Category Archives: cash envelopes

Thankful Thursday

Posted in books, budgets, California, cash envelopes, Gratitude, Walking by

I am thankful I got a good swim in yesterday despite the asshole in my lane that was not moving over and ran into me:( I sort of yelled, get on your own side!!! I think he was new as he didn’t know how to swim very well. Oh well, it doesn’t happen very often.

Then I went to Costco and am grateful I had almost the full amount in cash. I actually did have it all but it was in another envelope and I didn’t want to be rummaging around for it..’

Buggie is in the shop as the water pump went out. That’s going to cost us $1000+ . I’ll have to put that on a card and then pay off in 2 installments. I might be able to do it all if I skimp on other things. We haven’t done a lot services on the VW so I guess it works. Plus buggie is 24 years old so something is going to go. Plus it needs a smog and registration in April but we’ll do that once she’s fixed up.

Today I’m going back to Roseville to pick up books at the library and then B and I are going to walk one of the trails down there. Hopefully, the sun will come out. After that, we’re going to get some lunch somewhere.

I’m grateful the PT was effective and although my knee is not back to where it was, it is much improved. The PT said I could do 1 more session if I wanted but also clarified that it would just be doing the same exercises so I declined. I see the ortho PA next week so I’ll see what she says about it all.

Frugal Friday

Posted in Blood test, books, bread, budgeting, California, cancer, cash envelopes, cooking, frugalism, Uncategorized by

I stopped at Trader Joe’s after the infusion and spent$70 on food. Mostly it was bread, some chicken shwarma( TJ’s has this all seasoned in the meat section and for a great price)my son wanted, pita bread, and a few things I’d been looking for. One was Harrisa and I found it on a bottom shelf. It’s used in some vegan dishes in the new cookbook I got a while back,

Also, the YouTuber Vegan channel, Madeline Olivia, made some black bean meatballs with Harrisa and she said that’s what gives their kick, so I thought I’d try that.

Here’s my copycat Panera Broccoli cheddar soup we had for dinner. this was before I blended it in the Vita-mix. I used most of the leftover Costco bag of broccoli I had in the freezer. It was quite good with this loaf of sourdough. My starter is doing really well after a few days of feeding.

The rain is back and so is the wind so no gym or anything today. Plus Dex is still in my system and my face is still a little red. Boy, I looked like a beet yesterday:)

I bought a pair of Levi’s on eBay at a good price. NWT and only 29.99. On the website, they’re $60 so I thought that was a great deal. Right now I only have one nice pair of Levi’s I use to go out on dates etc. And then only 2 sort of beat-up ones for going to the store or around the house. I never sweat pants at home, only right after getting up and we walk, otherwise, I dress in jeans and Bombas T-shirts or my yoga pants to go to the gym. So I will take that cash and put it back in the bank when I’m in town next.

Next week I have labs so that will give us another picture of what the myeloma cells are doing. I have one more infusion at the end of March before I see Dr. L, so I guess ,depending on this one, I’ll decide to either wait or message him about adding in the second dose. Other than that I have PT on Tuesday and then no other appts. I really do prefer my schedule open and flexible but medical appts are necessary at this point.

I don’t have any meal prep to do today so I think I’ll concentrate on the kitchen zone.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in bread, budgeting, budgets, California, cash envelopes, cooking, Gratitude, library, meal planning, swimming, Uncategorized by

I was grateful to the nurses at Oncology for being so nice, friendly, and efficient. My nurse noticed the uptick in my kappa numbers and mentioned it. I said I was quite disappointed but maybe the dosing just needs to be adjusted( which is what I think will happen). I also asked about Darlazex Fastpro and she said that is a once-a-month shot so maybe that’s what I’ll need to go to after trying the other options.

The huge storm is moving in and although we seem to be forecast not to have terrible wind it still will be gusting and lots of rain. I’m grateful that I got whatever I needed to get done yesterday. The Sierras and Tahoe are bracing for blizzard conditions and Cal Trans is warning people to stay home.

We continue to enjoy the free DVDs of Longmire from the library. A great series. I’m very excited about the new Shogun coming out. Shogun, the book, was a huge influence on me and Japanese culture. I loved the first miniseries with Richard Chamberlain. The Japanese did have some pretty horrific tortures and deaths ( heads rolling) but the beauty of the honor is somehow still infused, well, unless you were an enemy and then that wasn’t pleasant.

