A gorgeous electric fireplace! ...that we won't be buying.
Hello everyone! I felt like I had a pretty good week.
1. Groceries: We spent $40.00 at Walmart this week. I bought things like tomato paste, cheese, eggs, dry beans, chicken thighs, tortillas, crackers, milk and tuna fish. I’m working on our meal plan for November, which will feature root vegetables, hardy greens (we’ll see how hardy they really are!), venison and chicken. Also probably some apples and pears. The chicken thighs were marked down $0.66 per bag, so I saved $1.32. Not bad for something that is already so cheap!
I pulled parsnips and potatoes out of the garden this week. I also made cheese from some milk that was about to expire.
1. Groceries: We spent $40.00 at Walmart this week. I bought things like tomato paste, cheese, eggs, dry beans, chicken thighs, tortillas, crackers, milk and tuna fish. I’m working on our meal plan for November, which will feature root vegetables, hardy greens (we’ll see how hardy they really are!), venison and chicken. Also probably some apples and pears. The chicken thighs were marked down $0.66 per bag, so I saved $1.32. Not bad for something that is already so cheap!
I pulled parsnips and potatoes out of the garden this week. I also made cheese from some milk that was about to expire.
Mid-October "harvest box" from my garden!
2. Organizing: I almost finished organizing my library/office area upstairs. I went through all of my old homemaking binders and combined them into one binder. While I was sorting everything, I found some cleaning schedules that I’ll start using soon. I’ll have to do a lot more cleaning since this place is much bigger than the last one. I also made new morning, afternoon and evening schedules (more like "order of events"). I usually have to change those anyway when the weather changes, as we spend more time indoors during the winter months.
3. Toddler outing: on Thursday Hubs’ was out of town, so I decided to take Princess to a local Western store where I had a gift card I could use. I thought I might buy her some animals for her toy collection, but they didn’t have what I was looking for. We spent about 20 minutes looking at all of the merchandise; saddles, boots, hats, etc., and admiring the reindeer and longhorn mounts on the wall. I fished two quarters out of my purse and let her ride the mechanical horse. They also had a mechanical bull, but I was out of quarters. After going through the whole store, I didn’t find anything we needed. I did find some things that would make nice baby gifts, so I will save the gift card and use it for that purpose.
After that, we went to our credit union building, which was having a member appreciation day. I got to catch up with a friend who works there, plus Princess brought home a free pumpkin, lip balm, donut and balloon. The whole cost for our outing was $0.50 plus gas ($1.00 or so), and we came home with some free stuff!
4. Sewing: I finished two hand towels that I began several weeks ago. These are very easy to make with one potholder (needs a loop) and a dish towel. It wasn’t a particularly frugal project since I bought the supplies new at Walmart (about $3.00 per towel). However, I needed new hand towels and similar ones go for $6.00 or more on Amazon. So in that way, I guess it was frugal. I look forward to making more colors that I can switch out for different seasons. In the future I might make my own potholders, since the ones at Walmart are rectangles and I prefer squares with a corner loop—the video doesn't recommend it, but I like the look better—for this project.
5. Work on the house: I primed one of the guest bedrooms this week.
3. Toddler outing: on Thursday Hubs’ was out of town, so I decided to take Princess to a local Western store where I had a gift card I could use. I thought I might buy her some animals for her toy collection, but they didn’t have what I was looking for. We spent about 20 minutes looking at all of the merchandise; saddles, boots, hats, etc., and admiring the reindeer and longhorn mounts on the wall. I fished two quarters out of my purse and let her ride the mechanical horse. They also had a mechanical bull, but I was out of quarters. After going through the whole store, I didn’t find anything we needed. I did find some things that would make nice baby gifts, so I will save the gift card and use it for that purpose.
After that, we went to our credit union building, which was having a member appreciation day. I got to catch up with a friend who works there, plus Princess brought home a free pumpkin, lip balm, donut and balloon. The whole cost for our outing was $0.50 plus gas ($1.00 or so), and we came home with some free stuff!
