A Thrifty April Recap

 

TO BEGIN WITH:  I ended the month of March and headed into April with $91 in my checking account, $2 plus a handful of change in my wallet and a half tank of fuel in my car.  As in the previous months I was blessed again to have my cupboards full and no immediate needs or wants.  I know I am very blessed and fortunate, to be sure.

 

NEXT STEPS:  I used what was left in the checking account to purchase some fresh produce and a few pantry items as well as top up the gas tank on my car.  I figure with gas prices on the rise it would make less of an impact to my overall household budget if I top off each month rather than wait until I am closer to E like I did last year.

 

Once again I had no bills due on the 5th so I pushed the majority of that first paycheck right into savings, HSA and retirement.  I paid the small amount I owed for state taxes this year and a couple bills that weren't due yet.  The next payday I paid the rest of our monthly bills that were due and our May mortgage plus some extra.  I also left some extra in my checking account to pay  the power bill that isn't due until May .  It feels really good to be able to pay bills ahead like that.  I funded the rest of our $100 grocerybudget, our $25 non food budget, my pocket money and then scooted a good amount into savings, HSA and retirement.  All of my savings goal were met, bills paid and groceries were bought.

 

As you know by now I ended up back in the ER and then was hospitalized for fourdays with heart issues.  No doubt the bills for this will be outrageous, but fortunately I have insurance, my HSA account was fully funded to cover my deductible amount at the beginning of the year and we have an emergency fund.  The hospital also offers a one year interest free payment plan.  At this time I am comfortable that we have enough resources to handle this without backsliding and ending up back in debt.  Once again I feel very thankful for 2020.

 

WAYS I SAVED $$:  I shopped carefully and made wise choices so I didn't overspend.  I also concentrated a lot on using what we already had and replacing items as we used them up.

 

WAYS I EARNED EXTRA $$:  I sold some more items from my Etsy shop and on eBay.  I put some more items up for sale on both sites too.

 

LOOKING BACK:  It was definitely a very different month than what I had thought it would be heading into it.  You just never know what life will throw your way.

 

LOOKING AHEAD:  My goal moving forward is to heal and get better, continue to eat healthy and build my energy and stamina back up.  Along with my physical healthy I plan to continue to take care of my financial well being too.  By doing that it will help me to be stressed and that is very important for my emotion health.

 

In spite of everything I am really happy with how things have gone this past month.  May is going to be great.  I'm determined to see that it is.

 

April $100 Grocery Budget 2021

 

Groceries took on a greater place of importance for me this month as I heal from my latest health predicament.  I do truly believe that food is medicine so having plenty of good, nutritious and healthy meal options was a top priority.

 

We didn't need anything nonfood related so my $25 budget for those items remained largely untouched.  I did pick up two packages of sanitizing wipes for the prepper pantry that I found on markdown for only 69¢ each.  With only $1.38 total spent I pushed the remaining $23.62 right into my savings account.  Love it!

 

My only nonfood purchase this month

I began my $100 grocery budget this month with $142.44 because I didn't spend my total budgeted amount in February or March.  I rolled those extra funds over and added it to my new budgeted amount.  There were some really good sales on my favorite yogurt so I took advantage of that and stocked up.

 

A big markdown haul from Fred Meyer

After everything was totaled up for the month of April I came in at $136.79 leaving me with $5.65 left to roll over and add it to my $100 budget for May.  That is a good amount to start off with next month and I am still really pleased with how well we are doing with our grocery and non food spending.  So far this year I have spent a total of $394.35 on food and $55.91 on nonfood household items.

 

Discounted produce was a big part of my budget

We've had more than enough produce to enjoy throughout the month, lots of healthy main dishes, leftovers for our lunches each day and plenty of good variety.  We're also staying mindful to use up items so they don't spoil or expire and are keeping our food waste to a minimum.

 

The New Egg Cooker

 

A couple of weeks ago I used some of my pocket money to treat myself to a new little appliance, just for fun.  While I am quite capable of preparing eggs on my stove with the pans that I already have I thought it might be nice to have this little appliance to help me out and save me a little bit of time each day, especially once I returned to work.

 

The omelet pan works so nice

Yum!

