Last Friday we headed over to Bailey’s great aunt and uncle’s home to celebrate the holiday. We enjoyed finger foods, played games, and had the best time!
On Christmas Eve we were supposed to go to Bailey’s uncle’s home, but her cousin came down with a stomach virus, so they had to cancel. Bailey and I stayed home and cooked our Christmas Eve dinner, baked cookies, and listened to Christmas music.
Even though we would have enjoyed being with family, It was so nice not to have to get out of the house in that bitter cold we had. Some days the temperature got down to six degrees. And our electric company was having rolling blackouts for 15 minutes at a time to reduce the electric load on the power grid.
We did several things to keep warm such as rolling up a towel to act like a draft dodger for the back door. We also hung a coat on the doorknob to help keep any drafts from coming in, which helped keep the house warmer.
By the end of the week warmer temperatures came back again and we were able to turn the heat off. It felt so much better once the temperatures warmed up again.
Bailey takes this last week of the year off as a break from her usual work week. So, we’ve been speaking our time watching movies, playing games, and her work starts back up again next week.
Joy of the Week
Without a doubt it was seeing family again, some of whom we hadn’t seen since before the pandemic began.
Savings of the Week
We went to town the other day to shop the after Christmas clearance sale at Walmart. W needed more bows for next year, so we picked up some of those. We also picked up some wrapping paper to have a different variety next year.
Saving Money In My Frugal Kitchen
It was so nice to have leftovers so I didn’t have to cook much this week. By the end of the week I will have to start cooking again though.
Meals This Week
All meals are served with either salad or vegetables and may not always be listed here.
* If you see a dinner in bold print that means we had it more than once this week.
Finger Foods
Hash Brown Casserole, Green Beans with Onions, Corn.
Chicken & Dressing, HB Casserole, Green Beans.
Saving on Entertainment
Since we took this week off we’ve enjoyed a variety of movies this week.
The Santa Clause
Elf
Shawshank Redemption
Thank you for dropping by my frugal blog, you are always welcome here.
We would love to hear all about your week in the comment section.
That cold weather was brutal - we had negatives here. I rolled up towels as draft dodgers too. I think a lot of holiday festivities got canceled or put off this year. Hope your daughter has been enjoying a relaxing week. Happy New Year my friend.
(Little Penpen ) that cold weather was something else, wasn’t it!? Now back to 70 for the first of January. Go figure!! I’m glad you girls had a nice Christmas. I’m slowly taking down my Christmas decorations, then need to do a deep clean. Happy New Year!!
Shawshank is a heavy movie to be watching, alongside Elf! :-)
We ate exclusively leftovers (from the freezer, as we were out of town for the holidays) & it was so nice not to have to meal plan or worry about food prep. It also cleared out a lot of space in the freezer, which was a double win.
We are getting ready to head to Tahoe to ski, so I've been getting everything packed, sorting out meals & food prep & ensuring we have what we need. There's a lot of logistics involved for four people!
Oh, I’m sure there is a lot of logistics for 4 people! And food on top of that as well. Makes me tired just thinking about it. 😂 Hooray for leftovers this week, I’m a big fan!
There were eleven of us here over Christmas and we completely enjoyed the five grandchildren who were here. Man it was cold! We pulled down all the blinds and closed all the curtains to keep the heat in. We save money up to take everyone out for breakfast the morning after Christmas and everyone can order whatever they want and it is fun to go out and just enjoy the meal without any cleanup. We had lots of leftovers so we put as many as we could into the freezer for later and ate the rest over the last three days. The ham bone is in the freezer for the return of colder weather and a pot of soup. We thought we would take the week off but with the warmer dryer weather this week outside chores are getting taken care of before the rains come again. Have a great weekend! We are looking forward to the big Clemson/Tennessee game tonight!
The big game sounds like fun, Lana. Isn’t the weather beautiful right now? It’s the perfect weather for outside chores, not too hot or cold. Your breakfast after Christmas meal sounds like fun! No clean up would be the perfect gift to me.
The cold really was nation wide. We got a thaw, now colder over night and the roads are pure ice. It was a challenge walking the dogs. Your Christmas sounds terrific though and I hope those that were I'll feel better now.
I chuckled at your short meal list, I think we all had a lot of repetitious meals this week. There's only two of us, so we either freeze or keep eating till its gone. lol Btw, thanks for the card and Happy New Year to you, Bailey and all your readers!
LOL, it was really short this week, Bobi. 😂 The freezer is definitely our friend here too. You’re welcome for the card. Thank you for the good New Years wishes.
This week has been all about getting warmer --from 7F to 75F in less than a week. Tommy's house is very snug (except tor in my bedroom...lol). So, no cold worries. So, does the electricity just cut off for 15 minutes? How often during the day and night?
