Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for November

This photo is from our family trip to the pumpkin farm several weeks ago. I love this! The trees are so beautiful.

For those of you who shop at Fred Meyer, I'm really happy to report that there is another bonus Senior Discount Day, Tuesday, Nov. 19. AND, the turkey deals have been announced, so if you're buying your turkey at Fred Meyer and you're 55+, you can save on your turkey and everything else you might buy at Fred Meyer. Plus, there's a friends and family pass (discount in several departments) in the circular. See the front page of this week's circular.

I went to Fred Meyer for the first bonus Senior Discount shopping day on Tuesday and spent $18.75, bringing my spending up for the month to $112.43. (I bought sugar, eggs, and coffee.) My daughters paid me a couple of dollars for something, so I used that money to buy an additional gallon of milk for the month while I was at Fred Meyer.

Here are this week's evening meals.

Friday

Friday
meatloaf with gravy
freebie mashed potatoes
Swiss chard and onions
butternut squash

Saturday

Saturday
rice and beans
lentil sprouts in vinaigrette
orange segments

indoor lettuce in pots

Sunday
peanut noodles
lettuce (from indoor pots) with dressing

kale and apple salad

Monday
baked chicken leg quarters with gravy
fresh whole wheat bread
kale and apple salad (both garden items)
sweet potato fries
scratch brownies

Tuesday

Tuesday (daughter's night)
pumpkin, bean, and sausage soup
tossed salad using the last of the lettuce, plus some kale
zucchini bread from the freezer

Wednesday

Wednesday (other daughter's night)
chicken and vegetable soup (made with chicken bones from Monday, carrots, onions, and kale from garden)
scratch whole wheat and raisin muffins
chocolate chip cookies

gingered carrot and lentil sprout salad

Thursday
gingered carrot and lentil sprout salad
curried butternut squash and peanut butter soup
bread and butter
apple wedges and last of the homemade caramel sauce



You may have noticed, we have brownies often. I think this is one of my daughters' favorite thing to bake. About once per week, the two of them will hang out in the kitchen late at night, talk, and bake. Years from now, when they are both busy in their own lives, they'll remember all of those late nights together in the kitchen baking brownies.

Do you remember those 64-oz jars of peanut butter that I bought for $2 at a new dollar store in our area? They have an expiration date of January 2020, so I've been trying to use peanut butter in meals. This week, we did peanut noodles and a squash and peanut butter soup. I also made peanut butter granola yesterday to go with a fresh batch of yogurt (also made yesterday).

We finished off the potted lettuce this week. It did okay sitting in the window for over a month. It did, however, develop a small aphid problem, only noticeable when I was rinsing the leaves. We've now moved on to kale, chard, and sorrel (in garden) and radish greens (in planter on deck), plus sprouts and kale microgreens. All of the greens are generously supplemented with winter squash, canned pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and carrots. 

I continue to look for new ways to use the lentil sprouts, since these are so easy to grow in my kitchen. If you recall, last week I made a stir fried rice and lentil sprout dish. This is my go-to quick snack or lunch, when there's nothing easy to grab and I have leftover cooked rice on hand. This week, I made a carrot and lentil sprout salad which was very tasty. I'm sure that I will share many more creations that use lentil sprouts in the coming months. (And you're all sitting on the edge of your seats, waiting in anticipation for these fascinating lentil sprout reports -- ha ha!)

How has your week gone? Was there anything interesting on your menu this week? Any big plans for the weekend?

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!

Non-Food Items to Bulk up the Grocery Shopping and Get the Best Turkey Deal

The turkey deals have been announced. The best deals in my local stores involve very large (for me, at least) purchases in order to qualify. At Fred Meyer, if I spend $150, I can get a 20-lb turkey for free. If I spend just $50, I can get a turkey for 49 cents per pound. WinCo also has a free turkey deal, with a minimum spend of $100. I will be sticking with Fred Meyer for my turkey, though. Here's why. Fred Meyer is a department store, much like Target, selling an extensive variety of non-food goods in addition to groceries, whereas WinCo is more limited in what they carry.

