I know where: waiting, packing and cleaning, waiting some more. Two very happy Bricks saw their house sale finalized last week -- although afterward, I felt more numb than ecstatic. More things happened last week, too: my birthday, and the offer of a new book contract for Arcadia. Wonderful.
We've been living in the fifth-wheel now for months. It's currently in the shop, getting repaired and winterized. The truck needed work, too, so it's also in the shop. We're staying with friends until both are finished. Then up to the mountains to see the fall leaves, and scout around a bit for hunting.
FRUGAL HITS
(a few of these are from late August)
*Made the drive to Michigan --spending a few weeks to drop off a few more things in storage and spend some time with The Mama, including a baseball game with free entry and a meal ticket, from a company. Hot dogs for a dime! (Lest you think I'm the only Hollander on the planet, I heard of someone who went to this last year...then spent the remnants of her meal ticket on at least a dozen hot dogs [for future meals] at game's end. What a girl!) I couldn't do that well -- they had a limit of 5 dogs per person -- but we got enough for supper the next night, plus an extra drink and a large bag of caramel corn.
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| (From Rachel Ray's magazine, via Pinterest) |
*Found an even-better coffee-grinder than the one we packed early on -- and haven't been able to find for months. (Ironically, we found the packed one -- on the last day before we moved.) This one was $3.99 from the local thrift shop! Other thrift store and garage sale bargains: three pairs of jeans and a few shirts (for me); a few shirts and a sleeveless vest (the Brick); blue-and-white plates, Christmas stocking presents and my favorite -- an old bottle, dug up from an orchard near my hometown, Sparta, MI.
*Fed our cousins' chickens for a weekend...while they went to a funeral. No pay -- but lots of delicious fresh eggs, plus extra dozens to cousins and The Mama. (After chasing one runaway all over the yard, the Brick said, "I don't miss the chickens, but..." I finished, "I miss the eggs." He nodded.)
*Fruit and vegetable bargains: after all, Michigan is a 'fruity' state. I bought apples, peaches and nectarines for lower prices, direct from the orchard. Friend Anne gave us tomatoes, as well. A healthy percentage of these were shared with the kids, along with Michigan maple syrup.
Other buys: green peppers: 4 for $1.00, zucchini for $1/lb. I would have liked to put up more fruit and veggies in the freezer, but didn't have much time or room.
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| Michigan apples are wonderful |
*Grocery saves -- boneless skinless chicken breast: 99 cents/lb. Bought enough groceries to make a few suppers at The Mama's. High-end bacon at $2.99 for 1.5 lb. Also contributed to the family get-together on Labor Day (a $3.99 chocolate meringue pie from Grand Rapids' Daily Deals, our favorite Grand Rapids discount grocery, and packages of hamburger buns) Three free containers of soup and a box of ice cream bars, thanks to Safeway's rewards program.
*Treated to some suppers out --by the Mama. Very kind of her.
*Took some young family members out for an afternoon of fun. A cousin loaned her swimming pool; we stopped for slushies and ice cream afterwards at McDonalds. Then home to Grams' for supper (their favorite casserole), and a stop at Cousins' house to check on their chickens. (We took care of the chickies while Cousins were gone to a funeral.) I sent them home with a book (50 cents each at -- you guessed -- the library sale room) and a couple of dollar bills. They loved it. (We had fun, too.)
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| Ahhhhh.... |
*Moving help: Daughter #1, along with her partner, as well as Daughter #2 and Son #1, were a lifesaver in this department. D#2 and S#1 in particular spent a few days packing and schlepping. (Thanks so much, Dears.) Good friends gave us a few hours help, as well. We were soooo grateful. I fed everybody (usually Little Caesar's pizza, or something from the pantry), but that was all they would take. The sweethearts.
We took donations to Goodwill and moved items to storage ourselves, using the truck and multiple runs -- one of those tasks that's so much better, once it's finished.
*Self storage -- we got the web rate, plus are being charged only for a month's worth of actual days that we use it. (Some charge per calendar month, no matter when you actually use it during that month. Since we were late September through mid October, that would have meant two months' rent. Ouch.)
