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Every Day

Sunday’s Frugal Things

Breakfast this morning was bacon and over easy eggs. I baked an entire pound in the oven. I under cook it just a bit so that I can warm it in the microwave each morning and not have it come out like a rock. It will last most of the week.

I have two black barrel type end tables. One in the great room next to the sofa and one in the bedroom next to a recliner. They are great for storage. I keep linens in the one in the bedroom and blanket type throws in the one in the great room. I noticed when I moved the one out of the bedroom that the black paper that is on it was pulling away on the cover and the barrel right where they make contact. So Hubby super glued it and it is now like new.

I did some more organizing in the pantries today.

This afternoon, we watched the Buffalo Bills vs. Miami Dolphins game. We won.

Hubby made Keto breaded haddock using pork panko rinds, almond flour, coconut flour, and an egg wash. We served it with broccoli.

I am taking it easy the rest of the night. I didn’t feel well when I woke up this morning.

Did you do anything to save a bit of money today?

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Every Day

Friday and Saturday’s Frugal Things

I was just worn out yesterday from all the things I have been doing since I got home from the hospital. I slept in late on my new bed which I love. I found a Marie Callendar potpie in the freezer the other day after looking for something else. Hubby hates potpies unless I make homemade. So to get rid of it, I ate it for breakfast. Not Keto, but I am not letting food go to waste that we already have.

I spent the morning doing more sheets, etc. They were from the two beds that we slept on for 3 nights. They are now done and the beds are all made up and ready for guests. I also closed those rooms off again so that we are not heating them. While they were drying, Hubby and I watched CSI- Las Vegas which we had recorded.

About 1pm, I went into our room to watch just one You Tube show. Then my plan was to do some more organizing in the pantry. Well, I don’t even remember the show. I fell asleep and woke up at 4:30pm.

Dinner was taco salad which was layered with romaine, onions, diced fresh tomatoes, black olives, a sprinkle of fiesta cheese, the seasoned taco meat and then sour cream dollops on top. It was so good!

We got about 3-4 inches of snow yesterday. I was quite surprised that our snowplow guy showed up. But he did and plowed the little bit of snow last night.

Today, it is now Saturday. As soon as Hubby gets up, I plan to remove the top drawer of my freezer in my fridge. I can’t get the bottom one open. It is stuck. So I will put all of the contents of the top drawer in a laundry basket first so that he can lift the drawer out. Then I will quickly clean the bottom drawer and remove some of the contents to our chest freezer. Then put everything back. I always work fast so that nothing thaws. I did do this and organized it while I was doing it. It made me realize that we have way to many pork products so we will not be buying any of those for quite a while. We also have lots of haddock so I will thaw some for dinner tomorrow night.

I am seriously considering thawing a turkey to cook this week. I won’t stuff it but just roast it in the convection oven and then take most of the meat off and freeze it in portions for meals. Of course we will have some the day I roast it. I will make bone broth for soup overnight with the bones and skin. Some of the turkey will be sliced on the meat slicer for cold cuts for Chef’s salads.

Thank goodness all of the laundry is finally done around here. I really do not want to see my upcoming utility bill after running the dryer so much.

After the freezer is taken care of, I need to pay a bill, register the warranties on our mattress covers, and write my doctor through the portal to get a prescription. He gave me two samples of a new drug to see how I tolerated it. I just opened the second sample and I love this drug, so he needs to write a script. I need to contact the manufacturer and get a coupon for it because it is really expensive.

Brunch was hamburgers. I had 2 in the freezer that were getting old and needed to be used up.

We made taco salads again for dinner tonight. They are so good.

Now Hubby and I are watching the NFL game: Seattle against San Francisco.

I will be off to bed early tonight.

Did you do anything today to save money?

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Every Day

Thursday’s Frugal Things

I am so excited because the new beds are coming today. I am just hoping that the blankets that I purchased fit. They sold them on Amazon as XL twin. But when they came they are marked twin. Update: They fit beautifully!

