January Frugalistas 2021

[JustEm]

we spent ALL DAY watching marvel movies and doing a puzzle!  So, we decided to order dinner.  It was worth the expense

[mommyoffive]

Picked up free meals yesterday.  

Had a 2 day pick up today, but snow day closed the schools.  Went to put in an order for Wed., but the system doesn't work correctly.  Even though I am doing it hours before the cut off, it says that ordering is closed.  So I put in an order for Thursday instead.  So only picking up for 3 days this week. 

Grocery order for tomorrow.  

[cjzimmer1]

They just posted the school lunch menu for February and it looks like they are now going to lunches (and in January they started the 7 breakfasts).  I think I'm going to start making more foods that DH and I like and the kids hate (aka anything containing mushrooms) because they are going to be eating so many meals separate from us anyways.  I wish it wasn't so much processed stuff and of course they eliminated my kids favorite item but I do appreciate not having to cook so much.  I've been letting them throw the hot dogs away but I may have to let them dispose of a few other things they are really hating and I haven't figured out how to repurpose yet.  I hate to waste food but the boxes are all or nothing so it's a little harder to regulate those items no one wants to eat. I am hoping they put lettuce in tomorrow's boxes.  DS brought home steak and cilantro rice from work so if I get some lettuce, I will have everything on hand to make tacos without having to do much more than chop onions and peppers and grate cheese.

Tomorrow someone is coming to measure the last 3 areas of the house that need new flooring.  My plan was to do those 3 rooms and change the window coverings in the master bedroom.  Based on previous carpet expenses, I figured I could do all that with the most recent stimulus money.  However, they discontinued the carpet I was planning to use (story of my life, every time I find something I like, it gets discontinued shortly after I find it), so I may end up with more expensive carpet.  Still trying to find a color I like.  So February will be an expensive month but that is the last interior project we have planned for the house (still have 2-3 other exterior projects but none of those can be started until the winter is over).

[historically accurate]

11 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

They just posted the school lunch menu for February and it looks like they are now going to lunches (and in January they started the 7 breakfasts).  I think I'm going to start making more foods that DH and I like and the kids hate (aka anything containing mushrooms) because they are going to be eating so many meals separate from us anyways.  I wish it wasn't so much processed stuff and of course they eliminated my kids favorite item but I do appreciate not having to cook so much.  I've been letting them throw the hot dogs away but I may have to let them dispose of a few other things they are really hating and I haven't figured out how to repurpose yet.  I hate to waste food but the boxes are all or nothing so it's a little harder to regulate those items no one wants to eat. I am hoping they put lettuce in tomorrow's boxes.  DS brought home steak and cilantro rice from work so if I get some lettuce, I will have everything on hand to make tacos without having to do much more than chop onions and peppers and grate cheese.

Tomorrow someone is coming to measure the last 3 areas of the house that need new flooring.  My plan was to do those 3 rooms and change the window coverings in the master bedroom.  Based on previous carpet expenses, I figured I could do all that with the most recent stimulus money.  However, they discontinued the carpet I was planning to use (story of my life, every time I find something I like, it gets discontinued shortly after I find it), so I may end up with more expensive carpet.  Still trying to find a color I like.  So February will be an expensive month but that is the last interior project we have planned for the house (still have 2-3 other exterior projects but none of those can be started until the winter is over).

Do you have Facebook? I've been donating some of our school lunch items - the pre-packaged stuff the kids don't like on a local freebie site. I've seen several posts about needing food, so I've been responding to those, but you can also post that you have items available. 

Yay for house remodeling! I want to do a couple things in this coming year, but I don't know if it'll make it to the top of the money list yet.

[cjzimmer1]

18 minutes ago, historically accurate said:

Do you have Facebook? I've been donating some of our school lunch items - the pre-packaged stuff the kids don't like on a local freebie site. I've seen several posts about needing food, so I've been responding to those, but you can also post that you have items available. 

Yay for house remodeling! I want to do a couple things in this coming year, but I don't know if it'll make it to the top of the money list yet.

The way things are package don't really lend themselves to donating them.  For instance the hot dogs are wrapped  with wedge potatoes.  My kids love the potatoes but to get them we have to move the unwrapped hot dogs (and since they even make my dog sick, I'm not all that interested in trying to find someone else to feed them to).  But it seems they get big packages of processed foods and then break them down into they individual wrapped meals.  So you have a chicken patty and corn wrapped together, or cheesy breadsticks with carrots.  So if they want to eat one part, you have to open the package and you can't exactly donate an opened package of something. The bagels are stuck in this super flimsy plastic that is just folded around them.  If you eat it the very first day, it's tolerable but after that it's so dry and I've yet to find a way to repurpose them that anyone is liking.  Last week they gave us 7 milk cartons per child.  They all expired 4 days later.  I have no problems using expired products however by day 5 the milk was clumpy at which point I chucked it. So short of donating the day we pick it up, most of it is not suitable for donation after the fact.

