Here is my list of frugal activities for last week, for the weekly roundup of "what did you do to save money" last week at The Prudent Homemaker -- check out Brandy's posts and all the comments for some great ideas!
- I made roast beef in the crockpot some time last week; the liquid used in the recipe is beef broth, but it only uses a little bit from a can. I've previously saved the leftover broth in the fridge, thinking I'd use it for something -- but never got around to doing so. This time, I put the leftover broth in the freezer! I'll have it for something in the future. I also saved the bone from the roast and put that in the freezer, to be used later for making homemade broth (also in the crockpot).
- Finally had nice weather in Minnesota! I got the plants potted up in containers on our deck. (We shall see how they do ...) Used leftover spinach leaves and radish greens for compost mixed in the soil to feed the tomatoes and strawberry plants, as per the advice of a master gardener at the plant sale this spring. I keep my potting soil in a large tin in the garage -- one of these Christmas-themed ones that probably originally held flavored popcorn. I got it several years ago at a thrift store as "payment" for helping them sort donations.
- Cleaned out the garage (a chore I usually try to complete in April) in time for the free city cleanup day on Saturday, where I was able to donate/recycle batteries, a metal planter that doesn't fit our deck (I tried to Freecycle it but got no takers), Venetian blinds we removed from my daughter's window in favor of curtains, and a small bicycle my mom had found at a garage sale. When our neighbors down the street with a slightly older daughter moved, one of the things they gave us was a bigger bicycle for my daughter!
- The city cleanup day also had free refreshments: hot dogs, chips, and drinks.
- My mom came to visit this weekend and brought rhubarb from her plants and a dish drainer she wasn't using -- I think my dad won it at some event. (Mine was plastic, almost 20 years old, and needed replaced.)
- Went to a city park with a splash pad to play on a hot day.
- Took my daughter to Toys R Us; she had a coupon from the birthday club plus birthday money from two aunts to pick something out. We also happened to be there at the right time to get a free Lego police car build and a Lego poster. She likes Legos and has recently started getting into decorating her room with posters.
- Gave daughter birthday presents purchased earlier in the year on sales, including a Barefoot Books Book of Princesses for which I paid only shipping after receiving the voucher for filling out their survey earlier this spring.
- Switched out winter for summer clothes (finally!) and loaded up a box of my daughter's outgrown stuff to send to my sister for her girls.
Tuesday, June 18, 2013
Tuesday, June 4, 2013
Sunday/Monday/Tuesday (Da-da-da-DUM!):
(An aside: young children in our school district learn the days of the week to a ditty composed to the tune of The Addams Family theme song.)
My daughter had her dance recital on Sunday. She did mostly a good job -- she actually is the best dancer in her class (not due to heredity, I can assure you), but fell twice during her class's dance. She had told me the day before, after dress rehearsal, that the stage floor at the high school where they peformed was slippery. After slipping, she did get right back up and keep going in the choreography, however, and we assured her after the show --when her response to "did you have fun?" was "No! I fell!" and the beginnings of tears from my perfectionist child -- that that was exactly what she needed to do. She also had some really good leaps across the stage during the portion of the dance where each individual girl leaped across the stage. And, during the show's finale -- when all the teachers and assistants were dancing, and all the young dancers came out from backstage and gathered at the edges of the auditorium to watch them -- I saw her enthusiastically dancing along to the music with her own choreography and her love for dance.
Her recital was at 4:30 on Sunday afternoon, so we went out to eat afterwards, followed by Cherry Berry frozen yogurt (requested by the six-year-old "because it's a special day!" -- and I had purchased a local deals coupon a while ago). My mom was able to attend the dance recital, coming up to our place on Sunday after attending my nieces' dance recitals in a different state on the previous day. It's a dedicated dance recital weekend for her. The show was fun, if a little bittersweet -- my husband's cousin, who passed away this March, was able to attend with us last year.
This is the last week of school; yesterday they brought flashlights -- or, in our case, a headlamp on a headband -- in and used them during "read to self" time, as well as having a pretend bonfire with Christmas lights over which they used pretzel sticks to pretend roast marshmallows, as well as doing camping-themed worksheets for reading, math, etc. Today is "sun" day, with beach blankets and sunglasses requested as props.
I also bought manila folders for further sorting of the "to-keep" school papers. I'm running out of time, however, to further cull them without an observer. I bought those, stamps, and a flexible plastic Rubbermaid tote at Office Depot, so I will accumulate rewards points to later be used on school supplies, etc. Put the turtlenecks I've taken out of my dressser and replaced with short-sleeved summer shirts into the tote for summer storage in my linen closet. The cardboard Avon boxes that I've been using to store out-of-season clothes in there (left over from my aunt's stint as an Avon lady during my childhood ... thirty-some years ago?...) were getting a bit worn. Still haven't decided if I like the tote thing. Plus, i am still wearing long-sleeved shirts. :(
Monday dinner: pasta salad, made with kidney beans and cheese from our food storage. Tuesday dinner: Pot pie, using leftover shredded pork from the ribs I did in the crockpot on Saturday, as well as a half bag of frozen mixed vegetables that was in the freezer.
Started a new read-aloud with the six-year-old: The Complete Beatrix Potter. Note: "The Tailor of Gloucester" is hard to read aloud. First of all, is it "glou-sster" or "glou-chester"? Also, I grew up with a mother who is a seamstress, so have been exposed to fabric names for my whole life but there was a bunch of weird, old-fashioned names in that story for things I've never heard of.
I've been getting a lot of invitations to events with friends for this month. Really hard to figure out what to say "yes, I will attend" -- with "summer" (I use that term loosely these days) time and "family" time both being in short supply, so that I don't want to fill my non-working hours with non-family things, plus my husband's busy season at work has started, where he often will have to go back to work in the evenings and weekends -- but we don't know that until that day, which makes it really hard to plan ahead and commit to things.
Saturday, June 1, 2013
Saturday: Dishpan Hands
I feel like I have done nothing today but dishes. Not true, of course (I also washed the countertop, the microwave -- I don't even want to know what that was -- the sheets, the towels, the kid's hair), but I have done them several times in the course of cleaning up the kitchen/cooking.
The six-year-old and I made carrot cookies today, from the Living on a Dime cookbook formerly known (when I acquired it) as Not Just Beans. We ended up adding another egg to the batter, because it just looked too dry when it was "supposed" to be done, and I knew there was no way it would stick together. The cookies taste OK (kind of like slightly carroty sugar cookies), but they still came out pretty crumbly. I'm not sure if that's in part due to the fact that we thought we had no more baking powder left after the first teaspoon (recipe called for two) and so used the substitution of 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. (Later discovered that we did, indeed, have a new container of baking powder in the cupboard where I told her to look - but it was in a different shaped canister than before. Regardless of the fact that it says "Baking Powder" on it in big letters.)
I also made cornbread to go with the ribs I threw in the crockpot this morning for supper.
Needed to have supper planned, because the day was broken up with dance recital dress rehearsal (and the accompanying doing of the hair, slathering on of makeup so she can be seen from the stage, annual motherly speech about how this is the only time she gets to wear makeup, etc.). Announcement from the backseat of the car: "My favorite part about dance recital and dress rehearsal is being up on stage in front of all those people!"
Also spent part of the day going through the mammoth pile of school papers that have accumulated over the course of the year. I think I have uttered several times recently that next year, we are going to keep up on the sorting and not let it all wait until the end of the year. The parental review of this sorting needs to stay in place, though -- she thinks we should keep way more than I think we should. But, on the other hand, she didn't think we needed to keep her report cards.
The six-year-old and I made carrot cookies today, from the Living on a Dime cookbook formerly known (when I acquired it) as Not Just Beans. We ended up adding another egg to the batter, because it just looked too dry when it was "supposed" to be done, and I knew there was no way it would stick together. The cookies taste OK (kind of like slightly carroty sugar cookies), but they still came out pretty crumbly. I'm not sure if that's in part due to the fact that we thought we had no more baking powder left after the first teaspoon (recipe called for two) and so used the substitution of 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar and 1/4 teaspoon baking soda. (Later discovered that we did, indeed, have a new container of baking powder in the cupboard where I told her to look - but it was in a different shaped canister than before. Regardless of the fact that it says "Baking Powder" on it in big letters.)
