-
I stopped by Portland’s newest library branch and was awestruck by not only the beauty of the design, but also all the resources available to patrons. Albina library now has multiple levels offering designated teen and kids’ rooms, as well as reservable large and small “community rooms,” free laptops to check out, 3D printers, community events, an outdoor space and of course thousands upon thousands of books to browse through.
My neighborhood library is undergoing a massive renovation, which is painful in the moment as I miss being able to grab random books instead of having to put everything on hold. (What can I say? I like the joy of a spontaneous discovery!) Should be back in service by next summer.
I’ve written before about “third spaces,” where people can exist outside of work or home without the expectation of commerce; and this new library offers abundant third spaciness! Seriously, check out their enclosed patio space.
This is very much upping my expections for my own library’s grand opening!
-
What we consider appropriate to eat for specific meals is both cultural and a full-on construct. I participated in a foreign exchange program to Costa Rica when I was 15 and was shocked when I was served black beans and rice for breakfast. My young brain wanted cereal and nothing but cereal!
Breakfast is weird.
Pastry or donut? Sure. Croissant or biscuit? Sounds good. Slice of cake? What, are you crazy?!
Conversely, “breakfast for dinner” is an excellent meal, as eggs with toast and fruit so precisely hits the spot.
One thing you can do on your frugal journey is to let go of the idea that certain foods are only for certain times of day. Just this morning I ate up the last of some rice and beans, adding tomato, diced avocado and tortilla chip shrapnel. For breakfast. It was filling and delicious and now it won’t get pushed to the back of the fridge and wasted.
-
I brought home a ponytail holder yesterday that I found on the ground outside Ikea. I tucked it into the silverwear caddy of my dishwasher, which gave it a thorough wash.
-
My friend Lise brought over a half-dozen apples from her tree. I think I’ll make an apple crisp!
-
Ambitious me returned my free library Rose City Comicon pass, which made it available for someone else to reserve. I simply have too much going on in my life this coming weekend to be able to attend. I checked back on the website and it was nabbed almost immediately, which makes me happy.
Five Great Frugal Things
Previous post: Five Tiny Frugal Things
Next post: Five Tiny Frugal Things
{ 63 comments… read them below or add one }
Those are great frugal things. What a beautiful library.
1. While I was getting my oil changed I took advantage of the dealerships offer of soda and chips. I relaxed and watched HGTV on their huge TV in their lounge while I waited.
2. I stopped into a locally owned huge farm market which was a few miles from the dealership. I picked up some bulk items. A pound of quinoa, a pound of split peas and a few pepitas. I reused the plastic containers from past bulk purchases so no additional plastic used. I also bought one plumcot and a couple sweet potatoes which were 87 cents a pound.
3. I clipped my dogs nails which is an easy savings of at least $10. Luckily she’s very cooperative.
4. I just finished book #5 of the Dublin Murder Squad by Tana French and reserved the next. I’m just starting the book Heartwood by Amity Gaige. These are both library Kindle books.
5. I bought dog food on sale at the pet store. I went into the store instead of ordering online since they will allow me to use both a coupon and a reward on one item which you can’t do online. This saved me $28.
Well done for reusing plastic containers!
Love Tana French, she’s a great writer. My favourite is the 1st book in the series, Faithful Place
Jill, I wish my cat was as cooperative when I cut his nails! Lol It is definitely a two person job for my husband and me.
I’ve been using third space more than ever. I’m caring for my mom and my husband and had to quit working in May. I’m spending more time at the library, in parks, and I’ve found a wonderful community center five minutes from my house. It has a free gym and sewing rooms with donated materials and a room where I can just sit and work. I usually take a flavored seltzer water with me and the whole trip feels like a treat. I’ve met several people and I feel less isolated. I’ve lived in mt current city for 3 years, but I don’t know many people since I was caring for my father before I was caring for my mom and husband.
1.). I took my Mom to water aerobics yesterday. It costs $2.25 person.