I will say that our community has done an amazing job of setting up little pantries for people to access as needed,  the food pantries have delivery, the school lunches will now cover 7 breakfasts and 7 lunches (and you can get delivery if you don't have transportation to get to one of the 40 pickup sites they have set up).  I'm also aware of at least 2 sites online where people can ask for not only food but help for gas, furniture, clothes, personal hygiene products etc from the local community and people step up to help fill the need as much as possible.  I know the need is great and I'm sure there are people falling through the cracks, but on the whole, I've seen the community step up on a whole new level to help those struggling.

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, cjzimmer1 said:

They just posted the school lunch menu for February and it looks like they are now going to lunches (and in January they started the 7 breakfasts).  I think I'm going to start making more foods that DH and I like and the kids hate (aka anything containing mushrooms) because they are going to be eating so many meals separate from us anyways.  I wish it wasn't so much processed stuff and of course they eliminated my kids favorite item but I do appreciate not having to cook so much.  I've been letting them throw the hot dogs away but I may have to let them dispose of a few other things they are really hating and I haven't figured out how to repurpose yet.  I hate to waste food but the boxes are all or nothing so it's a little harder to regulate those items no one wants to eat. I am hoping they put lettuce in tomorrow's boxes.  DS brought home steak and cilantro rice from work so if I get some lettuce, I will have everything on hand to make tacos without having to do much more than chop onions and peppers and grate cheese.

Tomorrow someone is coming to measure the last 3 areas of the house that need new flooring.  My plan was to do those 3 rooms and change the window coverings in the master bedroom.  Based on previous carpet expenses, I figured I could do all that with the most recent stimulus money.  However, they discontinued the carpet I was planning to use (story of my life, every time I find something I like, it gets discontinued shortly after I find it), so I may end up with more expensive carpet.  Still trying to find a color I like.  So February will be an expensive month but that is the last interior project we have planned for the house (still have 2-3 other exterior projects but none of those can be started until the winter is over).

Could you donate any of the food to a person or family you know?

Do you have any animals?  Dogs? Chickens?  We have both and they get a lot of the leftovers.

 

I need to get new carpet for our whole house.  We have lived here 14 years, 5 kids and dogs and the carpet is trashed everywhere.  The downstairs looked decent until this last year.  I am not going to do it now, but when Covid is more under control.   And we have gone back an forth about selling our house.  I would think it would be better to get new carpet right as we were listing.  

[cjzimmer1]

3 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Could you donate any of the food to a person or family you know?

Do you have any animals?  Dogs? Chickens?  We have both and they get a lot of the leftovers.

 

I need to get new carpet for our whole house.  We have lived here 14 years, 5 kids and dogs and the carpet is trashed everywhere.  The downstairs looked decent until this last year.  I am not going to do it now, but when Covid is more under control.   And we have gone back an forth about selling our house.  I would think it would be better to get new carpet right as we were listing.  

We have a puppy but he got sick both times we fed him the hot dogs.  If I'm going to feed him people food, I'd rather give him the liver, heart and gizzard from my chicken that otherwise would get tossed since at least than I know that he won't be getting sick from it.

Our flooring is basic builder grade, 23 years old with 6 kids (puppy doesn't count cause he's only been here 2 months and he's not allowed in most of the rooms yet) so I can relate to the carpet being trashed.  The sad part about putting in new just before you move out is you spend all that money and then don't even get to enjoy it.  I had planned to wait a couple of years to redo floors till my youngest was a little older.  But we had so many water issues crop up in 2019 that the fixes entailed ripping up the floor and thus replacing, I figured we might as well finish since by that point 75% of them were done already.

We hesitated to do them during COVID but found workarounds.  We do the rip out and prep so all they have to do it lay the new stuff.  It save us money and it's remarkably fast that way.  Then I take my kids away while the workers are here and open the windows.  DH is here but he's working in the downstairs.  The big piece we did last year took less than 2 hours for them to install,  what I'm doing now will be done on 2 different days and neither piece should take more than an hour.  DH turns on the fans as soon as they leave and I come back about an hour later. So we really aren't sharing airspace with them much and other than the front door and the carpet they really aren't touching much either.

