Category Archives: budgeting

Friday things

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, frugalism, garden shed, Gardening, home improvement by

So it’s a dex day so no going out for me!!

But it is my dear daughter’s birthday. 41 years ago, B and I welcomed our baby to the world. It was one of our happiest days ever. I think I’ve mentioned before that Barclay and I had been married for 15 years before we had her, so it was a big event.

Frugal-wise, I did buy the 02 ring, and I’m so glad I did. It is very accurate and vibrates if the 02 goes below a threshold that you can set. I’m very pleased with it.

I got gas yesterday before the infusion. Costco gas was $5.49.

The only store shopping I’ve done this week was down at the Holiday market. One trip was for a case of water that was on a coupon. The other trip was for some wine, cottage cheese, parsley, fresh dill, and I can’t remember the other stuff, but it was $45.

Today, we’re going to get a pizza out instead of me trying to cook something.

We’re going to move all the gardening stuff down by the garden shed area. We’ll reuse the redwood boards too, but the posts were what rotted. But I just looked at them, and we can cut off the rotted part and reuse them too. So instead of this costing probably over $1000 to replace the posts and redwood, the fencing was $109. On the other side of where the cars are parked is another fence for privacy to the neighbor. That isn’t redwood but cedar. We should have done Redwood, but B thought it was too expensive, which it was. We’re not sure whether he intends to sell; if so, we will add more panels.

Menu Monday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, camping, home stuff, meal planning, sleep apnea by

We had burgers on the grill last night with potato salad. I plan on grilling something tonight as well.

I think I’ll do chicken and more potato salad.

I have some tofu I need to use, so maybe tofu burgers. (There’s a theme going on here, which is easy dinners.

I’d like to make a big chopped salad with romaine, cucumbers, radishes, cherry tomatoes, cheese, and some kind of protein.

I have a piece of steak in the freezer, maybe steak fajitas? I think I have a pepper that needs to be used and some street tacos(flour).

I have lots of eggs right now, so a frittata of some sort. I have some gruyere cheese to use. Maybe I’ll pick up some mushrooms.

TBD.

Jasmine rice maybe with tofu?

I have a ramen pack I picked up from Winco, so I will use that somehow.

Today, I need to go down to the market and get a case of water. It’s on sale at a good price. I might get two. Plus, I forgot pickles the other day, so I’ll add them in too.

My sinuses are going crazy this morning, so it must be a high pollen day. I think my brother is stopping by to say hi, and my son is planning to come over too.

In other news around here:

I’ve charged the Jackery battery, and now I just need to try it for a night with my ResMed AirSense. I want to do a trial run before my one-night camping in Tahoe. I figure if I can make it one night, I might try for two at a later time.

I’ve compiled all my notes for the sleep doctor and have an approach, but I’ll let him take the lead, and then I’ll add my data and what I’d like to see happen. I know something has to be added since I am still getting SP02 drops. The question is, is it just a few minutes or is it longer? My Apple Watch doesn’t give a specific time, just a range. Downloading the Sleep HQ has been very insightful, though. And it does show how the pressure is fluctuating and breathing. So it’s interesting. I’m at the point of surrendering to whatever it needs to be. The Airsense has done an incredible job basically curing the sleep apnea, but as always with me, nothing is easy, and the SP02 is an issue. sigh:( At least, I have a pretty good understanding of what’s going on and hope we can get some resolution. As I’ve mentioned, this doctor and I did not hit it off, and this is only the 3rd time in a whole year I’ve seen him.

What’s on your menu for the week?

Does anyone use the Airsense? Had trouble with SP02 drops?

Friday things

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, frugalism, swimming by

It’s been a nice week without any appointments, which is always nice. Next week is busy with the sleep doctor and Velcade, then Dex. So most of the week is gone, plus Monday is Memorial Day. In the past, B and I never planned to do anything on major holidays. Too busy, too many people.

I was able to download an app called Sleep HQ, which is for sleep apnea. I took the SD card out of the Airsense and used an adapter to plug it into my Mac. My overall scores were excellent. 100%. It doesn’t track SP02, though, which is my main concern, but you can see where, during my REM sleep, there is a drop, and that’s probably where the 02 is dropping. I can buy an 02 ring and that will track the oxygen, but it’s not cheap, so I think I’ll wait to see what he says. The graphs were interesting and showed me in .01 %, so that was good. I’m really dreading going to this appt, but will do it. I don’t really have a choice. I do have a choice in what test I’m to do and the in lab is still off the table.

