Friday, June 19, 2020

Frugal Friday ~ June 19, 2020 ~ Recession Ahead?

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According to multiple news sources, the coronavirus pandemic forced the United States economy to contract sharply, which has caused the US to enter a recession. 

Many experts think this will be a deep recession and short, but time will tell as to how long it will really last. 

We know of several small businesses that have decided to call it quits and close permanently. Both of the owners were close enough to retirement age to go ahead and retire. I find it sad though that the pandemic forced them into this decision. 

My daughter continues to resell online as her primary source of income. I help her by steaming and processing items. 

Processing clothes for her has made it so that I know exactly what I want in my own clothing. I know what length I prefer in tops and pants, along with what fabrics I prefer. 

All of this makes it easier to know what to shop for, which will save me money. For example I have purchased tops before with a certain fabric blend that I didn't like when it arrived. Now I can avoid that extra expense. 

This week I've been watching the soap opera, Port Charles on YouTube. There is one channel on there that has all the episodes in chronological order, so it's easy to watch them in order. 

Our electric bill for June 2019 was 320.48 while our electric bill for June 2020 is $208.49, which is a difference of $111.99. The savings is due to our new energy efficient air conditioner. The savings will pay for the air conditioner in the first summer that we own it. 

If you're a regular reader of my blog, you'll know I've babied our old air conditioner for a couple of years now. I knew it was probably costing us money and now we have proof of that. We saved up our money over the last year in order to pay cash for the new a/c.

If you're looking for money saving ways to stay cool this summer, feel free to read my blog post on the topic. 

Speaking of staying cool, last Friday I cut up a watermelon for us to enjoy. Is there anything better than an ice cold sweet watermelon on a hot summer day? 

Part of a wheel on my desk chair broke off this week making it hard to roll around. No need to fear as I had a replacement, bought at a yard sale last summer, so I only needed to replace it. 

Amy Dacyczyn picked up items at yard sales that she knew would need to be replaced over the course of the year like lunch boxes and such. This timely tip still holds true today. 

My bills this week were paid online, which saved me the cost of postage and envelopes.

My project of working on the recipes on my blog continued this week. Several of the recipes I had posted on the blog over the years didn't make it onto my recipe page. I've been working on correcting that again this week. I hope all the recipes are not bothering you. 

My daughter made peanut butter chocolate chip cookies again this week. And on Thursday I made a recipe for Sesame Peanut Butter Noodles. 

I made these for my daughter when she was younger and she loved them, so here is the recipe in case you're interested.  

Sesame Peanut Butter Noodles

Ingredients
6 ounce packet ramen noodles without the flavor packet
2 tablespoons pure sesame oil
1 & 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 & ½ tablespoons rice vinegar
1 garlic clove, minced
½ teaspoon grated fresh ginger root

Optional Garnish: 
3 sliced green onions 
1 1/2 tsp. sesame seeds

Directions:
Cook and drain the noodles according to the package directions.
In a medium bowl, add the sesame oil, peanut butter, honey, soy sauce, rice vinegar, garlic, and ginger.
Whisk until well combined. 
The peanut butter should completely break down to create a smooth sauce.
Pour the sauce over the hot noodles. 
Toss to coat.
On Thursday I received my second unemployment check. I'm very grateful for this as it's really helped here and given me a peace of mind I've not had in the last few months. 

How was your week?

Belinda
~ Living within our Means ~
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16 comments:

  1. Oh I think we are in recession. Those of us who have always lived a frugal lifestyle haven't really noticed. More well off people probably have.

    Watermelon sounds so good. Haven't had one since last summer. Hope the price comes down a little now that is getting close to being in season and cookout time.

    You guys have really been creative with your time and money habits. I love that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Cheryl. We are trying our best and know you are too.

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  2. Glad you are getting your unemployment checks! I didn't know your daughter is an online reseller, good for her.

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    Replies
    1. Thank you, Lisa. Yes,, she has been a reseller for 4 to 5 years now. She loves being able to make a living from home.

      Delete
  3. Blogs like yours will be so important in the coming months.

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  4. Your daughter is very wise to start an online business.

    I feel so sad for people who have lost jobs and had to close down businesses. I hope things won’t get worse, but who knows when this pandemic is going to slow down.

    Sometimes I think how lucky we are to have a frugal mindset. We don’t have to change our lifestyle drastically even during a recession.

    I like your peanut butter noodles recipe. Thank you for sharing. I have a packet of regular noodles and plan to make it soon. 😊

    Hope you and Bailey have a great weekend, Belinda.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Nil. Yes,my heart goes out to those who are not prepared for what has happened. Especially those who are worried sick about paying rent, bills, food, etc. I think we are lucky too, to be frugally minded.

      I hope you enjoy the PB Noodle recipe and have a great weekend too. :)

      Delete
  5. I don't care if you publish recipes. I really need to sell online.

    ReplyDelete
  6. I was so glad Belinda when garage sales started up around here lately. I have bought coffee cups and glasses. I'm storing up thats for sure.
    Can you put a link to your daughter's online site? It would be good to support her if we can.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, how neat, Vickie. I just love to yard sale.

      Here are the links to my daughter's online shops. Thank you!

      https://poshmark.com/closet/bailey_alex

      https://www.ebay.com/str/baileyalex

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  7. I saw for the first time this year a garage sale sign. I was not even tempted to stop-just do not want to buy stuff right now in our house, and want to purge. I feel a little out of things, other than what I see on the news, but I know my husbands income is down, and costs are getting higher. I'm just trying to hold our own. I love that you now have a better idea of what you will like in the second hand clothing market-what is quality. You can have whole posts about that.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh, that is a great idea, Sam. I will have to keep that in mind for future posts. I understand about not wanting to add more items to your house right now from yard sales and wanting to purge. I feel that need when I'm cleaning too. We keep a small box of items we will no longer use to add to and take to the thrift store occasionally.

      Delete

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