Tag Archives: costco

Friday things

Posted in budgeting, California, camping, cancer, frugalism, home stuff, Lake tahoe, library, swimming, travel, Uncategorized by

Frugal-wise all pretty good. After infusion yesterday, I went to the nearby Noah’s Bagels and bought 6 plus a schmear. Most mornings we like a bagel but it’s usually Costco’s or Trader Joe’s. This was a nice treat.

I went to Trader Joe’s and spent close to $200. There was a case of wine in there and the rest was food. That’s a lot of meals. Since we’ll be gone next week there won’t be any shopping except at the Safeway in Tahoe in case we need something. I do need to buy coffee at Starbucks because I’m not going to go in to Costco before Memorial Day. Our new Costco just opened yesterday and I’m sure it was a mad house. We will be going to this new one from now on as it is closer to us so that’ll be nice.

My daughter asked for a Nutribullet for her birthday and Costo had the Ultra one on sale. She likes to do smoothies and this one does ice and veggies. We have a Vitamix but sometimes it’s just too bulky to get out. I don’t keep things like that on our counter so it’s in one of my Heywoods. On our counters I only keep the toaster oven, my kitchen aid mixer and, the Brita water pitcher. Maybe I’ll see if my son wants it for his new apartment.

I was planning on swimming this morning as it’s my first time off Dex(whoo hoo) after Velcade, but since I’ve been out 3 days in a row, I think I’ll skip it. That does mean no swimming till after we’re back so that’ll end up over a week. Sometimes, you just have to call it. I did go to the gym and library after Velcade so that took some time. I only did a 20 minute weight workout but that was good enough.

In Tahoe, we’ll go to the gym once and do at least that workout plus we walk a lot when we’re there.

Last night I BBQed that trip tip and it was good. We’re not big meat eaters but this was a nice small piece and the flavor was good. B had roasted veggies, beans, tofu and, coleslaw. Tonight is a pizza night, no take out just a Trader Joe’s dough and I’ll do some toppings.

Overall, not a spendy week and next week will also be low spend in Tahoe.

So far this morning I feel good and my blood pressure is good too. I just hope being off dex doesn’t negatively impact my numbers but for now, hurray for not feeling crazy this morning. Since I’m home this morning, I will do some tidying up and I need to dust. The pine pollen is everywhere! I’m not planning on any bread making or batch cooking. Just using up what we’ve got.

Frugal Friday

Posted in books, budgets, California, cancer, frugalism, Lake tahoe, Myeloma, travel, Uncategorized, Walking by

This week was fairly low spend. We did go to Paris Bakery one morning down in Roseville. It has delicious croissants and other baked goods. Also beautiful cakes. So that ended up $30 because we had fancy coffees which we almost never do and I brought home a pastry for my daughter to enjoy.

I did fill up the Santa Fe on Monday at Costco gas. That is the lowest price anywhere.

I popped into Winco and got a few groceries and some wine. Winco’s wine prices are the best around too. I like the Bogle chardonnay and Smoking Loon unoaked chardonnay. I think my total for wine and food was $57.

I think we’ll need to go to Costco next week as it’s time for more coffee. I plan on keeping that shop low spend as I don’t need a lot and I’m still working on eating down the freezers. With my son moving out food costs should go down although he will still be coming up here 2 days a week to work remotely and go into the office. So he’ll eat here when he’s here.

I’ve worked up the budget for June although I didn’t add in travel $. We’ll be in Tahoe twice. The end of May and mid June so I need to allow for gas and some food things. We generally don’t eat out in Tahoe because of the expense and we haven’t found a super great pizza place or Mexican. We do love Sprouts for sandwiches though. It used to be one of B’s accounts up there and has been around a long time. Great organic food. The Safeway is just up the road from the campground so we usually go there.

Tonight we’re going to do take out pizza so that’s pricey but we’ll only get 1 large as my son is still moving stuff to Sacramento and is down there tonight.

In other news, Dr. Laptalo said to drop the dex completely and let’s see what happens. I totally agreed. Of course, if my numbers go up substantially because dex helps boost the chemo then I’ll just have to consider the options. So I have 2 chemos scheduled before I see him again so that should give us a more accurate picture. I guess we’ll just have to wait and see.

