Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

Thrifty and Frugal

Since I have not been feeling that well, things are really being used up around here. My fridge freezer is slowly dropping, and the crisper was getting pretty darn empty here. 

I did go shopping today, and rested a great deal once home. I wanted to get out and get that done as we are being told we were going to be getting freezing rain later today. That after snow.... I made it home before any real snow started.

1.  Meals have been made this past week with what we have on hand in the fridge, freezers, pantry, and cold room (that's where we have our potatoes).

2.  Harvey made more wine for the summer.

3.  A picture frame was made from his bit of lumber downstairs. 

4.  My electric bill has dropped by $5.00 as I am using appliances to cook more, and making sure lights are off in rooms not in use.

5.  Mended a pair of boxers, darned a pair of socks, and fixed a hem on a pair of pants.

6.  Working on making more from scratch and getting meals into the freezer by making larger batches. 

7.  Trying to find reusable K-cups that will fit my machine. I also looked a machines that use both the cups and a pot. 

8.  Put $75.00 into my savings envelope.

9.  Added $5.35 to the coin jars.

10.  Doing the regular frugal and thrifty things like hanging clothing on the lines downstairs, using up craft supplies, and making sure the doors are using the draft dodgers.

Still tired, and I even had a bit of a sleep after shopping. I then spent the rest of the day working on projects, doing a tiny bit of decluttering, and walking when I needed to. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Midweek

 

Bob has left the building and I have begun to clean a few of the areas that got a bit messy while he was visiting. Funnily enough he did not want to leave with them. It will be strange not to have him mewling at night and me going to sleep on the couch to keep him quiet. 

I did not let Kevin and Nancy all the things that Bob kind of destroyed during his visit. What good would it do other than make them feel bad? So nothing mentioned. Any way's I really like my pink keyboard.😊 

Middle of the last week of this month. My goodness, soon we will be into the last month of the first quarter of the year. My list of project plans is growing, even if I haven't written them down. My mind is spinning with ideas to use up my various stashes and ideas for gifts later on. Must stop that as I will never complete them all. I need to concentrate on just a few every month. 

Simplifying life is moving along. Really right now most of what is happening is decluttering and organizing. My organization is using what I have and trying not to bring extra items into the house to make things "match". I do have some rolls of wrapping paper that I can cover things with if I do want to "beautify" things. I may do so after things are tidy and well organized, but I really do not have to. 

I have been working on a few ways to save a bit more but still enjoy our current way of life. 

I am going to talk to Kurt and Kris and perhaps get Harvey a smarter TV for his mancave. I really would like to rid ourselves of our Max TV (what our tv is in Saskatchewan) and go with more streaming options which would more than likely work out to be less expensive in the long run. Saving money on television would be just awesome. There are lots of free streaming services as well that I believe he would love to take advantage of. He was looking at televisions when we were shopping. This is our only entertainment so spending a bit is worthwhile. 

There is also more room downstairs for some drying lines and I think I will get Harvey to put them up. Last spring, summer and fall the weather was so very strange I didn't get to use the outside lines as much as I would have liked. By having some more lines downstairs I could still manage to dry more without the use of the dryer on those rainy days, and last year it always seemed to rain on laundry day.

Pretty sure I will think of more ways to save as the days head into spring.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless. 

Saturday Roundup

 

It has been a very cold week here on the Canadian prairies. A warm up should be happening starting next week. Absolutely lovely as far as I am concerned. I may even be able to get out for some fresh air, even if it is just walking up and down the road. 

The warm up also comes in time for my visit to the mobile mammogram unit, that hits our city every two years. I love not having to travel into the city of Regina unless something is wrong. 

So what have I been up to this week? No projects really finished but a couple have been started and I worked on gathering items for next month's projects. Lots of using up happening. 

I have also been figuring out ways to save on electrical costs. More appliance cooking will be happening here over the next couple of months. The only time I will use the oven is to bake bread, cookies or pies and I will make darn sure the oven is packed. I will also open the oven door to take advantage of the residual heat and heat my kitchen.

I know people say the one way we control our money and budget is through groceries. While that is true in bigger centers, here it is a bit more difficult. We have three grocery stores and Walmart, not a great selection really. I do most of my shopping at our     Co-op. This is mostly because we get a percentage back as part owner. We the people own the business and the more one spends the more one gets back in return. 

I also have a Visa that gives cash back as well. More on groceries than other items like gas, but we still get money back. I haven't cashed in on that as of yet, but I will soon, I am hoping to have enough in that to pay for a two week grocery shop very soon. The Co-op cash back usually pays for part of a shop. 