2.) I made sun tea from tea bags I picked up in a hotel.
3.) I spent an hour in the library reading the free newspaper and working on paperwork. I found a new local place to walk after reading an article.
4.). Day before yesterday I walked to see my mom at her assisted living facility. Great exercise and no cost.
5.) I ate leftover fajitas. We have to travel for my husband’s treatment and we purchased fajitas on Monday night. I always travel with containers and a cooler.
What a wonderful list. Wish we were neighbors! I’d ask to join you for all of these!
Lee, it sounds like you plate is full these days. You’re a good person for caring for your family. I’m glad you find comfort in the little things. It gets us through the day. I also cared for my mom, from her home. I sometimes lost my sense of humor but it came back after I remove myself for awhile. Stay strong
Lee, just wanted to send over a digital hug to you. And your third space outings sound like a lovely break for you.
Love the outdoor courtyard space in that library, wish our library had that!
1. Recent favourite library read: The hidden life of trees (Peter Wohlleben)
2. The weather has been windy but mostly dry so line drying clothes has literally been a breeze lately!
3. I sold a book on FB marketplace.
4. Whenever a stick on return label is automatically sent in the box with an online purchase I cut off the non printed part of it and use that to label jars etc. Just used one such cutoff today to put a label on a container with washing powder (I decided to keep some washing powder in a former protein powder jar near the washing machine as the actual big box of washing powder is too bulky and takes up too much space in that area).
5. I’m having leftover vegetable soup from yesterday’s dinner for lunch today!
Huh, what a clever Idea your #4 – saving the edges for another use!
GK, saving the return label is so smart!
Thank you both! It’s only a small thing but it all adds up, for our pockets and for the environment 🙂
That library space looks beautiful!
1) Met a friend for a lunch time hike – free exercise!
2) Inadvertently frugal – skipped dinner, because jet lag is making me tired really early & food doesn’t appeal at the end of the day.
3) Ran out of oat milk this morning & subbed in DS18’s Fairlife chocolate protein milk that he left behind. It’s WAY sweeter than my normal oat milk latte, but it’s also a lot better than plain black coffee & I have a million meetings this morning. It’s okay in a pinch.
4) Coached DS19 on two calls: a) setting up a doctor’s appointment/finding a doctor/switching health insurance and b) dealing with a banking issue. He’s your standard teen boy and doesn’t exactly know what to say or how to say it & doesn’t always know all of the answers, so he puts them off. I’m teaching him how to “life” on his own, which will be helpful in the future for him.
5) Received my $1500 HSA match from my new employer.
Just hopping on to say I agree the Albina library remodel is incredible! My “home” library (Hollywood) is closed for renovations too, although not as extensive as a Belmont, so now Albina is closest to me which I am not sad about at all. 🙂
Hollywood became (sort of) my “home” library when the North Portland library was closed. Now that Hollywood is closed, I’m sort of wandering around confused.
Such a lovely library, and so many amenities! We have a good library, but it’s pretty standard.
1. I forgot to mention that during the long walk looking for my car yesterday I went by the little free pantry and picked up a package of beef jerky, a small loaf of bread, and funnel cake mix, which I think I can use for pancakes.
2. I put the newly-cleaned shoelaces in my newly-cleaned thrifted shoes, and I have received the toe inserts, which I will apply today. A new pair of shoes is on the horizon!
3. Made popcorn for dinner last night. Not all that nutritious, but great fiber, which I always need.
4. Finished a jar of honey roasted peanuts but kept the shards at the bottom to sprinkle on yogurt.
5. Kept working on my free jigsaw puzzle. I’m going forward at the great clip of about five pieces a day.
I had a friend years ago whose husband was killed in the union fighting. She was left with 7 young children. They didn’t have much money. On Fridays they went to the library and all got new books. They had a vitamin pill and popcorn for dinner and all read. The children thought it was a treat but she told me they didn’t always have any food.
So sad. I remember once serving my children popcorn and oatmeal for dinner, shortly after I was divorced. The kids thought it was great, but that’s all I had that day.