Not only is it cuter than cute, but it works like a charm.  I can hard boil eggs without much effort which frees me up to work on other things.  I have used it several times to create the cutest little omelets that cook to perfection and come together really quickly.  I whip up a couple of eggs, add some cheese and veggies, a little bacon or sausage and place it in the little omelet pan that has been lightly oiled.  Everything is cooked with steam and is timed based on the amount of water you add.

 

The directions are easy to follow and there are even some recipes in the little instruction booklet that comes with the unit.  I think I will be using this little egg cooker a lot.  Not only is it convenient to use, it is easy to clean and seems to save me a lot of time too.  I love this thing.  I'm really glad I bought it.

 

 

How I Clean & Deodorize My Garbage Disposal

 

One of my readers asked me how do I clean and deodorize the garbage disposal?  I thought that was a really good question so I figured I'd answer it right here.  It is a very simple task and it works so well I couldn't believe it the first time I tried it.  You only need a few items - dish soap, hot water and ice.  Yep!  That is it!

 

I begin by turning on the hot water faucet and letting it run along with a with good shot of dish soap (about a tablespoon), which foams up and loosens things up a bit.  Then I turn off the hot water and put four cups of ice cubes down the hole while it is still running.  Use a wooden spoon, not your hand, to help guide the ice.  It makes a heck of a racket, but it also churns up the gunk and reall cleans things out.  Once all the ice is done grinding around I turn the hot water back on and drizzle a little bit more dish soap (about a teaspoon) in and let that do a final clean.  That's it, you're all done.

 

Use an old toothbrush to scrub this part while the unit is turned off

I have to tell you I was shocked the first time I tried this and saw all the crud churn up while I was doing the ice.  Rust and goo.  It was disgusting!  I do this about once a month or so depending on how often I use the disposal and it keeps it clean and fresh.

 

 

Last Week's Thrifty Moves

 

Too much downtime found me with ants in my pants on Sunday.  I was seriously itching to do something!  So I made us a nice Sunday brunch, did some meal prepping and then baked something.  By the time I was all done and had the dishes washed up as well as my kitchen back in order I was feeling ever so much better.  Even better, I used up a bunch of odds and ends of things in the fridge and pantry that needed to be used up so they did not go to waste, including two very ripe bananas plus we had loads of delicious options for meals for the week ahead.

 

I made myself some deviled eggs

Wednesday morning I had a follow up appointment with my cardiologist.  I will get to go back to work next month on a part time basis which is a huge relief.  I got some incredible news that day too, which I am still processing.  It is a lot to process and once I sort through it and get my head wrapped around it I'll give you all an update.  You'll have to be patient with me because I have more tests on the horizon and a few more appointments to get through before I will have all the answers I need.  It is going to be a fair bit of a journey, to say the least, but I know I can manage it.

 

When my daughter got home from school she and I went to the antique mall (my happy place) and walked around.  Thursday and Friday I spent a good deal of time in my other happy place, my craft room.  There is therapy in creativity so I made sure I got plenty of that.

 

She came home from school starving

THINGS WE ATE LAST WEEK:  Beefaroni, French bread pizza, French toast & sausage links, leftover stir fry & steak, hamburgers, grilled chicken, gnocchi in alfredo sauce and lots of green salads with homemade dressing as well as steamed cauliflower & broccoli.

 

THINGS I CLEANED IN 15 MINUTES OR LESS: 

Laundry Room & Half Bathroom - Vacuumed floors.  Daily swish & swipe. 

Kitchen & Dining Room -  Vacuumed & spot mopped floors, cleaned stovetop and rangehood.  Daily swish & swipe. 

Bedrooms & Main Bathroom - Cleaned tub, vacuumed & dusted.  Daily swish & swipe. 

Other - Two loads of laundry.  Vacuumed & dusted living room, hallway & both entryways, polished wood furniture.  Cleaned living room carpet (which took longer than 15 minutes of course, but figured I'd include it), swept front porch.