Life is good even in the midst of chaos, and I hope will stay that way.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

  Thrifty and Frugal 

I need to apologize for not visiting you all yesterday. I fell asleep at 7 pm. Pretty much after I got the table cleared and dishes done. Slept straight through until 10, got up put on my pajamas, crawled into bed and slept straight through until 7 this morning. 

I am quite happy with my thrifty and frugal past times this week. Perhaps there are not as many as last week, but every week will be slightly different as the season progresses.

1.  Dehydrating cherries to use in muffins and loaves. Dried cherries are pretty darn expensive so hopefully I get enough to last for a few baking days.

2.  Baking bread a couple of days a week and putting the loaves into the freezer to be used as we run out. 

3.  Washing done for the most part in cold water and three loads hung to dry.

4.  Using up items in the fridge freezer to make meals this week and probably part of next week.

5.  Ham broth used to make two containers of pea soup for the freezer downstairs. Meals for when I am too tired or sore to cook.

6.  Using up some cotton yarn I inherited from my mother to warp the loom. 

7.  Fixed a hem on one of Harvey's shirts.

8.  Put $3.05 in the change jars, and added $85.00 to my savings envelope. The envelope is used to purchase any clothing I need, trips to the fabric store, and any thrifting or garage sales I do.

Now while I did not really save on the budget for groceries this month (shopped the first week, the third week and the fifth week) I still did not go over my budget by much. This, however means that I did not add to the paying down of the range. Hopefully next month and perhaps part of September will be much better. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

Thrifty and Frugal  

 It has been a beautiful day, sunshine and pretty darn high temperatures for this time of year. It has reached 19.5C, which is pretty warm. 

Now what frugal things have I been up to this week.

1.  The usual lights off in rooms not in use, hanging some of my laundry on the lines downstairs, using up the bits and bobs in the fridge and in the fridge freezer, and of course walking for free exercise.

2.  Today I went shopping and really stuck to the list I had made. Even so the prices, even sale prices, seem to be forever climbing. I do have everything I need for Easter, but may just have to run in to pick up some salad things. 

3.  Collecting the scraps of fabric and putting them away to be used for scrappy sewing. 

4.  Using up yarn that I have had in the stash for a number of years. Hoping to get some items made for myself, before I search out the yarn for another blanket for a friend of Kurt's. 

5.  Reclaimed yarn from some vests that I knit and no longer wear. Not sure what it will be used for, perhaps I can get started a bit early on mitts for children this year.

6.  Planning our garden, herbs, flowers and a few veggies. Looking at what I already have that can be used for container gardening. 

Well that's pretty much it. I have decided that I am going to work on saving the money we spent on the chairs first, then the new range, then Harvey's partial plate. Lastly will be the taxes. Starting with the smallest amount and working towards the largest. That way I can actually see the money making a difference a bit quicker and that will keep me working toward getting it all saved.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits

 

A regular day here on the Phillips homestead. I did household tasks, dug through my yarn stash and found yarn for the next lapghan, and some thinner yarn to make some tanks for myself to wear in the summer. Really working on the shopping at home first, before I even think about adding new items to my yarn stash. Now, I just need to put those yarns into project bags and plan on when I will be starting those projects.

With rising costs, old fashioned ways of saving money and cutting costs is pretty much a must for those of us on a fixed income. Housing prices here have dropped rapidly, what we could have gotten for our home a few years ago has been cut by probably 25% at least. Our city depends upon oil and coal, with some farming and ranching factored in as well. People are leaving for what they consider greener pastures in other areas of the province. 

So this will be a year of make do and mend, a few more meatless meals in the month, making my own salves and lotions, cutting back on wants instead of concentrating on needs, growing more veggies/herbs and perhaps finding a second source of income. It isn't that we have to do this, but if we ever move to the bigger center near us home or condo purchases will be that much higher. I will still probably purchase a loom as I have been saving for one and could use it to make our own small rugs and other items to either sell or gift. 

The other rather major purchases we will be making is new flooring for the hallway, paint for the ceilings, and paint for the hallway. Must keep the house looking fairly decent for when we put it up for sale. Buying on sale will help keep the costs down even if we have to hire someone to do the ceiling painting.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

We attended Mass this morning, and then Harvey, feeling slightly guilty (I believe) over the next bit of damage he managed to inflict on my vehicle took me out for brunch. I told him things happen in threes and soon I was not going to allow him to drive the SUV. All I can say is that it is a very good thing that the weather is warming and will continue that trend for a bit. 

I have pulled out my recipe for homemade cough drops and I plan on making those one day next week. This should be an interesting experiment for me as I had a friend who swore by them (she passed away a few years ago) and it is her recipe. Gayle made these every year for her family.

