Monday updates, savings

A few things happened today.  I was able to get even more done in the back yard.  I removed the debris from the bottom of the stairs, moved the pine straw about another six inches into the yard and I raked the side yard of its pine straw and leaves.  I also trimmed back the ivy that was marching up the tree trunk in the front yard.  I probably spent about an hour to an hour and a half in the yard today.  I enjoyed making progress and the beautiful weather.

I tried to get the yard mowed also and did get the lawnmower cranked.  I made on trip around the yard and it sputtered and shut down on me.  I was not able to recrank it even after cleaning/drying the spark plug.  I think we've decided that we need to get a new carbuerator and a new spark plug.  I will work on that late this week.  Luckily, the yard doesn't look that bad and can wait a while.

I was able to cancel a subscription that was being billed to us at $15.99 a month.  We did not realize the was a monthly charge until I caught it on the credit card bill.  That's almost $200 a year that we don't need to spend.  

My replacement mirrors spare scheduled to be here Wednesday.  yippee!

I re-applied to a job today directly through their webpage.  It's something I think I would really like and it is very close to home.  

I bought groceries today trying to stick closely to my list and using items from my pantry and freezer.  It was mostly produce, bread and deli meat.  Here's what my menu looks like for the week.

Monday - leftover stuffed peppers, salad

Tuesday - Teriyaki chicken with veggies, rice and homemade egg rolls

Wednesday - Taco night, rice, beans (cookies?)

Thursday - stuffed potatoes or salad

Friday - TBD maybe beanie weenies

Saturday -? Maybe something on the grill?

Weekend Review

Saturday we enjoyed our breakfast out and then headed home to wrap up the chicken broth I was making.  I ended up with 15 cups in the freezer.  I have a pretty good supply - about eight containers of 3-5 cups each.  We ran a few errands including stopping at Target for a birthday present and a couple of necessities.  I also picked up another box of Dunkin Donuts K cups.  Sure wish I could find those at a wholesale price but I think they have their market all buttoned up.

Dinner was a chef salad that used our remaining deli meat and a loaf of multi grain bread.  We settled in for our Saturday night movie - Bridge of Spies.

The weather Sunday was just gorgeous.  DH took the opportunity to get out on his motorcycle.  Who knows if our weather will stay warm and sunny or turn back cold in the next few weeks.  I was able to do some work in the back yard.  I continue to rake up the leaves and pine straw that had completely covered the walkway.  It's fairly hardy work so I just take it 15-20 minutes at the time.  I also got the deck swept off.  I would have liked to pressure wash the deck and grill but the weath needs to get just a little warmer first.  I always end of wet.

I'm thinking about buying some bushes for the back yard.  I'd like to put some small plants near the fence side of the deck and some taller plants on the garage side.  It should be a good investment towards our eventual sale of the house.  I'm also thinking that I will get a gallon of DeckOver in the spring to paint the tall stairs and do some touch up to the top rail.  I think we spent about $150 for a five gallon bucket before and it has really helped up keep the deck in good condition.

Sunday evening we also enjoyed a movie after attending a birthday party.  This time, we watched The Wire.  All in all, two very good movies this weekend.

Friday Funnies

My Zaycon chicken arrived today.  I went to a new place to pick it up to get an earlier delivery.  I sure like it better to start working on it at 10:30 versus the afternoon.  It was cool enough that I could leave the second box outside on the porch while I processed the first box.  (It was in the low 40s plus a brisk breeze, much cooler that I could have kept it in the kitchen or in the basement.)

This time, I processed it a little differently.  I put about half of it into plastic vacuum bags.  For me, they are faster and easier to thaw since I don't use the microwave to thaw chicken.  I also want to see which protects the chicken better: old fashioned freezer paper or vacuum seal plastic.  I know the freezer paper is easier to store since the packages are tight to the chicken and conform in size and shape when freezing.  The plastic packages have a significant amount of extra plastic and tend to slide around in the freezer.

Speaking of the freezer, mine still needs a little work in the organizing department.  I had plenty of room to put my 40 pounds plus DD's 40 pounds in the freezer today.  I hope to have one shelf for chicken, one shelf for beef and then a third shelf for all other meats.  One shelf for fruits and vegetables and one empty shelf for special items or short term storage.  I want to get a couple of jugs of water in there as well.  ..and maybe an extra container of ice cream!

I ate breakfast and lunch in but DH and I splurged this evening for dinner by dining out.  

This weekend is supposed to be on the warm side and I'm hoping that DH can get his motorcycle out for a ride.  I am still working on my star quilt and continuing to get closer to the end.  There is a high level of quilting and use of guides and rulers.  It does take a bit longer than simple echo quilting.  The outside white space will need some "marking."  I hope to get started on that before the weekend is over.

