Bucket List of Hopes for 2025...

 

  1.  Stop wasting so much time on my phone playing games.  On 12/31/2024, I deleted all games on my phone except for four New York Times puzzles (Strands, Connections, Wordle, and Weaver) that I play once each per day.  If I want to play Sudoku, my plan is to use puzzles in book form.  If I want to do a jigsaw puzzle, I have a number of new, unopened ones on the shelf.  

The time freed up should help me accomplish more of the following goals:

  2.  Bake bread at least once a month.

  3.  Finish two quilts.

  4.  Complete The 52 Book Club's 2025 Reading Challenge with e-books already on my Kindle and library and/or free books.  I won't say that I won't buy any books this year, but if I do it won't count toward the challenge.

  5.  Complete the Storyworth project and have it printed by Mother's Day.  Kasey gave me a one-year subscription for it awhile back, and I have since had to renew the subscription so as not to lose completed entries (which is not enough to justify printing).

  6.  Start volunteering.

  7.  Find a new reflexologist.

  8.  Relearn Canasta.  Carey and I used to play all the time, but have forgotten how.  We so frequently lament that there is 'nothing on tv worth watching,' so instead, why not play a game of cards to spend time together.

  9.  Get my Singer Featherweight up and running and in use.

10.  Make some progress on our family trees.

11.  Check out our local farmers market.

12.  Send 52 letters in 52 weeks.

This is a longer list than last year's, because:

    a.  last year's shorter list wasn't very challenging,

    b.  some of these do not require much sustained time over the year, and

    c.  these are all things that I continue to tell myself, "You really should..."

How I did with 2024 Goals...

Goal 1.  Eat meatless twice a month.

    Didn't make the twice a month goal every month...but we ate meatless more than we had at anytime previously.

Goal 2.  Stop buying "baby" carrots.

    Complete success!

Goal 3.  Find a volunteer opportunity.

    I found it difficult to schedule volunteer days with my kind of erratic on-call schedule of work.  However, as of today (12/31/2024), I am fully retired, so will be trying for volunteering again.

Goal 4.  Send 52 letters in 52 weeks.  

   I did not do well at keeping track this year, but I'm pretty sure I met this goal.  And I got some nice phone calls thanking me for the notes I sent.

Goal 5.  Read The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron and perhaps work on the daily journaling.  

    Gave it a try, but it really wasn't for me.  Fail.

Goal 6.  Visit at least one friend I haven't seen in years.  

    This was a huge success!  We had a great visit, and I managed flights and airports quite well.

2024 Frugal Friday File, September 20...

 

1.  It hasn't been a particularly thrifty week.  I've picked up takeout rather than cooking after days spent sweating in the garage.  I haven't weighed lately, but there should be about a stone of water weight lost due to the sweat of my brow (and neck, shoulders, back, and legs) over the past week.

2.  Free shredding:  I went through thirty years of my parents' financial paperwork (that has filled a 30 gallon storage bin for twenty-five years without being opened).  It was so heavy it could not be moved by me.  I had to sit down beside it where it was and just go through it.  It took two full afternoons.  I don't know that it needed to be shredded...all of the bank accounts have been closed for years, and the owners of the Social Security numbers have been deceased for decades...but I just couldn't put it in the trash.  For one thing, we would not have had room for our household trash if it went into our weekly pick up; also I think there is a weight limit for our pick up which would have been gone over.  I removed things like documents from things like envelopes, and put everything I knew was harmless into the trash.  Anything with personal info, etc. went into bags.  I took those to my old office, and was allowed to put them in their locked bins which a shredding service picks up and shreds on site.  The office never comes close to filling their bins, and we've accepted documents for shredding from clients over the years.  That felt SO good to get that done and gone!  

I did keep maybe a half dozen documents, some of which will be shredded at home at a later time.  I just couldn't do it at present.  My parents rarely put things in writing unless work related.  Seeing their signatures exactly as I remember them just makes me feel a little emotional.