The last two afternoons, I have brainstormed all of the products that I could possibly buy at FM (and not overpay per item) and spend that $150. I actually don't buy a lot of food at Fred Meyer, because frankly, I can do better, price-wise on food items at many of the other stores and markets in my area. But I do buy household items at Fred Meyer, because their store-brands of household items are quite good. For example, I buy Fred Meyer's Everyday Living LED lightbulbs and Office Works copy paper -- both are house-branded, priced well, and have performed well for me. 

So my list is comprised of almost exclusively non-food items that can be found at Fred Meyer and many other grocery stores. It occurred to me that some of you might also be considering whether or not you will be spending a substantial amount in order to qualify for a free or reduced-price turkey. I thought I'd share what I've come up with for bulking up my grocery list and snagging myself a free turkey.

I'll be buying my turkey (or rather, getting my free turkey) on this coming Tuesday, which happens to be another bonus 55+ shopping day at Fred Meyer. In putting together my shopping list, I have literally walked around my home and garage, opening drawers and cupboards and asked myself "is this something I would normally buy at Fred Meyer?" I discovered that there are quite a lot of non-food items that I buy over the course of a year, there, or in a similar store. Here's a list of items that I've come up with so far.

Bathroom

• bath tissue
• facial tissue
• hygiene supplies
• toothbrushes/paste/mouthwash/whitening strips
• personal items like lip balm, cosmetics, soap/body wash, shampoo/conditioner, hair color
• first aid, such as epsom salt, bandages, ointments, cotton or gauze balls/pads/swabs, hydrogen peroxide, rubbing alcohol
• OTC meds and supplements
• bathroom cleaners, sponges, toilet brushes, shower squeegees
• travel containers for vacations
• hair accessories, tools, and appliances
• razors
• baby supplies

Bedroom

• hangers
• moisture control products for the closet

General

• lightbulbs
• batteries
• cleaning solutions (hard surface and carpet/upholstery) and tools
• candles, matches, lighters, pressed logs, charcoal briquets, flashlights  

Office

• copy paper
• tape -- duct, Scotch, packing
• pens, highlighters, Sharpies
• sticky notes
• file folders
• scissors, rulers

Kitchen

• dishwashing liquid
• dishwashing powder
• paper towels, waxed paper, plastic wrap, foil, baggies, napkins, coffee filters
• small kitchen tools/gadgets, like can/bottle openers, rubber spatulas, pancake turners, mixing/serving spoons
• storage and lunch containers, glass or plastic
• small electric appliances -- mixers, kettles, stick blenders 
• bakeware, cutting boards, cooling racks

Garage

• motor oil, other car fluids
• chamois cloths
• gas cans
• ice scrapers for windshields
• bag of sand or kitty litter to keep in trunk for dealing with snow/ice
• spray paint, wall patch putty
• measuring tape
• snow shovel
• emergency auto supplies, like road flares

Holiday Specific

• holiday lights
• extension cords
• wrapping paper
• small gifts/stocking stuffers

Personal

• umbrella
• mittens
• socks
• shoe polish, shoe inserts

This isn't a list of everything I intend to buy, but simply a list of possibilities. Many of these items I buy at other stores, simply because they're less expensive at places like Dollar Tree, and I only need a basic level of quality for particular items. I left them on this list because they may be less expensive for you at the store with your best turkey-deal. 

Do you know what? I am extremely close to that $150 threshold for a free turkey. It helps that I've spent extraordinarily little on things like lightbulbs, bandaids and tape, and just allowing us to run out of many of these items over the past 6 months. In addition, I'll be buying a couple of holiday gifts at FM, ones that turn out to be less expensive there compared to other stores. I need just a couple more items to reach that spending threshold. I'm looking for suggestions for my list, if you can think of anything else. 

