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This week - Split Pea soup

November 10th, 2020 at 07:33 pm

I have a big pot of split pea soup in the crockpot today.  I love this soup.  It ended up costing about $3 to make.  I used half the ham slab that I picked up for $2.99.  (The other half I will use with my eggs to make a nice breakfast scramble the next couple of days).   I added the usual veggies - onion, carrot, celery, garlic and some spices.  This will make 8-10 servings. I finished the last of the pinto beans last night.  I didnt need to freeze any, as they were yummy right up until the last bite.

Tomorrow is Veterans day - a huge shout out and thank you to all Veterans for their services! 

My job is closed tomorrow, so I have the day off.  It is also the first of a 14 day step-back period for our county, and several counties in our state.  They are hoping to slow the Covid cases as we have had a significant increase in the last several weeks.   I wont really need to change anything for this period, since I stay home unless I need groceries or visit one of the kids homes.  I need to go by the dollar store to get a gift bag for a baby shower gift.  The shower is this Saturday, I will likely drop the gift off and, if I cant social distance adequately, wont linger long.  I don't want to risk exposure to someone who may not know they have the virus.  I am high-risk and risking getting it is just not worth it to me. 

I have been using our wood stove exclusively for heat.  The hub has had a wood yard for years and our wood is primarily free.  He works on log trucks in exchange for free wood.   Being home FT, I have learned the settings to heat the house without overheating our upstairs. 

I have also successfully trained my brain to turn off all lights when I am not in a space that needs lighting.  Overall, I am making the mental shift to living frugally and it feels great!

I am also finding our home much less chaotic with the decluttering efforts.  I still have a long ways to go, but the spaces I have finished are staying very clean and organized - and are actually calming to be in. 

All in all, super happy with progress - the hub rotates back home for a month starting on Saturday.  We shall see how well I can maintain everything while he is home.  Smile  Stay tuned!

 

 

Fun weekend and the car is back!

November 9th, 2020 at 02:10 am

I finally got my car back from the shop.  $207 out of pocket, the rest was covered by warranty.  I used the car to run errands on Saturday and to go watch my gd for DD3 today while momma painted her bedroom.  Gd will be turning one in 3 weeks.  She is toddling and is just a sweet, happy girl.  Thoroughly enjoyed my time with her. 

On the way home, I stopped and picked up a small ham slab (on sale for $2.99) to go in the split pea soup for this weeks soup.  Total cost of the soup will be about $4 and will make about 10 servings.  I made a loaf of bread on Saturday, and have enough left to last another 2-3 days.   

On Saturday, my friend came over for a girlfriend day.  We had planned on going to a local winery, but the weather was not cooperating since we would have had to sit outside (covid).  So we met here at my house and enjoyed the firepit on my deck.  I picked up some salami, cheese, grapes, pickled asparagus and pretzel chips at Costco- plus a couple bottles of grand reserve Chardonnay for just under $13 each. We spent much less than we would have at the winery, and I have a ton of leftovers to enjoy the next couple of weeks.  If I split out what we ate, I guestimate our girlfriend day cost about $50 (including wine) - not the most frugal day, but it was very enjoyable.  We visted around the fire outside and then when it got too chilly, we came inside and played a card game.  All in all, very awesome day.  I used my allowance to pay for the food and wine, since this was a special occasion for me and not something that should come from the food budget. 

I have one bowl of pinto beans left for tomorrow, and will be making the split pea soup for the rest of the week.   The store also had Jimmy Dean Delight breakfast sandwiches on sale for $5.49 for 4.  These are my go to breakfast or lunch when I need a quick, easy meal.  Higher protien, and reasonable carbs.  So I picked up two boxes and tucked them into the freezer.  Costco had a big container of greek yogurt (plain) on sale for $2.99.  I have blueberries and granola left over from last week, so this will be breakfast for several days.  

I spent some time decluttering one of our rooms this weekend and found an unopened container of Folgers coffee.  It is from our move a couple of years ago- so will provide at least a couple of weeks of "free" coffee for me.  Smile  

The hub will be home from Alaska next weekend and we will have almost a full month's food budget to live on, since I have been eating so cheaply. 

Feeling very good about choices this month.  

 

Gorgeous fall continues! And still, no car.

November 2nd, 2020 at 08:56 pm

Our fall weather continues to be amazingly beautiful.  Sunny, warm, and just nice to be outdoors!!  I do have a fire in the wood stove, because temps drop at night and the house will stay around 60-ish if I dont heat it up.  

DD3 loaned me her car again this past weekend and I went to town Friday night and yesterday.  I picked up coffee at Target but didnt need anything else.  I did use the last of my Kohl's cash to get a new pair of  winter jammies.  My usual winter jammies consist of fuzzy bottoms and a long sleeve tshirt (unmatched, of course lol) ...all at least 5 years old.  So I splurged on myself (for free!)   My other trip to town was to DD2s house.  They invited me over for steak dinner - which was yummy and a nice change from soup.  Smile

Now, I am back to no car again.  I sure hope mine is repaired this week, so I don't have to keep borrowing DD3s.  Being without a car has made me realize just how seldom I really 'have' to use it.  I do intend to reduce trips to town in order to reduce gasoline costs.  

