Category Archives: frugalism

Friday Things

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

My budget month is coming to a close, and overall, I did well. Groceries came in at a little under $400, so that’s really good. Other bills were just normal things, I think. Most of my bills are on autopay and are generally fixed or close to it. The water bill varies by season, and so does PGE.

Today is a home day, and I’m doing another loaf of sourdough. It’s so weird that after not baking bread for a good while, it’s like starting over. But I did get my starter nice and active. The other trick I started using was to turn on the oven light and put the starter in there at first to double in size, and then later for bulk fermentation. It worked brilliantly. I guess there’s always something new to learn.

I had my first real-life experience with AI. I had a message about reordering some of my CPAP stuff. So I called the number, and it was an AI named Brenda. It asked all the pertinent questions. It was both weird and ok. I didn’t have to talk to anyone, so that was positive. On the other hand, this was not a real person, and there was no option to do so. I guess the future is here.

I do hope there’s a special place in HELL for the ICE agents that murder innocent people and use children to trap others. I’m not religious and am an atheist, but there has to be a HELL for them in some shape or form.

I do need to work on next month’s budget and see how far I can get with that. I started our taxes, but not everything comes in till the end of the month. I felt good about starting it. February has another Allstate payment and the Fair plan installment too, so that will be a challenge. I think that’s all the unusual stuff. Also, keep trying to get the last CC finished. We shall see, or maybe I should start singing” We shall Overcome”. ???

What things are any of you up to? What about that huge storm heading East? Are any of you in the storm’s path? It sounds awful.

Frugal Friday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cooking, frugalism, garden shed, Uncategorized by

Overall, it was a good week. Bills got paid, and the budget looks ok. A few more bills are coming out next week, the garbage bill and the water bill.

I only went to Winco this week, and mostly that was for veggies for salads. I’m motivated to eat more salads since I’ve been using the mandolin. It’s fun to cut up the radishes and cabbage with it. I spent $55 at Winco, so that was an inexpensive shop. We still have a lot of stuff to use up in the freezer. But that’s ok, that’s why I buy food at Costco, so it’s there. Last night we shared a chicken pot pie and had salad. My daughter suggested we go back and watch Stranger Things from the beginning, so we’re doing that.

Around Christmas, I ordered a food saver called Chef Preserve. It’s a handheld vacuum sealer that takes the air out of the bags it comes with. I’ve had the other kind of vacuum sealers, and they are big and bulky and kind of a pain to use, but this one is small and handheld.

I only used it on shredded Brussels sprouts, so I don’t have an opinion yet, but I think it will be a food saver, especially for veggies. Today I’ll try the radishes and cucumbers. I’ll keep you posted. The bags are reusable as well. You can also purchase glass containers.

I checked my LLS and discovered that only part of what I submitted actually showed up in the download. I guess I used a JPEG, and only one picture showed, so I had to go back and figure out what I did wrong. I noticed that each scanned item was a separate JPEG, whereas the PDF displayed all four. I have to show the bank statement and my amount on the insurance form. I resubmitted it, but that delays it by a few weeks. I guess I never checked before that the dropdown when sending to a file was on JPEG instead of PDF. I’ll check in a few days to see if they got it. sigh:)

I’ve only had a few people interested in the Ball canning jars( no takers), so I’ll drop them off at the Goodwill with my next load. I don’t need that many jars hanging around, taking up space in the garden shed.

Today is another beautiful day. Yesterday the high was 69, and it was glorious. I think today is a few degrees cooler, but still really nice.

On a political note, I find it odd that Machado gave trump her Nobel Peace medal. The title is non-transferable, so what kind of ass-kissing gesture was she trying to pull off? Yes, of course, she want strumpy’s approval in Venezuela, but still, what good is it going to do him? If anything, it’s a meaningless token since he did not ‘win’ it.

Frugal Friday

Posted in budgeting, California, frugalism, Uncategorized by

I suppose it’s been a frugalish week. I paid a little more on the lingering cc’s, so that felt good. I got a notice that my WordPress account will be charged in February. I’ll see what envelope I can pull some of that from.

