The Brick has been putting in hours and hours on the new laptop, loading decades' worth of appraisal reports, plus my regular files. He has been a champ about this.
I am trying hard not to be impatient...but I do have reports just waiting until I can get back on. Meanwhile, I've been finishing up restoring a baby quilt that is years overdue. So that's good.
We got at least 7" of snow yesterday. (I think more, up to almost a foot.) That meant we weren't going anywhere -- which was probably a good thing.
I'll finish off the quilt today or tomorrow -- then it's back to finishing up the reports. Hang in there, clients!
November marks two years we've been living in the San Luis Valley. Two years? It feels like forever. We love this place and its peacefulness. However, I'm not a big fan of living three hours from our kids, and an hour or so from restaurants and stores we used to rely on when living in Sedalia and Castle Rock. Red Robin, Sam's Club or Costco? More than an hour's drive, or even further. My favorite thrift shop in Castle Rock? Two and a half hours. (My favorite one down here is in Monte Vista -- an hour away.) Even Alamosa, our nearest 'big town,' is 45 minutes drive. We do have a Walmart, plus Safeway and City Market. Even a Little Caesar's and a Chili's.
The plus side on this is that if we're going somewhere for one purpose, we tack on several errands -- like a stop at our favorite Amish grocery, only about 15-20 min. from Alamosa. And we don't go out to eat very much, which has saved a surprising amount of money. If milk becomes an important issue, the dollar store in Fort Garland (15 min. away) is just a hop, skip and jump away from the post office.
Our Mexican restaurants and everyday-type diners are terrific here, too.
I wrote a post about a trip to Utah to pick up our latest purchase -- a 2012 Highlander hybrid. Unfortunately, most of you never got to read it -- for some reason, Google thought I was... evil? Selling a Highlander? Making it up?? They deleted it. I have no idea why.
Finally, after months of saving, we've got a car that's comfortable, quiet and good at saving gas. (27-30 mpg, so far.) It was 7 1/2 hours each way to pick it up, but we saved nearly $1000 on the price we would have had to pay in the Denver area. Unfortunately, we also had to deal with some poopiing and vomit episodes, puppywise, in the truck on the way there-- and the truck needed a small repair before we could leave again. This meant staying overnight. We had enough to cover the hotel bill and meals...but no clean clothes. And the truck needed scrubbing out when we got home.
Tiger feels much better, by the way.
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(More photos will be added when I get my computer back)
FRUGAL HITS
*Son #2 got a buck! The venison will come in handy, and he has a beautiful European mount from the head.
*A one dollar pizza from Papa Murphy's, thanks to a free membership. Okay, I broke the Maximum Hollander award by putting a buck in the tip jar. (The pizza was delicious. Thank you, Katy from the Nonconsumer Advocate for mentioning this! The special might still be going -- you should check. Update: I did -- it expired 11/30. Sorry.)
*Loaded the woodrack several times. Our woodpile is gradually diminishing, but we have plenty more stacked behind the house. Heating with wood really helps us stretch our propane out. It's pleasant to have this cheerful glow and warmth at night, too. We bank it before going to bed, and the Brick builds a fire from the coals the next morning. It works for us, and is much better thanthe alternative.
*The candlelight concert was a success. We used last year's electric candles, and a friend loaned her set, as well. I bought a lit house/trees display at the Castle Rock thrift shop; it looked lovely, but not TOO Christmasy, considering it was Nov. 22.
Two bottles of apple juice became mulled cider. I made a batch of shortbread, and other friends contributed chocolate chip cookies and homemade chocolate pops. A good time was had by all.
*Free lunch after a meeting, and a thank-you supper with friends. (The Brick helped fix their washer.) I made chili (one hamburger patty, beans and tomatoes) for the church's monthly potluck -- and took some chips and a sale container of ice cream, as well.
*Found money: $1.13 from the truck's front seat, and another crisp dollar bill from Nielsen. Not one cent from the change machine at Safeway though, darn it.
*Got to borrow a skidsteer and trailer free of charge -- just a tankful of gas, and the time to go get it in Evergreen, about 4 hours away. (We needed it to move the fifth-wheel, after the truck got stuck. More on this shortly.)
*The Brickworks website is back up and running, thanks to Daughter #2. I am so grateful!
