Thrifty Thursday- Close that Purse Edition

     I woke up with a horrible headache and congestion. I was fine yesterday, even went to Trivia. Of course, I read before going to bed that Minnesota now has the highest Covid numbers per capita, so my head is going there. I was at my SIL's and the bar Saturday, the office Tuesday, and brewery last night, so if this lingers longer than midday, I'm going to plan to be tested. I think my headache is really dehydration- had a beer last night, but no additional water and that's often a bad habit. I'll keep you posted, but I'm staying put. 

     My work day is packed as I'm still making up from last week. Work chaos aside, on the personal front, I use Thursday to recap where I might have made the most of my time, resources, and money the past week.  

 

Time

• Lefse making was worth the time and effort. It is important to keep traditions and it was pretty nice to do something productive while spending time with DH's family. I found a vegan version and may try a modified small batch. I don't have a griddle, but I do have a a flat frying pan I think will work well enough. 
• After the dentist, I stopped by our local bakery, the same one I referenced yesterday with my mom story. After 70 years, they are closing on November 20th. It is quite a loss for the community, and people have been lined up out the door before they close. I bought DH and I  our favorite rolls, and a tray of brownies to bring to the Trivia crew. I had a very quick hello/sorry with a women I knew from highschool who has worked there for 35 years. The owners are third generation, and no one in family wants to take on the business. That with the difficulty in finding staff, particuallry  overnight bakers, they decided it was time to close. Here's the fish cookies they made last summer for me for my nieces baby shower-a lake themed shower. 
  
  
  
• Trivia was fun and a friend who hasn't been there in a while joined with her husband so we had a good catch-up. We had one of our lowest scores yet, as we didn't have a well rounded  team, and my head must have already been getting foggy as answers I knew just wouldn't come to my brain. 
  
• While I now might be sorry, it was good to meet colleagues in office on Tuesday. I had not met one of my supervisor colleagues person yet as she was hired in July of last year. We were all masked and spread out for our meeting, so fingers crossed, even if I was carrying anything, I didn't spread. 

Resources  

• More garbage clean-up in the park while walking pup.
• This was a resource savings for my work, but helps reduce garbage. I started collection of all useable office supplies for a central collection, to make sure they did not get pitched with our move. 
• I was going to pitch a pair of black bootie style boots that looked like they had seen better days. They had been stuffed in the back of a closet, after I unpacked from my last business trip, March of 2020, and had stuff dropped on top of them, and they were folded and scrunched. Before tossing, I brushed the off with a chambray cloth, and stuffed small damp towels and let them dry, to try and get their shape back. Success! They looked perfectly functional again. I should get another  fall/winter/early spring out of them. They are a decent quality; I've had for five years, but likely not worth getting resoled. 

                                        Money

• Picked up a rotisserie chicken at Sam's Club when I went for a blood test. This was one of the two free gifts-with the 8 cupcakes, for getting a trial one year membership. We've eaten for dinner/sandwiches twice, and today I'll get  the rest of the chicken off for a hotdish tonight, plus some cooked and ready in the freezer. I'll make soup broth with the remainder and tomorrow will be chicken noodle soup. I might run the math on that bird and all the meals well get. 
• 
  Picked up another five packets of this chickpea masala. This was on Christine's (Frugal Fit Mom on YouTube) Dollar Tree buys, and I hadn't realized this same packet sells for  $3 in grocery stores. We picked up some back in early October and both girls and I really liked it, so I got two more, then it was gone, but more came in this week. It is vegan, and full of protein so a quick meal for myself or either daughter. Adding a steamer bag of frozen vegetables and rice, it would easily feed two people for around $2. 
  
• DH used a $10 meat coupon and got 25 cents off per gallon. He used to fill my car and saved over $4. I hadn't out gas in my car since mid September. He just went and di the deal a second time with my  Rewards number, and I had 20 cents, so he saved 45 cents per gallon to fill his  truck, saving $6.70. He'll top off when we drive to see our daughters concert, but that trip aside, we are both likely filled almost to the first of the year 

     A couple good savings efforts and I'm trying to stay with a goal of keeping my purse closed as much as possible anyway leading up to the Christmas holiday. We've got no plans this weekend, but my daughter and I might do something tomorrow night-perhaps make dinner together, a bundled up walk, and a movie. It is snowing right now, another good reason to be able to stay put, but it is very pretty. I'd really rather it waits until after Thanksgiving, but if it stays to a dusting, I guess I'll survive. The weekend stuff was gone by Tuesday. Did you have any big thrifty wins? Any master of resource saving on your end?