Like others, I am very ready to have election day behind us.  I'm beginning to feel that a united nation is becoming a pipe dream...the divide between right and left is so vast.  In my opinion, this is fault of both sides.  Sad times for sure. 

 

Happy Halloween and my magic number is FOUR!

October 31st, 2020 at 10:21 pm

Happy halloween all!  All my little grand-gobblins will be out and about tonight.  Ive received pictures of their costumes and theyre all so adorable!

I usually spend Halloween at home, with a toasty fire enjoying one of the scary shows.  We live in the country and homes are at least 2 acres apart, so we dont get trick or treaters here, although I do have some candy in the fridge left over from when the hub was last home that I can hand out if anyone shows up.

I've been putzin around the house, continuing to declutter and have a fire in the wood stove.  (My house was hanging around 60-61 all morning, so I thought it was a good day to warm things up.)

I've decided that 4 days is about how long I enjoy eating the same soup for lunch or dinner, or sometimes both.  I am enjoying the beef barley soup that I made on Wednesday, but was not as excited about it today as I was on Wednesday.  Its still very flavorful, so I froze the remaining and pulled out the leftover red bean soup for tomorrow and Monday.  Looks like about 2 bowls left...may be able to get 3.  I also pulled out half a chicken breast to thaw.  Its huge, so I should be able to get 2-3 meals out of it when added with some quinoa and greenbeans. I had planned on restocking this weekend, but now that Ive done inventory, I don't need anything. I have all the fixins still for pinto beans and split pea soup.  And I have plenty of ingredients for fresh bread, several cans of green beans, ample amount of quinoa, and a weeks worth of breakfast supplies(yogurt, blue berries, granola)....so I am opting out of going shopping this week.  (This is a rarity for me, I must be getting more serious about reducing my food expenses!)

I sat down this morning and started caluculating cost per serving of things like coffee and other drinks, snacks, how much a round trip to town costs, etc.  Its very enlightening.  For instance, gas to run to town is about 3.45 per trip.  Knowing this, I will start being more purposeful about those trips.   I have very recently decided to resign from my job early, as in Jan 4th.  This means, I will need to start frugal living sooner than thought.  But thats ok- I am comfortable with this decision, and it needs to happen.  

I hope you all have a safe evening.. Can you believe NOVEMBER is HERE??

I

Presenter jitters and soup is good food!

October 29th, 2020 at 12:40 am

I have about an hour before I will be presenting online on emergency preparedness with my work team.  I do not enjoy presenting and am not one of those who think the more you do it, the easier it becomes.  I will be SO GLAD when this is over.  

A few weeks ago, the hub and I went to dinner with friends to a steak house.  It was quite the experience in that you only choose steak or chicken and everything else is served family style. (salad, bean soup, main meal and potato, fresh rolls and butter, and dessert)  We both chose steak.  I have never seen a steak that big - I believe the steaks ranged from 26-32 oz....wowza!  After eating a small amount of mine, I cut the remainder into four healthy chunks and put it in the freezer.  Today I used two of the chunks to make a beef barley soup.  OMG.  It turned out SO amazing.  The recipe made about 10 servings, which I will eat with some homemade bread.  Since the meat was made with leftovers, the barley and veggies were the only cost = I guestimate $3 for the ingredients.  The bread cost about .50 to make.  So in all, about .35 per serving.   I also had some red bean soup still, so I am freezing that to have when I am ready for a change from the current soup. 

I am LOVING calculating my meal costs and seeing how easily I can lower my food costs.  

The car place called today and the repairs will either be less than $200 or fully covered, depending on what the issue ends up being.  I am thankful it will be only $200 worst case.   I am just ready to have a car again.

Well, time to get ready for this darn presentation.  Wish me luck!  Wink

 

 

5 more days with no car should = 5 no spend days!

October 27th, 2020 at 03:18 am

DD3 traded back the hubs truck (aka the beast) for her car Sunday afternoon.  So I am basically without a vehicle again until Saturday.  I am fine with this.  Today was a no spend day...as I am sure the rest of the week will be as well, since I have no way to go anywhere. 

I enjoyed red beans and homemade bread today for lunch and dinner.  Switched up the flavors a bit by adding a bit of hot sauce and parmesian for the dinner beans.  I had a granola bar and some fruit for breakfast.  Meals today, well under $4 for the day.  

I sent my completed ballot to town with my neighbor to put in the ballot box for me.

Work will be VERY busy until November 30.  Lots of end of the year deadlines are coming due..and I intend to hit every one of them!!  Just makes for a higher level of stress until the end of November.

