sell it for half the price of getting it every 90 days for a year.. Saved me around $50.

I went to CVS to pick up Hubby's meds and the clerk caught I had been bumped out of the rewards for prescriptions so she put me back in.

I maxed out on May's pts at Walgreen as my FITBIT tracker is connected to their app. I now have a $10 credit but 3000 pts away from having a $20 credit.

I went to Ollies as they had fans in and  I had a 15% off coupons. I picked up 4 fans of different sizes and styles for 1/4 th less before the coupon than I had priced elsewhere.

Hubby called our phone company and complained that the credit we were suppose to get from April when both our land land and internet was out for a week wasn't on the bill like it was suppose to be. Took him 2 hrs to get it dealt with which didn't put him in a good mood at all but as I reminded him it got the credit If it's not on the next bill he will go through the roof.

I requested a credit from my GI office as they had charged me for her to file out family leave and she doesn't do that unless you are having a procedure and the front desk didn't know that as she had just started...also I found out my ins PAYS for that to be done so I shouldn't have paid anyways.She lets the hospital doctor do that instead. BUT Hubby's employer wants it filed in Jan so my primary was able to do it since he does all my blood work and meds to fight the malnutrition the Crohn's causes.  They were suppose to credit it to the Jan bill , then when that didn't happen it was send a check and then when I went in April it still hadn't been credited or sent . My GI nailed the billing office and stood over them until she saw that is was credited to my bill from April... GOOD DOCTOR.

I made potato salad, after I boiled the potatoes I just lifted them out instead of dumping the water and added some cold water and then put the eggs in to boil them.

Tuesday we had chiro appt and dogs went to vet.
I scheduled a manicure (not my norm) for Friday when we go in for another doctor appt at the salon across from Chiro. Since I'm not getting a gel just a regular manicure it wasn't as expensive as I thought it would be. This is my Mother's day present from the kids...it's going to cost them $5 each including the tip.
Our chiro was less than $6 for the two of us thanks to our ins now covering that .

AND THEN OUR WORLD FELL APART

Took the dogs to the vet to get their nails clipped (takes 3 of us to hold them down and clip). I always get the dogs weighed. Miss Kira...our older dog...about 100 yrs in dog years...had dropped another 3 lbs in one month... she did that in April and we didn't think anything of it as she was starting to run the perimeter more with the warmer weather... but this time I knew it was bad we had another dog, Cookie do that when she got cancer..Miss Kira has a tumor in her spleen/intestines that is already the size of a baseball. Doc felt it pretty good and she didn't moan, yelp or anything while he did it so she's pretty much pain free at the moment. She jumped down from the table that is 4 ft off the floor which bugs the crap out of me but shows she's stable in that area. No sense of doing a MRI as I wouldn't have her operated on at her age and there is a possible chance of the tumor exploding when they cut her open. Her quality of life means more to me. We almost lost her the spring of 2011 right after we moved here due to someone tossing rat poison out and her getting a hold of it. Almost put her into kidney failure even though I got the package away from her and her teeth was only through the cover on top. Law said the package had been coated with grease so everyone was watching out...our landlord had his dog poisoned a couple years ago and they never found who did it...anyways...she's moving slow,her perimeter walks are closer to half the perimeter in the morning and not much during the rest of the day. Her eating is slowing down unless it's people food then she can out eat me. Good thing we scored on bread as that with eggs is her favorite and french fries...She's eating grass at the edge of the garden pretty much every time she does go out. AND she finally didn't look away when I took her picture yesterday.

She is getting her way pretty much with what few weeks we have left with her. We know from Cookie that 4-6 wks will pretty much be the end and we won't let her go into pain . She still lays on her tummy so we know when she stops that or we can see the shape of it in her belly like we did Cookie it will be time to let her go... MEANTIME she has scored extra rides in the truck from her Daddy...

on the other hand Rascal... who loves getting his picture taken.

Yes he is begging,that's about as far as he raises his front feet unless he is wanting a hug. He has stayed close to me, he isn't trying to get her to play any more. isn't swiping the chew bone from her to get her to chase him. He is smelling her more instead so I know even though I haven't picked up the odor YET he has.He isn't playing 10 (fetch the ball) with me, just wants to be close but not play. When I walk the perimeter he stays with her most the time now. Protecting the weaker of our pack.

I did the wash on speed wash, tap water cold, homemade soap and then dried everything on the clothes line. She laid in the house on the hassock to watch me out the window (she didn't want out as I left the door open so she could come out whenever she wanted) and he laid under the tree watching her and me.

Hubby told me to feed her whatever she would eat. He didn't want her to feel hungry and she does let me know when she wants something but I think the dog food isn't going to be what she eats much longer. Rascal will definitely eat her share.

Blessed Be

being frugal May 19 2017

In our home being frugal is a lifestyle that changes with life.

