Thrifty Thursday and a New National Direction

      So far so good after the change of national leadership. I might even say that Trump's parting speech prior to boarding Air Force One for the last time, was almost calming. Sure, a little bravado, and would not mention Biden by name, but he used words of promise and hopefulness towards the new administration. The President, Joe Biden the President, gave a moving speech complete with reflection or prayer as individuals felt warranted,  for those lost to Covid.Now of course I saw several postings of a cut and paste listing of all the "status' of 1/20/2020, supposedly not for political discourse, but to see how wonderful things really were when in four years times, people look back. The problem is, the post alone is filled with  inaccurate biases, partial and complete untruths, and has nothing to do with  social justice, poverty and disparities, health care, or the environmental. I try not to look at my life in terms of just financial and would hope in the supposedly richest country in the world, we can look broader than  $$'s on a page. That's why when I track my frugalness, my thrifty Thursdays, I try and recap how I best used time, resources, and money.

Time

• I used my Monday to get caught up on a few work things-uninterrupted, plus some interruptions with urgent response needs, but also made sure to watch and reflect on programs for Martin Luther King Day. I was not bothered by doing work, as much of the work I was doing aligned creating a more just, fair, and  equitable society. 
• I had the board meeting for  my daughter and nieces new organization. They are super organized and efficient. I'm looking at a few grant leads on their behalf to see if they are a good fit. 
• I met my friend N for a walk on Tuesday after being in the office. It was down right cold, but in spite of that, and the slippery spots, we walked a goo 50 minutes, and chatted another 10 before doing a gloved, fist pump goodbye. I was feeling whiny after things didn't go completely as planned in th eoffice,and was hoping a small bit tat she would need to cancel so I could go home and crash. This was far better and so needed. Lesson to all-do not cancel plans with friends as no doubt the reason I feel like cancelling, is the exact reason I need to see them. 
• I took the time to watch the actual swearing in part of the inauguration, though was working while the television was on. I also paused to listen to the phenomenal Poet Laureate Amanda Gorman. 

Resources

• I did a one time catch-up wsh load with delicate clothing items and hung them all up to dry. I often do really small loads because I want to have something clean, but those small loads waste resources. I added 1/4 cup baking soda to soften the water and used a bit less laundry soap, which I prefer on more delicate clothing items.
• I made three small loaves of banana bread using flax seed eggs, and bananas my daughter had given me from her freezer. I'm not sure what I did differently other than a bit more vanilla and a tsp plus of cinnamon, but it was some of the best banana bread I've made recently.  
• Both dinner on Monday and Wednesday yielded lunch leftovers. I was going to freeze half the enchiladas, but since DH was luke warm on them, I'll freeze a portion for myself, myself for future, and I ate them yesterday and will tomorrow. Today we'll eat the leftover rice quiche, sausage balls, and rostis. I had planned on chili on Tuesday, but didn't get things put in the crock pot, so we had leftover hotdish form Saturday with the hotdogs. No waste so far this week and I've tried to make a few different things meals as I have been in a rut. 

Money

• I got DD2's clothing returned to Target. Unfortunately because I didn't have her  debit card they had to put on a Target gift card, but she can use that for future spending. 
• I did a little  gift shopping for people for the coming year, pairing clearance and 30% off at Kohls. I am done with my sister-in-laws fall birthdays ($2.5 under my target budget for each and I'm very happy with the quality), got a couple Christmas gifts for my girls, DS, and DH. The Christmas gifts will be tucked away but I'll start tracking the spending now.
• I earned $20 in Kohls cash that may be applied towards a couple more new towels for us.
• We paid daughters tuition and other expenses on-line with no added fees.
• Exciting for her, she ended up getting the position at the library. She originally heard that it was filled, but there were other shifts for a different role, but all conflicted with her class schedule. Then she got a message over the weekend that  the first job was open again and it was hers! She also is interviewing on Monday for a small 2-4 hour a week research job in the Spanish department. Should she get that, between the two, she'll average about 10 hours per week, which will cover any spending, plus allow her to tuck another sizeable amout away towards Study Away. For the library job, shell be able to do homework while checking things out for students and faculty. 
• My final medical reimbursement check arrived and will be tucked in the bank as the bill was paid in a previous month. .
• I spent $20 over my grocery target, but that was due to excellent prices on meat items.I am pretty confident  I'll hit my mini challenge  to stay under $500 for household, groceries and Take Out.  For those just reading, the $500 included an pricey Take Out and cake for my daughters birthday, plus, I stocked her up on Trader Joe "essentials" before she went back to school. 

It was a fairly decent week, all things considered. I got out of the house safely and kept others safe keeping my distance and masking up. Despite the vaccine roll out being chaotic, I am hopeful the direction will be clearer going forward. How have you been using your time, resources and money? Who's started their Christmas shopping for next year and will throughout the year?