I have a buddy from the US Midwest who grew up having popcorn for Sunday dinner (evening meal). Her hardworking farmer mom would have created something special for after church and that is all the energy she had in the evening. When she told me this, 10 or 15 years ago, I was (judgmentally) very appalled – my mom ALWAYS had two veg plus starch plus protein for dinner, unless it was spaghetti and even then we had to eat a salad, so hearing that HER mom served popcorn for dinner sounded so un-nutritious. (sigh, the messages our mothers leave in our heads, huh?)
I have become FAR less judgy in my dotage, however I still haven’t had popcorn for supper. I suspect my daughter has, though, LOL. Particularly since someone on this blog turned me on to the old stovetop popcorn poppers with the crank: I found one for her on Marketplace that was only a few blocks from her house, and she stopped wrecking her good pots (apparently it makes better popcorn, anyway.)
I am a Midwesterner, and I have a friend who always has popcorn for dinner on Sunday night. It might be a Midwest thing.
The popcorn poppers with the crank are great, but they sure aren’t cheap anymore.
Wow, what a fabulous library space. The city we lived in prior to this one had an amazing library too. This one has lovely librarians who do the best they can and a good county system for moving books around but the local library was built in about 1950 and mostly just hold a small number of books plus a children’s section. I am shocked that there are residents here who are actively against a bond issue to build a new modern library. Hopefully they lose. Sigh.
1. A son & DIL arrived last night for a visit and per usual I made a reheatable dinner in advance to account for unpredictable arrival time. This time it was chili rather than soup.
2. As always we cleaned the house, made up the guest room, stocked up on healthy food, etc. by ourselves.
3. Our entertainment plans while they are here include watching movies at home, going to an art/craft reuse thrift store, preparing and hosting a birthday dinner at home, and meeting other son and DIL for lunch at a local brewery so they can all visit without the little grandgirls around.
4. More peace of mind that frugal – I am updating my final wishes/healthcare POA and using this visit to discuss what I would want with the older son so what is written is clear. I’ll chat with the local son separately. Kaiser’s form asks some big and tough questions about your wishes for treatment which is good.
5. I am not destroying the CDC, once the world’s best public health agency, and replacing it with fringe pseudoscience that will cost lives and increased suffering.
Your #4 is a wonderful gift to your kids!
Thanks. My parents set a great example with making everything known and easy for us.
Loud cheers for both your #4 and your #5. I’m a longtime advocate of getting final wishes and final legal paperwork (health care proxy, durable POA, will, etc.) in place well before they’re needed. And as for the #5, I can only say that putting someone with a worm in his brain in charge of the entire Dept. of HHS was not a good idea.
Fringe pseudoscience sums it up well.
Yes, important stuff on your #4! You might add in long-term care wishes at some point, (making someone promise that you will never leave your home can be cruel).
My DH and I have promised to NEVER promise to keep each other at home/out of a long term care facility if such a devision needs to be made. Life is unpredictable, and neither of us would want to place that burden on the other (meaning, keeping one of us at home when our care needs require more than what we can provide).
Well said, Liz. DH and I never made each other such a promise either, and as things turned out, I did have to place him in long-term care.
Kudos on the POA and healthcare stuff. As A. Marie and I keep encouraging you all to get these things done. So often folk balk at doing a will, and yet that is only one of THREE important documents, the others being a Healthcare directive, which will vary by state/province, and a POA – Power of Attorney.
The Healthcare directive allows you to choose who will speak for you (and make decisions for you) from a health point of view (and it is who CAN and WILL speak for you, sometimes that person might not be the first one you think of. It should be someone who knows what you want and will take action to ensure those things happen, rather than just someone who loves you dearly and might not be able to make hard decisions).
A Power of Attorney is a financial document – so who do you trust to make the right choices for your money, who can do the paperwork and pay the bills and sell your house/car etc if necessary. POAs are VERY powerful documents, you can choose to get one that has people holding the POA jointly so no decisions can be made without both signing on, if you have concerns about too much power being wielded. Or you can have two who can take action without consulting. it really depends on your situation and the relationships you have.
