We're finally home. As up in the hills above Fort Garland, CO -- about 3 hours drive south of our old home in Sedalia. It's at 8600 ft elevation, although we're on the edge of The Valley, as locals call it. (San Luis Valley, in case you're wondering.)
We've had a few days of snow off and on -- and plenty of cold, blowy weather. But there's only a scraping of snow left, thanks to Colorado's incredible sunshine. The mountains have a thick coating of snow -- must be their winter coats. And we certainly have more than the plains below. But boy, can that wind whistle across the flat areas.
More on life here, as we get more settled. We've lugged in box after bag of Various Items from the fifth-wheel, which is parked outside the front door. But there's more to go. It's never easy -- but still worth it.
FRUGAL HITS
*The fifth-wheel is winterized -- by the Brick, using products purchased online and retail. Saved us a bunch of money this way. He is very clever at repairs and updates on all of our appliances, including the furnace. I'm lucky to have his expertise in my corner!
*Found $45 in a drawer -- I'd forgotten all about it! Also found all sorts of canned goods, dried beans and other foodstuffs I'd squirreled away. We won't need to buy extras for a long, long time.
*Used Black Friday specials, for the first time in years -- we needed a good inflatable mattress for company, and a vacuum. We found both, brands we wanted, for up to 40% less than we'd planned to spend. Yay!
*A BUNCH of things left behind by our house's previous owner. Some were quirky -- but it was kind of him, nonetheless. Every time we open a drawer or cupboard, we seem to discover something else. The latest: a beautiful woodstripe cutting board.
*Used two black wire 'spinners' (book displays) I'd gotten free from Arcadia with book orders. They never fit in the fifth-wheel, but are perfect for use in my new office area.
*70% off Halloween candy at Snoopers. (It was unnerving, though, to watch the candy canes go up as the Snickers bags came down.)
*Worked for Douglas County's election - two days were lost to closing on the new house, but it was ok. On Election Day, we were given extra snacks, and we all chipped in for pizza. I grabbed a few extras leftover at day's end, plus one of the leftover pizza slices. I also noshed on snacks now and then -- and brought some myself. Kind co-workers also gave me plant cuttings and an elephant ear plant.
I almost caused an accident driving home that night...I was so tired. But I didn't -- thank God. (Did get a lot of deserved horn-blowing, though.)
*Sold some books -- gave away a few copies, as well. Did a few appraisal sessions.
*Packed for the move -- then unpacked, box after bag after box. (This will be happening for a while, though the freezable stuff is out.)
*Bought European goodies for Christmas. Nearly all were on sale or clearance. (Restrained myself from making a second trip.) Got some lovely lebkuchen -- chocolate-glazed gingerbread -- at half-price.
*An eye exam and two new pairs of glasses: $149, thanks to Medicare and a vision allowance, plus a special at America's Best.
*Got some kids' books, some videos and a few adult books -- at Parker Library's used booksale room, as well as the thrift shop. Several were holiday-related, plus some Christmas presents. One $3 purchase -- the 1994-95 tv series Hawkeye -- has been surprisingly good.
*Waited to make grocery purchases until after the mid-month deadline on the credit card -- that way, I had time for our November income to come in to pay the bill. And we had more to add to the house payment. Every dollar helps, especially if you're paying interest!
*Grocery buys: mini chocolate chips (approx. half the usual price), hot sauce (less than $2 a bottle), pizza sauce (82 cents a can), kidney beans (68 cents a can): Amazon. $2.99 pizzas, dozen eggs (77 cents), free 4 cans of veggies and a dozen eggs, free tortilla chips: Safeway. And the big one: a FREE turkey at Safeway, because I bought $150+ (actually $175) in purchases. All the items were on sale, to begin with, and were good for stocking up at the new house. (I have two -- count 'em, TWO -- pantries!)
*Still had something mispriced -- and had to go to Customer Service to fix it. A $3-and-change mistake on Safeway's part. (sigh) King Soopers must have messed up -- they got their items right this time. NOTE: Considering how often it's happened to me, you probably have price errors on your receipts, too! Be sure to double-check.
* Safeway got me again, too -- a Thanksgiving ham that rang up at $1.97/lb, instead of $1.27. (I still need to get that refunded.)
*A peaceful Thanksgiving, spent with our kids. It meant driving a few hours -- then heading back quickly, since snow was threatening. But it was lovely.
*Repaired open seams and raggedy cuffs on clothing. They should last for another year or two.
*Fifteen pounds of red potatoes! Someone at church gave out a bunch of bags. (It's big potato country here in the Valley.)
*Kept our expenses for November relatively low... in spite of the extra gas costs, home and trailer-related repairs, and goodbye meals with friends. Extra appraisal income helped. We did pay for six months worth of home/truck insurance, to avoid the fees. (Yowch.)
*Figured out a way to watch the Michigan/Iowa championship game. The Brick found a streaming app that was offering a free 7-day trial. We'll enjoy it -- then cancel. (We watched the Michigan/Ohio State game at an Alamosa country club off the golf course -- because it was the only place open early enough. You have to figure these things out in a more rural area.)
FRUGAL MISSES
*We spent a LOT on gas. Nearly $950 this month alone. But we had to make a few trips, and get the fifth-wheel and rented trailer here. (Ouch.)
*Veteran's Day specials -- yep, they were there. But we didn't use a single one. (That's what you get when you decide to move...no time and little inclination.)
*Had to put up a mailbox. Otherwise, we would have had to drive into town to get our mail. Fortunately, we found some lettering stickers in the basement, although we bought the mailbox and post. (The building supply guy cut a wood base for the mailbox -- no charge -- for the Brick. Wow.)
*Paid full price for a 5-pound bag of flour...because the 25-pound bag was stuffed in the truck's backseat. (Easier not to dig it out.) Full price for milk and eggs, too. Yes, I know. It wasn't that much more...buying these at full price just bugs the Hollander in me.
*Some gunky leftovers -- a few items thrown out, or donated to Ruby.
I read SPARE, formerly-Prince Harry's whiny self-defense in print. Either Those Who Take Care of Royalty didn't do it for him -- or they didn't stop him from messing up and making bad decisions. So it's still their fault, not his. P.S. Meghan is wonderful -- because now she can make decisions for him, too.
All I can say is: Don't bother. Thankfully I checked it out from the library, so didn't pay for it.
*Sent a bunch of anniversary and birthday cards late -- too much going on, with the move and elections. At least I sent them...I guess.
*Didn't get reliable internet access until December 1st. We could read and respond, thanks to our phone hotspots. For a while at least, until they stopped. But I couldn't send any reports -- and couldn't print them, anyways. Incredibly frustrating. I intend to make up for that in the next few days.
I am always inspired by the antics of bloggers like The Prudent Homemaker, The Frugal Girl, My Tireless Retirement, One Hundred Dollars A Month and the Nonconsumer Advocate. Some, like Mavis at One Hundred and Shelley at My Tireless, have become friends. They're not only interesting (and frugal) -- they often provide creative alternatives to schlepping out to the nearest store and buying STUFF. And during the holidays, that's especially helpful.
Last month's report is here. 2022's November report is here. And here's 2021's version, when we were in Michigan.
Have fun in December...if you plan on traveling, have a good trip.
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