I went to the Holiday Market to purchase a few items I needed for the spinach soup, such as gruyere cheese to add to it. It’s a creamy soup, and the cheese is a nice touch. I spent @$50.

I actually had the cash but forgot to bring it down with me.

I submitted my LLS, so that should come through by the end of the month. I so appreciate LLS and the grants they offer blood cancer patients. I could absolutely not stay in the budget without that assistance.

I ordered my prescription refills and was so shocked that from one month ago to now, with this new plan(Health Spring, which is part of Cigna), my costs have plummeted. For instance, my levothyroxine was coming in at $20 something, and now it comes in at $1.27. WTF !! I mean, it’s great for me, but why would they be charging so much just last month, December, as to now?? Totally strange. And it wasn’t just one, it was all of them dropped.

Did anyone else have a weird price drop??

Here’s Gus chilling!

Friday Things

Posted in Uncategorized, frugalism, books, California by

I’m off to get my Velcade shot this morning. Then to the library to return books. I’m not planning on going to the gym, even though I should. Well, maybe I’ll wait till I’m there and then decide.

Updated: I dropped off books, but the library was closed, so I didn’t go in.

My shot went well. Vicki, one of the nurses, is retiring, so I said I’d miss her. She’s a great nurse.

Then I need to go to Winco for veggies and a few things. I also need to stop in Costco for coffee, so I’ll see how far I get.

Updated: Skipped Winco and just went to Costco. I wanted to get there when it’s only open to Executive members, so that worked out perfectly.

I bought a lot of veggies as one of my intentions for 2026 is to eat more veggies, fruit, and fish. I also got the coffee, some wine, eggs and bagels, and a few other things.

I’m just finishing up and putting things away in the freezer. I have the iRobot vacuum going, and that will clean the floors. I do need to mop still though.

I did manage to get rid of the desk and chair. The person came right on time, so that was nice. I have a load to go to the thrift store, but didn’t get there today. I’ll try for Sunday after the gym.

Last night I made homemade pizza. It was ok, not great. I also shredded Brussels sprouts and sauteed them with mushrooms. That was quite good.

Frugal Friday

Posted in California, frugalism, Uncategorized by

I had lots of plans for what I was going to do after my doctor appointment, but that all went by the wayside. As soon as I walked into the lobby, I could see it was packed. Usually, there’s one or two people, but this was packed. So he was 40 minutes late because of a biopsy that hadn’t been scheduled correctly. I’m pretty chill about that stuff because there are cancer patients in there worse off than me. So all my plans just evaporated, and I just cancelled going to do what I was going to do. My 10 am appt didn’t get finished till half past 11, so I just came home. I have plenty of days before Christmas, and most of this stuff is just Christmas prep. For instance, I need Gift cards from T.J.’s, but I can do that another day after swimming. I also need to go to Costco for one last small shop for Christmas dinner. So all that can roll over to next week.

Hanukkah starts Sunday night at sundown, so we’ll do latkes and applesauce(homemade) and breaded chicken/tofu. If I’m inspired, I’ll make the Superiority tofu, which is deep-fried. It’s a recipe that is involved and takes time. Someone asked about the recipe for polenta lasagna, and really, it’s very simple. I make the polenta in the Instant Pot( very easy this way), then chill overnight. Then I cut slices of the polenta and layer with tomato sauce, cheese, and then bake. It’s a delicious meal that doesn’t use pasta.

I’m not really doing any gifts for Hanukkah, at least as of today. Barclay always bought lottery tickets ( scratchers) for everyone, so I may do that. Otherwise, it’s just lighting the menorah and enjoying that. Oh, I will do some Starbucks gift cards, as that is always welcome and used.

I went to Winco after the pool and got some Christmas stuff, but not all, as I didn’t have my list.:( So I’ll see about hitting it up again next week.)

