View Full Version : September Frugals (2014)
New month, new thread. Post your frugal activities for the month of September here! :)
Home after 4 days in DC for our son's wedding. We walked to Whole Foods the first day and stocked up on fruit, some snacks and beer (!), and 2 sandwiches so we could have things to eat when we were hungry but didn't need a full restaurant meal. Our daughter met us the second day we were there and we realized that for the wedding activities, it was cheaper to take a tax than use the metro for 3 riders - plus I didn't want to overheat in our wedding finery!
There was so much food left from the rehearsal dinner that we had it again the day after the wedding.
I had been setting aside $$ for purchases besides hotel and airfare and it was enough that we didn't use a credit card for any purchases.
Our dog was cared for by friends who love having him (they had been his foster family before we adopted him) and a good friend came and visited the cat twice so no boarding fees.
We used uber for the first time and since we had been referred by our son, we got a $10 discount and he got credit for one free ride!
Now I want to buckle down and put aside more cash, keep up with the tomatoes, and await the glory that is fall in MN!
awakenedsoul
9-1-14, 2:32pm
Wow chrissie! That's fantastic! Took the bus and bike this morning to swim at the gym. I am amazed at how my hip is healing from the aqua therapy. I ran into the accupuncturist I met there and she noticed the difference, too. "Your back is straighter," she told me, nodding approvingly. I'm so glad I didn't spend money on a doctor, chiropractor, or osteopath. They tell so many dancers to get a hip replacement. Did my own Pilates class last night in my living room. Took a cold shower afterward to cool off from the 99 degree heat. Meals have been simple. I've been eating up leftover tuna and noodles, brown rice cooked in water and soy sauce, and raw veggies. Today I'll start a loaf of bread and cook up some ground turkey from my stockpile. I'll use half of it for a spaghetti and "meat" sauce, and the other half for stuffed peppers. I finished mending one of my bath towels yesterday. I sewed quilt binding by hand along the edges. I'm working on the second one now. It really extends the llfe of the towels by several years! I bought the binding with a 40% off coupon at Beverly's. Have been having coffee at home, and am still drinking half as much as I used to...it's saving me money, and I feel better. Reduced my order at the organic co op to every three weeks, and it's working out well. I may cut it back to every four weeks. I look at the weekly flyers for specials in the mail, and just buy what's on sale at Sprouts. Stopped at CVS yesterday and got three bottles of ACT on close out. They also had Closys on sale, so I picked up an extra bottle. I use those for the zellies system. It's really helped my teeth. I'm going to listen to Suze Orman's free podcast today. I look forward to that each week. Later this afternoon on I'll total my expenses for August.
We have some large expenses coming up, really need to watch this month so I'm joining in.
Garden is exploding, canned 14 jars diced tomatoes and 15 jars green beans. (My freezer is already full):)
Than made gluten free egg rolls with cabbage and carrots from the garden! We eat them like crazy, they freeze well. My 16 yo DS is tough to keep full these days.
I agree with you guys I am ready to dig potatoes, bring in the pumpkins and start hunkering down for fall.
I'm also in.
After having a good stretch (2004 through 2010 or so) of living below my means and saving, saving, saving, I have fallen into being fairly careless about my money in the midst of having a baby and many other life transitions (becoming part of a blended family, buying a house, changing jobs). The result? I am now in significant credit card debt for the first time in ten years. Yuk. But I'm just going to take a bunch of deep breaths and make a plan.
The first and most important thing I need to do is to restart tracking what I earn and spend and putting it on a chart every month so that I can see exactly what the relationship is between those two things and what adjustments need to be made. I started tracking again yesterday.
And then, obviously, I need to start spending less. This is a little tricky right now because I have two trips coming up that are going to be expensive that I committed to before I really understood how deeply I was getting myself in debt. Ah well. In the past, I've learned how much all the little changes can add up, and I'm going to focus on those now.
I'm going to aim for 7 no-spend days this month and see how I do with that. And I think I'll go "cash-only" for at least my personal expenses as much as I can.
I'm so glad to have this group for support and inspiration!
ejchase: I hear you. That's the same thing that has happened to us. Some enormous life changes have suddenly caused us to head off path and incur some debt I'm not happy.
As Dave Ramsey would say, we are lucky to have a big shovel in the form of two good salaries. However we have big expenses coming up, wood for winter, new tires for a vehicle and a propane tank fill.
Time to tighten the belt, we can be debt free by Christmas and pay cash for our expenses but there's going to be some pennies squealing over here.
My frugals are kind of consumery, but here they are:
Used sign-on bonus credit card points to order frozen salmon meat and smoked salmon. This was a "stock up" order, so it was nice to have no out of pocket cost for this purchase (about $140. worth).
Upcoming vacation with hotel all booked with reward points (4 nights for retail of about $130 per night, credit card charges $49. annual fee but you get one "free" night, so $49. out of pocket for rooms that would go for $520)
I'm consistently earning $10 per month from Bing and DH is earning $5, so that's $15 per month in Amazon gift cards. We've been at it for 6 months, so that's about $90. Here's a link if anyone is interested (yes, I would get points if anyone signs up and follows through, but it's not a bad way to earn a little extra for gifts, etc):
https://www.bing.com/explore/rewards?PUBL=REFERAFRIEND&CREA=RAW&rrid=_6f5eada9-9681-5869-f75e-f23a081bfb9b
I think that's it for now - oh - finally starting to get some red tomatoes - latest ever, it's gotten too shady by our vegetable bed!
fidgiegirl
9-1-14, 10:58pm
Hi all! Not so frugal lately, though inspired by yours. I had the chance to meet Fawn in person on Saturday when she dropped off her daughter at a nearby college, and it was delightful, and it also has me thinking again about goals, etc.
Amazon Prime = the devil. I was going to cancel after the trial (it was awesome during the newborn period, but wasn't something we felt we needed for $100 a year after that . . . ). Well, despite marking the date on my calendar, I blew it and we were charged after all. So we use it. I guess the good side is that it saves us running all over town for stuff. I am also trying to be better about doing just a few minutes of research and then ordering something, rather than days of agonizing over what to get. We are refreshing our sandwich containers for lunches, and I bought a computer bag for work as well as some new socks. Lately around here it's all about convenience. We also found a new delivery source for our dog food. We continue to use grocery delivery as well. I switched my prescriptions to delivery, too. Anything we can get delivered, we're all about it.
Wow, chrissieq, you are right about the tomatoes!! I went and got a big ol' load from our community garden plot tonight. I plunked them all in the crock pot since a number were blemished/cracked. We will stew them down, run them through the food mill and use the sauce in a chili this week. Depending on how much is left I might freeze some, we'll see. I threw in a few leaves of volunteer kale that survived the bugs and we'll mill that all up in with the tomatoes, too. My DMiL left us her herbs to babysit while she's traveled this summer and we've taken terrible care of them, but there are some spindly lookin' basil sprigs left in there so I yanked some off and threw it in, too. Yummmmmmers.
TMC, how do you make your GF eggrolls? I have a package of rice wrappers in the cupboard that I was thinking (inspired by cdttmm) that we need to use up, but I'm not sure how.
