Today is a Tuesday and I’m off from work. It’s not a special day, it’s just an ordinary day. But it is a non-consumer day. Which for me happen 365.25 days per year.
Here’s what my day looks like.
- I wake up and put the kettle on to boil so my son and I can start our days with nice strong cups of tea. (Of course, the kettle is from Goodwill, although the tea was not. I stocked up on Red Rose tea last time it was on sale at Safeway.)
- I pack a school lunch for my son which includes a 50¢ Grocery Outlet Tillamook yogurt as well as a PB&J that featured peanut butter that I yes, stocked up on when it was at The Grocery Outlet for $1.99.
- I walk onto the porch and see that my friend Lise has dropped off her Chinook Book, as it’s about the expire and she thought I might get some use from the local coupons.
- I come home from dropping my son at school and write out a detailed to-do list. How detailed? It includes check-off boxes for floss/brush/shower, as I know myself well enough to know that I put this off less if I get the satisfaction of checking off a box.
- I throw a load of towels and kitchen laundry into the wash on the cold water setting. It’s wet and rainy so I’ll use the electric dryer. Otherwise it will be days until the towels dry.
- I bring up a pack of chicken thighs from the freezer for tomorrow night’s dinner. (I stocked up when they were 50%-off.) We’re having my mother and step-father for dinner tomorrow to celebrate her 73rd birthday.
- I put the Avengers DVD into my purse so I won’t forget to return it to the Redbox kiosk this afternoon. A free code becomes decidedly less free when DVD’s are turned in late.
- I’ve already made plans to buy the used Queen Bee purse, so I make sure to have $30 in cash. It helps that I’ve recently sold the freebie fireplace screen for $5 and the $2 thrifted racquetball racquet for $15.
- I’m meeting my mother at noon to clean one of her guest cottages between tenants. I’ll put the money into the ol’ college fund. The next payment is in January, and I can’t start slacking off!
- I’ve already planned out tonight’s dinner, which will be homemade pizza. I’ll bake two, which will provide enough leftovers to satisfy my husband and 17-year-old son. I take a pack of clearance priced prosciutto from the freezer to serve as the topping.
- I write my blog post, although I concurrently run a few Swagbucks videos as my goal is to earn four $25 PayPal gift cards per month. I’ve already earned two so far, and am halfway to a third one.
- I’ll add to my to-do list as my day takes shape, but it’s enough for now to get me on the right track.
This all may sound like a lot of work, but it really isn’t. I’ve loaded up my to-do list, but it’s all stuff that balances with running the household and driving my son around town. (Soccer practice tonight!) Although my son did pass his driver’s test, we’re holding off on activating the license for awhile as the insurance quotes were astrinomical. Plus, I really cherish our car conversations.
Now your turn. What are you doing today?
Katy Wolk-Stanley
“Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without.”
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{ 53 comments… read them below or add one }
Katie,
How do you manage that much action with Swagbucks? I know it isn’t from online shopping! 🙂
I was wondering the same thing! Specifically, I’m hesitant to run videos all day. Aren’t I using up as much money on electricity with the laptop and router running as I would earn for watching all those videos???
Yes, what is your swagbucks secret?!
Becky, we leave our internet router on 24/7 and I am probably on my laptop 10 hrs a day for work… our power bills are regularly under $80 and sometimes in the summer have been just around $30. Electricity to surf the web is minimal compared to lights, fridges, washing machines, dishwashers, etc.
http://cleantechnica.com/2011/05/17/energy-in-an-hour-infographic/
Yes, I’m charging my phone during the night anyway.
Me fourth. I’d love it if you wrote a post on how to Swagbuck like a pro.
I’m nowhere in Katy’s league but I did a quick summary of how I do Swagbucks now if that helps (hope this link is ok, Katy!): http://agaishanlife.com/2015/09/swagbucks/
I’m earning an average of 2.5 a month, but I think I could do better. Would love to hear Katy’s take on it!
