When You Find Yourself Walking in the Darkness, Carry a Flashlight and Grab Onto Someone's Hand

A "flashlight" can come in many forms. For a person of faith, a flashlight might be their book of faith. I know for me, reading scriptures from my faith steadies me. My Bible is my main flashlight. There can be smaller flashlights to carry in the darkness, along with the main one.  In addition to having my words of faith to hold on to, I also am spending time with my thoughts, through journaling.  I recently began a very simple and brief journal.

What makes this journal effective is:

• It is very brief, no more than 2 sentences in the morning and 2 sentences at night. In fact, they needn't even be complete sentences. I can use phrases and keywords in place of sentences, if that is all I have. 
• It is a routine of twice per day, in the morning and in the evening. The routine works for me.
• The morning entry sets up my day.  In 1 or 2 sentences, I write my hope for the day. It can be a plan for something specific that day, like ordering new socks, or spending an hour with a family member. Or it can be more vague, like trying to only say positive things for the day. Because the morning entry is so brief and simple, I can easily check with myself, as the day is progressing, as to whether or not I am or have fulfilled my hope.
• The evening entry pushes me to reflect on the good from the day. In 1 or 2 sentences, I identify either a pleasant moment, an accomplishment, or a realization from the day. It's a gratitude entry.

Anyway, this is part of what I am doing to pull myself out of a dark place. Last week, you all reached your hands out to me, and I grabbed on. Thank you. 

Hi there . . .

Hi friends,
Thank you, all, so much for your thoughts and kindness. Life still sucks, big time. I can't change what other people are doing. I'm just stuck with it. Anyway, I am trying to pull myself up.

In the past couple of weeks, I have . . .

eaten way too many mug cakes (and let's face it, chocolate is the best when it comes to mug cakes).

the following week I began watching what I was eating as the pounds were creeping on. (I'm using myfitnesspal.com to track my foods and exercise. I'm down a couple of pounds already.)

I am trying to get outside everyday. I have pretty dahlias growing in a pot on the deck outside my room. I put some birdseed on the small table next to the dahlias, so I can watch the birds and squirrels come by for a snack. I have tried to get the garden all planted, but the slugs have been mighty opponents this year.

I have spent practically nothing on groceries in the last week, but am using what we have in stock at home.

We've had our share of ailments in the house: One daughter with a concussion; another daughter, son and myself with varying degrees of colds.

I've spent some time on pinterest looking for closet organizing and bathroom storage ideas. Does anyone here actually have enough shoes to need a separate closet just for shoes?

I did some online shopping for necessities, and saved on shipping. I ordered bras from Target, got free shipping, plus I was able to get more than one of the bras that I wanted in my size. Usually I find a style/size I like, but they only have one in my size. Ordering online not only saved on gas, but I was able to get more than one at a time. I knew what I wanted ahead of time. It's the same one I bought a couple of years ago, and they still carry it now.

I bought some Epsom Salts at Dollar Tree to use in baths for their magnesium benefit.

Meals this past week:

Burritos (twice, one with beef and beans, the other beans and rice), broccoli frittata, frozen corn dogs, hot dogs, homemade French fries, sandwiches -- all easy stuff.

I hope your weeks have been pleasant! And thank you all again for your kind thoughts and prayers. I'm okay, and will someday be better.

Sorry I haven't been around much lately

I'm tired, have a lot of work to do, am dealing with some rotten stuff in my life, and I'm pretty much a downer to be around.  What I know is this . . . life won't always be exactly as it is today. I'll be back very soon.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the Beginning of June

Friday

• hot dog taquitos
• cole slaw

Saturday (husband cooks)

• rice
• beans
• eggs
• rhubarb

Sunday (husband cooks)

• pumpkin rice souffle
• cole slaw

Monday

• Asian chicken noodle salad, on lettuce, with snow peas, celery, cabbage, chive blossoms, sesame seeds, garlic, with a chive blossom vinegar, soy sauce and oil dressing
• leftover pumpkin rice souffle

Tuesday

• corn dogs
• oven fried potatoes
• roasted carrots
• leftover pumpkin rice souffle
• strawberry and banana slices

