Frugal Friday: Savings At Home and Away

Saturday:  I took out chicken and hamburger to thaw.  My intent being to make an entrée or two for Bess for post pregnancy. 

Bess and Sam and Josh came to visit today.  I made a Greek yogurt pizza dough.  The recipe I used was easy enough but my attempt at Greek yogurt failed to produce yogurt.  It did make a nice yogurt cheese though.  We used that on our pizza, along.

I enjoyed my time with my family and was sorry to see them go home.  At least Bess doesn't appear quite ready to give birth yet and good thing.  She's still got a month to go!

Sunday:  John off to work.  I packed his work lunch and made him breakfast.

It was a messy sort of morning. I changed sheets on our bed and dried them in the dryer. 

My get up and go went somewhere.  I accomplished some small tasks but nothing like the jobs I meant to do.

Monday:  Woke up gung ho and ready to work this morning.  I made a big breakfast to welcome John home.  Just as he walked in, Bess called.  She'd sent a text the night before to say she had gone to the hospital because she thought she should be checked but expected to go home again.  This morning's call was to say that she was in labor!  I assured her I'd head her way within the hour to tend to Josh. 

I packed up the chicken I'd thawed and some leftover vegetables from our pizza making.  I grabbed a can of spaghetti sauce, an onion and a few pieces of fruit.  It sounds odd, but I actually had a plan in mind.

Left John the packet of hamburger, since I knew he'd make burgers.  I also arranged things in the fridge so he could easily see what was left for him.

I stopped at Dairy Queen at the halfway point and bought myself a $5 lunch.



I filled up my car at a participating station for one of our gas cards.  I'd earned a few cents back and was offered the opportunity to save $.03 a gallon.  Of course, I took it!

Went straight to the house though my heart longed to be at hospital.  That little boy didn't wait three hours for anyone to arrive; he was born while I was still an hour away, right after I'd had my lunch!

I'd asked Bess what I might do for her.  She'd hoped to get nursery things organized.  I was able to tend to that task while Josh took a nap.

Sam brought one of their two cars home.  I drove him back to the hospital and Josh and I got to see his baby brother for the first time.  Josh was only able to see him through the glass window. 

Bess's mom took my car and Josh back to the house.  I drove her car home when I left.  Jenny had been there since moments after birth.  It was Josh's bedtime so that worked out well for all.  I stayed to visit.  Katie came in around then after hours on the road trying to get there.

Tuesday:  Baby Isaac was sent to Savannah to NICU about lunch time.  Katie left to go see him one more time and headed home.   Jenny, Bess and Sam came in shortly thereafter.  I had lunch ready for them.  I used leftover hamburger  leftover vegetables that I'd chopped for pizza on Saturday.

There was enough pasta and sauce leftover to set aside a small serving for myself for another meal and a spaghetti pie for the freezer as a future freezer meal for Bess to heat.

I spent the day before and after their leave taking doing laundry.  Their new washer is a Maytag and doesn't have an agitator.  I liked it rather well, but must say that the cycles seemed super long.  A load at home might take 40 minutes but it was well over an hour before that load of clothes was done.  I'm not sure what is energy efficient about it though it is pretty.

Wednesday:  I made another entrée meal today.  I cooked one portion for me and Josh.  A larger portion was made into a freezer crockpot meal for Bess to use later when they are home. 

I fed their dog food scraps.

Thursday:  Josh and I went over to the next town to pick up a few needed items.  Golly gee whiz!  No wonder Bess has bemoaned the lack of Aldi.  I didn't even get all I went in to purchase and still spent all my grocery money for the pay period.  I toted the bags out in one hand. 

Friday:  Bess and Sam came home to spend the night with Josh.  I took a chuck roast from the freezer and cooked them a home cooked meal.  They were so happy to have 'real food' as Sam called it and there were enough leftovers to see them through the evening.

I headed home.  I needed to refresh my medications, find the car tags so we could get them on our cars, and see John  which was, honestly, foremost in my mind.

