Saving Money–January 15, 2017

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Rob made biscuits and gravy.  He used a packet of biscuit mix I got for 50c at Grocery Outlet.  This way, he can have regular gluten-filled biscuits without contaminating the kitchen, and that is far less expensive than our normal gluten-free biscuits.

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I made the cheesecakes again.  This time, I used a pint of canned blueberries to make the sauce.  They were delicious.  We were having a family get-together for my niece, Rachel.  She is leaving this week for Ireland.  She will be gone for 6 months on a mission trip.  We will miss her, but are very excited for her to have this opportunity.  The first 3 months will be in Ireland and the 2nd 3 months will either be in South Africa or SE Asia.  I’ll be excited to see where she lands!

I used my new Instant Pot as a slow cooker and made vegetable-beef soup. It cooked in 7 hours on low, but could have gone longer without being overcooked.  I was pleased.  My old crock pot would have given me raw veggies after 7 hours.  It was simply not working.  We ate that soup several times this week.  I also cooked some noodles and opened a jar of pasta sauce I got at Winco for $1.19 and several people have eaten that this week.  One night, Rob barbecued chicken and steak from the freezer and we had that for a few meals.  We used some 79c hot dogs, too, some home-canned green beans and jars of fruit, like peaches.  Because I am still recovering from the flu, we wanted easy meals.  I’m not eating much and the girls never do.  So, food is lasting a long time this week.

When I realized that 2 library books had been overlooked when we returned the rest of them, I got on-line and renewed them.  I still will have to pay a fine, but it will be lower than it could have been.

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It’s been really, really cold.  We had another big snow and ice event. Last Sunday, church was cancelled and on Wednesday, it was cancelled again.  That’s pretty rare for our part of Oregon!  Rob missed yet another day of work, due to the schools being closed.  Once the snow landed on the ground, it stayed.  In fact, there is still quite a bit out there after a week.  It’s supposed to thaw this week, maybe tomorrow.  I won’t complain.  We heated our house with wood during this time and have been very comfortable.

I went to 2 estate sales with Rob yesterday, mostly because I was feeling house-bound and wanted to spend some time with him.  I found a few rolls of non-Christmas wrapping paper and a lunch bag for Patsy for a grand total of $1.  Rob got a cast-iron cook book that looks brand new for $2.  He loves making things in his cast iron when we are camping, and sometimes when we are not.

We made camping reservations for the upcoming months.  It costs us $8 per time we go, because we use our foster/adopt park pass.  So, it makes it very affordable.  We need to come up with gas money, but take our own food.  We usually save up a bit of “fun” money, but never spend much.  We always have a blast.  Although the trips are still a ways away, we are getting excited about going.  It feels like forever since last summer!  It’s a good thing to think about when the yard is covered with snow, for sure.

8 thoughts on “Saving Money–January 15, 2017”

  1. I am very happy for Rachel too. What an adventure and also a wonderful way to open yourself to other cultures and ways of living.
    So sorry you are still sick, there is something going around here as well. I have had a sore throat for 2 weeks now. It is just not going away. I am trying to manage with lemon ginger and honey tea.
    I love my cast iron and slow cooker too 🙂 thank you for the reminder as I just realized I haven’t used them for at least a month. I have a day off today, I am thinking I will make it easy on myself and put together a soup in a slow cooker today.
    Wishing you a great day, Becky. Xx

  2. Glad you are on the mend! I am getting the itch to travel but I think it will be awhile until my husband is up to one of our road trips. We own a house on a lake 2 hours from home in partnership with many others and it is our getaway place. I think that will have to wait too because it is in podunkville and I want to stay near the doc and hospital for now. It is all okay though. I am just glad to have him home.

    1. I am very glad that your husband is mending now. I cannot imagine the relief you must feel. I don’t blame you for staying near a doctor for while. I’ll bet the cabin will be just the place to relax and for him to continue recovering after a little more time has passed.

  3. Thanks for visiting my blog! Your cheesecakes look DELICIOUS! I love snow, but I’m hoping this stuff passes us by soon so we can get back to our routine. Every time someone at work asks me for a meeting, I feel like I need to follow up my ok with “if it’s not a snow day”. Getting old quick! 🙂

    Have a great week!

    1. Thanks! I agree. Enough is getting to be enough:) I love that we had snow, now I’m longing for spring. I can’t even imagine how I’d feel if I lived somewhere where it really snowed a lot! I guess it’s what a person is used to, and I have lived here in Oregon my entire life.

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