Brunch was turkey slices spread with cream cheese. Then I rolled them up and cut them into bites. They are so good!

I did a load of washable rugs this morning. It seems like I have been doing laundry all week. I guess I have been.

Dinner tonight was chicken nuggets and salad.

The grocery ads came for this next week starting on Sunday. The only thing that I saw was chicken drumsticks at Top’s. They are $ .99 a lb. but I have plenty of them. So this will be the second week in a row that I have done no shopping with the exception of the fresh tomatoes.

I needed a pillow for my new bed. Hubby did not want a new one. So I ran up to Walmart and got one that was on sale for $ 14.97. I looked at bedspreads but did not like any of them. So I will keep looking.

We decided today that we will lock in another large CD because the rates are way up. I will work on that tomorrow.

Tonight we watched some more shows that we have recorded: Part one of the finale of Blue Sky and the 3 FBI’s.

Did you do anything to save a little money today?

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Every Day

Wednesday’s Frugal Things

I actually slept in today until 8:30am. Felt very rested for a change. Hubby and I had bacon and eggs for breakfast.

Dinner will be chicken legs done in the air fryer. I will make homemade wing sauce for Hubby. I just like mine with ranch dressing. We will have a tossed salad on the side.

We spent the morning moving all of the lamps and little things back into our master bedroom. I cleaned everything really well before we put them back. The air purifier needed a good wash and Hubby makes our own filters for it from material we bought(the same material the manufacturer’s use but a whole lot cheaper than they charge). So he put a new filter in it. I gave the 4 windows in the room a quick wash on the inside. I had cleaned the ceiling fan before Hubby shampooed the carpeting. The room is now ready for the new beds. They will come tomorrow morning.

Then I decided to clean the master bathroom from top to bottom and our master closet also. I keep them pretty organized and I clean the sinks and toilet every day so it didn’t take long. I just had to quickly do the garden tub and shower. Then wash the floors and vacuum the carpet in the closet.

Hubby and I never watched the NCIS crossovers last night, so we did that this afternoon. It was very enjoyable to just sit and do nothing for a good portion of the day for a change.

Walmart had notified me about 5 days ago that they received the blanket I returned to them. So I checked to make sure that they had credited my card for the $43.+. They had so I took that off my list to follow.

West’s 13th birthday is coming up soon. All he wants is money which I think is the typical teenager thing. So I made his birthday card out and put the cash we are giving him in it. Hopefully they will come for breakfast before his birthday. If not, I will mail it and send a check instead.

I did a load of wash with heavy stuff. I used cold water and hung everything to dry.

Tonight I will watch You Tube for a while before I hit the sack.

Did you do anything to save money today?

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Every Day

Tuesday’s Frugal Things

Breakfast was an egg and some leftover smoked sausage.

We have another busy day. The carpet people came and stretched our master bedroom wall to wall carpet. I had never had wall to wall carpets loosen and get wrinkles until we moved here. We live in a very humid climate and that is why it is prevalent here in Buffalo. We had to have the great room carpet done a few years back and it has held. So we figured while the bed was out of the room, we would hire someone to do it in the master bedroom. The schedule has worked out perfectly. After the carpet people left, Hubby shampooed the carpeting. I have put the ceiling fan on to make sure it is good and dry by Thursday when the bed delivery happens. The carpet looks brand new and it is almost 14 years old. They only charged us $ 199. for the stretching and $ 51. for moving all of the furniture and then putting it back plus the sales tax. I was surprised at the low price because our master bedroom is a huge room.

While all of that was going on, I went to UPS with a return for LL Bean. Hubby had ordered jeans well before he had his heart attack. One pair was never worn and are way too big for him. So I called LL Bean and they told me I could return them. They sent me a label that arrived yesterday so I packaged them up in a box that I had saved. The jeans are expensive there, so this refund will help pay for clothes that he will need in the future. That will probably be soon because he has lost about 37 lbs.

