Gramma Ray's Blog

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.

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. I had a couple more items in the donate pile, and my girls said they wanted them..maybe I am on to something here...

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!

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!

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!!

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!!

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.

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?

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!!

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.

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.

Have a great day all!

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.

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?

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!

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!

During this next 6 months, I plan to downsize STUFF very intentionally. I started with my kitchen this weekend.

To get motivated, I have been watching you tube videos and researching various degrees and methods. I decided to start with tupperware. That drawer and a cupboard were scary and seemed overwhelming. However, once I got started, it got easier. Containers without lids and lids without containers were the first to go...and there were many of each. Then, I selected those that were most useful or that I liked using. Everything else, went. And finally any container that I had more than four went as well. I still have a healthy number of containers, but everything fits easily into one drawer. Any that are going and useful, will be donated, the rest will go in the trash.

Next was my very disorganized silverware drawer. Everything came out and I selected 8 of each item. Over the years, spoons and forks disappear, but butter knives and those larger serving spoons stick around. I must have weeded out 20+ butter knives and serving spoons. And now my silverware drawer is completely organized and everything has a home. The excess will be donated. Surely someone could use them.

My pantry got a major overhaul. All the shelves were emptied, my canned goods went on a large lazy susan, making it very easy to see what we have and find what we need. Outdated or unpopular stuff was trashed. Items are all grouped now. Less used items went on the bottom and top shelves and stuff we reach for routinely got the prime pantry real estate.

That was my achievement yesterday and today. Its a small start, but also a very motivating one. I am confident these changes will help save money. We have many boxes of pasta and cans of green beans, for example. Given my desire to minimize, I will be eager to use up what we have. And knowing exactly what we have will keep me from buying more because I cant find it.

After two days and just a few areas tackled, I have 3 boxes to donate. I have started a list of everything with approximate costs, so that I am ready when tax time comes around.

Tomorrow I hope to tackle my baking cupboard and then get to work on my closet. I figure it will take several months to get through the whole house, but it will be SO nice once I am done.

Have any of you gone this journey before, and if so, what great advice do you have? I am very open to suggestion!!

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! 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!!

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!!)

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!

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!!

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!