Today is open, and I might go down to the pool. I have to weigh how busy I-80 will be with traffic, as it is Friday, and that I want to swim. If I go, it’s not till 7:45, so I have time to decide.

I washed the new sheets yesterday, so I’ll put them on today. The old bottom sheet, which now has too many holes, I can use for rags, but the top sheet I may be able to use for something else, maybe a curtain?

Frugal-wise, not much is going on. My new budget starts next week. I’ve done up my preliminary one, and it looks ok. Not much wriggle room, but ok. It looks like groceries for May are going to come in around $500. I think that’s too high, so next month, I’ll scale back, especially buying stuff for the freezer. I’ve done a good job of emptying the refrigerator freezer, and it’s not packed. Sticking with meal planning is helping. Tonight we might have a pizza. It depends on what we feel like. If not, I could do some BLT’s again or even grilled cheese.

Well, I’d better get a move on if I’m going to the pool.

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Midweek Musings

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, decluttering, home stuff, library, minimalism, Uncategorized by

Another shout-out to a supporter who made a donation. I am truly humbled by the kindness shown here. Thank you!

Well, yesterday I went down to the Roseville gym and did weights and the treadmill. I was going to walk the trail, but by the time I was done, it was already warm, and I didn’t have my hat. After that, I went to the library, which is next door to the gym, and got my 2 holds.

I got up to Costco around 10 and got the dishwasher pods( on sale), my vitamins, and protein bars that my daughter likes to take to work, also on sale, and AAA batteries I needed. I didn’t linger too long. I paid with some cash and put the small balance on the Costco CC.

I’ve been checking my SP02 every day, and the oximeter needed batteries. The daytime readings are fine for the most part, but there’s still a dip at night. Of course, that will be the primary discussion at my appointment, I’m sure. And that I will not do an in-lab titration test. My anxiety and my semi-claustrophobia would be too much for me. When I was first diagnosed, it was with a home test, but apparently, this test can fine-tune the CPAP machine. But as GEmini AI has pointed out, the SD card is giving him titration info every night. So???

Anyway, today is a home day, and I need to finish up some things. I want to get the recycling bags ready to go, put the thrift store stuff in the car, and tidy up some papers that are lying around.

I was playing around with Chat GPT with pictures of B’s office. And it came up with some nice minimalist images. I find taking pictures of areas that need some attention is a great visual aid. I’m a very visual person, so that worked, and I immediately removed a few things and rearranged some others. My printer is on the desk, and that’s one thing I’d like to find a different place for. But for now, that’s where it lives.

Of course, I don’t have a bookcase like that, but I do have the Billy shelves, and the desk is the Heywood Wakefield. The picture on the left is before I tidied it up. It’s a small area, but that’s where Barclay worked from home all those years. His desk was different, and the chair was an office chair. Well, it’s fun to do, and it gave me some good ideas.

Friday Things

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cooking, swimming by

A good furgal week overall.

I got gas at Costco, which was $5.65 a gallon, so it ended up at $40.( I usually fill up at half a tank).

On Monday, we took a fun day trip to Empire State Mine to walk the grounds. I wanted to use my Poppy Pass, but since it is a historical mine, they didn’t take that. So it was $5 for each of us to get in, and worth it. We stopped at Taco Tree for lunch, and that ended up $18. It wasn’t very good this time. Taco Tree is definitely a hit or miss.

Tuesday, I went down to Holiday Market here for romaine as I planned a grilled chicken Caesar salad. I also got some ham for sandwiches and sliced cheese. I spent $36, I think. I also went to the pet bookstore as I had books to donate. Then I found some books and a Poirot(DVD) set unopened. Total was $23.

I went down to the pool on Wednesday and then straight home.

Yesterday was a no spend/no drive day.

Today, I’m undecided if I’ll go to the pool. It’s only 6:30 right now, so I’ll think about it.

So, I’m pleased with the low spend week overall.

These are some pictures from the Empire Mine. This is the mansion; the mine area is in a different area. There is the shaft opening you can see, and the equipment. It’s amazing to see it and think men went down there to work. A bit of a dichotomy between the mansion life and where the miners were working.