Quiet Thursday

Not much going on here today.  Originally, I was having lunch with a friend from work but she texted last night and asked to reschedule to next week. That kinda threw my plan out the window.  Mostly, I just picked up around the house and ran the dishwasher.  

I did run out to Publix right before noon.  I had thought of going to Chick-fil-a for some lunch but decided against it.  Instead, I ran over to Publix to get some freezer paper and tape. While I was there, I bought a package of pepper jack cheese to make a grilled cheese with and (get this) a box of microwave fries.  Yes, they make microwave fries.  It's single serving size and cost 1.37 which is way more than a junior fry at Wendy's but I had a desire for fries with my grilled cheese. Let's just say that it is unlikely that I will buy those again.  It was edible just not tasty like you want your fries to be.

Dinner tonight is what I like to call a freebie - some kind of leftover turned into a new meal by adding things on hand.  I took two leftover sausages and two cups of plain spaghetti sauce from Tuesday night and repurposed it.  I cut up one green and one red bell pepper and sauted in a frying pan with a little bit of olive oil.  I added the leftover spaghetti sauce and half a can of tomatoes with onions, oregano and garlic.  To that I added the sausages (sliced and heated) and mixed in two cups of elbow macaroni which I had cooked.  Served with parmasean cheese and toast, it was as good as the first time and just different enough.

Ok, so I ordered chicken from Zaycon Foods and it will come tomorrow.  Having extra freezer paper and tape eliminates any last minute need to run to the store.  I pick it up at 10:30 so I will be busy with that most of the day.  Before bed tonight, I will make sure the kitchen is completely cleaned up and ready for the adventure.  It will be a long day trimming and packaging 80 pounds of chicken.  I have made great progress in cleaning out the freezer. (I have all my chicken together on one shelf and organized by date.)

Another note:  I had agreed to assist with the Zaycon delivery tomorrow but I have not heard from them.  I was hoping to work 3-4 hours to offset the cost of beef.  Oh well, in the past they've asked when I was working and here, I have time, and they don't need help.

We will probably be eating out tomorrow - a treat, as we don't go out on Friday nights much anymore. I just figure that I'm going to be tired or raw chicken and want someone else to cook tomorrow.

Wowzer Wednesday

I got a great deal at Office Depot today.  I combined a mailed coupon with a $20 rebate on recycled ink cartridges and a sale to save $30+ on two ink cartridges and a team of paper.

I ate breakfast and lunch at home and dinner was from the panty.  No new purchases.

Tuesday

This was really a boring day.  I am really over the rain and it is still due to rain all day tomorrow also.  I did a few things here at the house and then headed out to Sprouts.

Sprouts is great for produce when it's on sale.  Today, I got three red peppers, three green peppers, an avacados, a head of celery and a head of Napa cabbage, a bunch of green onions, nine large Roma tomatoes, and a handful of dates.  All this for $11 - a real bargain.

From there, I stopped by Whole Foods for some sausage.  They have THE BEST Italian (pork) sausage.  It's very lean and finely ground.  I got six of these and two chicken sausages.  (I have some chicken sausages in the freezer already.). I also noticed that the produce I bought at Sprouts cost almost twice as much at Whole Foods.

After this, I came home and had a PBJ sandwich instead of eating out.  (Saved a little money). I made a wedge salad and spaghetti with sausage for dinner.  Not much else to report for toda

Rainy Days and Mondays Always Get Me Down

So, it's rained all day today - and gloomy!  Not exactly what I would call inspired weather.  That means that I didn't get outside to work in the back yard at all.

I had a few errands to run so I went about 2.  The weather was a little better at that time.  I dropped off a package at the post office that was a return of something we ordered on line.  I swung by the library and returned one of the books I had .. before the due date.  One of my goals for this year is to read at least one book each month.  So far, I'm on schedule with a week to spare.  My next book is Mistress of the Elgin Marbles.

I also finally got to the grocery store today.  I only had about 8 things on my list and since I ordered my deli meat on line, it didn't take too long.  For the most part, I stuck to my list only getting a couple of cans of green beans and a discounted bottle of vanilla that weren't on the list.  Mostly perishables/produce and bread items.

I think I will go to Sprouts tomorrow to pick up some tomatoes.  I believe the Roma tomatoes are on sale this week.  I will also try to get by Office Depot because I have a few empty ink cartridges to turn in and I need to use my $20 certificate this week.  I will be buying more ink for our printer.

