...have been in a very relaxed mood overall, but now that the end of the week is nearing, I'm in a hurry. Katie called to say that Taylor has flu. Katie can't miss work and Matt is too swamped to take off, so Grandmamas to the rescue. I'm picking up the baton in this relay for Friday. Hence my hurry today to post this and get out of the house. I'm all packed. Just need to finish up lunch, which is taking forever to thaw in the oven naturally, and then head out. John is already missing me, lol. Very sweet but Gramma knows she must go where she is needed most.
Bess texted a few minutes ago and Isaac has the flu as well, while Josh is also sick but not with flu. Jd contacted us early this week and all three children were ill there. Fortunately he's off and able to care for them. Then Amie called....Yep, it's been through their home twice now, but she said they have all survived it.
So as John reminded Sam this morning at the breakfast table, y'all be careful out there. Wash your hands frequently and keep hand sanitizer on you. Don't touch your mouth, nose, or eyes until you've washed those hands! I'm told that Katie's doctor informed her they caught it so early with Taylor that she'll be over the contagious part by the time my duty starts in the morning.
Bess texted a few minutes ago and Isaac has the flu as well, while Josh is also sick but not with flu. Jd contacted us early this week and all three children were ill there. Fortunately he's off and able to care for them. Then Amie called....Yep, it's been through their home twice now, but she said they have all survived it.
So as John reminded Sam this morning at the breakfast table, y'all be careful out there. Wash your hands frequently and keep hand sanitizer on you. Don't touch your mouth, nose, or eyes until you've washed those hands! I'm told that Katie's doctor informed her they caught it so early with Taylor that she'll be over the contagious part by the time my duty starts in the morning.
...worked:
Bathrooms and bedrooms on Sunday. It was raining this Sunday so it was bathrooms only. I waited until Monday when it was sunny to work on changing sheets. Only needed to change them in our bedroom this week, since Sam didn't spend any time here last week.
John put new door knobs in the house. They are all silver and I like them very well. We need two for closets in the back two bedrooms.
Tuesday I devoted myself to sorting the freezers and fridge. More job than I'd anticipated I was pleased that there was little to be had in either one that might be considered waste. I did toss out a gallon sized bag of excess odds and ends of onion skins and celery stalks and a container of bananas that had turned well and truly brown. Yuck. From the fridge I tossed only a cucumber and the reason for that loss was that it had gotten buried and I'd totally forgotten I'd bought it. At least we did use a bit of it. I neatened things up and now know just what I have in all of those spaces.
Worked on Bills and reworking our budget. John and I have made several changes in our outgo of late and then he did receive that small raise that changed our income. Between the two we've got a bit of extra. I decided to think about where that money would have the most impact for us.
One task I'd planned to do this winter was to work on my recipe file book. I took note of how pretty Rhonda's turned out a few months ago. It made so much more sense than the mess I've dealt with for years, though even that is organized compared to what it was. However, as I've worked I've been sorting and tossing. I collect a lot of recipes but seldom incorporate them into my meals. I am only keeping those that I've actually prepared and found worthy. I will share photos in another post.
Tuesday I devoted myself to sorting the freezers and fridge. More job than I'd anticipated I was pleased that there was little to be had in either one that might be considered waste. I did toss out a gallon sized bag of excess odds and ends of onion skins and celery stalks and a container of bananas that had turned well and truly brown. Yuck. From the fridge I tossed only a cucumber and the reason for that loss was that it had gotten buried and I'd totally forgotten I'd bought it. At least we did use a bit of it. I neatened things up and now know just what I have in all of those spaces.
Worked on Bills and reworking our budget. John and I have made several changes in our outgo of late and then he did receive that small raise that changed our income. Between the two we've got a bit of extra. I decided to think about where that money would have the most impact for us.
One task I'd planned to do this winter was to work on my recipe file book. I took note of how pretty Rhonda's turned out a few months ago. It made so much more sense than the mess I've dealt with for years, though even that is organized compared to what it was. However, as I've worked I've been sorting and tossing. I collect a lot of recipes but seldom incorporate them into my meals. I am only keeping those that I've actually prepared and found worthy. I will share photos in another post.
...made meals:
?I can't remember what we ate this day?
?I can't remember what we ate this day?
Sunday night's meal was nothing to brag about. I won't bore you all with the details. John rummaged in the kitchen twice after eating, just to show you how lacking that meal was...
John took me out. It wasn't planned.
Homemade soup, cornbread, baked apples.
Chicken Enchiladas, Red Rice, Salad
Macaroni and Cheese, steamed Broccoli, Salad
?????
John took me out. It wasn't planned.
Homemade soup, cornbread, baked apples.
Chicken Enchiladas, Red Rice, Salad
Macaroni and Cheese, steamed Broccoli, Salad
?????
...saved money:
Gave myself a fresh manicure.
