Frugal Friday

It has been a strange week. The weather has actually been very nice for the month of January (sure hope that February is just as nice), and so being frugal has been very easy.

1.  The drapes have been open to take advantage of our lovely sunshine most days. Since we face south this means the sun pours in the big picture window and heats the house for most of the day. No furnace until quite late on most days.

2.  I managed to buy all our groceries on sale and saved a total of $30.57.

3.  Got a free box of granola bars for spending a certain amount.

4.  Walked outside most days.

5.  Using yarn I bought on sale a few years back to make a baby gift.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thursday Tidbits

This week seems to be getting away from me. I am amazed that tomorrow will be the end of the month already.

I have been a bit off the past couple of days. I can't seem to really settle to anything, though I did manage to finish the prayer shawl I had started well before Christmas.

I do have to weave in the ends still.

I also managed to get my sewing/craft room a bit more organized. I am hoping I still have enough room to sew now that I have the knitting machine set up.

The weather up until now has been fairly decent. Yesterday was a bit icy due to an ice depositing fog. Made going for a walk a little scary but since the sun was shining again I headed out.

Today started out beautifully, but late afternoon saw this happening.

I think you might just be able to make out the snow, great big fluffy flakes fell for about 2 hours. EI did manage to get my shopping and errands completed well before the snow started, so I got to enjoy watching it through our big front windows.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

The usual thrifty things have been happening around the old homestead. I am still in a use it until it is gone kind of mood, and it seems that this just might be a way of lowering our food bill. Now if I could just get carnivore Harvey to be willing to eat more plant based menus more often, I just could get a handle on spending at the grocery store.

Also if I could manage to find a food our aged kitty liked for longer than 3 days things would be much better spending wise.

Still a few new thrifty things happening. I got some hand soaps given to me by a neighbour who it turns out had a skin reaction to them. I should be able to last until the end of the year before having to buy more.

Then at our Prayer Shawl meeting, one of the ladies brought me a bag of cut up t-shirts. Could be that rug is getting even closer to being made. Just have to cut everything to the right size.

I have had 6 no spend days over the last week. Helps with the total for the month.

Hemmed a pair of Harvey's jeans and fixed the elastic on a pair of pj's. I also patched his painting pants. He can get a few more uses out of them.

Best thrifty move was doing all the painting in our bedroom by ourselves.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

January is almost done. The months and days are speeding by. Well at least they were speeding by before we started work on the bedroom, then it felt like the days were crawling by due to bad sleeping and wanting my own bed. Now things are back to normal once again. 

Yes to all of you who said it must be nice to be in a refreshed room and back in our own bed. I do sleep so much better.

Monday

Leftover meatloaf, leftover mashed potatoes, and a tossed salad.

Tuesday

Leftover pork roast made into a casserole along with the leftover tossed salad.

Wednesday

Soup and sandwiches. The soup will be one of the ready meals from the big freezer downstairs. I sort of have a date for my surgery so will use up some of those meals and make a few more closer to the day.

Thursday

Clean out the fridge night. Pretty sure there will be leftovers from the previous two nights meals.

Friday

Salmon fillets, rice, and green beans.

Saturday

There is a small package of leftover turkey that needs using.

Sunday

I will make the roast ham we were supposed to have the Sunday before this.

Lunches as usual will be sandwiches, or scrounged from leftovers in the fridge.

Everybody have a wonderful day.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

Today I woke up to a fresh snow. The world was a lovely pristine white, not so much so now as the vehicles and melting have caused a few places to become slightly dirty. I do love a fresh snowfall.

Mass today was all about Christ and the calling of the disciples. How they left their nets and followed a complete stranger. Is this much different than the call each of us receives from Christ each and every day? We need to be more like Simon, Andrew, James and John and trust that the Lord has a plan for all of us.

Everyone have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

Oh my, has this week ever whizzed right on by. Soon we will be saying goodbye to January and hello to February!!

This past week has seen us ripping apart the bedroom and sleeping in beds that neither of us enjoy. That means very little sleep over the past three nights.

Harvey painted, filled in a few holes, and fixed the floor as well as cut new baseboards. I am a very messy painter so that was Harvey's job. Mine was sweeping and mopping when everything was done. I also did touch up paint jobs on the baseboard and removed all the tape.

Everything is back in place now and I am looking forward to a restful night. Pretty sure Harvey is as well.

I also moved things around in the sewing/craft room and will be finished up in there tomorrow. I won't be doing any crafting in there until Tuesday as I have prayer shawl ministry Monday and I want to make a trip to the library.