 

Yesterday's Post - Frugal meal plan

October 26th, 2020 at 02:47 pm

I've put on a pot of small red beans with a hamhock this morning for several meals this week.  Such an inexpensive, yet healthy dish for the week.  I should get 8-10 meals for about $4.  Since the bread only takes 3 cups of flour and scant amounts of yeast and salt, I guestimate less than .50 a loaf.  So, if I get 8 meals, thats .56 ish cents per meal!  Not bad for something I really enjoy.  Smile  I will polish off the last of my leftover prime rib stew for lunch today, and the beans will be dinner.  I just love the cooler weather and a piping hot bowl of goodness. 

Ive been sticking with lite vanilla greek yogurt (buy the large container), blueberries and a sprinkle of granola for breakfast.  This averages just under $1 per serving.

I did pick up some crystal lite to have something other than water.  However, I dont like the taste using the suggested ratio of powder to water, so I make mine much more diluted.  Instead of 8 cups of water, I double the amount.  Its not as sweet tasting, but still has a nice flavor. And I get double the amount!! Im sure there are lots of other ways to make flavored water that I would enjoy, but baby steps.  Smile

I dont use creamer with my coffee, but rather the pink pack sweetener (1 per cup of coffee) that I buy in bulk at Costco and only replace about every 5 years.  I do enjoy a cup or two of tea, especially this time of year, but I make the tea bag (.16) last for at least 2-3 uses.

With snacks - bananas, grapes, string cheese and granola bars (my big splurge!) I am eating for much less than $5 per day.  Somedays are even in the $3-4 range.

I just recently started this type of frugal meal planning to test how inexpensive I can eat when I am home alone.  And so far, it is a success.  I know I will need to cut our budget when I retire, so I am working on ways to test the waters now, so I will have a good plan when the time comes.  I dont anticipate the meat and potatoes hub will want this drastic of a change when he is home, so I won't be able to scale the food budget back as much as when he is away for work.  But, I am confident I can find ways even during those weeks to scale back at least a little.

5th day without a car

October 24th, 2020 at 12:19 am

Last Sunday, I ran to Walmart to pick up just a few supplies to get me through the week and on my way home, my car died.  It would start, but then immediately shut down.  Of course, the hub is on rotation in Alaska...so I rummaged through my car paperwork and found the roadside assistance information, that I honestly had forgotten I even had.  (It was a free perk when I bought the car and never gave it a second thought, actually.)  I called the number, and YES, the assistance was covered so I had the car towed to the dealer. On Monday, I got a call from the dealer explaining that they were backlogged, but that I had missed a recall which was likely causing the issue AND It would be at least 4 weeks before I get my car back!!  UGH. 

Now the hub has a manual drive pickup...its over 20 years old and is a beast to shift.  Therefore, I am terrified to drive it.  So I called DD3 and she said they would trade me and I could use their car, but it would be Friday (today) before she could come out.  And here it is Friday, and I have been perfectly fine without the car.

I made the bean soup and some nice crusty bread, finished that and then make some leftover prime rib stew (yummy) and have started a second batch of bread.  I had bought yogurt and berries for breakfast, and string cheese and protein bars for snacks, plus a big container of red grapes.  I can still make it several more days with what I have on hand before the perishables need to be replaced.

This has been an unplanned yet eye opening practice run of life post retirement as I plan to limit driving to town, and eat homemade and frugally as much as possible.

A blessing in disguise I think.  Especially if that recall and the repairs are all under warranty!  Take THAT 2020!

 

Is this a 2020 thing?

October 24th, 2020 at 12:03 am

I MISS my community...what the heck!  (testing)

Beans are soaking!

October 16th, 2020 at 04:38 am

I had a package of red beans in the cupboard and a ham hock in the freezer, so the first bean soup will be red beans and ham. I plan to toss in a yellow onion, celery and carrots in the morning. I will also post the seasoning I add in my post tomorrow. The bean soup should last me all weekend, and maybe into next week.

I picked up a brick of yeast at Costco today. I read that you can freeze this after opening to stretch the usage life. So I will be making some crusty bread to accompany the soup this weekend.

I also picked up a $4.99 chicken and an 8 pack of canned mixed beans (pinto, kidney and black) at Costco. I plan to make some chicken salad for lunch and debone the rest of the chicken for future meals. Then, boil the bones to make another soup- black bean (mixed beans and chicken).

Stay tuned. I will post as I go!

I went through my jewelry this afternoon and pulled several necklaces to send to Goodwill. The donation bag is almost full. I also filled a toss bag, which is now in the trash. I will be dropping off the goodwill bag in exchange for a receipt, and will put the toss bag into the can in the morning.

Soup season ahead!

October 14th, 2020 at 06:56 pm

We had quite a bit of leftovers from our trip. (Smoked prime rib, including bones as well as a healthy portion of steak) I cut the steak (it was HUGE) into 3 good sized chunks and packaged everything separately for future soups. With colder weather coming, soup is always a welcomed meal.

The hub is about to head back to work for 4 weeks, so I will use part of the meats to make beef/barley soup and prime rib stew. My goal this next 4 weeks is to see how frugally I can feed myself. Except for a few items, I have everything to make both soups. I also have a ham bone in the freezer for some pinto or red bean soup, and some chicken for black bean soup. I have a stock pile of cornbread mix and am itching to learn how to make crusty bread! The soups will make great lunches and dinners. Do you have a favorite soup?

