Lately

Lately, around here I have:  

picked up a humane society dog from her spay and transported her back to the shelter.  (She's a sweetie and traveled so well in the car), 

had a bowl of yum--brown rice, broccoli, carrots, sprouted teriyaki tofu, and tamari, 

finished bottle feeding our last kittens for a while.  These three are still here but they are around 9 weeks and 2 pounds so they can be spayed/neutered whenever our next appointment is, 

been swimming a couple of times with this guy, who loves to jump in the pool and make a big splash, 

transported this cutie pie, Smudge, (a former foster), to Petsmart where she got herself adopted a few days later.  

made a couple batches of massaged kale salad with strawberries and coconut for Mr. GV, 

packed up this little one, Shirley, 

and her sister, Laverne, and wished them a happy life as they went off to one of our adoption partners, 

went with my mom, sister, and this guy to a local consignment sale, 

where I bought two things:  a stack of people magazines for $2 and a tuxedo T-shirt for my nephew.  Tacky as hell but he loved it and so do I, 

managed to accomplish some reading, of course with some help, 

took some more picture of Simon (the tiny trio is named Alvin, Simon, and Theodora) because of some interest in this sweet Siamese boy, 

made Happy Herbivore's Taco Soup (good but IMO needs more liquid to be more soup-like), 

and found that our local chain grocery store now carries vegan cookie dough.  Most of the time I make mine from scratch but I wanted to support their vegan choices so bought a container.  My nephew got to enjoy the first half here after an especially good day at school and the other half was taken to a board meeting for the humane society.  

In addition, we cancelled Hulu!  That's $7.99/month we won't be paying.  We can still see all the shows on Hulu that we want, they just won't be available until 8 days after the broadcast showing instead of the day after.  We are watching less and less TV so that suits us just fine.  

Frugal doings

We have had lots of expenses around here lately.  But it's no fun to focus on that, is it?  So let's just rejoice in the few frugal items, shall we?

*I made a trip to the big city recently to transport a cat to Petsmart.  While there I stopped at Moe's to pick up dinner for Mr. GV and myself.  On Monday's Moe's has $5 wraps.  Of course it is always cheaper to eat at home, but after having been on the road for a few hours and busy all day, this was a planned event.  So I will take the $5 wrap.

*I have discovered the joy of my sister having a pool at her apartment complex. I have red hair (well I did before the aging process made it look like I've dyed  it blonde!), blue eyes, the whitest white girl skin, AND a family history of melanoma. So I've never been a sun worshiper or one that is able to hang out at the pool all day. But now with my sister less than 10 minutes away I am able to go over and enjoy a dip for an hour or two at the time, for free. 

*I have been to very few yard sales this season, as I really don't need anything. However, on a whim I stopped at one this summer and found a large box full of Archie comic books. I loved this series growing up, and my nephew does too. He has been digging into the box each time he visits my house. I can't remember now exactly what I paid, but I want to say it was $20. That's a huge bargain for something that we both enjoy. 

*I made a visit to Goodwill and found 3 shirts and 2 sleep pants. I'm thrilled with them all. I have very few decent shirts. When you are in animal rescue you rarely have a call to get dressed up!  

*I've been getting through a few books lately and putting them in a bin to be sold at a large used bookstore. I also cleaned out underneath one of the cabinets in our built-ins. These were books that we had read and saved. I save very few books. Typically I read one and then out it goes to be sold or loaned out. Mr. GV has favorites that he does like to save, however. So I was pleasantly surprised when he agreed to get rid of several books!  

Yard sale and other frugal doings

We are gearing up for a HUGE yard sale at my mom's house in a little over a week.  The best part, for me?  So far I have very little in the sale!  But I have been getting rid of things, which means most of it has gone to Goodwill or other charity organizations.  Which means I don't have to deal with as many feelings of "Oh maybe I should keep that..." or feeling sad that something is going away.  

I do have a few other items to take over, things that my husband thinks are worth selling and not just giving away, plus items too big to be donated:  electric lawnmower, patio furniture set, and some electronic items.  If these items don't sale at the yard sale, I will put them on Craigslist.  

