Accomplishments

Frugal accomplishments for last week:
*Hung clothes out on the clothesline.
*Opened windows to air out the house on warm days.
*Wore socks and sweaters on cool mornings/chilly days instead of building a fire or turning on the heat.
*Took advantage of a spring special for family portraits, including the mini-session, copyright, and a disc with all the edited images on it for $50. Haven’t had family pictures in AGES, so I was excited to find such a good deal.
*Combined trips to save gas.
*Ate leftovers for lunch.
*Sent leftovers with hubby to work.
*Pulled veggies from the freezer to cook for several meals. Many of the veggies were grown in our garden.
*Pulled meats and a few freezer meals out of the freezer to cook too. I’m trying to get as much out of the freezer as possible because 1) it’ll be time to fill it up with garden goodies soon and 2) I’m getting ready for a massive grocery store run. More on that Tuesday, provided that I get my meal plan and grocery list in order first. I’m planning on Tuesday being the big day!
*Discovered that those little toothpaste pals that are supposed to help you get more toothpaste out the tube really work. I bought a 2-pack a while back and put one on each kid’s toothpaste (they have their own toothpaste because Santa encourages good oral hygiene with fun, character toothbrushes and paste for each kid, instead of the typical blue sparkly kind) and I feel that I got way more toothpaste out than normal. Since I only paid $1 for both pals, I figure I’ll have my money back in no time.
*Bought groceries and cooked for all but two of our meals on our little getaway (lunch up there and lunch back).
*Took a book I had been given and magazines I either got as free or cheap subscriptions to read instead of buying new ones. I love reading on vacation!
*Used a coupon for free coffees and a free muffin at Racetrac when we stopped to fill up with gas.

I think that’s about it. I don’t think I did anything out of the ordinary this past week to save money. Hopefully this week will be better, though I’m a little nervous about this huge shopping trip!

Personal Accomplishments:
*Didn’t worry (too much) about Kitten and Doodle B while Hubs and I were away.
*Working on being patient and not being frustrated with Hubs about his job. I understand that it’s not his fault the powers that be are, well, politicians, and therefore, liars, and it’s not his fault that he’s back in the jail in a lower ranking position with no pay raise, despite being a sworn deputy now. He’s ill about it, and I am too. But, I’m trying very hard to make sure my frustration about his job situation isn’t manifested as frustration at him. Some days, it’s harder than others, I’m not gonna lie. But, this is his short week, so maybe people will get their acts together before another long work week rolls around in 7 days.

Spiritual Accomplishments:
*Enjoyed a wonderful Easter service at church. We all need to be reminded regularly about the magnitude of the resurrection. Jesus didn’t just rise up on one day–He is risen now. Without that knowledge, faith, hope, and works don’t mean anything, because without realizing that He is alive now, you can’t fully understand what it means to serve Him. Without that, all you do is for nothing. You’re just working for this world, not the eternal life that He died and rose again to give you.