I also went over the menu for this week, and decided to pull out leftover chicken (or it could be turkey) to warm up for supper rather than pulling a roasting chicken out of the freezer. Using up something before adding more to the fridge freezer. What ever is left I will make into a small casserole for the two of us later in the upcoming week. This meant all I pulled out of the meat freezer was a package of small pork sausages to make a casserole with on Monday (leftovers will be served on Wednesday). 

With prices seemingly on the rise even quicker than before, any little thing we can do to save on something can and does make a big difference to our bottom lines. Like many of you I find myself shopping sales, not purchasing something if it is too costly, and making do with what I have and using up all that I can. Planning on soup next Saturday and I have peas and ham broth to use up. Add a bit of carrot and one has a lovely pea soup. Our potatoes are getting slightly soft and so I think one day this week I will whip up some potato soup and put it in the freezer for a day when I don't feel like cooking. 

Groceries and cooking from scratch are perhaps the easiest ways to save money. However I am going to see if I can cut water usage (not sure how as of yet) and see about making more of our personal care items like cough drops, salves, lotions and the like. 

Making more blankets and quilts would enable me to turn down the heat a bit more as well. Half a degree or so at night would not make us uncomfortable in the least. Though perhaps turning it down during the day when we are active could be an even better idea. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

 

Tuesday Tidbits

 

It has been another quiet day here on the Phillips homestead. I got all the tasks completed once again. I guess after being retired for 12 years I have finally gotten the hang of things. 

Mending done, some knitting completed (more done later) and lots of decluttering and making lists. I even managed to get a bit of a walk in.

Things are quickly melting, some of the main roads are completely dry. I know this won't last but I will enjoy it as long as possible. 

My list of fixit's has been made for this year. Most are very simple, but the deck painting will take a bit of time as will the painting of some of the outdoor furniture. Plan on starting those two things as soon as the weather gets to where it needs to be. Perhaps even Easter if we are really lucky. 

I have been looking for three bedroom apartments or condos. Any three bedroom condos are 2 floors and we want to get away from that. I started thinking that a two bedroom would work as if we are in Regina, Kurt could stay with Kris or us (planning on bringing the couch that pulls out into a bed), as we would try to find something close to Kris. The second bedroom could be my sewing/craft room and library. 

Then there is the TV thing. Harvey does not like what I watch, and I really don't like watching sports or the news all day. My solution is to perhaps set up my TV either in the master bedroom or in the second bedroom.... Thoughts only. 

Still using up whatever we can. Meals are mostly cleaning out the fridge freezer or perhaps an older ready meal from the chest freezer downstairs. It is definitely a very frugal thing to use up what I have available.

Finishing up Three Pines on Prime. I probably will only get two episodes watched today, but will finish the last two tomorrow. I think if I was by myself I could actually get rid of most of our MaxTV and just do the streaming thing. Probably work out much less in cost over the year. Between Prime, Netflix, Disney+, and BritBox my TV watching is pretty much covered. I hear there is lots to watch on YouTube as well (haven't checked that out yet). If I get the android box up and running again on the mini computer attached to the TV I can watch the series I love as well. 

I am still using more appliances than the oven and I am hoping to see a decline in electrical costs. If I use the oven I pack it as full as I possibly can, which is something I learned from all of you. Also making sure that all lights are off in rooms not in use, and hanging as much clothing as I can on lines downstairs right now.  

Not having to pay for a hotel room when we go to Regina for my appointments saves us a bundle as well. Buying a few meals or bringing them up while we stay with Kris saves him cash and us as well. We will be up there visiting and taking advantage of his hospitality for a number of days while stocking up and visiting my cancer specialist.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless

Saturday Roundup

 

It has been a fairly busy week but not so busy that I didn't have time to work on my projects. I really didn't make a list of projects for this month as I want to get my carry over completed and that seems to be working right now.

I finished the knitted blanket, have done a couple of corners on the tablecloth and started the third corner. Just one more after that and I can set up the center portion with the pattern, then just a few more days work and it will be done.

I cast on another knitted blanket last evening and am midway through using up another small ball of leftover yarn. My goodness do I have lots, never in my wildest dreams did I think I had that much.

Slowly going through my closet and drawers. I have a few things to drop off at the Salvation Army thrift store, and some that I might refashion (if I don't do that I will probably cut them down to usable fabric). 

I am finding meatless meals to add to our menu. Meat will slowly become a smaller portion of our meals. Also looking up new ways to use leftovers in order to get the most from them.

The garden is producing and I now have three quarts of dills made (one done today). I may be doing these one at a time as I am not getting many cucumbers when I pick. Still every quart I make means I will not have to purchase a jar. I plan on processing all that I possibly can and eventually will be asking my neighbour if I can pick her apples and crab apples. 

Looking at using some of the larger pots from my replanting to bring in plants to overwinter. Buying potting soil will be much less expensive than buying both pots and soil.

