Five Frugal Things -- Cold Weather Calls for Soup!
1. I took advantage of non-rainy weather to walk an overdue book to the library. It turned out to be bitingly cold and windy, but I persevered and adjusted my pace to rush the errand.
I added clamshell plastics recycling to my route and gave myself credit as if I'd traversed a blizzard. People talking about "romanticizing your life," but apparently I'm working to make "catastrophize your life" popular. Join in, it'll be super fun!
2. I took the remaining dregs of a Costco rotisserie chicken to create a batch of Mexican chicken soup. My Instant Pot worked overtime to cook both the black beans and then the chicken and broth, but it'll feed us for at least three days. Portland's pervasive "cold and wet" is still "cold."
I'd share the recipe, but it was a "bit of this, bit of that" situation.
3. I've been struggling to fix my vacuum cleaner, which was clearly hiding a clog. Mind you, I've been maintaining this appliance since 2001 and consider myself an expert on this specific model. However, it took me three (THREE!) lengthy repair sessions to locate the issue -- which was just a clog in an obscure spot, requiring removal of multiple parts to access.
It now functions as well as the day I bought it and if you spy me walking around with a spring in my step, you'll know why.
4. I stopped into Fred Meyer (Kroger) on my way home from the library to scope out their clearance section. After all, I'm rich with a $30 gift card, thanks to the American Red Cross! The produce clearance shelf was empty and the clearance canned goods were decidedly lackluster. I walked out empty handed with gift card intact.
5. I walked past a mother and daughter selling Girl Scout cookies and donated five dollars to their troop instead of buying a box. I don't love kids having to sell things to fund their activities, so I usually donate directly to the cause instead of having a small percentage of my dollars serve their mission.
There's a lot of profit made off youth fundraising that doesn't support the actual nonprofits. As I mentioned, it was cold and windy out yesterday and this kid looked miserable.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
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I too usually just donate $$ to the cause (for Girl Scouts cookies and Boy Scouts popcorn and other organizations ) rather than purchase "stuff" or overpriced food I don't need. I have always disliked having to shake down friends and neighbors and the general public to support otherwise valuable programs. I understand the value of the PR and public facing aspect - but I don't like it.
1. I got a 16 lb bag of Friskies kibble on Nextdoor neighbor.
2. On my evening walk I spied a box of free dishes. I went back w/ my car to get them. My current dishes are a mish mash of patterns. I'm going to use the new to me white dishes & donate the mismatched ones.
3. I curb picked some clothes. A comfy flannel shirt and a sweater.
4. I repotted some house plants that were root bound. I asked the husband if we had spare pots and potting soil. He said "no". I went to the garage & rummaged around. I found everything I needed. I also found some saucers for the flowerpots. I'm glad I checked 1st before I bought more garden supplies.
5. I trash picked a storage tub on wheels w/ a lid. The tub will work well to store the dry cat food in. It will also prevent the cats from getting into the cat food by ripping thru the sack.
How fun to have free a new set of dishes without spending any money!
I am excited!
I too usually just donate $$ to the cause (for Girl Scouts cookies and Boy Scouts popcorn and other organizations ) rather than purchase "stuff" or overpriced food I don't need. I have always disliked having to shake down friends, neighbors and the general public to support otherwise valuable programs. I understand the value of the PR and public facing aspect - but I don't like it.
Just let us support the causes, or better yet fund things properly so they don't require additional fundraising.
When my daughter was in Girl Scouts, I was shocked at how little they earned per box sold. It’s great when someone donates cash! Though the cookies are expensive, at least they are a decent product. Boy Scouts sell overpriced popcorn that tends to be stale! There’s a reason the girls have an easier time selling their product.
It's so satisfying to fix an appliance!
1) Still lying low after recent dental surgery. Only left the house to mail eBay sales. Didn't feel up to other stops so it was a very short trip. I'm saving a lot of gas, at least.
2) Batch cooked some soft foods. Beef and bean burritos with gifted hamburger, dry bean cooked in the crock pot and frozen into portions, onions from the freezer, and can of tomato sauce. They turned out delicious. What didn't fit into the tortillas I had on hand got mixed with precooked rice from the freezer and turned into rice bowls.
3) My outfit today was almost entirely secondhand or old. Socks, pants, scarf, and hat were past Xmas gifts, shirt at least four years old, hoodie was a hand-me-down, down vest bought secondhand years ago. I made the apron I wore to cook when I was ten for a 4-H project. My other aprons are all hand-me-downs from family. Yesterday I got a giant box of good-quality work clothes from a family member who loves to shop and then declutter. Yay for free business casual clothes!
