Last Week's Thrifty Moves

 

Our high heat continued as we headed toward the end of July.  Fortunately the nights cooled down quite a bit so I was able to keep the house fresh each morning by opening the doors and windows and setting a box fan at the back of the house to blow around the cooler air coming in from outside.  Then I closed everything up, even the blinds and curtains before I headed off to work each day and it stayed nice and comfortable until I turned the A/C units on upstairs when I got home mid afternoon.  Our power bill arrived and it is the highest summer electric bill I've ever had.  Luckily the extra money made from my Etsy sales during the month covered what I spent on groceries and freed up the additional cash we needed to go towards the power bill.  Isn't amazing how things just seem to work out?

 

Jack decided to help me

Sunday I got my chores done first thing in the morning before settling into the craft room to make Halloween and Thanksgiving themed greeting cards which I thoroughly enjoyed.  It was the first time in a very long time I'd had a good long session of crafting and it felt really good.  On Monday I had an appointment with a neurovascular specialist.  Let's just say things did not go as I had hoped and I'm not planning to go back to this person.  Terrible experience!  He was a absolute jerk and totally full of himself.  I was not impressed.  By the time I got home I was completely wrung out and grateful I didn't have to go into work.  Instead I fixed myself a nice big cup of coffee and headed back into the craft room and got myself lost in my crafting.  Best thing I could've have done.

 

By Tuesday it was business as usual.  I worked six hours on Tuesday and Wednesday and then, being the rebel that I am, I worked eight hours on Thursday and Friday and guess what?  I did just fine.  After work each day I came home to rest for a while and made dinner.  It seems to be a pattern I've become familiar with, LOL.  I'm just doing what I feel I can without overdoing it and I'm finding I'm able to do more than I thought.

 

I did manage to do some decluttering,too.  I parked a chair in front of the TV stand where I keep all of my office supplies and pulled everything out of the drawers placing it all onto the living room floor.  I went through all of the mess removing items I did not need or want, putting away items that did not belong in there in the first place and even filled up a Ziploc bag with donations of things I no longer need.  I had a pretty nice toss pile going too.  Then I reorganized all of my supplies in the top drawer and placed the paper, envelopes and all of my assorted labels in the bottom drawer.  It looks nice and neat and I can now easily find what I am looking for.  Yay!

 

I made pork fried rice

Saturday, before the heat of the day I went outside and did a little bit of yard work.  I came inside, took a break and then I got my floors mopped.  It made me feel so good to do more of my normal stuff.  Old routines.

 

and pasta carbonara

THINGS WE ATE LAST WEEK:  Pasta carbonara, pork fried rice, pesto shrimp w/asparagus (keto), roasted garlic & basil chicken sausages w/peppers & tomatoes (keto), grilled cheese sandwich (keto).

 

THINGS I CLEANED IN 15 MINUTES OR LESS: 

Laundry Room & Half Bathroom - Vacuumed & mopped floors, washed rug.  Daily swish & swipe. 

Kitchen & Dining Room -  Cleaned microwave, cleaned & disinfected sink, vacuumed & mopped floors, cleaned dining room shelves.  Daily swish & swipe. 

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

Other - Two large loads of laundry.  Vacuumed & dusted living room, hallway & both entryways.  Mopped front entry, swept porch & garage.

 

Items I decluttered from the dining room

THINGS I DID TO EARN EXTRA $$:  Made a big batch of new greeting cards and listed them in my Etsy shop to sell.  They are so cute!

 

How was your thrifty week?