Monthly Archives: January 2024

Random bits

Posted in California, garden shed by

I did a preliminary on our taxes. Everything looks good. I’ll finish them up over the weekend I think. I always use turbo tax. It does cost but I find that they are efficient and all the right boxes are checked.

Yesterday I had PT quite early and she had me do some machines and later my knee was definitely aching. I guess I just need to keep strengthening the knee and will have to deal with some aches in the meanwhile. I’ll be sure to let her know next week though.

The rain is headed back our way tomorrow. I hope it holds off till I get back from Sacramento. But it looks like rain from Wed to next Monday.

I went off to the garden shed yesterday to rearrange the canning stuff. I couldn’t even get to them so I asked B to take some stuff out to the empty shelves in the barn. That way I can get to the other stuff in the shed. Mostly, the box with the Ikea Christmas tree and the bin of extra Christmas stuff can go out there. Other than that I’m not sure what’s in the other boxes. I’m going to try and get to that today. Here’s a quote from the author S.G.

“If you can’t see it and you can’t reach it, you won’t use it”.

Pretty good advice, I think.

A beautiful sunrise

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, cooking, freezer cooking, knee injury, meal planning by

A big thank you to Kathy for suggesting Facebook Marketplace. I got rid of the quilting frame this morning and am very happy about that. The lady who took it said her mom was a quilter and had recently passed away and left tons of fabric. So I’m thrilled.

We went to Winco first for groceries. I got some stock-up stuff like mayo, ketchup, olives, and some salad stuff too.

From there we went up to Trader Joe’s and also got some stock up stuff but also things like chips. I love their potato chips. They remind me of the chips I grew up on which were called Wise. An East Coast thing.

Then we decided to get a coffee at Panera. It was ok and the bear claw was subpar, unfortunately.

Overall a nice trip out. The rest of the day is just being home and seeing what needs doing. It’s a beautiful day out, almost 70 degrees. I may go sit in the sun for a while.

This week I have PT and then Velcade on Wednesday plus driving from there to Sacramento to see Dr. L. A bit much but that’s the way it is. I totally forgot I’ll be taking Dex because I was planning on going to the gym. But since I don’t drive on dex days that’s going to have to wait. It’s funny how quickly you forget what the routine is.:(

For dinner, I have a white bean soup from the freezer unless something else jumps out.

That’s it, for now, the sunshine is calling.

Saturday bits and bobs

Posted in books, budgeting, budgets, cash envelopes, frugalism, home stuff, library, meal planning by

I went to the gym yesterday in Roseville and did upper-body weights. At least it’s something to keep me going. I also dropped off my load of books at the library. The library wasn’t open so I’ll need to plan a stop there next week. I just finished the Anne Hillerman book ” The Stargazer”. It was good although her father was a bit more of a concise writer. Still, it’s good.

When I got home I warmed up the sunroom and then later did my PT exercises out there. The Ikea couch out there folds down and is low to the ground so that’s where I’m laying on my back and side to do the exercises. I still don’t think I can manage the floor because I’d need to use my knee to get up. Maybe in a few weeks, I can start practicing doing that.

I was over the moon that tRump had been told by the jury to pay 85 +million. Of course, who knows with appeals if he’ll ever pay but regardless it sends a message. I heard on the news(NPR) something about Christian evangelicals putting tRump out there as a messiah. crazy, ??? really?? He’s about as far away from Christian values as you can get.

B had an unplanned trip to the dentist for a toothache. I pulled some of the money from home EF and will deposit that next week so I can pay the CC. Fortunately, it’s not an infection so the crown can wait a little longer. We just finished paying that off in December so I need some time to build up that fund. I’ve been watching lots of YouTube cash stuffing. I’ve gotten a few good ideas and enjoy seeing how other people do it. Mine is very simple because we only get $ once a month so it’s a bit different than people who are stuffing paychecks. Still, it’s interesting.

I’m using 4 binders to track spending and to use for cash envelopes. Here’s the small Louis Vuitton. This is the one I take with me as it has my grocery money and coffee money.

We’ve had zero luck getting rid of the quilting frame. None of the thrift stores want it so now we’re stuck with what to do with it. Even Goodwill usually takes anything said no. hmm, not sure, but I guess the landfill unless I can think of something. Maybe the wood could be repurposed. ??