4) Most of the dishes and cooking utensils I use are gifted, thrifted, or hand-me-downs. Mixing bowls from my grandmother via a cousin, plates from a friend who downsized, even some trash-picked items that I rescued and kept in circulation.
5) Added a few more items to eBay. I made another sale this morning, so it's working.
Bonus: cut up pasteboard food boxes to make postcards to send to legislators. I have a lot of gifted stamps. I'm putting them to use to let my lawmakers know what I care about.
Sorry about the dental surgery, but hooray for comfortable secondhand clothing!
I love your idea to cut up pasteboard food boxes for post cards for legislators. In Canada we can mail our federal Members of Parliament for FREE - I should be doing this more!!! just write the address and NO STAMP REQUIRED>
Plus Girl Scouts are a wonderful organization, which is not true of the Boy Scouts.
Today was cold and snowy, so it seemed like a perfect soup day. Just like Katy, we took some leftovers and changed them into soup - vegetable deer with leftover roast deer and potatoes, adding in home canned green beans, extra potatoes, corn, and carrots. I made a pone of cornbread to go with it, and it was honestly one of the best pots of soup EVAH!
We did some organizing of our food again today, and while going through the snack cabinet, I found 3 opened bags of pretzels (two were from our gingerbread house making party) so we made Chex Mix but just with pretzels and about a quarter cup of peanuts left from some mixed nuts (also found on the snack cabinet). It was also delicious!
For a late night snack (after the pretzels lol), I had some of the carrots that didn’t make it to the soup with a little cup of ranch dressing leftover from fast food.
You are a leftovers wizard!
As someone who was standing outside a grocery store selling Girl Scout cookies today, thank you for your support of Girl Scouts! We get $1/box so your donation was equivalent to buying 5 boxes (which would have cost you $35!) We also had a couple people donate to our booth today rather than buy cookies and it was very kind of them.
1) My mom has multiple neighbors leaving extra lemons on her porch. She gave me a bag of them because she can’t use that many of them. I’ve been enjoying them in my sparkling water.
2) We had a busy day selling cookies and then a playdate at a playground, I was tempted to get takeout but just put some Morningstar chicken patties and curly fries in the oven and steamed some broccoli and carrots to go with it. Probably easier than takeout and definitely cheaper.
3) My sister stayed at our house while we were out of town. She brought all her own food and then left some behind for us. I used the mushrooms she left along with some mushrooms I’d bought awhile ago that I needed to use to make a big jar of mushroom gravy. I chopped up the package of cooked beets she left and added them to the Buddha bowls I’d made for my lunches this week. I still need to use the bag of spring mix she left but it looks to be in pretty good shape still, not wilted or slimy.
4) After seeing a few comments about selling books to ThriftBooks, I downloaded the app and started scanning books here. I’ll get about $20 for everything, which doesn’t seem like much given how many books it is, but better than the $0 I’d get if I did nothing.
5) My 5 year old does not have a very good concept of money. She has money given to her by relatives but she’s never spent it, when she asks for things she just says she’ll put them on her Christmas or birthday list. There was something she wanted today though and I told her she could use her own money and she was finally interested. There were many options for the thing she wanted though so I talked to her about how to research and think carefully before deciding and she actually did it! I was really surprised, she was looking through pictures for each option and asking me “what’s the rating?” It was a good way to start teaching some money skills.
So smart to start teaching money principles.
Good for you for number 5. A friend is currently a cookie grandma and if her granddaughter's troop does not sell Girl Scout cookies they are not allowed to raise funds in any other way. In our area o the country the council makes most of the money on cookie sales. It feels like the scouts are being used. I generally donate directly to the troop as well. I asked my niece the other day if I can donate directly to the PTA at her daughter's school. They are having the students sell candy. It's $20 for each small item. Of course it is the company behind the sales that is making the most money.
1. A neighbor had a package of frozen hamburgers they were not going to eat. I agreed to take them and I will brown them and mix them with ground chicken for chili and burrito bowls. I gave them some roasted butternut squash chunks since I had baked a bunch to use squash that were starting to get wrinkles.
2. DH fixed DD's dishwasher. It was not draining as a small round piece of plastic was wedged in the drain pipe.
3. We stopped at Grocery Outlet and bought grain free granola and yogurt. Both were substantially cheaper than in a regular grocery store.
