Categories
Every Day

Time Is Money

Time is money even when you are retired. All of the things that we do whether large or small take our time but most of them save us a ton of money annually. In that way we keep our expenses low and can continue to save and keep our investments intact and actually grow them year after year.

But today I want to talk about the other aspect of retirement. Aging is a huge factor in what you spend in retirement. Medical, dental, and vision costs are large when you get to be our ages. Just the fact that the doctors and dentists want to see you more than once a year can be costly. And the lab tests all the time- UGH! According to my doctors, now that I am almost down to a perfect weight, I am in excellent health. Hubby is pretty good too even though he has back issues. 


Aging and the back issues can be very costly. Because of Hubby’s bad back, we have had to hire landscape crews from March through October almost every year of our retirement(19+ years).

In Arizona, we needed them not only because of his bad back but because our landscaping grew so rapidly out there and to do it in the heat was not pleasant. They came every other Monday during the season and I actually don’t even remember exactly what is cost. I know it was just over a couple of hundred dollars a month. 

When we moved here, we have a much larger piece of property than we had there. We have a lot of lawn and many, many gardens with landscaping that need trimming, weeding, mulching, and the occasional planting. Hubby does the mowing on his John Deere riding lawn mower which he really enjoys. He used to hire a neighbor boy to do the weed whacking because we have lots of stonework around all of our gardens that needs to be trimmed every time he mows. However, he has since gotten rid of our heavy weed whacker and purchased a more light weight one that he can manage with his back so he does it once a week. 

The same company that does our landscaping once a month, comes and does our fertilizing about 6 times a season. Then once in a while, like today, they bring  4 bushes that we order and plant them for us along with doing the monthly maintenance.

All of this comes at a price of $3383. for this season from March through October. It is not cheap.

The reason I tell you this is so that you plan to be able to pay this in retirement when and if you can no longer do it. As you age, you just can’t do as much as you used to. Hubby always did his own yard work and enjoyed it until he no longer could. 

It’s the same with pest control. That costs another  $ 562. a year. 

These are just two of the costs for your home in a year and believe me when I say they go up annually. 

People ask us when we will be ready for a condo. I don’t know if we ever will be but it is a possibility. However we would still have these costs but they would be built into the condo monthly maintenance fees. If you rent a nice place, you pay it in the rent. There is no way to get away from the high cost unless you are able to do it yourself.

For now, we love our home and all of the square footage we have. We enjoy our yards and the beauty of it. I am healthy enough to be able to maintain the inside of our home with a little help from Hubby. Even if I couldn’t, we have planned well and could hire a housekeeper to come once or twice a month.  We have no plans to move any time soon. So we trade our money for their time which is why we trade our time to save money where we can.  

I tell you all this because these expenses are real in retirement and you all need to plan for them when you are planning for your retirement years. Even if you are in relatively good health when you retire, things happen and health deteriorates. You may not be able to do your own work forever. 

 They are just two of the many expenses you will need to work into your plan to maintain your home.

So when you are doing your retirement planning, you have to get real about what it is REALLY going to cost you.    

Categories
Every Day

Frugal things This Past Week

These are the things we have done frugally this week:

– Saved $25.00 on my Walmart grocery shop using free gift card rebate money

– Purchased spring mix, guacamole minis, croissants,  and angel food cake at reduced for quick sale prices


– My son helped Hubby bring our bench seat in from the garage to a guest bedroom. It needed to be off the floor for some garage work to be done. They cleaned the dirt off the feet before they brought it in the house. I then went through the shoes and boots and donated a few pair that we are not using. By doing the work with help from my son, we save by not having to hire movers to get all of the things out of the garage.

– We still have no A/C or heat on. I read the meters for the utility company. They were the lowest we have ever had for both electricity and natural gas. I will let you know how much the bill was next week.

– I received another $5.00 Walmart gift card from a rebate and another $5.00 rebate in the mail. 

– Hubby made French toast in the electric fry pan for our Sunday family breakfast. I made two eggs for myself. I cooked a lb. of thick cut bacon that I purchased at Aldi for $3.79. It was delicious so I know where we will be buying our bacon from now on. Hubby ate the leftover French Toast for breakfast the next day. It heats up beautifully in the air fryer.

– I had a can of crescent rolls in the fridge that needed to be used up. So I thawed some cocktail hot dogs and made pigs in a blanket for dinner one night. Hubby ate them a second night and I had salmon. The piggies without blankets are what I ate. I made  small salads for a side.  

– I made some SF banana strawberry and some SF peach jello as dessert treats.