The rose campion is in our yard.

Menu Monday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cooking, home stuff by

Part of a bouquet of flowers my son got for me. I separated it into 3 vases.

I hope all you moms of either humans or fur babies had a great day. My day was very nice. I went to the gym and did weights and some treadmill. Then popped over to Goodwill and actually found some stuff. Three dot notebooks,2 picture frames, a Starbucks mug, and a sweatshirt for my daughter. When I got home, my daughter made up a brunch for us, and we sat outside on the patio.

For dinner last night, I tried a new recipe for ramen. First, you blend up the veggies (carrots, celery, onion, garlic, and 1/2 apple in the food processor. Stir fry that till it’s soft and then start adding miso, broth, ginger, tofu, and some water. It was quite good, but it seemed to be a lot of work for ramen. I added 1/2 pack of ramen noodles, and we had some white rice on the side. There’s some left over, so I may have that for dinner again.

The rest of the week in no particular order:

I have some hot dogs from Costco I want to use. I’ll do them on the BBQ and have beans and sauerkraut too.

I think I’ll do a BLT night. We’ll see how that goes. I bought some nice tomatoes from Costco that are slicers, hence the BLT.

One night, I think I’ll BBQ some chicken. I used up all the salad stuff I have, so I’ll need to get something. I’ll get some romaine, so I’m thinking a chicken Caesar salad.

We had pizza last week, so I won’t do pizza again, I don’t think. I’m sure something will pop up.

Today is home reset day. So no gym and no pool. I like to take Monday to completely go through the house and make sure it all looks good, and check if any areas need attention. I know I need to water the sunroom plants. I’ll probably dust too. With the windows open now, the pollen is coming in.

I need to look at the week and decide which day to go to the pool and the gym. I don’t have any appointments, which is so nice, so I can just pick when I want to go. With gas prices, I’m intending to go down to Roseville only twice this week.

Frugal Friday

Posted in books, budgeting, budgets, California, cash envelopes, home stuff, Walking by

Mostly a frugal week since I didn’t go anywhere for 4 days due to feeling lousy. Then on Wednesday, I went to the pool. Before that, I got gas, and it had gone up quite a bit from my last fill-up. Costco gas is still the cheapest, but yikes, $5.69!!

After the pool, I went to Costco as I mentioned and spent a little over $200. I took out non-food and wine, so the food cost was around $100. Non food included batteries, an orchid, and I think something else. Wine was my favorite, Kendall Jackson, which is $9.59 at Costco. Oh, and I picked up that Rose for Mother’s Day and the most expensive thing was some steaks for Mother’s Day and for the freezer. I think the pack had 6 pieces of thinly sliced rib-eye. My daughter and I will likely just share a piece, and the other counts as LTF for the freezer.

My food total so far is running around $300, so not too bad. I don’t need anything, so it may just be a small Winco trip or something.

I ordered propane and put that on the CC. I’m slowly getting the card paid off, but then something like this happens, and I need to charge another $257. Oh well, I’ll get there. sigh:(

I haven’t really been doing active cash envelopes. Most of what I get, I just use for groceries. I guess I need to try to do better, especially for annual bills. It does help when I have the envelopes even a bit filled. Well, I have a few months with just a few annual bills. Next month is the truck DMV, but my son will pay for that as he’s the one using the truck, so it may give me a chance to fill some envelopes for fall. Having lost 1/3 of my income after B died is definitely a factor. sigh:(

Well, today I plan to go to the gym and the library. I have a book to return. I don’t have any holds, so I may just browse the new items. I want to keep up with my weights as I feel they really do help. I’d like to find a new walking path for when I’m down there, so I may look at RPR (Roseville Parks and Rec) trail maps to see what is close to the gym. Sadly, the only paved trail up here is the park I walk at. Auburn has another paved trail at a park, but it’s not in my normal route. The MV park is so well used by so many people, and they come from all over because it is paved. I’m at the stage of life where I’d be concerned for my stability on an unpaved path unless I used my walking sticks. I have been taking them with me even to this park because they give me an added sense of security. It’s tough getting older.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in Blood test, budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, decluttering, Gratitude, Uncategorized by

I’m very thankful to feel ok again. Whatever it was, I’d prefer it not to happen again. Next time, I will be sure to drink some electrolytes. AI seemed to think that the need for them was contributing to my overall yucky feeling.