4. We celebrated our short term liberation from snow and ice by walking on the local Trolley Trail. They don't clear it but Mother Nature finally did the job. That was on Saturday. Yesterday we received more snow.
5. I made a batch of cookies using a recipe that called for Craisins and oatmeal, both of which I purchase cheaply.
There are so many predatory companies that profit off of schools being underfunded.
FFT and maybe a fail.
1. Got 10 free packages of vegetable seeds from my library's seed library. It's in the 20's here this morning so I won't be planting them any time soon, but I am ready when the weather breaks.
2. Hubby and I stayed in all day Sunday and read books. Mine from the library and his a gift from a friend. When hubby finished his book I check it on Thriftbooks, and it was one they want, so I will keep it until I get enough to reach their bay back threshold.
3. My mom gifted us a couple coffee pods to sample. They are the kind with the filter bottom vs. the plastic bottom. I am going to be doing a class on kokedama at the library and I think these little pods might work great for constructing tiny ones. Less mess and no need to purchase mesh bags. I love green crafting and upcycling.
4. Working on planning our family vacations for the year. We have taken 4 trips to Europe and several domestic since 2023, and I planned and booked them all. At first I was nervous about not having all the ETAs and paperwork, and wondered if we should use a travel agent, but knock on wood so far so good. Anyway I borrowed a 2026 travel book from the library, and decided one of our trips will be to the Williamette Wine region. I was considering Napa or Sonoma, but after reading about Williamette it sounds less crowded, less expensive, and just as beautiful ❤️.
5. My friend who scraps metal also rescues anything else he thinks is valuable from the curb. He gave me some beautiful coffee table sized books. Upon going through them I found a pencil signed etching, and Google lens helped me identify it. It's by an artist that worked at Rookwood Pottery. I listed it on eBay for $225 and immediately received an offer of $150. I couldn't decide weather to take it, and ended up countering $175 which was not accepted....I am thinking I probably should have taken $150. It has 5 watchers so I am hoping it still sells. Hoping for a frugal win vs. a fail.
I live in the heart of the Willamette Valley wine country. It is beautiful and only an hour to the beach and a few hours to the mountains. So many great communities to visit.
How is it to live there? My husband is trying to convince me that we should move there and farm. Are people friendlier than in Portland?
What month would be best to come? I was thinking June or Sept/Oct? Spring for gorgeous greenery or Fall for autumn colors?
Hi Johanna,
I live in the upper Willamette Valley. June can be rainy; and, realistically so can September or October. However, I’d opt for September or October. We had the most gorgeous fall foliage this year, but not until the end of October and into the first week of November. We can still get some very warm days during any of those months, although not usually October.
Definitely plan on visiting the coast! Highway 26 west to Seaside/Cannon Beach will take you over the coastal range past Camp 18. That’s a fun stop. The food is excellent, but not super budget friendly. They have an outdoor “museum” of logging equipment and the building itself is something to behold. If nothing else, get one of their mammoth cinnamon rolls to go and split it among yourselves. Also, if you can, try out a restored McMenamin’s establishment. They are located all over the length of the valley! Again, good food, local brews, not super budget friendly … but, the atmosphere and art work is just so PNW and quirky! The Tillamook Creamery in Tillamook is a wonderful stop. You can see the cheese-making process. Also, in Tillamook is a the Latimer Quilt Museum … small, but really neat. There’s also the Tillamook Air Museum showcasing blimps, but it was damaged earlier this winter during a storm. In McMinnville, there is the Evergreen Aviation and Space Museum. It is awesome! It houses Howard Hughes Blue Spruce along with so much more. They do give a military discount. The lighthouses are so interesting along the coast and the Aquarium in Newport is definitely worthwhile … again, not cheap. In the fall you’ll encounter roadside produce stands along with farmer’s markets and lots of food carts!
Thanks so much for the advice and tips!! Made me even more sure this is the trip for us!!!
Ooh . . . let us know when it sells!
Acclimating to home again -- I went through my mail and there were two very important items -- my new driver's license (real ID), and my ballot for our primary election on March 17. I've already filled out the ballot and it's ready to take to the post office. Our mayor is running for Congress and I'm excited about that! He would be great. I hope he wins.
I forgot to mention that I came home with a quart of chicken noodle soup from my convalescing friend, who received way too much food -- and she's picky, so I'm afraid a lot of it will be thrown out. I'm always glad to add free food to my larder -- in this case, to my freezer. I would have taken more, but she didn't offer. I'm glad I rescued this much!