Wednesday

• spinach, chive blossom and cheddar quiche
• brown rice
• strawberries and banana slices

Thursday

• waffles, topped with blackberries, pecans, whipped cream, and maple syrup
• banana slices

That's what we ate this past week. I have to say, my favorite meals this week were the frozen corn dogs and oven fries, and last night's waffles. I've done those waffles before, just like this with frozen blackberries, toasted pecans and whipped cream. They are pretty amazing. Even using kinda expensive ingredients, like the pecans, whipped cream and real maple syrup, I estimated hat a 2-waffle serving was still only about $1, which I think is not too bad.  The frozen corn dogs I bought in a 16-ct carton, at Fred Meyer, on sale, with electronic coupon and senior discount.  They came to about 21 cents each, which blows fast food out of the water, price-wise.

I hope you had a good week, and now have lovely plans for the weekend!

Grocery Shopping in Between the Holidays

This came up in discussion, here, recently.  In my area, I have found better sales a week or two outside of the holiday week, for those special holiday foods.  This week Fred Meyer (a Kroger affiliate) had Hebrew National hot dogs, potato chips, and graham crackers/marshmallows all on sale. These items are all what I think of as BBQ foods (graham crackers/marshmallows for s'mores).

Memorial Day was over a week ago, and we're still 3 weeks out from 4th of July week. My thinking is that the stores know they "have us" just before the holiday, but want to entice us outside of the holiday period, with season-specific sales, during those weeks when we might not be thinking cook-out.

Anyway, those are my thoughts. I used this week, along with my discount for Senior Day, to grab some bargains to save until the 4th of July.  If I find these same items for less than I paid this week, it won't be by much. And if I don't find them at these prices, then I'm ahead of the game. Like with other treats, the potato chips and graham crackers are hidden in my "other" pantry, and the Hebrew Nationals have been designated "do not touch" and are in the garage fridge.

For some price comparisons -- with senior discount, I paid $1.35 for each box of graham crackers. when compared to Dollar Tree's graham crackers in a 10-oz box, the equivalent amount of Kroger's grahams (in a 14.4-oz box) were 93.75 cents, over 6 cents per box cheaper.  The Hebrew Nationals I am willing to spend as much as $3.99 per package. So I saved $1 per package.  The least expensive potato chips I can buy at Dollar Tree have 6 ounces in a bag.  The Kroger ones have 11.5 ounces in each bag.  I paid $1.69, with my discount.  A 6-ounce equivalent of the Kroger brand cost 88 cents. what I did not buy -- I did not buy the marshmallows. I can get a better deal at WinCo than $1 for the small bag advertised. And I make our own ketchup and buy mustard in gallon jars, so I save on those items outside of shopping Fred Meyer's "in-between" sale.

Roses, for Me? You Shouldn't Have!

Oh, you didn't.  I can count on one hand the number of purchased bouquets that I have received in the last couple of decades.  I really do love flowers. But I'm not about to sit around waiting for someone else to send me bouquets. So what does this bouquet-loving lady do?

Every spring and summer, I cut bouquets for myself every week. I keep them on the dresser in my room, or in the kitchen next to the sink, or in the bathroom next to the tub.  I put my own home-cut bouquets in the places where I most want to look at them. It simply makes me happy to have flowers in my spaces.

Earlier this spring, I had lilacs and irises. Monday was the first day of spring that I could cut enough roses for a small bouquet. This week, I have a half-dozen pink roses to bring cheer to my daily activities. Such a frugal but beautiful thing to do for myself.

Sesame Oil Flavor for a Salad by Toasting Hulled Sesame Seeds

(this 10-oz bottle sells for $5.53 on Amazon)

I was making a favorite Asian chicken and noodle salad for dinner last night and realized that I've been out of sesame oil for eons. At $4 or so for a small bottle, sesame oil has not been on my active shopping list since the early 2000s. It adds so much flavor to this salad, though, so I knew I'd be sad without that extra depth of flavor. To get that same sesame oil flavor I toasted hulled sesame seeds in a dry skillet until golden brown.

1/4 cup of toasted sesames added just the amount of flavor that I wanted for a family-size bowl of salad.