Today I’m grateful to feel good enough to make sourdough again, and I’m prepping lasagna to go in the freezer and I plan on making a soup for dinner. I took my dex at 5 pm last night and I think I like that better than taking it when I get home from infusion. It gives me time in the afternoon to do some stuff.

I’m grateful I got the March budget done. We have 2 cars to pay registration for and smog. I’ve saved enough in envelopes for one and the other I’ll need to figure out. My goal of course is that for next year these are fully funded.

I’m thankful I went to the pool Tuesday because I won’t be able to get back till next week with the storm and dex days. The Coast Guard kids were using 3 lanes which I was not thrilled about but otherwise, it was mellow.

This is about half in bloom. It’s cloudy so it doesn’t show how pretty it is in the sun.

Some happy daffodils from the yard. The pink tree is almost full out so with our weather turning for the worst, I’m not sure the flowers will make it. Next year I plan to buy 2 more bags of assorted daffodils to start filling in a few more places.

Simple Sunday

Posted in bread, budgeting, budgets, California, cash envelopes, Pantry, swimming, Walking by

Yesterday was just glorious. Our temperature almost reached 70. It was so nice to sit outside. Alas, we are now headed to some really cold weather. Oh well, soon enough.

I had a great swim on Friday but the pool was packed with the high school team so that wasn’t too great. But I had an end lane so I was fine. It is going to take a while to get back to what I was doing but so far the swimming hasn’t negatively impacted my knee. Next week with Dex/Velcade it will be hard to get a swim in.

After swimming I went over to Winco which is across the street and bought what I needed for the week. Also, we’re planning on Costco because last week I had to go buy coffee at Starbucks. So coffee will be the main reason to get to Costco. I think after that we will go down to the library and pick up my holds and drop off my books. Maybe we’ll go to Paris(Bakery) for a coffee and croissant.

Yesterday, I watered all the house plants and moved a few around. As the sun gets higher it comes in certain windows more and plants need to be moved from direct sun. I also washed a few more windows.

Today after we walk, I will get the sourdough boule in the oven. I made turkey chili yesterday so we’ll have that with some homemade bread and a salad. I have a can of vegetarian chili I can make for B. I want to use up all the stuff that was bought in the pandemic or after. For instance, yesterday I opened a bbq sauce that was best by last year. Normally that wouldn’t bother me, but the seal inside looked suspicious so I tossed it. That’s the kind of thing I want to toss or use.

Overall, I think February’s budget went well. The cash envelope system is working although there are some tweaks I need to make. I didn’t get enough cash for groceries so I used the debit card and need to adjust that amount in the budget. I think it works well if you’re putting accurate amounts in the envelopes. Amazon is tricky because that’s more of a virtual envelope and it goes on a cc. So I might start budgeting $100 a month and then move that to the CC. It’s tweaking these few things that will make it work. Plus, you have to be willing to work with cash and lots of people don’t want to. Also for annual bills, since we’re on a fixed income, there is only so much I can put in the envelopes and probably it won’t add up to the full amount. I’m hoping by fall, I will be able to get some of these fully funded. Another thing people do ( from Youtube) is when they start getting a lot of cash for some of these envelopes, they take the cash to the bank and put it in a high yield account. I think that’s something we need to do by fall as well. I might check with our Credit Union as I think I just saw on their website a high yield savings account. It’s amazing what some people have in cash envelopes but of course, they are usually 2 income people and getting regular paychecks from jobs.

Well, I need to get the bread in the oven before I go to the Auburn gym.

Friday Things

Posted in cancer, cash envelopes, frugalism, Myeloma, swimming by

I plan to go down and swim today. I’m going to go about 45 minutes before the pool closes and try to do 15 minutes or so. I was going to go to the gym but decided that working out in the pool swimming would give me a ‘whole’ body workout.

Out internet is down. The modem stopped working yesterday( I think ATT was working on the lines and screwed it up). So this is courtesy of my hot spot. What a PITA and they won’t be here till Monday:(

I’m trying to work through being depressed about my Kappa numbers. It’s difficult to handle and even though I know ‘this too will pass’, it’s a bummer. There’s not much I can do until the next cycle and labs because we don’t know what they will do. But I will ask Dr.L to go every 2 weeks and see what that does. Still very disappointing.

