Brrr.... it's been cold. I am so grateful for the cheerful crackling of the woodstove, even if it means we have to haul in a wheelbarrow load or two every week. Thanks to the previous owner's industry, we still have plenty of cut-and-split logs. The Brick found a woodworking company where we can get a pickup-load of aspen for less than $75, if we load it ourselves. (See below for that adventure.) It burns easily, so makes a good firestarter.
I also inventoried the contents of both our freezer and storage -- and felt a lot better. We have plenty of food to get by just fine. All we need are milk, eggs and an occasional pound of butter. Maybe eggs won't be on the list soon -- we're looking at getting chickens!
Our version of winter days really isn't that bad, compared to what I grew up with in Michigan. We have our share of storms, but plenty of sunny, crispy cold weather in between. However, today (the 30th), we got slammed with nearly two feet of light, fluffy snow...the most since we moved here Nov. 2023. Yow. Is this a sign for the rest of winter??
FRUGAL HITS
*Under budget for the month! Considering that December was bloated with truck repair expenses, this was a real relief. (Property taxes are coming due in February, too.)
*Five pairs of knitted mittens for our dear nieces and nephews. It gave them a useful present -- and the friend who knitted them some extra income. I ordered three more adult pairs -- including one for me.
*Put away the Christmas decorations -- and some more boxes and bags originally from the fifth-wheel. (Yes, we're still unpacking...but making progress.)
*Earned a free $25 Amazon giftcard - for the equivalent of $22 in Swagbucks points! I still use this for searches and occasional shopping -- it's free, and easy to earn points. Yes, you can do it, too.
*A Verizon claim settlement came through -- $14.81.
*The monthly electric bill went back down...whew, less than $90. (The Brick confessed that he'd been heating the workshop downstairs for an extended period the month before. Now we know.)
*The mandarin oranges bought in December have really held their own! The ones kept in cold storage, that is, by the steps down to the garage. (The ones by the woodstove hardened right up, and had to be squeezed.) I have been eating at least three a day, and will peel the rest and put them in the freezer. After all, I don't want to get... you know.
*Found money: squat, so far, for 2025. (I did find two half-dollars stashed away in my old purse bug, but that doesn't really count.)
*Sold some books. Did some appraisals, too. Always nice! Finished up some appraisal reports that clients have been waiting patiently for. (Thank you so much.)
*Purchases made this month included TurboTax. I bought some books for my research shelf, plus some history books, from Ebay sellers -- buy 2, get 1 free; as well as buy 3, get 1 free, and 25% off for 2 or more. (Free shipping, too.) Some of these will be birthday presents. (Held off on an additional order because I couldn't find that essential fourth book. Maybe later.)
*A book on Arizona oddities, sent by friends "because it reminded us of you." !!! (Thanks, Dears.)
*Some wonderful quilt-related photos for future articles, at extremely reasonable Ebay prices. Including this one:
*Ate up a LOT of leftovers from the Fish Dishes and Christmas baking. Some of it went in the freezer when we couldn't finish it all up. We also made a nice dent in our canned and dry goods and sauces.
*Finished up the Christmas ham -- with pea soup, made with scraps and the hambone, coming up as a finale.
*The Brick made the trip to Denver's capital for his veteran's group. They met some legislators, and lobbied on behalf of Convention of the States. He was mighty frugal on the trip, and basically spent money for gas, a parking spot -- and supper with our friends at Red Robin. (He got a free appetizer, too.) I was going to go, but this flu business just kept me down and exhausted.
*Kept the woodstove supplied -- and temps cool in the house, so we didn't use propane much for heat. I did, however, use the dryer a lot. (It uses propane, too.)
*Stitched up the Brick's wool hunting pants... and worked on restoring an antique crib quilt.
*Some beautiful antique wire name pins, plus a handful of Victorian era bar pins -- all for about $1-3 each, plus shipping.
*The Social Security Fairness Act was signed into law! This should mean a good-sized increase in our SS income, since the "double-dipping penalty" is now abolished. (Good riddance.) To add a little frosting on top, we also got a 2.5% cost-of-living raise on our usual amounts. Always nice. Unfortunately, it looks like we'll have to wait up to a year to get the increase and back pay. As Arlo Guthrie says, "Well, thass America..."
*Made a double payment on the house loan again. We had to do a single payment in December, due to truck repairs.
*Singing again at church. We missed a big chunk of late December and early January, due to the flu.