I plan to get some yogurt and berries for breakfast and other fruit and use some of the carrots and celery (Ill be buying for the soups) as snacks.

Should be a fun challenge. I do have two meals out planned. A day with girlfriends this Saturday to a local winery, and a day with my daughters (lunch) at a nearby historical town. Otherwise, I am going to try to eat all other meals out of the stockpile. We will see how it goes!

The hub is burning a creosote log in our stove this morning. Not because we need to heat the house, but because it cleans the stove and pipe for the season. I just heard the air conditioner kick on, so he is turning that off and we will open some doors and windows. lol Now the stove will be ready to keep me warm when it gets a little colder out. I am really hoping to have a few weeks with no air conditioning or heating expenses - rather just dress in whatever layers it takes to stay comfortable.

He will also pull his dump trailer up to the house so I can toss the things that arent worth donating as my minimalism efforts continue. Smile I had a couple more items in the donate pile, and my girls said they wanted them..maybe I am on to something here...

Deals

October 13th, 2020 at 04:00 pm

We had a fabulous time this weekend on our mini getaway with our friends. The weather was wonderful. We bought a prime rib on sale right after Easter and stuck it in the freezer for a special occasion- so we took that with us and the hub smoked it. It was wonderful! We played games, visited, relaxed and just enjoyed ourselves.

Yesterday I went to Kohl's to get a new pair of tennis shoes with the Kohl's cash I had. My old pair was at least 5 years old, worn and had cracks in the soles, which allowed water in- didnt want to go into our wetter season with that problem! New tennis shoes = free! Its funny, as I was unpacking the new shoes, I looked down at my old ones and thought about Amy Dacyczyn (Tightwad Gazette) and recalled how she kept her old shoes to use for dirtier jobs so that her new shoes stayed new longer...so even though I am decluttering, I will hold on to the old ones for that purpose...but if I dont use them within a reasonable time, to the trash they go!

Last Christmas I received an Amazon gift card so I decided to use it during prime days if the ereader I wanted came on sale. My old ereader died years ago, and since then I have been reading on my phone, which works, but was not ideal for the reading experience. I also had some Amazon points saved up, so the new ereader was FREE! I love to read and I can borrow books from the Libby app and read them for free on the kindle. Super excited for this freebie!!

All in all, a very fun, inexpensive last few days!

Minimalism continues!

October 8th, 2020 at 05:56 pm

In preparation for our trip tomorrow, I started packing yesterday. Since we are still changing seasons here and we are heading to a colder climate for our trip, I needed to go through the dark recesses of the closet to get to the warmer clothes. Since I was pulling so much out, I went ahead and started piles to donate and toss to continue with the minimalist efforts. I ended up with a bag FULL of clothes to donate. (Some I sadly never wore, and never will- online shopping is not my forte) My loss will hopefully be someone else's gain!

I still have a ways to go - I will soon be able to weed out all my work shirts, which will free up quite a bit more space. Since we have no plan to return to the office, I may go ahead and bag those up! (why not!)

I recently had blood work done and have received the results. Comparing them to 2 years ago, things dont look too bad, although there is definitely areas to improve. When the hub is gone, I eat much healthier, but when he is home its more meat and potatoes, which is his preference. I will find ways to change this. He can still eat as he likes, but I will be more purposeful in what I do and don't eat. This is huge for future financial wellness as well as health wellness, and just needs to happen.

I just have to say, I enjoy reading others' blogs but lately there arent as many as there used to be. I love sitting down with my coffee in the morning and catching up. To compensate, I am looking back at everyone's blogs to catch up on what I missed last year. I guess I am just trying to say you are all like dear ol' friends who I enjoy staying in touch with. I look forward to your new posts and responses! Thank you for the camaraderie!

Dwindling interest rate

October 7th, 2020 at 08:46 pm

I transferred our savings account to Discover at the end of the year last year because it was paying 1% and my credit union was only paying .05%. I was excited for the little increase the $ would be making....

Since then, it seems like each time I log in, it has dropped... .90, .80. 70 and today it was .60% Its still multiple times what I would make at the credit union, but c'mon!

I remember when I started in banking, checking accounts paid 5% and regular savings paid 7%!! Granted, inflation was crazy and home mortgage interest was around 12%. (I know I just aged myself, but being I am near retirement it wouldnt be too hard to figure out I am getting a little long in the tooth!)

Back then, people could count on CD interest to supplement their income...the end of the quarter was always busy with retirees coming in to wd their interest! But those days are long gone- both money wise and technology wise (ha)!

Now, I am NOT an advocate for savings rates to go back to the post deregulation period, but this is just sad!

I am not skilled at investing, but maybe its time to learn.. I AM open to suggestions at this juncture. I guess I should be thankful I don't have to PAY to have a safe place to keep my money!!