[mommyoffive]

11 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

We have a puppy but he got sick both times we fed him the hot dogs.  If I'm going to feed him people food, I'd rather give him the liver, heart and gizzard from my chicken that otherwise would get tossed since at least than I know that he won't be getting sick from it.

Our flooring is basic builder grade, 23 years old with 6 kids (puppy doesn't count cause he's only been here 2 months and he's not allowed in most of the rooms yet) so I can relate to the carpet being trashed.  The sad part about putting in new just before you move out is you spend all that money and then don't even get to enjoy it.  I had planned to wait a couple of years to redo floors till my youngest was a little older.  But we had so many water issues crop up in 2019 that the fixes entailed ripping up the floor and thus replacing, I figured we might as well finish since by that point 75% of them were done already.

We hesitated to do them during COVID but found workarounds.  We do the rip out and prep so all they have to do it lay the new stuff.  It save us money and it's remarkably fast that way.  Then I take my kids away while the workers are here and open the windows.  DH is here but he's working in the downstairs.  The big piece we did last year took less than 2 hours for them to install,  what I'm doing now will be done on 2 different days and neither piece should take more than an hour.  DH turns on the fans as soon as they leave and I come back about an hour later. So we really aren't sharing airspace with them much and other than the front door and the carpet they really aren't touching much either.

 I know it is sad if we do it that way.  But if we replace and then sell in a year or two, the carpet will not be very nice by then.  I think new carpet would be a selling point. 

 

Oh smart on the ripping out on your own.  I didn't know you could do that. 

Our dogs don't get sick from a lot of the leftovers.  They have gotten some hot dogs.  But they get a lot of raw carrots, veggies, and apples because we can't keep up with the amount. 

[cjzimmer1]

11 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 I know it is sad if we do it that way.  But if we replace and then sell in a year or two, the carpet will not be very nice by then.  I think new carpet would be a selling point. 

 

Oh smart on the ripping out on your own.  I didn't know you could do that. 

Our dogs don't get sick from a lot of the leftovers.  They have gotten some hot dogs.  But they get a lot of raw carrots, veggies, and apples because we can't keep up with the amount. 

Ripping out carpet is ridiculously easy.  Take a pliers (needlenose is easiest), grab the carpet in the corner and pull. You can the carpet up in less than 5 minutes (unless you have glued on but none of mine have been that way).  Pad takes a bit more, you may have to scrape at little at the glue lines and then pop out any staples that didn't get pulled up.  Then I like to sweep and vacuum just to get the extra dust up but I know the installers never bother.  You wouldn't believe the amount of stuff from the initial construction (we are the original owners) that we found under the carpets.  Like I think no one picked up a dropped nail ever. I can have a normal sized bedroom prepped in 30 minutes. Moving furniture and removing doors is much more time consuming than removing carpet.

Also if you are able to move the furniture out yourselves you will save a crazy amount of money.  Quotes ranges for $80-175 to empty our living room and then put it back after the carpet install.  It has a couch, a loveseat, a desk and a microwave cart on wheels.  So three pieces of furniture and they wanted that much to move them twice a distance of no more than 15 feet each piece.

Edited January 26, 2021 by cjzimmer1

[prairiewindmomma]

We have removed carpet also. Easy peasy, except where they glued the tack boards to the concrete subfloor in the basement. We did that a few houses ago and saved $2k just on doing the prep ourselves.

[JustEm]

I've made $129 from selling things from starting last week.  Current cost of goods still listed is $96. When all those items sell I should make roughly $300 off it.  We'll see.  My goal this week is to get everything listed, should be able to do that tonight,  find a good place in the house to store my inventory, and decide an item listed amount I want to strive for (don't want to be unrealistic.)

[Carrie12345]

My grocery order was just $49.96 this week.  Since I won’t be picking up another until February, that’s $442.48 for the past four weeks when including takeout.  It’ll bounce back up, as I need to restock my freezer!

$57 in gas for the same 4 weeks. Pandemic perk!

$70 in household items like soap trays, storage bins, etc.

$69 in personal spending, including my splurge on nail stuff, which I’m loving!

$92.14 on pet food and litter, but the cat has a check up tomorrow. I don’t think it should go much above $100 for the old man.

I also ordered two copies of I Will Teach You To Be Rich for my dds. Buy one get one 50% off! Forgive me for not scrolling back to credit the recommendation.  I’ve been listening to the audiobook and think it might speak to the kids without boring them too much.  I also want to see a few sections with my eyes instead of just my ears while I’m double checking our financial plan for the year.