They only did it once the first day and haven’t done it again, so I’m grateful for that. It has also been getting warmer here too for which I’m also grateful. This weather has been crazy this year.
Sounds like a lovely Christmas, and I'm glad you were able to spend some time with family. Wishing you and Bailey a very Happy New Year filled with blessings.
I am so happy that we had lots of leftovers and that the boys helped making meals. I just would have crashed and burned if I did everything myself. It sounds like you had a lovely Christmas.
That cold weather was brutal - we had negatives here. I rolled up towels as draft dodgers too. I think a lot of holiday festivities got canceled or put off this year. Hope your daughter has been enjoying a relaxing week.
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year my friend.
Thank you, Cheryl. Yes! That cold weather was brutal. I don’t miss it at all. Happy New Year to you too! 😊
Delete(Little Penpen ) that cold weather was something else, wasn’t it!? Now back to 70 for the first of January. Go figure!! I’m glad you girls had a nice Christmas. I’m slowly taking down my Christmas decorations, then need to do a deep clean. Happy New Year!!
ReplyDeleteHappy New Year to you too, Penny. That artic blast was COLD! I’m so glad it’s over. It is much warmer now and feels so much better.
DeleteI am so glad the frigid weather moved on.
ReplyDeleteSpending time with family is the best Christmas gift of all!
Happy New Year, Belinda!
Me too, Anne. I’m so glad that frigid air moved on! Happy New Year to you too!
DeleteShawshank is a heavy movie to be watching, alongside Elf! :-)
ReplyDeleteWe ate exclusively leftovers (from the freezer, as we were out of town for the holidays) & it was so nice not to have to meal plan or worry about food prep. It also cleared out a lot of space in the freezer, which was a double win.
We are getting ready to head to Tahoe to ski, so I've been getting everything packed, sorting out meals & food prep & ensuring we have what we need. There's a lot of logistics involved for four people!
Oh, I’m sure there is a lot of logistics for 4 people! And food on top of that as well. Makes me tired just thinking about it. 😂 Hooray for leftovers this week, I’m a big fan!
DeleteThere were eleven of us here over Christmas and we completely enjoyed the five grandchildren who were here. Man it was cold! We pulled down all the blinds and closed all the curtains to keep the heat in. We save money up to take everyone out for breakfast the morning after Christmas and everyone can order whatever they want and it is fun to go out and just enjoy the meal without any cleanup. We had lots of leftovers so we put as many as we could into the freezer for later and ate the rest over the last three days. The ham bone is in the freezer for the return of colder weather and a pot of soup. We thought we would take the week off but with the warmer dryer weather this week outside chores are getting taken care of before the rains come again. Have a great weekend! We are looking forward to the big Clemson/Tennessee game tonight!
ReplyDeleteThe big game sounds like fun, Lana. Isn’t the weather beautiful right now? It’s the perfect weather for outside chores, not too hot or cold. Your breakfast after Christmas meal sounds like fun! No clean up would be the perfect gift to me.
DeleteThe cold really was nation wide. We got a thaw, now colder over night and the roads are pure ice. It was a challenge walking the dogs. Your Christmas sounds terrific though and I hope those that were I'll feel better now.
ReplyDeleteOh wow, be careful out there on the icy roads. They are feeling much better now, thank you. 💕
DeleteI chuckled at your short meal list, I think we all had a lot of repetitious meals this week. There's only two of us, so we either freeze or keep eating till its gone. lol Btw, thanks for the card and Happy New Year to you, Bailey and all your readers!
ReplyDeleteLOL, it was really short this week, Bobi. 😂 The freezer is definitely our friend here too. You’re welcome for the card. Thank you for the good New Years wishes.
DeleteI love your joy of the week, that is something everyone should focus on!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Gil. I agree, it’s so nice to spend time with family. 😊
DeleteThis week has been all about getting warmer --from 7F to 75F in less than a week. Tommy's house is very snug (except tor in my bedroom...lol). So, no cold worries. So, does the electricity just cut off for 15 minutes? How often during the day and night?
ReplyDeleteThey only did it once the first day and haven’t done it again, so I’m grateful for that. It has also been getting warmer here too for which I’m also grateful. This weather has been crazy this year.
DeleteSounds like a lovely Christmas, and I'm glad you were able to spend some time with family.
ReplyDeleteWishing you and Bailey a very Happy New Year filled with blessings.
Happy New Year to you and your daughter, Belinda!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Nil. Happy New Year to you too!
DeleteI am so happy that we had lots of leftovers and that the boys helped making meals. I just would have crashed and burned if I did everything myself. It sounds like you had a lovely Christmas.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.