Category Archives: cash envelopes

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.

Frugal Friday and other random things.

Posted in Blood test, budgeting, California, cash envelopes, decluttering, Pantry, prepper pantry, Walking by

Another low-spend week. We spent $53 at Holiday Market. It’s way more expensive than TJ’s or Winco but it’s also 1 minute from our house. We used to walk down all the time but now we drive mostly because our driveway is very steep. So going down is fine but coming up is not. After I figure out what’s going on with the knee I may start going up and down to strengthen the muscles. We’ll see, I’ve been saying that for years and haven’t done it yet. ( haha).

We filled up the VW too. And we went on a coffee date.

I did order some things from Amazon. A different knee brace, some hangers to add to the ones I got my daughter for Christmas, cream for my knee, and 1 set of candles. The 4pk of candles I usually buy from Blue Corn Beeswax were out of stock. I also ordered the tuna in olive oil in a 12-pack because it’s easier than going to get them at the store. the price is almost the same as Winco, maybe 10 cents more. What I’m doing is using a virtual envelope for Amazon and giving myself $100 a month for household things. I won’t include the tuna as that’s food.

Saturday is my MRI and after that, I plan to go to Trader Joe’s and get a few things. Eggs, bread, cream, bagels, maybe some chips and a few frozen meals to add to the freezer. Last week we had the Kung Pao Chicken and it was very good.

Next week I have my labs and the appt with the PC about the next step with the knee once the MRI comes in. I guess I would hope that it’ll just be PT to help strenghten it but it’s anyone’s guess at this point. That’s it for the week. I doubt I’ll be going to the pool or the gym till I have a plan in place. Although, if the knee brace stabilizes my knee I will go do upper body weights. I’m pretty depressed about it all since I hate not being able to be active. But as always I’ll get through it.

We have a good size load in the back of the VW to drop off at Goodwill and Assistance league. B will do that today. It’s always a good feeling to great rid of stuff. I did put all the Mountain House dehydrated meals in the bag for the food bank and I’ll do that either today or next week. I still have some other food out in the ‘barn prepper pantry’ so I need to get that first. I do not plan on restocking any of that out in the barn. I’m just going to have my pantry boxes and what I have on the Ivar shelving unit. ( That’s for the pressure canned goods and jams, salsas, and tomato sauces.) I’ll always have some stock up pantry because I’ve always bought in bulk starting back in 1975 but I won’t do the same thing as when the pandemic hit. Having bulk rice and beans etc just makes sense for how I cook plus I hate thinking about what I need so I’d rather buy bulk and be done with it for months at a time.

2024

Posted in California, camping, cash envelopes, cooking, decluttering, frugalism, minimalism, Pantry, simplicity, social security, travel, Uncategorized by

I’ve said before that I don’t make resolutions for the new year but I do like to have some goals to work toward. First, be frugal and work within our limited income from SS. We only have so much and although it does cover all our basics including our mortgage it doesn’t leave a lot for projects. I have added cash envelopes that are for projects so that will help when I can add to them.

Second, find a new to us RV resort that we can go to within a 3-hour drive. I think we like Napa so much because it’s close and it’s a beautiful area. There are lots of trails, restaurants, wineries, shops, etc to explore. Plus we like just hanging out in the RV park because we can read, nap, do crafts etc. From the park we an walk to historic Napa and even Oxbow.

Third, besides our regular Rubi trips, we’d like to visit a National Park that we haven’t been to. We’ve been to a lot of National Parks west of the Missisippi but not all. We’d probably keep it in California so that might be Sequoia that we haven’t been too.

Of course, keeping up with healthy eating, walking, doing weights,swimming, all goes without saying as important.

Practice gratitude daily. I think being grateful for whatever it is you have keeps the desires away especially when you realize you have everything to be happy and content right now. We all need shelter, food, warmth, clothing but on what level is for each individual to decide.

Continuing to be minimal and do regular declutterings. Right now I’m going thru each room and deciding what things I want to maintain and take care of. I’ve bagged up 3 grocery bags already. I also decluttered my budget books from 2023 that I don’t need anymore. I’m working on going thru my pantry and getting a bag of things I haven’t used for the food bank. If I haven’t cooked it or have a recipe for it I’ll give it to the food bank.