I do have a couple things I am waffling over:  sets of dishes that belonged to my grandmothers.  My mom saved a set for each of her three girls.  My sisters don't want them though, and are settled enough to take them if they wanted, so they have been stored at my house for quite some time.  I'm ready to get them out of here, but it is tough because of who they belonged to.  

Funny thing though---I have no memories of my grandmothers using these dishes! These must be ones that were put up in china cabinets, bought and stored away, or used before I was born.  I have other items that belonged to my grandmothers and and actually have memories attached to them.  OK....I think I might have actually talked myself into getting rid of the dishes just now!

In other frugal items:

-I returned an air filter that Mr. GV picked up at Lowe's.  It was the wrong size, and since I had to go to WalMart anyway, I just got a credit on my card and bought it for half the price.

-I've been doing some surveys for General Mills for a while now, and just cashed in for a $75 Amazon gift certificate.  

-I also cashed in enough MyPoints for $50 from Amazon.

-I'm trying to remember to use Ibotta and the other grocery apps when I am going to buy something anyway.  Some times it just seems like too much effort to scan in the receipt.  lol

-I've been saving a decent amount at the grocery store with coupons and sales lately...27% and 30% recently with some free product coupons and clearance items.

-We are now taking out cash once every two weeks for grocery items and eating out.  It's been a good way for us to see how much we spend on those items.

-Today I am going to the bank to put in our income tax refund, a check from my mom for something I bought for her online, check from a friend for something I picked up out of town, reimbursement from my mil for her cell phone service, and from my bil for his portion of flowers for a funeral.  Everything except the IRS check (obviously) all came out of our checking originally, and we are just being paid back.  However, since we've already spent it and managed to get by without that money for the last few weeks, I'm going ahead and putting it in savings. All of this is going into our short-term savings, and I am thrilled that our car savings is steadily moving up.  I am determined to pay cash for the next one just as we did for the last one, and every bit we save up is less in stock we will have to cash out.  

Frugal doings

Some frugal things lately:

-I received a free book entitled Between You and Me:  Confessions of a Comma Queen.  You are asked to review it online, but not obligated.  I'm pretty sure this book is going to be something I enjoy! 

-In the mail today, I got a flyer for $5/$25 at a newly remodeled Dollar General store.  While I don't normally shop there, I will visit and see what they have.  This would be a good time to buy staples for the local humane society.  They can always use peanut butter (for treats and giving meds), laundry detergent, and trash bags.  

-I have a couple of books, also received as review copies, that are part of a series I enjoy.  But I would like to read them in order, so have been catching up by checking out books at the library.  Unfortunately, I've reached a book they don't have.  I was all ready to go on Amazon and buy it, when I remembered the READS program where I can check out books for the Kindle app for free.  I went in and they had the book, so I put it on hold and should have it within a couple of weeks.  I prefer to read paper books, but don't mind reading on my phone every now and then.  

-We were able to add to our car savings this week:  My in-laws are part of our cell phone account because it is cheaper for them.  They were able to drop their home phone and their home internet after my mother-in-law got a smart phone.  They give us money every couple of months to cover this.  We go ahead and count this as extra money and put it into car savings since we can cover the bill with our income.  We also received a refund on our escrow account.  With both of those items, we were able to add $383.26 to our car savings.  

Marathon and shopping

Recently Mr. GV and I headed out for an out of town overnight stay.  He was participating in his first full marathon and it was too far to drive the morning of the race and still get a decent night's sleep.

He checked in on Friday night and got his registration packet.  Does anyone know what this thing is??  It was one of the freebies in his bag, along with a coozie (keeping it for the nephew's water bottle) and a key chain that floats (already put in the Goodwill box.)  

The next morning dawned wet and gloomy unfortunately.  Mr. GV had to run for a couple hours in the rain, wringing out his shorts as he went.  Doesn't that sound like fun?  Eventually the rain cleared out and the temperatures stayed decent all day.  

So, I had about 5 hours to do whatever I wanted.  Most businesses in the town didn't open until 9:00, so I had a couple hours to kill after I saw Mr. GV off on his marathon.  My first stop was Kroger, where I bought the fresh cut fruit (pineapple, strawberries, blueberries) that he likes to have after lots of physical exertion, and a few groceries to take home.  After that I thought about going to Target but decided I would just spend money on things I didn't really need if I went there.  

