Tag Archives: Thrift store

Simple Sunday

Posted in budgeting, California, cooking, decluttering, home stuff by

Sunrise is 6:38 am, so I walked at 6:15, and it was just getting light, but I still turned on the flashlight, although I didn’t really need it. No one was there, which these days is pretty rare. Anyway, our beautiful fall weather starts today and goes on for at least the next 10 days or so. I’m hoping we can get more yard stuff done since it’s cooler.

Today, I’m not going to the gym but plan on going through each zone and tidying up and dusting, etc. I’m going to start in the sunroom and work from there. I also need to get out to the trailer and see what needs bringing in. Plus, do a wipe down of counters, etc, and fluff up the bed. My son is planning on spending the night and go to work from here so that’s a good motivator.

Sachi and I continue to watch Star Trek: Strange New Worlds. It is so good. The actors really have the mannerisms of the original down, so that is fun to watch. I finished Professor T, I think. It was on Prime and just as I was trying to figure out what at the end of Season 4 I had watched they took it off. So now I have to figure out where it is and see if I want to pay for it. Such a pain when Prime does that.

I made a roast chicken the other night, so for leftovers, I made some asian wraps for dinner, and we had those as we watched the show. I have a lot left leftover chicken, so I think I’ll make a soup and end up freezing some. I have a pan of lasagna in the freezer, and I think I’ll pull that out as it’s been there a few months.

Tomorrow is my dentist appointment for a cleaning. It’s early, but still not enough time to get to the pool to swim. I just plan on coming home unless there’s something in Auburn I need to do.

I have a good-sized load to take to the thrift store, so I’ll do that after one of my appointments this week. I added the dehydrator since I don’t plan on doing any herbs this year or ever, actually. I enjoyed all that in the past, but now it just feels like too much effort for just a little payoff. Oh well, everything changes. Nothing stays the same that’s for sure.

Frugal Friday

Posted in budgets, California, cancer, cooking, frugalism, swimming by

This week has been ok money-wise. We’ve had to fill up the Santa Fe twice, but using Costco gas saves quite a bit. Gas here in town is $1.00 more a gallon than Costco. Go figure.

I went to Bel Air to get some leeks for soup and some tea drinks for B. I spent $58. Probably at Winco that would have been a lot less.

Then most of our annual fall bills have come due. Allstate I decided to do in payments. That’ll help break it up and I’ll finish it by Dec. Then the big one is our insurance. Here in California most insurance companies are not insuring for fire so you have to get a rider with the California Fair Plan. So you have one with the insurance company, in our case, that’s AAA and the the Fair Plan.

Both went up a couple hundred dollars but at least it’s not thousands. Still, for such a small house it’s a pretty expensive policy. There was no payment plan option so it went on the credit card. I got to $600 in my cash envelopes, but that’s certainly not enough. Hopefully next year I can get more in there.

Today is a swim day and Barclay trying to get someone to do something at UCD in regards to appts. We are so frustrated with them and honestly shocked at their inefficiency and lack of response. It is baffling since before we had such extraordinary service from them before. But this has been absolutely awful.

So once I get back from the pool, I need to organize my thrift store stuff to take next week. I also want to box up a dozen pint jars and offer them on Pay it Forward as I have way too many jars now. I’m not planning on canning as much so I know someone who is canning will use them.

Simple Sunday

Posted in bread, budgets, California, cooking, Flylady, simple foods, travel, Uncategorized by

We had a nice walk this morning. The sunrise was all pink and orange. No one else there but the guy who comes out of the woods( it actually used to be a Christmas tree farm when we first moved here in 1995.)

I’ve tidied the house and the bedroom zone is done. I washed and ironed the closet curtain( an old Ikea canvas one). Then I made the sourdough bread that had done a slow rise in the refrigerator. This one is just sourdough, no jalapeno or olive.

Then I put a chicken in the oven to roast and now that’s done sitting on the counter. I also have cut up 2 delicata squash that I bought at the farm last fall, russet potato, and sweet potato. Then I washed all the dishes and put them away.

This week is again not too busy. We need to get buggie( the VW) smogged this week. I plan on swimming Tuesday and then going to Winco. I do need a few things but not a huge amount. My menu for the week includes the roast chicken, tortellini with Rao’s sauce, potato and sausage bake with scrambled eggs, pizza night, and the rest will be ‘fill in the blank’.

I’ve been using my daughter’s old Coach bag as my purse and decided to buy a Coach wallet. I doubt I will replace my Louis Vuitton. I’m just in a different place now than I was then. Even though I never thought of it as a status symbol or anything like that because I dress in jeans and T-shirts. But I loved it and because it was the monogram one it always was discrete. Plus no matter how the settlement goes, a new Louis is @ $2,500. So I really doubt I would/could justify that. When Barclay bought that for me, I was 6 months out from my SCT and it was kind of a life reaffirming gift. I think he paid less than $1000 for it then. It has gone to many places including Florida, Hawaii, all our camping trips, Seattle, and lots more. Now unless I can find a used one, I sort of doubt I would buy anything new. Unless I win the lottery, which I don’t play, … so??

