Monthly Archives: September 2024

Frugal Friday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cash envelopes, frugalism, Gardening, Lake tahoe, Pantry by

It’s been an okay week budget-wise.

I got gas at Costco since I knew we’d be driving to Sacramento and then the next day to Rocklin. Gas here in town is almost a $1 more so it does save $$.

We did go back into Costco after Sacramento and picked up avocados, butter lettuce, milk( B is drinking a lot of milk in his protein shakes), cheese, and I can’t remember what else. That came to a little over $100 which I used cash for. I also, on a separate checkout, bought 3 Christmas gifts one of which was Chocolates in a 3 pack that I can separate for gifts.

That was it in spending so I think it was a good week.

Today is one of my Dex days so I’ll do stuff around the house although I feel kind of off. I bought a wood step stool from Amazon so I can sit on it and go through my pantry boxes. I just can’t sit on the floor for any length of time. I’ll check it out today and see if it works otherwise I’ll send it back.

I started my annual rereading of LOTR. I finished The Hobbit, and am 1/3 of the way through Fellowship of the Ring. I also picked up my holds from the library so I have a nice stack of books on my bedside table.

My daughter harvested the delicata squash and oh my, there must be 20. That will make some tasty fall/winter dishes. Everything in the garden is done. The tomatoes are done. There are still some jalapeno peppers out there but not a lot. I’d say the only thing I missed were cucumbers for pickling. But that’s not something I do a lot of anyway. She’s going to put in a fall garden with radishes, lettuce, and maybe chard. Our cilantro seeds itself so that should be coming up soon too.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, camping, cancer, husband, Lake tahoe by

First off, we had a very successful doctor appt with the UCD lung cancer specialist. Even though Barclay does not have mesothelioma in his lungs but in his peritoneum it is treated the same way. She spent a whole hour with us going over all his scans etc. She is very proactive and scheduled another Pet scan and put in for chemo to start once approved by insurance.

She said that we should wait to see what the Stanford specialist says about everything but have the other in place. I really liked her and her approach. Very approachable and down to earth and incredibly smart.

I’m grateful we only have 2 weeks till we go to Stanford although it seems like a long time to wait.

I’m grateful for our lovely cooler weather and it’s just so nice.

I’m sad we have to cancel Tahoe but there’s not any way to go up that week since we’ll be in Palo Alto Thursday and Friday. I’m sad about it but we just aren’t in a position to go up for 2 nights and then come home. Hopefully, there will be another trip.

I’m grateful I had a good day with infusion and then going to the gym and library. Infusion was busy and I have so much respect for the nurses that have to take care of 5 patients at a time. They are super heroes for sure.

Menu Monday

Posted in California, cooking, meal planning, simple foods by

Meal planning has been going well. We had a fun ‘ Tim Walz tator tot hot dish’ last week. I didn’t use ground turkey but a sprinkle of sausage on the meat eaters’ side. Then there was cheese, eggs, and a can of fire-roasted diced chilies. It was a fun meal.

Last night we had the brown rice bowls with black beans( my home canned ones), salad toppings, cheese, sour cream, avocado, and some steak tips.( for the meat eaters)

The rest of the week will include;

  1. grilled mushrooms over egg noodles and salad
  2. tofu burgers
  3. egg salad sandwiches( I think) this may be optional
  4. pizza of some sort, either homemade or takeout
  5. grilled chicken with baked potatoes( I have in the freezer)
  6. a soup of some sort.

I want to go through my pantry boxes and pull out anything that might be close to expiration. Most of my pantry boxes( those are the Far Niente wine crates) are half empty since I’m not really doing any stockpiling. I think keeping the basics like pasta etc, is good but I don’t need to go over board. If there is another pandemic, then we’ll live with what have or live without it. That about sums it up.

Exciting, the debate tomorrow. Let’s hope tRump makes an ass of himself!!!!

Simple Sunday

Posted in books, California, cancer, cooking, Walking by

A nice walk at 6am. It’s predawn and still slightly dark. I saw a few stars.

