Yesterday was a very chilly and wet day. It was the kind of wet that gets into your bones and you hold the chill all day. Our internet service provider had issues mid-day and I had to work at my daughters. I am grateful for the back-up plan. Her lovely flat that kept a nice temperature al summer despite the many days of excessive heat, also was even cooler than my house do to no sun coming through at all. I was good though, wrapped in a nice chunky blanket while I worked. My house felt downright hot when I got home compared to hers, the difference between old houses and newish ones as another factor. Still, I threw an extra blanket on top of our bed last night. I'd like to get to November without turning on the heat, but I inevitably will cave sometime in October, but never September! Its more a matter of principle than frugality. Since it's Thursday, lets move onward to how I did practice thrift in time, resources, and money. It's very light with the change of weather so all in all, my thrift has been being a homebody, I guess.
Time
- I treated myself to a Take Out coffee as I wanted to get going on Monday and was down to just the last resort coffee in the house. It is so hot that I let it sit and cool while I shopped, and it was perfect fro my drive home. While not quite a leisurely drive, I thoroughly enjoyed the cup on my way home. It was a little feel of normal and I'll take those when they come.
- Monday ended up good. I was settling down a bit on the nerves front. My daughter came over about lunch time and spent the day with me. She also got here not too long after I was back from grocery shopping so she helped me put away and reorganize groceries. We both needed the company and it was a nice way to spend a day logged both of us.
- A former colleague that I had a friendly off work relationship with as well passed away on Tuesday. I was so glad that even after her job changed and we no longer connected through work, we took the time to stay in touch. She only had just recently retired at an early age before being diagnosed with cancer. She and I shared a Norwegian Lutheran background and I always enjoyed our conversations about childhood memories, traditions, and wanting to keep them for our children. I will miss her.
Resources
- I'm sorry that I had some waste this last week-old celery, a bit of hummus in a container, and a couple things left from my younger daughter (I know she has been gone for two weeks). Still considering I haven't done a good fridge clean out in a while, I was expecting worse.
- I got a few things used up before doing another grocery shop like the fresh ravioli; For a pasta salad I used up the remains of a box of pasta, part of an onion, and the remains of a tapenade.
- I combined trips to drop off a found wayward library book-one is still missing in DD2's room somewhere but I renewed a final time to October 1, with my grocery trip.
- I biked to the store last Friday for the couple things we needed for the weekend.
- I bought flowers, tomatoes, and peppers at the Farmers market on Saturday-love buying directly for the growers.
- I received the $2 poll reward in the mail. I have three $2.00 bills.
- Aldi had a few produce items on low reduction-green grapes at $ .65 a pound, and whole mushroom punnets at $ .49. We've been eating the grapes up. I bought four of the mushrooms and gave one to DD2. I may roast what doesn't get use by this weekend and toss int he freezer, though mushrooms keep a wile. We love adding mushrooms to so many things so this was quite a thrifty win for us.
- No more mail orders this week at all! I'm considering that a money win as it had gotten to be a bit of a free for all for a while.
- Our Vegas concert and trip is officially cancelled for November. DH's friend sent us back the $190 we spent on tickets. I hadn't put the connection together but this was to celebrate their 40th Friendaversary. We might decide something local to do over a weekend, if things feel OK come November, but I'm counting it back in our money. .
It was a big Aldi shop-$209, but it included more toilet paper as I decided I will always have at least two large back-ups, and an extra large laundry soap. I really bought a lot of meat items, Other than fresh food, produce, eggs, dairy, and bread, I can't imagine we should need other groceries. Pup will need his dry food replenished, but I really think this month I can be at or even under $400 for household and groceries, and take out to boot unless we get bored with my cooking. I'm at $265 with 20 days to go, and we need nothing for the week ahead..I'm hoping for nice weather Saturday for the band show, and maybe we might pop down to the brewery and have a beer outside. that of course, and even the $13 spent on Take Out last week could be classified as entertainment, which of course is pretty low spend right now.. How was your week in thrift?
Sounds like a good week for you! So far zero spent in September but today is grocery day so that's about to end, luckily I don't need a lot. My pantry is still fully stocked. Not a single thing wasted at all so far either!