 

Chicken breast marinated in Italian dressing with steamed veggies

THINGS I DID TO SAVE A SMALL BUNDLE OF $$:  I washed out a few Ziploc bags to reuse, used up every last drop of shower gel, shampoo & conditioner by having them upside down in the shower for a couple weeks, used a rubber spatula to scrape out every last bit of mayonnaise from the jar, used 2 overripe bananas to make banana bread for my daughter's breakfast throughout the week (she loved it), made some foaming hand soap solution to refill our bathroom dispensers, I picked up a quart of whole milk on clearance for 69¢ and used it to make half milk.  I put two pint jars of the half milk in the fridge to use now and the rest (in a couple pint jars) went into the freezer to use later.  That is a budget stretcher!

 

I have loads of wonderful vintage cookbooks for sale

THINGS I DID TO EARN EXTRA $$:  I started making four sets of really pretty note cards to sell which I will be listing in my Etsy store very soon.  I listed a couple things for sale on eBay and I sold a sewing pattern on eBay and a vintage cookbook from my Etsy store.  Yay!  Every little bit helps, especially now.

 

Jack enjoying a spring climb in our tree

How was your thrifty week?

 

 

Targeted Keto & Some Meals I've Been Eating

 

The most popular form of Keto is the strict diet most people use for weight loss.  35 grams or less coupled with an approved food list has helped countless people to lose weight and keep it off.  It is also a fantastic option for diabetics and patients with life threatening diseases such as cancer.  When I initially began my Keto journey I did this diet in an effort to gain control over migraine headaches that had been plaguing me for years.  It has really worked well for me.

 

Deviled eggs, sliced strawberries & banana

I've been Keto for over three years now.  After the first year I changed from the stricter version to a modified or targeted version to maintain my health and well being.  I began by slowly adding back healthy food items, mainly fruit (like bananas) and Keto bread or low carb tortillas.  I still stay away from refined sugars and complex carbohydrates for the most part, opting instead for sweeteners like stevia and monk fruit.  Occasionally erythritol.

 

Roast chicken, salad greens, olives, sliced almonds, Asian dressing

I've done really well with a targeted Keto lifestyle.  I very rarely end up with a migraine and when I do they are not nearly as severe as they once were.  Keto has been a real life changer for me.  After my recent cardiac issues this year I was quite concerned about having to abandon my Keto lifestyle.  I have seen the approved cardiac diet recommended by the American Heart Association and looked at the Mediterranean diet which is also advised for heart health.  With both it seemed to me it was a lot of carbohydrates and refined sugar.  I was extremely concerned that it would cause me to gain weight, which I knew would not be good for my heart, blood pressure or my joints.  I also do not want to reintroduce migraines back into my life.  Fortunately the Keto lifestyle is still very much doable for patients with heart issues.  You just have to be smart about your food choices.

 

Salmon, steamed broccoli, spinach salad w/ sliced mushrooms & cranberries

Not a whole lot has really changed for me as far as the meals I am making, except that I am much more careful about the amount of sodium I consume so I don't retain water and I am much more particular about the types of fats (olive, avocado & nut oils) I consume.  I don't really enjoy animal fats that much so this works better for me anyway.  I've also increased the amount of fish and chicken based meals and am boosting my fruit and vegetables a little bit more.

 

Scrambled eggs, sugar free yogurt, banana

For many, many years I have typically only eaten two meals a day.  I'm just not a breakfast eater and I have always been an intermittent faster before I even knew that was a real thing.  I love breakfast foods, just not first thing in the morning.  My body does not like to eat too early and I seem to do better if I have brunch later in the day and then supper so I am continuing to that.

 

Egg roll in a bowl topped with chili sauce, scallions & ginger, egg drop soup

My meals are simple to prepare.  Lean meats in small portions, loads of nutrient rich vegetables, some fruits, plus nuts and nut oils to garnish certain dishes.  I'm upping my game by putting more effort into my cooking and meal preparations with an emphasis on making my meals as pretty as they are nutritious and delicious.  Having a wide variety of food options to avoid burn out is also very important to me as well.

 

Stir fry vegetables w/ sliced pork chop & sugar free teriyaki sauce

So far I feel I am doing pretty well.  I am making food a huge priority in my life to prepare my healthy meals every day.  I'm finding that I truly enjoy cooking and meal planning even more than I did before.  I very much look forward to it on a daily basis.  Good food is the best medicine.