– I watched “The First Wives Club” on Amazon Prime for entertainment this past weekend while Hubby watched a lot of football games. This movie was very enjoyable and gave me some good laughs.

– We watched our Buffalo Bills beat the NY Giants for entertainment on Sunday.

– We had two meatless meals this past week: a large tossed salad and an omelet. 

– We have been incorporating veggies and fruits into every meal(even breakfast) to use up our produce.

– We have really been enjoying our aster in one of our front gardens. It truly pays to buy flowering bushes or any kind of flowers that are perennials because they don’t have to be replaced year after year. So we have 4 more being planted in various gardens tomorrow. Our hanging baskets( these are the only annuals we plant every year.) are still in full bloom and as beautiful as when we planted them in May.

– I shampooed the SUV carpeting this week.  


– Hubby made the last container of hummingbird food this year. They will all be heading south soon.


– Only did two loads of laundry – one with towels and one with clothing. The clothing was all hung to dry.


– Only ran the dishwasher twice this week using homemade dishwasher detergent.


– Enjoyed a free telephone call with an old friend. Priceless.

– Cut chives from our garden to put on Hubby’s baked potatoes.

– Gave myself a manicure and a pedicure.

– We calculated our net worth yesterday. It is a must to always know where you stand especially when you are retired.

– I have not been sleeping well. The little bit of money that I spent to buy some Melatonin was worth it’s weight in gold. Who knew that 10 mg. would knock me out and let me get 8 hours sleep?


– Hubby took the 4 hour course in New York State that lets us get a reduced price on our liability coverage. The discount is good for three years.

– We did not eat out which I think is a huge drain of money from anyone’s budget.

– Our cellphone is paid for through the end of the year. So we are researching a cheaper plan to switch to for next year.

What did you do frugally this past week?


Categories
Every Day

Grocery Shopping This Past Week

I went grocery shopping this past week at Walmart. I did that mainly to get snacks for Hubby. When he wants those I find a way to get them cheaply. Knowing that I had a total of $25.00 in free Walmart gift cards, Walmart was the perfect choice.

Walmart:

2 pkgs. of broccoli florets – $1.00 each
1 Lay’s Poppables – $1.98 after Q
2 Doritos – $2.00 each after Q
1 Frito’s Scoops – $ 1.98 after Q
1 pkg. corn – $1.00
2 Pizza Dough – $1.00 each
1 Orville Redenbacher popcorn – $ 4.98
1 Fiesta Cheese – $ 2.56
1 Wholly Guacamole Minis – $ 3.78(reduced for quick sale)
1 Ruffles – $ 3.48 after Q = $ 2.98
1 Spring Mix – $ 2.97(reduced for quick sale)
1 Cinnamon Cream Cheese – $ 1.57
1 M & M’s – $ 2.98
1 Seeded Rolls – $ 2.78
1 Croissants – $ 2.39(reduced for quick sale)
1 Angel Food Cake – $ 1.78 (reduced for quick sale)

Total was $ 18.86 after $ 25.00 in Walmart Gift Cards.

The Q’s were off 2 pkgs. of Lay’s and were stickies on the packages so keep your eye out for them. I have never seen so many reduced for quick sale items at my Walmart. I think I shopped right after they marked them down. Hubby is loving the angel food cake and croissants. I am loving the spring mix and the mini guacamoles on my salads. West is coming to stay for 4 days soon so we will make homemade pizzas which he loves.


Did you get any good deals this week?

Categories
Every Day

Saving With My Large Pressure Cooker

By using my large pressure cooker, I save 70% in energy over using the stove top. It is amazing how energy efficient they are. This one is not an Instant Pot but cooks just the same. I had this one long before I ever heard of an Instant Pot. I will be using it a lot this fall and winter.

The bonus is that it is easy to cook the food in and doesn’t take much preparation time. So dinner is on the table in a matter of minutes.

Last week, I did a roast beef along with red potatoes, onions, carrots, and celery in it. The celery I added along with the roast beef. That only took 50 minutes. After taking the roast beef out, I added the onions, potatoes and carrots which only took another 10 minutes. Prior to cooking the roast beef, I was able to brown it right in the pressure cooker. Sorry, I have no pictures of the roast that but I was having a lot of trouble with my camera last week. Hubby has now fixed it. The picture at the top of this post is an old one.

On Saturday, I cooked 4 chicken breasts in Hickory Smoked SF BBQ sauce. That only took 6 minutes. I cooked up some fresh broccoli and Hubby cooked some corn. We had a delicious meal. The leftovers are pictured above. I sliced up the last two chicken breasts so that they would marinate in the sauce before I heated them up for dinner on Sunday. Hubby had his on rice and I had mine with some cauliflower rice. 

