My Tireless Retirement - Week 43 - A Low Spend January

 

We have just completed the first four weeks of 2023 with only a couple more days left of this month.  I think that my endeavor to take things one day at a time and really just focus on the day at hand while keeping an eye aimed at the future is making a huge difference in how I feel, both physically and emotionally.  I'm enjoying my life and that is how it is supposed to be.  Do I feel like time is rushing by?  Somewhat, but I do think I'm getting enough done each day to feel productive but not so much that I feel like I'm constantly running a marathon.  I'm allowing for plenty of downtime and time for reflection each day.  Still, I'm always amazed when Friday shows up.

 

I made soup using all items I already had on hand

Jars of split pea soup

When I set out on my pantry and freezer challenge I didn't think I'd need the better part of a month just to clear things out of the kitchen freezer.  I'm not complaining, I'm just surprised at how much I had squirreled away in there.  It has been nice to have a break from cooking because I was able to focus some significant time to other things and I did some canning.  So far this month I have canned a huge pork roast I had in my chest freezer out in the garage as well as a five pound package of Italian sausage.  I canned some of my dry beans I had in the pantry as well as well as a large pot of split pea soup in order to have some "convenience" food on the shelf when I do start cooking again.  Looking forward I would like to make up some sloppy joe filling and some more soups to add to the pantry.  The only problem is I'm about out of jars.  What was really nice is that none of the items I canned cost me anything extra.  All of the food I used as well as the canning supplies I already had on hand.

 

I got this cheese on sale and used a gift card to pay for it

I sent this pan of lasagna home with my friend

About the only thing I actually cooked this month was a pan of lasagna I made and I invited a friend over for supper.  We had been talking on the phone and both agreed it was something neither of us had eaten in a very long time so I made sure we took care of that.  I was able to put four servings of the lasagna away in the freezer (more squirreling) to eat later, I had three meals of it the week I made it and I sent an entire foil pan of lasagna home with my friend.  I only used one box of lasagna noodles, a pint jar of home canned Italian sausage, two pints of home canned pasta sauce, a container of markdown cottage cheese and a package of mozzarella I got on sale and it fed two people for several days!  That was a bargain.

 

The pea soup was delicious

This past week I finished up some of the split pea soup I had left over after canning along with a piece of cornbread I had in the freezer.  I made, sort of, some salisbury steak with hamburger patties and beef broth I had in the freezer and served it with leftover rice I had in the refrigerator from the week before.  I have found that if I cook up one cup of rice it will usually give me six servings.  I think I have a lifetime supply of rice in my house.

 

I've decided I don't like lentils, in any form

I thawed some lentil soup I had in the freezer and had that with a piece of leftover garlic bread I had in the refrigerator.  I fixed bacon and a fried egg and had that with some pumpkin pancakes I had in the freezer a few times for brunch.  I still have more pancakes in the freezer to work on.  I also removed two of the servings of lasagna I'd put in the freezer a couple weeks ago and I roasted some veggies I had in the freezer with sliced carrots from the fridge as my main side dish.  They were delicious.  Another week of basically heat and eat meals, but I think I'm going to start really cooking again this week because my kitchen freezer is pretty much cleared out.  The pantry and freezer challenge continues!

 

Freezer pumpkin pancakes, bacon and a farm fresh egg

Salisbury steak & gravy, a little bit of rice and some roasted veggies

I want to make sure I'm mindfully spending on things I need this year so I am doing a low spend year.  So far I think I have done rather well.  As you know already from Friday's post I didn't spend very much on groceries and nothing on nonfood items so I'm really pleased with that.  I do have a monthly Pocket Money allowance of $25 that I can spend on whatever I want with no justification or explanation.  I spent $8 on some wine, $1.25 on a package of stickers and $14 for a flat of quart jars.  Did I need any of these things?  Nope, they are totally want items.  I wanted to drink a little wine, have some stickers for my journal and use the quart jars to make my pantry a little more organized and pretty.

 

My freezer is getting bald spots, but I still have some work to do here

I decluttered all of these plastic food containers last week

I have made adjustments to my electricity use.  I knocked the thermostat down a couple degrees and dressed warmer and I'm mindful of leaving lights on and only plugging in what I'm actually using.  I was pleased to see a decrease in my bill this month over last so my efforts have paid off.  The adjustment to the heat hasn't made me uncomfortable in anyway either so I'll leave it as is for now.  Once spring weather starts I'll be making more adjustments at that time.

 

I started a new bag for donations and it is already half full!

Roasting vegetables in my toaster oven

I hope you've been doing well and staying healthy.  Have any of you been doing things to save on your utility bills?  How about groceries?  Is it cold where you live?