3.  Free drop-off unloading:  So far I have taken two FULL carloads (SUV) to Goodwill, and the third load is ready to be  Ioaded.  I could have had a garage sale, but in past experience, they are a lot of work for very little reward.  I have a busy couple of months coming up, and I just want this stuff GONE!  I suppose I could ask Kasey to list a few things on FB Marketplace or Nextdoor, but I haven't come across anything yet that even made me think about doing that.

4.  Not so free entertainment:  I've been listening to the Audible book I wrote about previously.  I listened all Wednesday afternoon...all Thursday afternoon...in the bathtub at night...and some Friday morning.    I still have twelve hours of listening to go (even though the speed setting has been set to an accelerated speed).  SO glad to have taken this method of keeping myself working and 'reading' at the same time.

5.  Free help:  Friday Jared helped me by sweeping cobwebs off of everything before I loaded it into the car.  He is kind and patient and does whatever I ask.  Today (Saturday) his sister {Kasey) came over and she is a MEAN OVERLORD!  She has worked me non-stop.  She has given me a short break presently, then she is coming back and assures me we WILL be getting done tonight!  Help!  (But seriously, we have made amazing progress that would not have been accomplished without her.  Now I will post this before she comes back and chains me up again to finish sorting donations from keeps.  

I have brought a few things in the house to find a place for...some old towels and bedspreads that will be washed before taking them to the animal shelter....and also some framed artwork and photos.  I have been pretty ruthless about donations and discards.  I may make my goal of not over filling the shelf I purchased for the garage.

On the menu this past week:

Saturday:  Omelette

Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey & Beau's

Monday:  Late takeout lunch, skipped supper

Tuesday:  Late takeout lunch, skipped supper

Wednesday:  Late takeout lunch, skipped supper

Thursday:  Late takeout lunch, skipped supper

Friday:  Late takeout lunch, skipped supper

**designates meatless meal

Better Than Yesterday...

I saw this "Better Than Yesterday" card set a few days ago on Dicky Bird's Nest blog.  I immediately had to look into them, and mine arrived yesterday.  (I know, I know...another impulse purchase.)  It's not a game.  Each card has an action, and each day you choose a card and take the action on the card.  Wouldn't you know the very first card I pulled would be 'No swearing for the next 24 hours!'  I've already had a minor slip...it may have been as I was reading the card.  :)

I think I will leave the box on my kitchen table, with the card of the day turned up at the front as a reminder, and as I complete the action task I will move the card to the back of the box.  My plan is to show all the week's cards here on Saturdays.  The one's I've looked at are pretty interesting.  I've only looked at very few, as I want them to be fresh as I go through them.  

 

Just another manic Monday...

I actually got pretty much done today.  Sometime after midnight, I finished making my menu for the week and placing our grocery order.  Then after some sleep, I packed a box of birthday goodies for a friend.  I stopped at WalMart to pick up some potting soil, then picked up the grocery order.  I dropped off a library book and picked up two more.  I mailed the birthday package.  I stopped by my old office to pick up a plant that I wanted to repot for them.  I came home and put away all the groceries that needed refrigeration and then repotted the plant.  I returned the plant to the office.  I came home and cleaned the bathroom, and then read a chapter in one of my new library books. I put away all the rest of the groceries, started supper, then loaded the dishwasher with all the supper-prep dishes and handwashed a couple of things I don't like to put in the dishwasher.  Whew!

 

Quiche with Hashbrown Crust recipe by bellyfull.net

Apologies for the photo (actually for a lot of photos lately).  It's the dark days.

I saw this recipe on Instagram a day or two ago and thought I'd give it a try.  I made this one a little differently than the recipe that was given.  Hers had sausage, and I wanted to make it meatless.  Mine is so full of vegetables that I didn't even bother with adding a salad or separate vegetable to accompany it.  

The crust is easy.  I bought a bag of shredded potato which equaled about the 3 cups that the recipe calls for.  You just add a quarter cup (half a stick) of melted butter, the hashbrowns, and salt and pepper, then press it into a pie pan.  The author of the recipe said to grease the pie pan, but I just melted the butter in the pie plate in the microwave, so considered it greased.  Baked at 375° for 30 minutes.