I also made cornbread to go with the ribs I threw in the crockpot this morning for supper.
Needed to have supper planned, because the day was broken up with dance recital dress rehearsal (and the accompanying doing of the hair, slathering on of makeup so she can be seen from the stage, annual motherly speech about how this is the only time she gets to wear makeup, etc.). Announcement from the backseat of the car: "My favorite part about dance recital and dress rehearsal is being up on stage in front of all those people!"
Also spent part of the day going through the mammoth pile of school papers that have accumulated over the course of the year. I think I have uttered several times recently that next year, we are going to keep up on the sorting and not let it all wait until the end of the year. The parental review of this sorting needs to stay in place, though -- she thinks we should keep way more than I think we should. But, on the other hand, she didn't think we needed to keep her report cards.
Friday, May 31, 2013
Friday Wrap-up
Around the House(Keeping):
I took the bull by the horns and brought the winter coat and comforter in to the dry cleaner -- because the coupons expired the last day of May. Even though we're supposed to have highs only in the 60s again for the next few days.
I mowed and trimmed the yard. That's about all I get done outside these days, because a) it's not like I have nothing else to do and b) it keeps growing like crazy due to the rain. I tried to get out there and do this week's mowing before the rain of the day hit; only got sprinkled on a bit toward the end. We recently finished The First Four Years in the Laura Ingalls Wilder series for a read-aloud; I was contemplating, as I was mowing, whether I should just let it grow and see if someone will buy hay -- like they used the hay from the school section near their claim.
Quick shop for basics at Walgreen's; Girl Scouts registered for next year so they get the early bird patch; basic weekly cleaning of the bathrooms; working on next week's menu plan; rebate check deposited at the bank.
Family:
Attended a poetry reading in first grade. An end-of-the-year celebration type thing. The class sang songs and each student read a poem (they read it; they didn't have to memorize - since they're first graders, this was part of working on reading for the year) and showed a picture they'd done to illustrate the theme of the poem. My daughter had the longest poem, "100 is a Lot." The poem had 100 words (or, really, 104 with the title, she told me, "but really 107," because she also said "read by N_"). The teacher had also put together a scrapbook for each student for the year, with photos from classroom celebrations and field trips, samples of their writing about those events, a copy of the class photo, and a personal note to each student. A really nice thing to do.
I also put the last Daisy petals on a Girl Scout vest, as well as the patches earned during this year's cookie sales. (I figured she only has a couple of times left to wear this, as she's almost done being a Daisy and will be moving on to be a Brownie.) I did this in the half hour before we left for tonight's activity: Chuck E. Cheese with six, six- and seven-year-old Girl Scouts.
This was what the girls wanted to do with some of the cookie money they earned for the troop. And we needed to do it soon, before two families -- the troop's top cookie seller and my co-leader's family -- move out of state over the summer. So, we put a coupon to work and fed the girls two large pizzas (a few slices of the sausage left; none of the cheese), soft drinks and, later, ice cream treats. The ice cream treats were our solution as to what to do when we ran out of tokens (from the 200 we started with!) for running around playing games and such. It actually worked out really well with timing for when we had told parents to pick them up, and the girls had a lot of fun running around, playing, eating, dancing with Chuck E. Cheese, and being silly.
I took the bull by the horns and brought the winter coat and comforter in to the dry cleaner -- because the coupons expired the last day of May. Even though we're supposed to have highs only in the 60s again for the next few days.
I mowed and trimmed the yard. That's about all I get done outside these days, because a) it's not like I have nothing else to do and b) it keeps growing like crazy due to the rain. I tried to get out there and do this week's mowing before the rain of the day hit; only got sprinkled on a bit toward the end. We recently finished The First Four Years in the Laura Ingalls Wilder series for a read-aloud; I was contemplating, as I was mowing, whether I should just let it grow and see if someone will buy hay -- like they used the hay from the school section near their claim.
Quick shop for basics at Walgreen's; Girl Scouts registered for next year so they get the early bird patch; basic weekly cleaning of the bathrooms; working on next week's menu plan; rebate check deposited at the bank.
Family:
Attended a poetry reading in first grade. An end-of-the-year celebration type thing. The class sang songs and each student read a poem (they read it; they didn't have to memorize - since they're first graders, this was part of working on reading for the year) and showed a picture they'd done to illustrate the theme of the poem. My daughter had the longest poem, "100 is a Lot." The poem had 100 words (or, really, 104 with the title, she told me, "but really 107," because she also said "read by N_"). The teacher had also put together a scrapbook for each student for the year, with photos from classroom celebrations and field trips, samples of their writing about those events, a copy of the class photo, and a personal note to each student. A really nice thing to do.
I also put the last Daisy petals on a Girl Scout vest, as well as the patches earned during this year's cookie sales. (I figured she only has a couple of times left to wear this, as she's almost done being a Daisy and will be moving on to be a Brownie.) I did this in the half hour before we left for tonight's activity: Chuck E. Cheese with six, six- and seven-year-old Girl Scouts.
This was what the girls wanted to do with some of the cookie money they earned for the troop. And we needed to do it soon, before two families -- the troop's top cookie seller and my co-leader's family -- move out of state over the summer. So, we put a coupon to work and fed the girls two large pizzas (a few slices of the sausage left; none of the cheese), soft drinks and, later, ice cream treats. The ice cream treats were our solution as to what to do when we ran out of tokens (from the 200 we started with!) for running around playing games and such. It actually worked out really well with timing for when we had told parents to pick them up, and the girls had a lot of fun running around, playing, eating, dancing with Chuck E. Cheese, and being silly.
Thursday, May 30, 2013
A Thursday Post
I think maybe I will experiment with
when works the best for me for a weekly wrap-up and/or goal post.
The weather has been cool and rainy
here for quite some time. Post-car accident, I'm still going to the
chiropractor three times a week (although getting tired of how much
time that's taking up) and last night, the massage therapist said, "I
feel like it's been raining for the past three weeks." I
answered, "That's because it has." (Up side? We're now out
of drought.) Highs have been mostly in the 60s and, with that and the
rain, I have done very little outside work -- which is getting to be
frustrating. I have washed up my sweaters for the seasonal switch,
but am still living half out of my winter wardrobe, so the clothes
haven't been switched around yet.
I've also done some of the spring deep
cleaning inside (insides of windows, laundry room, entryway, living
room, bathroom, kid's room) and am working on sorting through paper
stacks. (I am an inveterate magazine clipper.) Haven't faced the
kitchen yet, although I'm kind of wanting to, and working toward
minor home improvements this year to make life easier. I read a
Kindle book a while ago, Organize for a Fresh Start by Susan FayWest, which talks about organizing for the season of life you're in,
and the season of life we're currently in is working parents of a
school-age child. (She's about to finish first grade. I'm slow in
getting the house caught up.)
I'm also transitioning to more
electronic time management (to-do lists and reminders, notes, etc.)
and am wondering if there's a good way to keep track of my weekly
meal plans electronically so that I can go back and refer to them.
This week, we had weiners from our bulk meat purchase from our
freezer for Memorial Day (we boiled them on the stove. Because it was
raining), with chips and strawberry-rhubarb pie (fruit from the
freezer from previous summers). Tuesday was Saucy Chicken (chicken
breasts baked with cream of chicken soup, served over rice) and
frozen peas; Wednesday, spaghetti. Tonight? Leftovers.
I got together with my book group
friends this week; when we weren't discussing each other's lives, we
discussed the book Illuminations by Mary Sharratt, historical fiction
about Hildegarde von Bingen. I'm always interested, after reading
historical fiction, in how much of it was historical fact. In this
case, ti seems like all of the main characters were indeed real
people, although the author of course gave them personalities for the
book. Since Hildegarde spent decades walled into the room of a
monastery as a servant to an anchorite, the part of the book where
she carried a plant around to the sliver of sunlight that she could
see for those years also had me thinking that yes, I probably would
react that way, too, if penned away from the outside for years.