Wow! I swear I can only come up with five frugal things one time to every 3 or 4 times you post yours! Impressive, and makes me want to try harder!
1-my sister-in-law gave my daughters money to buy new dresses for her wedding. We went shopping, one found a skirt for $6, and the other daughter found a dress AND a jacket, each for less than $5!!! We were looking for a good deal but didn’t expect that good of a deal!
2- saw a post on FB about these hot curler things that can curl hair fast. After spending FOREVER with a curling iron curling both my daughters hair for their aunt’s wedding, and they both like to have their hair curled, I decided to get these curlers. Someone on FB saw them on Amazon for $50+, I found them on eBay for $21 including shipping- a Christmas gift that I know the kids will love!
3- I’ve made my kids school lunches every day this year. It really is easier to make when I just know that they aren’t going to buy and i can prepare ahead of time. And it’s healthier than school lunches too!
4-my husband will often buy cookies, since I did the grocery shopping this week, I decided to make some since I already had everything I needed at home!
5-I bought these figurines I’ve been wanting on eBay. I’ve waited weeks to see how the pricing is, then found a lot of 18 with 3 figurines I’ve been wanting. It was cheaper to buy the whole lot than individually, so I will see if my sister wants any of them and sell the rest, and make my money back!
Keep inspiring me!!
That was fast turn-over in selling the free fire-guard thing. Way to go!
My frugal five:
1. We had roast chicken on Sunday. Yesterday I boiled the carcass to make stock and put it in the fridge to cool overnight.
2. Today I picked every morsel of meat off the bones, added the meat and some pasta to the stock along with a packet of onion soup mix and some mushrooms bought cheap with a coupon. We now have a very hearty pot of chicken soup. Total cost of the non-chicken ingredients was less than a dollar.
2. Checked out a new charity thrift shop up the street and came home with two much-needed coffee mugs and three big pillar candles in autumn colors that have never been lighted and were made in the USA. Spent $5 total, which will go to pay for medical care for animals taken in by the humane society.
3. Line-dried a small rug outside in the back yard.
4. Am keeping the electric central heat off and using the gas fire in the morning to knock the chill out of the house.
5. Been eating some free granola for breakfast all this week, and my cats are enjoying some cat food samples we got free.
-Purchased a bulk pack of ground beef, which I will cook, drain and freeze for many future meals for my husband and me.
-Put second coat of paint on thrifted book case, which was 25% off when I got it! Just need a sample of black for trim. Then, this will grace our foyer.
-Paint is same I used on previous book case, which holds toys for grands and will get a workout when all four of them will be here for Thanksgiving.
-Only read free books on my Kindle.
-Going to plan meals for the time our family will be visiting next month. I will make casseroles and freeze for quick, easy meals. Their parents will clean up each night, leaving me to play with our grandsons!
-Preparing detailed list, with coupons, for necessary items from fabric store for items that will be gifts.
~ Took day off from work in order to get some things done in the house. I don’t get paid when I take off but I have a flexible schedule so I’ll work extra the rest of the week to make up for it.
~ Sorted through some clothes that my sons have outgrown. Some will go to donation and I’m going to take a few things to Plato’s Closet, which will be a new experience. The Under Armor stuff I will sell on our FB yard sale group.
~ Mailed a package to my son at college by Priority Mail Flat Rate. Bought the label online which saved around $2.50. He decided he did need another hoodie and I sent him a raincoat. Also sent 4 boxes of his favorite granola bars from Aldi’s, some microwave popcorn and 2 gift cards- 1 to Walgreens and 1 to Taco Bell. Mailing him back the running shorts and shirt that had mystery stains on them. I brought them home when we went to see him last month. Sent a few more things and filled the box to get my $ worth!
~ Included notes to same DS from the members of his Ukrainian dance troupe. They performed this past weekend for the first time since he left for school and so they all wrote notes to him to pack in the box.