My sister had a number of LV’s but of course, they are all probably going to the daughters as they should. Although, I used to joke with Heidi to ‘bequeath’ me her LV wallet which I did love.

I’m working on another small load for the hospice thrift store. It worked out great to drop off the Fiesta ware there and they were very friendly. I plan on giving them my two vintage fans and my original Waring blender circa 1985( which still works great).

some cherry blossoms from our tree.

Frugal Friday

Posted in budgeting, cooking, decluttering, Uncategorized by

All the bills are done for the month so that’s frugal or at least budget conscious.

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I have most of next month budget done except for a few things like planning the deck for the studio. That may end up going in 2 parts as it will be pricey.

Yesterday at Costco did add up but I won’t need some of the things I bought for at least 6 months( a 2 pack of Grey Poupon mustard), Cholula ( large size 2 bottles, a case of black olives, and a case of bar soap. The bar soap will last a few years actually.  When I was on Revlimid I  had terrible cramping in my calves and Irish Spring under my bed sheet was a miracle worker. These cramps were extremely painful and would freeze up my entire calf muscle. The other remedy is pickle juice.

I was tempted to buy the Vitamix Costco has on sale and it is a great price. but I decided to wait on it. I’d like a Vitamix down the road for drinks, soups, nut butter etc, but I have to weigh out how much I will use it. Right now I use my new Cuisinart processor and my stand mixer.  So I guess I saved $300 on that for now.

I’m going to do a few errands after the gym today including dropping off a box at the Cancer Thrift store. I have some Fiesta ware that I just don’t use( a butter holder) and a pitcher and I don’t want to drop that off at Goodwill. ( More Stuff gone)

Then I have a big stack of towels to drop off at the SPCA and maybe if someones there I can check on the barn cats.(more stuff out of my car)

It’s a much cooler morning and nice. We’ll see how later is.

It’s Friday night pizza but I’m not sure I’m making one. We decided to change it to Pizza or Pasta night so I may go with pasta and some of that leftover pesto. We’ll see …I just may order out.

 

Continuing to minimalise

Posted in minimalism, Uncategorized by

We had someone come get the oak table from down at our corner so that was really cool. My husband was not about to lug it back in the van and home again. Ok, he would have but certainly with some grumbling. yeah, it’s gone.  The space out in barn where it lived and held junk on it is open now and looks good.  My goal is to have the shelves in the barn only have what we think is essential and practical.

I took the van to the thrift stores and dropped off 6 boxes of stuff to Goodwill including my almost new bread maker. Then over the Humane society thrift store and dropped a box of dishes that are part of a set but these were chipped slightly so I took them out. And then, to the bookstore and dropped a box of books off and two very old 1855 books. I checked on eBay and they were listed for @ 25 each. Nothing selling so I really don’t want musty old books I’ll certainly never read. Then a small handful of my vintage postcards I keep dwindling down.

Then after I came home and researched starting a web page for the FOAL, I went out to the barn and reorganized some and pull another 1/2 bin of magazines to go the thrift store. I’m actually going to go back our and see if I can get one bin emptied.  I also will bring in my kid’s Waldorf lesson books and they can go thru and keep some.  So it’s getting there.  I think now there’s 4 Christmas bins, 5 magazine bins, 1 of our memory things, and 1 bin of the kids LOTR cards. Gee, they must have every single one.  But that’s theirs, not mine. So I feel great progress and if the time comes to move, it’ll be whittled down to essentials.

I did find in an art portfolio my cutting mat I was looking for but its warped and not really usable so I’ll have to donate that and get a new one and a cutter.  It makes cutting edges quite easy and clean lines. I don’t need it yet but eventually.

Tomorrow is a gym day.  Wednesday I’m going to Costco.

Tonight is cheese ravioli with a garlic parmesan sauce, salad and maybe a piece of fish for my daughter when she gets home from work at 7pm.

Decluttering!

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Well, I’m off to drop a load to the thrift store this morning. I’d like it to be more, buts a good size . Also, B is taking a huge load to the dump. Once a year you get a free pass and he uses it. He’s broken up 2 chairs  and a ton of garbage from the barn and yard. 

I love getting rid of things and I’d love to do more in the house to have more white space. Maybe later in the summer I’ll move more stuff out. I’d rather have space than things. I’m debating about painting this summer. Nothing needs it but the kitchen could be done. It’s a great vintage green now, but I’d definitely go with a shade of white next time. So, I’ll see how it goes.

Then I might go do a little shopping for some basics. I need mayonaise and milk and some other little things. But I could wait till tomorrow too. I’ve already done most of my morning chores. Just need a quick vacumm. 

Figured out the next budget which I think will finally give us something back in savings. Hopefully all the extra bills are over till late summer or fall when car insurance and property taxes are due. 

My knee was bothering me walking so we took it easy. I hope it’s only because we walked extra the other day. Getting old, regardless of having cancer is tough. Overall, I can’t complain, until, like this with me knee, I’m complaining. 

Well, off to finish things up. Dinner tonight is grilled asparagus, and fettucine Alfredo.