Category Archives: travel

Frugal Friday Things

Posted in budgets, California, camping, frugalism, ikea, travel by

Well, we didn’t go to Ikea so that saved some money. I can’t decide what exactly I want in my office area so I’ll leave it until I do. I did clean it all out and put back my office wine box( it has a lid that is hinged), my L V boxes I’m using to hold some refill items, my Mac, and my cash envelope binders. It looks better but not quite how I want it.

My only shop was Winco this week. I’m considering going to TJ’s tomorrow for some things for the Napa trip but I’ll wait and see how I feel in the morning. I considered going to the pool but I think I’ll just wait till next week after we’re back.

I stopped at Starbucks and used a gift card to buy a pound of coffee for the trailer. I didn’t even buy a coffee. I only drink plain coffee with cream but I figured I could come home and make some and save me the $3.00 for a tall drip.

After Ortho, which went fine, I came home and made pizza dough for tonight and we’ll have that with salad. Nothing fancy just cheese pizza and whatever toppings I can find to use.

I’m glad this week is over and we can look forward to just relaxing in Napa. Of course, there’s walking, Models Bakery, Rancho Gordo, and Live Fire Pizza but overall we’ll be hanging out in the RV park.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, Gratitude, home stuff, ikea, travel, Walking by

This has been a super busy week for me with appts. I don’t like so many appts but that’s what had to happen.

I’m thankful my macular pucker is still the same and stable(Monday’s appt).

I’m thankful that the gastro appt was fine( Tuesday’s appt) and she scheduled my overdue colonoscopy. Of course, the wait time is crazy far out but she found a cancellation in May. Oh, joy:(

Tomorrow is my ortho appt(Friday’s appt) and I’m assuming that’s all they can do?? Not sure really but I’ll find out. She mentioned the cortisone shot but I’m not sure I want to add that in.

I’m thankful swimming has gone so well. I overdid it the other day because I forgot to look at the clock and time it. But it was over 30 minutes. My knee feels a little stressed but not too bad. Today I’ll do my PT exercises.

I’m always super grateful to walk and this morning, the first after daylight savings change, and the stars were out. That’s one of my favorite things, starlight.

So far this morning, I’ve swished and swiped the bathroom, washed a few windows, cleaned my office, and moved stuff out. I’m planning an Ikea trip to get a cabinet for my office stuff so it’s not on my desk and scattered.

I’m grateful the sun is out and our temperatures are warming up.

Today, I have a phone appt with Allstate to go over our auto insurance since the premium went up $500. That’s for the exact same coverage on cars that are 10 years old and my son’s 2006 Subaru. Something is really wrong with our insurance system. Honestly, I doubt she’ll find anything to change.

One of my last vintage tablecloths. I used to have so many and now only a few have made the cut. I probably should iron it later.

Two old people!!

This was taken on the new to us trail in Roseville. I was hoping to get back there this week but with everything else, it doesn’t look likely. We leave Sunday for Napa, so that’s all the time there is.

Friday things

Posted in books, budgeting, California, frugalism, swimming, travel, Walking by

Buggie is still in the shop because another part was needed. Hopefully, we can go get her today. Still, it will need to go on a CC and then get paid. 😦 Oh well, whatcha gonna do)!!

I am pleased as anything the walk was great yesterday. The day’s total was 2.2 miles so a real breakthrough for me and the knee. And my knee feels ok this morning. I’m a little sore but that’s just because I haven’t been doing the same amount of walking. Plus some of my stiffness is osteoarthritis which is kind of worse in the mornings but once I start moving, it improves.

I opted not to swim but will do my PT exercises this morning. Next week is a wash with swimming or the gym as I have appts 3 mornings all early so there’s not enough time to get to the pool. I may be able to the gym after Tuesday’s appt as that is the earliest at 8 am. I’ll just see how it is.

We spent quite a bit on food so far this month with 2 Costco trips so I’ll need to try and just use things up and not do another shop except for minor misc things. ( I need some lime juice for a recipe). Of course, some of the Costco food isn’t just for one month but will last 3 months like Panko Shrimp.

The sun is out and it does brighten my mood. We booked a reservation in Napa for the week after next. It looks like the weather should cooperate. The last time we canceled it was rainy and cool. Plus we have 3 nights which is kind of a minimum for me. We’ll mostly eat in the RV but we’ll do a few meals out. At least get some things at Modeles Bakery. I also need to go to the Rancho Gordo store for some Marcella beans( like cannellini) and their Mexican Oregano which is absolutely wonderful.

Nothing else too exciting for the weekend. I plan on the Auburn gym on Sunday and that’s about it. Today, I just have a few house tasks and that’s it and then I’ll probably read some. Dinner is just a frozen pizza with a few toppings I’ll add.

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?

End of a year…

Posted in books, California, camping, cancer, cooking, Gardening, travel, Uncategorized by

2023 is almost over.

Overall, I think we had a good year.

We had lots of RV adventures in Rubi and even went to The Westin in Napa(points used) for an overnight.

Everyone’s health is good and except for my knee still acting up and being on Velcade this fall, I think my health is good. This week is my last weekly shot of Velcade/Dex so I will be ready for a break. I’m not anemic or having any serious issues with Velcade just the normal stuff that’s to be expected. Still, I will be glad to switch to the monthly.

I did a lot of pressure canning and water bath canning this spring, summer, and fall. At this point, I’d say I’ve used maybe 1/3 of my pantry. I’ve learned a lot about food storage and it’s been fun. The all-American canner is a dream to work with. But as I get older, I may switch to the electric canner because the all-American is super heavy and difficult to move around. The electric one does have limits to how many you can do but that wouldn’t be a problem for me as I’m trying to can for a family with kids.