So, what else could I add to my list of possibilities?

Silvery Leaves

The other week, when I was spray-painting the paper stars, I also painted more leaves. I had previously painted all of the leaves that I'd gathered in early October with a gold spray-paint. One of you lovely people suggested that I paint some leaves in other metallic colors. Since I had a can of matte silver, that's what I chose. I went outside and gathered more leaves to press and dry. Then a week later, I painted this batch.

Having different colors of leaves adds depth and interest to the layout. If I could make one other addition, I would buy a can of copper or rose gold spray-paint for 3 metallic shades. However, the two matte metallic shades are also nice. So, thank you for the comment, friend!

As I mentioned before, the smaller of these leaves (the birch leaves) will be reused on holiday packages in December. I love that I can get additional use from our Thanksgiving table decor.

Meal Prep Sunday (or Monday, When There's a Monday Holiday)

kale and apple salad

Who knew that this was a thing, a trendy thing? Many of us have been using some form of meal prep, in advance of actual meal times for years. Back when my kids were littles, I did OAMC, where I would spend an entire Saturday making 25 family dinners for the freezer. Then later, when most of my family members were brown-bagging it to work or school, I meal-prepped lunches, making several casseroles and salads for the fridge, to be grabbed in the minutes before heading out the door each morning. Recently, my daughters inspired me to meal-prep some lunches and breakfasts.

doesn't look like much right now, but this container of onion soup will be
delicious when reheated, one bowl at a time, and topped with melted cheese

Apparently, meal prepping, especially Sunday meal prepping, is an "in" thing. Reddit has at least 7 subs dedicated to meal-prepping. I think that's a lot, considering Reddit tends to attract a lot of younger people, Millennials and younger. My favorite sub-Reddit is MealPrepSunday. If you're looking for ideas and inspiration for your own weekly meal prep, this sub is filled with tantalizing photos, recipe links, and simple-enough ideas.

the other soup that I made -- curried butternut squash and peanut butter.
So, delicious I had to have a small bowl before I put the rest in the fridge.

I know that Alice, here, likes to meal-prep for the coming week's lunches and dinners. I've appreciated Alice's ideas as they've offered inspiration for some of my own meal prepping.

So, what would be some of the advantages of meal-prepping, even for someone like me who is home most of each day?

• for starters, the obvious -- to make meals easier in the moment, saving time and energy expenditure. The time we save may get us out the door faster in the morning or give us a few minutes to relax at the end of the day.
• meal-prepping is a way to be more efficient with our work. If I am chopping carrots and onions, it's a lot more efficient to chop a week's worth in one go, than to get out the knife and cutting board on  5 or 6 separate nights, saving my time as well as electricity and natural gas for cleaning the cutting board, knife, peeler, food processor and any other tools I might need.
• to ensure that we eat what we intend to eat. You know the scenario -- you go to the store and buy a bunch of healthy produce, lean meats, and whole grains. Then at the end of the week, you discover that no one ate the healthier stuff, because in the moment, fixing those foods sounded much more involved than grabbing any of the prepared  foods, such as cookies and pastries. As a result, we might not eat the amount of veggies that we intend for improving our health. Intentional eating benefits our health, as well as our wallet. Which brings me to the next benefit.
• to limit eating only the more expensive foods, whichever those may be for your kitchen. In our house, more expensive foods would include nuts, cheese, and meat. It's fine to eat these foods in moderation, but if we only ate these foods, and none of the less expensive foods like squash, apples, legumes, or garden leafy greens, we wouldn't be able to keep our budget where it is.
• to minimize the reliance on last-minute take-out or restaurant eating. Eating out is a fun experience. I am definitely not anti-eating out. However, I think that some of the fun of eating out is diminished when we do it too often, or it's too last-minute. I like to anticipate restaurant meals. I feel like I double my fun through the anticipation segment of restaurant dining.

