Frugal Hits & Misses: October Report

 Oh my -- what a month. We spent a good share of it in our beloved Colorado, but a huge downturn in The Mama's health brought us east to Michigan. We're parked in my folks' farmyard now, and spending hours every day at the hospital by The Mama's side. Hopefully she can go back to her care facility soon.

 Update: she was released from the hospital on the 29th, but now is at the same rehab facility she visited back in August. Ironically, she can have anyone visit -- but must stay quarantined for two weeks in her room because she's not vaccinated. So everyone and their brother can traipse through...but she's not allowed to go out, for fear of "exposing" someone. Makes sense, doesn't it...

FRUGAL HITS

(some of these are from late September) 

*No huge grocery deals until later in the month--  except for a $10-off coupon earned from Safeway's rewards program. That was nice!  Apples for 87 cents a pound weren't too bad, either.

*Used our blowup camping mattress to sleep on until we find a better substitute for the expensive one.  Surprisingly comfortable, too. Kudos to the Tuft & Needle people -- because the mattress didn't work for us, they refunded our money, all $825 of it!! Now that's customer service. 

*Got a $10 Starbucks giftcard for $5 -- which promptly went to Daughter #1 for her birthday. 

*Amazon deals:  Goya canned black beans for 68 cents each. Dinty Moore canned stew for $1.65 each. (It supposedly wasn't on sale, but checking with Walmart.com priced it at double and triple that amount. This is one of the few beef stews that's consistently good. Great on rice or biscuits.) A 10-set of Western movies for $7, and a two-pound package of pecans for $13 and change. (Mustn't miss out on Thanksgiving pay-kan pies...) Dried milk, at half the going rate, and Walker's shortbread cookies, more than half off, finished out the orders.

     I didn't shop that much on Amazon this month. Drooling over a pack of Audie Murphy Westerns, but even on sale, it's more than my allowance.

*Got one pkg of hotdog buns for free at the thrift store -- but a package of 20 doughnuts for 99 cents! King Soopers 'gave' me those, but stiffed me on a dollar package of rolls that were supposed to be free. (I intend to get those refunded.) I did get a free dozen eggs, 16 oz. pasta for 49 cents each, and 5-pound bags of potatoes for 79 cents each. (I know. I'm a Hollander. That's how I roll.)

*Thrift shop deals: two sweaters for $5 each, plus a Happy Face mug and a Delft bowl for $1 each. It was Senior Day, so I got 15% off, as well. 

*Returned a stale bag of snack mix to the Friday/Saturday store, while stocking up on fruit juice, sauces and produce. My beloved Friday/Saturday store is going out of business! It's a HIT now (because they're offering a 10% discount on already-low prices. They close Dec. 31.) I've been snagging good buys there for years, and the owners, Jo and Martin, have become friends. This last stop produced candy for Christmas stockings (25 cents each); a dollar #10 can of black olives; grated mozzarella (5 lb for $10) and pepperjack cheese ($1 each); leeks ($1/lb) and a case of Knudsen's sparkling apple juice for less than $1.30 a bottle. 

     I am going to miss this wonderful store. 

*Freezer goodies from friends -- 20 pounds of last-year's-elk meat (10 pounds went to Daughter #1) Hawaiian rolls and leftover bread. We were also given a couple pounds of ground elk meat by friends, as well. (Makes great meatloaf.)

*Royalties arrived -- not as much as hoped, because my newest book came out in late June -- and royalties were only from Jan - June. Next time...

*Had Boulder's Daily Camera print a feature on the kids' version of my Ghosts & Legends book. Every bit helps!

*Got enough toilet paper to see us through the winter. We had to stop at three different Sam's Clubs to do it -- but now we've got some. (Our Michigan cousins tell us that t.p. is all but nonexistent there.) We also stocked up on hip & joint chews for the dogs, plus a case of chicken noodle soup. (78 cents each) An earlier case of mushroom soup (50 cents each, from the Friday/Sat Store) will help, too.

*Held back until we arrived in Michigan to buy some extra staples: green enchilada sauce, for one. That way, we didn't have to haul cans across the country. Thankfully, Walmart.com prices stay the same, wherever you live. Warning: it's clear that prices on everything foodwise are going up. It wouldn't be a bad idea to stock up on your favorite canned or frozen foods. 

*Did chores for our landlords -- steps and trim painted, lawn mowed, sheets changed... and a truckload full of mulch for the perennial bed. ( Mulch is free on Saturdays at the drop-off-your-clippings place in Castle Rock. They'll even load your truck for free, using a front-end loader.) I baked an apple pie for them...and us, too.

      Chores like this helped keep our rent low when we were parked on the ranch. We bought propane there, too.

*Returned a mum plant -- mums that start dying in little more than a week deserve replacing.

The 'High Rollaway' in Michigan -- a favorite stop in fall

*Saved a summer perennial plant by repotting it in a smaller container for inside. (A friend is graciously keeping the plants alive until I can get back to take care of them myself.)