I really feel that most countries will be entering a recession if they haven't already. That means interest on savings and investments will not be as good as they have been. Scary for us seniors that saved for our retirement and now see those savings dwindling. 

Rising costs means finding new ways of doing things. Here, perhaps one of the few places we can save is on groceries. I am well stocked on pretty much everything (well not sandwich meat, but we can work around that) but I do not want to eat down absolutely everything. That would just mean replacing all with more expensive items. So I will continue to buy on sale meats, and stretch them as far as possible. 

I don't know about other countries or provinces here in my own country, but our electrical costs are set to rise. So I am thinking of new ways to cook. Over the past few years we have been slowly moving from CFL (still have some bulbs to use up) to LED saving a bit that way. Eventually I hope to have all switched to LED. They last longer and use less power.

This winter I plan on using my toaster oven and other appliances to cook. Might even purchase a plug in burner to use (or one of the double ones). 

This is another area that we could save a bit. Working on that.

I will continue this for another day....Don't want to scare too many people.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

 

1.  Very warm here today, and I put the A/C up another 1/2 degree. This degree raise should save us a bit on our bill. However from the sounds of it this heat is not going anywhere else fast.

2.  Watering by using the rain barrel. This also gives me a bit of muscle building exercise.

3.  Using up all the leftovers in the fridge. Really working on having no waste months.

4.  The friend I am hemming pajama bottoms for has said she is going to pay me for it. That is a first as she has never even offered to pay me. A little money coming in is a good thing. 

5.  Walking most days early in the morning so that I am not out in the heat.

6.  Put almost my entire allowance for the two weeks previously ($100.00) into my savings envelope and the $4.05 that I found when walking into the change jars.

All in all a pretty frugal week.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saturday Roundup

 

I was in a great deal of shock today when I went shopping. Prices have risen once again. I was very surprised at how much higher certain items were. Eggs went up over a dollar for 18, flour (the least expensive) and already risen two dollars for a large bag. Never mind the cost of meat. I am worried at how those that don't know to budget or have a stocked pantry are going to be able to eat. I know I am lucky in that Harvey pretty much eats whatever is put in front of him, and is willing to try new things. 

This uptick in prices will make budgeting an adventure, but one that I hope to excel at eventually. Also looking forward to getting our garden in and producing.

The week has been one of going over costs, trying to find ways to save a penny here and a dollar there. Small savings add up.

Now that the sun is shining more our gas bill should go down, and that will be fairly large savings. Today however the sun just came out at 4:00 pm so the furnace ran a few times even though it is fairly warm out. 

I finished a scarf this week, started the second one (about 3" completed now), worked a bit on my cross stitch, baked an apple strudel using up more of the frozen pie filling and the remainder of the phyllo pastry sheets. Bread has been baked twice this week and a package of store bought bagels eaten (one left in the freezer that had been bought on sale, but the new price is one that makes me want to try making them at home). 

No real waste this week, and tonight I will use up the remaining mashed potatoes making potato cakes tonight to go with our porkchops and salad. 

I have checked out the Kobo store and there are a couple of frugal living books that are fairly decently priced, so tonight I will download those onto my reader and see if I can find any new tricks.

As far as grocery spending today, not all of this is for food stuffs. I bought some supplements, candles, some stuffing for cushions and a sheet set as well. In Canadian funds I spent $461.13 total. Changed into American funds that is $361.95 and in pounds it is 277.65. While this might sound pretty outrageous, this is for two weeks and in some cases even longer. Some of the supplements I will not have to purchase for over a month. Still I plan on working this down even lower over the coming months. We really do not have great sales here in my city and finding coupons is very difficult. Hence why I try and cut other bills in some fashion. 

Tonight I am doing some appliance cooking once again. Our porkchops are being baked in the toaster oven, salad is resting in the fridge (should be enough made to eat on it for a couple of days), the bread machine was used to make the bread and even bake it (makes a horizontal loaf). I will have to use the stove top to make the potato cakes, but that is only for a few minutes. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thursday Tid Bits

Well, as usual the forecasted storm did not hit here. Instead it moved farther north in the province with the vast majority of the snow hitting north of Regina. We did have lots of cold wind though as well as cold temperatures. Time to get the winter coats, hats, mitts and scarves out and perhaps get the snow blower serviced as well.

Still I had a curl up at home day, which was probably just what I needed. After the basic to do list was finished, and the fridge cleaning done. I settled down with a book for an hour or so. My friend called and I bundled up to join her for a cup of coffee and a natter. Her husband just had shoulder surgery a week ago and is not the ideal patient and it is wearing on her. She needed a break and I gave her one by coming for coffee.

Then it was home, dishes, and pull out the cross stitch. Back stitching seems to make me cross eyed and so I can only manage an hour or two of working on it. 

