Frugal Hits & Misses: July Report

    The month started out blissfully comfortable -- then the heat bore down. That's no picnic when you're living in a mostly metal fifth wheel. We've coped by keeping the windows shut, fans going, and air conditioning (if necessary) during the day, then opening everything up to the breeze when it cools down at night. A few bits of rain (hail, for our friends in Castle Rock) have happened. Things are more green than usual, thanks to the extra rain in late spring...but it's starting to turn that brown-gold we're used to seeing in late summer. This is typical for July and August in Colorado.

    Grasshoppers whir up in a cloud wherever we step. Now they're trying to get inside the trailer, the truck or wherever they can. Some even try to hitch a ride on poor Ruby. The Brick was driving to town on Sunday, and realized a pair of beady eyes was fixed on him. A huge hopper was clinging to his chest! 

 Stinkers.

FRUGAL HITS

(some of these are from late June)

*Father's Day celebration! We had a nice supper at Huhot, a Mongolian-style barbecue, with the kids, who covered the $$. Very kind of them; we love you, dears.

*'Spirit' week at our church -- free supper every night, and class. Almost like being in university again. (I miss being in class -- especially when there's no final to take.) 

*Half-price day at the thrift shop...for everything. Unfortunately, we couldn't attend until late afternoon, when all the free hot dogs and cookies were gone. But we did snag several cans of pop, cheerfully encouraged by the staff. (The sweethearts.) I also got some baby shower, birthday and Christmas presents, fabric scraps and several bags of sequin embellishments. And a lovely blue-and-white ceramic vase/canister/serving bowl thing.

Here it is -- a cask?? I'm sure it has an 'official' name, but am clueless right now.

*Homemade iced coffee and lemonade kept us 'liquidated,' as well as strawberry milk, Coke and beer we already had stocked. I am so grateful for lemonade mix...a glass is just a few pennies, versus much more for pop. When you don't have lemon trees, like some people, it's a real blessing.

*Didn't replant the garden. The grasshoppers would have eaten whatever came up -- and we only have another month of growth season, anyways. (See the June report if you're curious.) Our sole harvest: a few small tomatoes. (Mavis, don't feel bad. You're not alone in this.)  Rooted some peppermint stems --what the grasshoppers graciously left me.

     Here's the irony: we are the only ones in our circle of friends who even HAVE a grasshopper invasion. I don't get it.

*Used my allowance to buy several books on Ebay -- some for birthdays, some I've been looking for ages.  Some were buy 3/get one free. Free shipping, too.

*Two settlement payments of $5.50 each, thanks to A&W. Yes, I know -- it's not that much. But these add up. (The claim site is still open, but not for long -- click on the link above.)

*Applied for my chunk of the Google lawsuit settlement -- plus the Brick's.  (Hurry - you can, too.)

*A surprising amount of appraising done this month - and arrangements made for more in August. Usually it's very quiet during the summer.

*I also did an appraising gig in Montrose, CO, for the Black Canyon Quilt Show.  I really like these people! They are funny, talented...and kind. A colleague, Cindy Kurey, helped. We split the appraisals, so it wasn't as exhausting as usual. But it was five hours drive each way, much of it dealing with 'tourists going to the mountains' traffic. 

*Gas was twenty cents cheaper per gallon in Montrose -- just by going a block or two further.

*Didn't buy snacks for the way home -- drank a bottle of water I'd been given, and finished off the crackers and chips I had left over from the trip there. The guild's meal and gas allowance was a big help.

*The Brick brought home supper from Sam's: a rotisserie chicken and  salad. On several other occasions, we came home, instead of going out for lunch -- then ate leftovers! I also made smoothies and banana bread from going-to-pot fruit, and stirfries with softening veg.

*Bought stamps, and mailed some packages early to take advantage before the rise in price.  When I bought a year's supply of 55-cent stamps, which is now 66 cents due to the July increase,  I just earned TWENTY PERCENT! Few investments can do that in one blow.

*The Brick did more than his share of household chores, including emptying tanks and mowing the (huge) lawn. He also helped our friend, working on the tractor. I washed clothes and dishes, did some chores -- and cleared away a corner of the fifth-wheel that's been collecting for months now. The Brick drove several times for Broken Tree, our local church for people with disabilities. 