I’m staying home today and just doing some odds and ends. I finally got around to cutting up the box of Pink Lady apples someone gave us, so that’s tucked away in the freezer. I need to mop the floors today and just do a general tidy up.

Here’s a picture of our lemon tree that is much fuller than this shows, and blue skies. Sacramento is in Tule fog!

Friday Things

Posted in California, cancer, frugalism, home stuff, plants, Uncategorized, velcade by

My shot went well yesterday, and afterwards I went to WinCo. I spent $83 on food and paid in cash. I specifically wanted Taco sauce and a small jar of peanut butter. I don’t think buying the 2-pack at Costco is worth it for just the two of us.

Today is my dex day, and so far I feel pretty good, not too crazy:) I’m still a little sinus-y, but that’s it.

Some Christmas stuff and a totally funny New Yorker comic. B and I would always joke about this from “What About Bob ” and Siggy saying that.

I need to figure out my day but I know I need to:

clean the stove and hood

vacuum

do 1 load of laundry

look at the budget for the next 2 weeks

water some plants

???

Frugal Friday

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

So far this week, I spent grocery money at Winco, Safeway, and today, Trader Joe’s. Winco was $60 for food approx.

Safeway was $34 for food, approx.

Tarader Joe’s was $83 approx with quite a few freezer items for next month.

At TJ’s, I picked up some Christmas gifts for the kids: some snacks and 2 of the new micro bags, which are very cute. I was glad to get some as there were only a few left.

So not bad, and I’m coming in so far for the month at a little over $500. That includes long-term food items stored in the freezer. My budget runs til the 24th, so I’ll need to keep it low or 0 next week.

The pool was nice and not super busy, which is always a treat.

The VW is getting the brake lights checked, so I’ll probably need to go back out later when my daughter gets home if it’s ready. They’re not open on the weekend, so it’s either today or Monday.

I’m not sure what the weekend is like. I think the weather is ok. After the deluge of rain yesterday, we need a break.

Friday things

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, cash envelopes, frugalism, Multiple myeloma by

Yesterday was quite busy. I decided since my Velcade was rescheduled for 10am, I would go down to the gym first and then the library to pick up my hold. (Shogun) Then I went back to Winco for salad stuff, wine, oat milk, and yogurt. I spent about $60 and then got $40 cash to put into some cash envelopes.

Infusion was very busy, and I guess that’s why they needed me to come later. All 5 chairs were full, and some of these chemos are ALL day, and mine is only 20-30 minutes. They are always so nice, and oncology nurses are truly special people with the knowledge and skills they possess.

Finally, I stopped at Taco Tree for some tacos for myself and my daughter. She was almost out the door for work, but it all ended up ok. I took my Dex around noon, so hopefully I would get some sleep. Ha, no luck, I woke up at 2 am, and that was the end of sleeping. But I’m home today, so I can just chill.

I’m halfway through the budget month, and things are ok. There’s not a lot left over, but at least I’m not waiting for SNAP to come through. What a horrible thing these Republicans are doing to the people of this country who need it the most. Shameful. Even more shameful, throwing a Great Gatsby party at the gold mansion. Rump has probably NEVER read The Great Gatsby. Shameful, while millions of people are going without food or close to it. And then more shamefully, blaming Democrats for it because of the shutdown. Democrats are trying to save the ACA before rates skyrocket next year. Who cares about ordinary people? Certainly not rump.

Friday Things

Posted in budgets, California, cancer, cooking, frugalism, Halloween, Multiple myeloma, Myeloma by

Happy Halloween!!! Barclay loved to dress up for Halloween. We always took the kids to Auburn to trick or treat. It was fun! Those were the days, my friend, we thought they’d never end:(

I know I’m repeating myself, but this weather has been so nice this week. Sunny and temperatures in the mid 70s. Just lovely. I think the weekend is the same, and then next week starts to show rain again.

