Frugal Friday File 2018, week 16...

Successes:
1.  I worked all week.  The patient (she has gotten an excellent report, and is feeling good) has a return-to-work date of April 30...week after next.  That will make five weeks in a row for me total.  Definitely not my norm.  I am exhausted!  But savings account, get ready!

2.  I'm booked for two more weeks during her next surgery in July, as well as one day a week between now and then.  And two days in May at another branch which I think I mentioned last week.

3.  I've barely had time to read, and am still on my library ebook.  It was due a few days ago, but since it's on my Kindle, I just keep the wifi turned off.  The library's book gets returned from my Amazon account, so no fines, but I'm still able to read on my Kindle as long as I don't forget and turn on wifi...if I do that it instantly gets sucked into the ether.  

4.  Amazingly we are still not using the air conditioner.  I know I've been mentioning that every week, but it is really rare to go this far into the year without it.

5.  I have zipped through my email inbox at night...delete, delete, delete...with nary a temptation to buy a book or fabric or clothes.  Saving time and very probably money.

Bonus:  I received the $30 rebate check from the purchase of Rudy's flea/tick meds.  

Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  breakfast for dinner...waffles, bacon, & eggs
Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey's
Monday:  Carey cooked spaghetti; I had *salad out with a friend
Tuesday:  *anniversary dinner out
Wednesday:  *Schlotzky sandwiches
Thursday:  snacked
Friday:  *Chloe's pick

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

Along the path...

I was looking through some old posts on my blog today...trying to pin down which years I've completed reading through the Bible...and happened upon this post from April 2009.  It was very interesting to see which topics I have completed, which ones no longer interest me, and to find that most I still long to do!


It was entitled, "Along the path to personal growth and happiness." 

I would like to...
1...have my entire house clean and decluttered all at the same time
2...see the King Tut exhibit
3...be physically fit
4...visit Maine
5...Canada
6...and Washington DC
7...walk for 45 minutes every day
8...have another Jack Russell
9...take a cruise to Alaska
10...start a new Bible study
11...finish a quilt for each of my children and grandchildren (four down so far)
12...speak Spanish fluently
13...spend quality time in a swimming pool
14...read more
15...paint rooms
16...and canvases
17...have a vegetable garden
18...plant a fig tree
19...and a pecan tree
20...volunteer for hospice
21...learn to make beautiful polymer clay beads
22...go bowling
23...visit Oregon
24...make myself an apron
25...and dresses for the girlies
26...get all of our photos in albums
27...give up TV for a month
28...travel to put flowers on my parents' graves
29...and to see Kevin and Carla
30...have a girls' weekend with Rita May
31...and with Nancy
32...be able to summer in a cooler climate
33...invent something useful
34...play with the dogs more
35...journal
36...send one card/note to someone each week
37...install sliding units in several of my cabinets
38...make a vintage recipe book
39...have a flower garden
40...hang clothes to dry outside
41...visit Ireland again
42...and Debbie in Seattle
43...start an Etsy store someday
44...if I could think of something to sell
45...get my passport stamped a few more times
46...visit my reflexologist once a month
47...follow through with more of my creative impulses
48...play classical guitar
49...go down three dress sizes
50...sell the stamps I no longer use on e-bay
51...take a class in almost anything

The ones I have completed have been struck through. The ones which are no longer relevant have been grayed out.  I think I may make this its own page under the blog title to keep these within easy access to remind myself of more often.

Frugal Friday File 2018, week 15...

Successes:
1.  Packed a lunch on M/T/W.  Thursday I spent $3 on 2 breakfast tacos and put them in the work fridge.  Heated one up for lunch; the other I will have for lunch today...probably.

2.  Using up overripe bananas and beyond-their-best oranges, frozen pineapple, grapes, coconut milk, and protein powder to make smoothies and drink them in the car for breakfast.

3.  Reading a library book.

4.  I booked 2 days of work in May.  And may be working some half days if the surgery patient needs a slower start back to work.

5.  Still using no heat or A/C.  I cooked a meal on Monday and had enough leftovers to make a lunch for me to take work as well as two meals for freezer for Carey to take to work, and sandwiches.  No recreational spending this week (if you don't count take-out meals).

Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  *pizza
Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey's
Monday:  meatloaf, twice-baked potatoes, corn
Tuesday:  leftovers
Wednesday:  *Schlotzky sandwiches
Thursday:  *Whataburger
Friday:  roast, potatoes, carrots

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

What I'm reading Wednesday...

The Woman Who Smashed Codes:

A True Story of Love, Spies, and the Unlikely Heroine who Outwitted America's Enemies

by Jason Fagone

I've been on the library reserve list for this ebook for months.  True story of Elizebeth Smith who began her career trying to solve ciphers in the works of William Shakespeare, then, together with her husband William Friedman, developed the modern science of cryptology.