~ Putting together a bag of craft supplies for one of the dancers who is a elementary Special Ed teacher. These are items that I had on hand that I am not going to use and I will take it when I go to practice tomorrow night.
~ Have a loaf of bread baking in the bread maker and have already made brown rice and white rice in the rice maker to have through the week. Used my $5 rice cooker I picked up at a yard sale a few years back and the bread maker my sister was getting rid of.
~ Doing laundry and running the dishwasher during off peak hours. We are on a time of use plan so I pay more from 7 Am-11 AM and then from 5 PM-9 PM.
~ Going to run my errands in a little bit- picking up bubble wrap and bags from a Freecycle buddy and going to Fresh Market for the Tuesday ground chuck special since we are out of ground beef. When I get home I will make sweet and savory meatballs with some of the ground beef and some tiny green peppers my neighbor gave me and serve it over the rice I cooked earlier.
1. Happy to be home from work, where I signed up for a reviewer gig that will net me free items AND gift cards, plus I’ll probably be able to review the books for another gig I’ve had for several yrs., which I get paid for.
2. Signed up for review copies from a publishing house that publishes books my kids love; I can review them and then use them as gifts. Score!
3. Discovered surveymonkey.com, where you can take surveys and then donate money to certain charities. A good way to do good without money….
4. Baked 2 loaves of zucchini bread for hubby to take to work; he ended up not opening one, so now we have it for the rest of the week. Yay!!
5. Made pesto with the basil I rescued from the first hard frost this week.
1. Opened new bar of soap. The box which it came in has the same faint lavender aroma as the soap so I put the box in my sock drawer to use as a sachet.
2. Started driving my husband’s car (which is only 3 years old) when I work out of town since my car is much older (14 y.o.). This way I think I can make my car last another year or so. This gives me another year or two to save for a new car (I prefer to pay cash for my cars if I can). My husband’s office is only a few miles from our home, so he does not mind driving my car when I am out of town.
3. Received glossy Xmas catalog in the mail from shop which I like. Enjoyed looking through it, but did not order anything.
4. Continued to walk 3 miles daily with a group of neighbors. It’s always fun and doesn’t even feel like exercise.
5. Had to call a plumber to repair a leaking water pipe in our front yard. This will cost us several hundred dollars, but it needs to be done. On the plus side, our water bills will be more reasonable since we will no longer be paying for the water which has been leaking into the ground.
How do you earn so much in Swagbucks? I try but never seem to make it too far?
–I recycled boxes and Styrofoam (I usually bring it home from work and recycle at the UPS store) to make an outside kitty house for the stray that has been living on my porch. It will be zero degrees soon here in Syracuse, NY
–I sewed the underwire back into my bra. Yay me!
–I took home the bag from the office supplies (that got delivered to work) to use as for my dog’s waste. ewww
–retrieved all the green tomatoes off the frosted plants. They will ripen on the table, with some being made into fried green tomatoes. Yummy.
No! It is NOT going to be zero degrees here in Syracuse, NY soon! That’s crazy talk.
Thanks, I never knew I could recycle Styrofoam at UPS stores.
If she’s a stray, maybe a local rescue could get her? If she’s feral then she’ll love the house!
I just wanted to comment on the car insurance. Good call if you can do it. We live in a very large, southern city and getting around without a car is not easy…at all! We have 3 teenagers and the two oldest (boys) have their own, paid-for-in-cash cars. One goes to Technical School in another city, the other is dual enrolled in Community College. Both have jobs. I was “happy” with after a week’s worth of hard work, I was able to get our monthly auto insurance rate down to $470/mo. No accidents, no tickets, but high liability limits. It’s the largest bill we have, period. We also live in a very slimy lawyer state so we couldn’t risk it with low liability limits. I think we are in our “peak spending years.” It is only for a season.
