Right so past being another year older this week, some money saving things got done, so let's get to those.
1. I spent a total of 54.00 on groceries this week. We were expecting a big snow storm (we only ended up actually getting like about two inches instead), so I ended up getting eggs. I also got frozen pizzas (they were on sale 3 for 10.00 at Carrs if you bought three of the Red Baron pizzas and then they had a 1.50/2 E-Coupon you could load to your card, so I got 3 pizzas for decently cheap...they will come in handy in the future for sure) and store brand french fries and tater tots (3 for 5.00 with an E-Coupon this week at Carrs). I'm going to try deep frying them for my son if he REALLY gets a hankering for McDonalds the next couple of weeks as Ore Ida fries have gone up in price again and just wasn't in the budget this week (for the amount of ounces you get it just wasn't worth getting the Ore Ida ones).
I didn't grab the freebie from Fred Meyer yesterday as it was a sports drink and I knew we wouldn't drink it, so I just let it go. I also didn't pick up the free Ranch dressing when I was in town grocery shopping, mainly to stay out of the store and away from potential clearance sales at Fred Meyer. We are on a razor sharp edge this coming week financially and with my husband losing productivity this week being sick (which we plain could NOT afford to happen)...we're just massively broke. So after Christmas clearance is out this year. Oh well. Having the heat, electricity and things turned on is more important.
2. My plans to have my daughter invite her best friend over to go sledding this weekend went down like the Hindenburg when my daughter got the gift of the cold the rest of us have been fighting off for my birthday. So, she's coughing, blowing through tissues and feeling cruddy right now. Poor thing :(. Every time she thinks she'll be able to have a play date with her best friend (who lives two doors down, which makes it even MORE pathetic) things have just been happening lately.
3. My son's speech therapist gave us a bag of mini marshmallows as she had bought them to try on him for a reinforcer during speech therapy. He didn't play ball, so she just gave us the bag as a way to say, "Merry Christmas". They came in handy the last couple of days as a way to bribe my daughter to try hot chocolate to help her sore throat (yes, I actually had to BRIBE my daughter to try hot chocolate. She's an odd one *laugh*). It was a bonding experience ;).
4. I managed to get my act together this week and pull meat out of the freezer to defrost AHEAD of time, so I saved having to defrost it in the microwave (a savings on energy...not much of one but a savings), the meat tasted better from not having to defrost it in the microwave and it kept me on task with the menu I had planned. As a result we've had plenty of leftovers in the fridge to choose from, which has been good to keep lunches easy.
5. I've been having fun watching "Full Steam Ahead" the new documentary the BBC put out with Ruth, Alex and Peter on You Tube. It's actually rather fascinating to learn about how the railroad developed in Britain and how it changed the way everything was done, although I have to admit I've had a hard time seeing Ruth not in her Victorian clothes *laugh*.
6. I took advantage of the gift card my mom and sister sent me this year and one of the things I got was a Kindle version of a pressure cooker cookbook. The print edition was at least 10.00, but the Kindle version was .99. I took the Kindle version and have been paging through it over the last couple of days (so far, honestly, I'm not overly impressed. I think I just need to hit Pinterest for ideas. If anyone has a good pressure cooker cookbook to recommend please share!) in preparation of Amazon one of these days getting my new pressure cooker to me (so far it's been "Shipping Today" for three days now *grumble*).
7. I bookmarked several cookie recipes in Fred Meyer's 25 Merry Days Cookie Calendar and one of them is a shortbread type of cookie that you fill with raspberry jam. Since I have a ton of raspberry jam in the pantry, I REALLY want to try out the cookie recipe. I was hoping to make it over Christmas, along with a few other recipes, but I and my husband were sick and my daughter wasn't impressed with trying the recipes on her own, so I just decided to put off holiday baking till later. I figured what was the point of doing Christmas baking if none of us could taste it anyway? At least we got sugar cookies done before my husband got too sick and he's been enjoying those on and off.
8. I finally came to the conclusion that this was the last year for extended family gifts from us for Christmas. For the amount of time I have had to invest in making gifts and things, I could make my husband and kids some really neat stuff. And when it comes to return gifts to us...no one in the family has the time or the energy to devote to making gifts themselves and I just feel like the gifts they give us in return I'm almost forcing them to give us as we gave them something and that doesn't seem right to me (if any family reads this, please please don't think I'm upset about this. I'm not! Really! I know written words can come across funky sometimes, so I just wanted to put that out there to let you know I'm not angry, hurt of weird about any of this. Seriously!). Which, I know, the giving is the most important thing and all, but I don't do it to make people feel put out.