I gotta say that working on mine, my Mom’s, my kid’s and trying to help my friends has opened my eyes to how emotionally fraught the conversations can be. However, courage is freeing and getting these duckies in a row is doing a kindness to both future you and your family.
If you are making a power of attorney, check carefully. In Michigan there is a healthcare power of attorney and a power of attorney for business type stuff. It makes a difference. My husband was a title insurance guy, and some people have found out the hard way that they do not have the rights they thought they had.
Also in Michigan, you can make a deed called a ladybird deed that gives the property to the people you want to have it, while you retain ownership and all the rights yourself. Too bad we have to think about leaving this wonderful world, but it is a kindness for those who remain.
@Kathryn, you are so correct about the need to check carefully – we got a few lawyerly earfuls while setting up my mom’s POA and other things, and while setting up mine. our lawyers were both very careful to ensure that the elders (mom, and then me) weren’t going to be taken advantage by their children.. Sad but true.
Can you share more about this Ladybird Deed? sounds useful!
@Kathryn – I’d do due diligence on the ladybird deed. My co-worker’s mom set one up – he’d been caring for her. Co-worker’s sibling somehow negated said trust – I’d truly love to know what transpired. So my advice is to make sure you have a competent, in-state, no complaints lawyer involved in a MI ladybird trust.
One of the things Steven taught me was that law is so different from state to state that title and rights can vary wildly. A ladybird deed is not a trust. It is a quit claim deed that gives certain rights to the people you designate. My husband was a title man for 20 years. Ran his own office up here and had attorneys asking him questions. I heartily endorse checking with knowledgeable people on the ground, as he did.
I procrastinated on the ladybird deed until he died. At that point I drafted my own deed and took it to an attorney friend who said it was what I needed. I hope it helps someone!
I once got a cd from a discount rack that included a song “cake for breakfast”—it’s a fun song. Here are the lyrics if you’d like to read them. (Also, eating cake is not too different from eating pancakes, sans icing.) https://music.fandom.com/wiki/Lyrics:Cake_For_Breakfast by Greg Lee
AA,
I attended my mother’s best friend’s funeral. The BFF’s grandchildren got up to tell their memories of her. One said that when Grandma asked them what they’d like for breakfast, he told her cake and ice cream. She served it. After that it became a tradition to always have cake and ice cream at her house for breakfast. That is, until their dad/her son came by one morning, saw them eating breakfast, and hit the ceiling. The grandma told him, “now [son], this has all the makings of a good breakfast. It contains milk, eggs, flour…..” Coming from a once-strict momma who didn’t put up with any nonsense from her kids, that just shows how indulgent grandparents can be! ROTFL!
@Fru-gal Lisa – as seen on a bumper sticker “if I knew grandkids were so much fun I’d have had them first”.
1. I was supposed to meet a friend yesterday evening and he cancelled. Instead of making other plans, I parked it on the couch. It was incredible.
2. My new favorite hairtie is one DH found snorkeling in the ocean – he brought it back to land to throw out. I said that anything that has spent that long in salt water is likely cleaner than anything on land, gave it a good rinse, and put it to work. It’s one of the THICK ones that last forever. And it’s hot pink!
3. Dinner last night was freezer dumplings – I got these from a local restaurant at a fraction of the grocery store cost. They cooked up great and gave us restaurant flavor.
4. Hosting friends tonight and then another crew on Saturday. We love having people over, especially our pals with young families, because it’s lower stress and gets them out of their houses too. We’ll order pizza, play with chalk, and have a lovely time.
5. Did two workouts off YouTube yesterday for free. I did not have the energy to make it to the gym but wanted the movement. I love adding in other workouts to my usual program to keep it interesting – at no cost.
Regarding your hot pink oceanic hairtie..