I was also out of green onions.

This time of year, my chive plants produce an abundance of blossoms. In addition to making flavored vinegar with the blossoms, I also add pulled apart blossoms to salads, soups and to top casseroles, for a little oniony flavor.

I don't know if you ever buy sesame oil, or if you happen across a recipe which calls for it. You can get a similar taste from toasting your own sesame seeds.  I buy sesame seeds in 1-lb bags for about $3 per pound. Sesame seeds keep in the freezer for a very long time, BTW.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for the Last of May

Friday (just 2 for dinner)

• hot dogs in homemade buns 
• homemade French fries
• roasted carrot sticks
• sherbet

Saturday

• leftover pasta in sauce
• scrambled eggs
• frozen broccoli
• sherbet

Sunday (husband cooks)

• egg, cheese, and rice dish
• fried corn tortilla
• carrot sticks

Monday (Memorial Day)

• baked hot dogs in buns
• green salad (lettuce from garden), topped with olives, celery, roasted pecans, and prunes)
• sherbet

Tuesday

• black bean and cheese burritos
• roasted carrots
• olives
• sherbet

Wednesday

• baked chicken
• brown rice
• broccoli
• rhubarb pie

Thursday

• spinach frittata
• baked potatoes
• rhubarb pie
• what it really was -- waffles, whipped cream, frozen blackberries

Busy week. Life is having to take a back seat to some other situations and projects. I hope your week went well. What was on your menu this past week? Anything interesting? How do you change menus when the warm weather hits your area?

Have a wonderful weekend!

I've Got Something Major That I'm Working on Today

I'll be back tomorrow! What's on your plan for today? Happy first day of June!

May 2017 Grocery Shopping Journal

So, this is the month that I need to cut our grocery spending, even though my son is still living here. We have had a slew of heavy bills in the last couple of months. Bad, pretty bad. The only way to make the monthly budget work is to cut all areas of spending. I've set the grocery budget at $150.00 I also have a surplus that I can use of $221.17. So that brings my amount that I can spend up to $371.17. I don't want to spend all the surplus in one month, though. So I will endeavor to be careful with spending, once again.

May 2. Senior Discount day at Fred Meyer. I wouldn't miss the opportunity to save a few dollars. So, what I bought. The large box of powdered milk (makes 20 qts. least expensive per pound of the powdered), $13.76, vanilla soymilk, 1/2 gallon, $2.25, 8 oz mushrooms, 99 cents, 6 gallons of 2% and 1% milk (4 of 1, 2 of the other), $1.79 each, 5 lbs carrots, $2.69, 2 8-ct packages of cheap hot dogs, 80 cents each, 2 10-ct packages flour tortillas, 89 cents each, 80-oz jug of orange juice, $1.52, 1 dozen repackaged eggs, some large/some extra-large, 80 cents, 4 1-gallon pails of ice cream (vanilla, chocolate, Neapolitan, rainbow sherbet), $2.69 each. Yes, I know, that is a lot of ice cream. In summer, when this brand goes on sale at our Fred Meyer, the price is usually $3.99 each. So, I bought the summer's supply now. Also bought gardening supplies, for $22.72. Total spent today, $69.61

I also bought lightbulbs, feminine hygiene supplies, and a gift while there. I spent just over $100, and the checker thought I did well, considering I filled a large cart. It felt like a lot of money to me, for not a whole lot of food (except ice cream). I still need to buy some produce and an assortment of other items that I pick up at other stores.

May 5. Stopped by WinCo and bought a 72-ct package of corn tortillas, $2.18, 1.35 lbs of cocoa powder ($3.08/lb) for $4.16, a few tablespoons of chili powder, at $3.52/lb,  23 bananas, at 52 cents/lb, 10-ounce bag of grape tomatoes, 98 cents, 5-lb bag of mandarin oranges, $5.98, 1.27 lb of raisins, at $1.79/lb, a handful of circus animal cookies for 55 cents, and a small amount of double dark French roast ground coffee, for $1.47. Total spent $22.53.  (Those last two items were a treat just for me. I didn't do anything for my birthday in April, so this was a belated birthday treat for me. Hopefully, I can do something with my family to celebrate my birthday at some point. Everyone is so busy, though, I don't see when this could happen.)