I HAVE enjoyed making and giving the gifts, don't get me wrong, but this year I even made people feel bad because I put so much work into things when they didn't have the time or the energy to think about it (or the money since some members of the family have huge families on BOTH sides). It's just not worth it and seems counter to the holiday spirit. I'll probably make a couple of gifts to give in case we get gifts from folks next year (I refuse to not give gifts in return...it's a matter of personal principle), but I think I'm going to focus my energy on my kids and husband and maybe even try and make some gifts to send to my family back East (who are always super generous to us on the holidays and who I always end up having to send a really pathetic gift in return to). I especially want to put the creative energy into my kids while I have the chance...especially my daughter, who being my developmentally normal child is maturing faster in some ways than my son is. I had a kind of "2x4 upside the head moment" listening to her playing in her room the other morning when I realized that I'm not going to be hearing that for many more years before she grows out of it and moves on to more teenage things like phones, friends and stuff.
What? No, that's not a tear in my eye. That's liquid emotion. Completely different thing. Ahem *coughs into fist*.
9. I am so, so happy that I grow herbs every summer. Folks, if you grow one thing in your garden and you cook a lot, grow and dry herbs. You'll save more money than you know, they are easy to grow (except basil...that one is delicate and hates me some years) and the home grown herbs taste SO much better than the store bought "been sitting on a shelf for goodness knows how long" herbs you can buy. Just saying :). Oh and lettuce. Grow herbs and lettuce or Chinese vegetables (thanks for giving me that lesson, Jeannie) as then you'll have salads all summer long. Ever done the math on how much you spend on salad kits all summer? Trust me...it's worth growing your own and it's super easy. You can even grow lettuce in pots :).
Anyway, I've been using herbs a lot in recipes of late including rosemary chicken (I'll have to share that recipe one of these days as rosemary is the main star in the recipe :) and it's been great to have the jars of herbs sitting in the cupboard waiting for me.
10. Smiley 360 sent me some new Mucinex Fast-Max cold medicine to test drive and I happened to get it right in the middle of this cold, so I've been using it. I've actually been impressed with the medicine itself, but man you think NyQuil tastes bad? That stuff tastes like death on a half shell. It actually cut through my congestion when I could taste NOTHING and let me know how terrible it tasted. It is so bad I have to steel myself before swigging it down. But, it does cut the congestion and helps to break up the phlegm so I say it's worth it.
And there you are folks. A long, rambly, incoherent mess of a post going through my week (still not feeling up to 100% and have had kids distracting me every two minutes while writing it) and some of the ways I've saved money this week (at least I hope those are peppered in the post somewhere *sigh*). How did you do?
Wait, another show with Peter, Alex and Ruth?? I MUST WATCH!!! ;) I loved their farm series.
ReplyDeleteHope you all feel better soon.
ReplyDeleteI took the Mucinex DM capsules this month and they did really help.
We don't exchange gifts with extended family anymore though we did for years. We do have a gift exchange where we draw names so each adult just has to come up with one gift.
Yeah, ideally the gift exchange is what I and some other family members would like, but the idea has gotten shot down hard (and I mean HARD) by other members of the family so I gave up on that idea years ago. So, I'm thinking opting out is just going to be the way it is from now on.
DeleteI love your slippers. They look so comfy. I'm cold all winter - cold to the bone! So I always have my slippers and socks and robe over my clothes. lol.
ReplyDeleteOne way to get out of the big family present exchange is just to let everyone know up front that you need to focus on your immediate nuclear family. Most people understand. If you do want to give something make up some family gifts of cookies or peppermint bark or small loaves of pumpkin, zuchinni, or banana bread, etc... Look of cheap ingredients and stash them in a plastic tub through out the year. You can make things a month or two ahead and freeze too. Or rolls of cookies for them to bake themselves with the directions on them. I search out Very cheap cute plates, cups and bowls at thrifty stores and yard sales to give these gifts in. (Look through out the year) Just a thought. Take care.
That's probably what I am going to end up doing. Basically saying, "I'll focus on my kids, you do the same". It just makes more sense when the family is up to over thirty people.
DeleteLove the slippers and dh and I just finished watching the Edwardian farm on YouTube. Youtube has so many great things to watch. Cheryl
ReplyDeleteI love your slippers! I adore cheery colors, especially in the winter.
