Showing posts with label Hard Times. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hard Times. Show all posts

Covid Test Negative, Slow Boat from China and goodbye CHICKEN

 


Covid Test: Negative


This morning I made the husband get a covid test -  He's been coughing and sneezing and has a runny nose. I hate to be selfish - but I wasn't concerned about him - it seems like just a cold. I was more concerned about my surgery being canceled. I guess people still get colds...anyway, the VA just called and he's negative! 

Rain 


It is a 53-degree day and it's been drizzling rain all day. You can't imagine how excited I am about this kind of weather. Already my backyard hill is looking greener. 

Stockpiling and Christmas 


Yesterday I reorganized my pantry and I have been stockpiling some food in my craft room. I had to organize that as well. I ordered my first Christmas gift - It will be small this year. Honestly, nobody NEEDS anything. We're blessed and so I don't feel compelled to get stressed out about finding the perfect gift. We're all alive and healthy this year. That's the perfect gift we have for each other. 



Slow boat from China

I did do a dumb thing - I guess it was Sept - I ordered 2 new lamps for my living room. They were on sale.  I ordered these new lamps off the internet. They had them at Home Depot but they were $30 more so I went with another company. 

Ordered them - paid for them. After a while I realized they should be here - so I went and checked, and they are literally traveling from a slow boat from China. NO communication. I'll probably get them - EVENTUALLY but it will be a couple of months I bet. That's when I know I am not the sharpest crayon in the box anymore - I used to be careful of this and this time, it never occurred to me. Duh!



Bye Bye Chicken


Cooked the chicken in the crockpot all day yesterday - It smelled all right but my son, Foodie who is a dietitian told me with chicken sometimes the taste isn't affected. He urged me to throw the chicken out - so we did. All of it. $30 worth of chicken which makes me sick. When in doubt, throw it out. I know that! I say that all the time but it was $30!!! and I was thinking about the money wasted more than anything. Thank God for a good son who reminded me of what I have always said. 




End of the Month = broke





At my cheap and shabby homestead, we get paid the first of every month. So by the end of the month, we are broke.  Well not really broke - compared to many who do not have anything.  You know what I mean. 

We are laying low this weekend. Doing things that are FREE. It won't be a fancy Easter at my house. No one is coming over - there are no little ones so I can relax. And look forward to Monday, when we can get at our money in our checking account.   The Husband started this new job with the State on Jan 1. So we are still not in the once-a-month swing of things, just yet.

I don't feel deprived though, and that is a good thing. The last couple of evenings, we have gone out and enjoyed FREE things. Like an Easter music event at a local church and a potluck with friends. I admit, there are times I don't want to socialize - I love the comfort of my home but I did enjoy talking and listening to others. You know, we all have our struggles and while I don't like to see friends struggle, there is a bond between all of us.  We all struggle to some degree and we all want to be good stewards. 

On Monday, here in California, sales taxes will be going up. Some counties are as high as 9%.  So I would imagine, for those who were considering a big purchase, might be scrambling around right about now - to save a little money.

For me, if I want something new - I just go out to my garage and go "shopping" through boxes of "stuff" that I have collected and plan to re-do. I have a few boxes of old dresses and skirts that I saved just for the material. I really need to get going on some of my projects soon. I talk about it - yet I don't do it. 

So another new month is almost here - may the new month, last till the end, with a little leftover for good measure!








Spring has sprung - no driving this weekend



This weekend was beautiful; with temperatures nearing 80. The evenings were nice and we had no need for any heat in the house. However, I hear that rain is forming off our coast as I write - and we might have a few rainy and cooler days ahead for this week. Oh well, we do need it. We're definitely in the early stages of a drought.

With gas prices anywhere from $4.13 to $4.83 in my area, we did not go out driving all over. Kept it within a couple of miles. Attended a bagpipe competition on Sat. (I have Scottish roots) 

I finally found my camera. My husband had it in the "Beast." (His old dodge van he drives back and forth to work) Glad it was him and not me. He kept trying his best to make it like I was the one who misplaced it and I knew doggone well, it was him. I'm just glad we found it. I didn't want to have to go out and make a new camera purchase if we didn't have to.

The unopened coffee was in the freezer. So my dear husband, thought it would be best if he placed the coffee in the microwave to "defrost". He walked away for a few minutes and I awoke to the worst smell - I thought the house was on fire. I get up and he's scrambling around opening the doors and windows, has the fans on, and spraying. The microwave was so stinky, we had to put it outside to air out overnight. We placed white vinegar and water and ran it in the oven - several times. It still smells like burnt coffee but I am sure the more we use it, the odor will go.

Today I went to the shelters to look for our cat that has been missing for 3 months now. I won't give up.

Our Internet and phone were down today so I called Charter and they credited me $8.50. I'm going to start keeping track of how much I save my family. Even down to something like this!




The FURNACE has died!



WARNING: I am on a major downer.

Today was not a good day. 

1. I had a hard day at my nanny job. 

2. It stormed last night and woke me up in the early morning so I am tired. 

3.Four telemarketers called (one of them actually had me on hold when I answered)  

I am on the DO NOT CALL LIST but it seems it does not work anymore. It's out of control.


4. Then I went out to get the mail. 90% of it was pure JUNK!  So much paper-waste!


5. The FURNACE (part of our HVAC)  is officially DEAD.

It decided to go out when we are having really cold weather. Snowed around the mountain tops in my area, looks beautiful but it's cold and when all you have is an electric oil-filled heater to heat your 1300 sq ft home - it's just warm enough inside to keep it to about 64. Gets just a tad cooler in our bedrooms at night.

 OKAY, we'll survive. It just makes me nervous - because we need our AC to work this summer. Farmers Almanac is saying this is going to be a hotter summer. I think ahead!

6. Plus I am late on 1 bill. I'll pay for it tomorrow but I hate that.

The good news is I have saved up the cash to pay the final installment of our property taxes! But it won't be for long, to where I will start having to save it for the Dec date. It never ends!


So yeah - I am down. I'm just upset and feel as if things just keep getting worse. No matter how hard we work - it just doesn't seem to cut it anymore.

7. Plus gas is $4.50 a gal and the way it looks it will be $5.00 a gal by the end of March.

Arghhhhhh!!!

Bloom where you are planted





To keep my mind off the depressing news, I try and find projects. I love to cook but am limited these days with ingredients so once again I have to be creative. (and cheap) I love to decorate, but these days I shop second-hand stores and look to embellish old broken down pieces of treasure.

 For years now, when a favorite shirt, blouse, dress, or skirt gets old if it is of material that I just love (and can't part with) I save it. For a future pillow, some table napkins, placemats, gift bags - whatever I yield after it is cut up. I've still not made that quilt yet.

Tomorrow I have a rare Wednesday off so I am thinking about getting out my sewing machine and scrap material and sewing up some simple curtains for my dining room and kitchen. Right now I have those vertical blinds (this used to be my parent's home) and they loved them. They serve a purpose, especially in the hot summer when it gets to 105+ - just don't look all that fashionable. Very sterile looking. So what I plan to do is make some drapery that slides over the blinds and to the side, when the blinds are open. I can live with that!

Of course, we had planned to replace that sliding door with french doors - but as with everything else, that is ON HOLD. And I can't see myself just sitting here, feeling trapped by our situation. I have always believed that one should BLOOM where they are planted. And for this season in my life, I am planted in living life economically challenged.

 I plan to embrace it if it kills me.