ReplyDeleteI was so good about no wast for the first three months or so of working from home, then I got complacent mid summer. No excuse and striving for as little as possible.
DeleteSo sorry for the loss of your friend.
ReplyDeleteI wasted some food this week too which is really a very rare occassion for me.
thank you-I'm sad, but she is no longer in pain. It was quite brutal the last few months.
DeleteI've continued to sell things on eBay, used some strawberries in muffins before they went bad, found a good deal on corn, used a Walgreens offer before it expired to pick up some toiletries & avoided extraneous online shopping over Labor Day
ReplyDeleteStrawberries in muffins are so good! I don't know why I wasn't using them for years. I make mine into a quick bread, just because my muffin tins need to have paper.
DeleteI bought money that was extra and some saved to buy a Juki serger that was marked down. This is a necessity, not being a spendthrift. I have been faithfully freezing things that might have spoiled when I was so ill. I convinced Tommy to mail a deposit to his bank instead of putting 30 miles on his car, spend two hours, and generally make my back hurt by driving it to the bank.
ReplyDeleteI saw from your posts you were so busy saving produce in the freezer.
DeleteWhile you are hoping to wait until November to turn off the heat, I am hoping to be able to turn off the a/c by mid October. Most years heat is not required until late November, but often we don't turn it on until mid December.
ReplyDeleteDitto, Anne- it's 88 here this afternoon. I do prefer the heat to snow and really cold weather though. One December we visited my sis in Minneapolis and it was so cold, I could hardly stand it- I mean nose hair freezing cold. I think I might use my heat a few hours in January. My electric bills even with air conditioning running 24/7 are quite reasonable though- never over $90 a month and my house is around 2000 square feet.
DeleteI've had perfect sleeping conditions. It was really cold on my feet taking the dog out this morning, but by 12:00, was near 60 and sunny. Nan-Yes, we get nose hair freezing weather sometimes by December. My son is a mid December baby and the day we brought him home, I was so scared!
DeleteSAM,
DeleteWhy were you scared?
Taking a 5 pound baby home in -10 temps and blowing snow!
DeleteOh, how I remember the chill that sinks into your bones. Growing up in New England, unless there was a freeze forecast, the heat didn't get turned on until Halloween, and it got turned off on April Fool's Day. It was set at 64 during the day 55 at night. When DH and I moved to the southwest, I don't think I ran the heat, but a neighbor once commented on me having the a.c. going well into October. Fast forward to our move years later here to the PNW, and our first week here, in July, no less, I woke up to the sound of the furnace running. DH had turned the heat on "to take the edge off." My Yankee thrift self was mortified!
ReplyDeleteOur local grocery store is having a great two day meat sale starting tomorrow. While the freezer is near full, I can't say no to boneless New York strips for $5.99/lb. Boneless pork loin roasts are $1.49/lb. So, I will spend a bit more this week than planned, but foresee not stepping foot in a store until mid-October. I like to do a no-spend period from shortly after school starts to just before Halloween. I challenge myself to see how many weeks I can go before someone notices! (My idea of fun!)
I envy you your relationship with your adult daughter! I hope my DD and I evolve to that.
I got some good meat deals as well so my freezer is stocked especially since just the two of us. The inside temp warmed up to about 66, but it took most of the day to get there. Ijust worked with a shawl on my legs. I do appreciate my relationship with my kids.
DeleteI try to hold off turning the heating until November too, although I rarely make it. It might change perhaps now that I have "real" insulation in my roof. We'll see I guess. And I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. It's very sad that she hadn't long retired and has gone already. Very sobering!
ReplyDeleteIf we have sunny days, I do better. Like today-it never really got higher than 60 outside (would that be 16 C?) but after the fog burne doff, it was bright and sunny and I felt so much warmer.
DeleteI don't like the cold, but I do hold out turning on furnace til October. But I just now turned on the gas fireplace, and it feels so nice! I'm sorry for the loss of your friend. Celie
ReplyDeleteThank you. We haven't put a fire on either.
DeleteI've frozen a huge amount of allotment produce again this week, and used an £8 off voucher on my shopping... I stocked up on staple items to make the £50 minimum spend.
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry to read of the death of your friend.