Something for Nothing!

Oh I do love those freebies.  I love when they find their way unexpectedly into my hands.  And these will last at least a year, possibly longer if used judiciously.

Yesterday during my unexpected 5.5 hours at work, I spent a couple of hours checking in the deodorant, shaving, lip balm aisle and cosmetic aisle for expired products, and this is partially what I removed from inventory.  The manager has told staff that expired products can be taken as long as the owner is not aware.   Ssssssshhhhhhh!  Don't anybody tell him I dug these out of the garbage today.  They are perfectly good products to use, they just can't be sold with an expired date on them.  Bonus, the CG makeup is the shade I wear if I am wearing this type of skin coverage.  Retail selling price on all this would total approximately $25.00 plus taxes so close to $30.00. 

No money spent today, money has been earned, and the day ended with freebies. And in the middle of it all, I had a wonderful nap. Well done Constance, as I pat myself on the back..... as there is not a soul here to do it for me! LOL!

Sunday, Are You Saying It's Sunday Already?

This past week seems to have flown by. Glad I'm still here and not 6 feet under. LOL!

And it's check-in time for SFT'S Week six sealed-pot-challenge

http://sftandthe101challenge.blogspot.ca/2013/01/sealed-pot-sunday-week-6-oh-sealed-pot.html

Question of the Week:  Does the location of your pot matter?

No, it doesn't matter.  I see it often throughout the day and after 6 weeks, any coin I see/lay my hands on is questioned.  Should I put this into the pot or will there be a need to use it later on in the week?  When I am at my 'puter, I just need to swivel my head and I see the pot. 

Turn head to left and there it sits, starring, slyly sending signals "feed me, feed me"...

The pot looks sort of ragged, I may have to work on it, make it a bit more posh if it's ever to make a Sunday display on SFT's blog. 

This week I have fed the $1.51 difference between the cost price and retail selling price  (employee perk)  for a battery to fuel my pedometer.  The pot was fed $1.50 found in a small change purse while decluttering the junk drawer.  And my building's boozers contributed $6.50 in bottle returns this week.  Hope that supply doesn't dry up.... :)  Also found a few pennies in the junk drawer which I didn't count, just threw them in. 

Looking forward to giving the pot an extra large feed next week due to some unexpected funds. 

That's it for now friends.  =)

This and That From The Cat

A Little Bit of This, A Little Bit of That

I've extricated myself from the drama concerning my daughter's FIL in hospital.  It's so complicated, made so by the individual with POA.  It's not my concern and I won't ask "deep" questions again.  'nuff said.  :)

To damp down the stress of it all, I went to my favourite hobby..... stitching, specifically cross stitching.  I have been a fan for many years and hope to continue for many years.  I read recently of a stitcher into her 90's who was still stitching.  Lovely to hear that. 

This is what I finished shortly before Christmas and I haven't done any stitching in the new year until this past Thursday. 

This is one of three designed by the artist Durene Jones. I love her designs, they have beautiful colours which just pop from the stitching canvas. I have taken pics of the framed samples in the magazine. And I've started stitching the pink cat. The centre fold of the magazine is the dark line across the pinkie.

These patterns were featured in the July 2012 issue of Cross Stitch Gold if there are any stitchers interested in finding them.

We are enjoying unseasonably warm temperatures in S. Ont. today and predicted for tomorrow as well. +8 deg C at 11:00 a.m. to go to +10 today and +12 tomorrow. This is January in Canada, very unusual weather although around us in other provinces it truly is winter. Just check out the Weather Network for pics of the prairie provinces and Newfoundland.

I've recently begun taking a medication which lists as a side effect "dulls the appetite". This was my breakfast and will keep me until an early dinner; a half bagel with a little peanut butter and a teaspoon of raspberry jam and a half pink grapefruit with coffee.

I have lost "mouth hunger" and only realize that I am hungry when I feel my stomach rumbling. Although I when I see something that appeals to me or see a food thing that looks good, I will indulge. I'm thinking this unexpected side effect will aid in the weigh loss pursuit and save on groceries.