Christmas 2020 - bargain shopping!

October 7th, 2020 at 02:29 am

I mentioned in a previous post that we rented a large home to take all the kids and grand kids to in early December, which will be our gift to everyone.

I also wanted to get each of the grand kids a little something to remember the trip by. So I went online to Kohl's and their Big Super-soft throws were on sale for 50% off, or 14.99. By the time the Kohl's cash and rewards was added, (which I will use for friend gifts, and stocking stuffers) each blanket was $9.14. NOT BAD for a nice throw for each child. Last time they got these, they loved them...so I am confident they will be a hit again this year.

The main master bath in the rental has a ginormous soaking/Jacuzzi tub. So I am creating a "spa experience" for whomever would like (kids, adults, etc). I ordered some facial masks and bath bombs and will pick up some sparkling cider to top off the special-ness. I know all the girls and some of the little boys will really enjoy being pampered and taking a turn in the tub. I found great deals on Amazon and all of the masks and bombs cost under $25 total. (Remember, there will be 15 kids there throughout the week, as well as all the adults- so this was a bargain!!)

The last thing I need to get is gift bags for each of the blankets and my little gifts are all done!

I'm sure getting excited!!

Spending money to save money

October 6th, 2020 at 09:51 pm

I ordered a cover for our 5th wheel today to protect it from the elements going forward. I should have done this much sooner, but at least I have done it now. It cost $230 (free shipping) and the potential savings it will ensure makes it a very worthwhile expense.

We purchased the 5th wheel a few years ago after wearing out our previous trailer. Our goal when we bought the 5th wheel was to have something that could become our Plan B for living arrangements or at a minimum, provide a comfortable travel experience. We spent the extra money to get one that will stay comfortable in very cold weather, has washer and dryer hookups, and a king sized bed. We have paid it off and stocked it with all our living supplies, so now it just costs us upkeep and insurance. (I will note that an additional expense that we are planning is the truck to pull it with. The hubs current truck does great but it is 21 years old!!)

The last couple of years we have not been able to use it as much as we would have liked, but starting next summer, we will be able to use it as often as the hubs schedule allows, which is at least 3 weeks each rotation!! I am super excited about that!

Needless to say, this was an investment that we want to have for years to come- so purchasing things to help extend its life expectancy is vital to us..and $230 is a small price to pay on this one.

Weekend recap

October 5th, 2020 at 03:33 pm

This weekend, while not as productive for my decluttering goals, was a very good one.

DD3 got the keys to her new home and so the weekend was all about moving. Since I am dealing with sciatica, on Saturday, the hub and I took the baby so mommy and daddy could pack.

On Sunday morning, the hub and I took a drive (back roads to a little historical town.) It was BEAUTIFUL. We stopped at a bagel cafe and had bagels and coffee. The cafe is in an old brick building with creaky wood floors that was built in the 1800s so lots of character and charm. Then, we went to a local discount store where the hub likes to get his bullets. However, they were out of all the bullets he wanted. This is a recurring theme, it is harder and harder for him to find them locally.

In the afternoon, I took DD3s baby to DD1s house where we entertained her so that all the heavy stuff could get moved to the new house. Then we met up at DD3s new house for pizza. Her new house is really nice. They sold their starter home to move to a much safer neighbor hood and much nicer home. (As they were moving from the old house, there was a murder investigation 3 doors away while the victim was, partially covered under a sheet in the front yard). (YIKES) So glad they made this move!!

Needless to say, the weekend flew by, and I didn't make any progress on the home front.

This week and next are 4 day work weeks for me. I am taking Friday off, and Monday is a holiday. We are taking a little mini vaca with our dear friends to a resort about 3 hours away. We rented a 2 bdrm house and will spend the weekend visiting, playing games, sitting in the hot tub and just enjoying some downtime.

As for financial this weekend, the hub got a new pair of jeans from the discount store ($32), we had bagels and coffee at the cafe ($17 with tip) and we bought the pizza for the moving gang ($55).

How was your weekend?

Dining out - It isn't what it used to be, at least for us

October 4th, 2020 at 09:08 pm

The hub and I have not dined out much since March. Instead, the hub has really practiced and dialed in his smoking and bbqing skills and techniques. I have done the same with my baking and cooking skills. Needless to say, we have ate much cheaper, healthier and conveniently from home for months.

We live out in the country. We are about 30+ minutes away from most restaurants. So, in order to eat out, its at least an hour travel time (there and back) then seating, ordering and waiting... 2+ hours plus gas to go out to a $50 or more meal that we can make at home for usually a fraction of the cost.

Second, its just not the same quality anymore when compared to what we can make at home. After eating home cooking exclusively, eating out just doesn't taste as desirable anymore.

And finally, it's more risky, we have to wear a mask, and because they are limiting the number of diners- the wait time is frustrating.

I used to LOVE going out to eat, but our last two experiences have made me rethink if its really the same "treat' that it used to be, and honestly, its just NOT.

Is anyone else finding this to be true?