Of course while all this was going on a bit of decluttering took place as well. Not as much as I would have liked, but even a bit helps get closer to a simplified manner of living.

Menus were switched around as we had our date night. We went out for Chinese and you all know that is a meal that keeps on giving. The leftovers were brought home and fed us for another two nights plus lunch for Harvey today (I think a few night time munching was happening as well).

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

The past few days have been very busy around the old homestead. Harvey decided he wanted to get our bedroom finished so we have been moving furniture around, preparing the walls and I have been busy wiping up paint drops on the floor. Hopefully tomorrow will see the end of it. 

Now on to the frugal happenings around the house.

1.  Shopping as usual was sticking to a list and buying on sale items whenever I could. Savings this week were $23.59. Not bad but I hope to do better this week.

2.  We went out for our date night this week and had Chinese. The remains were brought home and we managed another 2 nights supper and we still have enough left for one of us to have lunch.

3.  Used up what leftovers I could in various meals.

4.  Since the weather has warmed up I have been taking one longer walk in the mornings and another shorter one in the afternoon.

5.  Did a search for DIY body products and found a few I have all the ingredients for.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

The day was beautiful and so I actually took a couple of walks outside. It is just lovely when the temperature reaches above or even at the freezing mark. I do so hope this sticks around for awhile.

The only really thrifty thing done this past week is some mending, and of course the usual way I was clothing.

Tomorrow will not be thrifty as I am having a hair cut which is desperately needed. I have been waking up with what I call devil horns most mornings. I also have a trip to the doctors to discover the results of my last set of blood tests. Hopefully the pain in my muscles is just a strain or can be put down to aging.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless. 

Menu Monday

Wow, the third full week of this month has arrived. Only one more and January will be done and dusted. 

Monday

I did not feel like poultry two nights in a row so I moved todays meal to yesterday and we will have the roast chicken today. Served with roasted carrots, and roasted potatoes and perhaps some coleslaw rather than a tossed salad.

Tuesday

Pulling out the leftover frozen beef roast and using it to make a casserole. I have a meeting at the church this evening so it will be something fast and easy to clean up.

Wednesday

This time it will be the leftover ham. I think I will use up some puff pastry and make some ham pasties.

Thursday

A clean out the fridge night.

Friday

Soup (probably one of the containers of lentil soup from the freezer) and some egg salad sandwiches.

Saturday

It is supposed to be nice and since we have not had our date night this month as of yet (due to the very cold, frost bite can occur in minutes weather) perhaps this would be the perfect evening to do so. If not well meatloaf, mashed potatoes and green beans are on the menu.

Sunday

If we go out on Saturday this will be meatloaf day, if not today will be baked ham, scalloped potatoes, and mixed veggies. I will make a tossed salad as well.

So there it is the menu for the week, using items that are already here in the house. 

Everybody have a wonderful day. 

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

We are back to Ordinary Time in the church liturgical calendar and it is so nice to see green once again.

I always think that green represents life or at least the beginning of the renewal of life.

Mass was a bit shorter this Sunday. Our priest had just gotten back from his holiday in India and was extremely tired. It was also very cold out which could be why he decided to make the homily a bit shorter than usual. It was greatly appreciated.

The children from our two Catholic elementary schools were in charge of choir, lector, hospitality, and a couple of the other ministries in the church. It is always such a pleasure to see their smiling faces, I just wish they would come a bit more often.

It is still extremely cold out, with wind chills at dangerous levels. I have been lazy and spent many a day just putting in my steps and curled up with tea while either reading, knitting or watching television. I might be going through a bit of a depressive period right now. I need to get out for fresh air and I am hoping this upcoming week is better. A person, kind of goes a bit stir crazy when it is this cold.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

It has been a week of freezing temperatures, and some snowfall. It is supposed to warm up next week to about the freezing mark, which I will believe when it actually happens.

So since this week has been so cold, any trips made outside have been quick and necessary. No one in this house wanted to be out in the cold for any length of time. Severe cold warnings have that effect on most of us.

I only left the house on Monday for our Prayer Shawl meeting and to hit the bank, then on Thursday to go shopping and to have my mammogram done at the mobile clinic. For the first time ever my mammogram caused me pain and even left bruises and a bit of a scrape on one side. I think I might just go back to the place my doctor sent me the last time. They at least are gentle.

