Gah! I lost the original version of this post! So frustrating!
Anyway. I was GOING to say, before it was all wiped away...
While I'm stuck at home recovering, I've been re-reading the Tightwad Gazette. Once you've been cheap for 20 years, there aren't a lot of ideas left to try, but I like to go through some of the classics for inspiration and maybe ideas I've missed.
Most of the TG falls into the 1. already doing it 2. not relevant or 3. not my thing categories.BUT, I am going to try the grocery price book. I've never done it, and maybe writing down what things we buy cost at different stores will come in handy.
I dug out a tiny notebook and wrote down my categories, and we'll see how it works out!
I'm also revisiting reusing plastic Ziploc bags. I prefer to put leftovers etc into reusable glass pyrex with lids, but DH still puts stuff in Ziplocs, tries to wash them but never really gets them clean.
I, seeing the dirty bag, get grossed out and throw it away,but now I'm thinking of trying harder to get them clean. I hate the idea of all that plastic waste put out into the environment. Any tips on washing and drying them effectively?
$500 home improvement
We rescued a 1970s modern lounge chair from the in-laws. It's super comfy, looks modern,and is one of DH's favorite childhood chairs. They were going to put it on the curb.
Only problem: The 80s. floral upholstery. The MIL loves to cover everything in flowers. Not my style. And, in this case, it's dirty. SO, I got an estimate for a real reu[holstery job and it came back at $500.
Cringe. But I originally planned to do it anyway. Then I thought, "geesh, my friends I used to re-cover thrift store furniture in our 20s,a nd it looked fun and lasted a long time. I bet I could do that with this chair."
I inspected the chair and I think I can make a washable slipcover that looks like new upholstery with maybe a day's work.
And, since I'm stuck at home recovering, I've noticed a long list of smallish house projects that need to be done, so I wondered how many of those I could do with that $500. I want to find out, so I'm allocating $500 to misc. house projects.
Here's a rough plan
1. $100. Reupholster chair/ottoman
2. $100. Reupholster office chair
3. $50 to $75. Scrape and re-paint my master bathroom.
4. $40. Buy all new dish and bath hand towels. Ours are awful, and at least 15 years old.
5. $25. Replace all the Japanese ceramic cereal bowls we've broken.
6. $60 plus whatever is left-- either replace the broken stereo speaker with a used set or rent a steam cleaner and clean three sofas plus the interior of my car,which is super gross from the kids.
Food for thought. I think I'm gonna do this littler experiment and see how it works.
in other news
Three more days and It'll have been three weeks since surgery. As expected, I am not back to normal. Sigh.
Yes, I can do more. Yes, I can drive. But two to three hours of activity leaves me wiped out and needing nap. (I am trying to sleep more, since that is when the body heals.)
I still can't bend over to pick things up off the floor. Since my incisions are on my torso, they limit movements until they heal 100 percent. Sigh!
This is all very frustrating for an on-the-go gal like myself. I want to be back to normal!! I hate feeling like I'm on pause!
Plus, a bit of the gravity of the 'C' word might be sinking in, and the reality of if it hadn't been for all this, I would have been dead in the next couple of years. I'm having some feels related to that. Maybe reevaluating my priorities and how I'm living my day-to-day life.
Gah! SO many feels!
Tightwad gazette, $500 budget
July 5th, 2017 at 07:23 pm
July 5th, 2017 at 08:32 pm 1499283155
You are healing. Be in awe and gratitude for what is, not what could have been.
July 5th, 2017 at 09:40 pm 1499287202
Ugh, I remember how frustrating it was to have stomach incisions. The giant one I had after my car accident wasn't as bad because I was wheelchair-bound, so I didn't use my ab muscles much. But the tiny one from my C-section was the worst! That panicky feeling you got sometimes when you'd wake up suddenly wondering if your newborn is OK? That feeling made me sit up suddenly in bed, which would use my stomach muscles, which would cause my incision to sting something awful. I know I keep saying this, but hang in there!
July 5th, 2017 at 09:41 pm 1499287283
July 5th, 2017 at 09:43 pm 1499287437
July 5th, 2017 at 10:09 pm 1499288997
I spent 15 minutes earlier today reviewing my 'Thrift List' Small, Smart Easy Savings. For example, I freeze leftover coffee in an ice cube tray, store in a zip bag in fridge freezer, handy for iced coffee, frappe or to add flavour to chili or beans. We repurpose zip bags mostly for non food items
July 5th, 2017 at 11:24 pm 1499293457
July 6th, 2017 at 02:01 am 1499302865
I often reuse the plastic baggies unless there's something oily that was in it and thus hard to clean, then I toss. Most of the time, however, I no longer use plastic baggies. I have purged plastic food storage containers from my home in favor of glass Pyrex, so it stands to reason I'd rather not have my food touching plastic baggies either. If you go on Etsy and search for reusable baggies you'll get a whole bunch of different reusable cloth alternatives to plastic.
When I was recovering from abdominal surgery, the worst things were 1. having to cough and 2. having to sit on the toilet. Both hurt. This too shall pass.
July 6th, 2017 at 07:19 pm 1499365163
I get frustrated with washing Ziplock bags too. I try not to use them except for meat such as when I pound chicken or pork chops to tenderize them. Like you, I try to use glass Pyrex.
I know you are impatient to be well, but I think you are smart to rest when you can.