I then decided to make some plans on how I can cut the grocery bill over the next little while.

Here is what I have tentatively planned...

1.  Buy seasonal fresh veggies, and frozen veggies (peas, corn and beans since those did not grow well in the garden this year). If a good sale comes up for Brussel sprouts, cauliflower, or broccoli then it can be bought.

2.  Make sure all fruit is used up, if it gets a bit old dehydrate it for use in cookies, or as a healthy snack.

3.  Use less meat in my recipes. Lately I have been doing so and Harvey hasn't really noticed.

4.  Try my hand at making my own bagels (I love having a bagel for lunch every so often) and English muffins (another treat that both Harvey and I love).

5.  Add a soup and sandwich supper to the menu rotation at least every two weeks (every week would be better, but I need to gradually do this so Harvey gets used to it). 

6. Use the slow cooker more often. A person can buy less expensive cuts of meat and have them turn out fork tender.

7.  Continue with either fish, or meatless meals every Friday. This is something I have done ever since we got married 41 years ago. 

I am hoping this helps with the budget as things are getting more expensive every week, and if Mr. Trump has his way and gets rid of NAFTA things will be even higher in price (fruit and veggies during the winter). We want to save for our next trip, this time it will be to Greece or Italy, or perhaps both at the same time. Just have to wait and see how much we can save.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

It has been very warm this past week. There has only been one day where we were able to turn on the air conditioning later in the day. So frugal is very important.

1.  Laundry done as frugally as possible. I even hung the towels on the lines (threw them in the dryer just to fluff for 10 min. Harvey hates crunchy towels).

2.  Picked cherries to make wine. Then picked more cherries to make pie filling. I made 4 plastic containers, each of which will make one pie or a couple of crisps. Saved a total of $11.33 by doing this rather than buying canned pie filling from a store..

3  Picked more cherries today to dehydrate tomorrow.

4.  Used up all the cotton yarn ends. I now have 11 dishcloths that I can use as gifts or keep for myself when the others wear out.

5.  I have kept spending as low as possible this week.

6.  Dehydrated herbs for use this winter. Still lots to do though.

Failures......

1.  Ended up tossing some salad fixings.

2.  Costs were a bit higher than planned for the new front steps (but well worth it).

3.  I had bought a pair of sandals at the end of last summer. I can't wear them as they cut my toes (I have wide feet and one foot swells a bit by the end of the day) so they will need to be donated and I ended up buying another pair.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Saving Money on Groceries and Supplies

Today my friend asked me how I saved money on my groceries and other household supplies so I made a list for her. Even if they only pick a few it will help with their budget.

Then I thought I would share my tips with all of you, though I am pretty sure everyone already knows them.

1.  Clip coupons and use them. I used to clip all sorts of coupons and then only use about 1/4 of them. Now I find myself clipping or printing out coupons for those things I will use or want to try. Combined with a sale on the item you can save a great deal.

2.  Only go grocery shopping once a week. This is something I have always done, and when we lived 30 miles out of town I would only shop every second week. Combine your errands on your shopping day to save even more. By only shopping once a week I think my friend could get her grocery budget in shape (her hubby is running to the grocery store every second day...and you know those extras that seem to find their way into your cart can add up).

3.  Don't eat out, order in or get fast food as often. This is something the two of them do at least 3 times a week. I told her we eat out maybe once a month (sometimes twice) and it is usually brunch after Mass. Breakfast is the most inexpensive meal of the day.

4.  Make sure you eat before grocery shopping. Hunger makes a person pick up snack type items.

5.  Plan your weeks meals using store fliers, adding in whatever you have in your pantry that needs to be used up.

6.  Make a grocery list before you leave the house. I usually factor in a bit extra spending to keep my pantry and freezer well stocked.

7.  Get comfortable cooking. Cooking meals at home is the best way to save. I could even say get comfortable baking. Homemade bread is about half the cost of a loaf of store bought. Squares that a person would pay upwards of $6.00 can be made at home for a fraction of that cost, and you get a great deal more.

8.  Avoid prepackaged and frozen meals. My friend buys a great many frozen pizzas, I told her to make her own crust (they do have a bread maker and there are many recipes) and top it just the way she would like it.

9.  Make recipes with basic ingredients. Learn how to cook beans from dry, use eggs, fresh veggies and fruit in season, pasta, tuna, and oatmeal. All are inexpensive and can be made into wonderfully filling meals.

10.  Start a garden and learn to freeze the excess veggies.

11.  Buy in bulk those items you are sure to use up. If you let something get old, you lose any savings.

12.  Stock up and freeze any really good buys. This means know your prices and a good sale when you see one. I told her that we spent today slicing up bulk sandwich meat buys. In just slicing our own roast beef, and chicken we saved at least $50.00, and have enough sandwich meat in sealed bags in the freezer to last us for a couple of months.