Put together a 'new' outfit. I used a piece I was given and my new black skinny jeans and boots. Paired with pearls I felt rather chic overall. I really hadn't thought I'd wear this top but it looked great! That's one more for my wardrobe.
Later in the week I pulled out another piece I'd bought but hadn't worn. Lo and behold! Another comfortable and nice looking outfit to wear. I'm so pleased that I finally figured out how to make these pieces really work for me.
Later in the week I pulled out another piece I'd bought but hadn't worn. Lo and behold! Another comfortable and nice looking outfit to wear. I'm so pleased that I finally figured out how to make these pieces really work for me.
We skipped the grocery on Sunday, which was fine. John insisted however that we go on into the dollar store to buy dog food and I guess we might as well have gone to the grocery after all, but we didn't buy food, at least not for us. We purchased dog food and storage containers which organized some stuff we needed to access better.
John and I were going to pick up a couple of items in our county seat town. He surprised me by driving northward and took me out to eat. That came from his pocket.
John ordered a mulcher that was $200 less than the same one at the diy store. I used Swagbucks to go through to
order it and received three times the value of it. We used our Amazon Prime account. We got free shipping.
He also ordered a gift for his brother. By having it shipped directly to him we saved postage on our end.
Discovered a container of chicken enchilada mixture I'd forgotten all about as well as corn tortillas and a pint of enchilada sauce. I made up a pan of enchiladas for us three for a meal and put a small pan in the freezer for a future meal for John and I.
I pulled out containers of stuff I'd set aside for making soup. Having sat on the porch shivering and noted that temperatures are to be quite a bit cooler over the next couple of days soup will be most welcome one chilly evening, not to mention it's so economical when made up of leftovers and odds and ends that have been saved up for the express purpose of having soup. I plan to freeze any leftovers in individual sized containers for my own meals at home alone.
Though there is empty space in the freezer, I feel it is quite plausible to go on with the pantry freezer challenge for another pay period. I have not officially been to buy groceries since early January. I have purchased some good sales items in bulk such as paper products and a few foods for the pantry and a load of cheese last week, but we are by no means using that up all at once. In fact, I purposely moved the cheese so that it is NOT right in the line of vision when the fridge is open. I know that when I see a LOT of one item, I am prone to 'use it up' and that is simply not necessary.
In working up the checkbook I found a major error. I felt rather ill but it worked out okay. What saved me? I've been rounding up to the next dollar on purchases and rounding down to the nearest dollar on deposits. This netted me enough extra to cover my mistake with a little room to spare. Whew!
In re-working the budget I increased deposits to a couple of sub accounts but due to savings we've made in other areas and due to the small raise, I find we've extra money to use towards something else... I have been thinking about this sum of money all day long. Where will it make the most impact for us? What is the most sensible thing to do with it? I don't believe in just putting money in savings for the sake of saving it. I put it in special categories so that money has a purpose. I find that this always limit the urge to 'just take it out of savings' when we need extra cash.
At John's request I paid off our two smart phones which he'd insisted we 'finance' when we got them Financing didn't cost us but any extra but we do make a payment on each phone over a 2 year period. However, when he told me to pay them off I did just that. I charged the pay off on my credit card which is interest free until next month when it comes due. I'll set money aside for that payment NOW but we'll get to hold onto it and earn a mite of interest on it in the meantime. When he asked how much that saved us and I said "$10 a month" he was disappointed. He asked if he'd done wrong in paying them off. I told him I didn't think so. The catch with the phone company isn't charging interest. Their purpose is more subtle. When you reach the half way point of having your phones paid for you receive notice that you can 'upgrade' and purchase a new phone and too many people I know do just that. The phone isn't inferior nor necessarily that old but the phone company is playing on that 'new technology is better than old technology and anything two years old is out of date," thought. Naturally if you're upgrading to a new phone you're continuing to make payments of extra money on the bill in perpetuity. Truth, the phone you buy today is already outdated and working just fine so why upgrade and pay that extra?
In working on my recipe files, I am using what I have. While I love Rhonda's pretty scrapbook pages I had white cardstock in plentiful supply so that's what I'm using. It does look nice. I have done four sections so far.
Packed up John's work lunch before leaving to go to Katie's. Taylor has flu and I'm staying with her while Katie works.
Packed up some ready prepared meals to go with me to Katie's. This will save the need of cooking while dealing with a sick child.
John and I were going to pick up a couple of items in our county seat town. He surprised me by driving northward and took me out to eat. That came from his pocket.
John ordered a mulcher that was $200 less than the same one at the diy store. I used Swagbucks to go through to
order it and received three times the value of it. We used our Amazon Prime account. We got free shipping.
He also ordered a gift for his brother. By having it shipped directly to him we saved postage on our end.
Discovered a container of chicken enchilada mixture I'd forgotten all about as well as corn tortillas and a pint of enchilada sauce. I made up a pan of enchiladas for us three for a meal and put a small pan in the freezer for a future meal for John and I.