Sunday

We didn't leave the house today except to return our rental movie to the Redbox.  It started off as a cloudy and dreary day and hasn't changed all day.  We did take a few minutes this afternoon to cut up the two trees we cut down yesterday.  I had planned to do this during the week but the temp was good and I wanted to catch a dry spell.  DH came out and helped cut it up while I stacked some of the small logs and we gathered up the "branches" into a pile.  We need to have a bonfire but we don't have a spot for it, will have to convince DD and DSIL to do one soon.

We ate breakfast and lunch in (frugal) and dinner will be some beef cube steaks and a baked potato.  I have a package of glazed carrots in the freezer to go with it.  We will enjoy a couple of crime brûlée cookies and a cup of hot tea for dessert.

I'm still trying to come up with a menu for this week.  It will definitely be some chicken dish Monday and Italian chicken Wednesday.  The rest of the week is just a blur to me.  Somewhere I have a list of dinner ideas that I will have to look for.  

I finished the "picnic" quilt today.  The top is recycled flannel baby blankets cut into rectangles.  I used six different baby blankets in different designs and colors (green, brown, orange).  The border and back are unbleached muslin and the binding is a scrappy binding of leftover blanket pieces along with a seventh baby blanket.  My cash outlay for this was about $30: $14 for the batting and about $13 for the muslin.  All was bought at 40-50% off.  I would estimate that it took me 20 hours to put this together, often an hour or two at the time.  Right now, it's in the washer.  I don't expect it to shrink much because I prewashed the muslin and the blankets had already been washed.  The batting is a 80/20 mix and it is only expected to shrink 2%.

Right now, I only have one quilt that I'm working on:Star Surround.  I thought it might be finished this weekend but it will likely take another week or two.  I'm working on the last large star today and I have three blocks of tri-stripe quilting to do.  I still also need to mark and quilt the outer white areas.  Once this one is finished, I'm going to take a few weeks off - no quilts.  Next up will be a scrappy quilt but it can certainly wait.

I'm trying to read at least one book a month.  I'm on target but getting very close to falling behind.  

Menu

Sunday- cube steak and baked potato (2 cube steaks TO the freezer)

Monday - lemon pepper chicken, baked rice with lemon and thyme, brussel sprouts

Tuesday - spaghetti with sausage, wedge salad

Wednesday-Italian chicken, mashed potatoes and broccoli 

Thursday - chef salad

Friday - TBD 

Super Saturday

Well, that's an exaggeration.  Today was a pretty typical Saturday except we had no events to attend.  Most of the day we just stayed at home but we did run a few errands.  We ran to Target.  I'm still looking for those January white sales.  I need a white, flat queen sheet and can't seem to find one on sale.  I'm not sure they even have January White Sales anymore.  While we were there, I did pick up some Dunkin Donuts K Cups (ever notice that they are just about the same price regardless of where you buy!), some ground decaf coffee, and a few more essential items. 

I then ran DH over to Great Clips so he could get his hair cut.  (Usually I cut it but every once in a while he gets a professional cut). While he was doing that, I ran over to Publix and picked up a couple of things to get us by.  Hash browns, bacon and milk for breakfast; cubed steak and baking potatoes for dinner Sunday.  Seriously, that's what I bought .. Oh, and sour cream.  

I spent a few minutes today working on the freezer organization.  I have more chicken than I thought I did.  I was thinking I had 6-8 packages left and I probably have 20+.  (I made a pot of chicken noodles soup tonight). I will be making a menu tomorrow incorporating what we have on hand for the week.  When I return our red box tomorrow, this list should be small.  We're going to be eating chicken at least once, if not twice a week.  (I have 40 pounds coming next week.) 

One kind of frugal thing we did today was to cut down two small trees in the backyard.  One was a dogwood that had broken a while back.  We tried to only cut the broken part but decided that it was mostly dead and just cut the whole thing.  The second tree was pitiful.  I'm not sure what kind it was or even if it was still alive but the trunk was a mess.  This small tree leaned over the back deck and, while it provided shade, also kept the sun from reaching the deck.  This meant that everything on the deck was dirty and mildewed most of the time.  They're down but I need to get back there and cut them into smaller pieces next week.  I'm slowly working on getting the back yard neater for spring and summer.

Tonight I've been hand sewing the binding on the picnic quilt.  I've gotten about half of it done and should be able to finish tomorrow and tomorrow night.  Practice is again on Monday.

We didn't really save a bunch of money today but we really didn't spend much either.

Frugal Friday

Earlier this week, the mirror on my medicine cabinet dropped in my hands after the hinge broke.  I was at a loss as to what to do.  It was obviously not fixable.  I briefly looked for the receipt but couldn't find any thing.  My next stop (Thursday) was Lowes, where we bought the cabinets almost ten years ago.  I found someone who was very helpful.  Although there were no longer any records, I was able to narrow down the manufacturer to two, one high end and one mid-range.  With the company names in hand, I started researching the cabinets and finally found the medicine cabinet's model number.