Our two big, irregular expenditures for the month were gym equipment and the dentist. Keeping gas and food low went a long way towards balancing that!

February will start off with dog surgery in week 1 and dentist in week 2. No splurging allowed!
 

 

[JustEm]

Sold my first pair of shoes, well 2 because I sold them together.  These are the items I know the least about. $11 cost of good and sold for $70. Once I know shipping cost I'll know profit. My guess is $15 shipped.  So, a good return on investment.  

Edited January 27, 2021 by hjffkj

[mommyoffive]

*HOT* Shutterfly: 6x6 Photo Book just $1.93 shipped! | Money Saving Mom® : Money Saving Mom®

[JustEm]

Listed ten more items.  Have 5 more to list but I'll save that for tomorrow because I'm pretty tired at the moment.

[JustEm]

I just listed a scarf less than an hour ago and had 500 views within 20 minutes and just sold.  Bought it for 99 cents, it will cost a few bucks to ship, and I sold it for $22

[mommyoffive]

6 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

I just listed a scarf less than an hour ago and had 500 views within 20 minutes and just sold.  Bought it for 99 cents, it will cost a few bucks to ship, and I sold it for $22

That is so crazy!  What kind of scarf was it? 

[JustEm]

12 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

That is so crazy!  What kind of scarf was it? 

Vintage Pendleton scarf

[mommyoffive]

12 hours ago, hjffkj said:

Vintage Pendleton scarf

It was probably priced to low.  I watch all the ebay sellers on Youtube and when something sells so fast they always say it must have been priced to low.  

[JustEm]

13 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

It was probably priced to low.  I watch all the ebay sellers on Youtube and when something sells so fast they always say it must have been priced to low.  

It really wasn't.  It was priced exactly where all the sold comps were.  

But I certainly have heard them say that before.  

Edited January 28, 2021 by hjffkj

[JustEm]

So, an old  board game my sister gave us for Christmas, which she got free at a garage sale, sells for $120 complete regularly on ebay.  We have to play the game at least once before I sell it.  But that baby is getting sold eventually.

[historically accurate]

DH is working more overtime this week. He was really hoping to get the vaccine before he had to be in the office so much, but although he's eligible in the current group, there are no openings yet. We, and the other 100s of thousands of people eligible in section 1B, just keep hitting refresh with our fingers crossed. 

Middle DD's therapy has been fully covered by insurance this month. Maybe they returned to paying 100% for tele-health? I'm kind of scared to call and find out why because they're liable to be like, "Oh that's a mistake. You owe for the appointments." She started a new mental health group that was free for the first two months; she really likes it and it seems to be helping, so we'll pay for it from here on out.  

Today is lunch pick up at the school, so I'll do that in a bit. Nothing else out of the house today. 

My brother got his stimulus check, so he's paid me back for his groceries a couple weeks ago.

VIPKid sent me another incentive to open slots, so I have some evening slots open for tonight seeing if I do better getting booked in the evening. They haven't been taken yet, but fingers crossed. 

@hjffkj Way to go! Impressive sale on the scarf. And that board game!

[JustEm]

Man, when I want to spend extra money on conveniences the world won't even let me! Dishwasher was delivered but they couldn't unhooked the old one. So, I guess I get refunded $150 for install and removal of old one

[mommyoffive]

18 minutes ago, hjffkj said:

Man, when I want to spend extra money on conveniences the world won't even let me! Dishwasher was delivered but they couldn't unhooked the old one. So, I guess I get refunded $150 for install and removal of old one

UGh that stinks.  I hope you guys can get it done on your own.  

[JustEm]

another thing my sister gave us about a year ago, this vincent price shrunken head kit, will sell for roughly $100!

[JustEm]

So, I text my sister today to see if she wanted me to help her sell any of the other games she found at that sale and she is going to snap a picture of them and bring them over on Saturday for me to sell.  I will admit, as a huge boardgame fan selling these isn't going to be easy.  But the reality is I didn't play these particular games as a kid so the sentimental aspect isn't there.  I do have an original copy of Fireball Island that I could sell for $300 but I absolutely LOVE that game and even if I don't play it often it isn't one I can let go of.

[saraha]

On 1/26/2021 at 11:32 AM, cjzimmer1 said:

The bagels are stuck in this super flimsy plastic that is just folded around them.  If you eat it the very first day, it's tolerable but after that it's so dry and I've yet to find a way to repurpose them that anyone is liking. 

Bagel chips! Slice the bagels, toss in melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, bake in oven til crispy. We make these anytime we have bagels going stale, kind of like making croutons.  Oh, haha, what about croutons? Or put into food processor and make “bread crumbs” for meatballs etc.