I have never quite looked at the ocean (or any inhabited body of water) since my daughter’s high school guidance counselor pointed out that the ocean (or other body of water) is a “toilet bowl for aquatic life.” This was about 12 years ago. I like to sit and watch the waves, but I’m not about to go into the water.
Seeing lots of news about fecal levels in ocean shore waters. Yuck! Storms and flooding has caused nasty stuff to overflow into lake and ocean waters. I’m not much of a beach person anyway, but for now I won’t be getting in any natural waters!
Funny enough, I’m having a plant-based BLT sandwich for breakfast as I’m reading your post.
1. Picked up another free gallon of paint at our county’s ReUse Room. This one is for ceilings and looks to be half full.
2. Made a batch of granola and stored it in the extra large mason jar that I got for $1 at a garage sale.
3. Made pesto from garden basil and froze in an ice cube tray (from Buy Nothing) before moving the cubes to a mason jar in the freezer.
4. Brought home coffee from an event and added it to my large mason jar of leftover coffee in the refrigerator. I dilute it with water and whole milk.
5. Husband received a $25 reward card from our Medicare advantage plan for having an annual physical. Used it for groceries. I will get my reward in September when I go in for my physical on my birthday.
People can be very inflexible when it comes to breakfast! Me? I had chicken for breakfast a few days ago.
Yesterday, I took my kid to the dentist in the opposite corner of town. Instead of waiting in the waiting room, I walked through the neighborhood to the nearest Fred Meyer. It’s interesting to see how the other neighborhoods live! It was a leafy, pleasant neighborhood with sidewalks and vintage houses and lots of free libraries. It even had a “little free doggy library”. (I think there were dog treats inside, not puppies.) There were a few free piles, but nothing noteworthy. Just as I started feeling neighborhood envy, I noticed that someone had put their cardboard out for recycling and among the boxes, was the flattened box for an AK1 BB gun (designed to look like an AK-47). Ew. OK, so no neighborhood is perfect.
The Fred Meyer was a disappointment because there were no worthwhile clearance items. (Sad face.) The funniest clearance item was in the frozen section. It looked like a bag of freezer-burned bait and was called “Seafood Medley”. Good luck selling that!
WOW, I just can’t get over the Albina library renovation! So beautiful!! So third space-y! I enjoy hearing you post about your library successes and woes. I’ve gotten some good book recommendations from your blog (currently digging thru that “Poorcraft” graphic novel!). And as of January, my neighborhood library is also undergoing renovation right now – it is breaking my heart because I truly miss it so much! So I feel your pain on that for sure. But, I’m grateful there are other libraries I can go to, even if they are a good bit further away. Love our public library system!!
This post reminded me of a delightful book of verse we read our children when they were young entitled “Soup for Breakfast” https://www.calefbrown.com/soup-for-breakfast
1. Our family attended a concert (Weird Al!) last night at our local university music center. We sat on the lawn, with blankets and chairs from home, and brought our own food. My mom joined us and treated the adults to a bottle of wine. Home by 10 pm since it’s 5 mins from our house.
2. Love the library love! Ours has study pods that I’ve used when I’m tired of remote working from home. A great alternative to a coffee shop, etc.
3. My garden has had a down year — there was a widespread tomato fungus in our region— BUT our fruit trees are pumping out fruit and I am grateful. Apples for days and the figs will ripen soon! We planted 4 apple trees when we bought our home 11 years ago and the fig tree is the last of 3 that remain from the original owners fig orchard(? Not sure if that’s the right word for multiple fig trees!). The remaining fig tree is at least 50 years old.
4. Frugal fail – I just bought and iced coffee to help wake me up after last nights concert!
Lindsey G,
Oh, man, I would’ve LOVED to have seen Weird Al when he was in our area! I looked up tickets (very close to the concert), and the only available tix were *behind* the lawn, so very far away from the stage, AND the cost per ticket was still $$. (Yes, I know you can sometimes score cheaper tickets on the day of the show, etc etc., but we didn’t pursue that). I’ll bet it was a blast!
