Category Archives: budgeting

Simple Sunday

Posted in Blood test, bread, budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, cooking, Flylady, home stuff, Myeloma, simplicity by

It’s warm out but cloudy right now. It’s supposed to clear up and be in the 80s, so that’s a first this year.

I might go to the Auburn gym to do weights, but I’ll decide in a few hours. It depends on what I want to get done today. I vacuumed yesterday, so it’s maybe a quick mop. Flylady is the living room zone. Usually, that means in my LR, dust the Easton Press books and the ceiling fan, and wash the mirror. So not too much overall. Most of that I do anyway on Monday mornings when I do my house reset for the week. I need to start on the sunroom windows so I may do some of them.

I have some sourdough starter ready to use, so I’ll get that together. Last night we had the Costco chicken burgers on the BBQ and they were delicious. I think I’ll put together a chili tonight since I defrosted some ground turkey. I’m still working my way through the freezer, and this was the last pack of Costco turkey. I’ll probably cook that in the Le Creuset on the stove instead of the IP. I have my pressure-canned beans to add, so I don’t need the IP to cook the beans. I’m still contemplating the electric pressure canner. Does anyone reading use the Presto one? They are not cheap, but from the comments in the Facebook group, most everyone loves the convenience. Mostly because you set it up and there’s no watching it, etc, like the All-American. Like I said, it’s expensive, so not something I’m rushing to do.

It should be a quiet week, no appts, unless B ends up needing a blood transfusion, which I certainly hope not. He gets labs tomorrow, so he’ll know by Monday afternoon. I have nothing but need to call the sleep place to arrange getting the home test, and I need to call Ortho, as they should have reviewed the MRI by now. Mostly, from Ortho, I just want to get the PT referral to start doing that.

I do plan on going down to Roseville to the gym at least once. I think I’ll try and coordinate either WinCo or Costco with that.

How does your week look?, Do you have routines you follow, like Flylady? Some people really like Clean Mama ( I think that’s her blog name), but I tried it and it seemed way too involved for me. I’m always interested in minimalism, especially in older people, and how that helps with daily stuff.

Oh!!! I forgot my labs came back just a smidge above high normal, so all good. 19.6 kappa light chains, high normal is 19.4. It does tend to fluctuate, but this is still excellent. Boy, I am always so relieved that Velcade is working because I couldn’t handle one more thing right now. 😦

Friday Things

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

This has been a good week, money-wise. Nothing out of the ordinary, which is always nice.

I went to Costco after dropping B off at infusion. That ended up less than $100 for food and $40 for non food. After that was Winco and that was $15 for salad stuff and $15 non food.

I think planning my Costco and Winco trips is making a difference in our food budget. I haven’t shopped at Safeway in months. If I can avoid our Holiday Market, that’s good too. We are very fortunate to have a store in our town, but it’s quite pricey, so I only go down to it( we live on a hill) when I really need something.

Yesterday, I went to the gym and did upper-body weights. Then I dropped my books off at the library and picked up a few cookbooks on the new shelf and one book. Then there was a free gardening display outside, so I walked around and picked up some flyers on native plants. From there, I came straight home.

Today is a home day unless I go into town with my daughter. She wants to go to Home Depot for a few things, so I may tag along. Other than that, just the same ole same ole.

What do you budget for food? I guess we come most often around $600 for the 3 of us. I’d still like to get it around $500, though.

These are the Rancho Gordo beans I made. Yum!

This is an old crate I had, and since I haven’t been able to find a place for our towels, this was suggested in this book:

It’s a pretty book with some good ideas.

Frugal Friday

Posted in books, budgeting, budgets, California by

This has been mostly a frugal week. All the bills are paid for the month except Verizon, which comes out at the very end of the month, and that goes on next month’s budget.

I did hit up WinCo for a few things. I needed baker’s yeast and didn’t want to get the giant one at Costco. I also picked up curry powder, which I was out of. And then just some misc. like milk and aluminum foil. It totaled at right above $100. So not too bad.

Today is a home day since I’m on Dex. I plan on doing a few house chores and figuring out what pizza I’m having tonight.

I got my holds at the library on Tuesday and just finished reading Anne Tyler’s Three Days in June. I loved it. You have to like character-type books, as this focuses on a woman in her sixties and her daughter’s upcoming wedding. It’s a great read.

Then I started ‘Enough’ about a woman’s journey as a mountain guide and her journey to Mt Everest. It’s quite compelling. If you like personal life stories, you’ll like this.

I bought an early birthday present for my daughter off Amazon:(. A BBQ set by Cuisenart . That’s one thing she asked for. I would like to get her a preloved LV wallet, but haven’t quite found the right one on eBay. Her birthday isn’t till the end of May, so I have a little time. I can’t believe she’ll be 40. I remember it like yesterday.

Frugal Friday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cash envelopes by

I got gas at Costco, so that’s always a savings. I think it went up slightly to 4.59. My total was just under $50.