Thursday, May 23, 2013
(Last) Week's Frugal Accomplishments
I haven't posted in a
while, and last week shaped up to be more frugal than this week has
so far. I enjoy reading the posts and comments on this topic at http://theprudenthomemakerblog.blogspot.com
Last week, I
- was better about meal
planning/deliberately using up leftovers.
a) Turned some lunchmeat
that needed to be used up into filling for turkey and cheese
crescents with a can of crescent rolls that was in the fridge.
b) used blueberries (that
had been in the freezer from a previous summer) that hadn't been used
up in a recent blueberry pancakes meal, to make blueberry muffins
c) used some of
sauerkraut that had been sitting in partially used jars in fridge to
make German casserole (pork sausage -- from our freezer, sauerkraut,
apples and onions are the basic ingredients)
d) used cream cheese that
had been purchased on an earlier sale and in our freezer to make the
cheesy enchiladas that someone else posted in these comments a while
back (sorry, I don't have access to the recipe right now -- I did
write down who it was but can't remember off the top of my head!)
- also used things on hand
for food for end of the school-year celebrations and other events
a) brought strawberries
and raspberries in the freezer from last summer as ice cream toppings
for end of the year church youth choir party
b) used rhubarb from
freezer and other ingredients on hand to make rhubarb coffee cake for
potluck at final Girl Scout troop leader meeting of the school year
c) used strawberries from
the freezer and Jell-O and sour cream that were on hand to make
strawberry Jello salad for a church funeral luncheon
(I'm trying to increase
the pace of using the strawberries and raspberries from the freezer
somewhat, before it's time to go picking again and replenish with
this year's crops!) I also did a little bit of chest freezer
organization, so it's easier to find (and use!) the things that are
in there. Right now, I'm using empty Girl Scout cookie boxes (the
cardboard boxes that held several boxes of cookies) to contain the
pork and beef from our meat purchase last year, so everything is not
piled on top of each other. Some smaller items are in the plastic
dishpans from the dollar store that we used for a Girl Scout
activity. Now that the other cuts of meat are easier to find, I'm
hoping to use them more -- and not just focus on the hamburger as
much just because it was easy to get to!
Also, acquired a free
banana from quarterly meeting snacks at work (kid ate it); used
graham cracker snacks passed out at church celebration for lunchbox
snacks; and fed child on Sunday by delivering her to a classmate's
birthday party after church. :)
She found a free kid's
book in husband's Cheerios box; I registered her for before-school
childcare for next school year during the timeframe when the
registration is free (even if we need to change our timeslots later);
and we found free downloadable printable invitations for her upcoming
birthday party.
Earned $33 from this
spring's consignment sale. Read free Kindle and library books, and
watched a code for a free Redbox DVD rental for the family ("To
the Arctic").
The 6-year-old and I also
harvested dandelions, and made dandelion fritters, before I mowed
(with a reel mower -- no gas expense required).
Tuesday, April 23, 2013
Where I've Been the Past Couple of Months
I haven't been blogging much lately, and it's a bit surprising that *this* is the week I find time to do so -- as this is the week of everything: dance class picture day, extra-long church choir practice, first grade performance, two different Girl Scout events, First Communion, plus work, chiropractor's appointments -- and snowstorms.
Yes, snowstorms. Well, at least one - Monday night into Tuesday. To go with the one from last Thursday. To go with ... let's just say we've written off April for spring in Minnesota. These are not dustings; these are several inches of accumulation. And apparently, according to our local weatherman's blog, the entire Mississippi flyway's population of robins are trapped in the Twin Cities by the weather -- those migrating are afraid to go any farther north (and, with parts of northern Minnesota getting 20 inches of snow last week, who can blame them?).
On the plus side, as we've been trapped inside, I've been doing some "spring" cleaning. Andthreatening discussing with the family the need for home maintenance so things like the coat closet, living room, child's room, etc., do not again become disaster areas. Still haven't made it to some of the other areas of the house that really need organizing -- I think getting things in order, and keeping them that way, would really save me time that I could use for other things I want to do. Decluttering has been a part of this, too: so far, we've given three bags of adult clothes to the local thrift store that supports our local food shelf; Freecycled a bag full of my husband's holey jeans so that someone could use the denim fabric; and taken a load of stuff to the spring kids' consignment sale in our town.
The consignment sale is also this week. Of course. I had my daughter go through her spring/summer clothes to see what she needed -- but she hasn't been able to actually get them out and wear them yet, with the weather. I'm hoping to find her some pairs of shorts at the sale, which is mostly what she needs. Her outgrown clothes mostly go to my niece; it's more outgrown equipment and toys that we're consigning -- plus a few things from the neighbors with a girl about three years older, who are moving and giving some of their outgrow stuff to us. We're keeping some of it; some of it is waiting for my daughter to grow into it -- and this situation has both its good and its bad aspects.
One of the good aspects, of course, is the saving money portion of this. This past month or so has not been good to us in that arena. I got rear-ended in one of the March snowstorms on my way to work, which totalled the car (back windshield completely broken out; whole back end of the car was caddywampus). So, we ended up having to buy a new-to-us car. We used the insurance settlement plus a generous loan from my mom to pay off my husband's car, so we don't have two car payments, and the newer car's payments will be lower than we had been paying, but still, it was a chunk of change for a down payment (and now we need to build the emergency fund back up to where it had been).
Also, due to all the discombobulation, my being without a vehicle, etc., we haven't had very well-planned meals or grocery trips, which means my husband has been making frequent ad-hoc trips to buy things here and there, which is not good for the budget, as he has no concept of not buying things at full price (I never buy cereal without a coupon, for instance, but he will buy a giant box of it ...) I also have been a bit skittish about driving in snowstorms in either the miniscule rental car they stuck me with, or the new car, and literally, almost every time I actually have time to do groceries, there is a snowstorm.
Luckily, the insurance has covered the cost of doctor visits (I hit my head in the accident and had to be checked out a couple of times -- no concussion, no skull fracture, just a big lump); chiropractor visits (up to a point, and then we'll evaluate); and the rental car for a time.
While I was stuck at home for a week with no vehicle, did I get to rest? Of course not. I was either working from home, or having to engage in ridiculously vigorous house cleaning because, in the midst of all this, lice came home from school.
Also, we made an unplanned trip to Iowa shortly thereafter, to attend the funeral of my husband's cousin. She had been living in the Twin Cities, and we had been having fun doing family things with her last year -- the State Fair, the zoo, our daughter's dance recital, etc. -- and looking forward to hanging out with her more this year. But when she went to her convent's annual meeting at the mother house right after Christmas (obviously, she was a nun), she went to the doctor and pretty much never came back to Minnesota. She had a hysterectomy in January and was put on hospice care in March. I don't know, but I can't help but wonder, since she was one of those people who took care of everyone else, if she ignored symptoms for a long time or something. We will miss her.
The funeral was the Tuesday of Holy Week (she was even considerate enough to pass away in time for easier scheduling; one more day and they would have had to postpone the funeral due to all the other events/priests' obligations), held at the convent, and was our daughter's first funeral experience. So I've also been spending time the past month explaining death to a six-year-old.
Also, recently, our school had spring break. We went on a (previously planned and budgeted for) family vacation, to St. Louis, which was fun. We needed it.
So, that's where I've been the past couple of months.
Yes, snowstorms. Well, at least one - Monday night into Tuesday. To go with the one from last Thursday. To go with ... let's just say we've written off April for spring in Minnesota. These are not dustings; these are several inches of accumulation. And apparently, according to our local weatherman's blog, the entire Mississippi flyway's population of robins are trapped in the Twin Cities by the weather -- those migrating are afraid to go any farther north (and, with parts of northern Minnesota getting 20 inches of snow last week, who can blame them?).