For years I thought I didn’t like breakfast foods but come to find out, I just don’t like breakfast foods at breakfast time! My metabolism starts off slow in the mornings and a heavy breakfast feels overwhelming. But breakfast for dinner? Winner winner! Eggs, bacon, toast, pancakes, toast, you name it, I love it.
I solved my own breakfast dilemma a few years ago by discovering and greatly enhancing Frugalwoods’ Pumpkin Oatmeal Bars. I throw in nuts, dried fruit, pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, and whatever is lying around to make 2 9×13 pans of a concoction which I’m sure has every nutrient needed to sustain life. Not too heavy and doesn’t spike my blood sugar. I freeze it in parts, and a batch lasts me about 3 weeks.
The only time I’ve ever eaten breakfast (never did all through my school years and adult life to this day) is when I breast fed my kids. I’m surprised big pharma hasn’t figured out the “formula” when breast feeding that lets you consume calories like a professional football offensive lineman but lose weight.
Lovely library!
Ours is from right after the Cival War and is the oldest, continuously used library west of the Mississippi. During the Great Depression, there was no money for staff, so volunteers stepped up to keep it operating. Next to it, there is a butterfly garden, and we enjoyed it after church Sunday. Ran into a friend from high school and had a nice chat.
Went to a benefit spaghetti dinner. Great to see such community turn out. Sad that we’re fundraising to help pay medical bills for a young family that their insurance did not cover. Met up with my folks there and afterwards took DS to play in the park.
Took winter clothes out of storage for DS. It’s chilly in the morning and he needed a few more jeans. Won’t need any long sleeve shirts or a winter coat. A co-worker’s wife had sent us a big bag of too small, boy’s clothes. I washed, sorted, and stored them. They have been sooooo handy! Still a couple more seasons’ worth. I will need to buy a couple more pair of jeans, but it’s not a pressing issue.
Cooking from scratch and trying to use up the last of the meat in the freezer. Making room and defrosting in anticipation of a whole hog and half beef, plus 10 or so chickens.
Washed the kitchen window and put the screen in to take advantage of the moderate temps. Eating from the garden.
Enjoying sunsets with my family.
That is one gorgeous library. I could live there. I am in the “nothing frugal zone” this week. We all have Covid-first time ever!! I have been so careful, but here we are now. I and hubby have missed work. Daughter has missed first year/week of university. So, I had to order some groceries. I have had to pay for Urgent Care, meds, etc… BUT due to my normal frugalness, this wasn’t a hardship, just really annoying. AND please be careful out there folks!!! It is really bad right now.
Thanks for the warning, Steph. Hope you and your family are feeling better by now.
I intend to get a COVID shot regardless if my insurance covers it. I live with an over 65 year old. My dad had underlying health issues.
And sad to say, I believe we are in for a second, even worse, pandemic than we had the last time. So if your budget allows, start laying in the items that were in short supply during P1 (as I am calling it).
I also had my very first bout with Covid earlier this month, and was told at Dr office that it was going around, (they tested me first before checking anything else) — right before school starts for all the kids …greaaaatttttt. (eyeroll)
Be reminded that as an adult, if you have a fever, it’s probably Covid – as adults don’t normally get fevers.
Everyone be safe and wash your hands frequently!!!
Wow what a Library. Jealous. I go weekly to the library. I love to read books. Planted some broccoli seeds and have lots of baby plants. I needed to take a dish to garden club so I am making a peach cobbler from ingredients I already have. I am going to be doing my once a month stock up this weekend, hopping to find some good deals. Loving the color weather we are having in Tennessee right now.
Hello!
I can’t let the mention of Geek Love go by without endorsing it heartily. Any of you who have not read this amazing, inventive, and groundbreaking novel should get it from your library ASAP!
Katy, I remember that you and your mom have a special connection to the book’s author.
Cheers!
Beth Ann
I would be heartbroken if out library had to close. It was horrible during Covid. One of the few places I missed going to.