Today, I wrote an email to the company explaining what had happened and inquiring as to a replacement or repair.  (I had noticed on the web that there had been some recalls due to this problem.). Surprisingly, within a few hours, I had a response and two free replacement mirrors ordered.

This probably will save us at least $50 dollars (if we could just replace the mirrors) up to several hundred dollars if both cabinets had to be replaced.  I earned my keep today.

On another note, I found a listing for a job today that I am interested in.  I sent my resume in right away.  It's similar to what I was doing but different enough to accept, close to home, big employer with benefits.   Hmmm, almost too good to be true.  Keeping my fingers crossed...

Missed grocery shopping again today but I did pick up a pizza dough and some pepperoni.  Thinking I will make a list and do some shopping Sunday for the week.  I did pull some more items from the freezer today.

Frugal or Not Frugal

I didn't really do much Wednesday.  DH was not feeling well so he stayed home to rest.  There wasn't much "house" work to do so I sewed.  I picked up a package of batting at Hancocks - 40% off plus the senior discount - for the picnic quilt.  I was able to get it sandwiched and mostly quilted Wednesday.  It needs one more sear around the perimeter and then make and attach the binding.

We went out to lunch because DH wanted some soup.  On the way home, I ran into the Publix and picked up a few things: deli meat and rolls, potatoes, juice, lettuce, etc.  it was about $30.  For dinner, I cooked a BBQ seasoned pork loin I had in the freezer and a package of smoked sausage.  Along with that, I had a big casserole dish of potatoes and onions and a large garden salad.  

Thursday was a day for me.  Again, not much "house" work or laundry so I went shopping.  I needed a few things to freshen up by work wardrobe.  I was able to find two shirts and two sweater-like tops at Burlington for $50.  I need another pair of pants but those are very hard to find.  I just can't seem to find anything that fits my shape.  I've often thought that a thrift store would also be a good option for pants for me (an older style with pleats and higher waist works better) but last time I tried that even they didn't have pants with pleats.  I will keep looking.

I have one other item that I need to purchase (clothing related) and I have a gift card that may work for that.  I also need a pair of casual shoes/sneakers but that can wait a little while.

Dinner tonight was a sub sandwich and last night's leftover potatoes.  I'm thinking of making a homemade pizza tomorrow and then either subs again Saturday or a chef salad with the leftover deli meat.  

I ordered chicken from Zaycon yesterday so one of my tasks for tomorrow will be another purge from the freezer.  I usually try to throw away one or two grocery bags full of old stuff.  I want to be able to organize the meat so I can see exactly what I have.  All the chicken together in date order, all the beef together.  This will also allow me to use some of the things more efficiently.  When I first started stockpiling a pantry and filling my freezer, I would like just stuff it with good deals and not take into account if we could eat it within a reasonable time.  I now have a better idea of how much we eat and what things are the most valuable.  For example, chicken packages with 1-2 Zaycon sized breasts is as big as I need.  DH and I can only eat one breast (shared) per meal.  Ideally, I would vacuum seal each breast individually but that's not practical from a time or money perspective.  Vacuum sealed bags are great for thawing but they don't store well - slipping and sliding in the freezer.  The freezer paper wrapped chicken is generally good for a year without developing any freezer burn.  

Ground beef is best wrapped in 8-12-16 ounce packages (1/2, 3/4 and 1 pound).  With the Zaycon beef, I usually weigh and mark the weight on the package.  It helps a lot to know how much you're cooking.

An Extremely Productive Tuesday

There were 15 items on my to do list today.  I didn't even think I would get all those done but to my surprise, I surpassed that and went one to complete 24 tasks.  One one (clean up office) did not get done but even that isn't a lost cause since I did move some items into the trash and other items into the appropriate storage spots.

I'm not really sure how I accomplished it.  I think not leaving the house helped as I only left around lunch time to go to the post office and late this afternoon to run through the pickup line at the pharmacy.  Speaking of which, I had two frugal events happen in conjunction with these trips:  my package was shipped priority mail for only $7 and change.  I wrapped it myself with stuff I had on hand.  My pharmacy pick up was $2.58 for two drugs.  One was free and the other's co pay was only $2.58 - it's the replacement for the drug that was going to be a $50 co pay.  What a savings.

In an effort to purge my freezer of some very old items, I clean out at least one grocery bag of old stuff every week when I put the garbage out.  Today, I also pulled several bags of rice and dried beans out of the freezer.  They were place in the freezer to kill any pest that may exist prior to placing them in storage.  (I had a nasty incidence a couple of years ago when I had a five gallon bucket of rice growing tiny, tiny bugs.  I ended up tossing all that rice away.  Now, if I don't use it right away, it goes into the freezer for at least a week.). I hope this is saving me money in the long term.

