Now that I am not spending every waking minute on house building, it is time to get back on a schedule. I am working on this in sections. This week it is the morning schedule. I have a list of daily must do items.
~Make Bed
~Get Dressed Completely - Hair, Make Up, Shoes
~Feeds Animals
~Clean Bathrooms - Quick Wipe Down
~Empty Litterbox
My plan is to focus on the morning schedule for this week. I am also working on a daily cleaning area. Mondays will be the master bedroom. The daily area will get extra attention. I am sure this will be a work in progress as I get used to being in the new house.
Do you have a daily schedule or cleaning schedule?
Wednesday, January 4, 2017
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
Pantry Challenge Day 6
Day six was a particularly boring day foodwise. I hate to waste food. Often that means eating leftovers. Fortunately neither W or I have a problem with leftovers. Unfortunately it makes for a very boring blog post. Today's post is an excellent example of that.
Breakfast for me was a warmed piece of the marzipan stollen from yesterday.
Dinner was equally exciting as it was leftovers from the New Year's Day.
Supper was snacks again for me - pizza rolls, homemade baked jalapeno poppers, and chips. W had cereal.
Breakfast for me was a warmed piece of the marzipan stollen from yesterday.
Dinner was equally exciting as it was leftovers from the New Year's Day.
Supper was snacks again for me - pizza rolls, homemade baked jalapeno poppers, and chips. W had cereal.
Reward Sites
Rhonda posted a comment asking about Microsoft Rewards and what other reward sites I used. I thought it was best to do a separate post. You will find that the rewards on many of these websites change quickly. Keep checking back if a reward you want is not available.
Swagbucks (referral link) is still at the top of my list. I am sure most people are familiar with this one, but I will give a quick run down. You can earn points for shopping through Swagbucks, watching videos, taking surveys, doing searches, printing & using coupons, and entering Swagcodes. I think many people shy away from the surveys. Here is my tip for earning more points with surveys: look for the ones that take less than 10 minutes. If you qualify you can finish quickly and earn a few points. If you do not qualify you will know that after only a few questions rather than 20 minutes in. I typically have no problem earning a $25 gift card each month.
Microsoft Rewards was formerly called Bing Rewards. You sign in with your Microsoft/Hotmail account information. I earn 150 points per day by doing searches. You will not be penalized for searching in quick succession. Several times a week I get 10 points for clicking on a pre-chosen search link. Trivia questions are offered occasionally which will net you 30 points. I generally only get a $5 gift card a month. However this one takes very little time each day.
Recyclebank is another easy one and is good if you like free magazine subscriptions. You earn points by watching videos, viewing slideshows, and answering quiz questions. Also be sure to click on the Daily Pledge (found on the Earn Points section after Most Popular Reads) for 5 daily points. As a free bonus you learn about recycling. Other rewards are offered, but I use this primarily to get free magazines.
MyPoints is one I do not do as often. It is a good source for a wide variety of free gift cards. It is similar to Swagbucks in that you can get points for shopping, watching videos, using coupons, and doing surveys.
MyCokeRewards gives you points for entering code found on a variety of Coke products. I use this one mainly for magazines. I do love magazines, but I cut most of them out of my budget long ago. Getting them for free solves that problems. Other good items are gift cards and coupons for free Coke products. We do not drink much soda, but people do give me their bottle caps or box pieces. A neighbor gives me all of hers since I pass along the magazines when I am done. She gets free magazines without the need to do the "work" of entering codes.
Do you use one that I have not mentioned? I would love to know about it!
Swagbucks (referral link) is still at the top of my list. I am sure most people are familiar with this one, but I will give a quick run down. You can earn points for shopping through Swagbucks, watching videos, taking surveys, doing searches, printing & using coupons, and entering Swagcodes. I think many people shy away from the surveys. Here is my tip for earning more points with surveys: look for the ones that take less than 10 minutes. If you qualify you can finish quickly and earn a few points. If you do not qualify you will know that after only a few questions rather than 20 minutes in. I typically have no problem earning a $25 gift card each month.
Microsoft Rewards was formerly called Bing Rewards. You sign in with your Microsoft/Hotmail account information. I earn 150 points per day by doing searches. You will not be penalized for searching in quick succession. Several times a week I get 10 points for clicking on a pre-chosen search link. Trivia questions are offered occasionally which will net you 30 points. I generally only get a $5 gift card a month. However this one takes very little time each day.
Recyclebank is another easy one and is good if you like free magazine subscriptions. You earn points by watching videos, viewing slideshows, and answering quiz questions. Also be sure to click on the Daily Pledge (found on the Earn Points section after Most Popular Reads) for 5 daily points. As a free bonus you learn about recycling. Other rewards are offered, but I use this primarily to get free magazines.
MyPoints is one I do not do as often. It is a good source for a wide variety of free gift cards. It is similar to Swagbucks in that you can get points for shopping, watching videos, using coupons, and doing surveys.
MyCokeRewards gives you points for entering code found on a variety of Coke products. I use this one mainly for magazines. I do love magazines, but I cut most of them out of my budget long ago. Getting them for free solves that problems. Other good items are gift cards and coupons for free Coke products. We do not drink much soda, but people do give me their bottle caps or box pieces. A neighbor gives me all of hers since I pass along the magazines when I am done. She gets free magazines without the need to do the "work" of entering codes.
Do you use one that I have not mentioned? I would love to know about it!
Monday, January 2, 2017
Pantry Challenge Day 5
W took the same things to work as the day before.
Breakfast for me was pancakes again.
Dinner was eaten with my parents. We had roast with rice and gravy and traditional southern New Year's Day foods - collards, black eyed peas and cornbread. I do eat with my parents every Sunday. I always provide dessert. I had been gifted a marzipan stollen. Since it was full of raisins and other dried/candied fruits, W was not going to eat a piece. My parents like dried fruits so I took that as dessert this week.
