Is it cold enough for ya??

Ground Hog Day

*253* <----fucking menopause


  Let me start with how the spending fast is going. It really isn't. Savings this month $123. I guess I could say that is really good but it isn't. I bought some stuff that I knew I shouldn't. This past week I just didn't even think of abstaining. Starting fresh. I didn't spend at all today and I plan to really stick to it. I am more aware of what I spend. I also have the benefit now that oil and gas are cheaper so I will save from that. I was able to buy a little more then half a tank of oil (116) for $260. That is WAY cheaper then past years. I used to spend more on 50 gallons.  So January was a bust but I learning bust. I will save more for February. I will only spend on what is allowed. I can do THIS! Say it with me now!

I can do THIS!!

  Menopause sucks major major major. My period is late 18 days. Last month it was super late too. This is why the weight gain. Hubs and I didnt buy any ice cream or chips or crap this past week. I want to get back to where I was. He has a broken foot and he is afraid he will gain more cause he is less active. Hot flashes. Oh yeah. Mostly I wear a sweater instead of a coat cause I am always hot. It is frigid the past couple days so I did keep warm but this summer is gonna be bad. I better lose a shit ton so when I am walking around half naked cause of my hormones, nobody will be too grossed out. I just appreciate the good days of my new hormone imbalanced life. Lordy.


  The blizzard of 2015. Our little city got close to 30 inches of the white stuff. This is our street before the plows came. It was past my knees and I am 5`3. It took two days to dig out. Since he is wearing a

Blizzard 01/2015

Herman Munster boot, I had to rally the troops to help me with the snow. I had help. I was pleased. They know the proper way to shovel a BIG snow. We had a bit yesterday but it wasnt too bad. But Super Bowl Sunday night and all day Monday are a different story. 4-8 inches for the shoreline (us), 8-16 inches for the rest of the state. Ground Hog Day is in two days. I already know what the outcome will be. The Ground Hogs ass fur stuck to the bottom of his hidey hole and we will have a long winter!

  As some of you know, I love freebies, contests, and sweepstakes. I dont do them to freak proportions but I do it plenty. I have gotten some nice things over the past couple years. Snack foods, free coupons for stuff, zippo lighters, two ottomans (2 different contests), and little doo dads here and there. Lots of samples too. I never think I will win something big. Today was that day! I received a email from Bausch & Lombe that I was chosen as one of the weekly winners of their current contest. I won a 32 gig iPad mini! Can you believe that? I could never afford the expense to buy one for myself. I filled out all the paperwork and it will come in 6-8 weeks from now. Spring time. Perfect.  I decided hubs and I  would share it. Instead of using our phones in bed all the time. Goody! I am so happy. After all the crap that has gone on with us, it is good to have a bit o sunshine.

   One thing that was very bad was I lost was a very good friend. She unfriended me on Facebook/Life and it made me extremely sad. I worry about her health and unless my other friends tell me, I wont know how she is doing. I love her dearly and always will. I will never have hard feelings towards her because I couldnt. She is like my sister.

  I am cold sitting here. Brrrr. Frigid like whoa. It is 20 deg F at almost 6pm and that doesnt factor in the windchill. I will get off here, turn the chicken wings, and start the rice pilaf. I am making a big caesar salad too. Yummmmmm.


I hope you all have a great weekend. I will not spend!!

Dreaming of Spring

Cortlands and MacIntosh

*253*

   My dining room table has these three bags of apples on it. Macs and Cortlands. The room smells nice. I was able to get these for $5 a bag. They are each almost 20 lbs each. That comes to 25 cent a lb. I have decided to do some apple sauce but also some apple jelly. I have to see if I have any more cheese cloth. I love being able to buy something cheaply, make it into something good, and it saves money.

  But first I have to clean house. Ugh.