I love reading these lists! It’s such good inspiration. I thought I should probably give it a try. Here goes:
1. Brought my lunch to work (like always) – leftovers that I cooked with my husband on Sunday, and only drank water out of the free filtered water dispenser in the break room.
2. Read another chapter in a library book I have checked out right now. I love my library!
3. Dinner tonight will be chicken quesadillas made with the leftover chicken from cooking on Sunday, sautéed peppers free from a friend’s garden, and black beans bought on sale.
4. I’ll be making another batch of roasted tomato sauce from the surplus of ripe tomatoes from my garden and my friend’s.
5. Will put a batch of homemade chili in the crockpot tonight to cook overnight, so that my husband will have leftovers to take for lunch tomorrow.
And I’m going to give Swagbucks another look when I get home. I’m also dying to know how you earn so much through it!
Today I…
*Ate an entire bag of Tostitos chips by myself I have zero self-control with chips, it’s bad.
* Got results of blood work and am beyond happy and relieved not to have the rhumatoid arthritis markers (MD suspected it).
* Working on a meal plan to help me lose weight and gain better health (see #1….)
* Did the usual in the afternoon : dishes, laudry+put on the line, quick stop at health store to buy bread and organic apples from the reduced rack, packing lunchs for tommorow, making supper (potatoes, brocoli, natural hot-dogs), cleaning up, picking up the kids from school and daycare. Working part time allows me to do all the chores in the afternoons, which is awesome for quality of life/family time.
* Won 2 passes for a movie premiere, next week. Invited my mom to come along.
* Taking a shower using soap and shampoo I got for cheap with coupons
* Working on a 500 pieces puzzle with hubby. We started this as a free/at home way to spend time together and it’s growing on me! (I’m not a fan of puzzles in general)
Have a great frugal day!
Today I am:
It’s cleaning out my closet day! Gathering items I no longer wear or need for consignment, thred-up and a donation for out local thrift store.
Listed new items on e-bay.
Met friends in the mountains this weekend and we cooked almost all our meals (ate dinner out once). Brought home the leftovers and am having those for dinner.
Above friends brought us their leftover laminate flooring for our sun porch floor which we had to rip up for our new air conditioner. They didn’t want any money for it so we paid them in wine.(Visited a winery over the weekend so we gave them wine to take home)
Spending the evening reading my library book.
1) Forgot to return a library DVD that was due today, but I remembered to renew it online to avoid the late fee ($1/day = ouch!). I’ll drop it off when I pass the library tomorrow.
2) Picked up three magazines from our local charity resale shop for $.25 each. The proceeds from my cheap entertainment will help fund scholarships for our local high school students.
3) Started cleaning out files in anticipation of our bank’s free shredding event next week. Since the ShredderMobile will be at the bank’s main office 20 miles away, I’m making a list of other errands to run while I’m on that side of town (Aldi, Habitat ReStore donations, local crunchy health food store for bulk herbs, etc.)
4) Made spaghetti this evening and managed to sneak several clean-out-the-crisper veggies into the sauce. Finely chopped zucchini, mushrooms, and fresh banana peppers went in to the skillet with the ground beef, and the kids thought dinner tasted great.
5) Gathered up all the marshmallow-y things from our pantry — half a jar of fluff, a glued-together mass of large marshmallows left over from summer s’mores, and a cupful of minis — and made rice krispy treats for dessert. The krispies were on sale, and the butter was from a previous Aldi run.
1. Bought a new to me sweater at a thrift shop to replace the 2 sweaters the dog ate last year!! It was 40% off so less than $5.
2. Got an offer for both my husband and I to work a catered dinner for the women I work for during the week – the off-site work pays over double what I normally make times the both of us – big $$ in early November.
3. Have walked past a pile of furniture that I think a neighbor has left as a free pile but hesitated to pick from it – really wish people would put out a free sign. If there are any little tables left tomorrow when I’m on my way to work, I’ll grab them for a bit of spiffing up and then put them on Craigslist
4. I sold a doll house on Craigslist this weekend that my sister gave my daughter and I as a “mother/daughter”project over 15 years ago – a bit of $$ in my pocket and one more thing out of the attic.