We were fortunate not to have to have any trees taken down this year but if we can afford it next year we should move ahead and do at least one. By my last count, we have about 10 more trees that should come down. But that’s A LOT of money we do not have.

We had a great garden this year too thanks to my daughter. I’m hoping next year is good too. Probably lots of tomatoes, peppers, zucchini, etc. Of course, crops should be rotated so that might affect where things go and how much we can plant.

The library has been wonderful and after reading over 100 books, I stopped counting because …why? Also, having the gym and library next to each other is awesome.

We do live a simple life.

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.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in books, California, camping, Gratitude, library, Myeloma, travel, Uncategorized by

We had a terrific drive home. Traffic was minimal in our direction, terrible going toward Napa. So I’m thankful for that. We (meaning Barclay) had us hooked up, tanks emptied by 9:45 am. Boy, do I love full hookups!!. But plenty of places we love don’t have them so, it’s do what you can.

I’m thankful I wasn’t in any hurry yesterday as the infusion nurse was working 5 chairs alone and it took an hour to finally get my shot. Then I got stuck in traffic on 65 as there was construction on I-80 where it merges with 65. One hour later, I was headed home. So a normal hour and a half trip ended up almost 3.

I am thankful for the Roseville Library and the books I picked up yesterday too!!

So the most exciting news and what I am most thankful for is Velcade is WORKING!! My kappa light chains went down 100 POINTS !!!! Yay!!!! I see Dr.Laptalo today. B is driving me as it is a dex day and I never drive on dex. I could do it for sure but my judgements are just off on Dex. Hence, the no knives rule too.

Feel free to share what you’re thankful for and if you are traveling in blog land, the Frugal Girl’s blog on Thankful Thursday is always inspiring.

Greetings from rainy Napa, Ca

Posted in California, travel by

We had a great drive down yesterday and made it in 2 hours trailering which is pretty darn good. Very light traffic. We were still early for check-in so we stopped up at the big Raleys parking lot and walked over to In and Out for a burger for me and fries and a milkshake for B. Then we got over here@ at 12:10 and the office was still closed but very shortly some drove the golf cart up and asked if we needed checking in. So we were set up by 1 p.m. We have a back-in spot and it’s quite nice. It was sprinkling some by then but not much. We hung out and relaxed till dinner time and headed over to Oxbow for our favorite Fire Pizza. It did not disappoint.

We wandered around the Oxbow afterward and bought some cheese from the cheese stall. A french brie, and a piece of Comte I wanted for a recipe. Just as we were leaving the rain started. Not a lot but enough. By then it was almost dark so we were glad to get cozy in the trailer with jazz on the radio and wine in our glasses.

This morning it is raining and still dark out. We plan to venture out later to Modele bakery for some croissants then go do a few things I want to do here like go over to Rancho Gordo. I don’t think we’ll do any walking because of the rain.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, camping, Lake tahoe, Multiple myeloma, travel, Walking by
  • the beautiful weather here in Tahoe and there are no crowds. Driving down to the Y was easy and relatively quick.
  • Excellent camp food. This morning I used up the last 2 bagels and the last 2 eggs and made egg bagels with cheese.
  • B’s work on getting the 2 new batteries hooked up to Rubi, so now we’re holding a charge overnight.
  • That there’s an Anytime Fitness gym right here in Zephyr Cove.!!!
  • For being able to walk over 3 miles yesterday and not have my knee hurt. OK, maybe a smidge.
  • I am grateful to be up here in the Fall, with no kids running around( a few couples with babies, which I don’t mind). Or riding bikes through camp spots!!! Really annoys me. Plus no parties because it’s darkish by 7pm and chilly. We had booked the last days at the end of the season but because of starting Velcade the days won’t line up.

This was this morning around 7:30 am. Look at that blue!!!!

Friday things

Posted in Blood test, California, camping, Lake tahoe, swimming, travel, Walking by

I decided to not go down to the gym today and just do home stuff. I do plan on swimming tomorrow though. Next week will be a little different because I have labs on Monday and then my eye doctor appt. That will be dilation so no driving except straight home. Then Tuesday is probably a swim day. Wednesday is lunch out with my daughter at the High Hand Nursery. Then Thursday probably the gym.

We leave for Tahoe next Sunday, the 24th. The weather looks very fall-like. Cool evenings and warmish days, so nice. Barclay got the 2 battery system set up so we’re hoping that will give us the backup we need.

Barclay had to go down to Rocklin so he went to Costco and Winco. Costco ended up $100 and Winco $60 and that included some wine. I think we’re set till we get back from Tahoe. Any groceries we need, we get up there at the Safeway.

We continue to enjoy beautiful fall weather. The mornings are actually not that cold and walking has been nice. I’m a little surprised at the number of people walking early. We get there close to 5:50 and then by 6:15 there were 5 other cars there. Kind of weird. I don’t really remember previous years being quite so busy. Hopefully, most will fall away. There is one lady ( quite nice) who walks very early 5:15-5:30 and uses a headlamp. She’s been very dedicated to her exercise program and walks for over an hour. She does have a walking buddy so she’s not out there alone which is good because we have had homeless people sleeping in cars and vans occasionally. ( That is not a judgment on homeless people at all, it’s just best to be safe). Plus we do have mountain lions in our area too. Best to be careful.

We started our annual LOTR movie marathon. I can only get through about an hour a night so it’ll take a while.