My 2021 Challenge

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HappyDaze
Posts: 4186
Joined: Tue Oct 15, 2019 11:11 am

Re: My 2021 Challenge

Post by HappyDaze »

alliesmama4 wrote: Wed Jul 21, 2021 8:05 pm My aide is so amazing. She had another client that she took to a food giveaway and the lady was picky about what she wanted and did not want. So she asked her if it would be ok to give it to someone else. She said it would be ok. Today she brought me the following:
1 sirloin pork roast 3.75 lbs. it was frozen
1 lb roll of ground beef frozen
1 package of hot dogs frozen
1 package of green beans frozen,
1 red apple, 1 green apple
1 large lemon
1 head of iceberg lettuce
1 large sweet potato
1 zucchini
1 cucumber
3 ears of corn on the cob

She said there was also a lovely loaf of 7 grain bread too but I asked her to check if it had wheat in it and it did.. bummer. Still what a wonderful windfall to receive. I do not understand people that go to these giveaways and then do not want the food they are given. I see a lot of yummy meals ahead and it is all free. Grateful that my aide realizes others can use the food this woman was going to throw away. This will really make it so much easier to stretch my food and keep my grocery budget low for a lot longer than I anticipated.
Janet, that is a wonderful blessing and so nice of your aide to rescue food that would probably get tossed out. I was so sad yesterday to see fresh produce (tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers) in the garbage when I was at the park with Hope. The farmer's market was yesterday morning and someone must have put their leftovers into the garbage can. Why not put it in a box with a note saying it's free for the taking? Had I had a bag with me, I would have taken it home. I only hope someone else found it and took it. I might check today.
"All his life he tried to be a good person. Many times, however, he failed. After all, he was only human. He wasn't a dog."

Charles M. Schultz
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: My 2021 Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

HappyDaze wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 7:53 am Janet, that is a wonderful blessing and so nice of your aide to rescue food that would probably get tossed out. I was so sad yesterday to see fresh produce (tomatoes, summer squash, cucumbers) in the garbage when I was at the park with Hope. The farmer's market was yesterday morning and someone must have put their leftovers into the garbage can. Why not put it in a box with a note saying it's free for the taking? Had I had a bag with me, I would have taken it home. I only hope someone else found it and took it. I might check today.
I do not understand the mindset of people who do not make use of the food they are receiving. Are they that well off that they can afford to toss good food? I can understand not liking some foods but please pass it on to others who can use it. We have several CSA farms in my area( Community Supported Agriculture). After they have picked and sold what they can they have gleaning days where people can come in and help to salvage the leftovers that are not going to market. The fresh produce is donated to local food banks/charities and the gleaners can have some of what they salvage. That is the way to go.
Janet Alliesmama
floridacatlover
Posts: 8038
Joined: Fri Aug 28, 2015 7:21 am

Re: My 2021 Challenge

Post by floridacatlover »

That is a wonderful selection of food from your aide. You are so fortunate to have such a caring aide and someone you can talk with about people and places in your area. I just saw a headline that home care aides are in short supply since the pandemic.

I’m glad that you will be able to go to Mexico this winter, Janet. What a nice break from the winter weather.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: My 2021 Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

floridacatlover wrote: Sun Jul 25, 2021 10:02 am That is a wonderful selection of food from your aide. You are so fortunate to have such a caring aide and someone you can talk with about people and places in your area. I just saw a headline that home care aides are in short supply since the pandemic.

I’m glad that you will be able to go to Mexico this winter, Janet. What a nice break from the winter weather.
My aide said they are so short of aides that her company had to drop an entire community. They offered hazard pay in addition to their hourly wage and still not finding enough help.

My aide and I have wonderful conversationa about a lot of things. Although she is 14 years younger than me we grew up in the same town. So sometimes we talk about "Do you remember this or did you do that." I moved from that town when I was 7 but still went back there to go to church and see relatives. One of her brothers and I were actually in the same kindergarten class. Of course we do not remember each other.. lol.

I am really looking forward to going to Mexico. My BFF was invited by my brother and at first she accepted. However recently she called and said they are having a hard time right now making ends meet and her DH's job is not looking good so she has decided not to go. However if things look better later on she will join me. My neice will be taking her vacation at the same time so I will have her companionship at the timeshare as well as my DB and DSIL next door at their condo. We will each have our own apartment but close to each other. If I did not have Teddi I could spend the winter in Mexico. My brother offered to fly him down but I do not like the idea. He likes to go for short rides but does not handle anything well over 45 min.
Janet Alliesmama
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: My 2021 Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

I am making good use of the food my aide gave to me. Yesterday I nuked one of the ear's of corn and smeared it with butter, salt, and pepper. It was so good. I ate it for lunch and that was all I ate but was hungry later so had some almond flour crackers with some sliced cheddar cheese.