5. Two cousins offered my sister and I vintage costume jewelry that they have inherited and don’t want – we both have etsy shops so we will list the items and find a way to acknowledge their generosity.
1. The weekend was consumed with getting rid of clutter or items we no longer need. Husband took 9 bags of pretty nice stuff to Salvation Army.
2. Husband sat next to the freezer and took out each item, while I created a list of the items so we know what we have.
3. Found a no-limit sale on canned clams, at half the usual price of the brand we like. Bought 40 cans, enough to last a year.
4. Made something for a potluck using stuff we already had in the pantry.
5. A family we know has seven kids and food bills that our out of this world as a results (4 of them are teen boys!). They had so many gas points from our local Safeway that they could not use them all before they expired. They gave us their code so we could use the points and we filled our car and two gas cans for our portable generator (electricity here goes out a lot, last time for 13 hours), for $1.69 a gallon!! Really, a dollar and 69 cents!!
Combined errands to save on gas & time.
Stocked up on $1.99 ravioli & string cheese & $1 organic dried figs & fruit from a grocery store going out of business.
Sold something on eBay.
Used the remainder of a Home Depot gift card earned from surveys to buy a couple of storage bins. Goodwill rarely has the size I need.
Picked up library books I had on hold.
Ate leftovers for dinner while the rest of the family had raviolis and on sale pasta sauce for dinner.
I opted to have my dental surgery at the hospital instead of the dentist, which means it will be free instead of several hundred pounds. I will just have to wait a few months but as it’s not causing any problems at the moment, I am happy to do this.
I am celebrating almost a week of not smoking so treated myself to a (new to me) little wool coat from Hobbs, which is a really good quality and expensive brand. It retails at around £200 and I paid £8 in a charity store.
Leftovers for lunch on Monday and a packed lunch yesterday.
Oh, and I started our blog!
Wow, great job on a week without smoking! Hooray for you!
Thanks – there have been a few hairy moments but I’m determined to do it!
Definitely I am a fan of lists too, for multiple reasons. I am curious – what do the boxes signify?
It’s to tick off after the chore is done.
I understand that, but why multiple ones next to some items. Does the four boxes next to laundry signify four loads?
Nope. It’s load, switch, fold and put away.
Thanks
Why is laundry on there twice?
I made a loss-leader/stock-up trip to the grocery store. The only thing I got that was not on sale was bread. I stock up in the fall because in our location we may not be able to get out for a few days at a time winter. (Yay Minnesnowta)
I stopped at Aldi for a few things including super-cheap cat food for the barn cats (our farm is a cat magnet) and gathered $1.50 worth of carts left scattered about the parking lot. I just don’t get the mentality of folks who won’t push the cart back to the store and get their quarter back, but it happens a lot here!
At our Aldi’s people keep wanting to give me their cart so I then get their quarter back and don’t have to use my own–and they won’t take the quarter I already have in my hand for the cart I intended to get. I don’t know who started this trend, but I think I started with two quarters in a little compartment in my car and I bet I have five or six quarters in there now!! I think ONE TIME I managed to give a quarter to a person who didn’t have one in his change, but that is all. Such polite people for being frugal and shopping at Aldi’s!!
At least your Aldi has shopping trolleys for such a small amount – they are $2 over here in Australia!! I love it when I find one that hasn’t been returned (I always look!)
That’s funny, in Germany, people are so protective of their 1 Euro. Never a cart out of place. Maybe Aldi in the US should up the rate, ha-ha.
1. Working from home today to avoid a commute.
2. Eating at home – a ham that I bought during the Easter sale and stored in my chest freezer.
3. Drinking coffee, brewed at home, bought at Costco (their Signature brand – not the cheapest coffee but the cheapest I can stand).