I'm further along on my star surround quilt than I thought.  I have one and a half large star to do and three of the alternating spaces.  Then I need to quilt the white areas along the edges and finally the border stitches.  It sounds like a lot but I am probably 3/4 done.  For my other project, the picnic quilt, I will be buying some batting tomorrow.  I checked my stash hoping to find enough but there is not enough to complete it.  It will be approximately 60 x 72 when complete and it will be machine quilted.

Dinner was frugal tonight.  I reheated the leftover spaghetti sauce from last Wednesday (it had been in the freezer) and served it over some fettuccine noodles, a salad and piece of toast.  It was what I like to call a free meal.  Still didn't get to the grocery store but I will be stopping by for a few things tomorrow.

Do Nothing Monday

I really didn't do much today.  Unfortunately, the first thing that happened kinda turned things upside down.  The swinging mirror on my medicine cabinet broke - not the mirror itself but the hinges that hold them on.  It's oddly made so I spent some time searching the cabinets for some clue as to who made them - no luck.  I also checked the house file but there's nothing there either.  Tomorrow, I will check the warranty box to see if I can find any paperwork there.  I may have to inquire with glass companies and cabinet makers to find a solution.  These are only 9-10 years old so I'm a little surprised this happened.

Next, I watched the boys while DD had a doctors appointment and then she bought my lunch.  I filled the car up with gas while I was out and stopped by Walmart.  I went to get a Butterball Turkey Tenderoin.  They had a good supply, so I went ahead and bought two extras.  Good lean meat, quick to cook (1 hour) and one package makes two meals for the two of us.

For fun, I made some strawberry cupcakes .. Kind of a late valentines treat and I was able to sew the five inch border on the picnic quilt.  Tomorrow, I will pull out all my batting to see if I can put together a piece that is big enough.  Meanwhile, I continue to hand quilt my star surround quilt and getting close - maybe 3/4 finished...?!

I would also like to put some time in tomorrow to cleaning up the sewing room including vacuuming the carpet.  I need to get a list together because I do so much better with a list.  Still haven't bought groceries.  I need to decide on Wednesdays dinner tomorrow and maybe go shopping.  

Sunday around the Homestead

Not a whole lot to report around here for Sunday.  I got all my painting things put away in the basement.  (As I mentioned before, I was thinking about painting the accent wall in the guest room but I have decided to wait.)

Breakfast and dinner were at home.  I had everything on hand for breakfast.  I thought the same was true for dinner but as I began to cut up the chicken, I didn't like the way it smelled.  It could have just been me or it could have been the chicken.  Either way, it went in the garbage and I went to Publix.  I still didn't buy groceries for the week but I did pick up some milk and eggs, snow peas, cookies, and chicken.  I will need some bread for the week so I will make up a small list after I decide about dinner for Wednesday and run to the store tomorrow.  I think I spent $16 today and I'd like to keep the outgoing dollars small.  

The muslin for the picnic quilt has been washed and is in the dryer now.  I will iron it tonight and put the border on tomorrow.  I hoping that I have enough batting leftover from prior projects to piece it together, otherwise, I will be going back to Joann's.  I cut one more baby blanket and I should now have enough scraps to do the binding.  I think that will look cute, almost like a picture framed in a mat. The first baseball practice was last Friday evening and I understand the temperatures were wicked.  Hope this helps.

It's time to quilt a little.  Have a great week.

Saturday

I'm just thinking about the day and trying to come up with a menu for the week.  We had BBQ sandwiches for dinner tonight along with some steak fries.  The BBQ was from the freezer (we ate the first half last Saturday).  DD bought us a bottle of Veri Veri Teriyaki sauce so now DH wants teriyaki chicken for dinner tomorrow.  I will make some vegetable low mein to go with it.

So what for the rest of the week?  I didn't go to the grocery store yesterday or today.  I will probably go tomorrow and just pick up a few things to fill out the week.  

Saturday - BBQ sandwich, fries

Sunday - Teriyaki chicken and lo mein 

Monday - turkey breast, stuffing, green beans

Tuesday - Spaghetti (leftover meat sauce in freezer), salad

Wednesday - ???

Thursday - breakfast for dinner

Friday - homemade pizza ?

I did finish my paining in the living room and dining room today and considered re-painting the accent wall in the guest room but ultimately decided to wait.  That wall, because it is currently painted a deep brown, will likely require two coats.  I will wait for warmer weather - I'm tired of the house smelling like paint.