I had a friend tell me how frugal they are and how little it costs to run their home until I started playing 20 questions with her and then she realized they weren't being frugal at all.

Spending $200 a week for two people at Krogers and doing the survey for another 50 pts so you can get $1. off 35 gals of gas, is not frugal. Keeping the curtains shut ALL the time and then run the furnace because none of the sunlight can heat the house and have to turn on ALL the lights (not just in the room they are in either) isn't being frugal. I did talk them into using LED light bulbs, Not opening windows and doors when it's warm out and there is a breeze and turning the AC to 70° (when they heat the house to 78° during the winter) isn't being frugal. Using the dryer as an iron because they left the clothes in the dryer and they got wrinkled not frugal. Buying the latest and newest of anything and then not using it is not frugal. Buying clothes or anything because they are on sale and you have coupons and then never wear them or use them is not frugal.Carrying 15 store credit cards and just making payments instead of paying them off.I didn't say anything to her that it wasn't being frugal, she realized it with just telling me about it.

Not carrying life ins and not having a will is going to be a huge problem for those you leave behind especially if you don't have your funeral and burial expenses paid which they just found out AFTER he didn't keep the life ins that he could have had when he retired.By time they got the funeral and burial arranged and paid for the two of them it was over $30,000 that came out of their assets instead of the life ins that wasn't costing him more than $39 a month that would have paid those bills.Even if you don't own anything , get a will, otherwise it goes through probate ($$$)when you die in most states. Your family or friends have to file in court to deal with your bills and funeral etc. Get POD(pay on Death) on all checking savings accts make sure you have beneficiaries on everything IRA , 401k life ins ...list two if not 3.

Getting trees trimmed, fence and locks on gates around pools or pets if they bite , repairing sidewalks, cleaning out the rain gutters have them drain AWAY from the foundation (add the hose things if needed), using septic cleaner (ridx most common around here) and cleaning the filters in the septic system.Her husband put a lock on the gate around their pool and their house ins dropped $50 . They just spent thousands repairing their foundation because the downspouts drained there. They had to pay for their son's car to be fixed after their tree that is into the driveway dropped a limb on his brand new car.

Sometimes it's pennies you are saving...and they do add up to dollars. AND sometimes you have to spend the dollars to save the hundreds or thousands.

It can be doing the laundry on short cycle with tap water and homemade soap or cheap that isn't brand name.

Using the clothes dryer on sensor, drying rack, clothesline or combination of all.

Eating from the pantry that I have spent time matching sales and coupons or hours growing, tending, harvesting, processing and then cooking for our meals OR eating out with coupons combined with specials or during bfast or lunch time when it's cheaper. Using senior citizen discounts is another one.

It's listing what we need, what we want and what we are willing to pay and then searching for substitutions that are cheaper and then  waiting for the sale (or Menard's 11% rebate).

It's thrift shops , yard sales and networking for things.

It's making do, using it up, wearing it out and sometimes doing without. Like the trimmer that just died and I'm using scissors to trim with the things that took 30 min with the trimmer.

BUT it's also about having beauty in our lives of 2 dogs, hummingbird feeders, birdhouse, flowers table cloths, oil lamps and candles...and my 100 plus herbs and spices that I use on a regular bases (that is sometimes a negative from my cheffing years LOL) I grow most of my herbs, half of my teas and have a source through an Amish store for the spices.

It's about sitting outside and enjoying it and not focusing on the trimming that isn't getting done (our friend is trying to find us a used one that is in our price range), the gardens that are starting to get weeds already or the storms that are gathering west of us AGAIN.

It's not about not buying, as the huge outlay of money we spent just this week will tell you...but the over 1/3rd savings when everything was totalled up shows the frugal. Things we need to run this home, maintain it bought at the lowest price we waited for. The amount I budgeted was 50% higher than what we paid.

It's about talking to our car ins guy about us renting a car when I need to get my dad instead of owning an old gas guzzler with full coverage when we don't need except for when I get Dad, We need a truck, or even two would be a lot better as one vehicle isn't doing well for us,.It's about looking at a secure credit card that is based on our savings to pay for the car rental instead of just a credit card that we can run up another bill. If the car rental took debit cards I wouldn't even bother with that.

Frugal can have some negative also...Using cash only ( 7 yrs of cash only) no credit cards or loans means our credit score is low...that's not a good thing when we will be buying a house, on the other side we will have the cash to pay for a house with in reason Our finance guy is still working out which way is better with our tax guy. Lucky for us, both are FREE. as they are close friends .

It's about needing clothes (Hubby has lost 20 lbs and is continuing to lose and I am not out in the workforce and chef jackets and dress clothes don't do well in gardens) that wear well with the hard manual work we do. Used clothes is fine, under clothes socks and Hubby"s work boots are new. I can usually get shoes off the grandkids as they outgrow my size. That benefit is going to end this year as the youngest is about to pass me and the great grandson isn't even one yet.