Total spent this month so far, $92.14.

May 6. My husband forgot to tell me he needed a RX picked up when I went out on Tuesday. So, I swung by Fred Meyer this afternoon, and while there, I got my two Friday Freebies -- a 10 oz bag of tortilla chips and a Yoplait Yogurt Dippers. I also bought a 2-lb container of strawberries for $2.88, a bottle of flavored water for $1 and a bottle of V-8 juice for $1.34. One daughter was with me, and we were going to have lunch out together, using a giftcard, at Panera. So, we picked up our drinks while at Fred Meyer. We usually have water to drink, but we splurged this time (yeah, shocked my daughter too). Anyway, total spent -- $5.22

May.11. Getting gas at Fred Meyer, and picking up a little more gardening supplies. Spent $9.37. Then also bought 1.39 lbs of asparagus at $1.99/lb. Total spent on garden and asparagus, $12.14.

Month to date spending -- $109.50

May 14. Cash & Carry, mainly for the last day of the butter on sale for $2.38/lb. I bought 14 lbs of butter, enough to last until early fall, I hope. I also bought a lot of produce: 10 lbs carrots ($3.98), 3 bundles celery ($4.40), 10 lbs potatoes ($1.57), 2 32-oz bags of chopped frozen broccoli ($2.27 each), 3-lb block of frozen spinach ($3.08), 2 heads of green cabbage ($1.36 each), 2 5-lb bags of Pink Lady apples ($4.03 each), 23 bananas (47 cents/lb), 1 gallon canola oil ($6.37), and 1 5-lb block of mild cheddar cheese ($10.67). Total spent $82.01

month to date spent -- 191.51

May 24. My son stopped at Cash & Carry for me and picked up 5 lbs of Pink Lady apples, $4.03, and 17 bananas at 42 cents/lb, for $2.59. Total spent $6.62

Month to date spent -- $198.13

May 28. Fred Meyer to pick up a lunch to finally celebrate my birthday. One daughter came with me and we chose a chocolate-raspberry torte, a prepared Caesar salad mix, a container of strawberries, a deli Asian chicken salad. I also picked up 3 freebies, the Ritz cracker chips, a Lindt truffle candy bar, and a pint of Silk soy creamer (supposed to be almond creamer but they didn't have it, so I asked if they would sub the soy). Total spent $18.28.

Total spent for the month -- $216.41

I had a total of $371.17 to spend, and I spent $216.41. That leaves me with a surplus of $154.76 going into June. I had a couple of splurges this month. Hopefully in June everything will be more normal. At least I have a supply of butter again.


What I bought:

Dairy
individual yogurt (Freebie)
large box of powdered milk
1/2 gallon soy milk
6 gallons milk
1 dozen eggs
4 gallons of ice cream
5 lbs cheddar cheese
14 lbs butter
Soy creamer, 16-oz (freebie)

Meat
16 hotdogs
Asian chicken salad, prepared from deli

Produce
1 individual bottle of V-8 juice
3 lbs strawberries
8 ounces mushrooms
15 lbs carrots
80 ounces orange juice
gardening supplies for the veggie and herb garden
63 bananas
10 ounces of grape tomatoes
5 lbs of mandarin oranges
1.27 lbs raisins
1.39 lbs of asparagus
15 lbs apples
3 bundles celery
10 lbs potatoes
2 heads of green cabbage
4 lbs of frozen broccoli
3 lbs of frozen spinach
one container of Caesar salad mix

Pantry
1 individual bottle of flavored water
10 oz bag tortilla chips (freebie)
20 flour tortillas
72 corn tortillas
1.35 lbs cocoa powder
small amount of chili powder
a handful of circus animal cookies
small amount of ground coffee
1 gallon canola oil
Lindt truffle bar (freebie)
Ritz cracker chips (freebie)

I bought a lot of produce this month. There were few treats, too, but not a lot. $33 of the budget was spent on butter. That butter should last through the summer. I'll be shopping again in just a couple of days. I seem to have fallen into a pattern of a big one or two shops at the beginning of the month, and then not a whole lot for the rest of the month. Anyone else find they do that, too? My thinking is it is in part a mental thing of not wanting to overspend the budget, as the month progresses, combined with the Senior Discount day which is early in the month, and I typically buy a large share of our food that day.