4. Using baking soda to treat the poison ivy I got instead of an expensive cream that wouldn’t work any better.
5. Scheduled 2 Life Coaching Calls tonight to bring in extra money.
I love lists and checking off boxes!
Today I’m weeding/purging my files and going through the huge “to be filed” folder. I’ll do laundry in between and sneak out to walk the dog several times as it’s just such beautiful Fall weather.
Tomorrow I declutter the holiday decorations and bag up the discards for our local thrift store.
(1) went looking for a particular size covered glass container that quite a few of us use in my household. Realized most were being ” used” in the freezer to hold lunches to take to work. Have started to work through them. Saved myself a trip and the $ to buy more.
(2)Having a staff meeting this afternoon. I bring a kettle, assortment of tea and hot chocolate, mugs and something to snack on. My staff appreciate it, it’s a way of honouring them without a large expense. I use vintage linens/dishes to set the cups and refreshments out on.
(3) Took the vintage cocktail napkins and other small linens and put them between the china plates ( in storage) I use for family dinner celebrations.
(4) I believe in using all the pretty dishes, crystal and linens I have inherited. I put them all in my dishwasher. Memories are made but they are not stored like museum pieces. How many times have I picked up,lovely items at the thrift store because someone was saving them for when/what?
(5) I looked on my local buy and sell group and my regular thrift store and department stores for some items for Christmas that someone would use. Found them all on eBay for a reasonable price.
Oh my such a detailed list! It would take me all day to write a detailed list like that (I know because I have tried — was working on trying out the “Getting Things Done” method). That’s so awesome that it works for you!
-Two loads on the line & another in the wash, I love it when my day off coincides with sun – for drying and for our solar hot water (it’s not paying for itself yet, but it’s saving resources).
-Making a list of other things around the house & property that we’ve been meaning to list online. Tidying up and making a few dollars before winter.
-Batching errands, including dropping off products from a business I run in my spare time. 2nd income stream = a good thing 🙂
-organizing the kids’ wardrobes so I know what they have and don’t get tempted to overbuy items they don’t need when thrift shopping.
I love lists! They are the only thing that keeps me on track.
Grazing/potluck day at work, so that takes care of lunch for probably two days.
Today is hubby’s day off. Maybe I can take a plate of food home to him. I despise cooking during the week and rarely do, since he doesn’t get home until 8:30 pm most evenings.
I put a hold on another library book and rec’d a notice to pick it up today.
I’m planning out my trip with my daughter and grandkids this weekend, so I need to get everything set-up in the car by tomorrow evening. We leave early Friday morning.
It’s raining today, so free car wash day!
Today I am not feeling so frugal — I had to buy flea meds and eye drops for the pets. There went $113.00. I keep telling my husband we don’t need so many pets, but the darn things show up on our doorstep and he refuses to give them away. One of the fun facts about Florida: the “flea season” is nine to twelve months out of the year. Ticks are putting on their Fall Fling, too. My husband found two of them crawling on him yesterday.
Lists work for me some of the time, such as when I’m packing for a trip or planning a big holiday dinner, but I never do daily lists. I’d be sitting there for 30 minutes trying to remember what I need to do, whereas if I just get going, I generally remember what I need to do, easily. It’s funny how differently our brains can work, isn’t it?
I’m buying a lot of beef from a farm this weekend, so I’ve been trying to clean out the freezer some this week and last. It’s really time to defrost it. I hope I can make myself do it before Saturday.
Love it! Best time for a conversation with a teen is in the car!
I also seem to need the check off system. It’s been working with my
de-cluttering.
One frugal thing crocheting an afghan with my stash of “rescued’ yarn from thrift
stores, rummage sales, garage sales.
Best frugal thing- watching it rain like crazy in Albuquerque.
Oh yeah, used a rain check and coupons for 2 free boxes of dog treats.
Hey neighbor!
Inspiring!