It's about turning off fans when you aren't in the room, turning off the lights when you leave the room. opening the curtains for light/warmth closing them when it's hot out to keep the house cooler.

It's about turning the central air on (which I don't like AC to begin with ) because the old dog (around 100 in dog years) throws up when she gets to hot and dehydrates when I can turn on the central air to 76 keep her cool and not run up the vet bill which is twice what I pay for running the Central air if I only run it during the hottest part of the day. We will run it if it is raining and the fan can't keep the house cool enough,

It's about using the outdoor grill instead of the stove and heating up the house when it's hot out. Using the oven when it's cold in the winter

Using leftovers to make more meals, eating more legumes and less meat. It's about doing my own nails even though I LOVE getting a manicure and pedicure.

Being frugal in your choices is good. Being frugal as a lifestyle will reap more rewards.

Blessed Be

What I bought the month of May

We have a few things we will get the rest of this month but not much. Yes the bill was huge , but about 1/3rd less than what we budgeted for when we waited for coupons, sales and rebates.

This was what the list was

Dollar General
Advil Allergy and Congestion BOUGHT
Sensodyne toothpaste BOUGHT (STORE BRAND)
Super Glue BOUGHT
hand soap BOUGHT LG REFILL
Corned beef hash BOUGHT

CVS
Xlear nose spray BOUGHT

Make up.BOUGHT WHAT WAS ON SALE WITH REWARDS

Menards (at 11% rebate)
dog food BOUGHT
dog snap treats BOUGHT
house water filter BOUGHT
Water pitcher filters BOUGHT
softener salt BOUGHT
dryer vent kit (daughter) BOUGHT
hummingbird nectar BOUGHT
canned veggies for emergency supply BOUGHT (done)
clothes line pins (mine are worn out) BOUGHT
regular canning lids BOUGHT
hardware for daughter's clothes line Hubby is making her (BOUGHT)
ground clear (usually get this from landlord but he ran out himself) BOUGHT
garden hose (one got a huge hole) BOUGHT
garden hose sprayer (old one got ran over) BOUGHT
kitchen brush (for my cast iron) BOUGHT
25 cu ft of potting soil( as I gave  my kids what I had for their pots) BOUGHT


Food.. BOUGHT
milk
Greek yogurt
lunch meat
apple
onions
green onions
mushrooms
bell peppers
celery
radishes (hopefully the last)
milk bone small biscuits for the dogs 
soup: cream of chicken, cream of mushroom and tomato
tomatoes, vine, Roma and cherry
strawberries as our is not doing well 
asparagus
broccoli
cauliflower
coles slaw
water for the emergency supply
lunch meat ham and turkey
tortilla wraps (still not time to make these and they are a quick meal for us)
kleenex
body soap
thin bagels 
mini blueberry bagels
lemons 
limes
foot long hotdogs
foot long hotdog buns
bananas
ice cream topping pineapple, strawberry and caramel ( will be getting the ice cream at local store due to being cheaper and I like banana splits just smaller than what I can buy at local ice cream place)
egg rolls (dinner and leftovers for bfast on the go)
potstickers (dinner and leftovers for bfast)
canned pineapple 
avocados
lean pockets for Hubby's lunch
yellow sq and zucchini
Fritos (walking taco salad, "nachos" and veggie dip)
Potato chips...Hubby gets 2 bags a month and when they are gone they are gone. Used to be 2 family bags a week. 
Starbucks decaf ground coffee...not for us but for my Dad that just went to decaf and complained he is drinking brown water with his milk .I left him some when we were there and my brother had him make him a pot to try it. Dad told him he thought it wasn't decaf because of the taste but wasn't going to tell me that he liked it better because he knew the price of it. Brother told me anyways as we all figured Dad wouldn't let me know because of the price. Man is 90 yrs old, buying his coffee is no big deal.

I will be glad when the gardens start coming in so the fresh veggies being bought will be lower

Blessed Be

When the day to day rolls over you

Home from the auction and unloaded in front of garage. I got the flowers we wanted and a few more as Hubby did the opening bid on some flats and no one bid against him. Oh well 36 flowers for $5 isn't bad and what I didn't want, I passed to 2 of my daughters. Got tomato plants, bell pepper plants and candy onion plants . I had to pick up eggplant over to the hardware store.

I've put in almost 40 hrs and still have some to plant.... BECAUSE I had a friend give me their extras LOL

I did put in this new flower garden. I will have scarlet runner beans on the trellis as the Hummingbirds love the red flowers on them, the green beans they produce is a side benefit for us. We had a baby hummingbird the other day. I wished I could have gotten a picture.

