My Tireless Retirement - Week 96

 

January is in the books and we are now well into February.  How was your first month of the new year?  I have to admit mine turned out far better than I could’ve imagined.  The weather was a little dicey there for a while, but I didn’t let that stop me.  I learned a lot last month and I learned a lot about myself as well.  I’d say January 2024 was a roaring success.

 

My produce bin was getting a little low

My activity, since I started riding the bus, is off the charts for me at this time of year.  I even signed up to track my progress on Ride Share Idaho.  It not only tracks my mileage, but also lets me know how much money I’ve saved by using public transportation as well as how I’ve improved on my overall carbon footprint and the impact I’m making on the earth.  Pretty cool, huh?

 

I stopped into Trader Joe's real quick for lettuce and some feta
I was really wanting some of this herbed feta to put on my salads
It is so good!

I worked four days last week and rode the bus as well as walked to and from each time.  I even went and did some grocery shopping using the bus and walking just to see how well I could make that work.  It wasn’t half bad.  One thing I can say is that if you have to carry your groceries home you are very mindful about what you purchase and you tend to stick to your list.  I plan to continue shopping this way as much as possible.

 

The bulk of my groceries I picked up at Winco

I stuck to my meal plan last month and enjoyed so many delicious and healthy meals that kept me not only well fueled but also very satisfied.  My food waste was pretty much nil.  Whatever I couldn’t eat, mainly in the form of kitchen scraps, the hens and the bunny were very happy to help me with.  I even managed to stash a few things away in a Ziploc bag in the freezer for some broth I’m planning to make out of a ham bone.

 

This delicious beef stew was amazing!

This month I plan to continue with my meal planning again alternating between a regular meal and a soup & salad meal.  That worked out so well for me and I’ve really enjoyed those soup and salad meals a lot especially when I get home after my bus ride and all that walking.  I’m usually pretty well tuckered out and hungry so a quick, hot and hearty meal really hits the spot.

 

Free fruit from work 😋
I have not been buying much in the way of fruit lately

Ways I Saved $$: 

Riding the bus to and from work saved me a small bundle in fuel. 

I was offered and happily accepted some leftover fruit after a staff meeting at work.  A banana and partial bunch of grapes made a nice addition to my meals last week.  I also washed out a few Ziploc bags to reuse later for food storage. 

 

One for now & one for later!

Meals I Prepared: 

I made a delicious beef stew using a jar of my home canned beef roast and a jar of home canned potatoes and carrots to my mini slow cooker.  Some frozen peas and a little bit of cornstarch slurry made it perfect.  Not to mention super easy to prepare.

 

Two jars of home canned pork verde ended up being turned into two pans of enchiladas.  I used one pan for my planned meals and the other one was wrapped well and tucked into the freezer to be enjoyed later down the road.  Each pan made four nice sized servings.  Last week I ate two servings and then I portioned out the other two for planned meals in a couple weeks. 

Fresh produce allowed me to prepare lots of green salads topped with olives, sunflower seeds, feta, diced tomatoes or grated carrot. 

 

Leftovers - one for now & two for later

Things I Used Up: 

Last week I was able to use up a jar of olives leftover after the holidays and a bottle of salad dressing as well as the tail end of a bottle of Tabasco sauce that had been hanging around for a while.  I’m now working on using up a bottle of green Cholula sauce that has just about worn out its welcome.  It is so tasty though and has been great to drizzle across those verde enchiladas.  I do plan to replace either the Tabasco or Cholula sauce once I’ve used up some other condiments I’ve got in the fridge and pantry.

 

I decluttered & reorganized my laundry supplies

as well as my cleaning supplies

I also went through the cleaning rags

It was definitely a wonderful week for me and I hope you week was good for you as well.  My “job” and my adventures on the bus continue to go really well and are keeping me plenty busy as are my regular housekeeping tasks and of course my lovely little critters.  I do love the time I spend with my kitties, the chickens and little miss bunny.  Let me know what kept you busy this past week.

 

My helper

FYI - My retirement week runs from Friday through Thursday.