13.  Prepare extra batches of food when cooking. Being able to pull a casserole, or container of chili out of the freezer when you are tired or hungry makes it easier to say no to eating out.

14.  Use your slow cooker. It saves time, energy and your meal is ready when you get home from work.

15.  Cut down on coffee, soft drinks, and bottled water. We have a water dispenser in our fridge that gives us cold, filtered water at the press of a button. We also have a Brita water filter we use in our coffee pot. We have cut down on coffee, never buy bottled water, and have cut back on soft drinks as well.

16.  Try generic brand products. Some are actually very tasty.

17.  Shop the farmer's market in the summer. There are great deals on fresh veggies to be had if you do not have a garden.

18.  Start to like leftovers. My friends' husband so does not like leftovers that many get thrown out. What a waste! Some foods taste so much better the second time around.

19.  Baking soda and vinegar aren't just for cooking. Get the most out of these items by using them for cleaners rather than buy the "advertised" cleaners.

I hope this list helps her (well I know it will help her, providing she can get hubby to join in).

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Update, New Goals, And Trying To Spend Less

First an update on how well I did with my goals last month.

1.  Take down Christmas decorations. Done

2.  Cut out three tops. Done

3.  Sew two tops. Lost my sewing mojo, so am concentrating on other hobbies until I get it back.

4.  List Messy Bun/Pony Tail Hats for sale. Pictures taken, and I have them on one site. Will add to other sights later.

5.  Declutter. On going and will give a total for last month under Project Declutter.

6.  Burn our Spain/Portugal holiday and other pictures to CD. Done

7.  Work on projects to use inherited yarn, and cross stitch/embroidery items. Working on this, one cross stitch work done, and lots of bits of inherited yarn being used up in those knitted squares.

8.  Have 20 no spend days this month.  I made 23 no spend days this month. Of course the weather helped a great deal. Who wants to be out and about when it is -50 C with the wind chill.

This month saw me removing 276 items from the house. Most of this consisted of knitting magazines collected over the years. I removed those patterns that I thought I might use, and recycled the magazines to the schools to use in their art programs.

Now on to this months goals.

1.  Hopefully my sewing mojo returns as sewing those tops is a goal for this month.

2.  I want to continue knitting squares with bits and bobs of inherited yarn and yarn leftover from other projects. Hoping to get a blanket or two made.

3.  Finish another inherited cross stitch kit. The one I pulled out should compliment the lilies and look good as a cushion also.

4.  Continue Project Declutter.

5.  I would like to have 20 no spend days this month.

Now on to a challenge that will continue for the whole of this year. I really want to see how much I can cut certain budget lines by. This year I am going to concentrate on the electric bill, the gas bill, the water bill and groceries. While we were under last year in all these categories, I would like to see if I can manage to get them even lower. It may take some creative ideas, and me running behind Harvey and shutting off lights, but I think I can do it.

Last month we were $37.00 under budget for power, $35.00 for gas, and $142.00 for groceries. Water is every two months so I will need to wait a bit for that one. I do know we will be over this month for groceries, but that will be because of our stock up shop at Costco and another warehouse type grocery. Wish me luck as things could get a bit tricky if the weather gets really cold.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thursday Tid Bits

Thank you one and all for your comments. I have decided to just step back and let my friend try and handle her husband and his spending/giving money to the kids habit. I did help her set up a menu for the upcoming week (even gave her ideas for the leftovers, since her Hubby does not like eating frozen items....says the flavour changes). We even pulled out her bread machine and I got her started on making bread at least once a week (hopefully they will love it so much that bread machine will be used more often).

Tomorrow I am going to show her how to thread her sewing machine and do some minor repairs. D always takes her mending in to the seamstress here in the city and I want to show her how hemming, sewing on buttons, or even fixing a seam can save her lots of cash in the long run.

I figure that the more I show her how to watch the pennies without pushing a budget the more likely it will be that D can get her husband to climb on the frugal train. I am hoping that eventually they will both learn that just because you are frugal, it doesn't mean you can't have fun or that you are cheap.

Next week I hope to introduce her to not grabbing something to eat on the way home from appointments, or because she (and he) are too tired to cook.

The rest of the day has been spent here on the old homestead. Quiet, plenty of tea, a glass of wine with Hubby before supper, and lots of knitting.

I managed to get a bit of decluttering accomplished in my closet. As I folded items to place in the bag/bags I thought to myself that I could really get along with much less in the way of dressy clothing. Perhaps that will be something to think about. Yes, skirts, tops, and simple dresses are extremely easy for me to sew, but perhaps I should be sewing things like pants, shorts and t-shirts instead. My lifestyle has changed and it is probably time that my closet and drawers showed this.