So the next time you are planning out your dinner meal, think about using your pressure cooker to save on your utility bill. If you don’t have a pressure cooker, think about what you do have that will cook your meal more energy efficient. Most small appliances are more energy efficient than your oven or stove top.

What do you cook in your pressure cooker?

Categories
Every Day

Preparing For Food Bargains

It’s the time of year to start thinking about getting needed items at rock bottom prices. There are three holidays coming up that I always shop. I will list them and the things that I get dirt cheap.

Halloween and the days After Halloween:

Candy Reduced to 50 – 90% off – Walmart usually has the best supply. But I do check any other markets or drugstores that I happen to be in. I use this candy for Christmas and next Halloween if it has a long expiration date. I will use chocolate candy to bake Thanksgiving and Christmas treats. 

Halloween Branded Cake Mixes – I have gotten these as cheap as $ .39 a box. When they go that low, I buy a lot to use all year for birthdays., etc.

Halloween Branded Frostings – When these go on clearance, I get a many as I can. You don’t have to use the Halloween sprinkles that come with them in the frosting. They can be saved for next year’s Halloween cupcakes.

Halloween Branded Cookies – I use these for treats for the grandchildren.

Before and Up to Thanksgiving:

Whole Turkeys – This the cheapest time of year to buy them. I have gotten them as low as Free with purchases and $.47 a lb. when I have purchased them.

Cream Soups- They are cheap because of the green bean casseroles that everyone makes.

Stuffing Mixes – I buy as many as are needed to go with the number of turkeys I purchase.

Cranberries – If I can get  bags between $ 1.00 and $1.69, I stock on these to make sauce and to make muffins all year.

Olives – Hubby loves olives and they are very cheap this time of year.

Chicken Broth – I usually pick up about 4 as spares when they go on sale. I like to make my own when I cook the turkeys.

Sugar, Flour and Other Baking items – These are at their lowest prices now and before Christmas.

Ham’s – They go rock bottom and stay there for Christmas. I will pay anywhere from $.79 a lb to $1.19 a lb.

Potatoes – They are about $.40 a lb. Even if they go higher they will be at the cheapest price all year.

Frozen Veggies – They usually go on sale for under $1.00 a bag or box, especially green beans.

Before and after Christmas:

Candy – the same as Halloween above. I use these for Valentines Day and St. Patrick’s Day by separating the colors. I freeze chocolate candy and use it to bake cookies all year long. 


Hams – the same as Thanksgiving.


Pork Roasts – I can usually get them for under
$ 1.49 a lb.

Eggs – They are usually cheap to use in making desserts.

Flour Sugar and Other Baking Items – the same as at Thanksgiving.

Chocolate Chips – If they go rock bottom (under $1.00), I will buy some to replenish my supply.

This is not a final list. I am sure that there are many things that I have missed. So if you can add to this list, please feel free to leave a comment so that we can all add them to our lists.  

I wish you all a safe and fun weekend.   
 

Categories
Every Day

Getting Ready For Winter

Winter is coming whether we like it or not. In a few short months it will be here. 

As I was walking toward my front door yesterday, I saw that sunlight was coming from under the door and leaving a spot of sun on our entryway rug. It made me realize that we have a leak under the door. So I asked Hubby to check it out and get it fixed soon. It looks like we need a new sweep put on the door. That is not something I want to let go with the heat going to be turned on soon. A lot of $$$$’s could leak out all winter. UGH!

Before he goes to the hardware store for the sweep, he will check our other two outside doors to make sure that they are airtight.

It will also be time soon to put our storm windows down instead of the screens. So that has also been put on my to do list.

If you haven’t stocked up on furnace filters, it is a  good time to do it….before you need them. I just purchased 12 of the cheapest filters I could at Home Depot on the recommendation of our heating expert. They were $.98 each. They get changed on the first of every month in our home.

Hubby is always cold in the house when cold weather hits. I didn’t understand it because we keep our heat at 70-72. But let me tell you, I understand it now. Since I have lost so much weight, I am always cold. So the both of us plan on bundling up this year inside the house. I have very few long sleeve shirts that fit me. So every week when I go to the market, I hit up Goodwill and look for them. So far I haven’t found any that I like that will fit me. But I will keep looking. 

In the meantime, I have sweaters and sweatshirts that I will wear. They are 4 sizes too big but will work when no one sees me. If I have to, I will put on my too big coat in the house. Hubby wears a coat and fingerless gloves  most of the winter in the house.