On the plus side, as we've been trapped inside, I've been doing some "spring" cleaning. And
The consignment sale is also this week. Of course. I had my daughter go through her spring/summer clothes to see what she needed -- but she hasn't been able to actually get them out and wear them yet, with the weather. I'm hoping to find her some pairs of shorts at the sale, which is mostly what she needs. Her outgrown clothes mostly go to my niece; it's more outgrown equipment and toys that we're consigning -- plus a few things from the neighbors with a girl about three years older, who are moving and giving some of their outgrow stuff to us. We're keeping some of it; some of it is waiting for my daughter to grow into it -- and this situation has both its good and its bad aspects.
One of the good aspects, of course, is the saving money portion of this. This past month or so has not been good to us in that arena. I got rear-ended in one of the March snowstorms on my way to work, which totalled the car (back windshield completely broken out; whole back end of the car was caddywampus). So, we ended up having to buy a new-to-us car. We used the insurance settlement plus a generous loan from my mom to pay off my husband's car, so we don't have two car payments, and the newer car's payments will be lower than we had been paying, but still, it was a chunk of change for a down payment (and now we need to build the emergency fund back up to where it had been).
Also, due to all the discombobulation, my being without a vehicle, etc., we haven't had very well-planned meals or grocery trips, which means my husband has been making frequent ad-hoc trips to buy things here and there, which is not good for the budget, as he has no concept of not buying things at full price (I never buy cereal without a coupon, for instance, but he will buy a giant box of it ...) I also have been a bit skittish about driving in snowstorms in either the miniscule rental car they stuck me with, or the new car, and literally, almost every time I actually have time to do groceries, there is a snowstorm.
Luckily, the insurance has covered the cost of doctor visits (I hit my head in the accident and had to be checked out a couple of times -- no concussion, no skull fracture, just a big lump); chiropractor visits (up to a point, and then we'll evaluate); and the rental car for a time.
While I was stuck at home for a week with no vehicle, did I get to rest? Of course not. I was either working from home, or having to engage in ridiculously vigorous house cleaning because, in the midst of all this, lice came home from school.
Also, we made an unplanned trip to Iowa shortly thereafter, to attend the funeral of my husband's cousin. She had been living in the Twin Cities, and we had been having fun doing family things with her last year -- the State Fair, the zoo, our daughter's dance recital, etc. -- and looking forward to hanging out with her more this year. But when she went to her convent's annual meeting at the mother house right after Christmas (obviously, she was a nun), she went to the doctor and pretty much never came back to Minnesota. She had a hysterectomy in January and was put on hospice care in March. I don't know, but I can't help but wonder, since she was one of those people who took care of everyone else, if she ignored symptoms for a long time or something. We will miss her.
The funeral was the Tuesday of Holy Week (she was even considerate enough to pass away in time for easier scheduling; one more day and they would have had to postpone the funeral due to all the other events/priests' obligations), held at the convent, and was our daughter's first funeral experience. So I've also been spending time the past month explaining death to a six-year-old.
Also, recently, our school had spring break. We went on a (previously planned and budgeted for) family vacation, to St. Louis, which was fun. We needed it.
So, that's where I've been the past couple of months.
Saturday, February 23, 2013
Friday's Fave Five (on Saturday)
OK, so it's Saturday. Friday did not go as planned, with issues involving snow, cancelling planned travel to see my sister and nieces, and a bumper now hanging loosely off the side of my car. I think it's been a good week to look back on even the small things for which to be thankful, as is the theme of Friday's Fave Five hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.
1. Hot Chocolate with Friends
This past week's activity as part of the "you can't beat it, might as well join it"/"embrace winter" project in the face of our snow and cold this year was crosscountry skiing at one of the local parks. The six-year-old and I went with a couple of my friends. I'm thankful for the friends as well, because they were able to help/encourage the six-year-old while I tried to get up hills and/or get up after falling down. They could also occasionally lift the six-year-old after she fell down.
I think the both of us need to really improve our skills before we can be thankful for the cross-country skiing ourselves, but the apres-ski hot chocolate treats sold in the park's visitor center, and the time spent with friends sipping said hot chocolate and letting the bunches of snow from our falls melt off our outerwear in front of the fireplace in their gathering room is something to be thankful for.
2. My Dental Hygienist
I had a routine dentist appointment this week. I actually look forward to these appointments, ever since I had to have a lot of dental work done during pregnancy and really bonded with this hygienist, who was expecting at the same time. Her son is about three months older than my daughter, so over the years, I have not only gotten dental care, I've gotten parenting advice about stages that lay ahead -- back when that three months made more of a difference -- and now, same-stage parenting stories, commiseration, sharing, bragging and bonding.
3. My Kitchen Apron
A few years ago, I bought an apron at a "handmade in Iowa" place while we were there on one of our Christmas travels to see family. It's blue jeans overalls that have been turned into an apron, and trimmed with a band around the bottom of the skirt, the tie band and a couple of patches made from fabric featuring bright pink tulips combined with fabric with a black background and white polka dots. Tulips are my favorite flower, I love polka dots, and I also really like the casual look of denim. The apron has a cheery look and is fun to wear; this week, I donned it to make zucchini basil muffins.
4. Hymns at Lenten Church Service
My church is trying a new format this year for the mid-week Lenten services, with almost the entire service being music. I really liked the way it went this week.
5. The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon
I really enjoyed this book, and read it in only a couple of days. Now I'm trying to convince friends to read it so I'll have someone to discuss it with.
1. Hot Chocolate with Friends
This past week's activity as part of the "you can't beat it, might as well join it"/"embrace winter" project in the face of our snow and cold this year was crosscountry skiing at one of the local parks. The six-year-old and I went with a couple of my friends. I'm thankful for the friends as well, because they were able to help/encourage the six-year-old while I tried to get up hills and/or get up after falling down. They could also occasionally lift the six-year-old after she fell down.
I think the both of us need to really improve our skills before we can be thankful for the cross-country skiing ourselves, but the apres-ski hot chocolate treats sold in the park's visitor center, and the time spent with friends sipping said hot chocolate and letting the bunches of snow from our falls melt off our outerwear in front of the fireplace in their gathering room is something to be thankful for.
2. My Dental Hygienist
I had a routine dentist appointment this week. I actually look forward to these appointments, ever since I had to have a lot of dental work done during pregnancy and really bonded with this hygienist, who was expecting at the same time. Her son is about three months older than my daughter, so over the years, I have not only gotten dental care, I've gotten parenting advice about stages that lay ahead -- back when that three months made more of a difference -- and now, same-stage parenting stories, commiseration, sharing, bragging and bonding.
3. My Kitchen Apron
A few years ago, I bought an apron at a "handmade in Iowa" place while we were there on one of our Christmas travels to see family. It's blue jeans overalls that have been turned into an apron, and trimmed with a band around the bottom of the skirt, the tie band and a couple of patches made from fabric featuring bright pink tulips combined with fabric with a black background and white polka dots. Tulips are my favorite flower, I love polka dots, and I also really like the casual look of denim. The apron has a cheery look and is fun to wear; this week, I donned it to make zucchini basil muffins.
4. Hymns at Lenten Church Service
My church is trying a new format this year for the mid-week Lenten services, with almost the entire service being music. I really liked the way it went this week.
5. The Story of Beautiful Girl by Rachel Simon
I really enjoyed this book, and read it in only a couple of days. Now I'm trying to convince friends to read it so I'll have someone to discuss it with.
Friday, February 15, 2013
Friday's Fave Five
I've missed a couple of these (that darned inertia ..), but am participating again this week in Friday's Fave Five, hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story.
My favorites for this week are:
1. Ice Castle
Although I haven't (yet) in my life made it to the St. Paul Winter Carnival, they are hosting an ice castle at the Mall of America this winter -- through the middle of next week, or it might close early if temperatures are sustainably above 40 degrees (like *that's* going to happen this year). As part of my "embrace winter" philosophy this year, my mom, my daughter and I visited the Ice Castle last weekend. There were thrones, there were ice princesses, there were cool ice formations, and there was a little girl who spontaneously hugged me and thanked me for bringing her to the Ice Castle. It was fun.
2. Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake
My husband and I (it was a joint effort; I made the crust, he assembled the rest of it) made the Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Pie posted on MoneySavingMom this week for our family Valentine's dinner dessert, from some of the many raspberries we picked last summer. It was delicious. It's possible I'm eating some of it while I'm writing this blog post.
3. The "good china."
For that Valentine's dinner, we ate off the good china -- the kind that people used to traditionally receive as a wedding present. While we've regretfully never had occasion to use our full set (I think it's 12settings; I kind of rotate the ones we use for our small family), I still remember the fun of picking it out, still like my Forest Glen patttern, and enjoy using it. (Especially now that the six-year-old is old enough to use it as well, and has also expressed her appreciation for it.)
4. Family Game Night
While my mom was visitng last weekend, we had some fun with old-fashioned board and card games. I enjoy playing these, but my husband doesn't, so it's nice when we have someone else in the house to add another player.
5. Reading "Farmer Boy"
We're on the third in the Laura Ingalls Wilder series for our read-alouds. It's been a while since I've read this one, and I'd kind of forgotten how food-obsessed it is. It's fun to read about all of those things, and it's got me thinking of a few things to add to the family menu in the next few weeks (like maybe apples and onions, or some oatmeal).
My favorites for this week are:
1. Ice Castle
Although I haven't (yet) in my life made it to the St. Paul Winter Carnival, they are hosting an ice castle at the Mall of America this winter -- through the middle of next week, or it might close early if temperatures are sustainably above 40 degrees (like *that's* going to happen this year). As part of my "embrace winter" philosophy this year, my mom, my daughter and I visited the Ice Castle last weekend. There were thrones, there were ice princesses, there were cool ice formations, and there was a little girl who spontaneously hugged me and thanked me for bringing her to the Ice Castle. It was fun.
2. Raspberry Chocolate Cheesecake
My husband and I (it was a joint effort; I made the crust, he assembled the rest of it) made the Chocolate Raspberry Cheesecake Pie posted on MoneySavingMom this week for our family Valentine's dinner dessert, from some of the many raspberries we picked last summer. It was delicious. It's possible I'm eating some of it while I'm writing this blog post.
3. The "good china."
For that Valentine's dinner, we ate off the good china -- the kind that people used to traditionally receive as a wedding present. While we've regretfully never had occasion to use our full set (I think it's 12settings; I kind of rotate the ones we use for our small family), I still remember the fun of picking it out, still like my Forest Glen patttern, and enjoy using it. (Especially now that the six-year-old is old enough to use it as well, and has also expressed her appreciation for it.)
4. Family Game Night
While my mom was visitng last weekend, we had some fun with old-fashioned board and card games. I enjoy playing these, but my husband doesn't, so it's nice when we have someone else in the house to add another player.
5. Reading "Farmer Boy"
We're on the third in the Laura Ingalls Wilder series for our read-alouds. It's been a while since I've read this one, and I'd kind of forgotten how food-obsessed it is. It's fun to read about all of those things, and it's got me thinking of a few things to add to the family menu in the next few weeks (like maybe apples and onions, or some oatmeal).
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Goals for the Week of February 11, 2013
So, I didn't post goals the last week of January, because I got sort of disgusted with myself for never getting some of these things done. So, that was intentional -- and then, I believe it's the law of inertia that states that things at rest tend to stay at rest. Which means that I haven't posted anything else in a while either. So, despite its being the middle of the week already, I'm posting my goals for the week in an attempt to give myself a (figurative) kick in the pants.
So, did I get anything accomplished while not posting? Well, ....
Last Week's Goals
Finances and Organization:
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- finish calendar info transfer
- sort through and discard/file school papers
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-
- update pantry inventory
- download will questionnaire and begin to work on it with husand
-
Spirituality and Creativity:
-
- continue using prayer books at meals (sort of, not as much as I would have liked)
-
Family and Friends:
-
-
-
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- spend time on a project or playing with 6-year-old (played with marble run she got for Christmas, did a couple of cooking projects, went sledding, had "family game night" with her choices of Uno, Go Fish and Telestrations)
And, on to
This Week's Goals
Finances and Organization:
- pursue/argue with/try to resolve final reimbursement from husband's 2012 FLEX account (there is some issue every year with his benefits administrator. I hate his benefits administrator. They changed to a different company this year, so we shall if things improve, but for 2012, we still have to deal with the old one.)
- compile records of goods donations, charity mileage and expenses for taxes (probably need to print out photos of clothing items I donated to food shelf's thrift store)
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- get business photos taken with discount promotion
- explore which business membership organizations that send me emails would be worth joining
- remember to listen to free business webinar offered through alumni association
- inventory gift box
- inventory (and organize) cards on hand (realized I was out of blank cards -- unless I have some I just can't find -- when looking for one the other day. If I know what I need, I can stock up through photo site deals throughout the year.)
Spirituality and Creativity:
- continue catchup on chronological Bible reading plan (James, Titus and Timothy are on my list for this week)
- Ash Wednesday church
- consider Lenten/Easter resources/activities for/with child
Family and Friends:
- Valentine's Day: lunchbox notes, special meal, etc.
- use husband's spring break activities planning for further research, planning (i.e., discounts, hotel reservations)
- begin Farmer Boy read-aloud
Monday, January 28, 2013
(Some) Books Read January 2013
I love to read (like many relatives in the line before me, I probably often read when I should be doing something else...)
Here are a few of the books I read and enjoyed in January.
Village School and Village Diary by Miss Read
These are the first two books in a series about the rural English village of Fairacre during the mid-20th century, "written" by the fictitious persona of the village schoolteacher. I had never encountered these books before finding them recommended on a blog, but read a couple of the Christmas stories in December and enjoyed them enough to start the series. They are a cozy read, with no particular plot, but rather recountings of the different events and characters in the life of the village.
Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson
Another book set in Britain (I did have the reaction, about halfway through this one, that I needed to take a break for a while from books set in England), this one with a more contemporary timeframe, focusing on a retired British major who represents "tradition," and his romance with the widowed Pakistani woman who runs the local shop. I enjoyed this book, and (most of) the characters -- except the whiny ones, who you weren't supposed to like anyway. It was an interesting approach to the changing face of British culture, and the development of more multiculturalism -- usually, I see that presented in American books.
Half--Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls
This is sort of a memoir of Jeannette Walls's grandmother -- although, since the grandmother died when the author was 8, it's put together via memories of her speech patterns, family stories, and research. I enjoy history, and good biography/autobiography/memoir, so what I particularly enjoyed was watching the development of American 20th century history unfold through the experiences of the author's grandmother -- her move to Chicago and getting a "flapper" haircut not only for social reasons but for safety, with the increasing use of machines in the workforce; her foray into bootlegging to support the family during Prohibition and the Depression, etc. The grandmother's life was mostly centered in the West, and the book has a very strong flavor of that. She was a strong woman, and I could hear her voice through the book.
To find more reading suggestions, visit the Booking It post at Life As Mom, where you'll read about what Jessica, Anne and Carrie have been reading.
Disclosure: Book titles in this post are Amazon affiliate links. If you make a purchase at Amazon after clicking through here, I will receive a (very) small percentage of the profits; there is no additional cost to you.
Goals for the Week of January 28, 2013
Well, I'm feeling rather tired today, and am not sure where my weekend went -- not a lot on the "need-to-do" list seems to have gotten done. But writing these goals down does help me to push myself to actually accomplish these things, so onward through the last week of January we go!
Last Week's Goals:
Finances and Organization:
- finish filing paperwork! (Nope.)
- clear out catchall basket of catalogs, etc. that have piled up over past month (Didn't even touch.)
- finish calendar info transfer (Nope.)
- sort through and discard/file school papers (Nope.)