Today I will do some laundry, take a walk, buy a few groceries, pay some bills. The stuff of life. It's good to be home.
Good to be home and good to enjoy some delicious free food!
1. I used a 40% off coupon my mom gave me to buy two bags of dog food at the pet store. My mom no longer has pets and couldn't use the coupon. I saved $60.
2. I combined this errand to pick up my granddog for our weekly sleepover. I braved the cold weather and inches of snow to add to the drama.
3. I made dog ice cream using pre-made yogurt. It's more expensive that way but still a great savings over buying the store ice cream.
4. I finished reading a library book on my Kindle. It was The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick and if you haven't read it, it was really good.
I really enjoyed The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick. I recommend The Woman on Platform Two by Laura Anthony.
Thanks. I added that to my wishlist.
Thanks for the book tip, I've put it on hold at the library.
I also really enjoyed Book Club for Troublesome Women!
My fur baby loves his grandparents so much, I love that you have a weekly sleepover !
I also don't need to be eating Girl Scout cookies, so well done you on funding the activities without needing to contribute to the overhead or bring home any temptations.
1) Made chicken broth from a Costco rotisserie chicken.
2) Did some meal prep yesterday, knowing I"m going to a workout class tomorrow & will be pressed for time. Deboned the Costco chicken & baked a package of bacon. The rest of the recipe should come together easily after this.
3) Noticed that DS20 has been eating out more between classes, so picked up sandwich fixings for easy lunches for him.
4) Once again booked flights for DS20 to use up a credit (I've done this with everyone else, as the reservations have to be done separately due to credits in each of our names). I will cancel as it gets closer & rebook on a trip we are actually taking. This extends the duration of the credit. We will be going to Portland this summer to the Oregon coast with my parents/sister, so the credits will be used.
5) The weather was nice in the bay area, so DH grilled burgers using patties we had in the freezer.
Ooh . . . that's a good tip for extending an airline credit!
Good on you for donating to the Girl Scouts.
We have an aquarium skimmer (small net) that we use to scoop debris from our hot tub. Ten years ago our puppy chewed the netting, so I replaced it with mesh fabric cut from a pair of thrift-store gym shorts. This week that netting finally tore. I didn't have any more gym short fabric, so I sewed on a double layer of netting from a bag of cuties. My husband and I laughed -- but seriously -- why toss out something you can repair?
Pork loin was on sale for $1.99/lb. I purchased an almost 6 pound loin and cut it into 6 chops and canned 4 pints of chunks. We take the chunks camping -- they are ideal for taco bowls or tacos.
I challenged myself to knit a sweater during the Olympics, since I was planted on the couch watching for hours every day. I finished the sweater Friday. I knit it from yarn I bought last year for another project and ended up frogging (unraveling) halfway through. It worked better for this sweater, but I decided I didn't like the color. I had some leftover blue dye powder -- just enough for one garment. The sweater came out a beautiful robin's egg blue and I like it much better now. Plus, it used up that dye powder that had been sitting around for a few years.
A friend gifted me a pouch of Bob's Red Mill brownie mix. She bought it thinking it was gluten free, but it wasn't.
I love that you now have an Olympics-knit sweater!
I hated selling stuff as a kid. I agree, it's much better to simply give a donation and let them have all the money for their cause.
1) I made "Poulet a la creme" yesterday, which sounds fancy and tastes fancy but is cheap and easy -- chicken simmered in broth with mushrooms, then add a splash of cream to make a thin gravy at the end. We ate it over mashed potatoes with green beans, harvested from last summer's garden.
2) Since I thawed and opened up a pack of chicken, I seasoned and used the air fryer to "roast" the remaining pieces before returning them to the freezer. Future me will thank me for the prepared pasta, salad, and burrito protein option.
3) I made a spice cake version of the depression era crazy cake. I doubled the recipe for a 9x13 pan since we have two perpetually starving college kids in the house.
4) I helped my son's girlfriend alter two pairs of jeans that were just a little too tight in the waist. We went through my fabric stash to find some cool fabric that matches her style vibe, then I taught her how to split the side seams to add in the triangles of fabric. We also did some cut-out style patching around small holes using the same fabric as a peek-a-boo backing. She now has wearable jeans again, no money was spent, and she gained some new skills.
5) Our older son's partner has a birthday this week. I spent some time on Pinterest looking for inspiration. He is a tea fanatic, so I decided to make him tea-bag shaped shortbread cookies (with cutesy tags from my paper stash), and I will hand blend a rose hip and black tea blend from my foraged and garden grown herb stash. I have a box of old and beautiful but not valuable tea cups I picked up at an estate sale years ago for $5 that I have been slowly using for gifts and craft projects, so I will pick out a nice cup and saucer to create a little gift basket.
