The Real First Thrifty Thursday for 2021

      I didn't even bother last week to catch up with a Thrifty Thursday post after the events in my nation just the day before. I was still in shock that it happened. Things are not normal still and I have angst over the next 8 days, but hope for the best. It's what we have, right?  Today I am in a little bit of mom grieving as my baby is no longer a teenager. Happy 20th Birthday to my sweet  thirdling that brings us so much joy. I found some new  pictures to use for Time, Resources, and Money from my posts last year, and am still going to track thrift or frugality in this way. 

Time

• Finally watched Mr. Holland's Opus with my musical daughter on Saturday. She did enjoy it-both of us though hate the  student teacher crush segment though. 
• I go to spend all of Saturday afternoon with my girls-nothing exciting, but it was the youngest's last  day at home and she actually wanted to hang with me and her sister. We had take out together for an early birthday all together Friday night as well. 
• While not the topic I would have liked, spent a lot of time talking with DS during and after the horrific event at the Capitol. He and I are very much alike in how we process news and information. 
• I had a nice hour with  the Mom's Club book club-I enjoyed a White Claw, and we probably chatted about things other than the book for most of the hour, laughing a lot which is a sing of a good gathering. Next book is We Were Liars by E. Lockhardt.. 

Resources

• I finally used navy beans bought back the end of March when the world was stocking up on pantry staples. I actually enjoy beans, and were sort of holding these as a security blanket of sorts. I also used up carrots that were lingering, plus this and that items from the refrigerator like the remnants of a BBQ sauce for baked beans. Portions were frozen for future meals. 
• When cleaning out DD2's car, I found unopened useable items  from a summer camping trip. They were put back in the house, or with her packing to use at school. 
• Made perfectly fine wild berry muffins form a mix with a fall BB date. Double mention that this was a mix she bought with dining dollars at the end of her first semester of college last year that otherwise would have cancelled and gone unused. 
• Just a note on the picture-might find a better one than the view of a few items to take out to the recycle bin, but for now, it will suffice!

Money

• D22 decided she didn't like the fit on two items of clothing bought before Christmas so I am taking them back for her on Saturday. Fortunately she saved the receipt as these were clearance so without, she would have lost money.
• Used the free vacuum at one of the  gas stations on daughters car. I need to do this to mine the next time I drive it.
• In cleaning her car, we also found just shy of $1.00 in change on floor and seats to add to her change cup-which we all know comes in handy from time to time especially for a poor college kid!
• Her car was filled at the station connected with local grocery store and we had gas points to save 27 cents a gallon, so about $3 total.(she has a small car and gas tank-in hindsight should have used to fill DH's 16 gallon tank!)
• Received the major payment for med reimbursement in time for the Visa bill. I still have another $206 coming that was challenging to get the right receipts submitted. 
• While what she found were new, we used a second hand sports store to shop for ice skates for my daughter. She saved perhaps $5 of regular retail.

     Really, I'm not finding big ways to save money or resources, but concentrating on not wasting either. We splurged on Take Out and a pricey birthday cake for  our daughter, but I will continue to support local and locally owned franchises particularly when for a bit of a celebration. We are bracing for a rain, sleet, snow two day weather event here, so I likely won't venture out until Saturday. I'm making due with what we have in the house for meals, though wishing I would have grabbed another dozen eggs when I got milk and bread at Kwik Trip the other day. I'll perhaps use flax eggs if I decide to bake anything tonight or tomorrow, which would be a good use of resources and money. We will be paying the spring semester tuition, room, board and  fees tonight-that will sure be motivation to keep up all the little savings efforts. I hope you all are doing well with your thrifty or frugal efforts. Please share your success since the start of the new year.