  I am a person that has a really tidy and well ordered house...in my mind. Yeah, not so much in reality. I have dusty window ledges. How do I tackle that when I have so much to do? It is my running theme in my life. I am a sick person who likes to live in a clean home but lives with family that has ADHD.  It is a freaking party! I try to rein in my ADHD tendencies by sticking with one or two areas of interest a day. The kitchen is always part of that list. It is always a mess in the morning. Always! I never wake up to smooth counter tops and everything put away. Today I will also tackle the downstairs bath. That is the *children`s* bathroom but it is also the one that people would use if they came to the house. It is like a fucking swamp. I leave it till I cant take it anymore. Those will be my two areas of interest. The vacuuming, recycling, mopping, dog washing, stair sweeping, dusting, laundry, and general decluttering will just have to wait it`s turn for more energy.

  Yeah, more energy. That is a funny notion. I miss the days of being able to do what I want and my body doesnt betray me.  I will need to muster up plenty of that fabled energy soon. My bestie, A, has some very bad bad back issues. She will need surgery. She is weaving through the maze of worker`s comp now. I am her friend and she will need my help through this. Rides to the Dr. Care after surgery. I have already started cooking meals and slowly cleaning her house. Cooking and cleaning for her but there are her Mother and Son living there also. Yeah, you read that right. I have two homes to clean. I am not complaining. I love her and it has to be done. I just dont know how.  If you have any ideas, just let me know. I fear that this could hurt me. I am already dealing with something neurological that I dont wanna talk about. It will have to wait cause I dont have the time or the money to afford being laid up right now.

  Positives for today are always good.  The furnace is wonderful. I have it on the low side. It is 20 something out but the house is good. You need a light sweater but we aren't millionaires.  I bought a primrose plant for 25 cents. It breaks my spend fast but I needed to see the flowers that it brings. My friend gifted me a blu ray player. I have to hook it up. Very happy about that! Hubs birthday is next week. I havent decided on the menu but he will have a Almond Joy cake. Oh yeah.I am actually starting to like my grey hairs that are popping up. I have decided I wont color. I earned every one of them!

I will post about the spending fast this weekend. While it supposedly snows.

Spending Update #1 aka I SUCK

*255* <----I effin gained. Must stop that now!


   I have done really good at saying no to myself. I was all ready to buy yarn today to make a scarf but I said no. But last night I was super tired, didnt have the energy to cook so we all went out for breakfast. $60. Dummy.  I suck at this. But I have to continue. Fall off the horse. Get right back on. Right back on! Yay!  I have to be strong.

  The furnace is lovely. We have heat all over the place. It makes us all happy. I have to curb the dependants though. They think constantly jacking the heat up to 70 is just because they endured a month with no heat. Yes, we were cold. Yes, we are good now. Still costs money to run that you are not providing.


 I have to get dressed here soon. I have to go grocery shopping and later this afternoon I have to pick up a couple batches of apples for super cheap from the farm I go to. $5 for half a bushel. I will make some apple sauce and a pie. Like my fat ass needs a pie.

  I gained weight! My clothes still are okay but I gained weight. I have to stop this today. The holidays are over. Time to rein in the junk food. Healthy eating. Cottage cheese! Veggies! Yogurt! Fruit! Protein! Whole Grains! Water! Walk away from the bread, pasta, rice, and white potatoes, girlfriend. Chocolate is not your friend right now.
 Oh yeah..I am probably going thru actual menopause now. Periods will be days and days late then when I get it, it lasts a day. A DAY!  Woot Woot! I really have to buy myself a good pair of sneakers with some inserts. I have to get my walking back on. Stupid feet. Stupid diabetes.

Okay, I am done with all that wallow. It is a cold and sunny day. I am going to enjoy it!

Queen of Heata!

Isnt she pretty?

Woot! Woot!
WooHoo!
Yes! Yes! Yes!

 She was installed on Wednesday. Just before the bitter bitter cold hit that night. It took the crew six hours to take out the old and install our Green Queen. She is energy starred! The house was so warm that night. The bubbles were warm too. Ahhh!
 I have to thank everyone that helped out. Without you all, this would have never happened. Today I had oil delivered. The electricity bill came too. $380.00 for that saga. Wow! That is alot. Thank goodness that I have the money to pay it.

One less worry.