Top’s was on my route to UPS so I stopped and got some tomatoes. $8.82 for 4 tomatoes. They were $ 2.79 a lb. That really made me appreciate the tomatoes we grew and ate all summer.

I folded 2 loads of sheets and blankets today. I have all the California king size things in a pile for my son to give to him the next time I see him.

I looked for a Keto recipe for cube steak for dinner tonight. We have one recipe for it that we love but I wanted to find another one. So I am making https://www.castironketo.net/blog/keto-chicken-fried-steak/

Hoping that Hubby likes it. I think I will.

I had called my town to find out how much of the bed I could put out at a time. She said 4 pieces. So I told her this is a king size sleep number bed that comes apart in pieces. She contacted her rep who said they would take it. But she still said that they might only take 4 pieces. UGH! I have decided that on our day for large things which isn’t until Feb. 9th that I am going to drag all of it to the bottom of the driveway and make a sign that says this is a sleep number bed and your rep said you will take it. We’ll see if that works. I will be very ticked if they don’t. It will take me a year to get rid of all the pieces if I can only put 4 pieces out at a time. Plus I will have to drag it all back into our garage. UGH! They only take 4 pieces a month so if they don’t take it, it will be March 9th till they take 4 pieces again, etc.

Hubby and I are thinking about watching the 3 hour crossover of the NCIS’s tonight. Hubby recorded it last night.

So we saved money by shampooing our own carpet instead of hiring someone. We made all of our meals at home. I returned an older item to LL Bean that they still sell that Hubby never wore because of his weight loss. I got the tomatoes because the store was on my route and that saves me on gasoline. I making dinner from my freezer, fridge, and pantry. We will watch something on TV for entertainment instead of spending money going out.

So did you save any money today?

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Every Day

Monday’s Frugal Things

Breakfast was early this morning because we have so much to do today. I made bacon and eggs for us. We also had many cups of coffee.

One thing we are not doing this week is grocery shopping. I perused all of the Aldi’s, Top’s, Dash’s and Price Rite ads and there was nothing that I wanted or needed that would get me out of the house. If we happen to go near Niagara Produce for some other reason, I will stop in for a fresh tomato. But I will not make a special trip just for that. We will be eating from our pantry, fridge, and freezer.

After we got the bed and lamps out of our master bedroom, I worked in the pantry again today organizing it. I am devoting small chunks of time each day until the pantry is done.

We had to open up the door and heat registers in the two guest bedrooms today so that they will be warm enough for us to sleep in them for three nights until our new beds come. But they will get closed right back up again when we move back into the master bedroom.

I did a few loads of wash today in cold water. I had a load of clothes, a load of sheets from the bed we took out, and some blankets to wash. I used my homemade detergent. The clothes were hung to dry on the drying rack and the shower rod. The sheets and blankets were dried in the dryer using the wool balls to cut down on the time needed.

Two buttons were getting loose on my winter coat so I sewed them back on.

I took a break for a while this afternoon from all of the work to do some crossword puzzles in the book that I got in my stocking this past Saturday. I just needed to relax a bit.

Hubby and I also caught up on CSI Las Vegas and NCIS LA.

For dinner tonight, I am making Cajun Andouille Smoked Sausage with peppers and onions. Entertainment will be my usual Monday night chat with my baby sister.

What did you do to save a bit of money today?

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Every Day

Sunday’s Frugal Things

We had steak the other night for dinner. We had half of it leftover. So Hubby sliced it up and cooked it in butter and added garlic. I made scrambled eggs and that was breakfast.

This morning we spent some time scratching off 12 lottery tickets that we got in our stockings yesterday. Between us, we won $24. So the next time I go out to a store, I will cash them in for us. I also won’t have to buy us any Keto snacks for weeks. Our stockings had so many of them and 2 big bags of pork rinds. Yum!