So a few goals to work toward. What about you? Any ideas?

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, cash envelopes, cooking, decluttering, Gratitude, ikea, Walking by

Very grateful to do 1/2 mile this morning and did ok. Part of the reason is now dex is masking some knee pain but I did go to the gym yesterday and my knee was ok, not great but ok. I think I just need to scale back the swimming. Even though you’re in the water, you’re still using the leg muscles. So I did almost 40 minutes last Saturday and that'(what I think) caused the relapse. I guess if it continues, I’ll need to get the MRI and see the doctor and maybe that will be the surgery:( I’m a waiter on things so I’ll go a little while longer.

I’m grateful that my schedule isn’t fixed with anything that I have to do and I can have these down/up dex days.

I’m very glad I took all the Christmas stuff down and is all put away. There wasn’t much to declutter. I put a string of lights in the donation bag and I have two tins to give to.

I moved the plant stand from my office to the LR to put plants on. I still plan on buying the Ivar cabinet for my office, maybe next week. This is a closed cabinet with a shelf on the bottom where I plan to put my printer. It’s made of pine and I may or may not paint it white.

Tonight ,I planning on grilling some chicken and tofu and probably a salad. I do have some TJ’sfried rice I could make too. The chest freezer is emptying out nicely and it’s good to get it used down. I’ve started a stock up envelope for Costco so I can get butter, chicken, GF bread, and some other staples.

After Christmas…

Posted in books, California, cancer, cash envelopes, cooking, library, meal planning, seasonal things, Walking by

Today is my 3rd Velcade shot. I have another stye happening from the Velcade so my eyes are bothering me some. No walking this week as I must have overdone the leg muscles on the knee where the torn meniscus muscle is. So, I decided to just call this an ‘inactive ‘week, which drives me crazy because I want to walk and swim.

I’m hoping giving it some rest and stretching will help. Today after the shot, I have to drop books off at the library. I’m not going in because they have holiday hours and don’t open till 10am. Then I need to go over to the bank and then home. I’m considering doing upper body weights but I’ll wait till I’m there( by the library) to decide. ( The gym and library are next to each other).

On the menu plan this week:

breakfast for dinner

quiche with salad

steak bits and broccoli(tofu with broccoli for the veggie)

grilled chicken/ veggie pattie and some sort of veg

soup of some sort

New Year’s Eve will be our traditional sub sandwiches. I’ll get some GF rolls for my daughter. I saw some at Trader Joe’s so I’ll check there first. Her labs came back and she’s not celiac but she says she feels better not eating gluten right now so that’s good.

Our weather has been cloudy and cool. No rain but there might be some this weekend. Typical December/January weather, kind of gloomy and depressing.

Frugal Friday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, camping, cash envelopes, simplicity, travel by

Overall, a frugal week. No extra shopping for anything so a low spend week with just groceries I got at Trader Joe’s. I need to go down to the market on Sunday morning to get the veggies for the fondue but that’s all.

I plan on continuing no spend/low spend into January. I do need a few extra things like hand soap but that can wait. Also, I’m trying hard not to buy too much from Amazon. I certainly like the convenience but it adds up pretty quickly.

I have my budget set for January and plan on increasing some cash envelopes for a couple of savings challenges. The big one would be to replace my Louis Vuitton that got stolen. I’ve hemmed and hawed at buying one but decided after 2 years(almost, February), I still want one. So that will be the savings challenge.

Christmas is all sorted so that’s done till next year. I plan on taking down most of the tree ornaments right after Christmas. I think I have the tree ornaments pretty well dialed in as to what I want on the tree. Most of the Hallmark ones we collected for years stayed in the bin( Star Wars, Superheroes, etc), and only a few of those made it to the tree. Most were the special ones like birds and some handmade ones too. So I have one bin in the barn that is all the Hallmark ones and that’s it. What I used I have in 3 Ikea boxes that I keep in the closet on the top shelf. I like Christmas to be as simple as possible and I think I’ve done that now. 

We still have a few more camping trips to book but I have to check dates on those. We don’t go to Tahoe in July or August because it’s crowded but June is great and we have 2 times already booked. The next would be our September trip. I’d like to book some place in March but that can be iffy with the weather, especially on the coast.