The silver lining of course, is that we are eating more frugally and healthy, which will align with retirement budget oh, so much better!!

Seasonal flu shot, medical insurance and budget stuff

October 1st, 2020 at 06:04 pm

Feeling a little like a pin cushion this morning after getting blood work and a seasonal flu shot. But CHECK MARK, those are now out of the way!

My job contracts with a dedicated clinic that serves the staff of 3 local businesses. It's really nice in that normal and routine things (non-narcotic drugs, shots, blood work, routine visits, etc) are completely free for staff. Things like controlled drugs, xrays, MRIs, etc must go through normal insurance/ co-pays.

Unfortunately, after the end of this month, my job is no longer contracting with this service, meaning I will need to find a new doctor and will go back to co-pays on everything. Its been so nice while it lasted. We also have the option of tele-med. Ive not tried that, but will give it a go and see how it works. In November, I will be added to the hubs insurance plan (since I will be leaving my job next year), so I may wait until then to find the new doctor.

The hub's job is currently on a 4/4 rotation, so he works four weeks and then is off for four weeks. This started post covid shutdown, and may soon return to 3/3 or 4/2. But, until then, 4/4 means we can go almost a month without a paycheck from his job. This is why I budget the way that I do. He will get a partial week paycheck tomorrow, and then another, smaller one, on October 30. Before we were financially able to fund our budget a month in advance, it always felt like we were juggling to keep up. Our silver lining for the stay home order and the hubs unemployment for those 3 months is that we built our savings and now have less financial anxiety!

DD3's baby, 10 months, has started to take a step here and there. She is so stinking cute and growing SO fast.





Budget rollover - Welcome October!

September 30th, 2020 at 04:39 pm

We roll into our new budget cycle today. I transferred the full amount for October's bills from savings to our checking. All of October bills will just auto pay from this account- no additional effort is needed for the month. Easy Peasy.

I also transferred half of our household budget (food, gas, etc) into the household checking. It helps to do half now and half mid month to show the hub how it works. While he is home, he does the majority of our grocery shopping and prefers Walmart...but that means extra stuff often finds its way into the cart. Reminding him of our grocery budget helps a little, but we have a ways to go on this one. While he gets a nice allowance, for some reason, using the food budget for 'fun' stuff is easier for him (haha) I am sure his personal budget debit card has cobwebs on it.

I transferred the remaining $3k from savings to our long term savings.

Now, as we get paid, those paychecks will just go into savings for next months expenses. At the end of October, the same routine will happen. Smile

Have a great day all!



Donations went to DD3

September 29th, 2020 at 06:37 pm

DD3 and her little family came over for dinner last night. As she was leaving, she noticed the bags of donation items sitting by my door and asked about them. She poked around and decided she wanted 3 of the 4 bags of stuff! Just like that those bags went home with her. She will take what she needs and donate the rest. She mentioned she also wants some sunflower dishes that I am getting rid of, so I will box those up and give to her once they move into their new home next month. Smile

I am finding it a challenge to work from home when I have home projects I want to tackle. The best way I can think of is to keep a running list of all the things I want to tackle after work and on the weekends so that I stay focused on work during my working hours. Does anyone else have this issue? Id love to hear your ideas!!

Our trees are all turning colors, this time of year is so beautiful here. Fall really is my favorite season. I am keeping a pumpkin banana candle burning (yum!) and plan to take a nice drive/picnic lunch this weekend to enjoy the beautiful season outdoors. We have lots of wineries nearby and a couple are located right next to the river. Perhaps a stop at one of those with a picnic lunch is in order. This weekend should be gorgeous - the temps are expected to drop into the lower 80s, and there is no more smoke! (Yay)

Of course, the rest of the weekend will likely be organizing and decluttering the next room!

Are the colors changing where you live?

Minimizing - Overcoming attachment - It's not as hard as I thought!

September 28th, 2020 at 05:31 pm

One of the primary reasons I have accumulated so much 'stuff' is that I create a crazy attachment to things. I have many reasons, which, for example, is why I still, 13 years later, have a storage shed full of my dad's things that I've never used or even gone through.

Some of my key reasons for being a semi hoarder include:

* It was my mom's (dad's, etc) and she/he loved it
* It was a gift
* I may need it someday
* I haven't read it yet
* I may lose weight
* It's too old to donate and I don't want to throw it away
* If one is good, three is better
* It's still brand new
* I don't want to deal with it right now
* I don't have time

As I start this journey, I am purposely making my first thought:

Can this bless someone else?

What a difference this small step has made in my ability to let go. Some of the things I am weeding out could be sold, but that would throw a cog in my wheel, so I am just considering those items "extra blessings"!

I am confident that if I START with this question, I will be much more successful. It definitely worked with several items yesterday!

How does this have to do with finances? Well, here are my initial thoughts:

* I won't need to 're-buy" things because I cant find them
* I will be less tempted to buy new things that I have to find a home for
* I can easily find things, and will be more likely to use what I have
* Spending time at home is more tranquil, staying home saves money.