IF the winds we keep getting don't kill it off is should be a decent garden. We have went from floods to freeze to frosts to storms with winds 30-60 mph in the last 10 days and that train of storms is still rolling through this week. Temps have been to almost 90°.

We went over and saw both set of parents and spent some time with them.

Then made 2 trips down to the kids and realized we forgot somethings so will be going back down.

We ate mostly from the menu which was from the pantry. Leftovers got made into other dishes so I didn't fix a couple meals.

We hauled another 2 loads to thrift shop and 1 load down to kids.There are big holes in the farrowing house.

I should not have to buy any more green onions at the store as mine is starting to come in. The snow peas and Lincoln peas are up and look to have survived the nasty weather. Rhubarb is about to run me over. That's a priority this week.

I got laundry done on the day I could use the clothesline even though the winds were around 20 mph I was able to keep it on the line and not have to rewash anything. Sure did dry fast.

I haven't gotten around to baking...going to have to change my schedule to add that in along with the sewing I want to get done.

Blessed Be

Menu to this coming week

I am horrible at planning menus for just Hubby and me. For work as a Chef, no problem, as a mother that had over 7 at the table, no problem...just Hubby and me BIG PROBLEM.

We like variety...we like different cultures , types, etc  it is the negative side of being a chef.

I have also learned after noting what got threw in the garbage this past month that the 4th serving gets tossed... I eat bfast for my lunch... We have 2 servings at dinner and then Hubby takes the 4th for his lunch. Some things I am able to cut down to 3 servings or divide the four into 3 others not so much.

I used to freeze it for my Dad but he can't swallow solid food any more and then I gave it to our son but now he's on a special diet for his weight and that doesn't work either. When Hubby retires we decided to just plate it and cover it for the next day and both of us would eat it for dinner... meantime I need to quit tossing food.

We decided if it's something that has to be made as 4 that I have something else for him to take to work and we eat the last 2 servings the following day's dinner.

This week's menu
Dinner only

one pot green beans, potatoes and ham from freezer  and cornbread

Hobo packets , smoked sausage, celery , carrot, onion , potatoes, cheddar cheese and ice cube wrapped in a packet of foil and baked at 350° for 20-30 min with crescents

American chicken and broccoli stir fry and rice. I will pick up some potstickers and egg rolls from the freeze dept as I have coupons and they are on sale this week when I get out of the dentist office (no special trip to store)

Steak and potato ( not sure what kind I will fix depends on weather) and salad

grilled chipped chopped ham and cheese sandwich and soup as we will be spending the day at the Amish produce auction and I won't be up to fixing a meal after that.

Prime rib roast...veggies unknown at this point. I will probable make hash with the leftovers possible some soup if enough is left for both.

first 8 days of May

We celebrated with my Dad that turned 90. Took him to Bob Evans and which point about at the halfway point of my eating my meal he leaned over and told me I had ate enough and to box up the rest. He didn't forget that the last time we went out to eat I told him instead of being quiet about me eating too much or the wrong thing to tell me, to share his wisdom of being a diabetic for 30 yrs and still only taking 1/2 of a metaformin daily to control it. I was a good day as he walked through his "memory lane" while showing me the items he wanted to share the story about in his home.

His love of sausage gravy and biscuits continues through down to his great grandkids and most likely will another generation as the great great grandson is starting to reach the stage of being able to eat soft foods.

We did a stop by a viewing of a classmate and nephew of a old childhood friend of mine...very sad.
Triggered some of the old feelings of when I lost my late husband.

Then we can home to this

Right to our driveway,, grass was  a tiny strip on this side, no grass on the other side and it only got worse before it got better.

THEN there was a FREEZE... I'm not sure if the peas and spring crops made it yet as we have another cold morning tomorrow before it starting warming back up. I did cover up what I could.

We flopped the truck with daughter as she has my car to go get Dad as he can't get in the truck. Cheaper to flop than to rent a car, she did say if we sold her the car she was willing to flop it with us to go get him instead of us buying a car that I won't drive all that much. We will see.

We ate from the pantry through the week and then ate out most of the weekend. Got a Philly cheese steak pizza and chef salad that feed us 3 meals over the weekend.I'm not going to crab about it with how the days have been rolling.

Lawn is mowed but the trimmer was broke and Hubby couldn't fix it so a friend did. I got it back today.

I've been sorting through the farrowing house that has became our storage unit... Took 2 loads already to the thrift shop and have another one loaded to go tomorrow.

I made a list of the breads etc that we like and want me to start baking... AND I listed the time that was needed to do so so it's not "Oh let's have this bread" and then realise it uses a starter that need began the day before or it's something that takes 4 hrs. I did tell Hubby if it's a 4 hr bread I could start it before I started supper and it would be done before I went to bed. We will see.