1. I canned 6 more quarts of tomato sauce. 1 didn’t seal so it went into the freezer. I made 3 quarts of pickles. Slow and steady wins the race.
2. I had a library class on Tuesday. I made a Christmas present for Hubby. I did the whole return stuff and get more stuff.
3. I garbage picked 2 cabinets for my son’s apartment. He cleaned them up. Black sharpied a few scratches. They look great. That was also Tuesday.
4. Today I garbage picked 6 fishing poles for my son. Whatever he doesn’t want I will sell or donate.
5. I didn’t want to cook tonight but I didn’t want to spend money on takeout. I went throw my chest freezer and pulled out soup for us.
Great minds think alike: your comment on breakfast reminds me of when I was a teen and a college student. I often had pizza for breakfast back then! No eggs and bacon for me!
Tell your friend Lise those apples look good enough to eat.
My frugal 5:
1. Got up extra early to check my substitute assignment. Good thing! It was cancelled. So I hurriedly signed up for another school job. Which saved me from not getting paid for today.
2. Signed up for a low-rate retail electricity plan that does not penalize me for my low usage. It will go into effect the day my current plan expires, so it is a seamless transition with no early termination penalty. I used a website that has AI helping folks find a good rate based on their actual usage. Even with old drafty windows, I average only 833 kwh a month –not bad for a 2000 sf house! Were it not for 4 very hot months of heavy AC usage, my average would be lots lower. [For other Texans who need to make a switch, here is the bot that I used to find my best deal: https://www.energybot.com/app.html#/residential/plans?advisor=true%5D
3. Also signed up for paperless billing and auto payment and will get a $5 monthly discount on the electric bill. Not to mention not having to actually write a check or call in my credit card #. Talk about convenient!
4. Went to my very favorite arts and crafts mall that will be closing in 2 days 🙁 and nabbed some big last minute clearance discounts. Offered to chain myself to the porch pillars outside, to protest their closing, but was told it’s a done deal and not to bother, LOL. The building’s new landlords aren’t changing their minds and the mall (business) owners want to retire after 30+ years. Phooey hooey. (Talk about grinches stealing your Christmas! Where else am I gonna shop for cute gifts?)
5. Wore the outfit I wore yesterday to substitute teach in. Two days, two different schools, one pantsuit. Figured no one would know the difference. But then I saw two consultants who had been at the other school yesterday. Guess what? I recognized them because both of them were wearing the same clothes as they had on yesterday, LOL!
My car is still at the shop. It’s not looking good. So I walked to work and walked back home. It’s only about 6 blocks away. But when I walked home after work it was really pouring down rain, also there was lightening and thunder! Came home and changed out of the wet clothes and into pajamas. Then decided to inventory the small freezer chest I have. Made me realize I do not need to buy any meat for a while! Same with butter! Used up the last of a jar of Alfredo sauce, part of a bag of frozen broccoli, frozen shredded chicken and sale angel hair noodles. I pulled some spare ribs out for tomorrow’s dinner. Using what I have and staying out of the stores to save money.
Cooked cheeseburgers for dinner. Hamburg on sale for $2.99
4 burgers. Cheaper than fast food
Priscilla, I haven’t seen ground beef that cheap n a really long time. Great Job!
1. still canning and freezing tomatoes. Nothing goes to waste.
2.picked 2nd crop of green beans this AM, enough for a nice meal….cooking now and smell divine.
3. DD found canning jars on marketplace and we were able to get as many as we needed in one stop.
4. Having been getting some great meat sales on Flash foods.
5. girlfriend giving us grapes this week, grape juice for the family. Will be canned in the above mentioned canning jars….very pleased.
JC
Don’t forget your Living Will. We updated ours as State of Maine laws have changed.
Also I encourage people to do a family health history while your memory is still intact and family members can add to it as well. We gave our kids copies of it so future tense they can refer to it even if we are no longer able to provide that information,
Wow!!!! That library looks fantastic!!!!!