I sliced an onion, a bell pepper, mushrooms and sauteed them till tender; then I added halved cherry tomatoes and a couple of handfuls of baby spinach to the pan and removed the pan from the heat.  When the crust had baked, I added the vegetables to it, then poured on the mixture of eggs, cream, shredded cheese, salt and pepper evenly and baked at 375 for an additional 30 minutes.

I liked it.  Carey sad he preferred a traditional pastry crust, but I was trying to really ramp up the vegetable content.  I don't think he has caught on yet that we are eating more meatless meals this year...at least he hasn't said anything.  ;)  I think tonight's quiche puts us at 5 meatless meals so far this month, which beats my goal of 2 per month.  And actually probably more, because some of the leftovers we've been eating were meatless as well.

Books read in 2023...

 

Twenty twenty-three was not a banner year for my reading.  I've had a hard time since retirement with time management...getting a layout to my days that keep me productive.  Way too much time spent mindlessly on phone apps.

The images above are the 23 books that I read this year.  When I do make time to read, I am not concentrating.  About eight of the books pictured above were not really to my liking, so I would let them lie for several days or a week without picking them back up.  

I remember when a former co-worker announced that she would no longer continue reading books that she didn't enjoy, she would just stop reading them, because life was too short to read bad books.  I think she was about my current age when she decided that, and I'm about ready to follow her example.

One thing I did this year was read the Bible through chronologically (by order in which the recorded events occurred).  I had planned to read the One Year Bible again as I have done several times before.  Then a friend mentioned in late 2022 that her cousin was just finishing up reading the Bible chronologically.  I found a reading plan on line, and we discussed it a bit.  Then, thankfully, my friend agreed to commit to also do the daily readings.  We both say we wouldn't have kept at it without the other.  It seemed very difficult for some reason.  I'm glad to have done it, but I'm also glad to have it done.

2024 New Year's bucket list...

 

I follow the BetterFoodGuru on Instagram.  Everything she makes looks so good; and I'm not even vegan!

Today I made this Southwest Quinoa & Bean Salad and loved it.  The dressing is heavy on cilantro, so if you hate it (did you know that there is actually a gene that makes it taste repellent to some people?) I think this would also be great with something like a Honey Mustard dressing instead.  

But I digress.  Recently the BetterFoodGuru (Sara) mentioned that instead of making New Year resolutions, to make a New Year bucket list instead.  I liked that.  It reminded me of Juhli (at The Boomer Girl's Guide) and her list of 2024 Hopes...such a good list!

So here's my own 2024 Bucket List of Hopes:

1.  Eat meatless twice a month...if we can do once a week, so much the better.

2.  Find a volunteer opportunity.

3.  Send 52 letters in 52 weeks.

4.  Read The Artist's Way by Julia Cameron and perhaps work on the daily journaling.

5.  Visit at least one friend I haven't seen in years.

Frugal Friday File 2022, week 22...

 

1.  Ugh!  I missed the free shipping on meal subscription this week.  That's what I get for not checking my email daily.  But I did have enough loyalty points to get $10 off.

2.  Credit card hackers struck again.  This time it was Carey's gasoline card.  I got the call this morning asking if either of us charged $124 in a coastal city this morning.  Uh, no.  So they canceled his card and will expedite delivery of the replacement.  Thankful that they nipped it in the bud before any more was charged.

3.  My road trip last weekend was a long (8 hours one way), boring (barely any radio reception) drive.  But the time that I was at my destination made it all worthwhile.  Loved seeing my friend and my sister and nephew.  I had attempted to download an audio book for the trip, but wasn't able to for some reason.  My hosts fed me fabulous meals, and my friend even made me a bag of snacks for the trip home.  Sweet!  As for entertainment, we stayed in and made cards...stamping with a friend is so much fun!  So while the gasoline was expensive, the experience was priceless!

4.  And of course the weekend included an extra day thanks to the Memorial Day paid holiday.  The trip home was very moving as small towns all along the way had decked out their cemeteries to honor their veterans buried there.