I watched Practical Magic the other night, and that is a fun movie to watch for Halloween. I’ve watched a couple of series on Prime. Margot is one and a few others. Nothing great, but it helps pass the evening hours.

I didn’t resubscribe to my Prime membership because my daughter offered to share her account. She pays way less being an educator. So that’s one less bill for me to deal with. Also, donating the Subaru has reduced my Allstate insurance, so that’s another savings.

I’m deciding in the next hour whether I’ll go down to the pool. I’d like to go, but there are some outside things I want to do while this weather is so nice. Plus, if I go to the pool, that’s kind of my energy output for the day, and then I don’t get a lot of other stuff done. Well, I still have an hour to decide.

I did pressure can pinto beans this week.

I ended up with 5 pints. It does take up the whole morning since pressure canning is time-consuming. I might do another round next week. We use the pintos the most.

I considered myself brave and went to Speedy to get the Santa Fe’s oil changed. Barclay always did this stuff, so it was kind of a big deal for me. Plus, I really dislike doing stuff like that, but, well, now I have to. Oil changes are so expensive now, like everything, I guess.

I need to go to Costco too, so I think I’ll plan that for next week. Next week is my Velcade injection, so I could do it after that. Also, this chemo will definitely give us a better picture of how much my numbers are going up. I looked back at what happened last time in MyQuest chart, and at this point my numbers started going from where they are now at 25, then to 30 something, and then they starting doubling. So this one will give us a better view of the trend.I don’t see Dr.L till December so we can figure it out for January. That is the exact time of when I changed treatments twice. It was in 2021 and then 2023. sigh:(

Friday Things

Posted in budgets, California, cash envelopes, cooking, frugalism, Political things, swimming by

It’s been a good week overall. I got a swim in and a trip to the Maheny gym and library. So a good workout week for plus I walked 3 days. Today I’m not going to the pool, but I might go tomorrow. I am trying to balance going down to Roseville with gas costs.

I went to both Winco and Trader Joe’s this week. Between the two, I spent $133 on food. I should be ok for a while, except for maybe some salad stuff. Last night I made some fajitas with a piece of beef from the freezer and lots of red and orange peppers. I wrapped them in a WW tortilla. There was plenty left over for my daughter when she got home from her job.

I’ve been watching Shogun at night. The original with Richard Chamberlin. It’s funny how much it brought back why I loved so much about Japanese culture. Of course, back then it was also brutal, but the mind only goes to the good things like shoji screens and the whole minimalist feel. I went on line to buy the books and wow, I’m not spending $100 for the 2 volume set. I hope it’ll show up at the thrift store. My son frequents them enough I asked him to look out for it. He’s the one that found the Shogun blue ray set at the thrift store so that was quite a find. it must have been an amzing production with costumes and sets.

This morning, I need to go pay for our PO Box. Wow, has that gone up. I’m paying $192 for a year. That seems outrageous. I had some of it in my cash envelope, but not all of it. I need to bulk up my cash envelopes because it helps me keep ahead of bills coming up. Since I don’t have much extra these days, I’m not able to put as much away. I think Christmas will be quite minimal partly because I don’t have any extra money to buy things. That’s ok really. Both kids are adults who get what they want anyway. What I’ll aim for is some cash to each or a gift card.

This is the Chinese Pistachio tree I bought to use as a memorial planting for Barclay. There was one person who sent me a $ contribution for Barclay, I used his $ for this. I think I will buy a second one, and I’ll pay for that.

I might go into town for a few things, but I’ll wait and see how the morning shapes up. I want to mop the floors and tidy up a few areas of the house. If ,after that ,I still want to go, I can.

Next week, my AA house insurance gets put on the cc with autopay. I’ll just have to keep paying that down over the next couple of months. (sigh)

We’re due for some rain this weekend and cooler temperatures. Then next week we’re back in the 70s.

I, like so many people, am just mortified by the destruction of the East Wing of the White House. It’s such a power play by rump. There are no words to describe it except evil. He will be seen in history as THE WORST PRESIDENT ever.