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- submit for utilities rebate (rethinking this)
- make appointment with lawyer for will (husband wants to fill out the questionnaire first)
- make tax appointment for March (hopefully, they'll have all the new forms ready by then ...) (no)
- update pantry inventory (no)
So, essentially, I did (almost) nothing on the finances and organization section of last week's goals. I thought that's what January was supposed to be about?
January goals:
- determine budget for February
Yearly goal:
- photo organization
- recipe organization
- kitchen (re)organization
Spirituality and Creativity:
-
-
-
-
-
January goals:
- finish chronological reading of Bible
- start a craft project -- new potholders?
Family and Friends:
- gather supplies for and lead Girl Scout meeting (6- and 7-year-olds learned how to use the "circle of safety" with a knife -- a butter knife -- wash dishes the Girl Scout way, and prepare healthy snacks)
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- finish read-aloud of Little House in the Big Woods, begin read-aloud of Little House on the Prairie (yes, complete with much explaining that "a long time ago" does NOT automatically equal "when you were a kid")
- do a cooking project among recipes 6-year-old has identified she'd like to try (no cooking together at home this week)
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-
January goals:
-
- possibly make travel plans, hotel reservations
This Week's Goals
Finances and Organization:
- finish filing paperwork! (I want to get it done and out of my hair in January!)
- clear out catchall basket of catalogs, etc. that have piled up over past month
- finish calendar info transfer
- sort through and discard/file school papers
- submit for utilities rebate OR cancel
- make tax appointment
- update pantry inventory
- download will questionnaire and begin to work on it with husand
- determine budget for February
Spirituality and Creativity:
- continue catchup on chronological Bible reading plan, possibly complete
- continue using prayer books at meals
- finish reading friend's book so can return it
Family and Friends:
- sign girls up for cookie club
- distribute Girl Scout cookies
- chaperone daughter to sell
- finish read-aloud of Little House on the Prairie
- spend time on a project or playing with 6-year-old
Friday, January 25, 2013
Friday's Fave Five
It's time for another Friday's Fave Five, hosted by Susanne at Living to Tell the Story. It has been a bitterly cold week, with highs well below zero and wind chills even colder - the kind that has me thinking, "OK, I'm done with winter." But still, there are things for which to be thankful.
1. Garages
It has been bitterly cold here this week, and I am very thankful to be at a point in my life now where my car can live in the garage overnight. At least it's a few degrees warmer when we get in in the morning, and there's no need to get out in the cold and scrape off the frost before anything else can happen for the day.
2. Breakfast Is Served
My six-year-old made me breakfast on a weekend morning. She poured milk onto Raisin Bran cereal a good 15 minutes before I could eat it (I have to wait an hour after taking morning medication before I can eat). She poured a glass of juice over the sink, and when I used the sink later, I found the dishcloth -- which I had just replaced, having washed the other one the night before -- to be completely soaked. But in this case, the idea of her making breakfast for me was such a sweet gesture that it really was the thought that counts.
3. Abdallah's Candies
Abdallah's is a locally owned candy store in the Twin Cities that's been around for over 100 years, and is on the fourth generation of family ownership. My husband frequently gets me a couple of boxes of their candy for holiday occasions. I finished one of the Christmas boxes of chocolate mints -- which are mouth-meltingly deliciously flavored intensely with both mint and chocolate -- this week.
4. Heated Car Seats
Whoever invented the idea of warming your seat by warming your seat was a genius.
5. New Refrigerator
Actually, I'm still getting used to the new refrigerator we had delivered this week, purchased at one of the January appliance sales. (It takes me a while to adjust to change, sometimes.) But I am thankful we were able to replace the old one - which we think was original to the house, from the 1980s -- before it completely gave up the ghost, as it was indicating was imminent. One of the aspects of the new fridge that I do like is the clear crisper drawers -- less likely for produce to be forgotten about until it's past its prime. (Or, for example, for the husband to forget about clementines and carrots in a refrigerator transfer ... perhaps I should be thankful the delivery people had the option of some fresh fruit for their lunch?)
Tuesday, January 22, 2013
Goals for Week of January 21, 2013
(To see others' goals, and for weekly encouragement, visit Money Saving Mom.)
Last Week's Goals:
Finances and Organization:
- close on refinance of mortgage ($160 less a month in payments! no payment in February!)
-work on filing paperwork/finding receipts (receipts found, paperwork filing from 2012 almost completed ... oy)
-submit for 2012 FLEX reimbursements
- clear out catchall basket of catalogs, etc. that have piled up over past month
-finish cleaning out gmail inbox; email drafts folders
- finish calendar info transfer (progress made; not completed. This is not transferring events from a calendar; this is going through last year's paper planner and making some sort of organizational decisions about all the little sticky notes/reminders/ideas I've left for myself throughout the year)
- index recipes from 10 multi-recipe ebooks on computer
- (not on the list) new and updated inventory of freezer contents
Spirituality and Creativity:
-continue catchup on chronological Bible reading plan
- put Girl Scout pictures onto troop sharing site
-find books of prayer collections ( found some of them, although not necessarily what I was specifically looking for)
Family and Friends:
-plan doing something with husband's cousin (on hold for now due to illness :( )
-possibly plan get-together with book group friends (somewhat weather-dependent) (weather did not cooperate- it's hard to go cross-country skiing with no snow!)
- get belated Christmas presents to book group friends (since get-together didn't happen, it's now close enough to our February meeting that I'm just moving this goal to then)
-ask for information packet from spring break vacation destination, look in files to see if have current resources (did not have current resources in files, but had general planning overview discussion with husband)
-put new patches on Girl Scout uniform (got them sewed on in time for her to proudly wear uniform to school for "Girl Scout Spirit Day"
-do "Girls Cook In" training
-register for First Communion instruction
And This Week's Goals:
Finances and Organization:
- finish filing paperwork!
- clear out catchall basket of catalogs, etc. that have piled up over past month (or so...)
- finish calendar info transfer
- sort through and discard/file school papers
- order free book from Children's Book of the Month Club before credit expires
- submit for utilities rebate
- buy Forever stamps before price increase
- make appointment with lawyer for will
- make tax appointment for March (hopefully, they'll have all the new forms ready by then ...)
- clean out old/sent mail folders in email account; being work on "newsletters" folder
- update pantry inventory
January goals:
- determine budget (actually, I may wait until we get through an entire month, although some of the uncertainties -- like tax change impacts on paychecks, change in mortgage payment due to refinance, have now been completed)
- finish organizing recipes stored on computer (make Xcel document for table of contents type reference to recipes in multi-recipe ebooks) (OK, so this is not going to happen in January.)
Yearly goal:
- photo organization
- recipe organization
- kitchen (re)organization
Spirituality and Creativity:
- continue catchup on chronological Bible reading plan
- put Girl Scout pictures onto troop sharing site
- say at least 3 new-to-our-family mealtime prayers
- finish reading book for church book group
- remember food shelf donations for church on Sunday!
January goals:
- finish chronological reading of Bible
- start a craft project -- new potholders?
Family and Friends:
- gather supplies for and lead Girl Scout meeting
- pick up troop Girl Scout cookie order
- finish read-aloud of Little House in the Big Woods, begin read-aloud of Little House on the Prairie
- do a cooking project among recipes 6-year-old has identified she'd like to try
- order Valentines
- catch up on Facebook
- email out--of-state friend haven't indidvidually emailed since before Christmas
January goals:
-put in for spring break vacation time
- possibly make travel plans, hotel reservations
Last Week's Goals:
Finances and Organization:
- c
-
-
- clear out catchall basket of catalogs, etc. that have piled up over past month
-
- finish calendar info transfer (progress made; not completed. This is not transferring events from a calendar; this is going through last year's paper planner and making some sort of organizational decisions about all the little sticky notes/reminders/ideas I've left for myself throughout the year)
- index recipes from 10 multi-recipe ebooks on computer
- (not on the list) n
Spirituality and Creativity:
-
- put Girl Scout pictures onto troop sharing site
-
Family and Friends:
-
-
- get belated Christmas presents to book group friends (since get-together didn't happen, it's now close enough to our February meeting that I'm just moving this goal to then)
-
-
-
-
And This Week's Goals:
Finances and Organization:
- finish filing paperwork!