I love that libraries are so many peoples’ third space! I’m a librarian in a large public system and while I like my job, something that I *don’t like about that is that the “third space” is my second space. I’m not going to hang out at work on my days off! I sometimes will go to another branch, but chances are I know the staff and some of the patrons there too. It’s just an unexpected side effect! Another is when DS was little, he’d ask to go to the library to look for whatever, and I’d just groan: “I just got home!”
Now that is a library!
My 5:
1. Going to buy a small Tim Horton’s coffee tomorrow and scan the app for 600 bonus points. That is like 1 1/2 future free coffees, since they cost 400 pts each.
2. Trying to sell on Kijiji. Awfully slow. 🙁
3. Enjoying You Tube videos of people who thrift for resale. One I really like is “Sea the Good.”
Oops, only three this time around. I’ll need to go read everyone else’s comments to get inspired.
I like ADHD Dave! His reels are often at yard sales.
Katy if this is a repeat please delete, however I think I might have made a technical error. T
1. After perusing a variety of online and book versions of pickled peppers, I cobbled a process that sounded reasonable to my tastes and energy level. Soaked peppers overnight in a brine of pickling salt and water. In the morning I peeled a few of my garlic cloves, created a pepper juice of vinegar and water and a titch of sugar, sprinkled some mustard seeds in the bottom of the jars. Then I rinsed the brine soaked peppers, stuffed them into the jars, filled the jars with pepper juice and stuck them in my pressure canner (which I also use as a BWB canner).
As I was trying to put a jar of just-juice in, after filling the canner, I noticed some mustard seeds floating around – the bottom of a jar had broken off. ARGH. Standard in my world of reused jars but annoying as it was a newish jar. Anyway, the pickles are now cooling on the counter and one more thing ticked off my to-do list.
2. I have sorted most of the box of prune plums. Both of my sons prefer them on the firm/sour side (unlike me!) so I have made a box up for each of them. The rest will be halved and dehydrated, as they are spectacular that way.
I also have a big box (and more on the tree) of the freestone purple plums that aren’t Italian prune plums – still delicious, just not quite as delicious. I will sort through that to pull out any questionable ones, set some out for dehydrating, and perhaps assemble another crumble or put some in the freezer for future crumbles.
3. Now that I have done a ‘trial run’ of the canning system, I feel pretty confident about getting the peaches canned. I got a good deal on a 20 pound box, now I need a playlist and some energy – they are almost perfectly ripe. I don’t have the energy right now and my grandbaby has his first birthday tomorrow, so I am going to shove the peaches into the downstairs fridge until after the party.
4. I got to donate blood again. We don’t get the perks you folk are sharing (no gift cards or tee-shirts), however I have become much more willing to both chow down on the goodies and to take some away for later. Oreo cookies, bags of chips, juices and granola bars are the usual fare, I came home with a couple of bags of chips, some 2 packs of oreos, a bottle of water for my stash, and a chocolate chip cookie. I have been taking iron and was pleased that my haemoglobin is up from last time – I have been rejected a couple of times for it being too low.
5. Saved on blowing it at Costco by asking #1 son to pick up 5 items for me when he was doing a run. Those discount rotisserie chickens are such a deal, but not so much if I drop a couple of hundred dollars on incidentals. (I haven’t been to Costco for a while mostly due to the distance, but partially due to my tendency to overstock. I do miss the deals on things I use regularly, but even so I am ahead of the game, I think).
6. I continue to use my library and libby – am reading a book every couple of days, sometimes I go through one a day, so having them ‘free’ is fabulous. Our library is pretty awesome, with a puzzle section, seed section, and community resource section put in this year. They get a lot of turnover. I rarely peruse the shelves (although I am doing more of that lately, huh) as our librarians put out a tempting display of suggestions that usually gives me more than enough new stuff, added to what I have put on hold. I recently heard a rumour that our libraries might be coming under some financial threat from their funders, so now I need to research how they actually are funded; I think much of it comes from municipal levies but who sets the level?