I didn't stop anywhere at all on my way home.  I knew I'd need milk but as I told Bess in a phone conversation they have yet to offer a drive thru for milk or bread and eggs and I simply did not want to face a grocery at 5:30 on a Friday evening.

Saturday:  I thawed a roast last night and made a pot roast for our dinner.  I figured the leftover meat would stand him well for sandwiches in the coming week.

My apples looked bad on the outside but they were fine inside.  However, appearance is every thing for John.  I pared three apples and made an apple crisp for our dessert.

I unpacked my bag and repacked it, ready for next week.

We made out a short list for shopping.  We agreed not to do a full grocery shop.  I was pleased to find my milk was still good though there was very little of it.  I'll buy more tomorrow.

Sunday:  I used up the last of some pancake batter I'd encouraged John to use.  He didn't.  I made four pancakes from that leftover batter. 

I was going to cook some turkey bacon but yuck!  It was definitely past prime.  I threw that away.

John and I went to the grocery after church.  I bought milk and bread and followed the list that John made yesterday.  Did I buy anything extra?  Yes.  Two little four piece candy boxes on sale for $.65 each.  Big splurge, huh? lol 

We meant to go by the bank for cash.  I meant to make a deposit of some cash to cover some gifting I'd done with my credit card in December that billed late.  Cash in hand vs. a drive up town to the bank?  Cash in hand became allowances for John and I and I wrote it out of the checkbook when we got home as though we had made a withdrawal.  So now credit card is covered and so was our pockets.

We decided yesterday that we'd very much like a steak.  We priced and oohed and ouched and finally chose a sirloin which we like anyway.  It was the least fatty and the least expensive by half what the others cost.  I also stretched it out to serve us steak today and put half in the freezer for a future dinner.  I'm thinking maybe Stroganoff when I'm home once more.

John tried to charge our mower battery.  I think we'll have to get a new one but he's given it a good try.

While John went back to church for a men's group meeting, I stayed home.  It was a good time to  repack my bags and prepare his lunch for tomorrow.  I set up oatmeal to cook in the morning.  I plan to fix us both to go cups of coffee.  And before I leave home I'll set up coffee pot so that John will come home to hot coffee Tuesday morning.

Monday:  Up especially early this morning to see John off to work and to gather my things for travel.  In the end, I forgot the tea John bought me yesterday.  Sad face there.  But John's lunch got packed and breakfast was shared by the two of us.  I cleared things away, made us both a to go cup of coffee and checked that the plants would get some light.  My orchid is about to burst into bloom.  I wonder if I'll be home soon enough to see it?

Travel was lovely this morning.  I was traveling east and the sun rise was absolutely stunning.

I made a pit stop.  I always feel obligated to purchase some little something.  I meant to get a protein bar but none to be had, so I opted for a package of nuts instead which is a nice mix of carb/protein/fiber and helped carry me along until my arrival at the kids' home.

Bess' mom left a load washing and asked me to move it to the dryer.  I gathered up another load from the grownup's room and washed those with sheets from the guest bed.  That made for a full load.

I made myself a sandwich.  The young lady who was keeping Josh until I arrived bought him a kid's meal. 

Plundered in the freezer and decided to take out some ground beef to thaw.  I will make up a batch of meatloaf and form one for the freezer and a small portion for myself.  Slowly I'm building up a nice few bits of meals for Bess to have ahead.  Not as much as I'd like to have had but a few.

Just as at home, I find I've quickly put a few routines into place.  This keeps the house looking rather nice and visually restful when the kids get a chance to come home.

Tuesday:  I was awake earlier than usual this morning but had the good sense to stay abed, lol.  Seriously.

Josh woke in an incredibly good mood.  I am pretty sure it was due to the itinerary I gave him the night before.  Cleaning first and then we'd build houses from blocks.  He loves to help with the cleaning and happily pushed the vacuum across the floors.  I take it from him now and then and tell I'm it's my turn and hit a good patch of floor before turning it back over to him.  At two, he understands 'my turn' very well.