We did buy a meal slicer for $10 off our local FB garage sale group and I ordered a chunk of ham and a turkey breast with our grocery order. They were like $3.99 and $2.59 a pound compared to the $7.99 or $8.99 DH had been paying for lunch meat. He is excited to slice up the meat and keep it in the freezer. He's a lunchmeat sandwich man, so more power to him. Those savings will add up quickly if we can keep up with the chore of it. Usually when DH is invested in taking something on he does an excellent job of actually doing it (unlike moi sometimes), so I am confident the slicer will get used.
Wow! My biggest check-in in a while.
awakenedsoul
9-2-14, 7:40pm
I just signed up for bill pay with my credit union. They'll give me $10.00. I like it. Stamps have gotten expensive, so I'll save some money on postage. Today I took two buses to my credit union to deposit my refund checks, ($471.00) from my car insurance and Auto Club. (My local branch closed.) I found a bike path that gave me a shortcut home. It's a nice area. I only had to take one bus, about half the distance. We've got great bike paths here. They're away from the traffic. The new development has really helped. I finished up the tuna and noodles and am eating the leftover fajitas for the next few days. I was going to stop at Panera for a pastry, but decided to save the money instead. I brought my cafe au lait in my thermos and had it on a park bench halfway through my trip. I found an incredible yoga class on line that builds up the inner and outer thigh muscles. (Mine have been disappearing!) The teacher is Russian, and she's excellent. Here's the link:www.sequencewiz.org (http://www.sequencewiz.org). I did that yesterday, and it's a fabulous workout, for free! Found the henna I use in bulk at our local beauty supply store. I'm coloring my hair as I type. I have to leave it on for four hours to cover the grey. Auditions for Rock of the Ages are coming up, so I've got to look my best...am still eating my way through the snickerdoodle cookies that I made last week. There is still dough in the fridge. I saw a bag of gingersnaps at Sprouts, but decided to keep baking everything from scratch. It's so much cheaper! I received my gas bill for the month. It was only $15.00. Normally I pay $30.00 a month. (I used to take a hot bath every night.) Now that I'm going to the gym every other day, I've cut my usage in half. I may start going every day and see what I pay. The hot water savings pays for the membership! I love the jacuzzi, and I don't have to clean my tub as often anymore. I went to The Salvation Army yesterday and bought three pair of shorts. They were having a 50% off sale. The shorts I'm wearing are from a sale they had three years ago. Total spent: $10.75. They're really nice, too. (American Eagle and L.L. Bean.) I'm almost finished mending my towels. I've been working on them on the bus. I like being able to do something while commuting. My knitted tank top should be finished in a few days, too.
I like reading about how everyone is cutting their expenses.
Wow! Such a great start to the month for everyone!
The semester started yesterday so we're off and running. I keep reminding myself it's only 15 weeks. :D
In a mad scramble, I remembered to bring lunch and a bottle of water to school yesterday. I'll do the same today. Picked a whole lot of tomatoes and need to figure out what to do with them before leaving on my trip on Thursday. Picked some blackberries, too, but then it started to rain so I had to stop. I'll finish picking them later today.
It's been very hot and humid here so I've had to use the A/C. Mostly at night because otherwise it would have been too darn uncomfortable to sleep. I hate using it, but it should be temporary as it looks like it will be cooler and less humid today.
I really enjoy reading about your daily life, Awakenedsoul! It sounds so peaceful and purposeful, and well-thought-out. My summer has been kind of loosy-goosy and less-structured (as well it should be) but I think I am ready to buckle down and get my sights on my next goal, which is to save up a bunch of money for next year's road trip. By June I will have accrued over three weeks of paid vacation time and I am thinking of doing a more epic trip, maybe being on the road for about a month. That means I need to save up at least $2500 (if not more) for that. I am adamant that it doesn't come out of my savings. Part of it will be a business trip for my jewelry business. I need to look for more new galleries and will have to replenish my supplies too.
So this is how I am going to do it, basically by doing what I have been doing for a long time. Live as cheaply as possible by carefully shopping for food and home-cooking, thrift shopping when I need stuff (I am really working on NOT buying thrift-store clothing, though cheap, that I really don't need. All my wardrobe these days consists of jeans and T-shirts anyway). I am mainly working on earning extra income, both actively and passively. My jewelry business has been going quite well; last month I made about $500 between gallery commissions, repairs, and custom pieces! I do have to be careful about the money I am putting into it by buying needed tools and supplies, though. I still need to find some more places to sell locally and to get into some of those indie art fairs.
My other money-maker is having my house mate. It is working out really well but he may not stay for too much longer because he is in the process of buying a house. If that happens soon, I may have another person lined up to take his place, but if not, living in a college town as I do, it is pretty easy to find someone to pay $335/month for a room. The best deal in town, really!
I also did my yearly physical and have decided to resume selling my plasma, as they have upped the price of each donation. I can make an extra $200 per month doing that as long as it doesn't start draining me (literally)! I just have to be careful to stay very well hydrated and make sure I get enough protein.
I got a raise at work this summer, and we are heading into the busy season at Wholefoods so I should be looking forward to getting some gain-sharing money on every other paycheck. Also, historically I have received a very handsome birthday and Christmas check from a family member every year (though I always tell myself to not count on it). My car loan just dipped below $4000 (!) and I am diligently paying extra on it when I can. The only other debt I have is a no-interest medical bill that I pay $100 per month on. I still have a ways to go on that one, though.
I feel really motivated to dig in and stay focused on my goal, as if I am starting the "school" year off on a good note. Yesterday I deposited my room mate's rent check into my money market account and was pleasantly happy to see that I have now have $16, 392.52 in my emergency savings! WOOT!
I'd love to see the GF egg roll recipe too.
awakenedsoul
9-3-14, 2:10pm
SiouzQ., Thanks for the encouragement. $16.392.52...wow! That's a lot of money!!! Especially for someone who works at Whole Foods! I'm impressed. Glad to hear you are also making money from your jewelry sales. I've never known someone who sells their plasma. Is it painful? I think I'd be afraid. When you write about your trips, I muse, "Gee, I'd love to do that." Seems like you've really got a handle on your money. I paid $375.00 a month to rent a room back in 1982. Yours is a great deal...
I'm on the last inch of sewing on my Laura Ashley towels. I'm so glad that I did this. They're a beautiful pattern. Last year I redid the edges with quilt binding on a set of Waverly towels that I bought many years ago. They're still in excellent shape. I think it's partly because I line dry my laundry. I've got my bread on the second rise right now. I'm using up the last of the snickerdoodle cookie dough. Once those are eaten, I'll make a batch of toll house cookies. I have chocolate chips that I stockpiled last year in my freezer. I keep lots all of my baking staples on hand so that I don't run out of anything. I'm real happy with the way the henna came out. It really bumps up the color and gives it some shine. No chemicals, either. I'm going to cook up the potatoes that we got in our co op box a few weeks ago. Organic produce doesn't last as long, so I have to watch it. I also have a recipe for cream chipped beef that I want to try. I bought the beef jerky last month at Costco, with a coupon. This month they have glucosomine on sale, so I'll pick up a couple of bottles tomorrow. It helps me to stay ahead of the deals. I researched the bus route for the Rock of the Ages audition. I would have to take six buses and a subway! So, I'll rent a car from Enterprise, instead. They will come pick you up. My brother works for them, so I can get a family discount. Time to get back to my baking, before it gets too hot!
Keep posting, everyone. It's motivating to read...