I feel like I didn't do a very good job of cutting spending.

Shopping for Vintage Dishes

I think that I've mentioned my obsession with dishes before. Yesterday was Value Village's Memorial Day 50% off sale. One of my daughters needed a ride to their store. So, I went, found myself some new stretchy, black casual pants, an ice cream scoop, and this platter.

The pattern is Wood & Sons "Summer Spray." It's ironstone, excellent condition, and I paid $4.99.

When I shop for dishes, I keep 4 things in mind:

• no chips, cracks, or crazing (if I really, really like a dish, I'll accept a little crazing, but no chips/cracks); also I check the surface for knife scratches. Knife scratches will give a good indication of previous use.
• they don't have to be the exact pattern that I already have, but similar in feel 
• the label on the back can give indications as to how old a dish might be, which is important for things like whether or not it's microwaveable
• I make guesstimates about resale value for items -- I like to pay about half of what I think it might currently sell for, on ebay or at a garage sale

I gave those considerations thought when shopping yesterday. No cracks or chips. I even turned down one bowl that I really liked because it had a chipped edge. For the most part, a chip would hinder my ability to resell a dish.

The platter has no crazing whatsoever, a good sign; and few knife scratches. Platters generally don't receive a lot of use, in comparison to plates, bowls, cups or mugs. 

It's not a match for any of my patterns but it carries some of the feel of the patterns I use, such as the color palette is brown and burgundy on ivory. In addition, it's a transferware pattern, which means that a print has been transferred from an engraved copperplate onto a sheet of paper, then onto the unfired clay dish. The clay absorbs the design from the paper, and the dish is glazed and fired. This process gives transferware dishes a distinct look, like an engraved ink print. My Rose Chintz, Friendly Village, and Liberty Blue (the dinner plates that I use for 4th of July) patterns are all transferware. I find myself drawn to their look. This platter picks up both the browns of Friendly Village and burgundy of Rose Chintz, so I'll use it with either pattern.

The labels are always amusing to me. This one says that it is "detergent proof." I would hope so!! I checked the label, online, once I got home. This plate is likely from the 1960s. Yes, folks were using detergents before that decade, as early as the 30s in the US and the 40s in the UK. What I believe this label refers to is automatic dishwashers, and their detergent. Electric, home dishwashers really weren't common before the 1950s. Most folks were using dishwashing soap, not detergent, until about the mid-20th century. Initial detergents may not have been uniformly produced. Some may have been more caustic than others. Subsequently, there may have been fears that detergent could harm the finish or the inks under the glaze on the plates. Some china patterns were hand-painted, and definitely could not take detergent or any harsh washing conditions. But this dish manufacturer wanted the buyer to know that the platter would be safe washed with detergents, and probably in electric dishwashers. Anyway, the label on this plate indicates that it is from the 1960s. Why does that matter to me? If I want to resell it, having more info on the platter will improve the likelihood of a quick sale at a good price. Also, knowing its age, I won't allow this to go into the microwave.

For resale value, in the store I had guessed that I might be able to sell it for as much as $20 on ebay. I wasn't too far off. I think I could get $15 on ebay, which would still get me three times what I paid for it. If I were to sell it at a garage sale, in my neighborhood I'm sure I could $15 for it, if I set up my sale to look like one of my neighbors does. She sets up her garage sales to look like nice shops -- no junk, just nice vintage items.

I know that I buy a lot of dishes. I'm okay with that for two reasons: 1) it's one of very few passions (that cost money) that I have, 2) by keeping my frivolous spending to one category of items, I am creating a stockpile of a collection with which I could set up a shop, online. A collection of similar items gives me a genre, which in turn attracts a specialized customer base. It's something that I keep in mind when I'm shopping for dishes.

Anyway, that was my fun for the morning yesterday. And it didn't break the bank! 

