2024 Frugal Friday File, June 28...

 

1.  Phone (land line)/Internet/Cable bill usually runs $230 a month.  =O  We receive Ph/I/C through a co-op. Once a year they return capital credits; we've been customers for twenty plus years so get a nice chunk...still not enough to pay the whole bill, but this month's bill totaled only $10.38.  Yes, I know that $230 a month for the rest of the year is too much to pay, but we are kind of over a barrel, in that the community's contract with the co-op makes the co-op the SOLE provider of internet service in this area.  Note to self:  Call co-op to discuss price for ONLY internet, since we don't use landline, and maybe we can do without cable.

2.  Thanks goodness the book I showed on What I'm Reading Wednesday was free, because it is really not my cup of tea.  I won't be finishing it.

3.  Still haven't gone for a haircut.  It doesn't look great, but surprisingly it doesn't look horrible.  

4.  Is continuing to put off laundry a water saving measure?  If yes, then I'm rockin' it!

5.  FAIL:  After dinner on Thursday I packaged the leftovers for a meal for the freezer, and set it out to cool.  After watching the debate, I completely forgot about putting it in the fridge.  Realized my mistake about midnight.  I was afraid to risk eating it, so that was a huge waste.

On the menu this week:

Saturday:  Chicken Spaghetti Especiál

Sunday:  Sunday Supper at Kasey & Beau's

Monday:  Easy Enchilada Casserole

Tuesday:  leftovers w/ non-leftover sauteed squash

Wednesday:  leftovers

Thursday:  Italian Baked Chicken, Seasoned Rice, Green Beans

Friday:  takeout Tex-Mex

**designates meatless meal

What I'm reading Wednesday...

Blank by Zibby Owens

I got this book for free from Amazon.  It's a new release by the author.  I have not started it yet.

****

Last week's book (A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas) was better than I expected.  It is a beauty-and-the-beast story, and was well written and has likable  characters.

****

Today Carey and I went to see the movie Thelma.  It's an action/comedy about aging.  Great cast.  I love June Squibb, and she is my hero for still acting at 94!  Richard Roundtree was great too and he was 81, sadly he has since passed.  Carey and I both enjoyed it.

Last Week in Pictures...

Card for oldest longest-time friend (since we were 10)

Wordle in ONE!

Homemade Chicken Quesadillas

Rock, Paper, Scissors loser...Bwahahaha!

He wanted me to wear that hideous jewelry; 

we played, he lost.

I love my son-in-law!

I'm ready for my closeup, Mr. DeMille.

Amazing what Rudy will do for cheese.  :)

 

2024 Frugal Friday File, June 21...

 

1.  The plumber was supposed to come this morning, but had an emergency visit elsewhere.  We haven't heard from them since then, so we are still waiting.  Ours is just for replacing parts on some leaking faucets, so I'm willing to wait.  The replacement parts had to be ordered, as the identical faucets throughout the house are a really good quality, but parts are not readily available for them these days, and we have several that have small leaks .  It reminds me of the time we had an issue with the kitchen faucet in our very first house.  It had been built during the 1940s when all metal was going toward the war effort instead of more everyday uses at home; when the house was built, things like faucets were few and far between.  Our kitchen faucet was not made for a kitchen, it was made for a scientific laboratory.  That makes me smile today.  I loved that house, and I loved the plumber for telling me that story.

There is really nothing frugal about this #1, except maybe putting off writing the check to the plumber for another day or maybe next week.  Unless you consider home maintenance as falling under "a stitch in time saves nine" adage.

2.  I completed a menu plan and grocery order, and I picked the order up this morning.  Sadly there were no great deals going at the market this week, but having groceries to cook at home is better than eating out.

3.  I heard on the radio this morning (while I was picking up grocery order) that the 'creative reuse' shop that I like to make donations to and occasionally shop (think Goodwill for craft supplies) has an upcoming class on mending.  I thought they said darning, so I thought it might be worth attending.  When I checked their website, the class was $35 and was for visible mending, like patches, yes, but embellished to have a funky vibe.  From the photos of projects, I decided it wasn't really my interest, so kept that money in my pocket.  And I continue to be forever grateful to my sewing mentor, who taught me for free how to mend as a young mother whose son went through knees of jeans like they were made of the finest silk rather than sturdy denim.  :)

4.  When I got home and put away groceries, I immediately put a chicken from the order into the slow cooker.  I'm about to go get it out and debone.  I will have chicken cooked and ready for meals later in the week as well as for tonight's supper.