ReplyDeleteYou know, I'm a little like you in that I put so much time and effort into gift giving, then some people have the gift giving style of a mad dash through the dollar store laying hands on the first thing they see, or get something so shocking opposite of the kind of thing I like, and after 20 years or so should know that, that's it's almost miserable getting that!
I think, a jar of your jam, paired with a loaf of bread and maybe some cookies or a sprinkle of candy is not only thoughtful, but also appreciated, and you can always joke that when you get to stop paying for the dentists monthly trips to,aruba, the gifts will improve.
Totally your family needs to come first. Your kids deserve that. Don't feel bad in the least.
I don't know about canned goods. I've given them in the past without much success, but I'll have to think on it. Thanks for the suggestion.
DeleteMountain cedar has been our enemy this last couple of weeks. Neither DH nor I can sleep in the bed for coughing. It's been recliner time for us. I think I am going to get us matching bed rests.
ReplyDeleteI didn't do any hand made gifts this year and I missed it. But I learned last year to be choosy about who I make things for. Some people don't see value in hand made things. I am hoping to make a jingle bell garland for one of my nieces this year. She always has a Christmas tree in her room and I think she will like that to have for the future.
Hope y'all are all well soon!
kim
Have you tried an air purifier right by your bed? It's done wonders for my kids when it came to coughing type allergic reactions. Hope you guys feel better soon!
DeleteA happy, healthy new year to you and your family, Erika. For pressure cooking I use some books by Bob Warden (of QVC fame). I love the recipes and while his books are primarily written for an electric pressure cooker, using High or Low settings, he tells you what those settings are in psi's for the stovetop pressure cooker. About 15 pounds for High while 7.5 psi is for Low. They're also a wealth of information. No need to defrost meat, but just add 10 minutes to your cooking time. Also his book has a conversion table from stovetop or oven cooking to pressure cooker. And there are no exotic or hard to find ingredients. Hope this helps. Dorothy
ReplyDeleteThank you! That sounds like what I am looking for :). I'll check him out!
DeleteThose new slippers are PERFECT for cheering you up during the dark and dreary days of winter, Erika (which you have so many of in Alaska!). Sounds like your doing well, despite the lack of funds and more illness.
ReplyDeleteJust a suggestion for the future, instead of using the microwave to thaw your meat, try submerging the sealed package (I assume the meat is in a zip-lock bag) into very hot tap water (I use my sink, but a large bowl or dish pan work too). It takes about a 1/2 hour to 1 hour to fully thaw (depending on size of package, of course), and changing out the water when it cools will speed up the process. This is how I thaw my meat if I'm late getting it out. It sure tastes better than microwave thawing, that's for sure.
I totally understand your feelings on gift giving. I have been giving nice, thoughtful gifts to my 4 nephews and 1 niece for years (they are now in college/university). However, my daughter, who is much younger, always seems to be an after thought with the rest of the family. This year my annoyance reached a peak when they didn't even bother to give her a gift. I watched as my daughter (who's on the autism spectrum as you know) stand there asking where her gifts were, while the rest of her cousins opened theirs. The family just sat there and ignored her. I've been shelling out money and energy for those 5 kids every year and it's not even being reciprocated to our one and only child. So next year, they don't get a gifts from us.
As for my frugal accomplishments this week, I did well. I emptied out my freezer of all the chicken and turkey carcasses plus most of the saved veggie scraps to make a huge batch of poultry stock. We shaved up 4 hams I bought on sale, packaged it up in portions and put it in the freezer to pull for cold meat. Packaged up portions of leftover turkey meat and put that in the freezer to pull for soups, casseroles and hot turkey sandwiches. Saved gift bags and tissue to reuse next year. Hemmed a pair of lounge pants for my husband and replaced a broken hook on a bra. And, last but not least, took advantage of boxing week sales to buy some clothes for the family, a couple gift items for the "gift pantry" and some cheap boxes of chocolate and candy that I put away to use on my daughter's Easter basket.
That's about it for me. Hope your all feeling better soon!
Your poor daughter :(. That was so mean they did that to her. I'd want to sock someone if my kid was sitting there with no presents at all and asking for them :(.
DeleteSounds like you got some good deals this week! Thanks for the reminder too. I have a couple bras that I need to attempt to repair here.
Oh Rhonda!!Your poor daughter! And I totally get that because since our first nephew came along 16 years ago, and then later his brother and sister, we have ALWAYS given nice birthday and christmas gifts. (Other nieces too) they never, never remember our two kids birthday, and Christmas is usually something they bought and left a clearance sticker on, or just junk. Beat in boxes, obvious regifts, etc...and every year I get hurt by it, so honestly, birthdays are turning into a token $10, and we still give nice Christmas gifts, but as they get older, that might change to a token gift too. Its awful seeing my kids sad.