We have to empty our bedroom of lamps and things that are on dressers and end tables today so the carpet people can do their thing on Tuesday. I don’t want to leave everything for tomorrow. We have to get rid of the bed which is going to be thrown out tomorrow. That will be easy because it is a sleep number bed and it comes apart in pieces. The carpet people are being paid to move all of the rest of the furniture which is a recliner, 3 large dressers, a hope chest, and two end tables. We moved an end table that was next to the recliner today. It was a light weight one that I keep extra sheets in.

We watched the Buffalo Bills game which they won today. It was so heartening to see so many fans turn out with #3 red hearts for Damar Hamlin on their shirts, jackets, etc. The team also had the #3 on their uniforms. When the team came onto the field, they were waving #3 flags for Damar. There was no doubt in my mind that they would win the game for him. The best part of all of this is that Damar was awake and able to watch the game. He is recovering well for someone who went through what he went through on the field last Monday. He has a long way to go but we are all praying that he gets back to normal health.

I worked some more in my food storage to get things how I want them.

Hubby cooked fish sticks for himself for dinner and a few small chicken strips for me in the air fryer. I was happy to get rid of an open box and an open bag in my freezer. We ate no sides because we are going to have some cantaloupe later.

Tonight, I will be relaxing watching some You Tube videos. I am definitely enjoying watching TV with it now being mounted on the wall.

What did you do to save a bit of money today?

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Every Day

It Was Christmas Day For Our Family

Since we had that bad blizzard on Christmas weekend and a State of Emergency in our counties, we could not go out on the roads to get to my son’s in Rochester. Plus it was too dangerous for any of us to go out. My DIL’s parents and her brother were supposed to be there too. But no one could get there. So we all spent Christmas Day alone. My son knowing how disappointed we all were said he would have Christmas there today.

So at 9am this morning, we drove to my son’s and DIL’s home. We just got home about 5pm. We had a wonderful time with them, West, her parents and her brother.

We all exchanged Christmas gifts and we were all very happy with what we received. They even kept the tree up!

Katie and Sean did their traditional fondue dinner. I love fondue and you have to love that it takes hours to cook and we had such good company to chat with. She had 3 pots- one with oil for the colossal shrimp, sea scallops, marinated tenderloins, plain tenderloins, chicken, and mushrooms. She made many different Keto dipping sauces for the meat and seafood. One pot with cheese fondue for broccoli, asparagus, and 2 different Keto breads she baked- plain and banana. Then for dessert she had chocolate fondue for bacon, Keto brownies, Keto cake, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, and blueberries. It was all scrumptious! I told Hubby we should have fondue more often for dinner. We own a fondue pot. It’s easy and fun.

So excuse me that we did no money saving today! It was a long day and I need to rest. I will be back tomorrow with a new post.

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Every Day

Friday’s Frugal Things

We had bacon and eggs for breakfast.

I have been trying to find out why an insurance claim for the Hospital ER back in July 2022 was denied. I got a denial of claim letter on Oct. 25, 2022. I called the insurance company on that day and was told by a representative that it was because they needed more information from the hospital. She told me to sit tight and I would hear soon. Well, I had gotten nothing as of yesterday. So I called the hospital and asked if it had been paid by my secondary insurance. She said no that they had sent two denials. She said Medicare paid their portion but my secondary was denying it. I asked how much was left of the bill. She said $190. I knew there would be a deductible that I would have to pay for the ER but not that high. So at 8am this morning, I called the insurance company to ask what the hospital had to do to get this paid. I also told the woman I talked with that I am very frustrated with this. Everybody is passing the buck and I am left in the middle. She said hold on while I look at the claim. After doing so, she told me that it should never have been denied. If Medicare pays, they pay. She said the computer is stupid and she really meant it. I also told her so is the girl who I talked to on October 25th who should have realized that it should have been paid. The woman I talked to today is reprocessing it and making sure it goes through this time. She says I should get the benefit statement in the mail within 20-25 days. She is also calling the billing office at the hospital today and advising them that it was denied in error. They will get their money within 20-25 days. Then they can bill me the co-pay. Moral of this story: Never give up even though it is very frustrating. You just need to get to the right person. The $190 was not coming out of my pocket. We pay for the best secondary plan every month so I was not giving up. I will follow up in 20-25 days and make sure that I get the statement and that the hospital is paid.