- clear out catchall basket of catalogs, etc. that have piled up over past month (or so...)
- finish calendar info transfer
- sort through and discard/file school papers
- order free book from Children's Book of the Month Club before credit expires
- submit for utilities rebate
- buy Forever stamps before price increase
- make appointment with lawyer for will
- make tax appointment for March (hopefully, they'll have all the new forms ready by then ...)
- clean out old/sent mail folders in email account; being work on "newsletters" folder
- update pantry inventory
January goals:
- determine budget (actually, I may wait until we get through an entire month, although some of the uncertainties -- like tax change impacts on paychecks, change in mortgage payment due to refinance, have now been completed)
- finish organizing recipes stored on computer (make Xcel document for table of contents type reference to recipes in multi-recipe ebooks) (OK, so this is not going to happen in January.)
Yearly goal:
- photo organization
- recipe organization
- kitchen (re)organization
Spirituality and Creativity:
- continue catchup on chronological Bible reading plan
- put Girl Scout pictures onto troop sharing site
- say at least 3 new-to-our-family mealtime prayers
- finish reading book for church book group
- remember food shelf donations for church on Sunday!
January goals:
- finish chronological reading of Bible
- start a craft project -- new potholders?
Family and Friends:
- gather supplies for and lead Girl Scout meeting
- pick up troop Girl Scout cookie order
- finish read-aloud of Little House in the Big Woods, begin read-aloud of Little House on the Prairie
- do a cooking project among recipes 6-year-old has identified she'd like to try
- order Valentines
- catch up on Facebook
- email out--of-state friend haven't indidvidually emailed since before Christmas
January goals:
-
- possibly make travel plans, hotel reservations
Last (Couple Of) Week's Frugal Accomplishments
I didn't keep up with this last week, so here are my frugal accomplishments for the past couple of weeks. (This is a roundup hosted at http://theprudenthomemakerblog.blogspot.com.)
Earned $3.00 from an online survey.
Replaced six-year-old's broken tennis shoes on MLK weekend, using a 25 percent off coupon.
Used oil company credit card discount and/or grocery points rewards programs for discounts when filling car with gas.
Purchased complete set of Magic School Bus DVD's (a favorite of the six-year-old) while on sale on Amazon, for gift-giving occasions throughout the year (Easter, birthday, Christmas -- haven't decided how they will be divided up yet). This is my second "gift closet" (actually, it's a box) purchase of 2013.
Used coupons printed from Swagbucks at the grocery store, which will give me the discount stated on the coupon, as well as Swagbucks credit for each coupon used. Paired with grocery store sales. Also used a printable coupon from the grocery store (somehow, they had deleted my online account; when I reactivated it, they sent me a coupon.) This is also the grocery store with the gas points rewards program.
Took six-year-old grocery shopping with me; she got a free apple with a card received from the grocery store during one of their community events held last fall. (It's good for a free apple or banana for a child each time they shop with their parent through the end of February.)
Packed some lunches and breakfasts for work/school. (Sometimes, I just don't get my lunch packed ...)One of the few restaurants close enough to my workplace to go for lunch is McDonalds: used a coupon for a free fries and drink with 20-piece chicken nuggets meal at McDonald's. 20 nuggets is really too much for me for one lunch, so I saved half and microwaved them for lunch the next day, thus splitting the cost of the meal in half between two meals.
I usually ask for honey for the sauce when I order chicken nuggets, and they always give me way too many packets. Saved the extra packets. Used a couple of them in hot tea when I felt the possibility of a sore throat coming on.
Successfully fended off the beginnings of a sore throat/cold with honey in hot tea, orange juice and a couple of straight tablespoons of apple cider vinegar. (I would have also used a free sample of Emergen-C, but it had solidified.)
Accepted leftovers of a pasta salad from a work meeting of some other department; ate for lunch the following day.
Used whole tomatoes from the freezer, a gift from a neighbor, in place of "stewed tomatoes" called for in a recipe for vegetable beef soup.
Used strawberries, picked last summer and frozen, to make strawberry muffins, which we ate with the vegetable beef soup, then packed in lunches and for breakfasts.
Used frozen shredded zucchini (also from last summer) to make zucchini bars, with cream cheese frosting (used the last of the cream cheese in the refrigerator purchased at Christmastime sales). Used as desserts/snacks.
Used the last of the molasses in a bottle to make molasses crinkles cookies with the six-year-old, letting her practice reading by reading the recipe out of the Betty Crocker's New Boys and Girls Cookbook (the original edition, which I have had since my childhood -- complete with the falling-out pages that we need to carefully tuck back between the covers).
Used three frozen bananas from the freezer -- each the last one from a bunch, which were going to turn bad before we could eat them, so I put them in the freezer --- to make Money Saving Mom's recipe for banana chocolate chip muffins. Have been eating them for my breakfasts.
And, the biggest frugal accomplishment of the past couple of weeks: completed refinance of the mortgage! Will save $160 a month in payments and, because of the timing of the refinance, will not have to make a mortgage payment at all for February!
Friday, January 18, 2013
Cute Kid Sayings Catchup
So, as January is a "catch up on the last year/begin the new" one for me, I have a catchup post on cute kid sayings from the past few months. (I can't remember if I have posted some of these before; since I can't remember, I'm including them all here -- partly for my memory.)
N is very interested in nonfiction books. She's also interested in typical six-year-old girl topics -- horses, princesses, fairies, etc. This led to a library trip a while back when she wanted to find "TRUE books about queens," as she told the reference librarian. This is an undeveloped subject area in the easy readers market. We came home with a book about Queen Noor of Jordan, and one about Queen Latifah. (I did explain that, while Queen Latifah is a good singer, she is not actually a real queen.)
She explained peeling the label off her container of toothpaste with the note that she could then see when it was getting low, and see the toothpaste "in its habitat."
Some elderly people have been occasionally visiting her first grade classroom. On their first visit, "Bob" was at her table, and she informed me that he was the oldest one. I asked if he told her that, or if someone else had; upon receiving negative answers, I asked how she knew. "He had the most lines on his face," was the answer. (Evidently, she feels it's the equivalent of tree rings.)
At Christmastime, she told me, "Some kids say Santa isn't real. But he is, because I have proof." She then proceeded to bring out her photo album, and point to the photo of Santa filling stockings in our family room from a couple of years ago. "One of his elves took it," she explained.
*(The elf may have had a little help from a website that promises to "capture the magic.")
Friday's Fave Five
I've also been wanting to participate in the Friday's Fave Five theme from Susanne at Living To Tell the Story for a while (I first found Susanne's blog through one of the reading challenges that Katrina hosts in spring and fall, and have been following it for a while.) The idea is to post five of your favorite things -- big or small -- kind of like the idea of a gratitude journal.
So, here are 5 of my favorite things for this week.
1) Long Underwear.
Even though it takes forever to get dressed in the mornings when you have to put on umpteen layers, I think I have finally discovered how people are able to enjoy winter. The idea of "longies," as a coworker refers to them, is something that I don't recall being on the radar screen until I moved to Minnesota. I refreshed my supply last fall and, since our high a few days ago was something like 4 or 5 degrees Fahrenheit -- and the projected high in a few days is 8 below zero -- I've been getting a lot of use out of them.
2) Ice Skating
Although I've always enjoyed watching the figure skating competitions in the Olympics, I had never actually been ice skating myself until this past weekend. My daughter, however, went on a field trip last year, and has really been wanting to go this year. (Actually, she asked for lessons, but I really didn't want to add anything else to the family schedule.) So, when some friends planned an outing to a local rink last weekend, we went. Yes, this rink is outdoors, and yes, it was the day with the high of 5 degrees. :) Once we started moving, however, we were warm, plus they have outdoor fire pits, and a warming house with a very nice roaring fireplace -- and hot chocolate for sale at the concessions. It wasn't very crowded out on the ice, which is actually three ponds joined together, and we were out in the afternoon so that the twinkle lights around the edges of the water came on, and it was very pretty.