Disclaimer: Awakendsoul, I've been working on that savings account for YEARS! I've only been at WholeFoods for two years. I'm just really good at finding ways to earn extra money (all of them legal, too :) ) And more money from art sales will be coming my way soon; I got an e-mail late last night from my New Mexico gallery stating that they had sold one of my larger art pieces (plus a bunch of jewelry as well) last month.
I'm sorry for the delay, I've just been running like crazy.
Here's a link to the Gluten Free Eggrolls. http://glutenfreeonashoestring.com/eggrolls-with-fresh-gf-wonton-wrappers/
She has a wonderful website with scratch gluten free recipes. Some of the ingredients are pricey upfront but it saves a lot of money in the long run. She also has GF wonton wrappers on her site that I used as well. I made a bunch and froze them.
Hello everybody. I am enjoying reading everyone's frugals.
The kids and I cleaned out the freezers and made an inventory list, then DH and I did a weekly meal plan. I am constantly running the kids around so I am never home to cook dinner. We managed to work out quick meals combined with some once a month meals I cooked that are in the freezer along with my crockpot. We have eaten all meals at home this week and have kept up with our leftovers so I have two meals to carry over to next weeks meal plan. I work full time but am lucky enough to work at home so I have time to put stuff in the crockpot or the oven but I don't have time for big elaborate prep during the week.
Today was a turkey breast in the crock pot with smashed potatoes from the garden and frozen corn from last years garden. We started with a Kale salad and finished with watermelon. My garden is keeping us fed these days.
Sept 04--you are all doing great!!!
--puree a whole cauliflower and mixed with mashed potatoes...yummy and healthy and went a long way
--company lefted Mon the 1st and we have been eating up the leftovers for the past couple of days...waste not want not!
--volunteered this afternoon and brought water and a snack with me, it is far too easy to buy snacks there.
--still eating lettuce and cherry tomatoes from the garden...larger tomatoes are still green
--used a Groupon to have my car hand washed and detailed for only $19.00
---used a Groupon to have grass cut, boarders trim, and nicely edged all for $25.00, I have been doing it myself with the
push mower (but, it needs sharpen and my weed eater needs a new reel of cord) now I can put those things off till the spring.
And, for that price it all looks nice and I got a break...love it.
--having a yard sale on Sat.....all stuff from the garage if it doesn't sell it is out the door, so it is worth the effort to sell some of it.
That is all for now...
So far...
- Weekend at the cabin worked out fine. Lots of fun and good fellowship! And, as the cook, I didn't have to pay anything. The weather (and sloth) kept us from spending money on any big endeavors. I even ended up taking home some of the food because our host didn't want to leave any behind, so I'll work that into our menu for the week. I did buy a quart of local maple syrup on the way home (it was much cheaper than the local syrup at the coop). Oh, and I bought some fuel, but I used only four gallons for the 220-mile round trip.
- We're getting $40 back from T-Mobile as part of a class-action settlement because they allowed "premium texting services" to (over)charge customers. We could have gotten more if we could document the charges actually paid, but, in the interests of simplicity, we got rid of the old statements a long time ago. Oh, well.
- Umm, that seems to be it. Hmm.
Today I gave my 3 week notice to my part-time job so that I can spend some time doing other things.... I am very blessed by God in that I have no debt to speak of - just regular monthly bills like utilities, food, and petrol. I have been at this job for 4 months now and really don't feel that it's a great fit for me. Overall, I am at that realization that due to my age and the overall economy, I will likely have to make good on jobs only paying $10-12 an hour opposed to $30 that I made a few years ago. Knowing when to say "enough is enough" with negative things in your life is so important! I will clearly need to watch my finances more carefully now and adopt more frugal practices. I have a lot of expensive china and other items that I think would sell well on eBay and want to consider other income-producing ideas as well.
Now that we are entering the Autumn season, I plan to make much more meals at home to save money and to hone my cooking/baking skills more. Devoting my time to volunteering at my local cat shelter is of the utmost importance to me and may open more doors to future work - who knows?! Despite everyone hating to be poor, I rather find it nice to watch my pennies and keeping myself happy with the more simple things of life... good friends, good food, my garden, my cats, and my collection of books, china, and videos!
It amazes me how unhappy I used to be always running on the hampster wheel to make it day to day, month to month.... so nice now to simply relax while nurturing my soul.... I still have to find ways to get $$ to live, but I think I can do while still enjoying life to the fullest and on MY terms!
Can you tell, I am fired up about my plans? :cool:
It amazes me how unhappy I used to be always running on the hampster wheel to make it day to day, month to month.... so nice now to simply relax while nurturing my soul.... I still have to find ways to get $$ to live, but I think I can do while still enjoying life to the fullest and on MY terms!
Congratulations on your next move toward living more simply!
It's a common experience among us here, I think, to gain perspective from some time spent living simply -- and then to look back at our old consumerist lives to wonder how happy we really were. Without getting too political, however, there is a distinct difference between choosing simplicity and a low-cost lifestyle and living in precarious financial circumstances in which only one thing has to go bad to bring down the whole house of cards. We are lucky to be able to choose.
awakenedsoul
9-5-14, 4:36pm
Brandon, Hi! Welcome to the forum. You sound like you're doing great! I look forward to reading your posts.
Yesterday the washing machine technician came and fixed the washer. It was $340.00...yikes! Today I got a flat on my Burley bike trailer. I called the shop, and they'll fix it for free. (It's only a week old.) I stopped by Costco after my swim at the gym and bought juice on sale, (2 huge bottles for $6.50,) bananas, and milk. Ran into my friend on the bus and chatted with her all the way home. I've got to remember to keep plenty of water with me when I'm commuting. If I forget I get dehydrated. I finished sewing up my hand knit cotton/ linen tank top this morning. I'll take it with me on the bus and sew in all the ends. I need to finish the edges with a row of single crochet, too. Yesterday I boiled all of my potatoes from the co op box. I had some for lunch with sauteed shallots and melted cheddar cheese. I added up my expenses for August. I'm still under budget, but I spent more on food than I realized. Hopefully the numbers will drop now that I'm car free. I keep adding more companies to Bill Pay with my credit union. It's kind of fun. I still have leftover fajitas, so I'll be eating those for dinner. Yesterday I made toll house cookie dough and baked a dozen cookies. I'd forgotten how much I love those! I've had the chocolate chips from Costco in the freezer for ages! Looks like it's time to buy a new swimsuit or two and some undies...everything I'm wearing is getting too stretched out! I did the Youtube yoga set for the inner and outer thigh muscles last night. It's really helping me. I'm doing to do it at least every other day. I can't put a price on how much it's helping me.
Time to catch my bus! Keep up the great work, everyone!
Brandon, Hi! Welcome to the forum. You sound like you're doing great! I look forward to reading your posts.