Worked on a couple of lists today. I figured out the extra cleaning I want to get completed next month, and got a good start on my monthly goal list. I am also getting ready to start another price book. I used one when I first started on my journey, and over the last few years I kind of laid it aside. With prices going up it will be nice to have something with which to check sale prices. I may be traveling to more than one grocery store once again.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

A Bit Of A Break

Not from blogging, but from the extremely cold weather we had for the last couple of weeks.

Today we got to work around the yard a bit, getting rid of snow on the roof, on the deck, and clearing some ice out of the gutters. In fact it got so warm the snow has started to melt, and water was running out the downspouts. I even got my early morning walk in since it was so nice.

The rest of the day was spent working on getting the sewing/craft room straightened out (a never ending task it seems) and those tops cut out. I can now start to sew them up tomorrow, thus finishing another goal.

The cross stitch is completed, and pictures will be posted one of these days soon. I think I will make a pillow out of it as I have another flower type cross stitch ready to go once the sewing is done. Two new pillows will brighten up the living room a bit.

I have been a good girl for the past few weeks. Nothing new has been bought, I have stuck to using things up as much as possible, stuck to my grocery list, and ran around turning off lights in rooms not in use (something Harvey seems to have a bit of a problem with once again). This will continue until the end of the month, we want to make a stock up trip to the capital (get to visit with Kris as well) and it will be a spendy one. We are running low on many basic items and for some reason those basics do not seem to be going on sale. I am also running out of certain thread colours and flosses (not so much fabric and yarn, but one never knows) so I am hoping to run into a good sale at Fabricland and at Michael's.

We also want to look at dehydrators. I would like a bigger one so that the two smaller ones we have can be donated, or in the case of one sent to the recycling depot. The ones I have do not have a temperature control and that is something I could really use when making jerky or drying herbs.

So my list is going to be made over the next few weeks and we will be set for the rest of the winter. I find that this stocking up every three months or so really helps out with the budget overall. The expense for that one month can be scary, but the next few months are very low. I do understand that this does not work for everyone, but it does work for us.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Sunday Ramblings

Well here are the next two chapters in my frugal reading material.

Chapter 7

This is about looking after your furnace and air conditioning.

Air Conditioning

Try and have shade around your home as the air conditioning will run less. We found this out after cutting down the huge poplars down one side of our city lot. Our window air conditioners run much longer now. No central air here on the homestead as of yet. That is something we will safe up for later. Right now the window unit and built in wall unit are doing well. We also added some insulated drapes which help keep the house cooler in the summer and warmer in the winter.

When we did the renovations the first time around the old windows were replaced with more energy efficient ones. We also made the front window with the ability to open on two sides. Now we can take advantage of cool breezes during the warmer months.

The author says to make sure your window units are clean. This is something Harvey does every time we put them back in (yes we do remove or cover them during the winter). The screens are washed, filters cleaned and the machines are blown out with the air compressor.

So nothing very new in this chapter.

Heating systems came next.

On sunny days we throw open the insulated drapes on the south facing window and the furnace stays off or comes on rarely. We take advantage of Mother Natures natural heating and lighting. Take today for instance, the last time the new furnace came on was at around 10 am. It has been off ever since and the temperature in the house is still sitting at 22 C. Cha ching money in our pocket instead of the gas and electric company.

The draft dodgers will be pulled out shortly and placed in front of the doors every night. One sits in front of a door we don't use all the time.

Every second year Harvey checks all the weather stripping on the doors and replaces any that need to be replaced. He also checks the caulking around the windows in behind the trim.

We re-insulated a few years ago so hopefully that will not have to be done again for awhile.

We do push back our furnace tune ups and that is something we will be doing more often with this new furnace. Keeping it clean will make it run more efficiently, and save us money in the long run. One more new tip to incorporate into our frugal plan.

The author talks about vacuuming and washing your vents regularly. I have gotten out of the habit of doing this so will add this to my monthly cleaning plan. Keeping furniture away from the vents will also enable the furnace to run at a lower cost.

The author says that perhaps one of the best pieces of frugal advice is to get a programmable thermostat. We have one which we keep at a temperature of 21C. When we both worked the thermostat was turned down during the time we were gone and about an hour before we got home the temperature would gradually go back up. Sorry, just can't do the lowering of temperature at night. That toilet seat is mighty cold in the middle of the night.

The author says that ceiling fans according to some experts can save up to $500 a year on heating and cooling costs. I do know that having ours on in the summer does make us feel much cooler. Perhaps it's time to give them a try during the winter, to push down all the risen heated air. A second tip to add to the list.