I took out a pound of hamburger to thaw last night.  The kids had said they'd be coming in today  and I wanted a home cooked meal ready for them. I made meatloaf, mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. Plans changed and they won't be in until later this evening.  I'll likely repurpose the mashed potatoes and will put the meatloaf in the freezer.  I know that the sides must be made to go with these entrees but honestly, the entrees almost always make up the bulk of the kitchen work, don't they?

I stretched the meat with two slices of bread soaked in milk and then added an egg.  I saved a partially used can of tomato sauce.   It is my plans tomorrow to make up two more entrees for the freezer which will use up the leftover potatoes and that can of tomato sauce, if I get the chance.

Wednesday:  Good news this morning was that baby is ready to come home.  While Bess and Sam hurried off on a long trip to hospital, I got busy and fashioned two more entrees to carry Bess through the week.  I made gravy and chopped roast beef into it.  I put a can of drained green beans on bottom of the casserole dish, topped with the beef and gravy and then spread mashed potatoes over the top.  That made an easy Shepherd's pie and used up leftovers in the fridge.

I took a packet of ground beef from the freezer and a package of frozen cheese tortellini and made a Beef Pasta Bake.  This recipe fills a 13 x 9 casserole but I used only half the beef called for and rather than open a 29 ounce can of tomatoes, I chopped a fresh tomato and added the leftover tomato sauce to the pan.  This was not following the recipe exactly but I really was trying to leave as few odd leftover bits in the fridge as I could manage.  The taste I took was delicious and I'm sure will satisfy my family.

I washed a full load of clothes for the family.  I must say that while I like their new washing machine I felt the soap didn't completely rinse from the clothes.  I blame that more on the pods used in the machine than on the machine itself. I also washed a full load of dishes.  I have to agree with something Sarah said sometime ago that the energy efficiency/water saving features seem to take much longer than the non-efficient machines did.  The dishwasher is nice but it takes 99 minutes to do a normal load!  My 20 year old dishwasher requires only 40 minutes as does my 20 year old washing machine.  I'd be curious to see the electrical savings in my own home with new appliances such as theirs.

As a kindness to me, Samuel applied a special cleaner and buffed my head lights on my car to make them clearer and brighter.  This was much appreciated as I traveled home in the rain and dark last night.  I hurried home not because of John but because I felt sure the family needed time to be home alone together without another's routines intruding on theirs. 

I stopped for a take out meal on my way home and was sorely disappointed in the quality of it.  I didn't get a receipt so I can't complain online but I shall mention it to the manger next time we go through as it's a frequent stop for us.  It's generally a very nice place and I complimented them on my last trip through.

Thursday:  Slept like a baby in my own bed last night and slept in until 7:15 which is about a half hour later than in Sam's home.  I think the difference here is that my room faces west and has room darkening shades while there it is northeast and has sheers at the window.

John and I determined to go out today for breakfast.  He paid from his pocket.  This was a treat to us both.  I was very appreciative of this.

I enjoyed sitting on my front porch with Maddie and Misu this morning.  Misi was adamant that John utterly failed in the feeding department.  I know she's telling cat tales but she was loud about her complaints.

The muscari (grape hyacinths) bloomed while I was gone.  Half of them came in white.  I was much surprised as they were all meant to be purple.  Funnily enough I managed to plant all the white plants in one pot which tickles me to think my instincts were set on that color division.  Also blooming are white iris and indoors, the orchid rebloomed.  I got home just in time to see the first bud open.

Not much housework required thanks to John's ministrations but I did go about the house and putter a bit which made my heart happy.  Now I settle down and begin my lists of projects, plans, purchases.

Per Google a check was deposited to my account from adsense ads.  Thank you all for clicking through on them as it is truly a help to get that small payment!

Completed a Pinecones survey.