Frugal wise, not much new. I need some new clothes but am holding off till I have more in my cash envelope. Probably in March, I’ll get what I need which is a new Polar fleece, 1 pair of Levi’s ( that’s pretty much all I wear besides my workout leggings), a new pair of Hokas, and a couple of T-shirts.

I went down to the Holiday and spent 60 on food. Mostly this was odd stuff like Bubbies pickles, rice noodles, greek yogurt, and a sourdough loaf from Truckee Sourdough. There must have been a few more things but I can’t remember now.

B got gas at Costco so that saved some money. We’ve been doing this regularly and it’s at least .50 a gallon cheaper there than Auburn.

Most all the money bills are done except water which is later in the month. So no extra spending overall. I used a gift card to get a coffee at Starbucks but that’s about it.

Here are the 2 books I got at the FOL Roseville.

This added up to $5 and I used personal spending money. The Linda McCarthy book was interesting to look through.

Well, I’m off to get ready for the day plus figure out what we’re doing for dinner.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cash envelopes, Gratitude, Uncategorized, Walking by

I’m thankful we made it through the storm without trees falling and losing power. Today is going to be sunny and I’m glad for that.

I walked around the park once and I did ok. I was very pleased with that and thankful too.

Today I plan on pressure canning beans in the All American and I’m grateful to have that pressure canner. It seems we use the beans the most and then tomato sauces including salsas. The jams we use the least. It’s nice to have homemade jam but this year unless it’s our apples, I’ll probably skip the jam-making. The one exception would be the blackberry jam which we did use all of. That’s where my daughter and I went to a U-pick farm.

Yesterday, the gym went well. I almost got on the stationary bike but thought I’d wait till I try it at home. ( my daughter has one I can try).

After the gym, I went to Trader Joe’s and got a few more things. We needed oat milk, regular milk, 1/2 cream, bread, and gluten-free bread. Our new Costco opens in April and it will be closer than the one we go to now. Also, it’s basically across the street from the TJs so it’ll be very convenient. I’m not sure where we are in totals on groceries this month, so I’ll do a tally soon.

Frugal Friday

Posted in books, budgeting, budgets, California, cash envelopes, cooking, meal planning, pets, Uncategorized by

It’s been a frugal week for the most part. We went to Trader Joe’s and Winco for some basics that will last 2 weeks. That was last Saturday I think. With me having my chemo week, I don’t go out after Wed, so that’s Thursday and Friday and by Saturday the dex has pretty much worn off so I can do something if needed. My face is still pretty red this morning from Dex.

I did get some stuff done though, I vacuumed, feed my sourdough,mopped the floors, 1 load of laundry going. We always do one load a day even if its small. It keeps it from piling up. I moved some envelope cash around and put some in an envelope to back to the bank. That’s for Amazon stuff. I might make that a virtual envelope but the money I took out was from my personal spending as there was a plant based cook book that Sue over in Wales recommended highly. So I slpurged on that.

B is going to his gym and will pick up some things at Holiday Market. I need red onion, garlic, baking potatoes, and polenta. It’s been a challenge getting Bob’s Redmill polenta for some reason. I checked Amazon and it’s twice as expensive as the store. So Holiday looked like they had some in stock.

We filled up the Santa Fe after going to Sacramento and that was $50. Costco is still the cheapest gas around. 

I might go to the Roseville gym tomorrow but it depends on the rain. We did have a nice break yesterday but more is expected over the weekend. If I go, I’ll go slightly later so I can go into the library which opens at 10 on Sat.

I worked up a very flexible menu plan for the week:

no pizza tonight, I think will do :

baked potatoes with toppings and a big salad

turkey breast(frozen) and some mashed potatoes (also frozen) and home canned cranberry sauce.

chicken tortilla soup from the freezer

a left over night

fetticine alfredo with garlic shrimp( so my G F daughter can have shrimp )and salad.

brown rice with broccoli and some kind of crispy tofu.and maybe some panko shrimp.( that’s different from just the plain shrimp)

taco night with pressure canned pulled pork, lettuce etc.

I’ve got February’s budget done and the only thing I didn’t add was the VW’s registration and smog that just came in the mail but it’s not due till April so that’ll give me time to get and envelope stuffed. I may not end up the full amount but it’ll help. And I’ll need to add in Turbo Tax fee and if there’s taxes.

Next week looks good budget wise, hopefully no surprises.:)

Here’s the big boy, Guster

He says this is my Poang chair!!

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.

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.