Yesterday the washing machine technician came and fixed the washer. It was $340.00...yikes! Today I got a flat on my Burley bike trailer. I called the shop, and they'll fix it for free. (It's only a week old.) I stopped by Costco after my swim at the gym and bought juice on sale, (2 huge bottles for $6.50,) bananas, and milk. Ran into my friend on the bus and chatted with her all the way home. I've got to remember to keep plenty of water with me when I'm commuting. If I forget I get dehydrated. I finished sewing up my hand knit cotton/ linen tank top this morning. I'll take it with me on the bus and sew in all the ends. I need to finish the edges with a row of single crochet, too. Yesterday I boiled all of my potatoes from the co op box. I had some for lunch with sauteed shallots and melted cheddar cheese. I added up my expenses for August. I'm still under budget, but I spent more on food than I realized. Hopefully the numbers will drop now that I'm car free. I keep adding more companies to Bill Pay with my credit union. It's kind of fun. I still have leftover fajitas, so I'll be eating those for dinner. Yesterday I made toll house cookie dough and baked a dozen cookies. I'd forgotten how much I love those! I've had the chocolate chips from Costco in the freezer for ages! Looks like it's time to buy a new swimsuit or two and some undies...everything I'm wearing is getting too stretched out! I did the Youtube yoga set for the inner and outer thigh muscles last night. It's really helping me. I'm doing to do it at least every other day. I can't put a price on how much it's helping me.
Time to catch my bus! Keep up the great work, everyone!
i used to suffer with many flat tyres on my mountain bike due to the terrain I was riding on, I the found a product called Stans no tubes. It is a US product and you pour it in your inner tubes and I have never had another puncture in 2 years!
awakenedsoul
9-5-14, 8:31pm
i used to suffer with many flat tyres on my mountain bike due to the terrain I was riding on, I the found a product called Stans no tubes. It is a US product and you pour it in your inner tubes and I have never had another puncture in 2 years!
Davidwd, Stans no tubes. I'm going to google that. Thanks for the tip! I just spent almost $40.00 buying tuff tube, expensive inner tubing, and paying for labor to redo both wheels of the bike trailer. This is supposed to be saving me money. (We have thorns everywhere this time of year.) However, there is a very nice English man who's been helping me at the bike shop. Reminds me of when I had a crush on my mechanic. This is cheaper. I did end up dating the mechanic. Who knows what will happen?
Hey Brandon: Welcome to the Frugals thread. I am interested in volunteering with my local cat rescue group, but I am worried that I will end up bringing home dozens of cats! So since I'm currently working full-time, I donate money. I would like to donate time as well, but I'm a little bit afraid. Do you have any any concerns/issues along these lines? Or dozens of cats?!
My guys have all the mountain bikes (except mine) converted to tubeless using Stan's; it's pricey to get started, especially if you race since it's best to have the wheels and tires that are designed for tubeless, but we are no longer buying huge numbers of tubes and patch kits.
I haven't posted lately because I feel like my frugals are the same day in and day out. Cook from scratch, bake bread, muffins, etc., use the library, hang laundry, stay home, etc. But the simplicity works; we met our goal of saving half of DH's take home pay in August, despite having to pay our car and home insurance. September won't be quite as good as we had to make a downpayment on my youngest's braces this week.
We're also working on a major clean, organize, and declutter project, and learned that some of the Lego sets we have are worth quite a bit on ebay, so once we finish the project my boys will rebuild the sets just to make sure all the pieces are present, and then we will sell them on ebay. These are the larger sets that were purchased by or gifted to DH, not the boys, so the funds will go into our savings.
Davidwd, Stans no tubes. I'm going to google that. Thanks for the tip! I just spent almost $40.00 buying tuff tube, expensive inner tubing, and paying for labor to redo both wheels of the bike trailer. This is supposed to be saving me money. (We have thorns everywhere this time of year.) However, there is a very nice English man who's been helping me at the bike shop. Reminds me of when I had a crush on my mechanic. This is cheaper. I did end up dating the mechanic. Who knows what will happen?
Ha, I hope you end up dating him, you may get a discount!!, the good thing about Stans is that you put it straight in your existing inner tubes.
My guys have all the mountain bikes (except mine) converted to tubeless using Stan's; it's pricey to get started, especially if you race since it's best to have the wheels and tires that are designed for tubeless, but we are no longer buying huge numbers of tubes and patch kits.
I haven't posted lately because I feel like my frugals are the same day in and day out. Cook from scratch, bake bread, muffins, etc., use the library, hang laundry, stay home, etc. But the simplicity works; we met our goal of saving half of DH's take home pay in August, despite having to pay our car and home insurance. September won't be quite as good as we had to make a downpayment on my youngest's braces this week.
We're also working on a major clean, organize, and declutter project, and learned that some of the Lego sets we have are worth quite a bit on ebay, so once we finish the project my boys will rebuild the sets just to make sure all the pieces are present, and then we will sell them on ebay. These are the larger sets that were purchased by or gifted to DH, not the boys, so the funds will go into our savings.
yes I have found Stans great my MTB is converted to Tubeless but with my road bike I changed the tubes for Continental brand because the Presta valve is removable on Continentals and using the Stans injector put in the required amount, although it increases the weight very slightly the convenience of never having a flat is wonderful.
we are also working on a major clean and have today filled 19 dustbin bags for the charity shop. I have loads to sell on ebay , it is very time consuming but it has just paid for a holiday in Venice! Although most of the high value items have now gone so I will have to work twice as hard to get rid of all the other stuff. All clothes and low value stuff goes to the Charity shop.
awakenedsoul
9-6-14, 2:14pm
Ha, I hope you end up dating him, you may get a discount!!, the good thing about Stans is that you put it straight in your existing inner tubes.
I already got a discount! 50% off the labor of my tuffy tube and inner tube replacement for the trailer. I've been using that for the past couple of years on my mountain bike tires, and it solved the problem. If I have any more trouble, I'll try the Stan's stuff. Good to know that it works for your boys, too, Kimberly. Today I got up at 4:00 a.m. and got my watering done. I worked on my tank top. It's blocked and seamed. Once I finish crocheting the edge of the neckline, it's ready to wear! I took the 7:15 a.m. bus to the co op and picked up my box of organic produce. They gave us some beautiful grapes this time! Had a nice chat with the woman who gives us our orders. Once I got home, I took my dog to the monthly clinic down the street for her rabies shot. It was $18.00. I used the Walkydog and bicycle to get there. Definitely cheaper than a vet visit! We were home before it got too hot, too. I've been watering my fruit trees on a drip at night. Even with the drought, it looks like I'm going to have a nice crop of fruit this year. I've started to pick some of the pomegranates. They're delicious! I ordered 10 lbs. of Valencia oranges for $5.00 from the organic co op. Made a glass of fresh squeezed orange juice this morning. It was very refreshing. I told my neighbor down the street that I'll knit something for her baby. She was SO appreciative! She is VERY pregnant. So, I'm going to look through my stash and get started on some booties, or something. Should be fun...
kimberlyfo, I love hearing about your frugals. My mom saved our old legos, too. My nephews play with them. They're really popular now. I'm glad you can sell yours and make some money.
Sept. 06
--Did a 2nd garage sale with Dd and we have sold a total of $230.00 the money is great but, the best part is that
removes a large amount of stuff from the house and garage.
--still eating a lot of fresh grown Ontario/Canada fruit and vegetables in season and enjoying then a LOT!!
--Join a group of women to make cards/gift card holders/ and containers for goodies for gifts...this was to sell
as a fund raiser for a group I belong to. The good thing is I learnt a bunch of new things to use myself and helped
the group at the same time......and had a lovely afternoon with some great people......that was all free
Keeping on track around here, nothing earth shattering, just regular stuff.
Sent DH to do the grocery shopping this week. He spent about $40. and stuck to the list, thats the trick of course. I did a meal plan and just put on the list what we needed to finish up the meals for the next 7 days. Haven't eaten out at all which is great for us, we usually can't get through the weekend without one meal out.