I went to the Auburn gym and did some weights. There were quite a few new people that I hadn’t seen on a Sunday. Usually, it’s pretty empty which is why I go on Sundays.

Then I went to Target to get the Murphy soap I use on the floors. I also picked up some Method Cleaner for the new bathroom tiles. Also a candle for a gift.

My son spent the night because he went over to his friends last night. So this morning he put up the new screen/security door on the Studio. It’ll be nice in the fall when we can keep the door open.

We’re watching the Rings of Power on Prime and it’s good. Quite well done. This goes back a long way from when Galaridal was still like an elf warrior. Also, Sauron is coming back to life. I think they’ve done a good job going back before LOTRs. I usually try and reread LOTR every September/October so I guess I better get started. Tolkien isn’t the easiest to read but once you find his pace it is truly a brilliant literary work.

My daughter is cooking brown rice for tonight’s dinner and I think she plans to do some kind of bowls with it. I have some broccoli to use too.

Well, just an ordinary day, simple and slow-paced.

West Shore, Lake Tahoe

Posted in California, Lake tahoe by

As part of our 54th wedding anniversary, we planned a trip to Tahoe. We were going to go on our anniversary but didn’t.

Thursday seemed the perfect day to go so we did. The drive up takes about 55 minutes if traffic is moving and fortunately, it was. Lots of trucks but that’s not unusual. Other traffic was minimal. From Truckee, you take 89 towards Tahoe City and that’s considered the West Shore.

Our first stop was Tahoe House. It’s a wonderful bakery and now they’ve added a whole sandwich menu. I was tempted to get a sandwich but we had other plans for lunch.

Here’s Mr. Skinny eating a pain du chocolate!!! He’s gained a pound and a half!!!! Keep going.

We sat and enjoyed the beautiful weather. There were still Burning Man people and cars around and a few had stopped at Tahoe House. You know they’re from Burning man because their cars are covered in white film.

Next we drove down the west shore and planned to walk the lake trail but it seems there was construction on 89 so we did a u and headed back to Tahoe City. From there we drove towards Carnelian Bay and now that’s considered more North Shore. We stopped at the park and finished our coffees there overlooking the lake.

This was taken last spring and there was still snow.

This was taken at the same time with my new Louis!!! (which I LOVE) The granite monument is fun to read!

Next stop was White Cap pizza in Kings Beach. The town was not overly busy which is just how we like it. We got seated outside with a full view of the lake.

A very delicious vegetarian pizza. The crust was perfect, light and airy but slightly chewy.

It was a perfect anniversary lunch.

From there we sauntered home and the ride was easy and not too busy at all. There was one slow down where construction was happening but since we were not in a hurry it was fine for us.

Lake Tahoe is where we both want our ashes flung when the time comes. We love it up there and even though I don’t think I could do winters, it’s still dearest to my heart.

Frugal Friday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, cash envelopes, cooking, frugalism, home stuff by

This week I did another Costco trip. This one had TP, bread for the freezer, half and half, and other staples. It came to a little over $200. I had $130 cash and then put the rest on the debit card. When I do that then I take that amount off my food $. I still need to do another cash run so I’ll figure out what I have left in the budget. I did buy B his Sierra Nevada beer even though he’s not really drinking much. But he gives me the money back for that.

I also went into Winco for salad stuff and that ended up under $30.

All the bills for September are in and accounted for. Our Allstate insurance notice came and again prices are crazy. My son’s Subaru is on our policy( he pays for this though), and it’s a 2008 and almost $700. Why?? I will pay when the actual bill comes in but I think I’m going to pay in installments. I really don’t want to add to the CC.

It’s been hot as I mentioned but it cools off at night with all the windows open.

Today is a no walk day so I’m doing some extra chores. The biggest is the outside windows. I also processed more tomatoes for the freezer and will do all of them(3 bags) later this fall.