Frugal Friday

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

Well, we made it to December!! Hopefully, the month goes smoothly with no upsets. In the past, December has had both my back fracture T 10 in 2003 and B’s MDS diagnosis in 2019. So I often have anxiety about December probably remembering the emotions at those times.

On the frugal things.

I’m planning to do a No Spend/low spend December. I have bought enough from Amazon over the last month so I want to scale back that spending. Besides Christmas things, I bought Simple Human garbage bags, beeswax candles, and ??? I don’t include food or gas or other necessities but no extra things.

B got the oil changed in the Santa Fe, it needed some new filters so that added to the cost. I’ll up the cash envelope so it can fully cover those things.

We had the propane filled and that was $259 so really not bad at all. This is a quarterly bill and I plan to start and envelope for that. I’ve been watching some Youtubers cash envelopes and most fill the envelopes and then take to the bank. I was curious if that’s what they did because some of their envelopes were quite large. One woman had $600 in one for daycare and then moved that over when it was due. So I like that idea and it will keep me accountable. I like the cash envelope system and it’s working very well really.

I didn’t go to the grocery store this week, except I sent B to go down to the Holiday Market for sour cream and buttermilk I needed for recipe which I haven’t made yet.

Today is still a Dex/ no drive day for me so I’m going to make some cookies and plan next week’s menu. This week we had 3 freezer meals including stuffed peppers last night. So that really helps the budget. I also used the last pressure canned split pea soup and that was delicious.

Tonight we’re ordering pizza. I need to do an order from Central Milling for my 00 pizza flour. I think I missed their Cyber Monday sale but that’s ok.

Tomorrow, I’m planning on going to the pool and then to Trader Joe’s so money will be spent there. I don’t need a whole lot but TJ’s always has something interesting.

Here’s a look at our BIG BUCKIE. He’s circling our hilltop looking for girls. I hope he stays safe and out of the road. Last week on the freeway I counted 4 dead deer. On our main road, I saw 2 deer hit by cars. People drive too fast thru town here where the speed limit is posted at 25mph.

I’m pretty sure he’s limping on that leg in the back. I hope he’s safe. I would love if an antler fell off though since I collect them.

Frugal Friday/ or is the world devolving into violence and killing of innocent people.

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cash envelopes, frugalism, meal planning, swimming by

First, I’m not an expert on Middle East politics but what Hamas has done is unconscionable and cruel. How someone can just kill children, women, babies, anyone is just beyond my mental capabilities. It is horrible and I do hope that some resolve can occur. Will it ever change the minds of men in Hamas? No, I don’t think so. What is the answer? I have no idea.

Onward to my little corner of the planet. This was Prime Days week and I bought some things I needed. Two pillow forms for covers that didn’t have pillows, on sale. Thermacell refills on sale. ( for mosquito repellent). Not on sale were plastic slips to put recipes in and clear plastic envelopes for cash savings. I also bought the breadmaker,KBS not the Zojurushi as it was 35% off and came in at $135. so It was reasonable for me to get and I think it’ll work well for the dough cycle for both regular bread and sourdough. So not a frugal week in terms of Amazon but most were necessary.

I haven’t been to the store this week except into Nugget for a sandwich after seeing Dr. L . Then just this morning I put in a small food order at Tartget that Barclay will pick up. Why? Tillamook has just released a new mac and cheese and Target is carrying it. Plus Momofuku noodle packs are also new there. So I ordered 2 of each and 2 Target frozen pizzas as back up food.

I decided to skip the gym this morning as I still had some dex effects ( red face) and a little jittery. I rarely deviate from my schedule so there’s that. I will swim tomorrow though and then go into Winco. At Winco, I need salad stuff, veg oil, oat milk, eggs, and I wanted to get some bulk spices. I’ll bring cash fro that. The Target food I’ll use a virtual cash envelope so that I get the 5% discount.

Other than that, not much new. I did make some yummy spinach crepes for dinner yesterday. There’s a little left over for lunch. We always try and eat last nights dinner as lunch the next day.

I’m working on a new recipe binder with my most used recipes on rotation. Rhonda over at Down to Earth blog was writing about just that. She says she always works from her rotation meals and I do too but I haven’t organized it the way she recommended so that’s what I plan on working on today.