Today we are harvesting green beans, tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes and cabbage. Some for storage and some for dinner this week. Everything I gather from the backyard we don't have to buy.
I also have some dough rising to make the kids pepperoni rolls for the week. We buy the most fabulous pepperoni mail order and keep it in the fridge for weeks just like this.
Not my frugal to share today, but that of the cobbler I took my sandals to for repairs. He was using a foot-operated Singer sewing machine that was 200 years old! It had belonged to his grandfather, who was in the same trade, and who knows who owned it before. It worked perfectly, and he said that before he died he was going to donate it to a museum. It was a real beauty! Talk about ROI!
Hey Brandon: Welcome to the Frugals thread. I am interested in volunteering with my local cat rescue group, but I am worried that I will end up bringing home dozens of cats! So since I'm currently working full-time, I donate money. I would like to donate time as well, but I'm a little bit afraid. Do you have any any concerns/issues along these lines? Or dozens of cats?!
Hi there.... I have 3 cats and that is my limit! I have adopted all 3 cats from shelters and never regret those choices. Volunteering at a shelter can be hard if you are not disciplined (or you WILL end up with 12 cats...), but I find that I gain a lot of joy in seeing them get adopted and those that seem to never leave are those that I spend extra time with. Since I do mainly medical work with cats, I sometimes only see those suffering from various medical issues which can be heartbreaking - but 99.9% of them all heal and get back to normal - just in time for some lucky adopter!
I would certainly never dissuade anyone from volunteering as there are so many things you can do that may not tempt you to adopt.. :)
Big unexpected car repair bill today. $647. to replace rotors and brake pads on a car we recently purchased. It was a certified used car we bought from a dealer who now doesn't want to pay for the repairs. Ugggg, been fighting with them all day.
In the meantime I am tightening the belt even more in case I can't get those slimes to pay. I don't usually agree with name calling but this is why used car dealers get a bad rap.
Dinner tonight is ham and cabbage, I found the ham at the bottom of the freezer and I pulled the cabbage and potatoes from the garden.
I postponed an Amazon order for ink cartridges and flour. I shook the cartridges up and got a few more pages. I am determined to pay cash for everything this month and pay a big hunk on the credit card.
It is definitely going to be a no buy month.....except of course for rotors and brake pads. Ugggg again.
So far September has not been a frugal month! I waited until the last minute to book my hotel room for my trip to MN last weekend -- probably did not get the best possible deal on hotel rooms as a result. In my long drive from the Twin Cities up to the north of Duluth I stopped for lunch at what I thought was a nice little family diner. Apparently I was not paying attention to prices when I ordered lunch as my bill was $20 with tax and tip. Gah! In a pre-race panic, I bought running tights and a long-sleeved running shirt because I didn't pack any thinking the weather wouldn't require them. $100+ at Dick's Sporting Goods. Good thing it's high quality gear that I will use for a long time to come. (And I ended up wearing the stuff for my race, so I'm glad I bought it!) Had to drive myself to and from the airport because my dearly beloved wasn't available to chauffeur me. Parked in the garage parking and paid a premium instead of the cheap lot because I wasn't sure I would be functional enough post-race to walk the extra distance with my bags. Turns out I probably would have been fine. Live and learn, I guess. Totally exhausted from the trip and the race so didn't pack lunch before going to work on Monday and had to buy overpriced food at the cafeteria.
But today, I launched myself back into a frugal mindset. Brought tea and snacks to work and came home and made an early dinner after work -- homemade mac-and-cheese (carb heavy happiness to aid in my continued race recovery! :D ). So I got to use up a box of pasta (down to only 18 pounds of pasta remaining!) and the rest of the cheddar cheese. Picked a bunch of tomatoes and will make more pizza sauce for the freezer tomorrow.
Despite the unfrugalness of my racing adventures, it was totally worth it. I ran a total of 52.1 miles of northern Minnesota wilderness trails in 15 hours and 10 minutes. Amazing experience and I qualified to return next year for the 100 mile race. Boo-yah!
Blackdog Lin
9-9-14, 9:20pm
Boo-yah indeed cdttmm! You go girl!
Making more homemade pizza sauce to freeze with the abundance of tomatoes we have growing in the garden. The nights are getting pretty cool, though, so we're rapidly coming to the end of the tomato season here in New England. But so far I've frozen enough pizza sauce for about 20 rounds of pizza-making. We usually make 2 large pizzas when we make homemade pizza; one for dinner the night we're making them and one for lunch or dinner the following day. So if you figure we make pizza once a week, every week, starting in October that should get us to about the first week in March on frozen homemade pizza sauce. After that we'll have to go pizza-free or suffer through with store-bought sauce until next year's tomato crop. Note to self: put up enough pizza sauce for 40 rounds of pizza making next year!
Cdttmm, could you let me have the recipe please.
Davidwd, I don't really follow a recipe exactly, but here's a close approximation to what I do:
Roughly chop tomatoes -- enough to create one (not tightly packed) layer in a 9x13 glass baking pan
Add a few cloves of garlic
Add some onion (I use Egyptian onion because it's what we have in our garden at the moment)
Pour in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan
Add some salt and lots of fresh ground pepper
We cook ours outdoors on the wood smoker for the best taste, on the grill as a back-up option, or roast in the over as a last resort. Usually let it go for about an hour or so. When it smells good and the onions look a little caramelized, it's done. :D Let it cool, then throw it all in the blender and give it a whirl. Freeze for future consumption! We use whatever combination of tomatoes we have growing, but often there are lots of cherry tomatoes so the sauce has a nice hint of sweetness to it without adding sugar (which I have discovered is in a lot of store-bought sauces). If we have peppers (of any variety) we'll throw some of those in the mix, too.
I think cooking it on the wood smoker is the key, but I have to admit...I made today's batch in the oven because it was pouring rain, and I thought it tasted just as wonderful. We make pizza sauce this way every year so it's never really the same, but it's always good!!! I whole-heartedly recommend experimentation -- I don't think you can really screw this up!
rosarugosa
9-14-14, 6:49am
We were on vacation last week (Berkshires in Western MA) and we did go over budget, so I guess I would have to say it wasn't a frugal experience overall, mostly due to dining out. There were some frugals, and I'll share those, since without them we would probably have gone even further over budget!
We bought beverages, snacks & breakfast foods for our hotel room so we usually just ate our for our evening meal.
We went to parks that were free or just required a $2.00 parking fee (Mt Graylock, Natural Bridge State Park, Western Gateway Heritage State Park).
We tried going to the local library to see if they had passes available for a couple of the expensive museums (MA MOCA, The Clark). They did not have what we wanted for when we wanted them, but we did get a list of what they have for future reference. As a bonus, the library was a magnificent old mansion, so we enjoyed checking it out while we were there. We could probably score passes next time if we went there first thing in the morning.
We visited the local historical society, which had great displays and a knowledgeable member who enjoyed showing us around. We learned lots about the railroad and the history of the Hoosac Tunnel (fascinating!)