Or toasted and served with gravy like “stuff on a shingle”

Pizza bagels?

bread pudding?

Edited January 28, 2021 by saraha
Thought of more ideas

[JustEm]

now i want bagels!

[mommyoffive]

Did a grocery order yesterday, dh picked it up.

Went to pick up meals today.  I had ordered to pick up 2 days of meals on Tuesday.  We had a snowstorm and the schools were closed.  They gave me the food for those 2 days plus the 2 other days that I ordered for this week.  Very nice of them.  I didn't think they would do that.  The fridge, freezer, and pantry are stocked.  I am sure going to miss this program when it gets over.  

[cjzimmer1]

1 hour ago, saraha said:

Bagel chips! Slice the bagels, toss in melted butter, sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar, bake in oven til crispy. We make these anytime we have bagels going stale, kind of like making croutons.  Oh, haha, what about croutons? Or put into food processor and make “bread crumbs” for meatballs etc.

Or toasted and served with gravy like “stuff on a shingle”

Pizza bagels?

bread pudding?

Reading through your list of suggested made me laugh because apparently I have an issue with bagels and never realized it till reading this.  Because I was like "I hate bagel chips (at least the store bought kind, I've never made homemade ones), I don't eat croutons. I've always thought pizza bagels were gross and I don't eat bread pudding either."  So your suggestions are GREAT but apparently I (and my kids) are much pickier than I realized.  My kids won't eat stuffing either.  We just aren't huge bread/sandwich eaters.  We like BLT's in the summer but otherwise we can go months in between buying a loaf of bread and even then I often end up bribing someone to finish the loaf.  How did I never notice this before?

I might get away with making meatballs (no one here will eat meatloaf either) occasionally.  I can't even get my kids to eat the mini pizzas in the lunch box so I doubt they will go for pizza bagels.  They are spoiled in that I make homemade pizza with cheese stuffed crust so everything else pretty much pales compared to that. 

But thanks for the suggestions. Now I'm sitting here trying to think of what ways we DO use bread items and see if I can improvise.

[prairiewindmomma]

Youngest has a gum abscess. Orthodontist reviewed it this afternoon since she also has a palate expander next to that tooth. Our dentist just switched practices and no one was in today—orthodontist told us that if we could get the tooth pulled on our own it would heal. I offered Youngest $20 if she could get it out today. She did. Saved $30 over what dental copay of $50 would have been.

[historically accurate]

1 hour ago, cjzimmer1 said:

Reading through your list of suggested made me laugh because apparently I have an issue with bagels and never realized it till reading this.  Because I was like "I hate bagel chips (at least the store bought kind, I've never made homemade ones), I don't eat croutons. I've always thought pizza bagels were gross and I don't eat bread pudding either."  So your suggestions are GREAT but apparently I (and my kids) are much pickier than I realized.  My kids won't eat stuffing either.  We just aren't huge bread/sandwich eaters.  We like BLT's in the summer but otherwise we can go months in between buying a loaf of bread and even then I often end up bribing someone to finish the loaf.  How did I never notice this before?

I might get away with making meatballs (no one here will eat meatloaf either) occasionally.  I can't even get my kids to eat the mini pizzas in the lunch box so I doubt they will go for pizza bagels.  They are spoiled in that I make homemade pizza with cheese stuffed crust so everything else pretty much pales compared to that. 

But thanks for the suggestions. Now I'm sitting here trying to think of what ways we DO use bread items and see if I can improvise.

What about a french toast casserole? Panzanella salad? 

This recipe calls for cinnamon-raisin stale bread - you could add cinnamon and raisins and use up the bagels that way. Edit: helps if I post the link - https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cinnamon-apple-brown-betty/

Worse comes to worst, feed the birds?

 

I spent $35 on vitamins from Walgreens today - got DD's iron pills BOGO 50% off and magnesium was BOGO. 

I decided for dinner we're using up some school lunch bits and bobs. Grilled chicken (adding a couple of thighs from the freezer), tator tots (I swear the bags are multiplying in the fridge), and green beans (adding some bacon). @mommyoffive, I will really miss this program as well. We picked up lunches at 9:30 this morning. Kids had applesauce and some chocolate milk for lunch (and stuff from our pantry), DH had some tacos from Monday's pickup for lunch, kids had ants on a log for snack (our peanut butter, school's celery and raisins), and dinner for all of us will be mostly from the school, too.

Edited January 28, 2021 by historically accurate

[mommyoffive]

Soror~  I haven't seen you in awhile, I hope everything is going ok with you and your family.   

