My Thrifty Retirement - Week 14

 

We started off my latest thrifty week  with a hefty windstorm coming through at one in the morning knocking out the power for nearly four hours.  I spent quite a bit of time Sunday cleaning up all of the debris in my yard and driveway as a result of that storm.  You work your butt off to fix up your yard and then Mother Nature makes a good mess of it while you are trying to get some sleep (sigh).  Fortunately the power came back on and there was no damage done from the storm so I counted my blessings as I put things back in order.  I also took time that morning to go pick up another load of FREE gravel off a Facebook Marketplace ad.

 

My supervisor taking a break

Monday was Independence Day.  Originally I had planned to take the long holiday weekend off for some fun and relaxation, but when you have a chance to get FREE gravel, you gotta take it!  I ended up starting my day by heading off to get yet another truckload.  I came home and got that all spread.  Then the next day I went and got my final load of gravel to finish up various projects throughout my yard.  It feels so good to be this far along in my landscaping project.  I love the results and spending my time in my beautiful yard.

 

My huge shopping haul for the week - under $4!

Thursday morning I walked down to the supermarket and picked up avocados and grapes that were on sale.  I also got a couple bananas.  That was the full extent of my grocery shopping for the week and cost me less than $5.  I was quite pleased with that.  I was able to combine my walk with an errand and get in nearly 7000 steps too!

 

I hung two loads of laundry out on the line to dry last week and I was thrilled to find out that my careful use of water over the past few months not only has netted me a significant savings on the water bill but also a reduction to the sewer bill saving me over $20.  So far I've managed to reduce the water bill, the sewer bill, my cell phone bill, the power bill and the internet bill.  Every little bit helps.  I have to make up for the price of gas somehow.

 

Items ready to donate + an empty bin

I went through my closet and removed some more items that I know I will not wear anymore.  I like to get rid of something whenever I bring in something new like the dress and top I purchased on clearance the week before.  With this stack of items to donate I'm actually ahead of my little "one in-one out" rule and may be looking to add a few more things as time goes on.  We shall see.

 

My favorite meal this week - jalapeno angus burger patty & a wedge salad

I washed out a couple Ziploc bags to reuse, taught my daughter how to change a flat tire and trimmed our old boxwoods and another large shrub we have in our yard.  I started a new housekeeping checklist for the quarter and already got quite a few items checked off the list.  I made some foaming hand soap refill solution for the upstairs bathroom dispenser.  I tidied up our garage and took an inventory of our pet food and supplies so I know what to stock up on going into winter.

 

I was able to keep our house cool and comfortable all week by running the box fans in the upstairs windows and at our back door at night and in the early morning hours and then closing everything up during the daytime.  So far we've not needed to install the A/C units but I'm sure with the warmer temperatures we've been having it won't be much longer.

 

A cheese omelet for brunch with sliced avocado and grape tomatoes

After working on the yard for ten days straight I finished out the week with some much needed R&R and took it easier on Friday and Saturday.  Things are looking amazing around here and I couldn't be happier.  I hope all is well in your world and you've enjoyed a great week as well.  Any summer projects you are working on?  Any vacations coming up?