I realize this would not be everyone's dream vacation; I guess I'm just not a Margarita-on-a-sunny-beach kind of person! We had fun and learned a lot.
rosarugosa, that sounds like an awesome vacation! I've been Mt Greylock and MA MOCA, but not the other places you mentioned. I will definitely have to check them out because all of that stuff is only an hour from me. But what I really want to know is...which restaurants did you have dinner at and which ones were worth it?!? :D
Got motivated and baked bread yesterday. Then my dearly beloved came home from NYC early so we got to have dinner and spend some time together.
rosarugosa
9-14-14, 9:09am
Cdttmm: We didn't wander too far from North Adams this trip, so that's where we did all our dining. Public is a wonderful restaurant, pricey, but worth it. The Hub is also a consistently good dining experience, not quite so upscale, but good food, good variety and less $$. Freight Yard Pub was disappointing, although it might be good for just beers and burgers. Brewhaha is a really good coffee shop with breakfast and lunch, a little pricey, but worth it, and with lots of vegetarian options.
Rosarugosa, We loved the Berkshires and happened to get there on Farmers' market day-yummy stuff, not frugal but wonderful. We loved the library, too, in Lennox, right? They were having an art show when we were there. We went up to Adams to see Susan Anthony's grave..or church or something. No frugals here to speak of.
cdttmm: thanks for the recipe! I ran out of olive oil so just threw it on a non stick baking pan and added some black olives. It turned out delicious. Nothing's left to freeze though, I added some leftover roasted chicken pieces and more olives and served with pasta. Thanks :)
Davidwd, I don't really follow a recipe exactly, but here's a close approximation to what I do:
Roughly chop tomatoes -- enough to create one (not tightly packed) layer in a 9x13 glass baking pan
Add a few cloves of garlic
Add some onion (I use Egyptian onion because it's what we have in our garden at the moment)
Pour in enough olive oil to cover the bottom of the pan
Add some salt and lots of fresh ground pepper
We cook ours outdoors on the wood smoker for the best taste, on the grill as a back-up option, or roast in the over as a last resort. Usually let it go for about an hour or so. When it smells good and the onions look a little caramelized, it's done. :D Let it cool, then throw it all in the blender and give it a whirl. Freeze for future consumption! We use whatever combination of tomatoes we have growing, but often there are lots of cherry tomatoes so the sauce has a nice hint of sweetness to it without adding sugar (which I have discovered is in a lot of store-bought sauces). If we have peppers (of any variety) we'll throw some of those in the mix, too.
I think cooking it on the wood smoker is the key, but I have to admit...I made today's batch in the oven because it was pouring rain, and I thought it tasted just as wonderful. We make pizza sauce this way every year so it's never really the same, but it's always good!!! I whole-heartedly recommend experimentation -- I don't think you can really screw this up!
Thank you. I have some tomato's just ripening. I can put them to good use now.
David
awakenedsoul
9-14-14, 3:27pm
That recipe sounds delicious! I'm going to have to try it, too. Yesterday I ordered groceries from Vons on line. I'm staying in because of my concussion. They give you free delivery. I've been cooking and eating from my stockpile. It's really come in handy this week. Stocked up on water yesterday, thanks to my neighbors. They refilled my jugs and brought them to me. I made a tuna and noodles casserole a few days ago, and have been eating that. I've made salads for lunch, using up my produce in the crisper bins. I ran out of dog biscuits, so I've been giving them pasta. I started knitting a baby sweater for my neighbor who just gave birth. It feels good to use yarn that was leftover from my first adult sweater. It's coming along really well. Knitting is good therapy, since I have to stay inside. I plan to take an early morning bus to the fire station tomorrow to pick up my bicycle. That way I'll avoid the sun. It's not too far. I'll walk the bike home. My neighbors hung a framed Norman Rockwell reproduction that I bought at the Salvation Army for me. I had tried to do it, unsuccessfully. It looks really nice. I love his work. Enterprise Rent a Car is giving me a free rental car next week so that I can pick up my new to me, used Fiat hatchback. It gets 44mpg on the freeway. I'm really excited about it. That's all folks...
Keep up the great work with the frugals, everyone!
rosarugosa
9-14-14, 3:50pm
Nswef: We were at the North Adams library, but Lenox has a beautiful one too, and the Lenox Farmers' Market was the last thing we did before getting on the turnpike headed for home!
early morning
9-18-14, 11:47pm
I'm really stretching for frugals this month - it has NOT been frugal so far - some planned spending, some unplanned. DH's favorite cat-buddy got into a tiny spat with the neighbor's cat last week, ended up with an infected/abscessed tongue that needed stitches and 2 teeth pulled, plus the application of large amounts of cash. It ended up that he- the cat- had an undiagnosed heart condition. The stress of the mouth surgery and having to stay indoors ended up causing heart failure and he died yesterday. I don't know what the final bill will be, and we had him cremated (more money but sanity-saving), and now we are sad for the loss of our sweet kitty, and for the money we spent as well. Some days life just kinda bites. . . I am just grateful that we are in a spot where vet bills do not put us in an impossible situation. So today I hung laundry out, thankful for the sunshine, and paid bills, happy that I have a job that pays enough for me to do so. I have lunch for tomorrow left over from tonight's dinner, and today's lunch was rescued from the back of the fridge just in time (to not be inedible). I got a $10 coupon to a pet store I seldom visit, so I stopped on the way to my mother's (no extra trip!) and got some dry cat food of a fancy variety, which we will use for treats for our remaining cats. Since it was on sale for $9.99 AND came with two free cans of fancy wet food, I ended up not spending a cent and got quite a bit.
rosarugosa
9-19-14, 4:45am
Oh Early, I am so sorry. If only you could have saved your cat for all your trouble and expense.
I'm sorry about your (husband's) cat; it's always too soon to lose a beloved pet.
awakenedsoul
9-19-14, 1:28pm
early morning, I'm so sorry about your cat. You did all you could and tried to save him...I know what you mean about vet bills. That happens with frugals, two steps forward, one step back. I've felt that way since the bike accident. I haven't gotten the bill from the insurance yet. But, that's what our emergency funds are for, right? Like you, I'm glad I had the money in savings. When I was younger, this would have been a financial catastrophe...
Today I took the bus to the gym. I walked and took two buses instead of bicycling. It used to take me 2 hours, door to door with my workout. Today it took me 3 hours and ten mins. The gym is only 5 miles away. But, I have the time, and I used my bus pass. If I continue to walk, I'll bring some knitting so I'm doing something constructive while at the bus stop. The walking is good exercise, too.
Yesterday I made a big pot of beef stew. I only used half a pound of grass fed meat, and put the rest in the freezer. I used up some home grown Cinderella pumpkins I had frozen, plus my vegetables from the co op. I'll make a loaf of bread today. I love soup or stew with fresh homemade bread. I also plan to bake an apple pie. Sprouts had apples on sale for under 50 cents a pound, so I bought several. On Wed. I went to our local knit shop and paid $5.00 for their half hour of help special. I really like the lady who teaches there. She gave me some good advice on one of my designs. I altered it this morning, and it came out really well. I'm almost done with the baby sweater that I'm knitting my neighbor. Next I'm going to make a set of coasters for my dad. It's his birthday. I can use some leftover yarn in my stash. I try to only buy top quality yarn when it's on sale at 40% off or clearance. It's paying off. I've spent very little money on yarn or knitting this year, but have made lots of nice clothes and gifts. My Fiat should be ready for pick up today or tomorrow. It's not as frugal as going car free, but I'm excited about it. It's the nicest car I've ever had!
early morning
9-19-14, 10:48pm
Thanks all for your kind words - our other kitties are still looking for their missing compatriot, which makes DH sadder... but it will be ok, we are consoled that kitty had a good life - he was born here and never left home, lol. In frugals today, Dsis bought me dinner for helping her unload furniture from her van and get it in the house. DD hung her laundry outside, and I saved the soggy rolls from dinner for the chickens. That's about it for the day. . .
awakenedsoul, those little fiats are darling!! I am so jealous.:|(
Sept 21...everyone is doing well and as usual I am here reading and not getting around to posting.