[JustEm]

ds and I went to Goodwill today simply because I needed to get tampons at the store next door.  Big scores 99 cent new sealed audibook that will sell for $25 shipped, two vintage rubbermaid mixing bowls for 99 cents each that will sell together for $50 shipped, and nortic house design Halloween themed handbag. it was $3.99 and seriously cool looking. hard to find a comp for it.  The christmas themed ones go for between $50 and $90 but I can't find a comparable Halloween one. This is the pattern it is just a different bag .

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Halloween-purse-handbag-/133570519751?hash=item1f196c62c7%3Ag%3Ay3oAAOSwnIJfqHbH&nma=true&si=Ltfk2ZjURsXRGjDHXxql912u9T0%3D&orig_cvip=true&nordt=true&rt=nc&_trksid=p2047675.l2557

[cjzimmer1]

3 hours ago, historically accurate said:

What about a french toast casserole? Panzanella salad? 

This recipe calls for cinnamon-raisin stale bread - you could add cinnamon and raisins and use up the bagels that way. Edit: helps if I post the link - https://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/cinnamon-apple-brown-betty/

Worse comes to worst, feed the birds?

 

 

I had to look up what panzanella is.  to me it looks like they are just giant croutons.  Nope don't like those.  No one here eats french toast (well DH might, I'm not sure, I don't make it because I don't like it and I know my mom has tried to get the kids to eat french toast and they refused).

Bird Feed?  That we might be able to do.  Although I would have to look into getting a bird feeder that I could mount on a post in the middle of the yard.  We have way too many squirrels already, I don't want to encourage them by putting out food that would get into.

If it were warmer I could take the kids to the lake and let them feed the ducks.  I'll have to keep that in mind for warmer weather.

[JustEm]

You guys, January is almost over!!! How is that possible?

 

[prairiewindmomma]

3 hours ago, hjffkj said:

You guys, January is almost over!!! How is that possible?

 

Crawling across the finish line, I am. 

[historically accurate]

10 hours ago, hjffkj said:

You guys, January is almost over!!! How is that possible?

 

I know! I moved my January spreadsheet to the end and set up my February one yesterday in my budget. 

[mommyoffive]

22 hours ago, historically accurate said:

DH is working more overtime this week. He was really hoping to get the vaccine before he had to be in the office so much, but although he's eligible in the current group, there are no openings yet. We, and the other 100s of thousands of people eligible in section 1B, just keep hitting refresh with our fingers crossed. 

Middle DD's therapy has been fully covered by insurance this month. Maybe they returned to paying 100% for tele-health? I'm kind of scared to call and find out why because they're liable to be like, "Oh that's a mistake. You owe for the appointments." She started a new mental health group that was free for the first two months; she really likes it and it seems to be helping, so we'll pay for it from here on out.  

Today is lunch pick up at the school, so I'll do that in a bit. Nothing else out of the house today. 

My brother got his stimulus check, so he's paid me back for his groceries a couple weeks ago.

VIPKid sent me another incentive to open slots, so I have some evening slots open for tonight seeing if I do better getting booked in the evening. They haven't been taken yet, but fingers crossed. 

@hjffkj Way to go! Impressive sale on the scarf. And that board game!

Yeah for dh's overtime.  I hope he can get a vaccine soon.   

That is great that dd's therapy  has been fully covered.  

I am glad your brother was able to pay you back.  

That is really awesome that Vipkid keeps sending you those incentives.  Are you teaching normally or just doing the incentives? 

[historically accurate]

8 hours ago, mommyoffive said:

Yeah for dh's overtime.  I hope he can get a vaccine soon.   

That is great that dd's therapy  has been fully covered.  

I am glad your brother was able to pay you back.  

That is really awesome that Vipkid keeps sending you those incentives.  Are you teaching normally or just doing the incentives? 

I'm only doing the incentives at this time. DH still has my space for his office. I think I keep getting the incentives because it's all I'm doing. $40 in incentives in January, so it's not shabby for doing nothing. I expect February to be smaller - I've been getting a big month ($30+) followed by a smaller month $10ish, for the past few months.

[mommyoffive]

38 minutes ago, historically accurate said:

I'm only doing the incentives at this time. DH still has my space for his office. I think I keep getting the incentives because it's all I'm doing. $40 in incentives in January, so it's not shabby for doing nothing. I expect February to be smaller - I've been getting a big month ($30+) followed by a smaller month $10ish, for the past few months.

Money for doing nothing is the best kind. 