4. Sewing: I finished two hand towels that I began several weeks ago. These are very easy to make with one potholder (needs a loop) and a dish towel. It wasn’t a particularly frugal project since I bought the supplies new at Walmart (about $3.00 per towel). However, I needed new hand towels and similar ones go for $6.00 or more on Amazon. So in that way, I guess it was frugal. I look forward to making more colors that I can switch out for different seasons. In the future I might make my own potholders, since the ones at Walmart are rectangles and I prefer squares with a corner loop—the video doesn't recommend it, but I like the look better—for this project.
5. Work on the house: I primed one of the guest bedrooms this week.
Out with the old...
We also bought a dryer used on Facebook Marketplace and moved our old washer over here to the new house. Right now it’s in the basement; not its final resting place, but at least now I don’t have to walk next door to do laundry! The dryer isn’t hooked up yet, so I’m using drying racks instead (so... saving $0.45 per load!). One of the drying racks is an ancient, massive one that my mother-in-law gave me. It’s so sturdy that our toddler can climb on it and it won’t break. Wonderful for drying jeans.
Lastly, we did something that wasn’t frugal: we bought new couches. We had a twice-handed-down couch set at the apartment for five years, so neither of us were sorry to hand over the cash for a new set. Hubs signed up for a credit card (that we won’t use, of course) to save over $100.00. Also, instead of buying bar stools at the store for $60.00 or more per piece, we bought similar ones online for $45.00 each. They haven't arrived yet. We have faith that they will be okay. ;)
We’ve spent a LOT of money on this new house, but I think it’s important to mention that we spent very little on the last house. All of those missed decorating opportunities got rolled into a figurative sinking fund for this place. If you spend a lot of money repainting, redecorating and refurnishing rentals, it's money you will never get back. Before we got married, I read a book that recommended newly married couples establish a decorating budget. I agree... AND, I think that budget should be as close to $0.00 as possible until you have a permanent (or, as permanent as possible) home. Save the money! It's worth it!!! Not only will you be able to purchase higher quality items later, but the $0.00 budget will encourage creativity and contentment for the time being.
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That's about it! It's so good to feel productive again. We'll be slowly working on more house projects all winter, but the major purchases have been made and now I can begin to think about "fun" things like lamps, rugs, artwork, etc. The kitchen is very close to being "before-and-after" ready. There is one glass cabinet insert that needs to be installed, and we need to buy two glass globes (lamps??) for a light fixture. I expect to be sharing some pictures here in a week or two!!!
Til next time,
-Bethany
Lastly, we did something that wasn’t frugal: we bought new couches. We had a twice-handed-down couch set at the apartment for five years, so neither of us were sorry to hand over the cash for a new set. Hubs signed up for a credit card (that we won’t use, of course) to save over $100.00. Also, instead of buying bar stools at the store for $60.00 or more per piece, we bought similar ones online for $45.00 each. They haven't arrived yet. We have faith that they will be okay. ;)
We’ve spent a LOT of money on this new house, but I think it’s important to mention that we spent very little on the last house. All of those missed decorating opportunities got rolled into a figurative sinking fund for this place. If you spend a lot of money repainting, redecorating and refurnishing rentals, it's money you will never get back. Before we got married, I read a book that recommended newly married couples establish a decorating budget. I agree... AND, I think that budget should be as close to $0.00 as possible until you have a permanent (or, as permanent as possible) home. Save the money! It's worth it!!! Not only will you be able to purchase higher quality items later, but the $0.00 budget will encourage creativity and contentment for the time being.
*********
That's about it! It's so good to feel productive again. We'll be slowly working on more house projects all winter, but the major purchases have been made and now I can begin to think about "fun" things like lamps, rugs, artwork, etc. The kitchen is very close to being "before-and-after" ready. There is one glass cabinet insert that needs to be installed, and we need to buy two glass globes (lamps??) for a light fixture. I expect to be sharing some pictures here in a week or two!!!
Til next time,
-Bethany
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