--helped Dd with 3 garage sales this month and got rid of a lot of stuff and decided on a bunch more to put on KIJIJI
and made a nice sum of money between us.
--had an almost full container of hair product that would not spray anymore....put it upside down in a glass of water and the
next day it was working again.
---got beautiful red peppers on sale and made 2 batches of jelly one sweet and one hot will eat and use for gifts.
--froze up corn, red peppers, herbs, green beans, cauliflower, peaches and pears for the winter....all Canadian (some from my yard) and
great prices at this time of year
---simmered all the corn cobs and added some corn and used as the base for a really great corn and veggie soup.
---still only buying groceries that are really needed or on sale with, coupons, getting points and price matching it is all really
helping our grocery totals.
--did an inventory of gift cupboard (and made decisions on what to keep for who, and what to donate to various groups)
This is not something I am finding so frugal anymore as I really don't give so many gifts anymore.
--not my frugal but, people around me learning to be more so....had a birthday this month and mostly received gift cards.
LCBO-----hehe------smart kids for those of you not from here that is (Liquor Control Broad of Ontario)
---dinner last night was some bought on sale steak cut in small pieces and marinated and stir fried with lots of seasonal vegetables
and served on rice.....lots left for tonight to serve on some noodles and very yummy, frugal and healthy .
rosarugosa
9-21-14, 10:41am
Danna, That's a great idea about the spray bottle. I'm going to try that one!
early morning -- so sorry to hear about your dear kitty.
Seems like at least a few folks are still churning out the frugals, even if they are just the usual things! September has been less-than-frugal over here, but I keep trying to get back on track and y'all help inspire that (especially in my moments of supreme weakness!).
A few frugal things. Got unexpected 3 refund checks in the mail yesterday. Apparently the hospital that I had multiple visits to last year, overcharged me on three separate occasions. So I received $15 refund checks for each of those visits. Woo-hoo, $45 for me!!!
Finally received a long-awaited refund from Home Depot for the paint I bought over the summer. It came in the form of a $5 debit card that, apparently, is good anywhere debit MasterCards are accepted. Cool!
I think we are truly at the end of the tomato harvest. So the last of the tomatoes are being turned into the last batch of pizza sauce for the season. It's all in the oven cooking now as I post here. Here's to future yumminess!!!
awakenedsoul
9-23-14, 3:40pm
Today I decided to go back to being frugally car free. Enterprise had been giving me the runaround as far as buying this new used car. After the 4th delay, I canceled the sale. It's been almost two weeks, and I'm concerned they were covering up something. I had to push the manager in order to get a refund on my $375. transfer fee from NV , but he agreed. (After I said I would write a detailed review and take them to Small Claims if he didn't.) Phew! Sometimes you have to fight for your money! I am back on the bike and bus and it's going well. Today I took the bike trailer to Costco and picked up my 40 lbs. of dog food for them month. Made tuna sandwiches on homemade bread for lunch. I'll cook a turkey meatloaf for dinner. Yesterday I finished the baby sweater I had knit for my neighbor's little boy. I gave it to her last night. Now I'm working on coasters for my Dad's birthday present. The yarn I received for free in a goodie bag from our local yarn shop. It's really pretty...merino wool and silk. My mom requested another pair of fingerless gloves for her birthday. I have leftover organic cotton yarn in my stash that I can use. I bought it a couple of years ago with a coupon at Beverly's. I need to do some yard work later today. Looks like I am still going to come in under budget this year. September is almost over!
Not many frugals to report, because we're going in the opposite direction--we ARE moving back to America after all! This will be pricey, of course, but we are doing our best to keep the costs down as much as possible. One frugal, though: DH bought a great car on eBay at a great price--yay, no car payments--and this will save us about $1000 in car rental fees that we would have to pay otherwise.
rosarugosa
9-24-14, 4:56am
Wow Selah, that is big news! What prompted the decision to move back, if that's something you're willing to discuss?
I don't remember the last time I posted "frugals". It just doesn't seem like there have been many this month and there likely won't be many over the next couple of months. Just have to look harder, I guess.
We did get a nice surprise with our car loan. I expected it would end next month, but it actually ended this month. We found out when the loan company returned the excess of our automatic payment (like all but about six dollars of it). I then cancelled the last automatic payment. That's a bunch of money we didn't plan on having! And the car is ours to drive for the next several years; let's hope we can keep it rolling.
I was invited to wear a "father-of-the-bride" suit for DD's wedding next month. :D When I went for the fitting, I found that, because there were so many suit rentals ordered, mine would be cheaper than most of the others by about a third (even cheaper than the real FotB's suit). Renting a tux may not be frugal of itself, but saving money is -- even unintentionally.
We're doing well with our "new" wireless phone plans. DW is using my old smartphone now; I did bump up my plan to one that lets me use my phone as a hotspot because that sometimes is a much safer and faster choice than public WiFi, especially for my business. Even with that, though, we're spending only $50 a month for smartphones for both of us. Much better than the $180-200 a month we were spending a couple of years ago. And we got news of a class-action settlement against T-Mobile that will pay us back at least $40 for "premium texting services" that DW ended up on earlier.
Since the mornings got cooler, I called the heating contractor for inspections on both our furnace and the one in our investment property. By scheduling both now, I'm getting an earlybird discount and I avoid the trip charge.
We've been the recipient of a lot of cucumbers and tomatoes from our neighbor. We made a tomato pie for our neighbor to enjoy (I should remember to ask him if he liked it) and put the other tomatoes by for ourselves. Tomatoes in particular never got cheap at the farmer's markets this year, so these are very nice to have.
But that's about it for frugals. We have to replace some windows in our house this fall, there undoubtedly will be some unexpected spending for the wedding, we're planning a vacation in November (my stress levels are fine but DW needs a break), and then there are the holidays (though we have a pretty good handle on that now). Have to be resourceful, I guess.
Rosarugosa, no problem at all in sharing why we decided, again, to move back to Washington. After getting the runaround for months on DH's application for medical cannabis here, we thought we were making progress...a LITTLE. A trip to Nazareth for one doctor's signature was supposedly all was needed to get his application exactly the way the Ministry of Health here wanted. So he got the signature and the doctor's letter to go along with it. Both the doctor and DH faxed the application, to make sure the Ministry received it. DH was told repeatedly to "call back" (fill in the blank) days later on multiple occasions. THEN they figured out that THEY misspelled his name when inputting it into the database, and for some reason that was DH's fault (despite it being correct on the application and the copy of his national identity card.
When that was all sorted out, they said, "oh, we changed the rules. Your doctor isn't allowed to fill out the application by hand anymore. Now he has to type it on a computer, print it out, and THEN fax us. Have him do that." DH called for the appointment with the doctor in Nazareth and was told he had to wait until November to see him again. He then made an immediate appointment with his GP, and explained the situation. The GP said, "nonsense," and tried to access the form online to do it herself for him. The problem is, the Ministry of Health has failed to make the form accessible to doctors in our Israeli version of an HMO--which covers approximately 4 million people in this country of 9m +. So no one can access the form to type the information into, and no one is really willing to take the time to get this sorted out. Even the doctor threw up her hands and said, "I'm sorry, there's nothing I can do for you, or for any of my patients, anymore in this situation."