I am sure there are many more, but those are my big ones!

Banana Bread made easy!

September 28th, 2020 at 04:57 pm

I had 4 very ripe bananas yesterday. I spent the day finishing the kitchen declutter/organize and it was 7 o'clock- I decided to go ahead and make some banana bread even though I was tired.

OMG - that was the quickest baking I have ever done. Why? Because EVERYTHING was in its place, and was an easy reach. I didnt have to dig through anything. Within about 10 minutes, the loaf was in the oven and the dishes were all in the dishwasher. And all the ingredients went right back to their home. I sat down and watched TV while the oven did the rest. And today, instead of brown bananas, we have a nice loaf to enjoy!!

Yesterday, DisneySteve commented on my blog how addicting this decluttering/minimalism can become, and I must agree.. if my home life becomes this much simpler by minimalizing, I am SOLD.

I didnt start on my closet yesterday. Once I finished the baking and spice cupboards, I needed to reorganize and downsize a little more so that everything would fit and be easily reached. It took a little longer. Plus, I am tackling all of this while "enjoying' and nice painful case of sciatica...so that is slowing my progress significantly.

I feel accomplished and ready to start this new week!

Christmas 2020

September 24th, 2020 at 06:37 pm

A couple of years ago we tried something new for Christmas with the family...and it was such a hit, the grand kids requested it again this year!

Instead of gifts, we took our kids and grand kids on a vacation to a nearby resort. We rented a house large enough for everyone (8 bdrm, 8.5 baths) and spent 5 days together sharing experiences. Ice skating, hot cocoa, gingerbread houses, building snowmen, swimming, puzzles, games,Christmas movies, shared meals and just lots of time together.

So, by special request, we are having a repeat this year. I reserved the house a year ago and the anticipation has been building up all year.

This cost a little more than our normal Christmas budget, but we also are considering this our one vacation trip this year (thank you Covid), so our vacation budget is augmenting this budget.

I ordered a Mickey Mouse cookie cutter last week, so we can make Mickey beignets one morning, we have a cold case file to solve a murder mystery, lots of assorted games, we will be making some sort of gingerbread creation, I will bring a 1000 piece Christmas puzzle -and so much more. It will also be the week my newest grand baby turns 1. We have 5 Dec/Jan birthdays, so there will be a big birthday party and a Christmas dinner.

We are going early December, which makes it nice for the kids, having one less home to visit on Christmas day!! It also makes Christmas day very quiet and relaxing for me! Smile And eliminates the stress of shopping for 17 grandkids!!

All of the kids and grandkids will be there and EVERYONE is pretty excited, especially this grandma.

With my retirement next year, this may be the last time we can afford to do this, so I plan to savor every moment of this special time together!!


Relearning frugality

September 23rd, 2020 at 05:56 pm

I have to admit, while we have been hitting our financial goals, I have definitely moved away from many of my old frugal ways- some I had forgotten about. I am rereading my older blog posts and getting some GREAT ideas how to stretch our resources even further and it is reigniting my desire to do better.

I am so thankful to have this blog, going back FOURTEEN YEARS, to help remind me what has worked historically. The hits and misses, and most of all- how good it felt when we hit those milestones!

I will certainly be pulling from the past to help make better financial choices going forward!

Does anyone else do the same with their older blog posts? (Oh, and I also revisit others older posts as well, as there is a WEALTH of Knowledge in them!!)

Annual Skip a Payment

September 22nd, 2020 at 09:08 pm

My CU offers an annual option to skip your loan payment(s) in November.

I can remember years when taking advantage of this option was our primary $ source for Christmas shopping. I literally planned Christmas shopping around the amount of payments we were able to skip! (YIKES) This was back when all four kids lived at home, we had much lower income, and we were up to our eyeballs in debt. I looked forward to and relied on that wonderful notice that it was time once again...once the payments were skipped, I WENT SHOPPING! (Again, yikes)

Then came the years when the skip was nice to have, just for extras we wanted for the holidays or any upcoming vacation plans. I took advantage, but it was really just "extra" that enhanced what we were already planning. We didnt need to do it, but it was sure nice to have the extra.

Then, there were the years where we didn't skip any payments because our desire to payoff our debts far outweighed any need for "extra" money. Skipping a payment would have derailed our plans, and that was not something that enticed me in the least. I know some of my fellow bloggers here would have viewed a skip this way long before my financial brain caught on...just thankful I eventually saw the light!!

This year, when the skip offer arrived, there were no payments to skip. NONE. It is such a nice feeling to finally be in control of our finances like this. We owe our mortgage, but otherwise we are debt free.

So thank you CU for the offer, but finally, we have nothing to skip!

Being written out of the script

September 22nd, 2020 at 06:57 pm

As I have mentioned, I am planning to retire from my current job next June and, after some time off, will begin working for my son on a part time, very flexible schedule.

I have let my boss know that this is happening, since I am in a senior position on our team. I need to be transitioning and teaching others how to do what I do so that when the time comes, there is little to no void felt internally or externally for anyone.