*Ordered a 10-ream box of paper, plus some markers -- and got a $15 discount. Thanks, Staples.
*The Brick found more ways to watch free Michigan football games -- hooray! When we couldn't see the game, we could at least listen to it. Youtube has 'full game highlights,' as well, after the game is done. Not that it helped Michigan, after losing 9-27 to Ohio State...
*The Brick cleaned out the stovepipe. He also fixed the printer, and restacked burnables by the woodstove (Good man.) A shop vac purchase (on sale) really helped with the flue cleanout.
*Furniture fix: I used a black marker, sketching lightly, then smearing with a finger, to hide marks on the sofa back. This works surprisingly well for darker wood. (I tried the 'normal' stuff for this, but it just wiped off.) A cushion on the sofa was also repaired. (See below.)
*Gave two final coats of paint to the Little Free Library, then filled it with books. (Yes, it's up and in business!) Planted a pack of daffodil bulbs underneath the sign, before the ground froze.
*A trip to Denver for multiple reasons: eye appointment; stocking up on flour, sugar and other essentials at Walmart; a Lord & Richards 'fahncy' night; and two appraisal sessions. I also spent time with Daughter #1 and Adopted Son #1, which was wonderful. Missed out on the Lord & Richards event (too much traffic), but the kids fed me -- which was even better. And dear friends bought me a burger at Red Robin. Thank you!
*Spent Thanksgiving with our kids -- all of them. At our house. This hasn't happened for years. Son #1 smoked one turkey, and deep-fried a second; Adopted Son #1 made stuffing, cranberry sauce, and Daughter #1 made a squash soup, as well as her traditional kale-beet salad. I contributed pay-kan and pumpkin pis, veggies plus appetizer, and last-minute mashed potatoes. We had a grand time, and spent the evening going through boxes of photos we'd brought back from The Mama's estate. We love our kids so much!
*Our Christmas decorations are gently used this year. The thrift shop in Monte Vista was full of wonderful Christmas stuff -- I had fun looking, but other than books, a few 25-cent cups and some dishtowels, I didn't get many holiday goodies. The Castle Rock thrift shop was much the same: Christmas videos and an armload of holiday paper napkins, plus a hanging, a few placemats...and a glass-covered display used for the candlelight concert. Lots of fun, and I spent about what I would have at Dollar Tree.
*Extra beefsteak and broccoli went into the freezer. (I stocked up, in case of poor weather.) Marked-down snow peas, spinach greens and cauliflower joined them, along with a free 40-oz pkg of chicken breast, thanks to Safeway's reward program.
*No books ordered on Ebay -- even if they were cheap. (This was difficult for me.) All the Christmas presents are purchased, too, including stocking stuffers.
*Renewed Brickworks' sales tax license. The Brick renewed his P.E. license, too.
*Pinto beans: $20 for 25 pounds...purchased locally from a farmer. I love doing this.
*Thrift shop bargains: kids Christmas books for 50 cents - dollar (for the Little Free Library; adult books for $1-2 each; holiday coffee cups, 25 cents each; holiday dishtowels, 75 cents - $1.50, plus a 5% discount for cash (Nazarene Thrift Shop/Monte Vista). Half-price kids and adult books and videos -- less even than Nazarene! Also a $38 dog kennel, a half-priced sweater and shirts. All for an additional 10% off (Treasures in the Park/Castle Rock).
*I finally found a half-slip! ($8.24 from Walmart.com) Do you know how difficult it is right now to find ANY kind of slip, unless you pay big bucks for it? Maybe I should take the Sydney Sweeney approach, instead.
*Walked away from a "free $10" voucher -- when Michael's larded on the shipping costs, instead.
*No discounts or free meals on Veterans Day -- the Brick changed the oil on the truck, instead. (He didn't feel well, anyways.)
*A set of bubble lights for each girlie/son's Christmas tree. I love these, but they're difficult to find. They also got some of the holiday dishtowels and an Advent calendar apiece.
*Now that the Highlander is part of our world, we were able to start saving again in our higher-interest (4.25%) account. We couldn't put a lot away -- the yearly insurance bill was due this month -- but it still felt great. Interestingly, the registration fees will be lower, because it's a 'used' vehicle. And instead of paying more for insurance, we actually saved about $600 yearly, because of the 'multiple vehicle' clause. (We'll keep the truck, but it's on liability only.)