I then headed to Goodwill.  One of the first items I spotted was the train in the picture below.  Oh my gosh!  I had forgotten all about this train.  You see, I had one of these when I was little, and I loved it.  There is a little cap that's supposed to be on the whistle's top, and when you wind it up, the parts start moving inside and it plays "This Old Man."  I kept that train in my buggy for a while, before I decided that even at $1.99, it wasn't worth hanging on to this piece of nostalgia.  I've been getting along just fine without this item in my life, and will continue that way.  I have a picture of it, so it can spark a memory when I look at that.  

I almost bought a basket that matches two that I already have on a table in my kitchen.  It's the exact same style, a miniature laundry basket.  This one was painted green though, and I prefer the natural look.  It wasn't worth my time to try and get all that paint off, if it's even possible.  And I put a Pokemon book back that I was picking up for my nephew, J, because I didn't want to wait in line for just that one item.  

Next I checked out a store called "Dirt Cheap."  If you mind things being messy, you do not want to go into this store.  Packages are open and things are shoved everywhere.  However, there are lots of goodies from places like Target.  I still didn't find anything here that I just couldn't live without though.  

Next stop was Lane Bryant, and I did spend some money there.  I needed new undergarments, and I got them as planned.  Then a quick stop at Panera for a couple bagels and I was on my way to Ross.

I was on a serious hunt for that basket I talked about earlier.  Either that or 3 complimentary baskets I could put on that table, and move the two other baskets back to my laundry closet.  I noticed the store was arranged differently and there were no baskets to be found.  Whoops!  There is a Kohl's, Ross, and Marshall's all in the same shopping center, and I went to the wrong store.  Next time I will check out Marshall's for sure.  

I did find a small item (can't show here since it's for a family member) and took a picture of this cute bag to send to a fellow humane society volunteer.  She loves dachshunds.  And I found out her second love is purses!  I offered to buy it since it was the only one there and she could just pay me back, so that's exactly what I did.

I took a quick spin at Books-A-Million and talked myself out of buying anything since I have shelves full of books at home and am currently reading a book from the library.  I did succumb to two boxes of Thin Mints from the Girl Scouts outside the store, mainly because I wanted to show support for the fact that they are VEGAN this year!  

The time was closing in on Mr. GV finishing his marathon, and I wanted to be there to document it so I headed to the finish line.  He had not made as good a time as he had hoped.  I know the rain didn't help, and he also had some leg cramps and had to switch to run-walk intervals.  But he finished.  It didn't matter what place he finished in....he ran 26.2 miles!  

With his finisher's medal.  He is amassing quite a collection of them.  

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And just a couple of random pictures from the last few days:  I had some potatoes that were starting to get past their prime, so made a batch of mashed potatoes, found a box of Earth Balance Mac and Cheese in the pantry, and a Gardein roast and gravy in the freezer.  (Mr. GV also had cranberry sauce and some previously cooked collards.) Yum!  No real vegetables here, unless you count the little bit of kale that's stuffed in the roast, but oh it was so good. 

Miss Emma has been dying to go out for weeks now.  We have hawks that are known to carry off cats and small dogs, and we also can hear coyotes in the distance.  And so the cats have to stay inside.  Do I feel guilty for not letting them loose outside to hunt and run around?  Nope.  It's my job to protect them from the dangers that they don't understand.  

And so Emma now has a halter, and she is loving getting to explore outside. The others don't seem too interested, so thankfully I don't have all of them trying to get out the door whenever it opens!  

Eco Things and Frugal Stuff

We use plastic in this house.  We are not perfect.  But we do what we can to make a difference.  Part of that is sending items to Terracycle for upcycling.  Recently I had two shipments to send:  personal care and energy bar wrappers.  I've stopped buying energy bars for the most part, but Mr. GV still uses Clif Shots when he is biking.  

My visible "eco/frugal" to-do list one day:  return library books, drop off magazines at Friends of Library, mail two books for Paperback Swap, and the two boxes for Terracycle.  

I frequently need green chiles and jalapeños for dishes I make for Mr. GV.  Of course it's always cheaper to buy the bigger cans, so I have leftovers.  No problem!  Just use an ice cube tray to freeze and make servings for later.  