My labs came in at 30.4, so up from 29.1, but not too bad. .7 increase, and my ratio came down to 2.65 from 2.95, so that was positive. Another month of just keeping on.

I’m thankful for a day with nothing planned. I don’t have any plans for the day, so I’ll see what I get up to. I’ve been decluttering a few random items that I’m not using and will take to Goodwill once I have a few bags.

Today, I plan on making a chicken salad with leftover Costco chicken. The rest I’ll just freeze. Plus, at some point, make some chicken broth. I think this time I’ll pressure can it, so I don’t take up so much room in the freezer. But that’s not today.

We had a dead deer in our upper yard near the pond. We’re not sure if it got hit by a car or what. My daughter called animal control, and usually, if it’s on private property, they won’t get it. But since we said we had no way to move it, they took it. Why couldn’t it die on our neighbor’s property? I’m thankful they took it, though, as a number of years ago we had a dead deer down in the woods, and it just decomposed and certainly smelled for a while. We think that one, though, was a mountain lion kill, as there were only pieces left. Anyway, it’s gone.

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, home stuff by

We had a fun visitor in the yard yesterday. Big Bird!!

Mr Peacock lives down the hill from us but spent the day here in the front yard.

Today I plan on going to the gym and then home to do some house stuff. Tomorrow I have labs, so I’ll be leaving early and won’t have a chance to do my Monday reset. Hopefully, Dex will have done its magic and keep my numbers stable.

My son was over Friday night and spent most of Saturday doing stuff around here. He mowed and cleaned out the barn some more. He also took a load(another one) to the dump, and then he went up to his friends to get a truck full of firewood. Whew, I hope he didn’t overdo it. My daughter also did a bunch of mowing and weed-eating. This time of year, it’s hard to keep up with the grass growing. He’s a great thrift store shopper and found me a lovely Japanese print framed for $5.00. I’ll have my daughter hang it and then take a picture.

I went out and got gas in the VW. It was $5.15 a gallon in Auburn. Then I hit up the thrift store to use my credit and found ( I hope) an ice cream maker that works for 12.99. I actually tested it in the store, and it turned on so we’ll see. I plan on doing a simple vanilla to check it out. It’ll be fun if it works to do seasonal flavors like peach and strawberry.

We’ve been eating some rice and beans and pulled pork for the last few days, plus salad stuff. Tonight I’ll do a big salad and something from the freezer souper cubes. I need to work on a menu plan or at least an outline for the week. I know tofu will be on the menu as I have a few packs.

Friday Things

Posted in bread, budgeting, budgets, cancer, cooking, Death, frugalism, husband by

I had a good day yesterday. After infusion, I went over to the fancy Nugget. It is beautiful, but I could definitely not AFFORD to shop there. I was going specifically to check what RG beans they had. They didn’t have a big selection, but I did pick up one bag. Interestingly, the price was the SAME as on the RG website.

I haven’t tried these, so I’ll check them out. Then I also bought a fancy sandwich to share with my daughter, Texas hold ’em. I had my half after I came home. Also bought some milk and half and half that I needed. Overall, it is a beautiful store, but way out of my price range. I picked up some radishes that at Winco would probably be 79 cents, and they were 1.99, so yeah:( I’ll stick to Winco, TJ’s occasionally, and Costco, and now using the month free trial ( actually $1) at Walmart.

I do like the Walmart delivery, and my daughter did a pickup after work( it’s right there on her way home). She wanted some Bubbly water and apples, plus she threw in a few other things. She said it was super easy, so we may do that going forward. My daughter hates shopping, so this works well for her.

After I came home, I started on some freezer meatloaf and some spaghetti sauce. Not too sure about the meatloaf. I followed a NYT recipe, but it kinda looked weird, so I won’t know till I bake it.

Since today is a DEX day, I don’t drive or get on step ladders, so I’ll just potter around and see what I get done. I have a load of laundry to fold and a loaf of sourdough to bake. I’m using a loaf pan to see how I like that rather than the dutch oven.

Some more California poppies and the loaf pan.

Wow, it’s May 1st. A little over 10 months since Barclay died. I miss him every day. I miss our life together. 🙁