cinnamon rice -- a complete meal all on its own, grain, nuts, vegetable

There are as many forms of meal prepping as there are individuals. One family may meal prep a full week's worth of meals, breakfast, lunch, and dinner, one day per week, or even one or two days per month. Another family may double-up when preparing weeknight dinners, making twice every item, then use the leftovers on another night. A single individual might make their own individual freezer meals, using purchased or repurposed sectioned meal trays. Someone else may find it simply beneficial to pre-chop a bunch of veggies and meat to simplify nightly stir fries, soups, or casseroles. Some folks like to bag crockpot ingredients, for and easy dump 'n go in the mornings. For my family, I use meal-prepping as a way to use up lingering foods from the fridge and garden produce that may not last much longer. I pre-portion some items (when I really want us to use these up), while leaving others in large casseroles or tubs. 

So, what did I meal-prep this weekend? As I said before, I tend to use meal-prepping as a way to use up lingering foods, which could account for some of my odd-sounding dishes. Nonetheless, here's my list of foods that I prepped for the week:

• onion soup
• butternut squash-peanut butter soup (like Live and Learn's pumpkin-peanut soup, just with butternut squash)
• chunks of butternut squash to be topped with butter and salt
• cinnamon rice -- like fried rice, but a sweet version of cooked brown rice, chopped almonds, cinnamon, and small chunks of cooked butternut squash, all sauteed in a mix of oil and butter. My preferred way to make cinnamon rice is with raisins, but I was out of them, so I subbed some cooked squash in their place. This is a favorite breakfast dish of mine when I'm out of homemade yogurt. 
• kale and apple salad in a sweet dressing made with melted jelly, mayonnaise, and vinegar. Kale is one of a couple of green leafy vegetables that holds up well after dressing, keeping in the fridge for several days without wilting. I tossed the apples in lemon juice before adding the rest of the ingredients, to prevent browning.
• gingered-carrot salad, using candied ginger and shredded carrots, in a dressing of honey and mayo. Carrots are another "salad" vegetable that will hold up in the fridge for several days after adding dressing.
• chard, rice, milk, and egg bake -- this one was made with my husband in mind. He enjoys rice baked with eggs more than I do. However, this was a great way to use up some thawed (previously frozen) eggs that had been lingering in the fridge a few days.
• whole wheat bread -- I baked 4 loaves of whole wheat sandwich bread, which, of course, will pair nicely with all of that homemade soup.
• boiled eggs -- not much to preparing these, but having eggs already boiled makes grabbing a high-protein food super easy for my family
• oven-roasted sweet potato wedges

an extra-large batch of sweet potato fries about to go into the oven --
some for dinner now, some for later

As much as possible, I made my work easier. For instance, some of these items were part of dinner one night. I just made lots so that there would be leftovers for another meal. I used my food processor for shredding and chopping. I used my stand mixer for mixing and kneading the bread dough. And I didn't peel the sweet potatoes -- healthier and easier.

Now for the burning question -- did you do any advanced meal prep this past weekend? If so, what did you make for this week's meals? Do you tend to meal prep dinners more than lunches or breakfasts, or do you like to meal prep for several types of meals?

Best Laid Plans . . .My Coffee Hour Duty This Weekend

http://educacaoecriatividadeeboasideias.blogspot.com/2013/04/gulodices-bolos-comididas-e-ideias.html

I had the best of intentions and a pretty great plan. Needing 4  1/2 dozen treats, I was going to use some of the frozen chicken legs/thighs, a portion of bread dough, and a bit of tomato paste, garlic, and herbs to make mini pockets for our church's coffee hour on Sunday. I knew this would take most of Saturday to put together, but I was prepared for this -- nothing major on my calendar for the day.

And then it happened. At first, it was just a little itch in my throat on Friday afternoon. Then on Saturday morning, I awoke fatigued and feeling awful, totally blowing my plans to cook some snacks and treats on Saturday. Finding a last-minute sub has proven to be really hard for this role.

