Friday, August 7, 2020

Lazy Days and Frugalish Fridays

In the past two days I've done as little as possible, mainly because I canceled Kindle Unlimited  and wanted to read those books before it expired. I'm also reading one of those Amazon First Reads which isn't bad. I'll have a review post of some of what I've been reading later. So I finished two and have begun a third.

Other than reading all that's happened round here in the past couple of days is that I managed to get my 45 minutes of weights and strength in, I played with fabric arrangements for a few minutes and had a nice chat with my brother on the phone. Other more constructive pursuits including the crafty kind were put aside for reading time. Lots of reading time.

On the frugal (and possibly non-frugal) end of the retirement equation for this week(and the month, per Personal Capital):

1.  The grocery budget for July was $400 for food only and that includes our dairy delivery. While prices are up, we've had stuff from the pantry and freezer and are happy with whatever meats and  such are on sale. Easy to please, are we. Whether I can get back to my previous goal with rising prices is questionable at best.

2. I'm back to my normal habit of free and library only books. For awhile there during our friendly "lockdown", I was downloading every new mystery from Amazon as soon as it was released. Now I'm back to my friendly library, with a long list and plenty in the old Kindle to read.

3. I did have a fairly large hobby expenditure last month, in that I purchased my yarn swift and yarn winder. Saving time is frugal too and now I don't have to run to the yarn store and ask them to wind my yarn or abuse a family member in order to get the yarn wound the way i like it.

4. Since I have the time, I've started paying attention to rebates and deals and once again started doing some user testing and phone reviews and studies for gift cards once in awhile. As well as shopping online through a rebate portal. Lockdown has given me some time I didn't have during my social butterfly life. And I will need to buy a sofa and love seat (or chair and a half), ottoman,  bistro height dining table, a patio set, a new sewing unit and more. And yes, I am fine with the used side of things, but not for upholstered furniture. Plus pay for moving and movers! So I'm letting the gift cards pile up.

5. We made a mad dash to save the last of the cherries from the squirrels and now have bags of both pitted and non pitted  in the freezer.  Our neighbors, who have wires all around their vegetables, gave us a huge amount of squash! We will make them a cherry pie.

6. I cut my own hair again (Wahl clippers now paid for), I exercised at home and amused myself with things entirely at home, and made a tentative list to fulfill my goal of all handmade gifts for the holiday, using stuff on hand whenever I can.

Admittedly a large part of number six falls under the "I'm not leaving the house because of Covid" umbrella, but there you have it. More or less.


17 comments:

  1. I received a bag of pitted cherries from my brother. I'm not sure what they will end up being because I make a lousy pie crust. More likely syrup to be used over the winter.

    I had no idea that a craft store would wind one's yarn. I have to do myself and have found on the stair posts that works most times!

    Take care and stay well!

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    1. I live near a real yarn shop. I imagine the crqft shop will not. It is soooooooo
      I have easier with the swift and winder especially since I like my yarn in cakes.

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  2. Replies
    1. They are all over yarnnstores and you can wind them the same way. Look online at lion brands shawl in a cake.

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  3. I ended up dehydrating my cherries this year. There really was not enough to make jam or pie filling with. Hopefully with more growth on the trees (they are only three years old) I will be back to making jam and pie filling.

    I love my swift, not so much my winder.

    God bless.

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    1. I have yo keep an eye in the winder, dint getbme wring but it was so much easier. As I say I don't do balls..without the winder I was using a tp roll or towel roll to get the cake. Ehich works better in my yarn bowl.

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  4. Kindle Unlimited is going to be the death of me. I'm reading too much and I have other things I should be doing.

    I don't know how you keep your grocery bill so low. It must be magic. I live alone and I spend about the same. Mine includes vitamins, paper products and cleaning stuff, does yours?

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    1. I Have the feeling Kindle Unlimited and I will be together again sooner rather than later. Remenber I am not the only one shopping for the three of us. Although I do a majority.. Im working now in my Texas budget. I get all my personal products including Vitamins by Walmart delivery and don't count that. Snd paper stuff comes from costco....Mine is food only. Eith maybe dishwasher tabs or something thrown in.

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  5. I'm loving Libby (my library's digital reading app) & have done a ton of reading since the lockdown began. I prefer a paper book, as I spend my entire work day on a laptop, but you can't beat the convenience of checking out in your own home.

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    1. I've comletely gone to the dark side on the Kindle thing but will occasionally reserve a book if all the have is the non kindle book. Or I would during other times. Even being full time at home, my reading has gone u as I have less out of the house time.

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  6. I splurged and bought a book on amazon for 99 cents the other day -- a middling mystery that's only worth what it cost.

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  8. I only keep a book or two on kindle to read if I’m stuck somewhere in a waiting room like getting my auto smog check, medical, other. Otherwise i get good clean mostly used paperbacks off the net, then will donate them later to our Friends of the Library that resells them at a nominal price. That activity has been on hold with the virus though expect it will eventually resume.

    I’m still not going out to stores, using a combination of internet ordering, free grocery tore delivery though i expect to get back to some pickups, and neighbors who get items for me when they shop.

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    1. Yes, I admit I am fully on the dark side now, I only get paper books sometimes for reference. Pretty much all free between library and Facebook websites and lists. I'm back to pickups vs delivery but no in-store shopping. I have though about doing curbside pickups at my yarn store. I live with people who work though and they can go out if I need it.

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  9. This comment, is on your July 27th post. But thought I would put it here, also. Because you are not going back, and looking at comments, back there.

    How do I know? Because you have a couple of really weird SPAM comments on that post.

    So, here is what I commented, back there....

    Please think of the size of the Italy, Germany and Spain.

    Kinda small, right?

    Now think of the size of the United States.

    A whole lot bigger, right?

    How many of those Italy(s)-Germany(s)-Spain(s), could you put, into the size of the United States???

    See?

    A false Pandemic results chart.

    You don't compare little countries, with many less people, with a huge country, with many, many, many more people.

    Unless you want to lie, that is.

    But then, it is MSNBC.

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    Replies
    1. But then. Its based on percentage of population, not raw numbers. So nor, its not a lie. Thanks for stopping by

      Delete

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