Yard sales!  I went to a city-wide sale a couple of weekends ago and boy was that fun.  Especially if you are just starting out in your own home or if you are having a baby, you could make out like a bandit.  

I came home with:

2 small baskets (used to organize the top of my laundry closet)

4 fun math/story books for J

2 DVDs for J

Lego book, Highlights magazine, Mad Libs 

Brainquest cards (2nd grade)

Audio book on CD

2 rubber stamps (used for our homemade wrapping paper)

Waterproof toiletry bag 

2 drinking glasses

2 shirts for me

3 short-sleeved shirts for J

4 long-sleeved shirts for J this fall

For everything you see in the picture below, I paid just over $10.  Such a bargain.  The drinking glasses, baskets, and shirts for myself were all things I had on my list of wants.  And I am always on the lookout for clothes for J, as he grows so fast (about 3 inches since school started in August.)  

I also went to Goodwill that same weekend.  I was in serious need of shirts.  I was down to just a few decent T-shirts that didn't have mysterious holes, or stains, or collars that are stretched out.  And I really didn't have any other shirts that weren't dressy.  So I was thrilled to come home that day with 7 shirts for a total of $21!  The DVds were $2.25 each.  The Star Wars animated DVDs are for my nephew to watch and the other one is one that I plan to eventually resell.  I should make at least $10 off of it according to the used prices on Amazon.  

Do you have any frugal or eco actions you would like to share?  I would love to hear about them!  

Eco Things and Frugal Stuff

I've had some fun going to a yard sale lately and some thrift stores.  

At a yard sale I got:  a cute black overnight bag with a cherry print, purse, strainer (which I have been needing since the mesh in mine tore away from the rim), saucepan with lid (for my sister) and 2 water guns.  You can guess who those are for.  Altogether I believe I paid $6 or $7 for the whole lot.  The stack of towels you see in the back were from my mom, who bought twice as many of them in a box at an auction for a cheap price.  She gave me these to take to the Humane Society.  They all look either brand new or gently used.  

At a thrift store I found all of the items in the picture below for $4!  One book was a duplicate so I donated it to the Friends of the Library bookstore to sell.  

I had a bag of Megablocks to donate to the Lego League at the library as well.  

A while back I took another trunk full of things to the Goodwill donation truck.  I wondered if they would take the folding chair, and they certainly did!  I've been trying to sell that thing for $1 at a yard sale forever, and nobody was interested even though it's in good shape.  

I had a few Christmas items to get rid of as well.  

And this old book that came from my grandmother's house.  I remember looking at it as a child.

Apparently I really did put my stamp on it!  At least it was only on the flyleaf.  The rest of the pages are in good shape, although terribly out of date.  

I found this lid, a Cuppow, pushed back into a drawer and forgotten.  It came in one of those monthly sample boxes---Vegan Cuts or Conscious Box, I forget which one.  I'm enjoying the heck out of it though!  It's great for my glass of water that sets on my nightstand.  No worries about water gushing out if I knock it over.  

I've been trying to catch up on some mending.  I'm not great at sewing but I just want to mend the holes so that the items are usable.  I also don't have a sewing machine, so it's all done by hand.  So far I've mended a pillowcase (from back in the days when Milo liked to carry the pillows all over the house) and 2 sheets.  

Our car just went over to 100,000 miles!  We have a 2008 Prius and we love it.  I hope it lasts for another 100,000 miles.  

We go through a lot of brown rice in this house, so I finally broke down and bought a big 25 pound bag of it from Amazon.  I parceled it out and bring out a bag from the freezer each time we need one. It doesn't freeze together so can go directly into the rice cooker.  Yes I'm still using plastic bags to store it but unlike the ones at the store, these can be reused over and over.  And I love that this big bag is completely made of paper.  There's no plastic lining, and no plastic in the tear strip--just some cotton string.  

And of course, I am line drying some of our clothes.  The last few days have been rainy but we should have some more sunshine coming up.  

I love this section at my grocery store.  Sometimes I can find organic fruits and vegetables here, and when I do of course I snap them up.  But if it's something I can't find organic normally, I might as well buy the slightly older conventional items if I'm going to be using them right away or if I can freeze them for later.  It helps save on food waste and it helps save money, so win/win!  

Got anything eco or frugal going on at your home?  Please share!