Oh, I have really gotten into this spending fast. I have not spent on anything that is not on the list. I have money in the bank. For a split second, I was gonna buy take out tonight. It is Friday plus it is our 22nd wedding anniversary. I even checked our bank balance. But I stopped. The answer is leftovers. Sliced spicy italian sausages on toasted italian bread with parm cheese on top. Heated in the toaster oven. Saves me money and there isnt anybody saying no fair!
I like it.
It feels good to not spend.

I am gonna go eat. I will post something tomorrow!

Happy 46!

Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday to me! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday! Happy Birthday to Me!

  It is fucking COLD! COLD! COLD! Right now it is like 15 deg F but feels way colder outside. I woke up at 530am to check and turn off the kerosene heater. It will stay dormant for a hour or so. Then he will fill it up and it will be nice and warm again. The full tank lasts about 8-9 hours. Today it will filled three times. This morning. This afternoon. And topped off again before bedtime. Tonight`s temps will be like 1 deg f so it is necessary. Thankfully, today will be the last day! YAY!
The plumber is coming tomorrow morning! WooHoo!  The new furnace is being put in! WooHoo! I will get a bubble bath tomorrow night! WOOT!
Yeah, that is way too much excitement. But you all would be excited too if you went a solid month with no primary heat source or hot water. This is monumental!

   Of course, shit comes in threes. The dog, The furnace, and now the Jeepo. We are pretty sure it needs brakes and probably rotors. This Jeep gives no squeak warnings whatsoever that you need to replace. You get a noise and three days later the noise instantly becomes loud, scary, and embarrassing. So yeah..another expense. It is okay. We will roll with it.

  The spending fast went off to a bumpy start. I did spend on three things off the list. 1. I was sick as a dog, so we had pizza one day. 2. We ran out of cream, I had a appointment so I spent $1.06 on a coffee. 3. I bought #2 a winter coat. She needed one, it was on clearance and I am okay with that expenditure.
 Otherwise, I have been following my rules. I have been saying no to myself alot.  Instead of dinner out for my birthday, we will have dinner in and play a board game. Hubby is buying my cake with his money. We really needed new pillows for the couch cause the dog is a asshole. I got 8 pillows for free. Really nice big ones. FREE! They could have cost me $20 a piece. FREE! See, I am learning.
Being sick as a dog trumped saving.

 I have to renew my driver`s license. Yuck. I should take a picture of my current one for comparison. I always smile too much. Makes me look like a damn chipmunk. If I smile too little, it will look like a prison photo. Oh well.

Time for my 2nd cup and hunt down my sweater. Have a great day!

Happy Happy 2015!

  Another year is ending and beginning. Shit has been in the works of change for months but are really being implemented for the coming year. It is time for me to prove to myself that I can do better for me and for hubs. 

AAAAAAHHHHHHH-CHOOOO!!

The cold is still hanging on and I am gonna go to the walk in later cause I think I  might have ear infection and god help me strep throat. I have to call the pharmacy to see when they close.


But that is just a side step. This new year we will have a new energy efficient furnace that will save us money in the long run. His job is not helping us with paying for it. He has to fax out papers to see if we will be allowed to take out a emergency amount from his 401k. Crossing fingers. We will use the Gofund with whatever he gets to replace furnace, pay the electric bill, put oil in the tank and buy me some fancy bubble bath...cause this bitch deserves it! The new furnace will save on electricity and oil consumption, it is a tax right off, and we can get a small rebate from the electric company..Score! So we wait a bit longer. I figured we would have a working furnace by my birthday (Tuesday) but that is not likely. Maybe the following week.

   The kerosene heater is ours to keep. It is a life savor! It keeps our little house very toasty when it is only 12 deg f outside. It will be good to have if the electricity goes out in the winter months. I am going to keep one or two of our portable heaters for just in case but I will probably give the rest away. I have a couple people in mind.


 Spending Fast 2015 starts tomorrow. Scary? yes. Uplifting? Definitely! I will do a weekly update on how I am doing and a monthly update on what I saved. It will be small amounts at first because we have the high insurance deductible to reach but after that it should be amazing.

Gotta go...Walk in clinic awaits meh,

Happy new year!!