I refuse to put the heat up higher than 72 so we will just have to layer and go with it.  

I just washed all of our extra blankets that have been off the beds all summer. They will get put on soon too to keep us warm before the heats goes on. When the heat goes on, Hubby sets the night time temperature to 65. When he does that, I put the electric blanket on our bed.

Hubby just caulked windows last Fall but he will check and make sure that it does not have to be done this Fall. 

All of our energy saving shades are in good shape and fit tightly so none of them need to be replaced.

We will use our garage door to enter and exit our home because it is more protected than the other doors. That will help keep as little cold air out of our home as possible. 

Hubby has scheduled the appointment to have our sprinkler system blow out. After the company does that, he will turn the outside water faucets off in the basement and drain the outside faucets so they don’t freeze during the winter.  

I am sure you have all noticed that I have been stockpiling for the winter. I will be doing one more  large stockpiling shop just before Thanksgiving when turkeys and hams go on sale really cheap.  I will stock on turkeys, hams, stuffing, butter, sugar and flour. Perhaps a few other things too. 

We have enough other meat to get us through the winter. Matter of fact, I am cooking my first sirloin roast of the Fall in the pressure cooker today along with some veggies and some potatoes for Hubby. It just seems like a Fall day today plus I have a ton of errands to run so cooking quickly in the pressure cooker will work well.

The reason that I stockpile is so that I don’t have to go out too many times over the winter to get food. I do not like driving in the snow and ice. And I don’t like the cold. This way I can also stock up at rock bottom prices too. 


When and if I need fresh stuff or dairy, I now have Top’s, Wegman’s and Super Walmart’s pickup or delivery available to me which I will use. If we get a stretch of really bad weather, I will place an order. If I know that it is going to be a good winter day, I may do pickup. It will all depend on the weather. 


If I am going to pay for delivery, I will wait until I have a large list to make the delivery charges worth it. There is really nothing that we can’t go without until that happens. We have plenty of food.

What are you doing to get ready for winter? Please feel free to leave a comment and share with all of us. 

      

Categories
Every Day

Never Forget 9/11

Tribute in Light memorial, on September 11th, in New York City 

I remember that horrible day 18 years ago. We had just moved into our Arizona home 10 days before after a long trip from NY. It was very early in the morning when our phone rang. Knowing that it couldn’t be anything good at that hour, we answered our phone.

It was my son who lived in Arizona calling to tell us to turn on our TV. We were in total shock listening and watching the news that day. I still remember it vividly.

We should never forget the people who died in those towers and the airplanes that went down in NYC that day, the people on the flight that went down in Shanksville, PA, the people on the flight and on the ground that went down in the Pentagon, and the firefighters, the first responders, and police officers who went to help and lost their lives also. 

And we should never take anything for granted. Life can end in an instant. So always remember to hold your family close and kiss and hug them good bye every time you leave or they leave your home.

My usual frugal things post is below this one.  

Categories
Every Day

Frugal Things This Past Week

These are the things that we have done frugally this past week:

– I used a $5.00 off coupon to get Hubby’s and my winter coats dry cleaned.

– I received a $3.00 rebate in the mail.

– I cashed in my Ibotta rebates for a $10.00 Walmart gift card.


-I received a $5.00 Walmart gift card from Bing.


– I washed two loads of clothing and towels in cold water in the HE using the crystal eggs to wash;Hung the clothing to dry and used the dryer with the wool balls for the towels to cut down on the drying time needed.

– Grocery shopping was done for just needed items this week. I did no stockpiling there.

– We have been grilling our meat outside to use up the propane. We don’t like storing it over the winter. 

– I washed some windows on the outsides using a bucket of water, vinegar, a little dishwasher soap and our squeegee.

– Hubby trimmed the rose bushes and transplanted a bush to a front yard garden.

– I renewed my library card and took out one book to read.

– Hubby continues to get everything off the garage floor to get ready for the work that is going to be done on it in mid-October.

– I stocked up on toilet paper and garbage bags at great prices from Amazon.     

– Entertainment this week: We had company for dinner last Tuesday evening. We had family watch the Bills game with us on Sunday. My son bought us an early take out dinner that afternoon. 

– The A/C has stayed off and we have not turned on the heat even though it has gotten cold a few nights. 

– I soaked the apples I purchased in a solution of 1 Tbsp. of baking soda and 6 cups of water for about 15 minutes, rinsed them well, and dried them. Studies have shown that this removes most of the pesticides. I don’t purchase rinse to do this.

