emergencies – Frugal Things Every Day

This is some of my Walmart pickup order this week. I had a lot of cancellations because of things being out of stock. But as you can see I got more bacon and the sausage that Top’s had none of. I even managed to get another bottle of bleach which is a good thing because I am wiping things down with it. I got really tired after doing the two shops in the morning and doing the pickup. So I didn’t take any more pics. Hubby was totally out of body wash. Eggs and meat are a necessity for my diet. I was grateful to get what I did. I ended up spending $ 172. on this order.

My young neighbor shops every Friday. They always ask what I need that they can get. Walmart cancelled my Romaine lettuce. I had everything for salads except the lettuce because they were out of stock. Today my neighbor left this package on my porch. I was so happy that they could find it. They won’t take any money from us the three times they have gotten food for us. They say we are always so good to their sons. But I will pay them back when things calm down.

Well, as if dealing with the virus, isn’t stressful enough. I had a dental emergency late Tuesday. My denture broke. I was able to talk with my dentist right away. He told me if I could get it to his office by 9am on Wednesday, he could take it to the lab to get it fixed. He said the lab is only open one day a week and that is Wednesdays. So I got it down to him. He called me early afternoon and told me to come in about 3:30pm because the lab had already repaired it. He was going to the lab to pick it up and would be back by then. I was not looking forward to it. But I needed my denture. I couldn’t eat.

I was amazed. He had me wait in the car so that he could clean and sanitize it. Then he came to the door and waved to me. He had on a mask, gloves and special glasses that looked like magnifiers. He had a really good mask like his for me. I just wore it into the dental room. He brought me the denture and handed it to me to put in. He took a quick peek and told me it needed to be realigned but he could not do that until he opens back up again per the law that Gov. Cuomo had placed on dentists. He can only handle the emergency. I was glad to get out of there and home. But grateful to have my denture repaired.

I cooked another pound of bacon in the oven and pressure cooked a dozen hard boiled eggs. So that is what we have been eating for brunches.

Last night, I cooked this recipe because Hubby has been craving comfort food.

The other things we have been doing are cooking, doing laundry, watching movies, working on a jigsaw puzzle and cleaning. Probably about the same things that all of you are doing.

The only other news in my state is that Gov. Cuomo announced today that he is keeping all the schools closed through the end of the school year. Some people will be happy( like teachers and the kids). But if he ends up opening up NY after May 15th, it is going to put a huge burden on people going back to work. For employees who are not teachers, it creates other problems while getting ready for the new school year in the Fall. For everyone who is not a school employee and has to go back to work, what do they do with their kids while they work?

Are your schools closed till the end of the school year?

Are You A Shopoholic?

While I am taking the summer off, I was thinking about why people shop every week or so. Why do we get the urge to spend, spend and spend?

So I am going to give you some things to ponder over the next couple of weeks in the form of questions for you to think about. Oh no, it’s a test!

No, it’s not. It’s just to get you thinking about what you spend your money on. Are they necessities or do you shop because you want to? Does the urge hit you to go to the mall or the local Kohl’s, Dollar Tree, or your favorite grocery store? Is that urge because you need something at those stores or is it because you want something from those places? So here goes.

Do you shop once or twice a week at the grocery store or drugstore even though you have plenty of food, HBA, personal care products and cleaning products in your home stockpile? Do you continue to make those purchases while your stockpile languishes in your pantries and things expire?

Do you stop on the way to your shopping at Dunkin Donuts, McDonalds or Starbucks for a coffee and perhaps a donut or muffin? Could you just as easily bring a cup of coffee in a to go cup and a home baked muffin, donut or slice of quick bread with you?

Do you order in or stop for fast food a few times a week because it is easy? Do you think about how healthy that fast food is or don’t you care? Could you have whipped up a quick easy meal at home instead?

Do you make a weekly browsing trip to Walmart or Target because you want to see any new items that they might have? Do you realize that you will most likely buy something? We all do the same thing at Dollar Tree.

Did you buy a lot of things on Amazon on Prime Day? Did you do that because you thought they were a great deal or because they were an absolute necessity?

Do you pay cash for those items you shop for all week? Or did you whip out your credit card? Will you pay that credit card in full when it comes due? Or are those cc purchases being added to your credit card that you owe interest on each month? Those good deals that you had to have are costing you more than you think if you have to pay interest on them.

Have you purchased a new or new to you car this summer even though the car you traded in you still owe money on? Did you have to take out a loan with high interest to do this?

Do you coupon shop for almost free items each week even though you won’t use them? Do some things in your stockpiles purchased with coupons sit in your pantries for years without being used?

Do you buy new clothes every season even though you have a closet full of things to wear?

Are you replacing carpeting every couple of years because it’s not getting shampooed enough? Do you change your furniture and decor every few years?

Do you throw parties, dinners or cookouts that you can’t afford to impress your friends?

Do you contribute money to every party, gift, etc. that your co-workers ask you to whether you can afford it or not?

There are a million more questions that I could throw at you but I think these are enough. However I do have a couple more very important questions for you to think about:

Do you do all or some of the things mentioned? Then when an emergency comes up, you don’t have the money to deal with it? Some think that an emergency won’t happen to them. But we all know that they have a way of rearing their ugly heads! The furnace, A/C, plumbing or appliances break. The car breathes it’s last breath. You or a family member needs expensive medical or dental work and you don’t have the money. I could go on and on but you get the idea!

Last questions, I promise. When a crisis hits like those mentioned, would you like to be stress free about it and have the money to pay for it? Then go back and really put the time and effort in to think about all the questions I gave you before the crisis hit. Can you change some things so that your financial life will change?

Continue to enjoy your summer and we will discuss a lot of these questions come Fall. I may pop in when the urge hits me and I have some free time.