 

 

Downsizing - My Possessions

 

As I head toward early retirement I've been going through the spaces within my current home and making some decisions.  Once my youngest graduates high school and heads off to college I will be downsizing my household possessions by quite a bit.  I still have a little while before that happens but in the meantime I’ve already started to go through our house and get rid of items we no longer use, need or want.  I’ve done a lot of soul searching to determine which items I own are most important to me and will go with me once I sell our house and which ones I don’t want or need.  Surprisingly, not a lot of what we currently own will be going with me because the majority of what I have is completely replaceable.  And by the time I get ready to sell the house and move a lot of what we have will be sufficiently worn out and will need to be replaced.  Plus I want to decorate my next home in a very different way, therefore most of our things will need to go.  That should certainly make my move much easier.

 

A lot of the items I have purged so far have been sold on eBay and I have many more newly listed items on there as well.  The proceeds have been used to pay our electric bill in January, February and again in March as well as to purchase a couple new items (ie. toaster oven) that will serve me well once I retire.  The remainder of the money I have made has been going right into my savings account.  So my efforts are literally paying off.  Other items I don't wish to sell have been bagged or boxed up and donated to our neighborhood thrift store.

 

Recently I went through old paperwork that had finally "aged out" and I was able to get it all run through our shredder.  It filled up two kitchen size trash bags.  I recycled folders, envelopes and papers without personal information on them as well as some old boxes.  Work related items I hauled into the office and added to our big shred bin there.  I didn't feel the need to wear out my shredder on that stuff.

 

I also went through all of our games, puzzles and video game equipment.  I decided to keep the Sega Genesis and the girls will keep the Wii (not sure how they'll split that, but that's between them since it is theirs, ha, ha).  I have divided up the games amongst all three of us and we all have a set or two of playing cards, pinochle cards as well as Yahtzee and Farkle.  I had to make a few homemade versions of Yahtzee and Farkle in order for all of us to have a set, which was a fun little project for me.  The nice thing is the same dice for the homemade Farkle game can be easily used for Yahtzee.  I made extra score sheets for Yahtzee with our copier and cut them to size.  I assembled all of my games into a bin I already had and added a cute label.

 

An area that can be difficult to purge is sentimental items and I am working on that as well.  So far I've been able to part with quite a bit but I still have a ways to go.  Once the important things are clearly defined and the unimportant ones are sold, re-homed or donated then I will be able to effectively start packing.  That is when things are going to start to get real folks!  J  In the meantime I'm going to keep on plugging away at it.  My hope is that by starting early I won't overwhelm myself too much when the time comes.  Fingers crossed that it actually works out that way!  I know some of you have already done this but is anybody downsizing in anticipation of a move? I would love to hear what you are doing.

 

Revisiting An Old Post - Dressings & Dip!

 

In the spirit of celebrating the upcoming 10th anniversary of this blog I found another old post I thought I'd share again.  I really like a good, healthy and delicious salad dressing.  Homemade dressings are the best and definitely healthiest as you have full control over what goes into them.  Good quality oils, vinegars, herbs and spices make for superb dressings.  Not only on salads, but to use as marinades for meats, fish and chicken.  For some fantastic recipes you'll want to click here.

 

I Love The Simple Things

 

It is truly the simple little things in life that give me great pleasure.  I like to keep fresh flowers on our mantle, usually carnations as they are my favorite.  I love their fluffy blooms and subtle fragrance.  They make me smile.

 

I love all kinds of silly little things like vacuum cleaner marks in the carpet, shiny sinks and faucets, the smell of newly trimmed grass, fresh air in the spring when I can finally open my windows after a long cold winter.  The smell of freshly brewing coffee is another thing that makes me feel warm and fuzzy not unlike my slippers or my favorite throw blanket.  Kitties snoozing in my lap is delightful thing as well.  The warmth of candles burning or a kerosene lamp on a dark winter night.  I love pots of flowers on my front porch and the blossoms on the trees each spring.

 

I find a lot of inner peace within myself whenever I find the joy in the simpler things.  Tell me what simple things in life bring you joy and a sense of peace.