That's so kind of you to pass on your tailoring knowledge!
You sound like a great mom to your adult kids!!
After three failed dishwasher loads, I tried different detergent first, then went to my Mr. Fix it u tube channel and 2 hrs later, the load came out gleaming! You don't need whiskers for that!
We hosted an early brunch for the USA hockey game and the closing ceremonies. I made "go for gold orange rolls" and 3 pounds of bacon, it was potluck, so the kitchen table was full. We had 23 plus a few drop ins. So fun!
I combined 5 stops into one trip to town. I now keep a box of books in the back seat for when I happen upon a Little free library.
Started more veggie seeds in the greenhouse. I love working in there during the rainy season.
I love that you're peppering books into various free libraries!
Despite life being upside down right now (one kid with a new diagnosis, lots of recovery time), I managed a few frugal things, which makes me feel as if there's a light at the end of the tunnel! Here we go:
1. DH offered to pick up takeout for everyone tonight, but instead I opted to head to the grocery store yesterday in chilly weather to pick up chicken and broccoli for a healthier dinner tonight. I also ran other errands--post office, library, food pantry deliveries--while I was out.
2. At the library I actually borrowed a book for the first time in a month! It's been a while since I've had time to do so.
3. Managed to give home haircuts to two family members--the ones most in need--and that felt really good. Again, it's been about a month.
4. During a recent power outage that happened right at dinnertime, DH used our generators to keep the taco meat hot in the slow cooker AND power the rice cooker AND the fridges so we didn't lose any food!
5. We've been using the games we have on hand to keep our recovering patient distracted and entertained, along with fully utilizing our Paramount Plus subscription to watch all of Star Trek: The Next Generation. Pretty sure we're getting more than our money's worth with it!
That's great that you didn't lose any food!
1. Using coupons and ExtraCare points at CVS, my bill went from $20.98 down to $5.03.
2. I use a piece of plastic netting to scrub dishes. When it gets dirty or full of food, I toss it in the dishwasher or the washing machine with a load of towels. No dryer, of course. Comes out like New.
3. I'm making stir-fry chicken and veggies over rice for dinner. I didn't have much teriyaki sauce left in the bottle to marinade the food in so I added water and swished it around then poured it over everything. Should be fine.
4. Snowbound by the East Coast Nor'easter, I'm staying in, reading a library book and watching an old movie on Turner Classic Movies. I can't go anywhere anyway due to snowdrifts partway up the door and the governor has called a state of emergency and wants people off the roads so the snowplowers can do their cleanup. No money spent.
5. Tonight the temps drop back into the teens. The thermostat will stay at 60 with the help of an extra blanket.
You're doing your civic duty by having a cozy day in, thank you for your service!
1. My last bins trip yielded very little to write home about. I found a brand new Melissa & Doug sticker book for my toddlers birthday , 4 pair of bombas for myself (retail 20 dollars each), a handful of board books , tiny toddler uggs (retail 120!) and a handful of things to resell. Some thrift trips aren’t great and that’s part of the game !
2. I am currently 5 days post op from excision surgery. Staying in bed happens to be very frugal. Also boring …
3. I don’t have much of an appetite, but have had several friends drop off meals and treats . My husband, mom and toddler have enjoyed multiple meals and I have enjoyed the talenti.
4. Wearing my glasses instead of contacts so I’m able to nap whenever. Saving contacts = saving cash!
5. I don’t yet have the energy to photograph, but making listing drafts while I’m laying around in bed. I did make sales this weekend that my husband packaged up for me , and scheduled a pickup usps pickup for today.
I'm hoping that you heal quickly. I am sure that Talenti has healing properties. I'm jealous that you found Bombas socks. I've only found one and I bought it because I'm hoping someday to find another. LOL
Another ex girl scout here. Back in my day we sold them for 35 cents a box and we went door to door for presale only. We also sold local calendars to $1.00. Scary to think of doing that today.
1. Finally feeling better and headed over the mountain pass to see my mom. A very sudden hail and snowstorm dumped 3 inches of snow on the road in 8 minutes – as the road was just starting to climb. Traffic slowed to a crawl then a dead stop, more snow falling. I could see at the corner ahead big trucks jackknifed.
