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Thrifty Thursday 12/27/12

2K views 20 replies 19 participants last post by  frugalwarrior2 
#1 ·
Our big storm turned to rain in the night, so I think we're clear to go out if we'd like.

And, today...we'd like. :)

My Mom is coming over and she and the kids and I are going to hit the mall. I need a new winter coat and plan on using some of the money that I got for Christmas to buy one. The kids want to look for some new games for the Kinect they got for Christmas with their Christmas money and my Mom just wants to come and hang out with us. Plus, we've got to get out of the house. We're all getting cabin fever.

I know while we're there it will be lunchtime, so I'm going to stop at the bank first and cash in our change jar so I can get us something to eat without charging or using my Christmas money. I always tend to use money that I get for Christmas or my birthday on other people, and I'm really going to try, this year, to spoil myself with it.

At home, I need to get the boys laundry put away and start a new load of their stuff. DD and I still have to go through her closet and dresser and pull out items to sell or donate.

I also have a huge pile of papers to grade that I've been putting off, but I might as well get them done now so they aren't hanging over my head at the end of vacation.

I have chicken thawing on the counter and will make some type of chicken dish for dinner. Not sure what, yet, but something healthy. Practicing some new recipes over the break so I'm ready to go when I get back to school next week.
 
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#2 ·
We usually don't get snow but today we lucked out! So far, 10-15cm but it seems to have stopped. Will be out shoveling later this am after I have breakky and DH returns from work. Poor guy got a phone call (he's on call though on vacation) and he literally jumped er levitated out of bed and flew out the front door. No time for me to make coffee or pack fruit for him. I didn't even have time to get dressed & bundled to clear off the car so he could just bolt. But I did manage to warm up the car for him...hope that helped. Must've been a fire, flood or death situation. He rarely bolts. He's already called and told me he's arrived safely and that the city has yet to clear the roads & highway. He also had to 4x4 it the entire way into the office. Thank goodness we live close!

Hopefully the rest of the day will be less uneventful and we can hide out here at home and play the Wii together.

If youre in a snow stormed area - please stay safe whether you're out shoveling/snowblowing or driving about. Give yourself extra time and have patience.
 
#3 ·
Slow start today. Getting much needed rest. Am hoping I can get some exercise inside today. Just feel like I need to move! Last night woke up because of the rain and wind. Hopefully will get the place dusted and vacuumed today. Opened up the curtains to get some light in here. Have been keeping the curtains drawn to keep the heat in. My narcissis is growing like a week. Looks like it is trying to touch the ceiling. But the flowers, from what I can see of them, are pretty.
 
#5 ·
Hoping to return/exchange some gifts we can't use or got duplicates of.

Making soup to clean out the fridge.

Taking stock of the pantry & fridge for this week's dinners.

Grocery shopping to fill in the gaps from the pantry and fridge.

Scheduling some professional development.

Cleaning the kitchen and toy room.

Laundry, laundry, laundry.

Planning Art Club for the kids.
 
#6 ·
Another uber-quiet day here, which is fine by me. Catching up on little things and soaking in the stillness, trying to get my thoughts and plans for 2013 really mapped out...

I forgot to grab lunch today, so stopped at the store and grabbed a tv dinner and a 2-liter of soda so I'm not paying for cans from the morale fridge... The Christmas candy is all on sale 1/2 price, and I have
$.50/1 coupons for the nestle ones, which will bring them below $1/bag... BUT I am holding out until tomorrow, for 2 VERY GOOD reasons...
1- Maybe a lot of it will be sold by then, forcing me to practice moderation..
2- My credit card billing cycle closes today... so if I wait until tomorrow, it will be 30 days until I see the bill, instead of 3, and then I'll have 30 days past that to pay...

Ok, since I don't pay interest it's a silly thing, but it makes me happy... I'd rather have 60 days to pay than 30... oh my, that makes it sound like I'm buying a TON of candy, doesn't it??? Teehee... They also have 2-liter cokes for $.99 and their SmartOnes frozen meals for $1.25 (and I have a $2/10 coupon, so can bring that down to $1.05/ea and fill up the freezer at work for days I forget my lunch) So I'll be loading up on all of that, plus milk, tomorrow afternoon. (The milk near work is super-cheap, near home, super-expensive...)

Today, I did get the usual stack of towels sorted and put away this morning before work... they're easy to find in laundry mountain and because they're bulky, it gives me a sense of accomplishment to see the pile get a little smaller. I firmly resolve to do a bunch of sorting tonight. Of course, I firmly resolved that yesterday and snuggled on the couch in a blanket instead... but with that storm last night, it's all any sensible person could do...