5.  I woke up in the wee hours this morning to a HIGHLY realistic dream of there being a fire somewhere in the house with smoke swirling visibly.  It took me a few minutes to awaken and realize that I didn't smell smoke, and that the wisps were disappearing.  I was unable to return to sleep for hours just in case it was really smoldering silently somewhere.  It wasn't.  But I am so very thankful that it was just a nightmare and not a reality.  Not having your house on fire is definitely frugal!

On the menu this week:

**Saturday:  leftovers

Sunday:  Sunday family supper at Kasey and Beau's

Monday:  Homemade BLTs

Tuesday:  Homemade Pizza

Wednesday:  takeout Chinese

Thursday:  Frito Pie

Friday:  Homemade Chicken Quesadillas w/ grilled onion & bell pepper and guacamole

**designates meatless meal

What I'm reading Wednesday...

 

A Court of Thorns and Roses (first in its series) by Sarah J. Maas

I'm not a big fan of fantasy.  I have never read any of Hunger Games or seen movies (or wanted to).  But Caitlyn assures me I will like this.  And it has her reading for pleasure, so I want to encourage that, and be able to discuss.

Easy and Quick Thin-Crust Pizza...

Here you go, Juhli.  Sorry it took so long!

I spent hours looking for the original source of the thin pizza crust recipe before I gave up.  I apologize it took so long to post here, but I wanted to have photos to accompany.  Carey likes pizza, but not too often, so had to wait awhile before making again. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups of all purpose flour

1 teaspoon of yeast

1 teaspoon sugar

1 teaspoon salt

2/3 cup of water

1 Tablespoon plus 3 Tablespoons of oil, separated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425° F.

In a large bowl, mix together flour, yeast, sugar and salt.

Add in the water and 1 Tablespoon oil to the dry ingredients, and mix together using your hand until dough clings together in a ball.

Once the pizza dough forms a ball in the bowl, add in the remaining 3 Tablespoons of oil and mix so that oil just coats the outside of the pizza dough ball.

Notes:  

• After adding in the 3 Tablespoons of oil, the dough will look very oily which is normal.  The dough will not taste oily once baked.
• For easier spreading the dough out on the pizza stone, make sure your fingers have a little oil on them.  (I run my fingers over the sides of the dough bowl, and then rub my hands together to oil surfaces before moving dough from bowl to baking sheet.

Let dough rest in the bowl until oven is fully preheated, and then press into desired shape/size on a pizza stone or baking sheet with your hands.  (Dough may have small tears as you press it out.  Do your best to keep them small, but don't fret...as dough pre-bakes it will rise a bit that will close small holes.)

Pre bake crust in oven for 5 minutes.

Remove from oven, top pizza crust with desired pizza sauce and toppings and bake for another 15 minutes.  ( +/- depending on oven and personal preference)

I had no pizza sauce, so I just used part of a jar of spaghetti sauce.

I was hoping to make half pepperoni and vegetable, and the other half bacon and pineapple.  But after searching the pantry, I found no pineapple, so just threw everything I had on the dough: sauce, a little shredded mozzarella cheese, pepperoni and cooked bacon, sliced mushrooms, sliced onion and green peppers, and topped with more shredded mozzarella cheese.

Buon Appetito!

2024 Frugal Friday File, June 14...

 

1.  I worked one day this week.  Money in.

2.  My sister-in-law sent home several sheets of Forever postage stamps with Carey that his mom had not used up.  Several years ago I built a kind of lap desk / mail organizer for her, and had included postage stamps among the pens, cards, and return address stamp.  Not sure these are all ones I had provided to her, but I can promise they will all get used now.

3.  I've been in the craft room (again/still) using up large-ish scraps of paper that are just too pretty to toss and dies cuts that were extras from another project.  I have a few more ready-to-send cards in my stash now, which is a good thing as this fall will see two grand girls in college rather than just one.

4.  I canceled the Acorn subscription.  I just wasn't watching it often, and didn't want the price to revert after the promotional period.  I also cancelled the Starz subscription.  I had subscribed at promotional price of $1.99/mo for 3 months to watch Outlander...watched some of the most recent season, but got bored.  I didn't want to risk forgetting to cancel later.

5.  I confirmed a week of work for July.  It's hard to work a whole week at a time; retirement has spoiled me, but I'll be happy to see the check boost the savings.

On the menu this week:

Saturday:  leftovers

Sunday:  Sunday supper at Kasey and Beau's

Monday:  Mexican Cornbread, Avocado & Cherry Tomato salad

Tuesday:  leftovers

**Wednesday:  Pasta w/ Roasted Vegetable Sauce, Salad, Garlic Bread

Thursday:  takeout  Barbecue Baked Potatoes w/brisket

Friday:  dinner out for sushi

**designates meatless meal