Investment Cooking - Frozen Pizza

Everyone has one of those days where they don't know what to fix for dinner, don't have the energy or enthusiasm to fix dinner or they just want a pizza.  When that happens it is very tempting to grab the phone or log on and order a pizza delivery and end up spending around $30 by the time all is said and done.

 

Most delivery or take & bake pizzas are super salty and super greasy and while delicious, not the healthiest option for us to consume.  I like to spend a little time and do some investment cooking and make some healthier pizzas (or just pizza dough balls if you prefer) and keep them in the freezer.  I begin by making the dough in my bread machine, but you can do this by hand or with a stand mixer and dough hooks too.  Here is my go to pizza dough recipe I use.

 

Since it is just me these days, most of the time, I make a small pizza, about ten inches in diameter, top it with some marinara sauce or pesto, some mozzarella or Monterey jack cheese and whatever toppings I like.  I place the pizza on a pizza pan (the ones at Dollar tree work great for this) or cookie sheet and place it in my chest freezer for a couple hours until it is frozen solid.  Then I transfer it from the cookie sheet to a plastic Ziploc bag, push out all the air while I seal it up and then label it before placing it back in the freezer.

 

Now I have a pizza anytime I want it and I can have it out of the freezer, into the oven (400° for 10 to 15 minutes) and baked before a delivery driver can arrive at my door.  While it bakes you can even prepare a little salad to go along with it if you like.  And you just saved a bunch of $$ in the process and you are eating a much healthier meal too.

 

Make some pizzas.  It's fun!  And really, really tasty.

This Month's Grocery Spending 2023 - January

 

One of my goals this year is to spend as little as possible on groceries.  I have just completed a one month pantry and freezer challenge with the idea that I only purchase what I need while using up what I already have on hand.  It went very well, but I can see I've barely begun to scratch the surface so my pantry and freezer challenge will indeed continue into February.

 

I shopped my shelves and made some laundry detergent

After taking stock of all the food and non food items I had in my home I used supplies I already had to make a new batch of laundry detergent which I think will last me the year.  Other than that I didn't have any immediate needs for any other household supplies or toiletries so I did not purchase any nonfood items so my total spent was $0.

 

This is all of the fresh produce I had to start the year with -
7 pounds of potatoes, a pound of carrots, 2 onions and half a head of lettuce

My first grocery purchases of 2023

I carefully made out my first grocery list of 2023 to restock some dairy, cheese, cream and milk, as well as my spice cabinet.  I checked the store ads and mapped out my plan.  Albertsons had cheese on sale and a great loss leader price on avocados.  I knew Winco would have the best price on spices and many options in their bulk department so that is where I headed next.  Since Trader Joes is on the way I stopped in there for bananas (best price at 19¢ each) and wine (pocket money purchase $8).

 

Bananas and fresh garlic from Trader Joes

My small haul from Winco - flour, cabbage, celery, bulk spices, onions & a lemon

At Winco I picked up the spices I was low on and some produce items.  My final stop was at Fred Meyer on the way home for a half gallon of whole milk and a quart of heavy cream, mainly to use to make my coffee creamer.  Since I happened upon a closeout deal for organic whole milk with a long best buy date I ended up getting two of the half gallon cartons and using a $1 OFF coupon in the process.  I figured that would save me an extra trip to the store (saving fuel) and keep me well stocked until mid to late February.  That milk ended up being my most expensive item purchase this month.  It is crazy how expensive dairy and eggs have become lately.  Hopefully my hens will start laying again soon.

 

I used a gift card for cheese & avocados from Albertsons's

Best price on dairy that day was at Fred Meyer

An idea that popped into my head while I was shopping was "if I can make it myself I don't need to buy it".  What I mean is instead of purchasing readymade products like a loaf of bread or a bottle of salad dressing I should make it myself from scratch, which is something I used to do back in the days when money was really tight.  I want to try my hand at making my own tortillas next time I need some.  Making as much as I can from scratch will not only save me a lot of money, but I'll know exactly what is in my food.  Plus I'll get to learn a new skill from time to time.

 

The milk will last into February

I chopped up the onions and put them in the freezer so they will last longer

I put the green onion ends into water and they are growing very nicely
Who says you can't garden in January?

I was quite surprised and pleased that one $24 grocery shopping excursion was all I needed to get me through the month of January.  

I was super happy with this total!

Was it worth going to four stores and spending two hours of my time to meticulously and methodically shop for the items on my list?  Absolutely!  Even when I was still working I would feel this way because any money I can save myself from spending and keep in my pocket means less time I need to spend earning wages.  That's a win in my book!

 

Giving More

 

The act of giving is an important element of our humanity.  Focusing our attention away from ourselves and helping others is beneficial in many ways.  Small acts of kindness, charitable giving, philanthropy of any magnitude is good for our soul.  One of my goals this year is to give more.