We are slowly changing all our CFL's to LED bulbs. It is taking awhile but when we switched from regular bulbs to CFL's we noticed a difference and we are hoping for the same savings when all the bulbs are LED. I like the light from LED's much better.

Our outdoor lighting around the doors are CFL's but are garden and deck lighting is all solar!! Love it. We get enough light to make our way around the garden and yard, but not so much that we are blinded.

We turn off lights in rooms not in use, and have timers on lights in the bedroom so I don't fall asleep and leave the lights on.

Chapter 8 is all about DIY.

Making my home cleaners is something I already do. I don't make all of them, but enough to keep the cost down. Some things just do not come clean with our very hard water no matter how much elbow grease a person uses.

The author writes about Dryel Kits. I tried them back when I was buying clothing that was dry clean only..... I was not very happy with the results. Gradually over the years we have gotten away from buying clothing that needs to be dry cleaned, and I have found with my new washer that the woolen cycle works wonders on those items that I would still take to the cleaners.

Harvey does most of his own plumbing and easy electrical work (changing plugs, putting in a toilet or tub, changing faucets, that kind of thing). He has also laid tile, carpet, vinyl, and laminate flooring. He even learned to dry wall!! However as we age we do notice it takes a lot longer to get things done. That's why we are always happy to have our sons help and they are more than willing to lend a hand.

I took Home Economics when growing up. I learned sewing and basic cooking techniques. This has come in handy over the years and I must say I am getting a bit more adventurous in the cooking department (especially baking).

Mom used to darn socks and I inherited her darning kit. I have darned many a sock, much to Harvey's enjoyment (he thinks I am weird).

Mom knit all our sweaters growing up and taught my sister and I. I love being able to knit gifts for my family and friends at a fraction of the cost.

The author talks a great deal about no cost or low cost classes to learn new skills. Learning something new that can improve your living situation is always a good thing.

Those skills that our parents, grandparents and great grandparents used each and every day are wonderful skills to have.

I now have a few more frugal ideas to try and make a part of my every day life.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Friday

The end of the first week of November and the beginning of winter. With prices going up we are going to have to watch what we spend and the costs of keeping warm this winter. Especially since our power company does 2 months of estimates before they do a reading of our electrical usage. This month our bill is very high, the company estimated way over what we really used. Hopefully we can keep our usage down and get a bill where they owe us money instead of the other way around.

I have been turning off lights in rooms not in use, turning our heat down in the bedroom, keeping the heat at just below what would be 70, watching what I spend on groceries and Christmas gifts, and what could be our biggest frugal move staying out of stores.

So far this month I have managed 5 days where I have not spent any money what so ever. Hubby did spend today, but it is the first day he has spent money this month. Pretty proud of him as it is usually me trying to stay out of stores and such.

I worked one day this week and brought a bit of cash in. Nice as extra money at this time of year is a very good thing.

Using up all leftovers, I do want a zero waste week badly.

Hubby got the snow blower working without resorting to taking it to someone to fix. He also covered the air conditioner we have built into the wall. 

I made a grocery list and for the most part stuck to it. There were some great sales on a couple of items that made it into my basket. I even used a high value coupon and we received another batch of high value coupons that I can use a bit later.

I did my surveys and scanning, receiving another 600 pts. I am almost up to what I need for a Pandora bracelet. Hopefully I will reach that mark by the end of the year.

I only have a couple of extra cleaning jobs to do this month, and hopefully will have a couple (or more of my goals met very soon). Staying home at this time of year seems to keep me on track.

I have finished the back, left side and started the right side of Hubby's Christmas cardigan. I am hoping to get the right side and at least one sleeve done by the end of this week.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thursday Tid Bits

It seems like winter is once again slowly arriving. I woke up to snow this morning which made it just lovely to head out and get my little bit of shopping done. But I did venture out and managed to get everything done. Heck, I even managed to buy gifts for my two brothers. Christmas shopping is now done!!

It is hard to buy for my brothers as they are big men. One considerably big so when and if I can find something other than socks that fit them in the cart it goes. This year I was very lucky. I managed to find Henley shirts for both of them for under my budget. One is getting a greenish colour and the other is getting a smokey blue.

The rest of the day was spent reading blogs I follow, posting on a frugal forum I am part of, doing a few household chores (as usual), reading a few chapters of my book on my ereader, and doing some knitting (which I will go back to as soon as I am finished here). So all rather boring and laid back.

I did get some good grocery deals on some steaks and a pork roast. Love a good deal. My total grocery bill was $95.78 and I saved $12.27. Not as much as I would have liked but since I used my Visa to buy said groceries I will be getting another 2% back at the end of the year and since I am a Co-op member, well come July there will be another 4% back on top of the 2% on the card.

Saving money where I can means a great deal when one is on a fixed income and the holidays are coming up.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.