– I filled up two 2 ltr. bottles(from Hubby’s Diet Coke) with tap water to add to my water stockpile. 


– I returned a bag of cans and bottles to Fast Cash and got $2.60 in deposit returns. 

– Picked up a 90 day prescription that had no co-pay. 


– I am continuing to save plastic grocery store bags to stockpile for my wastebasket disposal. It won’t be long before our state’s ban goes into effect.


– With the colder weather kicking in my arthritis is starting to bother me, so I soaked in the bathtub in epsom salts which always makes me feel better. I added epsom salts to my errand list because I am getting low. 

– We will use the leftover turkey taco meat for taco salads again tonight. We love these and don’t mind eating them two nights in a row. Waste not, want not! 


What have you done frugally this past week? Please share so that we can all teach each other.

Categories
Every Day

Grocery Shopping This Past Week and Good Family News

There was no stockpiling on this trip because nothing that I needed to add to my winter supplies was on sale at my rock bottom price.

I went to Aldi’s and Top’s and this is what I purchased:

Aldi’s:

Large Eggs – $ 1.09
1/2 gallon of milk – $ 1.19
Bacon – $ 3.79 
Loaf of bread – $ . 85
Sour Cream – $.89
Romaine Hearts – $ 2.19
Winter Blend Cauliflower & Broccoli – $ 1.09
1 Cantaloupe – $ 1.49

Total was $ 12.58.

Top’s:

4.60 Lbs. of Apples @ $ .49 lb. = $ 2.25 
18 oz. of Lean Ground Turkey – $ 2.99 – Free with Coupon
1 Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice – $ 1.49 after store cpn
16 oz. Planter’s Cocktail Peanuts – $ 3.79
2 Cucumbers – $.99 each = $ 1.98

Total was $ 9.51.

Eggs are higher than they have been and will probably go higher the colder it gets here. Hubby was almost out of milk for cereal. We always need bacon.

Tonight we are having taco salads using the romaine, ground turkey and sour cream. The veggies will get used this week. I eat a lot of veggies for dinners and lunches. 

Hubby loves melon for breakfast. I will be making homemade applesauce from the apples. We needed the cucumbers for salads. And last, Hubby wanted to make banana salad and he had no peanuts.

Now for the good family news: My oldest son graduated from a 2 year community college after high school. He was all set to attend a 4 year college out of state but changed his mind 3 weeks prior to starting. A few years after getting his 2 year degree, he married and then they had my granddaughter. During that time he started going back to college nights to get his B.S. degree. It has taken him almost 18 years in 3 different states, with several moves, starting and stopping, but he never lost sight of his goal. He now has all of his credits and all course work completed and is getting his B.S. diploma. Needless to say we are very proud of him. He did it the hard way just like his Dad! I have to give my daughter in law some credit for this too. It isn’t easy to raise a child while your Hubby is working and going to school nights. I remember all too well. Thank you DIL for always being there for your family.

Did any of you get any good deals at the supermarket this past week?    

Categories
Every Day

A Little of This and a Little of That

We had a quiet weekend except for yesterday. My son and grandson came to watch the Bills game with us. My son treated us to a take out lunch from Ales and Sandviches. 

Since he picked it up at halftime, we did not have to make dinner. A little snack sufficed. A day without much cooking is wonderful. I didn’t think the Bills would win because they were not looking good in the first half. However they came back to win which made me very happy. 

The rest of the weekend, Hubby watched other football games while I worked on our family trees. I have not belonged to Ancestry. com for years. I decided on Saturday to sign up for a 14 day free trial and then subscribe for 6 months. I am happy I did because there is a wealth of information there now. I am finding pictures and lots of information that I previously did not have. It is fun. 

This morning I made my to do list for this week:

– Blog every day through Friday

– Quickly pick up and clean a room a day. This takes me no more than 15-20 minutes a day and keeps my house looking good.

– Grocery shop at Top’s and Aldi’s

– Fold the towels that I washed yesterday

– Wash a load of clothes and hang them


– Take my old winter clothes that no longer fit me to Goodwill

– Exercise at the gym and at home

– Work on the family trees

– Go to my hair salon appointment

– Pick up a prescription at the drugstore

– Work on cleaning the storage areas of the basement. Toss anything that we aren’t using. 

– Grill dinners outside as much as possible before Hubby stores the grill for the winter

– Looking forward to my weekly chat with my sister. She has been away for two weeks so we need to catch up. 

I think that is enough for this week to keep me busy.
What is on your to do list this week?