I drove to Sacramento in my daughter’s Honda because as I was getting on the freeway, the Santa Fe started to make some sort of noise. I pulled off at the next exit which is still close to home, and tried to figure out what it was. I couldn’t make it out, so I dashed home and switched cars because I did not want to get stuck in Sacramento in a broken-down car. We’ve actually never had one problem with the Santa Fe, so I’m not sure what this is. B took it out after I left and said he didn’t hear anything. Later, he went to Auburn and again said he hadn’t heard anything. Still, it makes me VERY nervous thinking about driving in traffic to get to Palo Alto in 10 days. I doubt it was a one off so I’m not sure what we’ll do. B has that CT this morning in Rocklin, so we will take the Santa Fe. I may go with him in case we break down. of course, that is a PITA waiting for tow trucks, but I guess we’ll see how it goes.

I went to Trader Joe’s after swimming the other day, spent $96. Some of that was the $3.50 TJ’s wine. So, food ended up costing $80. Oh, wait bought 2 candles too, so that was another $8. So food would have ended up about $72.

Our dryer decided to die, so B had to order a part. That was $ 80-something. Fortunately, the weather will be nice enough to dry on the outside line.

I deposited the cash envelopes for Rubi’s DMV and our Recology bill. That will come out later this month.

Simple Sunday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, home stuff, Uncategorized, Walking by

A clear morning walk with the waning moon above. No one was around but us and the new hire for the park. We don’t know what happened to the other guy but it’s been around 4 months since they had a regular maintenance person there.

We drove the Santa Fe down to the park because the VW’s flywheel went the other day. This is what the mechanic, who fixed the starter, said would eventually happen. I guess we figured it would be a bit down the road. Unfortunately, we don’t have the money to fix her right now so buggie will just have to sit until we’re done with Stanford. After it’s fixed I guess we’ll need to decide to keep her or sell. Maybe it’s just time to let it go. I wouldn’t want to decide till after it’s fixed.

Today I am not going into the Auburn gym. I think my daughter and I are going to the nursery for some soil and maybe a few flowers.

Today is going to be sunny and the first real day of almost 70 degrees. I plan on getting the Weber out so this week I can BBQ at least once. I have some chicken burgers and Boca burgers too. Tuesday is supposed to be the warmest day.

This week is B’s CT and I have Velcade on Thursday. My appt is at 8:30 so I should be out of there by 9am and I’ll go over to the gym and library. Then Friday with Dex will be a home day.

There haven’t been any changes with my sleep apnea app on my Apple watch. It’s generally right above the elevated line. In April I see the sleep dr so I guess that’s when I’ll know more. I’m pretty sure I would not use a CPAC machine but who knows. Never say never, right??

Next week starts our new budget and I have most everything in. I still need to check my Allstate bill and find the due date. I think that’s the only bill not on auto-pay since I’m paying a different amount each time.

Well, off to start the day! What’s new in your world? anything? I think the reason blogs are so interesting to read is other people’s lives are different than mine and I do enjoy peeking into them.

Frugal Friday

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

I spent $88 at Trader Joe’s, which included some of their wine( Charles Shaw, which is no longer 2 buck Chuck). I went in to get their brand of chili powder, but they didn’t have any, which I thought odd. So, I’ll need to go to Winco to get some next week.

I got gas at Costco and it’s down to $4.43 a gallon so that was a savings.

I was planning to go to Costco today but B has a video appt with the nutritionist so either I go alone or wait. I’ll think about it. We need a case of water and some miscellaneous things. Mostly I need help lifting the case of water. The other stuff I can handle like the TP.

Other than that I didn’t spend $ on anything else. All of the bills are done for the month so that’s good. I have written up a tentative April budget. We are in limbo on Stanford till the CT comes in although we haven’t heard from them so I’m taking that as a good sign. Or it could be that UCD hasn’t communicated with them about what’s going on. Either way, we should know more next week.

With the hotel costs plus gas and food we need to not spend any extra because that’s going to be a fairly big CC bill. I guess we’ll just have to see what happens.

Today is a cloudy day but then by Sunday we’re going to be seeing mid-70s temperatures. Spring will really pop then:)

Here’s a couple of Gus pictures!! it’s a rough life!!

He has his own Poang chair.!!!

Frugal Friday

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

The biggest expense this week was my dental appointment. It was quite a bit but then what isn’t these days. It needed to be done so. I still have a cleaning in March and I’m planning on signing up for their dental saver program. It’s $400 a year and covers 2 cleanings and lots of other stuff. It seems a good deal.

Then I went to Costco earlier this week and that was around $200. That shop will last us a while until we need coffee again. Food was less because B picked some socks, and I picked up the new Dawn spray cleaner and there was something else nonfood.

I drove to Sacramento for my doctor’s appt, which uses more gas. I have enough gas in the Santa Fe until I go back to the pool which I think will be Monday. i have labs early Monday and plan to go to the pool afterwards.

Not a very frugal week but manageable.

Today I opted to stay home and do some extra house needs. I washed my office windows, and dusted baseboards. I also started sourdough baguette loaf for tomorrow. Last night I roasted a chicken and made homemade mac and cheese. Tonight I think I’ll make a frozen Costco pizza. It’s a new brand they had and I’d like to try it. I think it said made in Italy.