I laid in bed and brainstormed all of my options. Both daughters had their own busy schedules on Saturday and cooking coffee hour treats isn't my husband's preferred way to spend a weekend afternoon. So I was limited to something pre-made or super-duper easy to make. 

I knew I could count on almost 2  1/2 dozen gingersnap cookies that I had in a tin from baking earlier in the week. But I would still need another couple dozen snacks. That's when I remembered that Fred Meyer had 8-oz blocks of cheese on sale over the weekend. So I pulled myself together for a quickie trip to the store, where I bought 1 block of cheese and a package of marked down pepperoni. 

I figured that if I just stayed in bed and rested for the rest of Saturday, took vitamin C throughout the day, and made an early bedtime for myself, by Sunday morning I would be able to make some little bites using the cheese, pepperoni, and toothpicks.

a couple of the iced gingersnap cookies

The next morning, I did feel almost like my normal self. The cheese and meat mini-kabobs were quick to pull together on Sunday morning when I was feeling better. (The kabobs looked almost identical to what is pictured at the top of this page, just skipping the olives. Taking photos was the last thing on my mind.) The total cost was $3.28 (cheese and pepperoni) for 32 individual snacks. Considering I was hoping to make something non-sweet, the cost was not too bad and certainly better than any other savory, purchased snack. It all worked out. Maybe not as inexpensive as I'd hoped, but no one is ever perfectly anything.

By the way, I've made mini cheese kabobs on several occasions, and they are very quick to assemble and always a hit on a buffet or snack bar.

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for Early November

Before I get into meals for the week, I want to inform other Fred Meyer 55+ shoppers about the bonus discount shopping day next week. Tuesday, November 12, 2019 is another discount day for 55+ shoppers. Yea! I scanned the ads and both house-brand eggs and sugar are on sale at a good-enough price (w/the 10% discount) to warrant buying a couple-month's supply. I'll be at their doors bright and early on Tuesday.


Okay, so for this week -- I shopped at our produce stand's clearance sale last Friday, and spent $26.64. Then over the weekend, I stopped in at our Walmart Neighborhood store to pick up canned pumpkin, vegetable shortening (Crisco stuff), garlic powder, decaf coffee, and frozen orange juice, spending $28.83. On Tuesday, I went to Fred Meyer's first Senior Shopping Day and bought butter, cream cheese, milk, powdered sugar, and my freebie (packet of mashed potatoes), spending $38.21. My total for the month of November, so far, is $93.68. (Grocery list for the month is in this post. I updated it a little to reflect upcoming purchase of sugar, eggs, and milk.)

While we've had frost, the kale in our garden is still doing well. In addition, we have indoor lettuce, lentil sprouts, and very, very soon, kale microgreens. I still have apples, winter squash, and a couple of tomatoes from the garden available to use, plus all of those blackberries. I think we're doing very well on produce.

This week

Friday

Friday
winter squash soup, using assorted squash from our garden
pigs in blankets (hot dog bites in scratch biscuit dough)
cabbage, kale, radish green, and apple slaw

Saturday

Saturday
lentil and vegetable soup
cheese toast
leftover trick-or-treat candy

Sunday

Sunday
eggs with greens and cheese
brown rice
roasted butternut squash

Monday

Monday
this curried pumpkin-peanut soup from Live and Learn's site
Yorkshire pudding
orange wedges
garden salad of lettuce (grown in the window), lentil sprouts, garden tomato, and radish greens

Tuesday

Tuesday (daughter's night)
lentil curry over brown rice
blackberry cobbler

Wednesday

Wednesday (other daughter's night)
walking lentil tacos, which are basically tortilla chips topped with taco fillings
orange wedges
leftover blackberry cobbler

Thursday

Thursday
kale and onion frittata
lentil sprout and brown rice stir-fry
oven-fried sweet potatoes wedges
homemade gingersnaps


The curried pumpkin soup (Monday) was such a hit. I make this 2 or 3 times per fall and it's always loved. My family loves curry, so I doubled the curry powder (maybe even more than doubled) and added a bit of garlic powder. Since this was the main source of protein in this meal, I also doubled the peanut butter, using crunchy and not smooth as we only have the crunchy right now. It was delicious! Check it out - link's in the menu above.