[cjzimmer1]

If I hadn't stopped at Costco this week, the budget would be much happier but I promised DH I would look for new pillows for him, I know in January they tend to have a better stock of home goods and wanted to find his pillows before they move that stuff out and bring in the outdoor/gardening stuff.  And you know you can't walk into Costco and just buy one thing (well I could when I went every week even if we didn't need anything but the kids wanted samples but now I'm only going once a month or so). 

But the refinance is set to go through on Wednesday. Due to the timing of it, we will be skipping both February and March payments instead of the usual just one month.  Yes it pushes off the final date but the extra cash will be helpful for the home improvement projects I'm trying to tackle before spring.

The flooring estimates came back higher than I expected (typical, I never seem to be able to guess right).  So we are doing 2 of the 3 areas now (which works out fine, because with the clean out of the rooms/painting etc I wanted some space between the projects anyways).  However, before that number came back, I knew I wanted new window covering in the one room and went ahead and ordered those because Wed was the last day of a really good sale.  Of course those are for the room we are now not finishing at this moment but I can still install them when they come in.  Then when I went in the room that is getting new carpeting, realized that the boys have the curtain rod almost completely pulled off the wall.  Now I have to decide if I want to patch the wall and try to install a new rod or just go order the stuff I put in the other bedroom (much more pricey but I'm really loving the ease of the Roman Shades I've been slowly putting in all the windows).

DS brought home so much food from work this week that between that, leftovers, and the school lunch boxes I haven't had to cook since last Saturday.  I had to buy a few fresh veggies to complete the meals with DS food but that was all we needed.  It's great for the food budget but not helping me get the freezer cleaned out for when the beef should come next month.  

So January ended up being spendier than I had hoped but the projects just need to be done so I will be glad to have those behind us.

[mommyoffive]

14 minutes ago, cjzimmer1 said:

If I hadn't stopped at Costco this week, the budget would be much happier but I promised DH I would look for new pillows for him, I know in January they tend to have a better stock of home goods and wanted to find his pillows before they move that stuff out and bring in the outdoor/gardening stuff.  And you know you can't walk into Costco and just buy one thing (well I could when I went every week even if we didn't need anything but the kids wanted samples but now I'm only going once a month or so). 

But the refinance is set to go through on Wednesday. Due to the timing of it, we will be skipping both February and March payments instead of the usual just one month.  Yes it pushes off the final date but the extra cash will be helpful for the home improvement projects I'm trying to tackle before spring.

The flooring estimates came back higher than I expected (typical, I never seem to be able to guess right).  So we are doing 2 of the 3 areas now (which works out fine, because with the clean out of the rooms/painting etc I wanted some space between the projects anyways).  However, before that number came back, I knew I wanted new window covering in the one room and went ahead and ordered those because Wed was the last day of a really good sale.  Of course those are for the room we are now not finishing at this moment but I can still install them when they come in.  Then when I went in the room that is getting new carpeting, realized that the boys have the curtain rod almost completely pulled off the wall.  Now I have to decide if I want to patch the wall and try to install a new rod or just go order the stuff I put in the other bedroom (much more pricey but I'm really loving the ease of the Roman Shades I've been slowly putting in all the windows).

DS brought home so much food from work this week that between that, leftovers, and the school lunch boxes I haven't had to cook since last Saturday.  I had to buy a few fresh veggies to complete the meals with DS food but that was all we needed.  It's great for the food budget but not helping me get the freezer cleaned out for when the beef should come next month.  

So January ended up being spendier than I had hoped but the projects just need to be done so I will be glad to have those behind us.

Awesome 2 months of no house payment.  The refi is awesome news too. 

You haven't had to cook for a week?  That is like the best vacation.  

[cjzimmer1]

24 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

 

You haven't had to cook for a week?  That is like the best vacation.  

Yes and no.  I actually really like to cook.  Sure if I have a lot of other activities going on, it's nice not to have to think about it, but the kitchen is my happy place so it's hard for me to not be cooking.  The problem is that I can't cook a small amount of food to save my life.  My oldest 2 still live at home but almost never eat a meal here (and they are my biggest 2 eaters). So I cook a couple of things on the weekend and then DH and I are stuck eating leftovers all week (cause the youngers are working on their lunch boxes for several days).  I've told the kids when they move out they have to come back to eat regularly because I don't know what I will do with all the food otherwise.