Using Bottled Lemon Juice That Has Gone Off

I had this jug of lemon juice in the pantry from a purchase I made a little over a year ago. I think that I had calculated that we would need more lemon juice soon, when I found it on sale at Cash & Carry. And then an odd thing happened and no one was drinking homemade lemonade any more in our house. Years of everyone drinking the homemade lemonade, then suddenly no one wanted any. As a result, I didn't go through the bottle in the fridge as quickly.

The other day I did finish off that original bottle, and went to open the one from the pantry. Inside the jug it looked dark. I poured a little bit into a glass container, and it was definitely darker than normal. It smelled not quite as lemony, and maybe a little off. But, of course, I'm not sure. I'm not about to drink it; however, I didn't want to pour it out.

So . . .

Lemon juice is an acid and a good degreaser. I can attest that along with a little scrubbing, it makes a decent bathtub and sink cleaner. I also added a little to my (el cheapo) hand dishwashing liquid, to boost the degreasing ability. I'll be trying it in several cleaning applications.

Just couldn't allow myself to toss it out. If I can use this lemon juice where I would normally use vinegar, this will extend my current supply of vinegar substantially. Waste not, want not.

Cheap & Cheerful Supper Menus for Late May

Friday

• leftover pizza
• cole slaw

Saturday (husband cooks)

• tomato and vegetable sauce over linguini

Sunday (husband cooks)

• scrambled eggs
• carrot sticks
• hashbrowns

Monday

• turkey, cream cheese, cranberry sauce sandwiches (the turkey sandwiches were leftovers from a luncheon for which I volunteered on Saturday. I added the cream cheese and cranberry sauce.)
• tortilla chips and salsa
• carrot sticks and celery sticks
• canned pineapple

Tuesday

• baked chicken
• brown rice with chicken gravy
• dinner rolls topped with chicken gravy
• sauteed kale and onions in ham fat
• rhubarb pie

Wednesday

• vegetable-beef soup using pot roast from the freezer, carrots, celery tops, kale, onion, barley
• drop biscuits
• salad of cucumber and cabbage in blue cheese dressing
• rhubarb pie

Thursday

• homemade pizza, using scratch dough, spaghetti sauce from the freezer, cheese and olives
• green salad from the garden
• rhubarb sauce from the garden

Sorry I wasn't here yesterday. I had something major that I was working on all Wednesday and into Thursday. It took over my life! It's a long weekend this weekend, here. Anyone have plans? I think we'll do a cook-out on Saturday night, with hot dogs and s'mores. If no one has discovered them, I have graham crackers, marshmallows and chocolate pieces in the pantry. I have homemade hotdog buns in the freezer, and a package of hotdogs in the fridge. Tonight, it might be just me and one daughter for dinner, or it might just be me. Whatever, it will be low-key. 

How was your week? Anything special going on this week for you? Wishing you a wonderful weekend!

Browsing Self-help Books Online

I find recommendations for a lot of books at different groups that I visit. One group in particular recommends a lot of self-help books. Before even checking the library, I pop over to Amazon to see if they have the book. I then, browse the book through the little "look inside" feature. Not every book has this, but many do. If you click on the "Look inside" the page will bring up a good chunk of the book. Sometimes, you have to hover over the upper right corner, just above the book, for the "Look inside" to appear.

Obviously, they don't show you all or even most of the book. But much of it is available this way. And depending on if you're visit Amazon.com, or Amazon.ca, or Amazon.co.uk, different amounts of the book may be available, depending on the book. I sometimes read the excerpt to a book on another's country's Amazon site.

Clearly, this sneak peak is designed for shoppers to see if they want to purchase the book. I use it to see if I want to check the book out from the library. And then, perhaps I may want to own a specific book. Most of the time, though, with self-help books, I can get the gist of the information, enough for my tastes, in just the sneak peak. It's just another frugal indulgence of mine.

I mentioned the sneak peak feature to a friend who had ordered a book from Amazon, recently, and this friend was very surprised that this even existed. So, I'm sharing, in case you don't know this either.