Speaking of groceries, that's where I'm headed now. It's almost two weeks into the new year and I haven't ventured into a food store. I do need fresh fruit and my salad greens are depleted also.

This and That.... Words From The Cat

my daughters named me Catwoman many years ago. :)

It's Been A Day of Drama

I found myself drawn into some drama today surrounding my daughter's FIL, his care in hospital and his future.  I'm mentally exhausted and I'm just going to put this day to bed. 

The sun will come out tomorrow. 

Good night my friends.  :)

Obstacle to Decluttering

I don't usually need to fabricate excuses as to why I didn't get to clearing out the clutter.  Here's the obstacle that has gotten in my way today. 

My boxes are otherwise occupied right now, so postponed until further notice. LOL!

Let's Get Physical!

Did you know that there are risks to sitting too much? 

Researchers have linked sitting for long periods of time with a number of health concerns, including obesity and metabolic syndrome.  Too much sitting seems to increase the risk of death from cardiovascular disease and cancer also. 

It's winter time, it's gray, it's slushie out there.  We're months away from warmer weather in the Great White North?  What will I do to get off my @ss and move more.  Ideas...... other than joining a gym..... please.  What do you do to move, move, move during your day? 

Hi Finn, Judes07 and Maa..... nice of you to join me.  Welcome aboard.  :)

UPDATE Wednesday 8th Jan

Today was a beautiful day in Southern Ontario, sunshine this p.m., so off my @ss and out the door for a lovely walk around the 'hood.  Enjoyed it, loved it so much I'm doing it again tomorrow.  :)



Update on Carla's January Challenges - Week 1

Carla's Jan. Challenges

I am so grateful for finding Carla's Jan challenges and for her invitation to participate.  With her in the back of my mind, spending has been kept unbelievably low.  The official start was on the 1st, five days in and two have been no-out-of-pocket spending, and the other days are low spend.  Good week overall.

Spending Recap

1 - condo fee, I do need a roof over my head, tenting in Jan.... NO! allowed

2 - med co-pay - $4.11, allowed

3 - 2 yds of 45" fabric - $2.00 @ Sal. Army - white, will sew blouse to replace   summery one that appears dingy

4 - greeting card $1.51 - 1/2 price at my employment, $4.50 hospital parking for 1/2 hour, ouch.... but all good to see a friend

5 - thermos of coffee, desperate and I mean desperate for a coffee while at work so $1.80.  Didn't drink it all but reheated for this a.m. 

Debating where to allocate the $25 I budgeted for groceries but didn't spend.  I'm thinking I'll start another savings pot for summer outings.  I tend to put out more when I am out and about in the nicer weather so might go there.  Debating/planning still. 

Declutter Recap

For now staying with my 2 items per day but may up that to 3, so have reached the 10.  Today I'm getting into it!!!   I can't say I have a particular area, just stuff but what I've realized in taking a look and really "seeing" is that I have stuff that I hang on to that I think I might use someday and I haven't 'til now and can't visualize needing the future.  That will be my area of concentration.  Took a pic of the start but the blogger pic uploading is nonsense right now.   
 

Good wishes to all fellow challengees!  Thanks Carla!  0)

Work.......... What's That???

I awoke this morning at 7:30, then carried on with the morning rituals, including preparing a lunch because I had to be at work at 8:50 a.m.  Work???? I HAVE to go to work???  No, I absolutely don't have to go to work!  I CHOOSE to work.  But I'm retired, so I don't HAVE to work anymore.  No I don't have to work, I CHOOSE to work a few hours a week. 


 It's a part-time position and it provided 7.5 hrs of work today.  It's a retail position and since I'm pretty new back at the store, I'm paid the Ontario minimum wage of $10.25 per hour.  Do the math and you come up with the total, minus a few dollars for Employment Insurance and Canadian Pension Plan contributions.  Was it worth my time to work for an employer for these hours?  Yes it was.  I enjoy the work and the place I am working at.  I meet friendly people every day, and a couple of cranky's too.  Some of the customers are my neighbours who if I don't catch up during the week, I can have a pleasant brief chat with while they are there.  So it becomes a bit of a social occasion also.  But when I am there, I do work.   I have always had a strong work ethic.  I recall early on in my work days/years being told that anyone who doesn't work is stealing..... stealing from their employer.  And because most of my work life has been in foodservice, that saying "if you have time to lean, you have time to clean".  If I had a dollar for every time I was graced with that saying, I would be outstandingly rich by now. 