Today was a no walk day, a no gym day and, a no swim day. So I want to go over to the pet bookstore and look for a few books. They’ve moved so it’s in a less convenient location than it was before. Speaking of walking, we haven’t had for months now, other people coming early to walk and then pow, yesterday we had 3 other people and OMG, AH showed up. It has been almost a year since he was there. I just about fell over. If you’re new to this blog and wonder what AH stands for, use your imagination. One thing though, he hadn’t gotten out of his car yet and previously he’d jump out and drag the dog out. So we wondered if the dog had died or was just too old now. I guess we’ll know next time we see him. Weird though.

Frugal Friday

Posted in Blood test, California, cancer, frugalism, home stuff, Myeloma by

It was a good week overall. We did the extra Costco trip for the tent for camping and the rest of the stuff on sale. Vitamins were on the list, laundry soap, Kerrygold butter, and misc. I think food came out to $200 and nonfood to $100. So not too bad really. I wanted to go to Trader Joe’s but it just didn’t work out time-wise. Probably next week or the week after I’ll add in a TJ’s trip.

My new Levi’s showed up and I like the lighter blue color. My oldest pair are now pretty ripped in the knee area but I’ll still keep them and maybe turn them into shorts.

We’ve been buying the stuff for the bathroom remodel but that’s separate from other bills. We plan on white subway tiles with a grey grout and the floor a waterproof vinyl. I wanted the small black and white octagons for the floor but after looking at them I decided that wasn’t quite what I wanted. We found some nice looking vinyl that looks like slate. Sunday we plan on going to Ikea for the bathroom vanity and medicine cabinet. It’ll all take some time but we’ll get there.

Tonight is a homemade pizza so not takeout. I’m trying to think if we had anything out and I don’t think so. Usually after swimming it’s too early to get something for lunch. Our favorite Mexican place doesn’t open till 11 am so I’m usually home way before that.

Next week is my colonoscopy so we might do lunch out earlier in the week. I’ll be glad when this is over.

I’m hoping to swim at least once next week before the procedure and also go to the gym once. We’ll see how it all goes.

My kappa light chains went up just a tiny bit(19.5) so a smidgen above high normal(19.4), so nothing to worry about. My next infusion isn’t until the end of May and I see my doctor before that so I can discuss lowering the dex again.

Menu for the week and other misc.

Posted in Blood test, books, California, cooking, Gardening, home improvement, home stuff, meal planning, reading by

Last night neither of us felt like much dinner so I made a ramen bowl with tofu and a hardboiled egg. We like the spicy chili ramen.

I’m planning a few freezer meals to use things up.

lasagna is going to be first with some salad

scrambled tofu with zucchini I bought at Costco( probably won’t do that again since it is a lot of squash:( )

homemade mac and cheese and use more of the fish sticks up. (Costco has the big bags and they are good for a quick dinner). Salad stuff.

I have some naan bread in the freezer from Costco too, so I’ll make a curry for that. either tofu or chickpea. I like the Trader Joe’s red curry sauce. I have some frozen veggies I can throw in and use them up.

I made a recipe from Steve Sando’s Rancho Gordo cookbook. It was a chili using black beans and zucchini. It was a big hit and we all really loved the depth of flavor.

I have some goat cheese to use up so I might do a frittata.

I have a bag of broccoli( from Costco) and I’ll make a broccoli cheddar soup.

Yesterday, after my labs, I went to the gym and then the library. I didn’t have any holds but I dropped off 3 of the books I finished with and picked up a few books off the new shelf. Currently, I reading the very first Longmire book which is The Cold Dish. He writes so well and I love the history he brings into the books.

I had planned on swimming today and then Costco to pick up a tent that’s on sale but then just didn’t feel like it so it’ll be a home day. My daughter is planning to come up to Tahoe and spend a night( her birthday) and the trailer is too small so we thought we’d get a tent. We happened to see one when we were leaving last week so we thought we should get while it’s on sale. Plus, there were a few more sale things I didn’t get like the Kerry Gold butter. I think we’ll try tomorrow.

Today B is going to go to the plumbing place and order the shower pan and drain. The good news is he reached out on our local chit chat and asked about a plumber and got a few responses. So one guy showed up yesterday and gave us an estimate on the plumbing and even doing the tile. It was a reasonable estimate so we’re going to go with that. B still needs to take down the dry wall and open it up where the pipes will go. With the claw foot tub, the pipes are outside the wall so that needs to get changed. We might go into Home Depot tomorrow to buy the subway tile for the walls. We’re just planning white with a light grey mortar. Simple yet elegant( I hope). I’m hoping to do the floor in black and white tiles like you would see in a Parisian bathroom. Our bathroom is so small but I think the small octagon tiles will look good. I saw where you buy them as a sheet so that’ll make it easier to put down.