The corn on the cob was good but getting a little bit old so I thought I better make something with the other two ears before they went bad. I cut the corn off of the cob and then cut up a large chunk of the zucchini she gave me. I sautéed some free onion in ghee and then added the corn and zucchini. I sautéed everything until the veggies were cooked through. Then added some dried dill. I know that sounds weird. However I found the recipe for the veggie medley years ago in a cookbook. The original recipe also had green bell pepper. I have some some in the freezer but I am saving it for later. For years I would not add the dill to the dish but one year decided to try it. It was so good. I had been thinking it would taste like a dill pickle if I added dill.lol Nope! It just adds so much flavor to the medley. I had a nice portion last night with salmon patties. I made the salmon patties using some leftover canned salmon and added free onion. There were enough salmon patties and corn medley for lunch today. Tomorrow I will eat the last of the corn medley with tuna fish on the side.

Tonight had a lovely salad made with free lettuce, free cucumber, and free carrots. Added some pepitas, chickpeas, cheese, and green olives from the fridge along with the leftover honey mustard salad dressing. Finished the last two canned pear halves for dessert.

I save the pear juice and freeze it for later. It is good to have on hand for diarrhea. Years ago when I was totally broke and had diarrhea and I could not afford to buy anything I went online to find a home remedy. Turns out canned peach and pear juice are great for diarrhea. I always freeze the leftover juice in small bottles that I have saved. If after a long time and they have not been used I thaw them out and use the juice in baking or if I have dehydrated fruit that I have reconstituted I add the juice to the bowl of hydrated peaches. It gives a little bit sweeter taste to the dried fruit. Take 1 tablespoon of juice to start and repeat every 15 min up to an hour. I personally have never had to take more than two tablespoon.

I prepared the little pork roast that was free for Teddi. It lasted him 3 days. Today I roasted another pork roast that I bought. I wish he would eat something else but when I try he refuses to eat. He is highly allergic to chicken so there are not many other options. My concern is there might be pork shortages in our future.

Working on a long range end of year budget projection trying to figure out where I can squeeze out more money for my trip to Mexico. It is going to be interesting. One of the biggest costs will be boarding Teddi.
Janet Alliesmama
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: My 2021 Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Yesterday I decided to do a Walmart curbside pick up due to needing more pork roasts for Teddi. The other stores cannot compare to the quality for the price. So did a stock up of dairy ie milk, cheese, sour cream, eggs a few canned goods and a bunch of cilantro. I love the size of their bunches and they only cost .89 cents. I have mentioned before I keep it in a glass bowl and can keep it going for weeks and weeks. The bill came to $38.56 but I have survey money and a refund check from Medicare that I need to cash. Final cost was $6.56.

I received my utility bill and water bill the other day. Today I crunched the numbers. I lowered my water bill by $11.51 compared to last month and came in under budget by $13.01. Despite the severe heat we have been having my electric bill was greatly reduced compared to previous months. The utility company said they have reviewed and revised my budget billing and they will be lower it by $49.00 starting next month.. Woo hoo! The money will be saved to go towards paying off a loan that I have for my furnace. The loan company will not accept extra payments. It has to be paid off all at once in full. Some of the things I have been doing to lower my electric bill is to unplug my appliances when not in use ie TV, microwave, ceiling fans. I have 3 TV's and there is no sense in having them all plugged in sucking power when not in use. I have always unplugged my washing machine for that reason. My microwave is not used all the time so it is only plugged in when I want to heat coffee, make tea or heat up a meal. I only use it for a couple of minutes a few times a day so it does not need to be plugged in sucking phantom power. With our recent hot days I have also unplugged my dryer and using drying racks and clotheslines in the garage.

I had a bulb burnout in my walk-in closet in my bedroom. Today my aide replaced it with a free Energy Star 60 watt bulb that is supposed to last for 22 years. So I will not have to worry about that for a long time. I will most likely burn out before it does.. lol I think I forgot to mention our local electric company sent a ton of lightbulbs to seniors through our Senior Center. I have so many. They are supposed to last for 22 years. I will not have to buy another bulb for the rest of my life.. lol. There might be an occasional lamp that might require a different lightbulb but that is nothing compared to the savings I hav from the utility company. This same company has requested to decrease their prices. This is the second time in couple of years. It is not that much a few dollars but still some places are increasing their rates. A few extra dollars on a tight budget means a lot.

Finished my budget projection to the end of the year. Right now things are looking good for the extra money I need for my trip to Mexico.

Had to gas up my car today. Gas at Walmart was $2.95 a gallon. Down the road about a half mile it was $2.20 a gallon. Yikes!
Janet Alliesmama
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