 

 

Last Week's Thrifty Moves

 

Hello everyone!  There is nothing so nice as a good night of sleep in your own comfy bed while wearing your favorite pajamas.  It's the little things in life, let me tell you!  I was up bright and early Sunday morning.  Took out the kitchen trash and made myself a hot cup of coffee.  I got to take off the last of the bandages from my hospital stay that morning so the only traces left were the marks and purple bruising from my multiple stab wounds, LOL.  I am on the mend!

 

Monday I was all about getting myself caught up answering your very kind and sweet blog comments.  I cannot thank you enough for all the well wishes you've extended to me.  I also worked on some more detailed meal planning while watching Dances With Wolves and got a couple slow walks in.  The purple bruising all over my arms had changed to a very lovely green and yellow.  Eww… but it was progress.  LOL

 

I spent some of my pocket $$ on this fun little gizmo

Tuesday morning I ordered myself a toy from Amazon.  I was thinking it might be helpful, especially after I head back to work, to be able to make my brunches with a handy little appliance so I decided to get an egg cooker.  I think they are super cute.  Once that was done I settled in to answer everyone's comments on the blog.  Wednesday morning I emptied the trash cans and got them all washed and disinfected before putting fresh liners (grocery bags) in them.  My goal for the day was to get caught up on blog related items.  I was able to answer the slew of emails that so many of my wonderful readers sent to me.  You guys are seriously helping my heart to heal, no doubt about that!  I cannot thank you all enough.  When I was done I slowly vacuumed our living room with our lightweight vacuum cleaner and called it good.  It was feet up and resting for the remainder of the day.

 

My latest Fred Meyer haul

Thursday my only goal was to bring the trash bins in from the curb for my daughter and to get a load of laundry done which I managed to do that just fine.  I find if I don't rush and move at a slow and even pace that I am doing really well.  And when I get tired, I rest.  Simple as that.  My goal for Friday was to go to my mammogram appointment at 8:00 in the morning and then stop in at the grocery store for a few items on my way home.  Fred Meyer had a few things on sale that I wanted so that was my destination after my appointment was done.  Mission accomplished. 😊

 

Loads of discount produce & a FREE bottle of salad dressing

These red mesh bags are only $1 each

I was definitely happy I made it to Fred Meyer on Friday.  I scored quite a few good markdown items in the produce department which means I won't need nearly as much as I had originally planned to get this week as we are very well stocked.  I also scored peanut butter for 79¢ a jar and organic nut bars (for me!) for 89¢ a box (usually $6.99) on markdown, a free bottle of salad dressing, a bag of carrots for 79¢ with a store coupon and several items on sale.  I was very pleased once I completed check out and was headed for home.  Definitely worth the stop.

 

I was excited to find these!

My daughters were excited about this

By Saturday my arms were almost completely cleared up.  A few spots left, but much, much better.  They picked on me good!  My goodness!  One thing I have made myself do every day since I got home from the hospital is to make my bed and get dressed.  I think it is really good for my psyche to do those two things, if nothing else, even if I don't plan to leave the house.

 

A delicious stir fry

THINGS WE ATE LAST WEEK:  Salmon with steamed broccoli, chicken vegetable egg drop soup, egg roll in a bowl, pork stir fry, pasta with meat sauce, steak & green salad.

 

I made my bed and got dressed every day!

I've managed to keep up on my household chores.  At first I did them five minutes at a time and then a little longer as I felt I could do it.  THINGS I CLEANED IN 15 MINUTES OR LESS: 

Laundry Room & Half Bathroom - Vacuumed floors.  Daily swish & swipe. 

Kitchen & Dining Room -  Vacuumed & mopped floors.  Daily swish & swipe. 

Bedrooms & Main Bathroom -Vacuumed floors.  Daily swish & swipe. 

Other - one large load of laundry.  Vacuumed & dusted living room, hallway & both entryways.

 

I made this cute little omelet with my new egg cooker

THINGS I DID TO SAVE A SMALL BUNDLE OF $$:  I pretty much stayed home all week so I saved a lot of fuel in my car.  I used coupons, digital coupons and only purchased items on sale or markdown when I went to the grocery store.

 

I found these on markdown and added them to my prepper pantry

How was your thrifty week?