The rest of the days have been spent doing extra cleaning, cutting up my scrap material into squares to make quilt blocks, cutting up those old t-shirts into small strips, knitting and baking.

Here are a few of the items I baked.

Two loaves of zucchini bread which are residing in the chest freezer.

A chocolate Bundt cake that Harvey just had to try before I got a picture. 

I also made two loaves of bread and a batch of cinnamon buns. This kept me busy and out of trouble. 

This afternoon I had a nap, something that I don't usually do. It is rare that I can fall asleep during the day.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

The end of another week of trying to be frugal.

1.  Got $2.00 off 18 eggs when shopping this week.

2.  Saved $25.98 on groceries this week shopping sales.

3.  Worked around the house cleaning and organizing.

4.  Watching Netflix and my android box for free entertainment. Youngest DS pays for our Netflix subscription.

5.  Ordered and received from Amazon at a greatly reduced price some sealing rings for our instant pot.

6. Baking bread once again.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thursday Tidbits

The last couple of days most people here are staying in and keeping warm. While not as cold as our neighbours to the west it has still been very cold and with the wind factored in dangerous to be outside.

So most of the time has been spent baking, or doing bits of cleaning and organizing around the house.

I finished cutting up all the stored t-shirt knit fabric that I had salvaged over the years and actually managed to get it all down to one box. Made a bit more storage room and that enabled me to put up the books I managed to buy on various sewing techniques.

The kitted knitting projects have also been moved from the floor in the sewing/craft room making yet more space to move around.

Work has been done on the prayer shawl and I am actually pleased with how much I have completed. I will soon be adding the second ball.

The same can be said about the temperature blanket for this year. It is only a row a day, but I can see some end in sight for a few of the balls of leftover yarn. Those that aren't used up this year, I will make mitts for our oldest to take to his school or to donate to a homeless shelter in his area.

Baking wise I have made a loaf of bread, cinnamon buns, and a chocolate Bundt cake. As tomorrow is not supposed to be much warmer than today (warmer by a few degrees) I plan on making those zucchini loaves I had planned on yesterday for the freezer and perhaps a rhubarb cake for the freezer as well.

I still have some organizing to do in the sewing/craft room but hope to be working on those sewing projects this weekend. Lots to do before winter ends so I can get some wear out of what I make.

Harvey and I are also working on our budget for this year. Hopefully it will be all set up very soon. I have noticed one thing and that is food is really going up in price and a grocery cart costs way more than ever before. Time to start thinking about what we can grow ourselves, harvest and process for the winter. Perhaps more container gardening will be in order, or perhaps Harvey can build some raised beds for less strain on the back and knees.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

Not a whole lot new on the thrifty front, but I have been working on it.

I have made a few more of the cook once, eat twice meals. I love only having to warm something up for supper.

It has been very cold here so no unnecessary driving happening.

Fixed a couple of seams on Harvey's pants as well as hemmed another pair of my pants that I found. Osteoporosis and bone loss has made this a necessary occurrence here.

Texting or phoning our oldest son to see how he is managing at times the rate is cheaper.

Getting caught up on series I have missed by using the android box.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

Another week of this month has gone right by. 

Monday

Soup and sandwiches. I have pulled a container of Turkey Vegetable Soup from the freezer and plan on making egg salad sandwiches to go with.

Tuesday

A package of leftover ham made into a casserole or quiche. Served with a salad. 

Wednesday

Smoked sausage, homemade baked beans, and perhaps the remains of the salad. Harvey will more than likely want pasta with this as well.

Thursday

Clean out the fridge night.

Friday

Cod fillets, homemade fries, and coleslaw.

Saturday

Leftover turkey made into an a la king style meal served over toast wedges.

Sunday

Roast Chicken, roasted potatoes, and roasted carrots. I will use up the remaining coleslaw.

I may be doing more switching around come the 20th of the month, it all depends on how well things get used up this week.

Everybody have a wonderful day. 

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

Another snow has fallen today. Once again winds have whipped the snow into drifts and since it is still windy tonight more drifts will form and the drifts that are already here will just get larger.

We are safe and warm in our home, with a very well stocked pantry. We won't have to worry about not being able to eat and eat well. I feel for those who are not as well prepared as others. Or those who don't have a warm place.

I have managed to get all the household chores done this week and tomorrow the list is short and will be completed very quickly either before or after Mass (providing we can make it out to Mass).