A helpful note here: you can really save money if you purchase your vehicle in another state -- especially if yours, like Colorado, is expensive. It takes research, but it's worth it. We learned that with the truck.
*Ordered new business cards, plus a few signs and an envelope stamper -- 25% off. (Thanks, Vistaprint!) I also got a 3% boost from ordering them through my old pal, Swagbucks -- then used those extra points to order a giftcard for the Brick's Christmas stocking. (You can do this, too...just click on this link to get started.)
*Grocery deals: Onion bagels 6 for $1.25; hor dog buns for a quarter; a small cake for $2.40 (King Soopers/City Market). Marked-down kale (Walmart). Extra-large shrimp, about $6/lb; 99-cent/pound turkey; $1.27/lb ham; Marie Callender apple pie ($4.97); free turkey for spending $100+; free celery (Safeway). BOGO cranberry sauce (about 40 cents each); barbecue sauce and salad dressing, 99 cents each; mixed nuts $1.79 for 10 oz.; ground turkey, $1.57/lb; Lindt thin candy bars for 20 cents each (SLV Amish grocery). Campbell's Chunky chicken and dumplings soup, plus chicken potpie soup, for $1.02 each; KIND bars, 61 cents each; chicken a la king for $1.21 each...and tins of smoked sardines for a buck each! (Amazon, mostly Warehouse Deals)
True to form, Safeway shorted me considerably on the bill -- which meant a special trip back to Safeway to get my money refunded: nearly $45. (They charged full price for the 'free' turkey, among other things.)
*Used up leftovers, including turkey breast and our share of the Thanksgiving turkeys. (I'm doing better in this area, though there were a few misses, including a mushy pkg of carrots forgotten from the Utah trip.) Didn't always heat the house, even when it got down to the low 60s. (Sweaters work wonders. So does the woodstove.)
*Planted 400 more flower bulbs -- a 75% off-free-shipping special the Brick found. Adding thedaffodil bulbsI put in the ground last month, this makes 600 bulbs planted this fall... whew!
*A $10.06 Quora payment. and a $36.73 class action Facebook settlement.
*A few new appraisals. Mostly just working on current reports.
*Watched our granddog Freya, while her parents were working rock shows.
*Sold some books -- and gave away some, too.
FRUGAL MISSES
*$40 for keeping the dogs at the the hotel in Utah, $20 for each. (Fortunately, our part of the bill was reasonably priced --$50 and change == and included a good breakfast. Don't miss out staying at the Sleep Inn in Draper, UT; it's a bargain, not counting dog-related $$. And yes, they behaved themselves. (We did, too. I did nab a few cream cheese packets and some lovely-smelling body lotion samples.)
For some weird reason, the hotel refunded $20 a few weeks later -- apparently because we have Good Doggos?? Ahem.
*Paid the inevitable insurance bill for the new car...but at least it was lower than feared. Ditto for registration.
*More dents, scratches and bangs on the truck, after moving the fifth-wheel we used to live in. (resigned sigh) The back gate is hard to open, but we're dealing with it. At least it can rest some, since the Highlander is also in use. We still haven't figured out how to bring the dogs, except in the truck. Maybe a crate in the back of the Highlander, to protect it?
Freya redecorated a sofa cushion, but she wasn't the only one....Bo helped with other items. And, of course:
*Latest snacks for Tiger: one of the Brick's flannel shirts (a sleeve), a ball of string, heavy rubber glove, the coating on a pair of pliers, and a selection of winter and work gloves. (With one exception, always the right hand, not the left. Being lefthanded myself, this is intriguing.) Other than the Utah trip, no escape attempts (but some from Bo), a few pooping disasters...and only a few pee incidents. (He got scared.) So things are improving. Sort of. Then again, maybe not. ("Puppies are puppies," the Brick reminds me regularly.)
Note to you poor souls: black duct tape works wonders.
*Still learning the bells and whistles on the new car -- nearly caused an accident in Denver, because I didn't realize the headlights didn't go on automatically. (They do now, thanks to the Brick.)