*Checked out a bunch of library books, instead of buying them. That was especially wise, since some were (ahem) not really worth reading. Did the same for some videos, too, including Season #10 of The Walking Dead and Season #5 of Line of Duty.

*More videos from the library's used-book room, including Mary Poppins Returns and further seasons of Poldark, Sherlock and The Walking Dead. Plus three seasons of Maverick. For two bucks each! (I was hoping to get all of these someday, when I could afford it.) 

*Closed a bank account that was doing nothing. (The Brick closed his, too.) Also some interest (piddly) on other accounts. I really wish interest rates would come up a little.

*The Brick renewed his P.E.  I only wish I could renew my appraising memberships as cheaply...or easily.

*Saved on plane tickets we would have used for Michigan...since we're pulling the trailer there, instead. (Southwest has a reliable credit program.) We're hoping to use these for a vacation in January.

*More appraisals done. I've been averaging one or two days' worth of appraising a week. (On the plus side, as well, when I realized I'd be late, my clients with group appraisals graciously agreed to wait a little longer. Wow, how kind can you get.)

*Treated to lunches and suppers out. More than once. Birthdays, even delayed ones, are wonderful for this.

*Used up things from the freezer to make room for...

*More than 200 lovely pounds of meat from the Brick's elk. But...we paid for it. (see below) We were able to give some to both Daughters and Son #1, as well as friends who've been generous to us. We took some with for the family in Michigan, too. 

Yes, this is a buck (deer). The Brick was hunting for elk.

*Took care of granddog Karma for a few weeks, while her family went to New York. (They took us out to eat, as a thank you.)

*Hunting costs were less this year, thanks to the Brick snagging a permit for a local guide ranch, instead of driving hours away to the Western Slope. He and Daughter #1 were able to come home each evening, to soft(er) beds and a hot meal. He was also able to find enough bullets in our current stock. (Like many other shipped items, ammunition is all but unavailable this year.) I packed snacks, both homemade and from the dollar store, and ate up leftovers while the hunters were gone.

    The meat from the five-point bull elk he snagged (on the first day of the season) will help balance costs nicely!

*The Brick's massage.  Thanks to a $21 special, he got an hour's massage and a few chiropractic appointments, plus a few more covered by insurance.

*Combined some leftover funds with other family members' $$ for The Mama's nice bouquet. I plan to keep her in flowers as much as we can.

*Watched our traveling food expenses -- and food expenses while going to and from the hospital. McDonalds' $3 bundles have been a big help. So has cooking when we get home, even though it often means we eat supper at 10 p.m.

*Watched (or listened to) a LOT of college football. Wonderful. Go Blue!

FRUGAL MISSES

*Worked...and worked...and worked some more to process the elk before we left. Daughter #1 was a champ to help, but it took us most of three days, plus an afternoon of the fourth and cleanup on the fifth. On the plus side, Daughter #1 was able to borrow a grinder for the burger, and we were able to borrow our landlord friend's equipment for the rest. (Thank you so much.) I'm glad this is done, and the meat is safely in the freezer. 

*Took the elk head to be mounted. A European mount, tis true (skull and horns), versus a full mount, which I really wanted the Brick to have. But you have to cut extra 'cape' skin around the neck, and that wasn't possible. Also, it would have cost more than $1000. Better to stick with the European for less than $300. 

*Problems with overflow -- some clogging in the washing machine, thanks to tree roots and more. It took the Brick more than one trip of 'snaking' the sewage tank, plus adding root dissolver, to get things 'flowing' better.

*An overdue birthday supper for Daughter #1 -- pricey, but worth it. Always worth it. (Son #1 and Daughter #2 graciously agreed to wait until we got back from Michigan.)

*Bought a $21 book for myself -- Helene Hanff's Omnibus. (Actually five books in one -- does that make it a hit, instead?)

*Bought some fabric -- seduced by the backing fabric on a client's quilt. (It's all your fault, Cindy T.!) Umm, okay, I bought a few more pieces, too. But most were on sale!

                                         "Elements" by P & B -- a "grunge" style print. 

                                                   Look at that wonderful saturated color.

*More than a thousand dollars on new tires for our dear truck -- which has already absorbed close to $14,000 of our money this year. (sigh)

*Couldn't use two tickets to the Michael Cleveland concert, after all.  Gave them to our friends instead, so they could invite someone else. (They bought their own tickets.)

*Had to cancel Worship Team commitments in Colorado. On the plus side, we picked up some in Michigan, instead, provided that care of The Mama was covered.

*Drove to Michigan towing the trailer. We had planned to go without, because we could travel more quickly and The Mama's health depended on it. However, there were family issues...and that meant bringing the trailer, as well. Thankfully, we were able to get here in time, although it meant that we spent more hours on the road than were wise. The Brick got very little sleep, especially. But we're here now, the dogs are with us, and everyone's in one piece.

     Thanksgiving will most probably be in Michigan.

Last month's report is here.  Last year's October report is here.  The very first October Hits & Misses report is here, too. 

On with Fall.

The Mama's farm.  We're parked by the barn, behind the house.  (Photo by Joy Richards)