5.  We are saving the ticket theater price and NOT going to see Top Gun.  We never saw the first one, so don't feel like we are missing anything.

Frugal Friday File 2022, week 21...

 

1.  Packed lunches to work or came home all week.

2.  Forgot to place meal order for this week in time, so have been cooking at home.  Not sure it was a great savings over the subscription, but it was a savings over eating out which we did not resort to.

3.  Carey rotated my tires, and gave my car a good once over in anticipation of my road trip this weekend.  He may be an amazing jack of all trades, but his very first trade was car mechanic, so he is amazing to keep around.  :)  I'm driving seven hours alone to visit a friend and my sister.  Very exciting.

4.  Because we cooked at home this week, there are left overs to hold Carey over while I'm out of town.

5.  Jared has been in Chicago for two weeks for some work training, and left his car here rather than long-term parking.  Carey will pick him up at the airport later today and park in the free cell-phone lot where you can park and wait for the passenger to call you after they are through baggage claim and waiting at the curb to be picked up.  I love that they added that lot  and keep it free.

Frugal Friday File 2022, week 20...

 

I was even scarcer than usual around here this week.  I had an out-of-town work meeting that threw me off.  So here is my frugal file for this week.

1.  We have already had temperatures over 100⁰.  Last weekend Carey noticed something was up with our 27-year-old air conditioner.  He took the cover off of the unit and found that the insulation surrounding three wires had worn away due to their constant vibration against each other over the years, and once the now uninsulated wires were in contact with each other they became, for lack of a better description, welded together and a real danger.  My fabulous husband, who was outdoors painting on the house, not only immediately noticed the change in sound coming from the air conditioner, he was able to diagnose, replace, and repair all in about 3 hours.  No waiting days in the stifling heat and humidity for an a/c tech to get to us, no bill, the house didn't even heat up much in that time.  I know I say this all the time, but his skills are amazing, and marrying him was my best frugal decision EVER! 

2.  A coworker at another branch offered to drive a group of us to the work meeting which was about three hours away.  She will be reimbursed for mileage, so we didn't have to share the expense (though I will be sending her a thank you with a little something tucked inside).

3.  My company paid for a nice, and very comfortable, hotel room for of each of us.  A king-size bed all to myself is something I haven't had since Carey retired.  :)

4.  We went out for one meal before the meeting officially began, for which we requested separate checks.  After we got home, the driver of my group emailed each of us instructions to submit the receipts for reimbursement, which I promptly completed.

5.  I thought about going to a book festival this weekend in the city.  It would have been nice as there were lots of authors there for small group talks.  However I know I would have purchased books that I hadn't budgeted for.  So since I was really tired, and wanted to get some things done around here this weekend (as I will be gone next weekend for a rather long solo road trip), I decided to give it a miss.

Frugal Friday File 2022, week 18...

 

1.  I haven't finished my library book yet...less than 10% to go...and the borrow expired yesterday.  Rather than get back on the reserve list and wait a month or more, and rather than paying $14.99 for the ebook from Amazon to finish it, I remembered on Wednesday to move the borrow to my old Kindle on which I can turn off the wifi.  With the wifi off, the old Kindle can't communicate with Amazon, so the book stays on it and is readable.  It may sound like cheating, but the borrowed ebook is returned from my Amazon account to the library where it can be checked out by the next reader.

2.  Took my lunch to work every day.

3.  In anticipation of my 65th birthday in the fall, I asked around to see if there is someone local who could help us figure out the confusing Medicare plans and supplemental insurance options.  We met with someone who was recommended this week, and it was very helpful.  We haven't made a final decision, and we may continue to research the options, but I feel proud of myself for not waiting till the last minute, and arming us with information that will help us make good choices.

If anyone has any suggestions that you have found helpful, please let me know.

4.  The electric bill arrived, and it is the lowest of the year so far.  I will pay this one with pleasure, as I have a feeling there won't be any low ones going forward.  The forecast is for 100° temperatures both Saturday and Sunday, and mid to high 90s all next week.  The Texas summer is upon us.

