Third Frugal Friday January 2024
Welcome to Frugal Friday! My Frugal Week
My sister and her daughters, my nieces, came into town last Friday from Michigan. We spent Friday and Saturday going through our Dad's things and cleaning out.
Unfortunately, we lost power on Friday afternoon, so it made it hard to clean without any lights. Our Dad was definitely a hoarder and his workshops, office, and living quarters need to be cleaned out. It's nowhere near complete, but with time and effort we will get it back up to par someday.
We ended up trapping the mean cat and three possums last week! That trapping cage was money well spent.
We had snow and later ice on Monday, so schools and several businesses were closed all week long. The attorney for our property transfer called me to cancel our appointment and said the roads would be treacherous later.
Temperatures were hovering around 5 degrees, so we added extra blankets to our beds, rather than turning up the heat at night most nights.
On Tuesday I finished up inventorying the food we have in our home and even made up a bag of items to donate to the Little Free Pantries.
Freebies
When we were cleaning up Dad's areas last week we found a large container of Tide pods, so we brought them home to use here along with more garbage bags and storage bags.
Photo of the Week
This is how my Mom would bundle us up for school on those bitter cold Illinois winters back in the 1970s. 😂
Question of the Week
Have you used or had issues with Kerr canning jars? I always like the Kerr canning jars, but in the last two weeks have had two break on me while stirring something inside of them. So, I'd like to hear from you if you h ave any experience with this brand of canning jar.
Tip of the Week
Open kitchen and bathroom cabinet doors to allow warmer air to circulate around the plumbing during freezing temperatures.
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.
BelindaHomemaker at HeartMortgage & Debt Free~ Living within our Means ~My Linktree
~ She looketh well to the ways of her household ~Proverbs 31:27
Belinda, I am so sorry for the late condolences. I am so sorry about your Dad. I am here if you need a friend. I always enjoyed hearing about your Dad.
ReplyDeleteMy husband was injured at work and needed major surgery. He is home recuperating right now and I am his caregiver. It is going to be a long recovery.
Super cold here too. I have to do all the work and my husband has the home setup where you need a lot of strength to move things or manage them. It has been challenging with the weather.
I guess no exciting frugality news. I am not going anywhere or have time to eat. Lots of money saved, lol.
Thank you, DeeAnn. Some days are easier than other days.
DeleteI'm sorry your husband was injured at work and hope he is well on the mend and his recovery will not be too long. When I was taking care of my Mom there was hardly any time to eat either, so I know what you mean. I'll be keeping your in good thoughts and prayers.
As well, i’m sorry to hear about your dad. It’s always tough when a parent dies no matter how old we are.
ReplyDeleteAs for Kerr, i’ve not had issues with them except the usual for all jars. Now, the Pur lids are another thing. I had three jars with buckled lids recently when i canned beans. Now i’m suspicious of the ones that did seal! I threw them all away and will never buy them again. I hope you find the answer you’re looking for.
Thank you, Debbie.
DeleteThank you also for the info on the Pur lids, I will steer clear of those. I would be suspicious of them too and you definitely want to keep your family safe.
LOL! I remember those days of too many heavy coats and snow pants and scarves and.....from our days of being kids in Iowa and walking to school. We were forbidden to walk on top of the snow drifts for fear we would slip and fall in front of a passing car so of course we walked all the way there on top of the drifts. Boy I hated the scarves wrapped all around my head and over my mouth!
ReplyDeleteI have a good number of Kerr jars that are all thrift store finds and no problem with breakage.
Oh yes, we were neighbors, Lana, so you know exactly what I'm talking about. I would pull the scarf down off my mouth as soon as I walked out of the house. LOL
DeleteI would have done the same thing on the snow drifts. LOL
I love the Kerr jars and will continue to buy them. Maybe it's just the bitter cold doing this? I'm not sure.
We brought jars in from the garage to vacuum seal coffee beans and they would not stay sealed. We assume it was because they were so cold.
DeleteOh, that makes sense, Lana. That very well could be the reason these broke. Thanks. :)
DeleteIt is such a project cleaning out after our parents pass on. I think many of a certain age, just always kept everything 'in case'. My heart goes out to you.
ReplyDeleteI usually only buy Ball - so no problems here.
Stay warm and safe.
Thank you, Cheryl. And I agree, our parents kept things just in case. My Dad could fix just about anything he put his mind too. It's a quality I wish had more of in my own life.
DeleteI remember bundling up like that until high school and then since I left the house before the rest of the family (other then Dad) was up, I got to sneak out with just a hat and gloves.... Many was the time I really wished I would have dressed slightly warmer.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
Yes, these days I am all about dressing warmer. So much more now than was I was younger. The older I get the more cold I seem to stay.
DeleteI know you will eventually get your dad's place cleared out, but it can be overwhelming. Wishing you a painless task.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Anne.
DeleteWhat hard job, but I'm glad that you had some help from your sister and her daughters. I hope there will be some laughs in spite of the tears with some good memories. Hope that your power wasn't off for too long too.
ReplyDeleteToo funny about the bundling up. I love that scene from A Christmas Story where the Mom puts so many coats and scarves on the kid, and he says I can't put my arms down.
Hope that you will have warmer temps next week. It has sure been a cold week.
Thank you, Kathy. I was very grateful for the help and the company too. It had been too long since we had seen each other. Yes we did laugh a lot, which we normally do when we get together, so it felt right. The power was back on by 9 p.m., but we had already quit for the evening at that point. She may be coming back in a few weeks with her dh, so we can do it again.
DeleteThat IS a funny scene from A Christmas Story! A aunt of ours likes to use that movie to make trivia questions for one of our Christmas games each year, so we have to "bone up" on our trivia and watch it every year. LOL
Oh we watch A Christmas Story almost every year too. How cool that your aunt uses the movie for her questions. Have you watched A Christmas Story Christmas? I enjoyed it too, and it was fun to see all the kids grown up.
DeleteNo, we haven't seen that one, Kathy. We will have to be sure and watch it.
DeleteThat bundling pic is too funny...lol I always keep 2 comforters on the beds during winter. We turn the heat off at night and just keep the gas fireplaces running. Hope you & Bailey have a wonderful weekend! Stay warm!
ReplyDeleteThank you! My sister laughed at the memo when I told her it was Mom because it was so true. 😂 extra blankets definitely help in this cold.
DeleteI hope you have a wonderful weekend too!
It's such a hard job going through things...glad the family is helping.
ReplyDeleteAs for Kerr jars I have a mix match of jars but I believe most of mine are Ball.
It's so cold here -one day it was -20 below wind chill. So so cold. I'm like you and can't wait till next week when it will hit 30. We are going to have a heat wave!
Thinking of you!
Thank you, Vickie. i cannot wait for a heat wave. LOL
DeleteI only use Ball jars for a reason. However, Kerr would be my second choice.
ReplyDeleteIs your mother related to Ralphie's mother? Funny picture.
😂 no relation, Linda. 😂 Ball jars are definitely the best. Mom used to use Golden Harvest too.
Delete(Little Penpen) lol on bundling up for school. Sometimes I feel like I need all that. Happy you guys have made a good start on dad’s things. My kids will definitely call me a hoarder when my time comes. My daughter in law is the exact opposite, so she will have no problem throwing out my things. lol I’ve heard some things on YouTube about newer canning jars and seals not being good quality. I think maybe they are being made elsewhere these days.
ReplyDeleteI have heard that about the canning jars too, Penny. And they don't make things the way they used to make with their planned obsolescence these days, unfortunately.
DeleteYour DIL sounds like my daughter, she can throw out anything with the best of them. LOL