This month, the gardening urge hits hard -- but there's little I can do about it, except drool on The The Prudent Homemaker's greenery and garden progress. (She lives in Las Vegas, with a tiny frost period.) I keep a few green plants in the trailer for encouragement, but there is little to look at here in McNeal, AZ, except crunchy tan grass and leafless sagebrush, with a few green Spanish bayonets (yucca) here and there. It may be warmer here than in Colorado, but nothing much is growing outside. A light frost hits now and then, which doesn't help, but there's not much water, either. Everything looks either tan or brown, but the mountains are gently outlined in lovely creamy pink and peach tones during sunset.
We're not the only ones volunteering -- three other trailers are in the 'park' (really a gravel lot) with us, and others are staying in housing further in. The Sowers are here working, as well as a church group from Indiana. Some of these leave in early March; we'll probably stay longer.
Although we had traveling expenses, as well as extra to attend our friends' wedding in Phoenix, it's been even more frugal living in McNeal. The closest store is nearly 20 miles away.; others are 50 miles away. As the Brick points out, it's not that much further, really, than we used to travel to Denver. It just looks more isolated. Nonetheless, we've had plenty of necessities, and I stocked up on other items before we came. There doesn't seem much need for buying anything.
There's even what the group calls a "Missions Barrel" (really a thrift-store-in-a-room) that I've been encouraged to help myself from -- no charge. Shades of the time I went with cousins Tim and Joan on their deputation, and were encouraged to pick out stuff from the church's 'mission' area. Most of the things were worn and a little seedy, but T & J were very kind and thanked the church ladies for their 'generosity.' Meanwhile, it made me more determined that if I was going to send anything to missions, it was going to be from the good stuff -- not the leftovers or worn-outs!
February is the Brick's birthday month -- but we weren't here soon enough for him to get cards in the mail. He did hear from both girlies, as well as his brothers and The Mama, and several friends. He also got some birthday presents from yours truly...and a homemade cake: carrot and walnut.
Thank you, Gentle Readers, for continuing to visit regularly! In spite of some gaps, due to travel, the blog is still consistently hitting more than 6200 visits a month. I'm honored; thank you.
FRUGAL HITS
(Some of these are from late January)
*Free electricity, water, sewer and internet, with free laundry nearby! Ethnos360's way of thanking us for volunteering.
*Safeway's $5 special. This one was bread, luncheon meat (roast beef), sliced swiss cheese and a ten-pack of Capri Light drinks. All for five bucks. (Safeway charged me near-full price for Coke 6-packs on sale...but I will get that money refunded. Is this how they make up their sales?)
Other grocery specials: Chunky soup (our favorite) for 99 cents each, 2 jars of spaghetti sauce for 18 cents each, whole chicken for 59 cents/lb and a bunch of 50% off fried chicken pieces and tenders. (Plus I had an online coupon for same.) Eight pieces of chicken worked out to $2.24. Total. Pork chops were a stunning $1.08/lb at Sam's Club.
Food prices are higher here in Arizona: no surprise there. But I was amused to find that milk is approx. 50 cents cheaper a gallon. Cheese, eggs, veggies and other basic prices make up for it, though. (Is this how the Arizona grocers make up their sales?)
*Used up meat we brought from Colorado, including a large ham I got for $1.23 per pound. We've had several meals, plus a pot of split pea soup, using the hambone. Ham will feature for a few more breakfasts, as well.
*Got a Mr. Bean solar bobblehead and marked-down chocolate for family Valentine presents. (Our daughters were suitably impressed. Not.) Sent birthday and Valentine cards far ahead of time, knowing we'd be on the road when they should have gone out.
*Another stop to our friends, bringing food from the freezer -- only to get beat at Ticket to Ride. Again. (This time, it was the Brick -- but barely.)
*A scholarship to Williamsburg's yearly conference!! It's online this year...we can stay here in McNeal, and I still can attend. (Plus, it helps cover the educational credits I need for my appraising.)
I am very grateful for this opportunity. Thank you, Williamsburg.
*Whenever I ran out of a specific ingredient, I adapted, rather than run to the store.
*A small bouquet to keep me going -- carnations last for weeks, unlike many other flowers. Part of the bouquet was shared with nearby trailer neighbors, with another bouquet going to a friend.
*Meal invites from kind friends at McNeal, including a church potluck we contributed to, as well.
*Reports are DONE. Now it's up to me to finish the quilt restorations I've had on tap.
*More books, videos from Amazon, Ebay and the Castle Rock library's used sale room-- including a few for presents. I found a surprising new source: a 'free book' box parked next to the tiny post office in McNeal! (Some of my books will end up there after I finish reading them.)
*Did up three Amazon orders -- and cancelled them all when one critical item disappeared from the basket. (In each case, it was a Warehouse Deal, and sold before I could pay for it.) Put the others on hold until I could find something else worthy of pairing with them. When I did finally order, I got a $1 reward for being willing to have it shipped a little later -- but still shipped free. This has been a surprising way for me to feel luxurious-- yet save money!
*Rarely ate out in the beginning of the month. except using up bonus bucks and coupons. (Little Caesar and Del Taco was the major exception.) I used up a free meal at Del Taco, as well. While traveling, we were careful not to spend much, eating at Burger King and McDonald's, and choosing sale items. Even out to lunch for the Brick's birthday this month, we had the special. (Hollanders will be Hollanders, I guess.)
*Mantel clock from the thrift shop: a dollar. I bought a cheap battery clock from another thrift shop ($2.23) and replaced the defunct works in my clock with the workings from that one. Now it sits proudly on the bedroom shelf -- no more guessing the time in there!
*Picked up a new gig! The first in two years...the rest were cancelled, due to Covid. I'll be judging and appraising for the Cheyenne Heritage Quilters' 'annual' show in mid-August. (Actually, it's the first in a few years -- they've had the same problems as other guilds in being able to host shows.)
*Used up rest of the gift cards that were expiring.
*Free online classes - the latest was on William Morris, which I got to enjoy while waiting for our truck to be repaired in Albuquerque.
*Added The Mama to our family phone plan. (In a completely unrelated decision, Daughter #1 decided to switch her phone to her partner's plan; we got her call while working with The Mama. Ironic.) Got The Mama a free phone in the bargain -- provided we stay with Verizon for two more years. Which we planned to, anyways.
FRUGAL MISSES
*Yes, we used up the gift cards...but I had to waste a bit more than a buck on one. But I saved $3 on the order I used it on, and got some Swagbuck points, as well. (By the way, sign up for Swagbucks yourself -- and you'll get 300 SB to start. And it's free.) So why does this $1.10 loss niggle at me more than...
*Nearly $260 lost on a single share of GameStop stock. Thank God it was just one share.
*Repairs needed on the truck. Sigh. At least they were less than $500.
*Had a furnace scare! We thought it was broken...a reset solved the problem.
*Broke a few more dishes, including one of our nicer cups, and a green canning jar I'd just gotten. Both dog watering dishes/pans also cracked and leaked. These things happen.
*Had a crown come loose, entailing a special trip into town, and visit to the Gomez Clinic in Douglas, AZ. Another $105 down the drain...or down the throat, however you look at it.
Waiting for Dad to come back from the "office"
January's report is here. No February reports from 2020 -- we were still on the ship, with little or no internet. But here's Feb. 2018's version.
Were we really on a world cruise last February? It seems like an eternity ago.
Etsy photo, via Pinterest
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