5.  I finally placed the Amazon order for essentials only...removing one item which I found more affordable locally.  I made a "Congratulations Graduate" card using the recipient's school colors.  Switching my work wardrobe to the summer choices, and not buying anything new.  Was notified this week that our company is increasing starting wages to stay competitive in the hiring market; so will also be giving current employees a pay increase to compensate.  Made dessert for Sunday family supper last week incorporating Easter candy so it didn't go to waste.

Frugal Friday File 2022, week 17...

 

1.  Carey has begun painting the house exterior.  The paint is not cheap, but I can't even begin to guess how much more it would cost to hire it out.  Any job, big or small, Carey is a whiz to have around!

2.  I have been pretty successful at taking my lunch to work with me the past couple of weeks.  Cheaper, yes.  But also it means I have more time to read since there is no driving time required.  Which, bonus, means I'm also not using as much gasoline.  :)

3.  Free shipping this week on the meal subscription.  Yay!

4.  No impulse purchases this week.  I have some things in my Amazon cart, but they are pretty much necessities that have been in there for at least a week waiting for a dire need to hit the buy button and get them on their way.

5.  Taking a mental health day today, and a mini getaway.  Today we are driving to the coast just to get out of the house and away from the office.  As 'vacations' go, it will be very frugal.

Not even REMOTELY Frugal Friday File...

There was a lot of impulse purchases this week.  

Frugal Friday File 2022, week 14...

 

1.  Our meal subscription service offered free shipping again this week saving me $17.

2.  Having great luck seeing new books on Amazon, checking the library instead of buying, they actually have it, and I'm first in line to reserve!

3.  My car is still running beautifully after the accident with no repair necessary (knock on wood).  No, the tow truck to get it unstuck wasn't really a bargain, but repairs and a rental car could have been a lot worse.  Carey gave it a thorough once over, so we are feeling optimistic that we got off light.  (Carey says, "What's this we s&%t?")

4.  I gifted two Corning pie plates to Kasey (back from the days when I used to bake lots of pies at a time for church suppers etc.)  She was baking chicken pot pie, and sharing my extras was a simple thing when she feeds us every single Sunday.

5.  I am SO looking forward to the weekend.  Just to stay home and read my library books...aahhhhh!

Frugal Friday File 2022, week 13

 

1.  Sunday family dinner's dessert is so often decided by what I have on hand.  Yellow cake mix: check.  Instant vanilla pudding: check.  Eggs: check  Rum: check.  Pecans: check.  Butter, oil, water: check, check, check.  I didn't have quite enough rum, and I had a hardened bag of brown sugar that needed using up, so I subbed the glaze a bit. Turned out really yummy.

2.  Carey is painting the house trim, and rain gutters.  Then he will reinstall the gutters, which he took down before the new roof was put on.  He will paint the exterior walls as well eventually; that may have to wait for fall temperatures, however.  I'm just so thankful that he is willing and able to do these kinds of jobs that are expensive when hired out.

3.  I had accumulated enough 'points' to use for $10 off of next week's meal subscription order.

4.  I just finished a book that I really enjoyed:  The Crossing Places by Ellie Griffiths.  It's about a professor in forensic archaeology in a fictional English town who assists local police with a found skeleton.  It is the first in a series called The Ruth Galloway Mysteries, and I checked out the ebook from the library.  Unfortunately, it was the only one of the series the library had.  The subsequent books in the series are a little pricey as Kindle ebooks, and they are pricier still in paperback...I checked on Amazon and Ebay.  But then I realized that the boxed set of the first 10 books in the series broke down to less than buying them individually as either print or ebooks.  There are 14 books in the series.  As I work my way through the boxed set, I will watch (and keep my fingers crossed) for the last books at special 'deal' prices.

5.  And that's about it for frugality as it just didn't seem to be the priority this week.  We travelled to our hometown for a family funeral.  I sent flowers for the funeral and for my mother-in-law's birthday.  I've been eating lunch out entirely too often.