Today is a home day. I want to do the menu for the week, then check the freezer and pantry for ideas. I also want to take the 2 bins I took out from4 under the bed out to the garden shed and see if I need them out there or not.

Frugalwise, we did great this week. B went to Costco using the ‘stock up’ cash envelope. Mostly it was in fact stock ups. It was HP printer ink, AA batteries, toilet paper, eggs and a few other things that came in at $137. We bought our usual wine for the week and that’s it. Tomorrow(Sunday) I plan on going to Winco and TJ’s so that I have what I need for the week and not have to go to Safeway or Holiday. It does save money to plan on those 2 stores.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in books, cooking, Gratitude, knee injury, social security by

Whew, I am so grateful to the PT that I saw yesterday. She explained what I needed to do to help my left knee and leg get back to at least being stable and stronger. I have the exercises to do daily and I’ll see her once a week. I could do 2 but she only works M, T, and W, so I didn’t see the point in going M and then W.

I’m grateful for Medicare/UHC which is covering this cost. I’m not sure what PT costs but I’m guessing it’s not cheap. Even my Velcade infusions, once a week, are over $6000. So in one month that’s $24,000. Crazy?? I’m grateful to be at this age and have those safety nets in place.

I’m glad we had one day of sunshine; today is also supposed to be sunny. Yesterday the rain was coming down in torrents when I left for Auburn.

As always, books to read. Books have always been so important to me starting when I could read(early) and throughout my life. I’m enjoying the Hillerman books especially because he really takes you into the culture in the Southwest.

I’m grateful that I love to cook and made a delicious red lentil curry for dinner. It was warming and delicious. 

Sort of good news.

Posted in knee injury, Uncategorized by

So I saw the PA in Ortho yesterday and she was very informative. She explained things very well although I probably only really understood half of the medical terms.

But the jist is NO SURGERY!! She explained that with a torn ACL you can still do most of the things you want in terms of walking etc. and even light jogging which I did find a little incredulous. Because my meniscus IS INVOLVED ( which the PC doctor said it was only age related degrading) and is actually what is causing the instability.

She also said even down the road if all else fails and they did do a surgery it would be knee replacement not repair of an ACL.

Basically, it will be physical therapy to strengthen the ligaments on both sides of my knee. She also said there was no acute trauma to the bones which is what the x-ray showed. In other words, no fractures etc. So I guess that’s good.

I just got back from my first PT appt and it was also very good. The PT was excellent in explaining the meniscus tear and ACl tear. Basiclly it boils down to strengthen the muscles around the knee to create stability. She advised not walking for a while yet since I’m walking favoring my right leg and so it offsets my gait and can cause other problems( hip) etc. She did say swimming is ok but start slow which I was planning on doing anyway.

All in all I’m encouraged and glad to have a full picture of the problem and what can help me. There is no healing of a torn ACL or meniscus so it’s a matter of living with it and getting my knee stable and strong.

Simple Sunday

Posted in budgeting, California, cash envelopes, decluttering, meal planning, Uncategorized by

Another grey and somewhat rainy day. We went to Ikea yesterday and got dish towels and a mat for the sunroom and a few other things. We always get there right when they open and go through the downstairs door to the Marketplace. It wasn’t too busy until we were leaving and then loads of people were coming in. The dish towels I’ve been waiting to come into stock are still MIA. It’s been over a year since they were last in. So I got these instead. These are the ones we have in the trailer.

The cafe was open at 10am so we got a free coffee and a small breakfast to get through. It was nice.

This morning I vacuumed and worked on some budget sheets for my cash envelope binder. I’d really rather not buy some from Etsy if I can figure out how to do it. I’ve got an ok one done. It’s mostly to keep track of what cash needs to go back to the bank if I spend online. For instance, B’s Triumph motorcycle’s registration is due so I paid that online but I had some (not all) cash in an envelope for that. So far it’s working out very well.

The rest of the day is a bit more tidying in the bedroom mostly under the bed. I have a bit more to pull out and see what I want to do with those things. I have a bin with my canning stuff so I plan on pulling that out and consolidating it. Then moving it to the garden shed with all my jars. My reason for doing this is I plan to take the area rug out of that room this spring and I want as little under the bed as possible. I think we’re going to go with a vinyl plank flooring at least at this point.