DeleteThat's just plain mean. That's coming from someone whose family has embraced so many special needs kids--I kid you not--they are treated exactly the same as the ones who were born into the family, if not spoiled more--so I'm sorry. Yesterday, I pretended I couldn't remember it wasn't Michaela's birthday (autistic niece who is 19) and gave her a $5 McD's gift card for her "not birthday." This is just something that other family members would do/and have done for my kids (and me) over and over and over for years. It was a very small amount--only $5, but it meant the world to her as her brother and sister had their real birthday party. I wish I could make it up to your daughter somehow, as I'm sure you do, but the moment is passed. One of those moments that stink. Hopefully, the future will improve, but some people never "get" it. Don't you just love how the holidays bring out the "best" in some people--NOT. (I'm actually pretty furious for your daughter and I don't even know her--it comes from having so many special needs kids in my family I think--I maybe even wouldn't show up for that gathering next year.....but I know it's complicated)
DeleteI am so blessed by my side of the family--but we stopped even showing up on Christmas Day for the other side years ago. We still send gifts to families on that side, but much, much fewer than we did in the past. We still care about the people. This just wasn't a year for extravagant gift giving for us, but it was fine.
Years and years ago, we would go and there would be a mountain of presents--everyone's presents from their families, friends, acquaintances, etc., all stacked up at least 4 feet high, under a tree that was about 20 feet tall, at least. We chose to have our own family celebration at home, and one for my side of the family. So, the opening went on for hours, literally, with our family getting a very few gifts and the others opening many, many gifts. It was our choice to not save them for that gathering. It was our choice to not spend the kind of money others did on gifts. So, to be fair, we did not give costly gifts to them or their kids, either. But, after a few years, it was so boring to sit there for hours and watch others open package after package, and not meaningful for our kids (or us) that we chose to celebrate differently and stopped going and just went to my side of the family every year instead. Sometimes we would have a dinner with them on Christmas Eve, always they were invited to our place for Thanksgiving.....so we still saw the people, which was the important part to us--not the gifts. For us, it was a philosophical difference as to the meaning of Christmas, not a matter of whether or not they gave us gifts. Also, to be fair to everyone--we have 8 kids. They have much smaller families. That being said, some of them have been pretty verbal and vocal about how crazy we were to take so many special needs kids, homeschool, etc. They literally don't understand us, and think we are insane. So, they are not going to be very supportive of our kids or us, because they don't agree with our choices. So, we spend more time with those who do understand us, but try not to cut all ties because they are family. Hard balance.
My name was mentioned!!! Does that make me a celebrity!!! Am I famous now, or just desperate for attention? I guess I should go with desperation. When Bill and the boys walked through, I made them pause long enough so I could read your post. I skipped everything else except what you said about me. I knew their attention spans were not long enough for anything else. I read every word though!
ReplyDeleteI agree with forgetting about the presents to the extended family. Focus on your family right now and later you can change your mind if you want. You have limited energy, focus it where it will do the most good. You can do what is good, or you can do what is best.
Jeannie
Getmetothecountry.blogspot.com
*Laugh* if getting mentioned on my blog makes someone famous, feel free to brag that up ;).
DeleteTruth about doing what is good vs. doing what is best. That's a great way to put it.
By the way I'm loving your blog. The "sneaky" shots of Amish country as really neat for me as I have always been really intrigued by the Amish, but of course you don't get to get books published with pictures on the subject or anything :). Oh and I tried to respond to your comment about taking pictures of food, but Blogger was being evil to my computer that day, so I'll just answer it here...taking pictures of food is a pain in the tooshy. It takes a LOT of practice and studying other blogs (some people take photography courses, but that is WAY outside of my price limit on the money for blogging thing...like outside of my "0.00" price limit *laugh*) and then it's a matter of messing with the photo itself. I'd suggest getting Photoscape (an online program you can get that is free) and just messing with it. I usually resize my photos to about 30% of the original size for the sake of download time on people's computers and then go to "color and balance" and mess with the "deepen", "contrast" and "brighten" functions. Then go back to your main screen and see if hitting the "backlight" button does anything to further make the photo pop, save photo to whatever folder you choose and voila! "Professional" (for me) quality photos for free :). If you get courageous you can mess with all of the other functions that come with the program, but honestly I barely ever venture outside of functions I mentioned.