Frugal Friday File 2022, week 12...

 

1.  I worked some overtime this week.  Unheard of!  My self-reliant boss is on crutches this week and has needed just a bit of additional help.

2.  We had leftover taco soup (which is a lot like chili) a few days ago.  I also had a half package of ground beef, a package of tortillas, and some grated cheese that needed using up.  So I decided to combine everything into a an easy enchilada casserole.

3.  I think I've mentioned this before, but here goes.  When Carey retired in December, he had enough vacation built up to be on his employer's books till the end of the year.  But without warning, they did not do things that way.  They paid him for his vacation time (eventually after  much argument on Carey's part that it was due him), and they also ended our medical insurance, without any mention to us, as of the 10th of the month.  I only learned about it when a medical provider called me to tell me a claim had been rejected, and that coverage ended on the 10th which he advised me was extremely unusual.  I was, of course, squeezing in appointmets before year's end, so panicked.  That particular provider told me that we were not at fault, so they would be writing off the charges for the 3 visits (God bless them!).  That still left another specialist's charges.  

Thankfully, I phoned my employer's HR Dept for advice on how to approach the situation.  Since I had signed up for medical insurance through them to start in January, and Carey was within their number of days since his life-change event (retirement), they made our medical retroactive to December 14.  

The specialist invoice arrived last week.  Several hundred dollars was billed, but the insurance decreased that to just $58, which I happily paid on Friday.  

And, in case you are curious, I did phone the other provider and gave them the new insurance information to resubmit; but was assured again that it wasn't my fault, they plan for a certain percentage of loss, and since it had already been written off, they were not resubmitting.  (God bless them!)

4.  Finished my library books.

5.  I was late for a doctor appointment on Friday and got pulled over for speeding.   I pulled over in a safe spot for him to exit his vehicle and approach mine, and I had my license and registration ready to hand him.  The officer asked me if I knew how fast I was driving, 'Fifty plus miles per hour.'  Did I know what the posted speed limit was? 'Thirty-five.'   He thanked me for my honesty, and gave me a warning.  (God bless him!)

Frugal Friday 2022, week 11...

 

1.  We are still ordering three meals a week from our subscription service.  I admit that it is a convenience, but it also keeps us from eating out when I am exhausted after work, so it still feels like a frugal win.  We use Front Porch Pantry which is a Texas company which only delivers within the state...actually I think they are just starting Oklahoma delivery as well.  One day last week they offered free shipping if you purchased a certain dollar amount.  Definitely grabbed that deal!  Saved about $18.

2.  The Amazon Firestick that we had on our living room television was no longer functioning.  Carey suggested that I order a new one.  I was looking at them online when it occurred to me that we very rarely use the Firestick to view programs on the bedroom television, so we just unplugged that one and moved it to the living room.  Twenty to forty dollars saved by not buying unneccessarily.

3.  Staying home this weekend and conserving pricey gasoline.  I have a list of chores to progress through.  I really filled it up so I could prioritize what I feel like working on once I get started, and I won't worry about trying to scratch everything off the list.  

4.  Now that we have a working Firestick on the TV, I am using my library's Kanopy service to watch a couple of documentaries this weekend.  I get up to 5 shows/movies a month free.

5.  I found some old 32¢ stamps.  I used two of them to mail a letter to a friend who has also used odd combinations of old postage on her mail to me.  I can't remember the last time I actually licked a stamp to affix it to an envelope!

Frugal Friday File 2022, week 9...

 

1.  Still working on the freezer and pantry meals.  I found some chicken thighs in the freezer over the weekend; bell pepper, onion, and carrots in the fridge; Trader Joe's curry sauce in the pantry.  Yummy curry and rice on a chilly night

2.  Kasey brought us over a box of beautiful ripe tomatoes that were left over from a meal at Beau's workplace that he was responsible for organizing.  I used about half of them to make a Tomatoe Pie.  The last onion had gone into the curry, so I used dehydrated onion flakes sprinkled over the layers of tomatoes instead of fresh.  And I used up all the little bits of random shredded cheeses from the cheese drawer to make the topping.