Breakfast for me was pancakes again.
Dinner was eaten with my parents. We had roast with rice and gravy and traditional southern New Year's Day foods - collards, black eyed peas and cornbread. I do eat with my parents every Sunday. I always provide dessert. I had been gifted a marzipan stollen. Since it was full of raisins and other dried/candied fruits, W was not going to eat a piece. My parents like dried fruits so I took that as dessert this week.
Neither of us ate supper. I was still full from dinner. W had eaten pizza provided by his workplace and was not hungry either.
2017 Goals
This time of year everyone seems to be thinking about what to do in the coming year. A fresh calendar brings thoughts of a fresh start. I decided to set some goals in the hope of keeping up with them all year long. Here goes....
1. Completely Finish the New House
1. Completely Finish the New House
We are moved in and pretty well settled. Unfortunately we have a pile of small projects to finish it up. This one will depend in some part on W as many of the things I cannot do alone. I want to get all of these little things done before they become permanently undone.
2. Plan Ahead for Birthday and Holiday Gifts
2. Plan Ahead for Birthday and Holiday Gifts
This past year I was all out of sorts so I want to shop in advance for gift giving.
3. Use the Garden to be More Self-Sufficient
I realize that this goal is a bit vague. By this I mean that I want to make better use of the space I have planting as much as possible. I also want to start preserving herbs from my garden rather than buying them. The more things that I grow myself means less that I need to buy.
4. Take One Class a Month
I live in an area lacking in community center style courses. Fortunately Craftsy offers a wide variety of classes (both free and paid). I plan to finish 12 classes this year.
5. Pack Operation Christmas Child Shoeboxes on a Budget
In previous years I have gotten donations to help with packing the shoeboxes. I will not be turning down any donations, but I am going to step out on faith this year. I will keeping my eye out for deals throughout the year.
6. Boost Savings
Building a new house without having a mortgage means that we spent our money. First up is paying off a minimal amount of credit card debt and then building up our savings again.
I am sticking with just six goals this year. I might add to them as the year goes along. These goals are big enough that I have no problem focusing just on them. If I manage to complete them all, I will be thrilled!
I am sticking with just six goals this year. I might add to them as the year goes along. These goals are big enough that I have no problem focusing just on them. If I manage to complete them all, I will be thrilled!
Sunday, January 1, 2017
Pantry Challenge Day 4
W went to work which means I packed his foods for the day. He took instant grits, popcorn, ritz bits, baby carrots with homemade ranch dressing, a package of crackers, pineapple, and an orange.
Breakfast for me was pancakes. I wanted blueberry pancakes but could not find blueberries without digging deep in the large freezer. I ended up making some plain ones and some with chocolate chips. I froze the leftovers to eat later.
Dinner was a salad with lettuce from the garden and homemade ranch dressing. I also ate macaroni and cheese with ham and peas from the freezer.
Supper was cereal for W. I had a snack plate again. I ate pineapple, celery with homemade ranch, and cheese crackers.
I should add a note about snacks. I am not exactly keeping up with what (if anything) we snack on throughout the day. I did make a batch of roasted chickpeas using chickpeas I cooked myself. We almost never eat canned beans. They are so easy to cook in a slow cooker making them cheaper and healthier. I ate a good serving of those which is one reason for the snack plate at supper.
Breakfast for me was pancakes. I wanted blueberry pancakes but could not find blueberries without digging deep in the large freezer. I ended up making some plain ones and some with chocolate chips. I froze the leftovers to eat later.
Dinner was a salad with lettuce from the garden and homemade ranch dressing. I also ate macaroni and cheese with ham and peas from the freezer.
Supper was cereal for W. I had a snack plate again. I ate pineapple, celery with homemade ranch, and cheese crackers.
I should add a note about snacks. I am not exactly keeping up with what (if anything) we snack on throughout the day. I did make a batch of roasted chickpeas using chickpeas I cooked myself. We almost never eat canned beans. They are so easy to cook in a slow cooker making them cheaper and healthier. I ate a good serving of those which is one reason for the snack plate at supper.
Weekend Book Reviews
Custom Baked Murder by Liz Mugavero is the latest book in the Pawsitively Organic Mystery series. I enjoyed the previous book I read starring Stan (short for Kristan) and her human and furry friends. This book was no different. Stan's life is stressful enough with the upcoming opening of her pet cafe. Add in her mother's engagement party with a murdered former co-worker and her sister's arrival and Stan is pushed to her limits. I love the setting and the characters of this series. The mystery is a bit easy to figure out, but I did not mind. I look forward to reading more of Stan and Frog Ledge.
Iced Under by Barbara Ross is book five in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. I have read a previous book in the series, but it is not necessary to enjoy this book. Iced Under finds Julia settled in for the winter when her mother receives an unexpected package. This package leads Julia to begin researching her family history and finding relatives she never knew existed. The family element in addition to the historical points augment the mystery. This is another winner from Ms. Ross. While I would never want to live in Maine, I love visiting with Julia and her family in Busman's Harbor.
disclosure: I received these e-books from NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews. All opinions are my own!
Iced Under by Barbara Ross is book five in the Maine Clambake Mystery series. I have read a previous book in the series, but it is not necessary to enjoy this book. Iced Under finds Julia settled in for the winter when her mother receives an unexpected package. This package leads Julia to begin researching her family history and finding relatives she never knew existed. The family element in addition to the historical points augment the mystery. This is another winner from Ms. Ross. While I would never want to live in Maine, I love visiting with Julia and her family in Busman's Harbor.
disclosure: I received these e-books from NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews. All opinions are my own!
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