*Sold the patio set, a propane tank and a saw. Every little bit helps; in fact, their sale paid the storage fees.
*Closed on the house. Finally. Thank God. We paid off all the bills from the renovation and sent the remaining money in several different directions to do their work. Didn't leave us a whole lot of spare cash, but that's how we planned it.
*Saw "Angel Has Fallen" at the movie theater -- for $5. Got a free coke, as well.
Not as good as "The White House Has Fallen" or "London Has Fallen" -- but not that bad, either.
*A free birthday burger! Thank you, Red Robin. We scored $4.50 wings there, too, for Happy Hour, and a second free burger.
*Turned in Swagbucks points for a $10 giftcard. If you're interested in an easy way to pile up points simply by doing your regular work, GO HERE. You can earn Swagbacks even faster, using some of these techniques. Extra birthday points from Swagbucks, which bought a $3 giftcard. If you don't use this program for shopping or searching, you're missing out.
*More thrift shop buys -- in Grand Rapids, as well as Laramie, WY: new dress shoes, three pairs of jeans, some shirts for me and a beautiful black leather jacket for the Brick. A few Christmas presents, including a smiley face pillow for The Mama -- she loves this emoji.
*Got more $2 DVDs from our local library's used bookroom, including Gone with the Wind, Jurassic Park and a full season of House. We're currently watching three seasons of Blue Bloods -- free, thanks to borrowing them from the library.
*Another free investment supper -- Italian food and helpful advice on Medicare. A perfect way to celebrate Fall.
*Found a couple of pennies, a dime -- and a handful of change in an old work apron. (Must have been from a past gig.)
*Did a working gig at the Higher Ground Fair. Finished off the appraisals, as well.
*Signed a new book contract! I'm looking forward to writing this book (no. 8) for Arcadia Publishing.
*Postcards, for use in the book -- discounted, and far cheaper than borrowing images from the local institutions. (You must use certain guidelines to do this, but I'm careful about it.)
*Bought a couple of books from Amazon -- marked down. Including one of my favorites: a look at the Inuit interviews concerning the Franklin Expedition. (I've looked for a discounted copy for years. Just checked, and the lowest price is more than five times what I paid for mine.)
(I know -- most people aren't that concerned with an expedition that disappeared back in the 1840s. But it's an important one, affecting modern events -- if Canadians, who currently 'own' the expedition, can solidly prove that Franklin's men and ships completed their journey -- then they'll own squatters' rights to the Northwest Passage.)
*Free or discount magazine subscriptions: I haven't gotten these for a while, so this was extra-nice. I got freebies from Real Simple, Woman's Day*, AllRecipes*, the Whisky Advocate (for Daughter #2's partner) and Field & Stream. I had to pay $2 each for Bon Appetit, Vanity Fair and Good Housekeeping. Oh my.
*Bought some replacement t-shirts: $7.95 each new, free shipping. This isn't much off the usual $5-5.99 price for t-shirts at the thrift shop...these were tunic-style, and in colors I liked.
FRUGAL MISSES
*The whole moving business: it's amazing how the costs rack up. We spent extra on takeout food; diesel fuel; items we planned to return, but couldn't (they got damaged); storage fees (a bunch of extras get tacked onto the standard rate) and who knows what else. You don't even think about it -- until the bills come in.
*A batch of dishes broken when the fifth-wheel hit a bump in the road. At least I had others to replace them. Ironically, one of the victims was the thrift shop coffee grinder, after going without for months. It's cracked, but the Brick thinks we can use it. And we found the original coffee grinder, as well, on the last day of packing. (You become much less concerned about stuff, in general, when you're moving, anyways.)
*More bills from visits to the doctor and the emergency room. Fortunately, these were less than they could have been.
*Truck and fifth-wheel repairs. At least we have the money to pay them now.
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Last month's report is here; last year's September report here. (What a change, huh.)
Quora recently had an interesting set of answers to the question: "What's it like to be poor after you've been wealthy?" I thought I'd feel wealthy, even if only briefly, after we sold the house -- but I was wrong. They're just numbers on a page. I was rich already: in the love of my husband, our children and our friends. In our time together, our skills and interests. And most of all, in our faith.
That truly is what counts.
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