3.  I wear my seat belt.  Tickets are not frugal.  Neither are ambulance trips nor emergency rooms.  And then there was that time it saved my life.

4.  My trips to Sonic have decreased in frequency.  When I do go, I use the app to get half-price drinks.  

5.  Library.  Nuff said.

The Frugal Friday File 2022, week 6...

1.  Still trying to shop the pantry and freezer.  This week I made a thrown-together soup that used up leftover chicken fajita meat, a block of cream cheese with a rapidly approaching use-by date, a partial bag of frozen corn, a package of corn tortillas that have been in the fridge for...awhile, and some cream of chicken soup along with some spices and chicken broth.  I really wanted to add a can of green chiles, but didn't have any on hand, and Carey doesn't like them anyway.  He liked the soup.  I liked it okay, but I liked preventing food waste more.

2.  I've kept a close eye on my credit card, and when the fraudulent charges made last week went out of 'pending' and actually posted to my account, I phoned the credit card company to begin the dispute process.

3.  I emailed a vendor to report a damaged product that was delivered and very promptly received a refund.

4.  I mended a pair of jeans for my granddaughter.  

This was a kind of tricky job, as part of the rip extended into the pocket.  I succeeded in securely repairing the hole while not obstructing access to the pocket.  

Oddly, I love mending jeans.  When my kids were little, they came to me daily with requests for help, or to have me fix, so many things.  These days mending and hemming are thankfully still in the rapidly shrinking, "Mom, can you..." category.  While my hands are working the fabric, my mind is on the innumerable times I patched the knees of Jared's little jeans back when he was forever wearing them out playing with hot wheels and dinosaurs...on all of the dresses and costumes I've stiched together over the decades...and on all the happy times spent with my sewing and quilting mentor who taught me how to mend things so that the patch lasts.

5.  I made and mailed four cards this week, and I tried to include selections from my scrap pile of paper on each one.

  

The Frugal Friday file 2022, week 5...

 

I'll start off with the definitely UNfrugal:  My credit card got hacked.  I guess I feel lucky that 'only' eleven hundred plus dollars was charged during the day before I figured it out.  I had gotten a couple of strange texts on my phone while I was at work, but I thought they were phishing, so I didn't answer them.  I did call the bank, but they couldn't see anything unusual with bank acccounts.  When I got home from work, I immediately checked my bank accounts, and then my credit cards.  Only one credit card seems to be compromised, and I have had it cancelled.  Now I just have to make sure all the fraudulent charges are reversed and wait for the replacement card.

1.  We received our order of 4 free rapid antigen Covid-19 tests from the government.  One order (of 4 tests) per household is available at https://special.usps.com/testkits .

2.  Our son-in-law was in a barbecue cook-off recently, and he won several ribbons too.  Lucky for us, there were leftovers!  We enjoyed some for Sunday family supper, and got to bring some home too.  So, so good.  The man is a grill master!

3.  And while we are talking about good food, I made a pot of Pasta e Fagiole this week.  I love soup weather!  Soups are usually easy, frugal, and great left over.  The Pasta Fagiole recipe and some of my favorite soup recipes are at What's Cookin' 4 Miles North of Nowhere.

4.  Between the winter travel warnings this week keeping us home, and being temporarily without a credit card keeping me from online shopping, this is turning into a low-spend week.  Which is probably a good thing, as I am not anxious to see this month's heating bill.

5.  Our home's exterior door we use most often had a keyless entry lock when we moved in.  At the time, I was unsure how I felt about it, but very quickly became spoiled to the ease.  It recently had to be replaced, and it was quickly and frugally changed out by Carey.  I continue to be amazed, not just by his  DIY know how, but by the good sense my 18-year-old self had in choosing a life partner that was so handy.  Probably because he changed a tire for me the very first week we dated, followed shortly by him replacing my car's timing chain saving me a mechanic's repair fee that I definitely hadn't budgeted for.  Yet another instance of my early uncertainty in a situation quickly giving way to being spoiled.  :)