DH has had enough, and I'm not willing to let my husband suffer just because we, in most other ways, very much enjoy living in Israel. There are great things about this country and I won't bad-mouth it in a general sense, but this particular snafu ended up being a true deal-breaker.
DH is flying out tonight (!) to pick up the car he bought on eBay in Chicago, and then drive it to Seattle. He'll stay with my family and friends while he researches the areas between (and including) Everett and North Seattle, and settles on a few choices of apartment complexes that would work when we ultimately move in February. My family is so excited, and so are we! :)
Today I decided to go back to being frugally car free. Enterprise had been giving me the runaround as far as buying this new used car. After the 4th delay, I canceled the sale. It's been almost two weeks, and I'm concerned they were covering up something.
I wonder if there were any recalls on the car. I know when I was chatting with my friendly Avis rental agent, he was super upset. Almost every car he had on the lot has recalls and rental companies are not allowed to sell or rent a car when a recall is posted. A lot of these recent recalls have backorders of weeks to months on the part.
awakenedsoul
9-25-14, 3:22pm
Float On, Maybe so. All I know is they weren't being honest with me. My refund still hasn't posted for the transfer fee. If I don't get it tomorrow I'll send them a demand letter. Hopefully I won't have to go to Small Claims. I will if I have to...
Yesterday I talked with a woman at the city and she said she would send me a claim form for the bike accident. Their insurance company will review it. Yesterday I bought more apples on special at Sprouts. I'll use them for apple pies. I finished knitting my dad's coasters and mailed them at the P.O. today. Shipping has gone up! An envelope and postage was $2.35. But, the gift was free, (except for my time,) and I think he'll like it. I bought my bus pass for October. It's such a good feeling to pay just $32.00 a month to get wherever I need to go. I saw the new baby down the street yesterday afternoon. I baked a dozen toll house cookies, (I had the dough already made in the fridge,) for his sister. Had a nice visit with their family. They love the sweater I knit him. Now I'm working on a pair of fingerless gloves to give my mom for her birthday. It feels good to be knitting up my stash! I'll use a recycled envelope for shipping this time. Am back in my swimming routine at the gym. My mom ordered a hand knit baby sweater as a Christmas gift, so that's my first holiday order. I'll get the yarn with a 40% off coupon at Beverly's tomorrow...I just love knitting!
Sep25
--made a batch of Jam with some 1 lb frozen berries/ a little sugar and s Tbsp. of chia seeds, it
made two 8 oz jars. The seeds are expensive enough but a little go a long way and you do not need the
Certo.
--a very large pot of vegetable broth using wilted carrots, garlic, onion and the ends of fresh celery....will freeze
in two cup containers to use as the base for veggie soups.
--got two quotes for a new furnace and hope I have picked the right one.... my research says I will save on both
gas and hydro and there is a $250.00 rebate from the government.
---will also be able to drop the maintenance plan I have been carrying.
--very little driving
I guess that is about all for now
chrissieq
9-26-14, 10:43pm
I work very part time at a small cafe and today the owner said to feel free to make a salad from the salad bar for tonight's dinner to take home - mixed greens, tomatoes, chicken, bacon bits, fresh asparagus, cukes and carrots. Then she offered me an extra chicken breast (yes, thank you) and then insisted that I take a ziploc bag of fruit that she had cut up that morning - no one had taken it from the salad bar - tomorrow AM smoothies for DH and me!!
I get lunch every day I work. They are great to work for. But every now and then I get an offer like this - these are the same people who gave me a Kitchen Aid mixer a few months ago cause they replaced the one they had - what a great part time/retirement job!!
rosarugosa
9-28-14, 9:30am
Selah: Good luck with your move. I hope your DH has an easier time of it in Washington!
Steve: You were lucky to get tomatoes from your neighbor. Most of ours were eaten by the resident groundhog, so I bought tomatoes at the farmers’ market all summer. I just picked the few green ones that were left to us (DH said the groundhog will be mad at me!) and will ripen them in a paper bag. Having a groundhog in residence is NOT FRUGAL!
Awakened: That’s great that you can make so many gifts yourself. DH and I have some hand-knitted scarves that we love.
Danna: Good luck with the new furnace! We had to spend about $400 on repairs for ours this summer, but we haven’t had to put too much money into it in the 28 years we have owned it, so I cannot complain.
Chrissie: What a nice fringe benefit! Free food rocks!
Just a few odds and ends here: I've recently had a couple of pairs of pants altered and they now fit me perfectly. That's a huge savings over what the cost of replacing them would have been. I was also able to get another DVD from the library that I really wanted to see, so that was free entertainment.
DH and I just found a great new walking trail that is only a 10-minute walk from our house. It’s an old railroad trail and it goes through the marsh and over the river and it’s great! We’ll certainly continue to frequent the woods, but every time we take the rail trail we’ll save a little bit of gas since we drive to the woods.
We had salads for dinner last night, and I concocted a yummy dressing from plain yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice, parsley and dill from the garden, salt, pepper, and smoked paprika. I’m a huge fan of oil and vinegar but DH is not, so I think this dressing discovery will make him receptive to more salad meals – healthy and frugal!
awakenedsoul
9-28-14, 2:04pm
rosarugosa, So glad to hear the alterations came out perfectly! I'm going to move a button on a pair of short I bought at the Salvation Army. That way the waist will fit.
Yesterday I took the bus to the organic co op and picked up my box of produce. I also got 10 lbs. of Valencia oranges for 50 cents a lb. The bike trailer is working out really well. Came home and made a huge pot of vegetable soup. I used a chicken carcass from the freezer. I'm going to make a loaf of bread today to go with it. Did a lot of weeding in the front garden yesterday. I pulled out the sunflowers, since they are brown and dry now. I've been saving water from boiled zucchini and hard boiled eggs to feed to my annuals. It works well. The petunias and geraniums are in bloom. Made a loaf of apple bread with some apples I bought on sale at Sprouts. It's a great recipe, and I had all of the ingredients in my stockpile. I have a lot of pomegranates to pick this year. They are starting to split, so I better get out there!
rosarugosa
9-29-14, 8:33pm
A couple of additions: I'm trying to dry some garden mint so I can use it after the garden season is over. I don't think it will be quite as good as fresh, but we'll see. DH & I spent today at a wonderful place: the Parker River Wildlife Sanctuary on Plum Island, MA. It cost $5.00 for the two of us, which was a great bargain. It was our anniversary this weekend, so we wanted to do something fun & special together. It was really an amazing place and I'm sure we'll go again.
chrissieq
9-29-14, 10:05pm
Happy Anniversary rosarugosa! Sounds like a lovely way to spend a day of celebration.
Happy anniversary, rosarugosa!
I've been wanting a 3-in-1 winter jacket, but they're pricey. I found a Columbia one on sale for 50% in the REI outlet online - only $130 instead of $260. Now I just have to find a pair of winter boots...
Whoo Hoo - Happy Anniversary!! Check out places like TJ Maxx, Marshalls, Burlington Coat Factory and Ross for Columbia 3-way jackets (other brands too) at much lower prices. I got a Columbia Jacket for around $50.
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