Breakfasts this week
We enjoyed more homemade whole wheat toast and homemade yogurt, plus oranges, apples, and homemade peanut butter granola. 

Lunches this week
Lunches this week were more catch as catch can and included leftovers from dinners, peanut butter sandwiches, fruit, carrots, baked squash, lentil sprouts, and eggs. 

Snacks this week
I made a couple of batches of popcorn in a pan on the stove this week. Popcorn is such an easy snack to make and satisfies my salt cravings. We also tend to snack on the same foods that we have for our lunches. When I roasted some butternut squash earlier this week, I noticed that it disappeared between meals. We also snack on our share of foods like cookies, leftover cobbler, and mugs of cocoa.

So that's what we ate this week. What was on your menu? Did you have a meal that was your favorite?

Wishing you all a wonderful weekend!!

How We Decide Which "Optional" Projects Get the Go-Ahead in Our Budget

I wanted to share a semi-small thing that is a big thing for me. We replaced a window this week. No, we didn't do it ourselves. We hired a window contractor to do the job. This is a big deal to me because this window is in the room where I spend the most time, the master bedroom. This is where I have a writing space, a reading space, a relaxing space, and a sleeping space. The previous window in this room was about 45 years old. Over the years, the house had settled, so the window no longer fit the opening perfectly, leaving tiny gaps where cold air drifted in during winter and hot air came in during summer. In addition, this was a double-paned window whose seal had broken. The air space in between the two panes was filled with condensation, completely obscuring any view. We've been replacing the windows in our home, one at a time, based on how bad each was. This was the second to the last window to be replaced.

A view of the outside is something of importance to me in fall, winter, and spring, when I don't go out as much. With the window replaced, not only does it seem quieter, but also warmer, and, now, it actually has a view! While the view part really mattered the most to me personally, the decision of when this project would be done was not based on aesthetics, but on need, priorities, costs, and dollar return.

There are many expenses that are just a routine part of our budget, such as groceries, insurance, utilities, giving, taxes, and clothing. Then there are the one-time expenses, projects or occurrences that happen sporadically in our lifetime. Some of these are necessary large expenses, like medical and dental expenses or the costs associated with keeping us with reliable transportation. Other expenses are optional. Our livelihood and well-being do not depend on these projects being completed. 

In our household, we've had a lot of big bills in the past 6 years, some of which were more urgent than others. To date, we still have several large projects looming on the horizon. So, how do we go about deciding which of these projects get the go-ahead in our budget? We ask ourselves 7 key questions, questions which prompt us to more deeply examine our hopes for each project and conclude whether or not the timing is right. Here they are.

1. Would putting off this project wind up costing us significantly more later on? 
This should be my first question that I ask myself, concerning a project with a big expense. However, in my excitement to have something "pretty," I sometimes overlook this one (oops). Asking this question helps us see just how "optional" a project is. 

Our leaking roof, for example. The leak is in the attic space over the garage. Right now we have the leak tarped. However, we're well-aware that allowing a roof leak to continue could wind up costing us big time if we wait much longer. This knowledge bumps the roof repair way up on our project list, as it's not really optional at all. My husband's got this one, so I hope the repair will be taken care of this fall.

2. Will we benefit financially by doing this project? And by how much? 
So, this is assuming that a project is truly optional. We won't lose additional money by not doing it. But completing this project may positively affect our finances. It isn't enough to say that we will get a small percentage of the cost of a project back. For my household, we feel we need to recoup  a large proportion of the improvement cost in order to go ahead with the project, as is. If we won't see that much of a return, then we brainstorm ways to downsize the project -- cheaper vendor, redo only a portion of an item, or do some of the labor ourselves. 