California poppies!!

more, flowers.

Wisteria. It’s almost done blooming.

Red clover. That tree in the background is a liquid amber that must have started as a seed from the park. It’s gotten quite big.

Frugal Friday

Posted in bread, budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, cooking, frugalism, library, LLS, swimming by

Since this was the first week of my May Budget we didn’t spend much. Costco we were able to use our rebate of $117 so that helped. The total was $345. So the breakdown was $190 for food, $109 non food, and $46 for alcohol which was B’s Sierra Pale Ale at $30 which comes out of his personal money, and $16 for 2 rose Proseccos. this was all paid with cash from my envelopes.

It was a lot of food and much of it will last more than 2 weeks.

We filled up with Costco gas which is the cheapest around. I’m trying to keep the tank at least half full.

After infusion yesterday, I added in the trip to the library to get my holds. I had 8. I was thrilled to see a brand new copy of Hannah Kristen’s The Women. I’m excited to start that. I thought of going into the gym but felt after infusion, to skip it. Just for reference, the gym is right next to the library.

We bought some tacos on the way back from Costco so we didn’t come home starving. I think that was $21. but I had 2 things, B had 2 things and a milkshake and I brought home a burrito for my daughter. Other than that no eating out. I did meet up for a coffee at our local cafe with my library buddies though.

Today is dex day so a home day for me. I don’t walk on Dex mornings as my BP is up and my breathing is affected( sort of shortness of breath). I have the sourdough boule in the oven already and plan to make a chicken salad with cranberries and pecans later.

Last night I made a brinner of scrambled eggs with Bourison, fried potatoes with mushrooms topped with cheese, buttermilk biscuits, and strawberries on the side.

It’s cloudy today and we might have a few sprinkles.

We finished Season 10 of Doc Martin( the final one). It was ok. Nothing too new but fun to see Portwenn. We’re still working on Lynley which I do like.

I did buy a new swimcap from Amazon. My old one was from when we went to Florida for UNFI’s awards and there was a saltwater pool that I swam in. So that’s 2016 I think. Actually, it may be older but I can’t place it. I won’t be back in the water till next week because tomorrow is still a no-drive day.

Budget wise all the bills are accounted for in May. Once my LLS comes in I’ll make another cc payment to get the Allstate insurance paid off. My award ends in June so I hope there is funding available. Last time it took almost 3 months.

I go for my labs on Monday so I do plan on driving down to Maheny (gym) after that. The pool is too close as it closes for laps at 9:25.

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.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in cancer, cooking, Gratitude, Myeloma, Walking by

I was grateful to get to the gym on Monday and the library. I truly appreciate both facilities and that they are right next to each other. I picked up 3 cookbooks none of which had any recipes I was interested in.

I’m always thankful to be able to walk even if it is half of what I was doing since my knee mishap. 🙁 We’ve mostly had the park to ourselves and yesterday and today the 2 nice ladies that used to walk were there again.

I’m grateful my Velcad shot went easy and I’m on shot 1 cycle 3. Today I see Dr. L so it’ll be interesting to get his take on when we will go to maintenance. Barclay is driving as I never drive on Dex. Some people have wondered why. It’s because on Dex your sense of judgment( like car distances) etc is off. Plus you’re very hyped up on Dex for the first few days and jittery too.

I had to go into Costco to return an online order and get some vitamins for my daughter. I was in and out very quickly. I used the self-checkout for the first time, which was easy and quick.

Tomorrow is a home day and I’ll probably just do some tidying and read.

Friday Things

Posted in budgets, California, cooking, frugalism, meal planning, Pantry, swimming, Walking by

It’s been one of those up and down weeks. Overall, a good week but still some down time. Maybe because my routine with swimming and walking being interrupted, I felt out of sorts.

We did a walk this morning and it was very nice. No one there and it was just light so no stars to speak of. I got around twice so I’m pleased with that. Tomorrow I plan to swim although it will be short, I’m thinking 20 minutes to see how my knee feels after that. Next week being Thanksgiving will also change things up.

Frugal-wise, I’ve been home more so less gas in the cars being used. Plus we’ve doubled up going to Costco with my infusion shot so that saves gas too.