*Kept our darling granddog Freya, while Son #1 and Daughter #2 man a booth at Tucson's monthly Jan/Feb gem show. (It's great -- go take a look!)
*Several postcards and stamp covers, for use in future articles and books. The most expensive was here, at a modest $15. The rest were less than $3 each, and mostly less than $2, a real steal for illustrations. Including this California Gold Rush piece:
*Thrift Shop Buys: sweaters for A DOLLAR each, notecards for $1-2 (10-25 cards), fabric for $2-5/yd...and a wonderful artist's manual on color for a buck. (Nazarene Thrift Shop)
*We now have a birdfeeder cam. They haven't found it quite yet, but I'm looking forward to the avian parade when they do. (Thank you, Dear Brick, for installing it!)
*Got my business card drawn at Fogo de Chao! This snazzy place is a lot like Rodizio Grill, with waitstaff running around with skewers of meat, as much as you want. I never got the first card, and had to request a replacement. But it arrived. Daughter #2 got one, too...
*Loaded the truck with aspen scrap wood for ourselves, plus a load for a friend. It's been cooooolllld around here. We loaded on a day of single-digit temps; it was so windy that the pieces kept flying out of the back while we were trying to throw them in. Chilled to the bone by the time we finished. (Foolish, foolish.) See below.
*Grocery buys: Brown eggs, $3.99/dozen (a steal right now in CO); pork sausage, approx. $1.70/lb; Italy-made spaghetti sauce $1.29 each; walnut pieces, approx. $3/lb; pecan pieces, approx. $4/lb; packages of Keebler cookies, $1.29 each; 2 pounds of espresso coffee beans, $6 and change (SLV Amish grocery). $1.27 half-gallons of milk (City Market). P.F. Chang honey chicken ($3 each), 50-cent loaves of French and Italian bread, 97-cent garlic bread and a huge package of stuffed dumplings called bulogi - $6. (Walmart) Don't even ask about eggs...IF you find them, prices are up. Again.
The P.F. Chang chicken was nearly tasteless, sadly. So I called, and they're sending replacement coupons. We also got an odd-tasting package of crumbly tatertots -- got a giftcard for that. (Thanks, Walmart!)
FRUGAL MISSES
*A few produce items spoiled...most, however, were eaten up before they got too rubbery. (Lots of salads this month. We needed them, anyways.)
*Wrote a check for the year's sale tax for Brickworks. A necessary evil.
*Behind on reports. I hope to make that up. (Hey, we're definitely not going anywhere the next few days.)
*Spent more than I'd planned to on Ebay. Sure, I got a lot of 'extremely reasonable' deals -- but those $10, $15 and $20+ charges add up. Amazon purchases were more balanced.
*Bought some quilt tops! Granted, they were reasonably priced...but I am a bad kitty. Bulk batting and fabric backing, purchased earlier, will help turn them into something.
*And bought myself a vintage poster of Breakheart Pass. Very reasonable price -- does a 40+% off discount count? No matter...I love this movie.
*ALMOST lost some ribeye steaks. We got them out for holiday guests that didn't stay for supper...and I kind of forgot they were there. By the time the Brick rescued them, they were starting to get a bit gamy. (Thank God for teriyaki sauce.) Ruby took care of the bones.
*A dead battery on the truck. So grateful for a friend who came over and jumpstarted it. Our 'truck guys' in Alamosa checked, and confirmed that the batteries were a bit rundown -- but should be fine. And the truck continued to run, until...
*The wind blew a piece of wood into the back truck window -- and broke it -- while we were loading aspen. Oh goody. To make things worse, we ended up at Alamosa's Walmart with a dead battery the same day. AGAIN. Thank God for jumper cables and two nice guys who helped get the truck started again. So...
*New batteries were purchased for the truck -- about $389. At least the truck starts regularly when you turn the ignition key. (You have no idea how much you take this for granted, until it doesn't happen anymore.)
*Bought the 2024 version of TurboTax for us and the business. Yow, it's expensive this year! (I guess I should be grateful we got it for 40% off, at least. Check Amazon -- the special may still be running.)
*Why do we pick up flu regularly this time of year? I read through previous January reports, and it's a frequent refrain. Maybe it's the cold -- or busy schedule in December. Is it stress from the holidays? (We do end up singing and playing a lot.) Fatigue? Just seems weird. At least we're feeling a lot better now.
Last month's report is here. January 2024 is here. And 2023's version is here. Off we go, into February. As soon as we shovel out, that is.
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