For our window replacement, we happen to live in an area where window replacements pay off when it comes to reselling a house. According to HGTV, window replacements in Seattle and a handful of other cities recoup more than the expense of that reno. We expect that our new window will help sell our home one day, especially because this is a master bedroom window (and master bedrooms are significant when it comes to resale of homes). In addition, we also expect to see a reduction in our annual energy costs to heat and cool our house with less heat-transference with this new window. 

If you're on the fence about an expensive home renovation, google the payback on your type of project. When you see how much or little you will benefit when you sell your home, how much you want this project may become crystal clear to you.

When it comes to clothing purchases, sometimes the purchase of new clothing has the potential to positively affect ones finances. Suppose, for instance, that you have a job interview coming up. And also suppose that you don't have anything in your closet that is suitable for an interview (this would be the case for a lot of new college graduates whose entire wardrobe for the previous 4 years has consisted of sweatshirts, jeans, and leggings). Buying a moderately-priced interview outfit, then, could be seen as something of an investment in landing a good job. 

3. Is what we want actually more than we need? Is there a good alternative that would cost a whole lot less?
I admit it. Sometimes I want that top-of-the-line, premium, ultra-deluxe item, simply because I saw it somewhere else and thought I wanted one, too. I think I've wanted French doors in the master bedroom for almost our entire 30-something year marriage. When we'd been married for about 5 months, we looked into the possibility of buying a starter home. That, of course, didn't work out (silly newlyweds). But one of the homes we looked at had French doors in the master bedroom, leading out onto a rickety-looking, mostly rotted deck. My dreams for French in the master began on that day. 

I think I've carried that dream with me in every home in which we've lived. In my mind, it just looked so nice. When I began consulting with a window company this summer, I really had to take a good look at this dream of mine. To replace the window with a French door would have doubled our cost, largely because some substantial work would need to be done to that wall. My want was greater than our need. And there was most definitely a good alternative.

When it comes to cars, I am the first one in our marriage to "fall in love" with something really expensive. It takes a lot of inner-work to talk myself down from those luxury SUVs and to more modest sedans. This brings me to my next question.

4. Would I make sacrifices in other areas to have this one thing?
Buying a luxury SUV, now, could mean less money going into retirement accounts. Do I really want to have less in savings when I'm 70 years old, because I wanted to look a certain way or have a certain prestige when I was 50-something? When you're young, you have your whole life ahead of you to make up for financial mistakes. As you get older, you realize that "make-up time" is more limited. Retirement finances are serious business. There won't be any elves who quietly remake my shoes while I sleep or deposit money into my bank account to cover my expenses. Funding our retirement is wholly on us. 

On the other hand, a window replacement that has the likelihood to net us more than we spend really won't incur much in the way of sacrifices in the long run. We did make small sacrifices along the way to save for the new window. And in our planning, we felt that those sacrifices were less significant than having a new window. What did we give up? We gave up eating in restaurants, going to the cinema, travel, new clothing (we still bought clothes, just not new ones), and expensive gifts to each other. Willingness to sacrifice is a clear marker that a project or item is important to us.

5. Is the quality high enough that we won't need to replace this item down the road?
While it's important that we don't overspend, I also think it's important to not significantly underspend. In other words -- don't cheap out. 

If you need a new coat for winter, it makes more financial sense to buy a coat that is quality-made and will last for a decade or more, than to buy a cheaply-made garment that will end up in a landfill in just 4 or 5 years. There's a trend in fashion called fast fashion. Fast fashion is clothing designs that move quickly from the catwalk to the neighborhood mall, bringing trends to the everyday consumer quickly and cheaply. These garments are not made to last a decade. By their construction, it's clear the corporation's intent was for the clothing item to be replaced with a new garment by the next season. 

Coming back to our window replacement, yes, there were cheaper manufacturer options available. However, we wanted quality construction that would outlast our time in this home in its design and integrity of materials and craftsmanship.