This Friday, we are having a 2021 planning session and this begins my journey of being written out of the script. It feels a little odd, both exciting and scary at the same time. Two others in the department will be stepping up to take over leadership- which will start at the first of the year- at which point I will take a step back and focus on leaving my duties in well trained hands.

I have been at this job almost half my life. But I truly feel this is the right time to make the change. I am still a few years away from SS and medicare, but the hubs job has good insurance so I will join his plan this November during open enrollment. I dont plan to start taking SS until I am 65 or older.

Aside from working for my son, I plan to help watch DD3's baby, volunteer and travel when the hub is off for his 2-3 week rotation home.

I am anxious to see how Friday goes. I know it will feel odd- for the past quarter century I have been in a key role during and after planning... this will certainly be a new experience for me!! But you know what, that's perfectly fine- cause I am READY!!

Our growing family

September 18th, 2020 at 06:08 pm

Since I last posted about grandkids, our family has grown quite a bit! I keep thinking we are at capacity and my kids keep surprising me!

DD1- has 2 bios, 2 fosters that they in the final stages of adopting, and 1 foster, who is fairly new in the system, but they are willing to adopt should it come to that.

DS - 2 bios

DD2 - 2 bios, 2 adopted (X and Z!) and 2 fosters.

DD3 - 1 step daughter and DD3 also had a baby girl in December!! (remember when I started blogging here, she was just a little girl!!)

That's 15 grandkids!!

(One of DD2's friends lives in my parents little house here on our property and she has 2 kids, who are just like grandkids to me....so 17 total if you count them, which I do.)

Family gatherings are quite the event anymore. So many kiddos!

Years ago, I set up a special savings account in order to give them each a graduation and wedding gift. I am so thankful that I did. I have deposited $100 a month, and the account is now over $5k. By the time each graduates and gets married, I should have $500 for each occasion. Its not much, but with a family this size, it is what I can afford.

I am blessed beyond belief with all these amazing little humans!! It does make Christmas and Birthdays a challenge- it takes a very organized spreadsheet to keep everything organized!

Trying a new way of budgeting (at least for me!)

September 16th, 2020 at 06:48 pm

Over the past few months, I have been trying a new way of budgeting and so far, it seems to be working well for us. I get paid bi-weekly and the hub works 4 weeks on/4 weeks off, so his monthly income varies greatly.

Since I know what our monthly expenses/bills are (mortgage, utilities, etc), on the first of the month, I transfer that amount to one checking account. I transfer our family budget (food, entertainment, gas, etc) to a second checking account. Non-monthly expenses such as car insurance, vet bills, Christmas, birthdays etc. goes into a special savings account and is transferred to the family checking as needed.

As paychecks come in, that money is transferred straight to savings. Once the savings balance surpasses the amount needed for the next month, the extra is transferred to long term savings.

As expenses occur, the money comes out of the respective checking account and at the end of the month, both account balances are usually depleted. (Occasionally, the family budget runs short, which helps me to understand where we are over spending.)

This is working well for us because we are not as tempted to absorb any extra pay into the budget and on those months when the hub gets one paycheck, the budgets are still fully funded. We have managed to sock away a nice chunk of savings and avoid stress in short paycheck months this way!

Fires - the aftermath

September 15th, 2020 at 03:07 am

While we are NOT out of the woods yet with the fires (there is one less than 5 miles from me that is 6 miles long, by 3 miles wide)...most of our towns have now been declared safe!! This is such amazing news.

Sadly, because of the fire still burning, our air quality remains hazardous. As an asthmatic, I am staying indoors as much as possible. It seems I have spent 2020 indoors...something I can't wait to eventually remedy!!

This morning, we had our first team meeting since the fires destroyed much of our communities. Our agenda was simply to let staff talk. And boy did they. Their stories were gut wrenching - about having little to no notice to evacuate, loss of family, loss of friends homes, lost sense of security, and what I would deem- newfound PTSD. Everyone is suffering from headaches. Our meeting was virtual...and I cried most of it. I will never look at natural disasters the same way again.

I am looking for ways to plug in and help- it is just tough being that I have underlying conditions that make exposure to covid very scary. But I am determined to find a way to help. In the meantime, I am donating financially to those I can.

There are so many are now homeless, and who have lost everything. Our community has overwhelmed our support organizations Red Cross, United Way, Churches, etc) with donations. But it is going to take a LONG time to rebuild and repair. Two entire towns are gone.

This disaster blew up quickly, and people, no matter how well prepared, were still caught off-guard. The most scary thing was that all of our main arteries out of town were shut down. People were scrambling to find alternative routes, that were all very packed. I know all of this will be a lesson in how as a community to do it better next time.

So many want to place blame for these fires, which is causing even more divide. I hope people don't rush to judgement. But I do hope that when the truth comes out, justice will be served. It is apparent that several of our fires were intentionally set - but I am holding judgement until an investigation is done.

Honestly, I dont know what our world is coming to...




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