I haven't had much time to read...at lunch and for a few minutes at bedtime before I fall asleep.  Only about 10% read so far.

Frugal Friday File 2018, week 14...

Successes:

1.  I've been making salads (among other things) to take for my work lunch.  I was trying to figure out what to pack the dressing in that wouldn't leak.  While thinking on it, I got the Dijon mustard out of the fridge to make honey mustard dressing, and there was just enough mustard to make a few days' worth of dressing.  So as not to leave any of the mustard in the bottle, I just added the honey, vinegar, and oil to the bottle and shook it up.  About then it dawned on me that the small mustard squeeze bottle was perfect to pack in my lunch box.

How exactly is this frugal?  Well,  I make homemade salad dressings instead of buying bottled that inevitably gets half used, then stays in the fridge well past its shelf life and gets thrown away with lots of waste.  I used up every last drop of the mustard.  The honey that I used was totally crystallized, so I put it in the microwave for a few seconds at a time until it was liquid enough to use in the dressing.  I saved the energy, soap, and water of washing any other receptacle that I could have carried the dressing in (okay, that may be a real stretch).  And I havn't spent money on eating out (at least for lunch). 

2.  I'm occupied for eleven hours a day (at the job or driving to or from it), and the rest of the time I am too exhausted to do anything that costs money.  I sit at a desk all day, but my poor brain is in an all day boot camp remembering things I've forgotten, learning system updates that have been implemented since I last used it, trying to figure out the needs of an entire branch full of customers whom I know nothing about.  Ever notice how when your brain is tired your whole body is tired?

3.  I'm driving a car that uses much less gasoline than its predecessor, and the branch I'm working at is about a block from a gas station that has the most inexpensive gas I've seen recently.  I also requested another gasoline credit card for myself on our account for this brand; by using that, it discounts each gallon purchased by a few more cents.  And I pay off the purchases each month, so that no interest is charged on the account.

4.  It's that golden (and extremely brief) time of year when we are using no heat and no A/C.  This month's electric bill is the lowest since this time last year.

5.  I'm expecting a pretty decent paycheck.  

Keep Tryings:
I acknowledge that I am working an hour or so a day just to pay for our suppers that haven't been cooked at home.  That really stinks.

Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  leftovers
Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey's
Monday:  *Tex-Mex
Tuesday:  *Chinese
Wednesday: *Schlotzky  
Thursday:  *dinner out with a friend
Friday:  *dinner out with Chloe

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)

Happy Easter...

I hope everybody enjoyed Easter blessings today.  

I put together some teeny baskets (inspired by Rachel Tessman on Youtube) to hold some chocolate treats for the girls.  Then I found out Bobby had made a quick trip home and that we would get to see him, so I made another without the flowers.  :)

When we got there, he was grabbing a nap on the sofa.  I took a quick snap when he woke up.

And it's bluebonnet season again, so I managed (barely) to talk the girls into taking a few pictures out in them.

They were not thrilled, and refused to go to a spot that is a much better setting but too public for their liking.  That's okay.   I made each of these three photos of the kids into postcards using the Touchnote app.  Love that app.  Open the app, choose a photo from your phone, write a message, include an address, and they print and mail it snail mail to the recipient.  

If I remember correctly, the cost is about $2 per postcard.  I have quite a few credits that I purchased when they were having a special.  Carey's mom really likes getting pictures of the kids in the mail.  I also used it while we were on vacation to send postcards to the kids.  They are printed on nice thick, glossy postcards.  Fun mail!

Tomorrow it's back to work, so I need to go pack a lunch.  Have a great week, everybody!

Frugal Friday File 2018, week 13...

Successes:
1.  Daughter (I call her our non-certified private accountant) did our taxes this year.  Hooray for refunds!

2.  She is also going to help me find a certified refurbished phone, since mine has been having issues for over a year.

3.  Carey's cell phone and service is through his work, so free to us.  But my service is an ungodly monthly amount.  Daughter is going to add me to her family plan.  Since their family has seven phones currently, she thinks adding one more will only be an additional $5 to $10 a month, and will have unlimited talk/text/data.  If that's the case, I'll write her a check for a year's service, and still come in less than my current monthly bill.  She can track my calls and location all she wants.  :)

4.  In the past month I have driven the one mile to daughter's house to 'borrow' Worcestershire sauce, canned tomatoes, an onion, and eggs.  Beats driving seven miles to the grocery store or 2 miles to the expensive quick-stop shop.

5.  Not to mention she feeds us supper every Sunday!

Frugal From the Kitchen This Week:
Saturday:  leftovers?
Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey's
Monday:  goulash
Tuesday:  *chicken
Wednesday:  *Schlotzky sandwiches
Thursday:  *burger
Friday:  *barbecue

I have done terribly at having the energy to cook in the evenings, but I DID manage to pack my lunch to take to work every day.

(*not-frugal takeout or dinner out)