 

There are any number of ways we can give even if we find ourselves a little financially strapped.  It doesn't have to be on any grand scale to be effective.  Sometimes it can be as simple as a smile and saying hello to a stranger, holding a door for someone, helping an older person or a mom with kids to load their groceries into their car.  Shoveling snow off your neighbors sidewalk or taking in their trash bin after the garbage man has come by.  Baking cookies for a friend just because or a meal for a busy working family to give them a much needed break.  Sending a card or a letter to someone in the mail.  Taking some old towels or blankets to the animal shelter.  Volunteering someplace or offering to help someone for free.

 

As you all know I've been going through my home and decluttering.  While I could have sold some of the things I've chosen to get rid of instead I decided to give it to my neighborhood thrift store.  In the long run they will get far more benefit from it than I will so anything of any use or value has been going to them.  When I made my most recent pass through my kitchen pantry I gathered up a bunch of things I had purchased for my children that are no longer needed.  Peanut butter, oatmeal packets, ramen, extra bottles of ranch dressing, pasta and sauce packets.  I filled up a brown paper shopping bag and took it to their old high school where they have a food pantry.

 

I'm going to focus more on being a charitable and giving person.  I may not make a major impact on the world, but I do believe that acts of kindness are highly beneficial on both the recipient and the person that does the giving.  It gets us to step outside of ourselves and our clogged up minds and lends clarity to what is truly important.  It makes us a better human in a very positive way.

 

My Tireless Retirement - Week 42

 

Hello my fine friends.  I enjoyed a really nice, albeit busy little week, and it flew by pretty fast.  How was it for you?  I hope it was a good one!

 

I found more stuff in my closet to get rid of

After my sciatica resolved and I was able to move easily once again (without swearing) I decided to reprint my decluttering checklist and jut start over since I couldn't remember where I had left off.  I am absolutely amazed with how many more things I have found to get rid of.  In my bedroom I found a purse (my neighbor ended up taking that home), a pair of shoes, two scarves and an oldcell phone.

 

My "new" shoe shine kit

In my second pass through the hall closet and in the spirit of using up what I already have I made myself a shoe shine kit using a zippered vinyl case some curtains had come in and part of an old bath towel.  I cut small rectangles of towel to use as polish applicator pads and a 12" X 12" square of towel to make a buffing cloth.  I zigzagged the edges of the towel so it won't unravel and make a mess.  I was able to combine all of my polishes, leather dye, tennis shoe white and water proofing sprays into one spot, neat and tidy, easy to grab and go, plus I now know where everything I need to take care of my shoes, boots and leather jacket is located.  In the process I decluttered two tins of dried out polish, as well as a lunch box, two old digital cameras and accessories and an old backpack from that hall closet.

 

As I was decluttering in December I came up with a much needed project involving my jewelry.  First of all, I don't own jewelry of any significant value and what I do have isn't much.  Primarily I only wear rings and earrings, I've never been much of a necklace or bracelet wearer, and most of my jewelry came from ShopKo or Fred Meyer so I've had it for ages.  I love earrings that match and go with what I am wearing and since I've had my earrings for so long the coating had worn off of the fish hooks to the point they made my earlobes itch whenever I wore them.  I've always had to have hypo allergenic posts and hooks, but I guess those don't last forever.

 

Just like new!

Last month I ordered a new set (25 pair) of hypoallergenic fish hooks with silicone backs from Amazon so I could sit down and replace all of the old ones with new.  I spent about an hour or so replacing all of the hooks and then cleaning all of my earrings and rings in my ultrasonic cleaner.  I also cleaned the glass pillar candle holder I use to hold my jewelry.  I decluttered everything I didn't wear or like as well as a couple earrings that were missing a mate.  Then I hung up all my earrings along the edge of the candle holder.  They look like new again.  I do have some family pieces that hold no monetary value, simply sentimental, as most of it is costume jewelry.  I was able to move most of those items into my sentimental bin

 

Ultrasonic cleaning my earrings

While I was at it I also cleaned all of my eyeglasses and tightened the screws since I had the ultrasonic cleaner out.  Why not?  Now all of my jewelry is ready to go and enjoy wearing once again.  And all of my glasses are nice and clean too.  It was a good little project.  I even thinned out a pair of eyeglasses I haven't worn in eons.

 

My eyeglasses got all cleaned up and in their cases

I cannot believe how much food I had squirreled away in the freezer in my kitchen.  I had pulled out quite a few items the week before and this past week I ended up with a container of cooked stew meat with onions and garlic which ended up going into my smallest slow cooker and I made chili.  A container of no crust pumpkin pie filling leftover from Thanksgiving which I baked up in my toaster oven.  Some cornbread which went great alongside the chili.