Completed a Swagbucks survey as well. 

John ordered a tool from an online site.  I went through Swagbucks to earn extra points.  They will credit to my account next month.

Made John's work lunch.  Set up oatmeal for breakfast tomorrow morning.

Friday:  The last day of this week and what a full day it's been!  It started very early, as work days are wont to do.  First I made John and I breakfast and then I packed his work lunch and poured him a to go cup of coffee.

I made goal on Swagbucks yesterday.  Today I made it about halfway.  I'm okay with that.  My shop and earn showed up as a pending credit and I'm happy for that.

I gave in to the pull of bargains and shopped on Zulily this morning.  I chose two items for the children.  One will be a Christmas gift and the other will go into the toy box.  Both items were well priced and are solid wood and well made items.  This second item was an abacus which is part of my older children addition to the toy box.

I also purchased five clothing items.  Two items were on my want/need list.  The others were good buys and will have multiple uses in my mix and match wardrobe.

I made out a few lists this morning.  This is my way of organizing my mind.  I'd asked John if I might use a specific amount of money to stock up on cleaning supplies and paper goods.  He was all for it.  So my first list was of those items.  I hope to stock a full year's supply of cleaning items and I'll use the rest to add to my stock of paper goods.  This will benefit our budget in the long range because I can then only buy those items when they are priced super low and just add to my stock.  One item I use routinely NEVER goes on sale.  It is the price it is but if I can get ahead by a few bottles I can buy one now and then when the budget is more full of funds without getting in a crunch because I have to have it when the budget is low.

I also made out a list of things to do to spruce up the master and guest baths.  The price of items needed there will be low but it's best to have a clear list of what is wanted.

I made out a list of outfits I can make from what I have right now in my closet for both warmer and cooler days.  I also made a list of a few wardrobe items I need to watch for sales on: cute flats, sandals, a navy or black purse, white tanks and tee shirts (these are perennial classics) as well as a café au lait color t-shirt.

I worked up the bill box for Monday and prepared the ledger sheet.  One of my half payments was unnecessary this pay period and I was able to use those funds plus the payment amounts from my other full sub accounts to fill one subaccount for early 2018 full.  I split the remaining amount between two other subaccounts which puts me well ahead on them both.  Of course, this isn't 'official' until Monday when we're paid but just knowing I've that extra ahead is an awesome feeling.   I might easily just spend that extra cash but pre-funding those accounts is both savings and easing up still more cash.  I never would have believed this would work so well when I first contemplated doing it!

I washed a full load of laundry and then a load of throw rugs and hung all outdoors to dry.

I made a batch of muffins from a squishy ripe banana.

I checked the fridge and noted there is leftover roast from last weekend.  I've decided to make roast beef hash with that tomorrow.  It's a frugal, tasty and easy meal to prepare.

I boiled a half dozen eggs for various uses including egg salad for sandwiches.

I boiled two chicken carcasses from the freezer.  I'll put up the broth here in a little bit, at least 3 quarts and possibly 4.  I expect I'll have a nice lot of meat since some of this chicken was just too strongly flavored from the deli with oregano to be good.  I think boiling will have diluted the flavor down enough to make it taste much better.  I got 2 full cups of meat off these two carcasses.

I opened the windows this morning and let the house air out.  When I got chilly, I put on socks and a jacket.  By 2pm it was nearly 75f indoors which is the point where our AC is set to come on.  Anything over that just makes the house super stuffy.

Ate a leftover entrée that had been frozen along with a ripe kiwi for one meal.

Repurposed a plastic lidded ice cream tub to be my new compost can.

Now I've had my supper (a clear out of two frozen waffles that I toasted, a boiled egg and an orange...I know it sounds like breakfast but it suited me perfectly), and it's almost time for Shabat so I shall send this out.  Share what you all did to save this week, won't you?

And I have to ask...Anyone ready for the March Tight Food Budget Challenge?  I've got my thinking cap on!