Tonight I'm also planning to take the first-round of turkey stock from the fridge and get it packaged up and frozen, then pick the other half of the turkey and start a second batch of stock from the bones... I was thinking on the drive this morning that I should be able to take the meat in chunks and can it in broth for easy dinners later on... months from now... when we're not so darned sick of turkey!!! :) So that is something I hope to do this weekend. I'm thinking pint jars should be about right for 2 adults/2 kids... then I can open the cans and serve it over hot rice or noodles... Or would quarts be better? Then I could put in LOTS of broth to stir up into gravy before serving... decisions decisions... :)

I also noticed that I have a full-but-open jar of salsa verde to do do something with... so I'm thinking of making white bean turkey chili this weekend with some of the smaller shreds of meat and whatever is left over from the canning... a full batch of that will make 3 or so meals, 1 for now, two for the freezer. Man, I really need more freezer containers! :)

Meanwhile, for dinner tonight? More leftovers... Tamales and ham... which reminds me I need to make baked beans with all the delicious ham-juice I saved, too... again with the freezer... it's going to be a crockpot and freezer bean-tastic extravaganza weekend at my house :) (Please to not be lighting matches within a two-square-mile-area...) Now, if I can just force myself in the New Year to USE more and STOCK less...
 
#7 ·
Balanced the checking account. Waiting on 2 checks to clear so I can close down the books.

Plan to open January's books. Bills, they never end.

We have leftover potato soup and chicken and dressing. I refuse to cook. I will make a chocolate coconut cake though for snacking.

I have one load of laundry and I need to sweep and dust.

Haven't left the house since last Friday. Texas with snow, so strange!
 
#8 ·
I have been sick since Christmas eve and haven't been out of the house since then. So I have been super frugal this week. Not so for DH though he keeps making little trips to the store for one or two items. I think I am cramping his style. He is retired and used to having the days to himself. He has been taking good care of me so I am greatful for that.
 
#9 ·
It a lazy day for me still iced and snowed in here in centeral AR. Yesterday the sun was shining and i enjoyed looking at the snow and iced covered trees but it cloudy and colder today so i am so ready for it to be gone suppose get more.I need run the :va: having vegetable soup from freezer for dinner.
 
#10 ·
I'll be staying in most of the day. May get out later this afternoon.

I have laundry to put away and a couple of loads to do.

I'm cleaning out ds' closet. He moved a few months ago, but didn't take everything. I'm packing it up and he can take it next time he comes by. That way I can store my things in there now.

It was such a slow start for the holidays that I really didn't enjoy the tree and decor in the house. I'll leave it up until next week and then start putting it away. I leave my snowmen up until March.

Got the bills paid. Now to start a menu plan and grocery list.

Dh has been treating me to dinner out this week. I spent so much time in the kitchen cooking and baking over the past couple of weeks. He said I deserve a break. I didn't get much for Christmas, so this is my gift.

Just some more cleaning and decluttering today. Can't believe it's Thursday.
 
#11 ·
Cleaning, organizing and sorting. Want to be ready for 2013.

Looking after the kids and my other girl. Her last day is Friday and I'm happy. 19 month olds are a handful. I may have a few weeks of getting stuff done until DS starts crawling!

Trying to eat out of the fridge, freezer and pantry until Monday. I want to start fresh and try it to buy food until then.

Leftovers for supper.
 
#13 ·
Working today - earning my paycheck reading FV inbetween stuff.
Brought my own lunch today. yummy leftovers.
Bbeing super thrifty and drinking water
I did splurge for a cup of coffee this morning because it was raw and rainy and I was soaked to the bone.
Had my doctor's appointment cancelled on me and rescheduled - so I'll be home tonight to make the turkey soup with all the leftover veggies
I sold another book on Amazon - so sent that off at the Post Office.
I tallied up my text book selling spree and earned $80 (to be put toward debt)


Cheers!
 
#14 ·
It is cold here in TX and we are not use to that....yesterday I slept all day....well got up at 4 and back to bed at 7 and slept till 10this morning...must have been exhausted...I need to pick up the house...waiting for dr. to call back with results from blood work done three weeks ago....this was my second call in to her....going to make soup for dinner...haven't ventured out for the sales and probably won't....too cold for me...
 
#17 ·
So, at the mall, I had a coupon for Popeye's so we got 2 two-piece chicken dinners for the price of one and the kids and I shared.

I used gift cards I got from students to purchase a bunch of Cranberry Chutney scented Yankee Candles which were all half off.

I used a gift card I got from my parents to buy a nice, warm winter coat at Sears which was originally $120, but was marked half off.

I didn't get a chance to look for boots...four kids...you take what you can get. :)
 
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#18 ·
We've got 3 inches of snow on the ground, and it was cloudy today. Went to the grocery store, and made sick DS#1 some chicken soup. He has the flu---fever, chills, cough. The rest of us are avoiding him as much as possible, LOL.
 
#20 ·
I worked today. Boss provided lunch since only a few of us came in. I am off again until next thursday! yay! Made a roast in the crock pot so we will have leftovers tomorrow. Planning to clean out closets and take kids to used book store (McKays) for a cheap family date. DD needs a book for school anyway. We can usually let kids pick out a few books each and get out without spending more than $10!
 
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