DH finally found a replacement jacket today and, because it was on sale, ended up spending no more than he did on the jacket he returned and it will be more serviceable for his work environment.  Next week, I am going shopping for a few things to supplement my work wardrobe - maybe a couple of shirts, a skirt or pair of pants and a sweater or blazer.  Ideally, these would be things I can use along with what I already have.  I'm also going to need a new pair of casual shoes (weekend shoes) and some jeans but that is not as urgent.

I have the desired dimensions on the picnic quilt and believe I can proceed with finishing the top tomorrow.  The final 5" border will be the unbleached muslin I purchased for the back and the binding will be a scrappy binding from the leftover flannel - if there is enough.  Alternatively, I will see if the remaining flannel receiving blanket(s) have enough fabric to complete the border but I don't think I do.  Baseball practice has already started so I need to get this finished up this week if possible.  I will be machine quilting this one.

Thursday and Friday

Thursday was a very disappointing day.  I downloaded tax software and started working on our taxes.  It doesn't look good.  I'm going back in next week and try to see if our medical expenses can be deducted.  I did some checking into how the tax precentages in the brackets work versus how withholding is calculated.  It was heartbreaking to know that we will have to write a big check to the government in addition to what they have already withheld but it has helped me determine what I need in a job.  It seems like I would be better off with a job with great/generous benefits (some of which are pre-tax) versus a job that just pays well with no benefits.

I also got several calls and emails over the past few days concerning jobs that just weren't right for me.  I found one job that seems to be what I was looking for but I'm not in the pool they're looking for.  (Apparently it is only open to internal candidates.). I even updated my profiles on the job boards to target my needs.

I was very stressed out all day and into the early evening.  So I decided to take a more laid back approach Friday.  I slept in a little and then up and dressed before breakfast.  I started the first of three loads of clothes and tidied up the kitchen a bit before heading out to do some shopping.  My first stop was at Michaels for a piece of board to mount my embroidery on.  I found one and some double sided tape to secure it.  It is now mounted and packaged.  I just need to seal the box, address it and send it on its way.

My second stop was Joann's.  I found a fabric to use on the back of the picnic quilt I am working on.  I bought two yards (90 inches wide) and used a 50% off coupon.  (I will be machine quilting that quilt.). I bought nothing else.  On the way home, I stopped at Chick-fil-a and picked up a sandwich and tea only making my lunch only $5.07.

Then I was home to mount the embroidery.  I also trimmed some of the scraps from the picnic quilt into 3 inch strips.  I will join these and maybe have enough for a border.  I finished two more loads of laundry which has been folded and made dinner - BLT and homemade potato soup. I didn't go to the grocery store today so everything was from our pantry.

Now I am working on my star quilt.  I would estimate that I have all but two or three of the big stars done and I probably have three more of the backgrounds to do.  Maybe I will be ready to trim and bind by next weekend.  In my mailbox today, I received the charm pack I ordered from MSQ earlier this week.  It was $1.88 plus $5 shipping.  It's cute as a button but I'm not sure I can use it for the vintage farm girl quilt like I thought.  I was looking at the size pieces required and even for the 6" squares, a charm pack may not do.  I think I will need to research this a bit more.  In the meantime, I will keep q lookout for FQ (fat quarters) with colors and patterns that work.

One other thing.  DH called me today to tell me that he had saved $80.  Apparently the antivirus software on our old computer auto renewed today and they charged it to his credit card and sent an email notification.  He called them to advise that we do not use that computer any longer and they issued him a credit.  Way to go!  We also returned a jacket last night that we had purchased but did not meet his needs.  That was another $70 back in the bank.

Wednesday

I had a phone appointment with my financial advisor today.  I was initially going to do a self directed IRA but I decided at the last minute to go with a Managed IRA.  The fees are higher but I can change this at any time and the fees are billed quarterly.  My rationale is that I can afford to pay a little in fees now while I have more time for my money to grow.  Once I watch this for a while or if the funds do not grow, I can always change.

I also had a phone call today regarding my resume.  Apparently, these companies see that I worked for an insurance company and immediately think that I'm an agent.  They are obviously NOT actually reading my resume.  The one today called me at 10:30 and wanted to set up an interview at 2 pm today.  Mind you, I did not know what the job was, who they were or even apply to them.  They must really have a hard time keeping these agents.  I've had several calls but this one today was the oddest.

For the afternoon, I worked on a picnic quilt for DD.  She brought me a stack of flannel receiving blankets she did not need.  I choose all in a green/brown color family and cut them into 7"x14" rectangles.  Within a couple of hours, I had assembled a 50x62" quilt top.  Now we just need to determine if we need a border and select a backing fabric.  I'm thinking a cotton or lightweight denim if we can find it in dark tan.  Not flannel as I think it will just pick up and hold grass.