Well, here’s what my last few days have looked like:
1. Returned some sheets to Home Goods – they were white and wouldn’t stay white in our house – and got a credit back to my card as I was able to fish out my receipt. Without a receipt I would receive store credit which I’m just itching to spend these days so I patted myself on the back for keeping and finding the receipt.
2. I was starting to get hungry for lunch while I was out and really *wanted* to grab something to eat, but I remembered that I could make this easy quinoa/spinach salad in minutes once I was home, and that’s just what I did. Had to celebrate a healthy lunch by having a little ice cream 🙂
3. A friend and I are taking another friend to a natural hot springs to celebrate her birthday. By waiting until October we are receiving the reduced rates, and saving even more by going on a weekday. Score a double win there!
4. I was feeling so good about buying a plant, a pot, and potting soil to make my friend’s birthday gift which is much more frugal than buying something ready made but . . .
5. I fell victim to overthinking and wondering if that present was “good enough” and I bought her a $29 scarf as well at, gulp, a little boutique {I was out with a friend and we both wanted to check out this chi-chi little store}. I almost never do this lately but I rationalized that it is her 60th birthday and the plant looked a little skimpy. Live and learn. I’m trying to treat myself gently about this misstep, especially since I’ve been doing so well lately.
My Tuesday and Wednesday were spent serving on jury duty. I packed lunch the first day and ate that then walked around. Today I went to lunch with most of my fellow jurors. I just ordered a small quiche and drank water. It’s good for me to be more social sometimes, instead of always watching the bottom line.
Dinner the past two nights was leftovers: chili and corn bread one night and Chicago style pizza the other.
My husband took the day off. He did some work from home but he also did a few “honey-do” jobs. He’s very good about keeping things working at home.
I registered for Swagbucks, but every survey that I participate in eliminates me for one reason or another. I think I am going to give up!
That happens to me too, so I rarely even attempt the surveys.
I do make lists, but not for everything—I always have a list going for my grocery/health and beauty needs from the supermarket and I also keep a separate list for Sam’s Club which I only go to every 2-3 months. I do not normally make “to do” lists for everyday–with some exceptions. I went out Monday afternoon and Tuesday evening and did non-essential things, so today I did make a to do list to take care of everything I neglected so far this week, and I finished everything on the list!! (Even baked a loaf of banana bread, which I put on the list as a “maybe tomorrow” kind of thing!) Guilt is wonderful if it motivates you to do more.
I occasionally make lists of things I really want to get to around the house, and sometimes find them a month or two later when I cross off an appallingly small number of them!
The week has been quite frugal, however. We generally eat out for one meal a week, and we’re a week behind on that. The weather has been cool and rainy and sometimes it just feels lots cozier to stay home and make something. I haven’t spent much on Christmas shopping yet partly because I can’t find anything I like but also because I’ve done well on the small number of things I have bought, used coupons, found items on sale, and used free shipping coupons. I do need to get more done one of these days. On Monday I will have the first of my cataracts removed, and two weeks later, the other one. So I’m kind of counting on being home more in the next month–as my pre-op instructions say no driving until the doctor says I can. I know it’s not serious surgery but I will be following the post-op instructions to the letter. My husband had complications after his and eventually had two more surgeries, which I plan on avoiding if at all possible!
I hate Swagbucks. I guess because we got off to a bad start, I’ve never had good luck with them.
I never qualify for any of the survey’s……I’ve also determined that an African American female with a college education that has any income of over 50k doesn’t really appeal to the demographic they are looking for.
And I can never get the videos to play…not on my phone or either of two latptops.
Sad, because I could really use that money, and am willing to put in the work.
Bummer. They don’t seem to want me either for most of their surveys.
My *big* NCA thing today will be making quesadillas for dinner out of whatever is in the fridge. Pear and fig? Kale and caramelized onion? Roasted pepper and caramelized onion? Yes, yes, yes! 😉