6. Is there a way to repair this item instead of replacing it? 
Our "newest" car is a 2004 and has over 150,000 miles on it. Our oldest car was made in 1988. With a good mechanic, I believe that we can keep our newest car running well for several more years. So, although last winter we had thought we'd be replacing one of our cars this past summer, with my husband's job elimination in spring, that prospect went out the window. 

In contrast, repairing the air-leak in the double-paned window (to allow us to see through the window again) would have been kind of expensive. And that wouldn't have addressed the issues of the window, itself, as no longer fitting its framing, due to house-settling. In addition, the new and improved window offered more in potential resale value of our home, and a better u-value and/or r-value of the new window, leading to a reduced utility bill and greater comfort for us.

7. Is our fund for this project completed? 
When a project is optional, we pay upfront. I wouldn't feel comfortable taking on debt for something that isn't completely necessary. We put aside money every month toward these big projects. 

We've known that our furnace will need replacing in the next year or two, so we've been putting aside money for a furnace every month for the last 4 years. The fund for this window project was completed a year ago. With the money in place, we feel comfortable to go ahead with the project.


The answers to all of the above questions, when taken together, led us to think that this particular window replacement was financially worthwhile and should be done at this time. You wouldn't know this about me, but this project is something for which I took a very long time to decide. I try to look at all possibilities before coming to any decisions. I may be overly careful in that way. But it is who I am. And more than anybody else, I have to live with my own mind, thoughts, and doubts.


Now that I have a view out the window, I realize that I need to do something to spruce up that view. And I think I need new curtains, and the walls could use repainting. Now that I think of it, the carpet is really looking shabby. And the bedspread is very dated. And, and, and. Isn't that how it always goes with home improvements? You repaint the walls, then discover you really need new drapes now, too. Anyways, I now have a room with a view.

3-D Silver Stars: Scrap Paper, Glue & Spray Paint

Silver, gold, and all that glitters belong to the holiday season. For the color palette of my living room, featuring creamy whites, shades of tan, and seaglass blue with silver and glass accents, silvery three-dimensional stars make festive seasonal decorations. I'm very pleased with how these turned out and love them for several reasons. One, they fit with the glittery, shimmery holiday season. Two, they were free for me to make. And three, I love using something that would otherwise go to recycling or into the trash.


A couple of years ago, I showed you how I make 3-dimensional paper stars, using the covers to catalogs (any stiff paper will work), glue stick, hot glue, and scissors. Aside from the cost of the glue sticks, these are basically free to make, putting something like junk catalogs to good use. 

The other day, I had my can of silver spray paint out and thought it was time to give these a coat of color.

Out in the garage, I gave five large, 8-inch diameter stars a couple of coats of matte silver spray paint, front and back.

Using some white quilting thread and a needle, I transformed the stars into suspended decorations. After I threaded the quilting thread through the tip of each star, I tied a knot in the thread at the length that I felt was right for the area above my mantel.

Craft and discount stores (like Michael's JoAnn's, and Walmart) sell a double-sided removable adhesive that is safe for painted walls, Removeable Glue Dots Adhesives. (Here's what they look like -- I have no affiliation with Michael's BTW.) These dots are a lot like that sticky substance that you find holding a new credit card or gift card to its paper backing. Here's how I used the glue dots to suspend the stars from the ceiling. With one glue dot for each star, I pressed the knotted end of the length of thread into one side of the glue dot, then pressed the other side of the glue dot onto my smooth, painted ceiling.

From a normal distance, when standing or sitting in the living room, you can barely see the thread hanging from the ceiling, and you have to get very close to see the glue dot (or else my eyes are getting really old.)

I'll be making 4 more stars in a scaled-down version, so that I have a display of 5 large stars and 4 smaller stars suspended from the ceiling above the mantel. As I continue to add to the holiday decor in the living room, I'll update you on how these are all fitting into the mantel's scheme.