For dinner tonight, I made a semi homemade meat sauce.  To a jar of spaghetti sauce, I added a pound of ground beef, four ounces of tomato paste, two green peppers and a half cup of finely shredded carrots.  It was seasoned with half a clove of garlic, dried oregano and basil, and a splash of olive oil.  Yummy.

Painting Tuesday

I spent most of Tuesday either painting or getting things back in order.  As it stands, I have painted all of the living room and dining room except: 1) the wall behind the television -about four feet wide and 2) the trim on the window wall in the living room - baseboard, chair rail and two window frames.  All the pictures are back up and the furniture is in place.

All Paint Monday

I had a list of things I wanted to do today but I ended up spending most of the day painting.  Instead of only getting the dining room painted, now I have everything but the sofa wall and the section behind the television painted.  I have some trim that still needs to be painted but I will need to buy another quart of trim paint.  I will paint the sofa wall tomorrow and then finish up on the tv wall over the weekend when I have help to move it.

My dinner plan was changed since DD and her family are under the weather.  I put the pork back in the freezer as soon as I found out and instead made a big pot of vegetable beef soup.  (I was going to make a chicken soup but DH had that for lunch.)  I picked up a small piece of top round from the grocery store and a loaf of multigrain bread.  All of the other ingredients were from my pantry and were from cans except the fresh celery, onion, and potatoes.  For $6 (meat), we have enough for at least 4 dinner meal portions and perhaps two lunch portions.

Oops!

So, I'm missing two days of posting.  I think I typed something but maybe I didn't.  Neither Saturday nor Sunday were big frugal days.  The highlight of Saturday was finding and buying a new alarm clock. Mine was from the 80s - really, I've had it that long.  It still worked but it only had one alarm so it would wake me up at 6am regardless of the day and no battery backup.  It was worth the $29 to replace it.  Now I have one with two alarms, a battery backup AND it is much easier to reset.

Dinner Saturday was a BBQ sandwich, leftover potato salad from Friday and some fake Chick-fil-a coleslaw.  I bought a pound of BBQ at our favorite local spot - $13.  Half went into our sandwiches and the other half into the freezer for another night.  The coleslaw cost me $1.50 since the slaw mix was on sale.  The other ingredients I already had on hand.  It's not perfect, but it's awfully close.

Sunday I spent a little more than anticipated at BJs.  We needed dishwasher detergent tabs but we also bought a few other items that we either needed or wanted.  That's why I try to limit my visits.  Dinner was a lemon pepper chicken made from a chicken breast from the freezer and other on hand items.  

Ongoing Menu

Friday - Burgers at home with potato salad

Saturday - BBQ sandwich, leftover potato salad and coleslaw

Sunday - Lemon Pepper Chicken (baked with Panko crumb coating), roasted vegetables, wild rice

Monday - Vegetable Beef Soup

Tuesday - tbd

Wednesday - Spaghetti with meat sauce, salad, bread

Thursday - Vegetable Beef Soup (leftover)

Friday - Manwich with tater tots

Some dinners may change or rearrange.

Thursday and Friday

The past two days have been all about cutting in (painting) in the living room and dining room.  I got about half done Thursday and finished up most of it today.  There are a few areas that I just can't get to until furniture or electronics is moved.

My plan is to start rolling Monday and then after dinner, unload the china cabinet to move it away from the wall.  I will also have hubby help me remove the tv before bedtime Monday.  Tuesday, I will paint behind these two albatrosses and the rest of the walls, then get them put back in place Tuesday evening or Wednesday morning.  I hope to be completely finished by eod Wednesday.  

I ate breakfast and lunch in both days and prepared dinner both nights.  We did splurge on a piece of cake and coffee at Starbucks Thursday evening.

Today was grocery shopping day.  I spent $70 at Publix then another $25 at Walmart.  I still need to pick up some deli meat Sunday.  My purchases at Walmart included two packages of low fat cheesed two containers of Promise spread (only found at Walmart), a box of cake mix and frosting (valentines), and a 16 count box of Dunkin Donuts kcups.  (I saved $23 at Publix between sales and coupons.)

I finished the needlework on a gift today and picked up a pre-made mat.  I still need a piece of mat board 11x14 to mount it on.  I would just buy a frame but I don't know what style to pick and that would significantly increase my postage.  I checked on frames at Joann, Hobby Lobby and Walmart.  If I could find a simple black frame that wasn't too expensive, I might consider sending the frame.  I'll keep looking next week - maybe Target has something appropriate.  (Last time I shipped something - just in a padded envelope - it cost me $15!  