*Bought myself a few things, including a flannel nightgown ($12), sweater ($3.50) and nice leather purse ($24, plus 10% senior discount on all). Yes, they were at the thrift store. Yes, they were WAY under what they would have cost on Amazon or elsewhere. (I checked. The nightgown's best price on Amazon: $28.) So why do I feel a little strange about this...and a bit guilty?
*Got a new laptop! And since we bought it on a Black Friday sale, we saved $300, with free shipping. Why isn't this in 'Hits,' rather than 'Misses?' Because we hadn't planned to do it. But when your screen cracks, you don't have much choice.
*No access to my e-mail and other websites, my photos, etc. And thanks to differences between the Brick's WORD and mine, reports are going a LOT slower. Frustrating. I've used the slow weeks to do other work, but still...
Week before last, a small crack developed on my laptop screen. "How in the world did that happen??" said the Brick. Truth is: I don't know. I've been traveling with it some, but didn't notice anything.
The crack lengthened. Next thing I noticed was the cursor, which seemed to have a mind of its own. It would zoom off in all directions, opening and closing pages...and driving me crazy, trying to finish up reports. (The 'firefly effect' was due to it being a touch screen, the Brick says.) First we considered buying a new screen -- but it would cost only about a hundred dollars less than the Best Buy laptop the Brick found, thanks to Black Friday.
It arrived last week, and the Brick has been installing on it ever since. Someday soon, I hope to have access to my Own Stuff, including photos, etc. The Brick graciously loaned me his laptop -- or you wouldn't be hearing anything from yours truly. Unfortunately, it does not do what I need it to.
Sigh. Not long now.
Meanwhile, we're trudging through the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers, and watching a winter storm roll in.
P.S. If you've e-mailed me, and I haven't answered -- I'm not ignoring you. I just don't have access to my e-mail account right now; the Brick's is in the way. I should be able to respond in the next few days.
And here are a few pieces of Stuff to consider, until my world gets back to normal.
From Wendy Holmes, an old neighbor, via the NEIGHBORHOOD app:
Hey gang! If you see a deer all decked out in solar meteor lights, don't let him tell you that he's being festive. He stole them from my tree! And.... they were hung at least 6ft off of the ground. Tore the heck out of my tree and I had Irish Spring soap hanging in places. So, that doesn't work.
The snow has stopped -- and it's already melting. That's what happens when you get a ton of sunshine, even on a chilly day.
My laptop screen developed a crack. (I still don't know how.) The second time I noticed it, the crack was longer...and my cursor, when it appeared at all, jumped all over the screen, opening and closing pages at will. Sigh....
I limped along for a while, trying to cope. Then we did the wise thing -- ordered a new laptop. Thanks to Black Friday specials, a new machine was only about $100 more than trying to fix the old laptop.
Thankfully, we had the money, too.
It arrives Friday. Meanwhile, the Brick has generously offered to let me use his laptop. That's great -- but it means learning on a new system, with his little quirks installed.
Fresh out of the candlelight concert, it started to snow. The mountains spend a lot of time hiding behind a mist of clouds, while we get light but steady flakes. Just glad we don't have to go anywhere until Tuesday.
The kids will be here Thursday for Thanksgiving -- the first time they've been at our place to celebrate in quite a number of years. Am I looking forward to it? You bet.
Bids for a Bob Ross painting are now past $1million. Why? The painting isn't that exciting -- BUT so few Ross paintings have been sold, at auction or otherwise. Three more Ross paintings sold in recent years for $600,000 combined...
John Corcoran, Ripley’s director of exhibits, said in a statement. “Our number one idea is to keep things free-flowing. Number two is making sure nothing gets clogged up and flushes away future possibilities. We will unroll some paper and start planning.”
Hey, Gentle Readers, I don't always write the wisecracks -- I just report 'em!
A huge amount of EBT fraud has been uncovered -- here are the states who got hit the worst. (186,000 DEAD PEOPLE are collecting foodstamps?!?) This is why I believe that not only should the system be overhauled -- everyone should reapply. Some family members disagree on this -- after all, the 'billionaires who don't pay tax' are cheating so much more. But to my mind, fraud is fraud. Prosecute the billionaires, too!
My take on 'being poor:' a classic from yours truly. I wrote this years before the current brouhaha on EBT and SNAP benefits.