Two Things

I check the responses from the survey on frugal indulgences from time to time. It's really fun reading what everyone does to treat themselves. And I tend to agree on just having time to do as I please as quite a luxury. I'm not sure that I always use those moments of time wisely, though. The mindfulness aspect is something that I need to work on. If you haven't answered the survey, it's quick and easy, and you won't be judged, graded, or even known by your answers. And if you've answered it once but have thought of something you'd like to add, you can do the survey again, adding answers to specific sections. You can see others's responses at the end, if you're interested. Or, you can wait until I compile it all into a post.

On the other topic, you can sometimes teach an old dog a new trick. I've started keeping our monthly budgets on an electronic spreadsheet, with Apple Numbers, the free spreadsheet program that came with my computer. I just began this at the end of April, so we will see how this works out. It was free, and I'm just trying it out for 3 months. If I like it, I'll stick with it. If I feel it's either more work, or not as accurate because I forget to add expenses, then I can always go back to my trusty pad of paper. I dislike the idea of spending any money to track my money, if I can find an easy way to do it for free.

That's about it for today. I hope that your week is off to a great start!

Frugal Indulgences -- A Survey

As I filled my bathtub with hot water, laced with scented bath oil, I reflected on what a luxury this is. Not too long ago, a luxuriating hot bath was something  not available to many people. Before the age of indoor plumbing, baths were for Saturday night, were taken in a small portable metal tub, most often in the kitchen. Heating enough water for one of these baths was done over a stove, one kettle at a time. A bath of more than an inch or two of hot water just wasn't feasible.

Fast forward to today and all I need is a bathtub, water that's been pre-heated in the water heater, time and privacy. I make my baths extra indulgent by adding essential oil fragrances, oils, baking soda, ground oatmeal, flower and herb bath tea, dim lights, and music. I can do all of this with what I have in my house.

Here's another favorite frugal indulgence of mine. I make myself a special cup of cocoa, using whatever milk I'm currently drinking, baking cocoa, sugar/sweetening, vanilla extract, and mini-marshmallows. I make this in the microwave, just one cup at a time. I try to make the cocoa special in some way, with vanilla or almond extract, marshmallows, whipped topping, extra cocoa powder, candy canes, whatever I can dream up, using what I have in the kitchen.

Thinking about this prompted me to wonder just how many ways there are to indulge ourselves, frugally. And I thought this would make a good topic for another survey. I'll leave the survey open for a few days, then compile all of the results into one post. I plan on using your ideas as my go-to list of how to provide that needed pampering during stressful times, with little or no extra expense. I've also opened a spot for $5 and $10 indulgences, which I thought might not only be nice for ourselves, when we can afford it, but also perhaps some nice ideas to treat someone else, for an occasion or when they seem to need a little indulging.

Anyway, share your thoughts and ideas! It's completely anonymous! I'll leave this up for a couple of days in case you have more thoughts to add. You can fill this out multiple times.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for Mid-May

Friday

• pork fried rice, using leftover pork roast, carrots, cabbage, asparagus and onions, plus brown rice
• scratch vanilla pudding

Saturday (husband cooks)

• black bean tacos, using kale in place of lettuce, and canned tomatoes in place of fresh
• carrot sticks

Sunday (husband cooks)

• tomato-vegetable soup
• homemade breadsticks
• leftover Boston Cream Pie (daughter made this early in the day to have at lunch)

Monday

• leftover soup
• leftover breadsticks
• leftover vanilla pudding

Tuesday

• leftover soup
• grilled cheese sandwiches
• leftover cake

Wednesday

• whole wheat penne with bolognese (a fancy name for basically spaghetti, right?)
• broccoli
• (I had my bolognese over the last of the asparagus, then had a potato on the side)

Thursday

• homemade pizza (brown rice, topped with pizza sauce for me)
• cole slaw

I'm cooking a separate dinner for myself each evening. I am temporarily "off" gluten and dairy. (The bloating and pain went away overnight; sadly, the abdominal fat did not.) So, while I make these meals for the rest of the fam, I microwave myself a potato, scramble an egg, fry some turkey bacon, slather apple wedges with peanut butter, top chopped celery with egg salad, and heat veggies. It's all working out well for me, in some ways better than usual as I can eat only when I'm hungry and not feel I need to eat as much as I serve everyone else. It's also a good excuse to eat bacon. ;-) All of the weeknight dinners have been simple ones, which makes everything super easy for me.