Wet Wednesday

Today was all about things round the house.  This morning the skies opened up and we had some substantial rainfall.  It stayed cloudy til almost four and then before you knew it, the sun was gone.

I had planned to take a trip to Walmart and the bank but that was set aside because of the weather.

Instead, I decided to start my painting project in earnest.  I cut in on the walls on both sides of the stairway and continued around the room until my paint brush was messy and it was time to paint.  I probably spent about two hours painting but we have crown molding, chair rails, and these first areas also had the stairwell trim.  Tomorrow, I will likely spend another two hours and get the main wall in the living room and hopefully the fireplace wall cut in as well.  I would also like to get the right sides of all four Windows done and maybe around the front door as well.  I hope to start a little earlier tomorrow and I may even go three hours, if I can.  I'd like to have all the cut in done (or at least what does not go behind the china cabinet and television) done and start with the rolling Monday.

It was a frugal day in that I ate leftovers for breakfast AND lunch.  For breakfast, I had leftover potato pancakes and for lunch, I had some leftover fried rice and an egg roll from Monday.  Tonight's dinner was tacos with the meat coming from my freezer stash and everything else on hand or from last Friday's grocery shopping.

I renewed my library book on line today so I didn't need to make a trip to the library for that.  Tomorrow, I plan to go to Walmart for a few items we need and I will stop by the bank (in the same parking lot) at the same time.  I received a small dividend check this week that needs to be deposited.

Seeing Clearly

Note:  This post was written several weeks ago and promptly lost.

The sunny weather yesterday gave me the opportunity to try out my new Zenni sunglasses.  When I replaced my regular eyeglasses last October, the local stores did not have any frame with magnetic sunglasses.  I ordered my progressive lenses and frames from BJs optical department and saved about a hundred dollars over what Lenscrafters has charged me in the past.

I had the salesclerk give me the measurements she made and used those numbers along with my prescription to order the sunglasses.  I chose a frame closely sized to what I had just gotten.  The frame was about $25 - not their cheapest option but one I really liked.  I added a lense that was only distance (no progressive or bifocal) and the tinting.  With all the options, my glasses were about $65. 

They told me to expect about a 3 week turnaround time on tinted lenses but they were here in two weeks.  The lenses are super sharp and clear.  The frames appear to be sturdy and have a springy henge.  I am impressed and may order a second pair of progressives from them in a few months.  I've been very lucky only having one pair of glasses.  

Groundhog Day

I had a meeting with a financial advisor today.  We were looking at some general financial planning and some specific changes to my 401k(s).  One change I made today will save me $32 a year in fees that were being charged on my account.  I will still have control of how the assets are allocated but more guidance to bring this inline with my level of growth/risk aversion.  

My original plan was to come back home after my meeting and heat up some leftovers but the meeting ran long and I simply couldn't put lunch off.  I stopped by Willie's and got a cheese quesadilla to go - $6.  I provided by own drink at home.

Dinner was super frugal.  I made some potato pancakes (.40 on clearance at the grocery store), scrambled eggs with fresh mozzarella, grape tomatoes and not fresh basil, bacon and chicken sausage.  Wrap that up with a cup of coffee and some milk/juice and it was super frugal.  Only the potato pancakes were bough specifically for this dinner.  Everything else was already on hand.

Odd weather we're having.  It's February and we have our windows open enjoying a breeze.  Not often you hear that this time of the year.

I have several needlework projects needing my attention so this ends my post.

February Begins

It's a new month.  As promised, I posted my resume today on a couple of job sites.  I will probably spend a couple of weeks looking at the jobs posted and see if anyone contacts me.  Interestingly enough, I've already had one contact and that was someone who wanted me to be an insurance agent - not what I'm looking for but I appreciate the attention and at least know that my resume was seen.

Ok, now on to the frugal part.  I'm not sure if today was frugal or not.  I ate lunch out to visit with some former work friends.  After that, I stopped at Publix to pick up the deli meat I did not get over the weekend.  While I was there, I also got a can of Pringles (for lunches), some sandwich wraps, and a bunch of green onions.  $12.

One thing that was frugal was our dinner tonight.  I pulled two chicken breasts out of the freezer and made a stir-fry dinner with some pineapple, red and green peppers and half a jar of orange ginger wok sauce.  To round out the meal, I heated up some egg rolls and made some fried rice from veggies in the fridge and a can of water chestnuts.  I fed four adults, two children and have enough left for two lunches tomorrow.

My plan is to use only "in hand" meats this week.  Tonight was a good start.  The plan for tomorrow is to have breakfast for dinner.  I can't decide between potato pancakes, waffles or hash browns.  Decisions, decisions!  I think we should have breakfast for dinner at least twice a month.