It’s a beautiful sunny day with a temperature of 62 degrees. I’m looking to put a chair in the sunroom so I can sit out there. right now, I don’t have the little loveseat because Tux is sleeping out there in a cat bed and he’s not fixed. therefore he’s spraying although we haven’t seen him spray out there. I’m thinking of a used Poang chair from market place. I’ll have to look at listings.

Frugal Friday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, frugalism by

I didn’t do any shopping this week except for a few things from the Holiday Market. So, that was really a good week. I don’t even think I need too much for next week since we’ll be down in Palo Alto.

I’ll try and have some meal ideas for my daughter since I won’t be cooking dinners. Probably just some easy meals she can just heat up.

I’ve done a good job using things up in the freezer. That probably helped with not going to the store. If anything, I need some salad stuff.

Tonight is pizza night and I’m not sure what we’ll do. I’m planning to go down to Roseville as I have an order to pick up at the mall. But my favorite pizza place doesn’t open till 11 and I plan on being home shortly after that. so??? I guess I’ll figure it out.

I need to stop at the bank and get my UHC printout so I can submit it to LLS. The bank is always so busy. After that, it’s just home for the day.

I’ve avoided buying anything from Amazon so I’m pleased with that. I have one book I ordered a while ago(and forgot about) and it’s finally being shipped. It’s a cookbook a YouTuber used and looked like a good one but it was only available from a third-party seller.

I do need to stop and get gas at Costco but I don’t plan on shopping there. I have a list going but it can wait till we’re back from Stanford. It’s mostly staples like oatmeal, and Rao’s sauce and things like that.

All in all, it was a frugal week!

Frugal Friday

Posted in books, bread, budgeting, budgets, California, decluttering, freezer cooking, frugalism, simple foods, velcade by

The week was overall frugal. I didn’t need gas yet in Santa Fe. I’ll fill up at Costco next week.

I went to the gym and library before my Velcade shot. Gettting books at the library always saves me from buying some random cookbook( a weakness(. I looked at two already, and there’s nothing I’d cook from them. They’re pretty books, but not how I cook. For instance, last night, we shared a steamed artichoke, and I made an us omelet to share with sprouts, cheese, salsa, and sour cream. We eat fairly simply.

I went to Costco after swimming on Wednesday and spent $250 or so. Some of that was snack/foodstuff for my daughter to take to work. She doesn’t get a full lunch break because of her hours, so I bought some beef sticks, egg bites (Kirkland brand), and something else I can’t remember. The two kinds of beef sticks were expensive, grass feed. I’ve actually never had one, so I can’t tell you if they’re any good, but as a high-protein snack, I could see it working. Organic eggs were 7.99 for 2 dozen.

Today is a home day because of Dex, but I feel pretty good this morning. I plan on vacuuming, dusting some, and doing a bit of decluttering odds and ends. I also have a pack of Kirkland I need to use, so I’m thinking of some meatballs I can freeze. We( my daughter and I have decided to mostly cut beef out of our diets. We don’t eat it often, so it shouldn’t be hard at all. But I have this to use and one other in the freezer, and I don’t want to waste it. If we go out together, we definitely would think about an In an-Out burger, but that’s pretty rare for us to do.

The rain is supposed to come by noon today, and it looks nonstop for days. I think I’ll plan on some soup dinners with homemade sourdough.

Frugal Friday or not so much?

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, frugalism by

Well, Buggie is going to cost over $1000 so that’s not frugal. And the mechanic said that it isn’t just the starter but the flywheel behind it and he quoted $1600 for that. We said no for now. I guess we’ll have to really think about keeping bugs. Well, we’ll go get it today. We don’t drive buggie that far but still. If it’s going to start costing $$$ then it’s not worth it to us to keep it. I’ll be sad though because I love Bugs!! No decisions for a while though.

Most of the month’s bills are paid except for water and garbage next week. I’ll start a new budget on the 27th or so.

Costco was $240 and it was all food. Some pantry staples and a few freezer meals like ravioli. I bought some salad packs so were set there too. I shouldn’t need too much next week if anything. I think I will come in at $600 for groceries for the month. So not too bad for the 3 of us plus some of that is long-term things like olive oil. When did olive oil start to cost so much?? Plus I bought a 4 pack of butter and that will last months too.

I will need gas next week in the Santa Fe and that will be the last fill up till the next budget starts.

My daughter and I are going to the nursery this morning for some bags of soil for planting the garlic. I might pick up some pansies or other winter flowers. Then she wants to go look at paint chips at Ace. She wants to paint the studio and it really does need it.

So, the appt ended up not to be with Dr. Lee but his nurse. He must be a very busy man. But not much was different except she will schedule the laparoscopy and then they’ll go from there. I was disappointed there wasn’t anything more definitive. We’ll only need to spend 2 nights in Palo Alto though. One night before the procedure and then one night after. The procedure is only an hour or less but because it involves anesthesia it’s 2 hours before and 2 hours after. So I’m not driving back home after all that. So that’s that.

Yesterday after getting home, I pressure-canned the pinto beans. I got 7 pints done. This is a great staple to have in the pantry.