Dinner is unknown at this point:)

Thankful Thursday, a day late, and Frugal Friday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, cash envelopes, cooking, frugalism, meal planning, Myeloma, simple foods by

I’m thankful I thought to call the ortho’s office since I hadn’t heard from them. It seemed like I wouldn’t get a call at least for a while:( So I have an appt to meet the doctor’s PA next week. I’d rather meet with the doctor but I guess it’s better than nothing.

I’m thankful I could go to the gym and even though I have the brace on I can do some upper body weights.

As always, grateful for the library where I got a bunch of old Tony Hillerman.

I’m grateful for LLS helping with insurance. I guess funding has been closed since I got my award and that’s over 6 months.

We’ve had a break from the rain and that’s always nice.

Frugal Friday Stuff:

We went to Trader Joe’s after the gym and I spent only $95 which included some wine. So that should get us through till the next budget starts.

We had another few meals from the freezer: mac and cheese, some breaded shrimp with veggies, grilled chicken/ tofu with rice. This coming week I’ll try and use at least 3 more freezer/pantry meals. I took out a frozen pizza dough to make pizza tonight. I have some extra red lentils that need using so I’ll probably do a curry with that.

Gas usage was low again as I’m not driving to the pool 2-3 times a week. I might start a cash envelope with gas money I think I’m saving for when I will be able to get back in the water. 

Today is a home day and I plan on doing more pantry consolidation. I have 3 bags ready to go to the food bank of stuff I probably won’t use so I’ll pass it on. I emptied one bin under the bed and the second one needs to be gone through. That one has foil, wrap, dried beans, and some oatmeal. I think some of the oatmeal ( Bob’s) is dated so I may need to use that in something or toss. I also have way too many boxes of pasta so I’ll throw a few of them in too.

Simplifying meals and food prep is a goal for this year. We basically eat the same thing week after week with just a few new recipes added in. But overall, that works best for us. I do love cooking so there’s that.

Organizing is not decluttering

Posted in budgeting, California, decluttering, Flylady, home improvement, home stuff, simplicity by

I’ve been on another round of decluttering. I don’t have lots of stuffed areas in my small home but I do have things that I no longer need or find useful. I didn’t make the connection for myself about visual clutter till way into my decluttering journey. Now I realize, that because I’ve always been a visual person, I need to see space around me in my home. That’s also the reason all the rooms of my house, the bathroom excluded, are painted Simple White by Benjamin Moore. I need that continuity.

If you’re just organizing your stuff, you’re really just rearranging stuff that probably needs to go. Moving stuff around doesn’t get rid of it. reI like organizing things using the container method. This method by Dana K White is about keeping only what fits in any container. The rest is decluttered. It’s a good method and very efficient at getting to visually see what you have in any given space. 

This month we took a bunch of things to the Placer Food Bank. Some of this was the ‘pandemic’ food I just knew I would never use but someone else might. Especially all the Mountain House dehydrated food meals that I thought someone homeless could use as they are complete meals. I still have a few random things to give them but I’ll wait till at least it’s a bag full.

We also took a load of ‘nice’ things to the Assistance League thrift. This included 2 pairs of dress-type shoes( Merrells, and Naots), and some other misc. I’ve already got a few more things ready to go including the Food Saver vacuum sealer that I haven’t used since summer and then it was only for frozen corn. I also have the beautiful quilt frame ready to go. I have it on Pay it Forward but so far no takers.

It’s important to reevaluate where you are in life and what things are helping in your space and what things are just in the way or cluttering up your home. I have decluttered pretty extensively since 2011( I checked an old file I had from when I started Flylady). So much has left my home and storage areas but it doesn’t really stop as there’s always something to get rid of. I’m a firm believer that the things I don’t need may benefit someone else. Plus, now being in my 70’s, there’s a whole other level to what I need/want. I need things in my home to be simple and easy to maintain. Plus, there’s the safety factor of how things are. We know we’ll need to change out the tub for just a shower unit and I’m planning on working that into a project for this summer. Since we only have one bathroom, summer will be best because we can use Rubi’s bathroom while we do this. The floor will need to be redone and sink, toilet while we’re at it. Of course, this is going to have to be budgeted for. But what we do know is the tub needs to go for safety.