I stuck to my menu plan this week except tonight is pizza night and I don’t think that’s what I’m doing. First, I don’t have any dough made, and second, no one feels like a pizza in this heat. I’ll figure something out.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, cancer, decluttering, Gratitude, Walking by

We are hanging in there waiting for the appts. It’s frustrating, to say the least. I am grateful that it’s getting closer at least. I hope we’re going to get some answers at next Wednesday’s UCD appt.

B sent an e-message to the internist who did the diagnosis and I am grateful she responded in very positive way. She said she would reach out to Stanford and see if it could be moved up from the end of the month. She also indicated that age probably won’t be a huge factor as much as how healthy he is for the Hipec.

I’m grateful that fall is in the air even though it’s going to be 98 degrees today. The light is different and even the heat feels different, so I’m grateful for that.

Even though we are both having a hard time emotionally right now we still find things to laugh at. It’s tough right now but sticking to everyday routines is helping some. I guess trying to keep things ‘normal right now seems important to me.

We had a nice walk this morning even with the lady who shows up right after us. (This person is definitely annoying to me for a few reasons, such as: 1. There is a WHOLE parking lot empty and she has to park next to me. 2. She is not using a flashlight when clearly it’s still semidark out.) 😦 Still, I’m grateful to be out walking.

I finally took the huge load in the back of the Santa Fe to Goodwill. I was surprised that it filled up one of their carts. It felt good to finally drop that stuff off. Decluttering feels good once the whole thing is done and not sitting in the back of the car for 3 months:)

Menu Monday

Posted in California, cooking, decluttering, meal planning by

I thought if I felt up to it, I’d do a menu list on Mondays. It’s really more for me to plan the week out. Barclay is really working on gaining back some of the enormous amount of weight he has lost. He’s doing pretty good so far and has gained a pound. He has a long way to go but it’s a start. He’s taking something called Mass Builder which is super high in calories and you add it to milk. If he can even gain 5 pounds before Stanford I think it would help.

Today being Monday, we don’t walk. I try and do a home reset morning and tidy the house, dust and overall do whatever resetting needs to happen. So far, I’ve dusted baseboards and one ceiling fan. I also started another sourdough and this time will remember to put it in the fridge. I’m also making some sourdough rolls for burgers.

Menu for the week, not necessarily in this order:

  1. burgers( Boca) on homemade rolls, salad of some sort, or just sliced tomatoes from the garden.
  2. eggplant parmesan from Costco, it’s Rao’s new product, salad
  3. cheese enchiladas as I have a lot of corn tortillas to use, beans, rice
  4. perogies, salad, maybe some grilled chicken
  5. pizza night
  6. spaghetti with homemade sauce
  7. unknown???

I also want to declutter some things and then plan my trip to Hospice Thrift and Goodwill. If you watch YouTube, my newest addition is Calm Nordic who is a minimalist living in Helsinki. She does a very nice vlog with no talking but subtitles. She is very clear about her intentions and living a minimalist life. Check her out. There’s so few really fresh new vlogs that haven’t gotten caught up in making money off you tube. So many I used to watch and was subscribed to I don’t bother anymore.

Simple Sunday

Posted in California, cancer, home stuff, Walking by

We’ve had 2 days of walks in the park with only us there. Unusual, yet maybe because it’s Labor Day weekend. Regardless, it’s been so nice. Cool temperatures and good walks.

I don’t have too much on the agenda today. I overproofed my sourdough so it totally deflated when I took it out of the container. Oh well, it’s just flour, water, salt, and starter. I should have finished the bulk fermentation in the fridge but forgot to put it in before bed. I’ll feed my starter and start a new batch tomorrow.

This week I need to go to Costco and maybe Winco. Winco is mostly for salad making stuff. Costco would be TP, paper towels, some bread for the freezer, and other random things. I wanted to look at some new sweatpants for walking. Mine are probably 5 years plus old. Generally, I don’t look at clothes but since I don’t have much to get I will look next time.

Here’s a funny picture of cat crunchies left in a bowl

I wonder which cat did this:)

What are you doing this coming week? Anything fun, or necessary? We are just hanging on till his first appt the following week. It’s a morning appointment so that’s good.