Slowly working my way through all those pieces of knit fabric, and I am looking forward to getting started on the rug in a month or so. Must get the other projects done first.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

I will fill you all in a bit on what has been happening in our lives tomorrow. I will just say it has been an unsettled time here and a whole lot of worry over what is going on in our eldest sons life right now. Things seem to have calmed down a bit, but you never know when they could explode into what I hope is not violence.

Hmmm, what 5 frugal things did I do this week.

1.  I managed to stretch a few meals into more than one meal and lunch. The sweet and sour ribs I made have actually stretched to 3 meals (one is in a container and frozen to be eaten when I really need a break from cooking), the spaghetti and meat sauce will have been stretched to 3 meals as well once we are done with it. Lots of great meals using very little meat (I wonder if Harvey has noticed that).

2.  Using up the fabric scraps by cutting them into useable squares for quilt projects down the road. I am also using up the knit fabric scraps as well by preparing them to make the rug that I have been planning for the last few years. I might not have enough strips to get it finished, but at least I will make a great start in a month or so.

3.  Combining errands to save on gas. I really would like to have this tank last until the end of the month, but considering warm up vehicle times I don't think that will happen. Still combining errands and trying not to use the vehicle unless necessary seems to extend a tank of gas very well.

4.  When grocery shopping I stuck to my list and buying sale items where possible. So in the process managed to save $38.63. Not bad at all.

5.  Drinking more water, which is actually in the grand scheme of things not only healthier for me, but actually saves cash. It is relatively inexpensive and much better for you when compared to sugary soft drinks.

Everybody have a wonderful day. 

God bless.

A Day To Snuggle In

The weather turned cold and snowy today. The wind howled and it was the perfect time to stay holed up in a nice warm house.
I did venture out early in the morning before the snow hit to do some shopping for the upcoming week. Made it back inside before the weather got too bad.

So I have spent the day working on getting the knit material cut into strips and put into a bag for easy storage. I also managed to cut a large piece for two infinity scarves. It is at times like this that I wonder why on earth I wait so long before getting things like this completed. It actually makes more work for me in the long run.

Yesterday afternoon I made a visit to the library.

A few mysteries and murders to keep me occupied before I go to sleep at night. Amazingly they don't keep me awake. The gorier the better as far as I am concerned. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

I have been lucky enough this past week, Thrift has been a mainstay in our house.

I unpicked the metal rings from an old belt that no longer fit and used them for my new knitted belt. The belt itself is heavy canvas and will be used for handles on a bag I am planning to make.

I darned some of Harvey's socks.

Kitted up 4 knitting projects using wool from my stash.

Found an old sweater I no longer wear and have taken it apart to reuse the yarn after washing and getting the kinks out.

Then of course not being happy with all the scraps in the sewing/craft room I have been cutting them up into useable squares for quilting.

I have even managed to make a few cook once and eat twice meals.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Menu Monday

I have just redone my menu plan for the week in order to use up all the leftovers in the fridge. I am sure they multiply in the dark, cool depths of the fridge.

Monday

The remains of the tuna meal from Friday, served the remains of the tossed salad.

Tuesday

The remains of the sweet and sour ribs, served with rice and mixed veggies.

Wednesday

Spaghetti and meat sauce (this will use up a container of tomato sauce from the basement chest freezer).

Thursday

Baked Spaghetti and meat sauce (using up the leftover spaghetti and sauce from last night). I will hopefully have gone shopping today and will serve a tossed salad along side.

Friday

Date night as it is our Anniversary and we will head out for supper.

Saturday

Leftover Baked Spaghetti and the remains of the tossed salad.

Sunday

Roast pork, roasted potatoes, roasted carrots, and if there is any salad left we will finish it off tonight.

Lunches will most likely be sandwiches or in my case toast and peanut butter.

Everybody have a wonderful day.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

Today the church celebrated the Epiphany. How wonderful that three kings or magi, or wise men came to visit another king even though he was just a baby. These men traveled many miles to see the one that would become King of all. They showered him with priceless gifts, but the greatest gift of all lay before them in a manger.

It has been another quiet day here. I am beginning to enjoy this drifting from one day to another. Cleaning house, working on projects, going for walks while the weather is nice. I do know it won't last. Next week I have a few appointments, one with our financial advisor at the bank, the second with my doctor to get the results of the last lab tests, a trip to buy groceries, and a trip to the library. Looking at it written down, there really doesn't seem to be very much, but when they interrupt my day I never seem to get everything done that I want done. Once interrupted I have trouble getting back down to household chores or even putzing around the house, doing a small pick up or any little job that strikes me at the time.