Costco was $400 but that included B’s case of Sierra pale Ale and about a $100 in nonfood. So actually pretty good. I bought extra holiday things like smoked salmon, biscotti on sale, extra butter, and a lovely English cheddar that I plan to make Welsh Rarebit with, and I can’t remember the other stuff but it was a good haul. I also went to Winco to get 2 gift cards for my son and his friend for Christmas. Food wise I spent $18 on some ramen, chocolate, and boxed stuffing for Thanksgiving.

Other than that no other shopping. B and I are going out this morning to get a few plastic pots so I can repot some houseplants, and then to Target to get shower curtains, and then over to Panera for a coffee date.

I’m planning on making a pizza tonight and then the rest of our meals this week will be out of the pantry or freezer to make room. We have a lot in there. On Tuesday I used one of the shelf stable chicken chili verdes for burritos and it was delicious. I aslo had Ranch Gordo Pinquitos on the side. The food pantry is getting used and that’s a good thing.

We have rain on the way tonight and for all tomorrow but I think we’re ready for fall to kick into high gear with cooler temperatures and rain. So far it has been a glorious fall.

Thankful Thursday

Posted in California, Gratitude, reading by

That my knee is 95% better after the cortisone shot. I hadn’t even considered that option so I was pleased the doctor offered. The x-ray only showed minor arthritis which at my age is expected.

I am so grateful to be able to walk yesterday even though it was only 1/2 a mile. I planned on walking this morning but it’s raining. Normally rain does not stop me at all and in fact I love walking in the rain. But with pampering my knee, I don’t need the extra factor of slippery leaves on the path.

I also walked through Costco yesterday and as you know Costco is a big store and I did fine. I was grateful B was there to push the cart and get the heavy stuff. It was another expensive shop with laundry soap, TP, Swiffers, and what else was on the list. But shops like this do keep my grocery bill way down as most of this stuff is not just for this month but at least the next 3 months or more. I suppose I could try and work that out in the budget but it seems like that’s too much work. Plus I know that laundry soap is going to last at least 3 months and same with Swiffer dusters.

I’m grateful my shot went well and this time I was in and out quickly. Maybe 20 minutes at the most. I came home after Costco and took the 16mg of dex instead of 20 which he thought would make it a little easier. So far it does seem slightly less dexy.

Today is just a home day and I plan on going through each zone and doing one or two things. Like in the bedroom zone, get under the bed wipe the bins, and see if anything can be decluttered. In the living room, wash mirrors and dust. Just a few little things to keep the momentum going.

I started to read the new Ann Patchett book” Tom Lake” and couldn’t find the rhythm in it and found it boring so I put it back in my library bag to go back next week. So now I don’t have a book to read so I may need to look on my Kindle for something I’ve read or buy a new Kindle book.

Frugal Friday

Posted in budgeting, budgets, California, cancer, cooking, Walking by

Costco was not frugal but necessary. We stocked up on oatmeal, coffee, protein bars, cheese, butter, eggs, and who knows what else. Oh, there was a cheesecake involved:) Still coming in at $400. Yikes. Overall our grocery shopping has been pretty restrained and mostly at Winco or Trader Joe’s which saves a lot of money.

We filled the truck up at Costco and that too saves quite a bit as that is the cheapest gas around.

We had a nice starry walk this morning and only one guy was there. He shows up occasionally. The one older lady who doesn’t use a flashlight( my pet peeve) showed up just as we were almost done. A nice way to start the day.

We’ve had homemade meals all week except the Costco chicken which was still eaten at home for dinner on my infusion night. There are lots of leftovers so I made up one chicken dinner for the freezer and later plan to make chicken enchiladas with the rest. I have my pressure-canned enchilada sauce I made last year so I’ll use that.

Our electricity bill came in at $188 which is the lowest it’ll go. We didn’t need coolers running or heaters so it’s the break before the winter bills start going up. We use the balanced payment plan though that PGE provides so it basically evens out your bills for the year. It works out well.

Next week I have a dentist’s for a cleaning and since we don’t have dental insurance anymore that will be OP. I think cleanings are @ $130 now.

I plan on swimming tomorrow and then at least once next week on my week off from infusion. Plus, I also have labs to do.

Last night I made a quiche with things from the fridge that needed using, mushrooms, peppers, spinach and, some cheese chunks. It came out nice. Tonight I plan on using a frozen pizza I have to get it out of the freezer as I need the room. I’ll make a spinach salad on the side.