Sorry for rambling friends....... any job I have worked at, I have always given my all and have been rewarded for it.  Sometimes with "thank you" but that has been enough.  The time will come when I won't work at a paid position anymore, 'til then I will enjoy the one I am at.  The wage I make is extra money.  Right now, it goes into my savings because my thinking is that I will live on the pensions because I can't count on the work income being there forever so I don't want to be dependent on it.  Retail can disappear overnight, although I doubt that will happen with this organization, but you never know. 

Just Another Day for Me in Paradise!

Well not really paradise but my own little corner of the world.  Busyness ruled the early parts of the day and presently I'm home enjoying a cup of tea post dinner.  Time to relax a bit....

This morning I attended an orientation/welcoming event at the town's Seniors Centre which was hosted for those people who had joined in the past six weeks; there were about 40 new members present.  The overall membership is 3,500 people meeting and participating in a number of venues around town.  The staff members gave an overview of all the programs and services provided at low cost or no cost.  I will take a little time to review the programs before I decide to participate.  Looking forward to being a member and volunteer.

Then home quickly for a quick lunch, only time for a sandwich, a cup of coffee and cookies, then back in the car to visit my daughter's FIL who is recovering after surgery due to a hip fracture.  He is 82 and as well as this incident, he is showing progressive signs of dementia.  The doctor has indicated that these two factors will point him in the direction of a nursing home after he has healed sufficiently to be moved from hospital.  He was having a good day memory wise as he did recognize me when he first saw him.  His ex-wife, who is his POA has arranged for a personal support worker to be with him during the day as he does attempt to get out of bed.  He can't get out of bed without a lot of assistance just yet.  It will be awhile before he is back on his feet.  I'll visit with him again next week. 

Home again for the rest of the afternoon and evening.  I needed to clean out some of the crap left over from Christmas, put the decor, tree etc into my storage locker.  That's done, and I'm looking around and thinking that my challenge of eliminating 64 items this month of January is going to be pretty easy.  I'm thinking of upping it to 100 items but not sure yet.  I don't want to get too lofty in my goals..... LOL!  Spending has been good with 2 no spend, 2 spend this year.  Parking is ridiculously priced at the hospital.... $4.50 for 1/2 hour.   I will be factoring more parking costs into January budget. 

All in all, a good day overall.  And happy to be snug at home in my own little paradise.  :)

Talk to you later friends!

Clean Out The Fridge Souprise!

What do you do to avoid Foodwaste Friday?  Well on Thrifty Thursday, you make "Clean Out The Fridge Souprise".  Soup, glorious Soup!  The week after Christmas 'til the 2nd of January, my eating was all over the place, with some of it being meals, some snacks, and a day of eating nothing at all and the consequence was a little of this and that in the refrig. patiently waiting to be consumed or wasted.  Wait just a minute leftovers; not so fast.  There's lots of good food in there waiting for a wonderful tasty outcome. 

Sorry for the blurry pic.
So the soup consisted of the following:  approximately 1.5 cups of chilli, 1/2 of a turkey burger, about 1/4 of a green pepper, a medium sized onion, about 1 cup of diced turnip, about the same of celery and carrot, about 2 cups of shredded cabbage, about 1/2 cup of six bean blend from a tin.  Added water, some Italian seasoning, a bit more chilli powder, garlic powder, some oregano, a little basil, pepper.  Slow cooked it for several hours, and then nummy, yummy soup with a little bite to it.  Yielded about 8 cups, 2 I inhaled for dinner, and still have about 6 cups left.  Divided up and into freezer for future lunches/dinners.  No waste and very frugal meals.   :)