I spent some time organizing my food storage today. It had gotten out of hand with Hubby’s hospitalization and then mine. I will spend a little time each day until it is the way I want it..

We are also starting to take some items off of dressers and end tables in our bedroom to get ready for the carpet work to be done on Tuesday. We also have to remove the bed on Sunday. That should be easy because it is a sleep number bed and comes apart in pieces. That will go out with the garbage next week. We are paying the people who are doing the carpet work extra money to move 3 dressers, a recliner and 2 end tables out of their way. They are too heavy for us to do it.

I spent some time reading a book on my Kindle.

Just before dinner, I helped Hubby mount our big screen TV in the bedroom on the wall.

For dinner tonight, we will have porterhouse steak cooked in the air fryer. Hubby does all kinds of steaks perfectly in there in the winter. I will also make some salads to go with it.

We will catch up on Yellowstone some more today too.

Did you save any money today?

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Every Day

Thursday’s Frugal Things

Today is the day the garbage and recyclables gets picked up. I had saved a few boxes to use around here and decided I had too many. So I broke down every one that we didn’t need and they are now out of the house.

All garbage was collected from all of the wastebaskets and our can in the kitchen. I had a very full bag but there was some that I couldn’t fit in. So I grabbed the thick plastic bag that they gave me at the hospital to bring my things home in to get rid of the rest. I even went down in the basement and emptied the wastebaskets near the work bench and a garbage can that we keep to put trash in. The old filter that I had changed for the furnace even fit in there. It was then full and I closed it with a saved twist tie. This saved me from using another trash bag. They have gotten so expensive that I am always thinking out of the box on how to save one. I hate spending money on things that we just throw away!

Today, I decided to cook up a lb. of bacon in the electric fry pan. We had homemade egg McMuffins with the bacon, eggs, and cheddar cheese for brunch. The leftover bacon will get used for meals over the next few days. I would never go get McDonald’s ones. Mine are better and I save the time and gasoline of going to get them. Not only that but I am hearing that their prices have skyrocketed.

I am now using bar soap in the kitchen to wash hands. As the last of the liquid soap containers empty in the bathrooms, I will be switching to bar soap there also.

This morning I previewed the Top’s ad that starts on Sunday. They have some good deals on chicken, pork tenderloins, 4 packs of soup, salsa, and ground beef. I need none of these things so I will not be shopping there next week. If anyone here shops Top’s and is interested in seeing this ad, it is https://www.couponsforyourfamily.com/tops-ad-scan-tops-weekly-ad-preview/

Hubby all of a sudden this morning asked me if we had any sheets for the new beds since they are being delivered next week. I told him that I had ordered two sets for each and they had just arrived on our porch. We still need blankets so I searched for them today and ordered 4 for the 2 beds. I got cotton thermal blankets. These prices have really gone up. I paid $45.00 a piece for Twin XL ones. But I had the $100. gift card to go toward them. Plus I will get Amazon points for the purchases. They arrive Tuesday just in time.

Instead of waiting for my son to come, Hubby and I managed to get the 4 wreath and candles boxes into the basement and up on the shelves.

I paid the property tax bill today. I also paid my son for my portion of the cellphone for all of 2023.

I tried not to overdue it today. So no nap was needed. Hubby and I watched recorded programs from this week both this afternoon and a couple tonight.

Dinner was the leftover chicken cordon bleu casserole. We have more in the fridge for lunches.

That’s it for today. I am off to bed.

Did you save any money today?