Edited January 30, 2021 by cjzimmer1

[mommyoffive]

Just now, cjzimmer1 said:

Yes and no.  I actually really like to cook.  Sure if I have a lot of other activities going on, it's nice not to have to think about it, but the kitchen is my happy place so it's hard for me to not be cooking.  The problem is that I can't cook a small amount of food to save my life.  My oldest 2 still live at home but almost never eat a meal here (and they are my biggest 2 eaters). So I could a couple of things on the weekend and the DH and I are stuck eating leftovers all week (cause the youngers are working on their lunch boxes for several days).  I've told the kids when they move out they have to come back to eat regularly because I don't know what I will do with all the food otherwise.

Ha.  I forgot that some people love to cook.  I totally don't.    Yeah I can see us having problems with huge meals when the kids move out. 

[JustEm]

58 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Ha.  I forgot that some people love to cook.  I totally don't.    Yeah I can see us having problems with huge meals when the kids move out. 

I'm with you. I hate cooking.  I personal chef would be the only major luxury I'd spend on if I was wealthy enough.

[historically accurate]

I forget that people like to cook, too. I think I would like to cook about 1x per week or so; I don't like it because I have to do it daily. Maybe eventually we'll evolve to eat like snakes - that'd work for me. 

I picked up groceries this morning. Stayed well below my weekly budget, so happy here. 

I got a freebie coupon from Bath and Body Works in the mail. I'll see if I can get the kids to pick out a scent they like and I can just run in and get it. It's hard to sniff scents through masks, so people kept pulling their masks down when I was in there right before Christmas. 

DD had an in-person therapy appointment today. I guess I'll see if insurance charges us our co-pay for that one - it'll tell me if they've gone back to free telehealth. 

DH got an oil change today. 

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, historically accurate said:

I forget that people like to cook, too. I think I would like to cook about 1x per week or so; I don't like it because I have to do it daily. Maybe eventually we'll evolve to eat like snakes - that'd work for me. 

I picked up groceries this morning. Stayed well below my weekly budget, so happy here. 

I got a freebie coupon from Bath and Body Works in the mail. I'll see if I can get the kids to pick out a scent they like and I can just run in and get it. It's hard to sniff scents through masks, so people kept pulling their masks down when I was in there right before Christmas. 

DD had an in-person therapy appointment today. I guess I'll see if insurance charges us our co-pay for that one - it'll tell me if they've gone back to free telehealth. 

DH got an oil change today. 

Agree.   I think it is because it is all day everyday here.  Kids eat in shifts for breakfast and lunch due to school or when they wake up.  By the time the kitchen is cleaned up it is almost time to start the next meal.  Then everyone always asking what is for the next meal.  The shopping. planning, cooking, and cleaning is just endless.  I could see liking it if I only had to do it once a week or so.  

[mommyoffive]

1 hour ago, hjffkj said:

I'm with you. I hate cooking.  I personal chef would be the only major luxury I'd spend on if I was wealthy enough.

Oh that is on my list if I ever win the lotto!

[cjzimmer1]

8 minutes ago, mommyoffive said:

Agree.   I think it is because it is all day everyday here.  Kids eat in shifts for breakfast and lunch due to school or when they wake up.  By the time the kitchen is cleaned up it is almost time to start the next meal.  Then everyone always asking what is for the next meal.  The shopping. planning, cooking, and cleaning is just endless.  I could see liking it if I only had to do it once a week or so.  

Even though I like cooking, I don't cook near that much.  Breakfast is and always has been a free for all.  Once they got through baby food stage, my level of involvement was to hand them a bar or slice them a piece of quick bread or pour cereal in a bowl until they could do that for themselves.  I'm not a morning person and the idea of food in the morning is even worse than being awake.

Lunch is leftovers, always leftovers.  I heat up a big container of whatever the leftover of the day is and then scoop it onto plates/bowls.

Cleanup is simply a drop your dirty dish in the sick and wipe down the table.

So really I'm only cooking one very large(so that we have leftovers for the next days lunch) meal and I have several (although somewhat unwilling) sous chefs to wash/chop all the veggies, brown the hamburger etc.  

Also I'm very good about improvising.  When I shop, other than milk, I just buy whatever is on sale and I buy A LOT of it. So while my shopping list might say veggies, I'm just buying whatever is on sale/I'm in the mood for but there is no right/wrong because there is no plan.  When I figure out what is for supper, I decide based on the ingredients in the house and create a meal/recipe based on what I have to work with.  As a result I spend almost no time creating a list, or planning a meal and in normal times, I would complete my shopping at 3 different grocery stores (costco, Aldi and my normal grocery)  in under an hour total for the group. So really the bulk of my time is spent on "creating the food", mixing things up, tasting them, tweaking them, experimenting with new flavors.  All the parts that I find to be the most fun.