 

A beautiful little pumpkin pie

I still had half a container of turkey taco meat leftover to use up so I cooked it with some taco sauce and had tacos for dinner and lunch again the next day.  My neighbor had given me a loaf of pumpkin bread at Christmas that I had frozen so I took that out and thawed that for breakfast/brunch throughout the week.

 

I used stew meat & a pint jar of beans to make this chili
It was delicious!

As part of my quarterly housekeeping I wanted to get my curtains all down and washed up so I worked on that one afternoon.  It doesn't take long to get them down and back up again, most of the time is spent waiting on the washer and dryer.  I also gathered up all the throw blankets and pillows and got them washed up last week too.  Check and check!

 

I made this one for my friend to take home

Midweek I made a lasagna using all pantry and freezer items and invited a friend over to help me eat it.  I peeled and sliced a couple carrots and roasted those along with some frozen green beans as a side.  Since I knew I was going to use the oven to bake the lasagna and roast the veggies I decided to make some bread dough to bake at the same time.  I made two loaves of whole wheat bread and sent one of the loaves home with my friend as well as half the lasagna.  He was super happy about that.

 

Half pints of Italian sausage

I was able to get the five pounds of Italian sausage that had been thawing in my refrigerator cooked up and canned in half pint jars.  I made a big pot of split pea soup in my largest slow cooker using up some Christmas 2021 ham I had vacuum sealed and frozen.  Once the soup was done I canned it into seven pint jars plus a container in the fridge to enjoy during the week. I put a few jars in the pantry and the rest went into the long term food storage with the pork roast I canned the week before.  I also sent a cottage cheese container of soup home with my friend.  He made out really well. LOL

 

Split pea soup

My last "big" project to take on last week was to replace the toilet seats in both bathrooms.  They were looking pretty chipped up and I'd started to scrub the finish off in spots so it was definitely time for an upgrade.  They were looking pretty dingy.  Once that was done I was thrilled as this task had been on my "To Do"  list since this time last year.  I was even more thrilled that it didn't cost me a dime because I had used a Home Depot gift card I had earned doing surveys last month when I did my online order.  I even have a couple dollars left on that gift card to use on my next project.

 

After replacing the seat & scrubbing the bowl with a pumice stone
it's like having brand new toilets! 😂

After that I took the rest of the week off and enjoyed the snowy weather that moved into our area.  It sure is pretty, especially when you don't have to drive in it if you don't want to.  I happily enjoyed it from the comfort of my warm and cozy home.

 

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow

Let me know what you've been up to lately.  Any good bargains at the grocery store lately?  How about decluttering?  Who's making progress on that front?  Also, are you getting snow where you are at?

A Clean & Tidy Home - Only 15 Minutes A Day

 

Is it really possible to keep a home clean and tidy spending only fifteen minutes per day cleaning?  Yes it is and I've proven that concept over and over for several years now.  No matter the size of my house or my family the house stays clean.  I don't do spring cleaning anymore either.

 

You can make a bed in less than a minute

It involves some teamwork, but it can be done.  Outside of bed making, cooking, washing dishes, "the general wipe down" and doing laundry I spend a concentrated fifteen minutes per day on housekeeping.  When my children were still living at home they too spent fifteen minutes per day on housekeeping chores as well.

 

It begins with a seven day schedule where I assigned a room or rooms to be cleaned each day.  On the assigned day I set a timer and get to work.  When the timer goes off I am done, end of story.  The following week I pick up where I left off.

 

Regular decluttering helps to better manage our stuff

Once a week, usually on Saturday, I do a thirty minute to one hour "project".  This can be anything that needs extra attention, typically decluttering or deep cleaning an area in my home.  Again, I set a timer and get to work.  Now that I've been doing this process for so long I find I don't need to do "projects" every week and when I do they don't take nearly as long as they used to.  You get into a routine and a rhythm and over time you develop new habits, things just fall into place.

 

Key habits that I have developed include making sure everyone picks up after themselves and puts their things away.  Employing the "nightly walk-thru" to make sure we have picked up after ourselves.  Making sure everyone in the household participates with the housekeeping.  Getting into the habit of tidying up the bathroom and kitchen and doing a "general wipe down" before we leave the room.  Making sure everything we own has a home and practicing regular purging and decluttering of items within our home.

 

I don't let dishes and laundry pile up

I consider the time I spend making my bed, washing dishes and doing the laundry completely separate of my regular housekeeping tasks.  Staying on top of dirty dishes and laundry is also very important in maintaining the home.  I am always amazed, even still, just how much can be accomplished in fifteen minutes.  Consistency and dedication to the process really works.  I encourage you to give it a try as well.  Click here to learn more about the checklists I use to help me along.