I pulled out containers of stuff I'd set aside for making soup. Having sat on the porch shivering and noted that temperatures are to be quite a bit cooler over the next couple of days soup will be most welcome one chilly evening, not to mention it's so economical when made up of leftovers and odds and ends that have been saved up for the express purpose of having soup. I plan to freeze any leftovers in individual sized containers for my own meals at home alone.
Though there is empty space in the freezer, I feel it is quite plausible to go on with the pantry freezer challenge for another pay period. I have not officially been to buy groceries since early January. I have purchased some good sales items in bulk such as paper products and a few foods for the pantry and a load of cheese last week, but we are by no means using that up all at once. In fact, I purposely moved the cheese so that it is NOT right in the line of vision when the fridge is open. I know that when I see a LOT of one item, I am prone to 'use it up' and that is simply not necessary.
In working up the checkbook I found a major error. I felt rather ill but it worked out okay. What saved me? I've been rounding up to the next dollar on purchases and rounding down to the nearest dollar on deposits. This netted me enough extra to cover my mistake with a little room to spare. Whew!
In re-working the budget I increased deposits to a couple of sub accounts but due to savings we've made in other areas and due to the small raise, I find we've extra money to use towards something else... I have been thinking about this sum of money all day long. Where will it make the most impact for us? What is the most sensible thing to do with it? I don't believe in just putting money in savings for the sake of saving it. I put it in special categories so that money has a purpose. I find that this always limit the urge to 'just take it out of savings' when we need extra cash.
At John's request I paid off our two smart phones which he'd insisted we 'finance' when we got them Financing didn't cost us but any extra but we do make a payment on each phone over a 2 year period. However, when he told me to pay them off I did just that. I charged the pay off on my credit card which is interest free until next month when it comes due. I'll set money aside for that payment NOW but we'll get to hold onto it and earn a mite of interest on it in the meantime. When he asked how much that saved us and I said "$10 a month" he was disappointed. He asked if he'd done wrong in paying them off. I told him I didn't think so. The catch with the phone company isn't charging interest. Their purpose is more subtle. When you reach the half way point of having your phones paid for you receive notice that you can 'upgrade' and purchase a new phone and too many people I know do just that. The phone isn't inferior nor necessarily that old but the phone company is playing on that 'new technology is better than old technology and anything two years old is out of date," thought. Naturally if you're upgrading to a new phone you're continuing to make payments of extra money on the bill in perpetuity. Truth, the phone you buy today is already outdated and working just fine so why upgrade and pay that extra?
In working on my recipe files, I am using what I have. While I love Rhonda's pretty scrapbook pages I had white cardstock in plentiful supply so that's what I'm using. It does look nice. I have done four sections so far.
Packed up John's work lunch before leaving to go to Katie's. Taylor has flu and I'm staying with her while Katie works.
Packed up some ready prepared meals to go with me to Katie's. This will save the need of cooking while dealing with a sick child.
...had fun and leisure:
At Christmas time I found adult coloring books at the dollar store for just a couple of dollars each. I sat down on Saturday with a set of water color markers and went to work on a page. It took me roughly four hours and I thoroughly enjoyed myself.
I sorted out several things in my head while I was coloring. That was an unexpected benefit of that little session of leisure time.
Read vintage magazines, blogs and my current book over the weekend and in spare moments all through the week.
We took a long drive northward into the foothills. It's a lovely ride in all seasons, but it was especially lovely today because it wasn't planned and we had sun for the first time in a few days time.
6 comments:
With paid off phones you may save by switching to a no contract plan.
Sounds like a busy week! The grand babies (and their parents) are very lucky to have you! I agree with you on the phones. I like the old model I have better than the newer versions anyway.
Looking forward to more of your wonderful posts as I so enjoy reading your writing!
Love,
Tracey
XoX
P.S. I LOVE your new blog motto!
Love,
Tracey
XoX
Hope little Taylor is on the mend- the flu has been sooo bad this year! Would it be helpful to put your new extra money toward your window savings? I like your new motto- it sounds like gratitude to me.
Lana, Thank you! I shall look into that and see if there is a possibility of saving a wee bit more.
Tracey, I am so glad you like the new motto. I love a bit of fresh inspiration!
Angela, Taylor was feeling more herself when I spent the day with her. She was one busy little girl!
No dear, the window fund will remain open and receiving deposits but my earnings are ALL going toward bathroom renovations. I have PLANS and it's making my husband terribly nervous as he is continually trying to drag my modest ideas down to bare basics and I keep dragging it all right back assuring him I know just about what I plan to spend/save...and then remind him that my next big target after baths is the kitchen. I do have plans, quite modest and well in keeping with the status of my home not trying to make a silk purse out of a pig's ear as we Southerners say, but gracious I do want a nice cotton purse and we're a bit better off than having just a pig's ear!
From the pictures i see, your home is lovely, comfortable and very homey. Isn't that what we all want. I know I sure don't want some fancy showplace where noone feels comfortable. Gramma D
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