I probably looked like an idiot with the trainer sled and the hockey skates that kept coming untied until a lady from Finland nicely helped me lace them up (when I told the skate rental people I wanted whichever was easier between hockey and figure skates, they said "hockey") but, once laced properly, it actually wasn't too hard -- for some reason, I had the impression ice skating would be more difficult than roller skating. And my six-year-old, in her second time on the ice, was whizzing around quite speedily. She doesn't need lessons.
3) Vegetable Beef Soup
For some reason, I got in the mood for vegetable beef soup recently. We made some for dinner one night, using a recipe from the 2000 annual compilation of Quick Cooking recipes. I don't think we've ever made it before, but it was delicious on a cold day. Very easy to make, too, with frozen mixed veggies, and we substituted some of the whole tomatoes gifted from a neighbor and in our freezer for the "stewed tomatoes" called for in the recipe. Served with strawberry muffins, made with strawberries we picked last summer and stored in our freezer.
4) Reading
I've discovered some new books and authors to me, via blog reading, that I've been enjoying either through library books or via the free Kindle app. I finished the Aggie's Inheritance series by Chautona Havig this week on Kindle, and am reading the second in Miss Read's Fairacre series as a library book.
5) The Book of Acts
Well, I may be behind on my one-year chronological reading plan of the Bible (yes, I was originally going to finish that last year), but I'm playing catchup this month and am currently in the book of Acts, interspersed with Paul's epistles (as they chronologically fit - hence the chronological Bible reading plan). I'm really enjoying reading the Bible this way, and am getting a much better understanding of how things fit together when I read them in the order they happened - rather than in the order the books got put in the Bible.
Monday, January 14, 2013
Goals for the Week of January 14, 2013
So, here's how I did on last week's goals:
Finances and Organization:
- review and compare 2012 and 2013 paychecks (approximately $45 less per paycheck due to tax law changes and changes in health care)
-pay bills
- work on filing paperwork/finding receipts (progress was made, but task not completed)
- submit for 2012 FLEX reimbursements (see above)
-finish putting away tree and Christmas decorations (except for the wreath I forgot on the front door)
- finish calendar info transfer
January goals:
- determine budget
- finish organizing recipes stored on computer (make Xcel document for table of contents type reference to recipes in multi-recipe ebooks)
- make appointment with lawyer for will
Yearly goal:
- photo organization
Spirituality and Creativity:
- continue catchup on chronological Bible reading plan
- put weekend's Girl Scout pictures onto troop sharing site
January goals:
- finish chronological reading of Bible
- start a craft project -- new potholders?
Family and Friends:
- Connect Friend 1 with Friend 2
- find and send birthday card to niece
- write notes, send belated Christmas presents that didn't arrive in time to niece, friends (out-of-town packages were sent; hoping to see in-town people soon)
- followup on playdate planning (little girls were dressed up, and toy horses were groomed in my kitchen)
- keep up on Facebook
- plan doing something with husband's cousin
January goals:
- put in for spring break vacation time
- ask for information packet from destination, look for coupons
- possibly make travel plans, hotel reservations
And this week's goals:
- put in for spring break vacation time
Finances and Organization:
- r
-
- work on filing paperwork/finding receipts (progress was made, but task not completed)
- submit for 2012 FLEX reimbursements (see above)
-
- finish calendar info transfer
January goals:
- determine budget
- finish organizing recipes stored on computer (make Xcel document for table of contents type reference to recipes in multi-recipe ebooks)
- make appointment with lawyer for will
Yearly goal:
- photo organization
Spirituality and Creativity:
- put weekend's Girl Scout pictures onto troop sharing site
January goals:
- finish chronological reading of Bible
- start a craft project -- new potholders?
Family and Friends:
- plan doing something with husband's cousin
January goals:
- ask for information packet from destination, look for coupons
- possibly make travel plans, hotel reservations
And this week's goals:
Finances and Organization:
- close on refinance of mortgage
- work on filing paperwork/finding receipts
- submit for 2012 FLEX reimbursements
- clear out catchall basket of catalogs, etc. that have piled up over past month
- finish cleaning out gmail inbox; email drafts folders
- finish calendar info transfer
- index recipes from 10 multi-recipe ebooks on computer
January goals:
- determine budget
- finish organizing recipes stored on computer (make Xcel document for table of contents type reference to recipes in multi-recipe ebooks)
- make appointment with lawyer for will
Yearly goal:
- photo organization
Spirituality and Creativity:
- continue catchup on chronological Bible reading plan
- put Girl Scout pictures onto troop sharing site
- find books of prayer collections
January goals:
- finish chronological reading of Bible
- start a craft project -- new potholders?
Family and Friends:
- plan doing something with husband's cousin
- possibly plan get-together with book group friends (somewhat weather-dependent)
- get belated Christmas presents to book group friends
- ask for information packet from spring break vacation destination, look in files to see if have current resources
- put new patches on Girl Scout uniform
- do "Girls Cook In" training
- register for First Communion instruction
January goals:
- possibly make travel plans, hotel reservations
Tuesday, January 8, 2013
Goals for Week of January 7, 2013
I've also been inspired by the weekly goals listing at Money Saving Mom (http://moneysavingmom.com/2013/01/10-goals-for-this-week-34.html)
I've been reading both of these memes for a while, and am *hoping* to participate in them more regularly.
(And, of course, I'm still working on clearing out 2012, and planning for 2013 -- both of which are January projects.)
Finances and Organization:
- review and compare 2012 and 2013 paychecks
- pay bills
- work on filing paperwork/finding receipts
- submit for 2012 FLEX reimbursements
- finish putting away tree and Christmas decorations
- finish calendar info transfer
January goals:
- determine budget
- finish organizing recipes stored on computer (make Xcel document for table of contents type reference to recipes in multi-recipe ebooks)
- make appointment with lawyer for will
Yearly goal:
- photo organization
Spirituality and Creativity:
- continue catchup on chronological Bible reading plan
- put weekend's Girl Scout pictures onto troop sharing site
January goals:
- finish chronological reading of Bible
- start a craft project -- new potholders?
Family and Friends:
- Connect Friend 1 with Friend 2
- find and send birthday card to niece
- write notes, send belated Christmas presents that didn't arrive in time to niece, friends
- followup on playdate planning
- keep up on Facebook
- plan doing something with husband's cousin
January goals:
- ask for information packet from destination, look for coupons
- possibly make travel plans, hotel reservations
Frugal Activities 1st Week in January
I've been inspired by the weekly posts at http://theprudenthomemakerblog.blogspot.com/
- Received a free 13.75 lb. turkey from work (they handed out them out prior to the holidays, but on a day I was out of the office; a coworker kept it for me)
- received a free shampoo sample; used an earlier free sample to wash my hair
- read a library book (that will be discussed at a church book group -- free entertainment and socializing), and 2 (and a half) free Kindle books
- New Year's Day free entertainment of sledding down the hill in a nearby park
- used a gift card received from credit card points to put gas in my car
- used the last of the fall apples in the fridge to make apple crisp
- cooked fall squash that had been sitting on my countertop in the crockpot; used one batch for a meal last week and put the rest in the freezer
- packed my lunch for work almost every day; drank tea I brought from home and brewed with water heated in an electric teakettle at work (some of the tea was a pass-along from my sister, who received a tin of tea bags from a coworker; teakettle was a wedding gift several years ago)
- used CVS Extra Bucks credits to buy 2 gallons of milk, a loaf of bread, a package of spaghetti and a package of onion soup mix for 12 cents
- cashed in Walgreen's Balance Rewards points for juice, toilet paper, and cottage cheese for $3.60
- ate mostly from the pantry/freezer except for our planned weekend meal out: blueberry pancakes and apple crisp for New Year's Day; a roast in the crockpot, with carrots cleaned out of the fridge, mashed potatoes and gravy, apple crisp; squash-stuffed shells pasta with peas; leftovers; creamy cauliflower soup with blueberry muffins
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