We still have some boxes of photos to go through. B has been putting some on the cloud to preserve them. I also have gone through these boxes previously and gotten rid of tons of photos that were duplicates, of random nature pictures, and just blurry or strange.

Once the weather changes, I’ll go back out to the barn and clean the restaurant shelves, and decide what to do with the empty bins. There are maybe 8 bins or so. I might take some of the older bins we have and switch to these as they are smaller in size and fit those shelves perfectly. But, we are in a rainy period here in Northern California so it might be a while. The next week is forecast to be raining off and on.

Simple Sunday

Posted in budgets, California, cooking, decluttering, Flylady, Pantry, Uncategorized by

Wow, lots of rain yesterday. This morning is still a little drizzly. Sadly, there is no Sunday walk but once I see the PT I’ll ask if I can even do a little. I don’t see them till near the end of the month unless there’s a cancellation. Definitely difficult for me but also don’t want my knee to buckle and then if I fall cause some other problem.

We did venture out in the rain to get the monthly Costco done. I was quite surprised it wasn’t packed. We found a place to park near the entrance and had no problem going down the aisles. We even got to the register without waiting. By the time we were leaving though cars were circling the parking lot because of the pouring rain.

Today I plan on doing the Flylady zone of the bathroom and I’ll add the bedroom too. I usually do these together as both don’t take very long. I also want to write down the meal plan for the week and see what needs using. We had freezer stuffed peppers last night and I also have some chicken enchiladas that I took out so I’ll have those tonight. I have some rice so I thought I’d make my favorite Greek lemon rice soup. Plus I have a lot of Meyer lemons that were given to me to use.

I have put a few things on Facebook market place I’m not using to try and sell. One is the Food Saver vacuum thing. If it doesn’t sell then I’ll put in a box for the Assistance League thrift store. My food saver hasn’t been used this year except when I did the corn this summer. I can just use ziploc bags for that this summer. I did use it when we were in the pandemic for oats and such but now I’m not interested in that kind of food storage. We gave the food bank all the Mountain House food I’d gotten during the pandemic and lots of cans of things I don’t need. That felt good to do that. The barn pantry now is officially closed and I’ll only keep bulk items in the house either in my jars or in the 2 under the bed bins. I still have plenty of beans, rice and canned goods plus my own shelf stable foods I canned. I’ll have to think about what might need to get stored out there as I have the nice bins I bought for food and I’d like to see them used for something.

This just arrived from Williams Sonoma. It’s my Christmas present from my daughter. I’ve been using it constantly and it’s really great. The rice came out perfectly. If you’re going to invest in Staub, be sure to wait for the sales. Most of the time you can get 50% off if it’s around Christmas.

This week I’m planning the gym once if I feel my knee can get me in there and I need to drop books off at the library. If I’m wearing the knee brace my knee does feel more stable.

Frugal Friday

Posted in books, budgeting, budgets, California, frugalism, reading, simplicity, Uncategorized by

I added up our grocery receipts so far for the month and it looks like we’re coming in @ $425. We still have a week and a half till the new budget starts (Jan 23). That’s really good for 4 people. I am planning Costco soon so that will take us over 600 I’m sure. Still, planning and meal prep does make a huge difference in keeping the budget in check.

Our electric bill is still slated to be very high. I know that Dec, Jan, and Feb are our high months and since we have a balanced plan it helps keep it moderate. PGE is due to increase rates and I’m sure that will affect us. This time of year we use space heaters in the bedrooms and of course, there are more lights on.

Since I haven’t been driving to the pool or gym regularly our gas bill has gone way down so that’s a plus. I did check at the front desk at the gym about suspending my membership but they don’t do that so I’d need to cancel and then resign up. I’ll wait a bit as I think if I can do upper body weights I’d like to keep that going.

I just finished these 2 books. The ‘Murder Uncorked’ is fun and takes place in what I’m guessing is St. Helena or Sonoma?? The author calls it something else but she does reference local areas. The ‘Someone Always Nearby’ is amazing. It’s based on the woman who helped Georgia O’keefe build the Ghost Ranch and Abiqui. O’keefe was quite selfish and narcissistic. Quite interesting and well worth reading.