How about you? Anything interesting on your menu this past week? Any outdoor plans for this weekend? Is the weather expected to be nice where you live, this next week? I am volunteering in my once-per-month job with a charity luncheon, tomorrow, and hopefully seeing my daughter in a performance in the evening. It should be a busy day for me.

Have a great weekend!

My Own Piece of Victorian History

This is one of my great great grandmother's irons. She had two irons that I know of. I always wondered why she would need two irons, after all, my own mother had just one iron and that was completely satisfactory.

Watching Victorian Slum House this week filled in the blanks for me. My great great grandmother had two irons, so that on ironing day, she could keep one on the stove at all times, and have a hot one to work with for afternoon without wasting time waiting for an iron to heat up.

Words of wisdom from one of the children in the Slum House, "every penny counts when you're in Victorian times because it could be the one penny that gets you your meal." This child was telling jokes on a street corner in London, for a penny a joke. She described the work as embarrassing, but she was willing to do this for the benefit of her family.

We're obviously far removed from needing to take on humiliating or back-breaking work to feed our families, or request any of this of our children. So, it is difficult to imagine this life.

If there is a lesson to be learned from this show, for me personally, it is to work hard whenever there is opportunity, plan for tomorrow, because one never knows what difficulties may lie around the corner, to appreciate the blessings that I have today, and to be compassionate with someone who has less than myself.

How about you? What have been your thoughts on this show, if you've been following? And I'm guessing that I'm not the only one who owns one of these old irons. I see them in vintage and antique shops frequently, so there must be many of them out there. Do you have one, too? What do you use yours for? Mine is a book end for some of my cookbooks.

No-Sew Method for Making Tea Bags for Loose-Leaf Tea

I prefer if my homemade tea bags look "pretty" but sometimes speed take priority. Here's how I make tea bags for loose-leaf tea in a jiffy, for 1/4 cent each.

I use a basket-style paper coffee filter, the smaller size, bought at WinCo, or Dollar Tree, for about 1/2 cent each filter, and an ordinary stapler.

Take one filter and fold in half.

Cut the filter into two wedge shapes, and open each up.

Place two to three teaspoons of loose tea on one side of an opened filter half.

Fold the filter over. On the straight edge, fold the edge over once, then a second time, and staple shut.

On the rounded edge, fold in two sections, over twice each section, and staple shut. There you go, one pre-filled tea bag for use with loose-leaf tea. They're not pretty, but very functional, require no sewing skills, and can be made in about one minute. I make a few at a time, for the same ease as commercial tea bags. I know, I could use tea balls, and I do. Sometimes, though, I'm too lazy to wash them out. Cheers!

Um, I'm Thinking of Christmas Already

Confessions, I am planning Christmas 2017 already.

I found these canning jars on closeout at Fred Meyer a week ago, for $6.69/dozen. That's 55 cents per jar. I know, I can get canning jars for 29 cents each at Goodwill. But, those don't have brand new lids.

To give you a cost comparison --The value of the lids and bands, alone, is about $3.59 (at Target, for a dozen regular lids and bands). At Target's price for the lids, plus Goodwill's price for lid-less jars, these jars, with brand-new lids would have cost 59 cents each (4 cents more than this case of new jars/lids), if I had bought them that way.

In addition, this particular jar size is hard to come by, second-hand. It's the 4-ounce squat jar. This size is not terribly practical for preserves for the family. However, it's the perfect size for many homemade gifts.

One of my gift plans is homemade beeswax candles. I've been acquiring beeswax from Michael's when I have 60% off coupons. I have two pounds, so far, which should be enough to make about 8 candles in these jars.

If I use some of these jars, along with my coupon-purchased beeswax, I could make beeswax candles for about $2.75 each, wicks included.

This similar beeswax jar candle sells for $6, plus $7.00 shipping, on Amazon. And that's a "good" price for beeswax candles.

Anyways, am I the only one thinking about Christmas, already?