*Gave some presents, just for fun. Bought a few more birthday presents, and got free shipping. 

*Watched several tv series, including NCIS: New Orleans,  Jack Ryan's newest season, and Almost Paradise.

*Used my coupons from the 'complaining letters,' including Tostitos. (Don't buy their triple cheese flavor -- just sayin'.) Safeway had a 'buy two, get two free' special -- which I used my two free coupons on! I also got three free DiGiorno pizzas...yum.

*Dropped our friends off at the airport for a trip to Alaska. Picked them up again. (Stayed home and didn't go on any airplane flights. Considering all the chaos in NYC, maybe that was for the best.)

   Dropped another set of friends off at the airport, too. (We'll pick them up in late August.) Maybe we should start a shuttle service.

Showoff.

*Kept using stuff 'discovered' when I defrosted the freezer. (Worked on the small one above our fridge in the fifth-wheel, while I was at it.) Made a commitment to using up leftovers regularly, and clearing out the fridge -- and mostly have been successful at it. Our traveling friends gave us fruit and veg that would have spoiled. I also did a lot of baking early in the month-- but that stopped when the temperatures went up.

*A new phone plan -- slightly less $$, but at least it avoids the price raise they were trying to foist on us. Every dollar counts, in my opinion. 

*Two flower bouquets -- marked-down to start with, and $2 in coupons, as well. Mine ended up at 75 cents!  The Brick also gave me a lovely bunch of carnations, which are still going strong.

*Grocery buys:  Gallons of milk ($1.97 ea), half-gallons 97 cents, a dozen eggs (97 cents), shredded and chunk cheese (approx. $1-2/lb, plus a free 2-pound chunk -- thanks, Rewards!), free sour cream and canned veg, $5-off coupon -- and some coupons for playing their online game (Safeway). Funyons for 38 cents each (rare to find these on sale); beef sticks, 28 oz. for $11.16; Imported pasta (dinosaur & alphabet shapes) for approx. 80 cents/lb -- a real buy nowadays (Amazon Warehouse). A dozen danishes and other fancy pastries, $1.89; two free boxes of Pop-Tarts; three bags of 8 tomatoes, a big bunch of bananas and a 2-pomegranate bag for 99 cents each (King Soopers).

    Has anyone else noticed that the limits on specials are decreasing? Safeway generally only allows one or two per household, instead of the foursome they used to. Meat prices are up, too. Again.

FRUGAL MISSES

*A FULL meal, full-priced, in Montrose -- including appetizer, dinner salad and dessert. And I covered my friend's meal, too. (She bought mine last year.) It was delicious. (I know. This is more typical for some of you -- but it's rare for us.)

     Another meal, full-priced, for us and family from Williamsburg, VA, netted enough leftovers for Ruby -- and TWO extra meals for us, thanks to an extremely kind waiter who asked if we wanted "some extra to go."

*Thought I'd ordered at least 6 boxes of chocolates -- got just one instead. Although the math didn't add up on the Amazon page, it took quite a tussle and two different customer service reps before I finally got my money refunded. Thanks, Amazon...eventually.

*Took a flyer on Credit Suisse when it imploded...and lost money. The Swiss bank was recently taken over by UBS, which meant Credit Suisse stock got converted to UBS stock. Unfortunately, UBS bought it at a very low price. I did fine with my later purchases of CS...but got nailed with the early ones. (sigh) Lesson learned: every time I speculate quickly, without watching for a while or thinking it through, I get nailed. (Gamestop is my most shining moment.) Otherwise, I've done quite well.

    I'm doing well with other stocks, though, including Bank of America and Wells Fargo. (I make a point to buy those who offer dividends -- that way, you get SOMETHING for your money.) Robinhood starts with a low minimum, and never charges a fee, unlike TD Ameritrade and others. With care (and dividend stocks), you can increase your money. Have you thought about trying it? Use my referral, and we'll both get a free share of stock.

Here's last month's (June) report -- and last year's. (July, that is.) Plus the year before.

I hope to get some swimming in -- and there's always our annual peaches run to Palisade to look forward to. So let's get on with it, August!