I am afraid that I am a creature of habit. Each day has it's specific chores that need to be done. I even have a line on my to do list that states "anything unfinished". I think I might be a bit retentive and OCD about a few things.

According to the weather forecast we are in for a pretty large snowfall this week. While the wind warning came true, but did not last for an extended period of time and caused no damage, a snowfall of 15 cm could and probably will cause problems. I have already told Harvey that if it happens he will be driving me to pick up groceries and take me to the doctors as well. I could go on Wednesday morning and get groceries, there by beating the storm by a couple of hours. I can not beat the storm for the doctors appointment on Thursday however. Can you tell I do not like driving in deep snow?

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

It was and is a beautiful day and evening here on the prairies of Saskatchewan. We actually made it above freezing. However, now we are under a wind warning. In fact the winds could reach such speed as to cause a great deal of damage. I am keeping my fingers crossed that this does not happen.

After a few household chores, it was time to gather things together and get them completed.

First off I worked in all the yarn ends on the temperature blanket and knit another row on the new one I started for this year.

Then I worked in all the yarn ends on two of my completed prayer shawls.

I then moved on to a few other unfinished yarn and seam sewing projects.

An infinity scarf needed seaming, a cowl needed the same thing, and a belt I knitted months back needed to have the metal loops installed and the yarn ends worked in. 

I pulled out a prayer shawl that was started in October and laid aside to finish up over the next week or so. 

Harvey finished the shelves and we have them up on the wall.

They turned out very nicely and I am glad to get them up and pictures displayed.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

I think I might be back on the frugal band wagon, or at least getting closer. I will be looking for even more frugal ideas over the next week or so.

1.  Grocery shopping this week and while I did not have as big a savings as usual, I did save a bit. I also got $10.00 off my total order because I spent $100.00. 

2.  Picked up some citrus three wick candles for half price.

3.  My neighbour brought me over a pumpkin from her daughters garden. I processed it last night and now have pumpkin puree for the freezer (probably enough for three pies).

4.  One of Harvey's gifts for Christmas was a few white t-shirts (he uses these as pj tops) so he pulled the old tattered ones and took them downstairs. He made them into work rags.

5.  With the new entertainment/fireplace unit I don't have the room for pictures that I did before. Harvey has fashioned me one shelf with some brackets he had downstairs and the glass doors from the old entertainment unit. Looks lovely. He plans on making the second door into another shelf as well.

6.  Gas prices are still ridiculously high here so I did not fill the vehicle. I will wait until the price hopefully falls a bit. However with the strike at the Coop refinery and the trouble in the middle east right now, that could be a dream for the future. Prices could go up and not down.

Everybody have a wonderful day. 

God bless.

Thursday Tidbits

I did my grocery shopping today and managed to get in and out with nothing extra in my cart. I even managed to remember my shopping bags.

Today I spent a bit of time in the sewing/craft room getting some projects together for my knitting in the evenings. I wonder if kitting them will make it easier to finish a projet.

Really nothing new and interesting is happening here. We have had notices that there are going to be additions to the extended family and so some of the knitting projects are gifts for the new members when they arrive. Considering one arrives next month I think that will be my first project.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Wow, A New Year

Wow, this year crept up on us all via wings. Is it my imagination or do the years go by quickly as we age?

I was in bed sound asleep when the new year rolled around. I just can't seem to stay up until that time of the morning. No fireworks to wake me up, no Harvey to come in and tell me to wake up (it seems he fell asleep as well), no parties around us, just a nice quiet night which as we age we appreciate more and more.

This year I actually made a few resolutions. I am going to try for monthly ones and hope that by the end of the month they are so ingrained that those resolutions have become a habit.

Most of the resolutions I plan on making are self improvement ones. I have kind of stopped looking after my needs to look after others.

This month they are pretty simple.

1.  Keep on walking and add steps every week (or day considering what this Vivofit does).

2.  Drink more water. I don't like water, but I have noticed a bit of dehydration going on. I am starting small with just 3 extra small glasses a day and hopefully will work my way up to larger glasses and if not at least more of the smaller glasses each day.

3.  Start a facial routine. I have the bad habit of starting one for a couple of days and then switching back to splashing water in my face and giving it a rub.

Really just three very simple resolutions. By the end of the month they should be a habit and I will hopefully be doing them without conscious thought.

Remember this bag of yarn.

Well, today I started another temperature blanket. I can already see a difference in the beginning of the month. I wonder how different it will be when I have completed it.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.