Luckily I was almost at the end of a highway barrier, and after I jumped out of my truck and knocked on the windows of a few vehicles ahead of me, they too turned around and I was able to follow them back the other way. I needed to go into 4X4 because the road was so slick, drove back home very carefully with windshield wipers keeping time. Kind of shaken, haven't had that kind of road experience in decades. I'll see Mom in a few days, instead.
2. Made more instant pot black beans and rice cooker rice, to stock the fridge.
Cooked up another dozen of the vinegared eggs. Roommate brought home some really lovely ciabatta buns so I made up more egg salad for us all to enjoy.
3. I was supposed to attend a two day workshop an hour North of my home, but decided to not go as I still am out of spoons. This is frugal as it saves on Gas and Parking, however I'm having an interesting internal conversation about the need to be realistic about the commitments I am making for myself.
No longer a spring chicken, I don't spring back when I overdo it or get sick (or break a bone, apparently). However, I am also not being completely honest with myself about my capacity when an opportunity arises for me to do something.
So, currently, I am noticing that Past EcoTeri has been making commitments that Current EcoTeri doesn't have the inner resources to honour. THIS IS HARD. I am trying, going forward, to only make a commitment for a thing if I would be willing to do it right now. It is sobering when I do that because Right Now I often am spoonless and would struggle to show up. Hence, the need to not commit so much. Does anyone else have this challenge? And if so, how are you managing while being kind to yourself?
4. I finally felt well enough (had enough spoons) to do a series of errands today. Called #1 son to ask if they wanted eggs and he took advantage of me heading their way to return the car he had borrowed. Bonus, got a drive with my eldest and got to listen to him pour out what he is doing. Priceless. Then to the library for too many books (!- having trouble putting books on freeze, but we figured that out). Then to the scratch and dent vegetable store – it isn't really scratch and dent, except for the discount shelves, but they do keep their regular prices low and their sales prices are pretty good. I scored – two cauliflower for $0.99 each, a bag of two 3 pounds of carrots for $1.99, a bag of coloured and green peppers (probably 5 pounds worth ) for $2.99. limes for $0.59 each, oranges for under a dollar a pound – spent $20.53 and could barely lift my big bag (new teller, didn't notice I had two bags). Then to the regular grocery as I haven't been for weeks, had a flyer with all kinds of pantry stocking deals circles, and mostly stuck with the sales. Came home and finished making a Hashbrown pie to use up another 20 eggs – and put a brownie mix in a pan as the oven was on. A successful day that showed I really am feeling better.
Ecoteri, glad you're feeling better! Re your question in #3: I am a recovering over-commiter. I used to say yes to almost everything because almost everything interests me. As I've gotten older though (I'm now 66 1/2), I can get tired and grumpy if I don't pace myself physically and mentally. What works for me is that when I hear of an opportunity, I don't automatically say yes anymore. Now I sit on it for a bit to see if my level of interest stays the same because sometimes I like the idea of doing certain things more than I like the actual doing of them. Or I will pencil it in on the calendar so that I can see if my day or week would be too full. If there's not enough white space overall or not enough space in between things, then I know something's gotta give, which helps me prioritize what I really want to do rather than do it out of some weird sense of obligation. I'm also getting better at suggesting alternative dates/times for, say, a social get-together in order to space things out more. Having said all of this, I realize that by being childless and parentless, I am way more in control of my own time.
Ecoteri - I have progressive autoimmune disease and had long Covid for three years. I don't commit to *anything.* I used to be very active in my community and city and that energy is just gone. It's very difficult to plan ahead, and I tend to make "fuzzy" plans with lots of alternatives when I'm trying my best to get to something important. I do what I can, when I have energy, and always with the caveat that I might wake up unable to get out of bed, or crash early in the day. I'm mostly at ease with this because I've paid the price of pushing myself too hard, but it's a huge role shock and identity challenge. I'm figuring out who this version of me is and what matters to me now. Not easy but a chance to explore life without "busy."
As a former Girl Scout leader, I want to thank you for donating to the troop, rather than to buy cookies. The troop gets relatively little money from cookie sales, but can keep all of the donation. A Girl Scout troop cannot ask for a donation, but is allowed to accept it.
Please don’t get me started on Girl Scout cookie sales! It is a tremendous amount of work for the cookie chair (often a mother who works outside the home) and penalizes the girls who live in unsafe neighborhoods that make door to door selling impossible. Girls whose parents work in large companies can have mom or dad be their sales rep and easily sell much,much more than usual. There are prizes for the biggest sellers.