Sorry for Disappearing

Hey Everyone!

I don’t think I have talked about here on this blog, because this blog has been on the back burner for the past couple of years, but I have been dealing with an autoimmune disease for the past few years. This past year has really been the year that it has been discovered. While I still don’t have definitive answers and I’m still in the “undifferentiated connective tissue disease” stage because there are markers for more than one autoimmune disease but not enough for one or the other really to get a clear diagnosis, I have been able to start a course of treatment and it is helping. For the past two plus years, having the energy to do more than survive hasn’t been there. I have finally started having a bit more energy the past month or so and have started doing things again. I also changed positions at work. Working freight is physically demanding, but where I am at is at least only 8 hour shifts starting late afternoon and going into the wee small hours of the night, so I am still going to bed at night and just sleeping in until late morning. That is at least a slight improvement over Price File where I would have to be at work anywhere between 5 and 7 am. My days off have also changed. So, even though it’s hard work and I am exhausted and more than past my limit by my weekend, when I am on my weekend, I am at least more functional than I have been for the past couple of years. I also have time during the day between when I get up and have to go to work to knit a bit and drink tea which helps me get going during the day and ready for work.

All that out of the way, I am not grocery shopping so much at work anymore. Even with my 30% discount, where I work is still more expensive than your average overpriced grocery store (Safeway, Alberson’s, Fred Meyer / Kroger), so going grocery shopping at Fred Meyer and Safeway feels like a bargain.

My schedule was weird this past week, so I am off today, which I am normally not. I went grocery shopping today to prepare for my work week. I went to Fred Meyer.

In total at Fred Meyer, I spent $150.39. Had I not picked up more of my favorite shampoo, conditioner and dry shampoo, I would have been closer to $100

After I got home, I made myself a pastrami on rye sandwich with mayonnaise, deli mustard and the kind of cheese I can eat. It was very good.

Now that I have come out of being in strictly survival mode a little bit, the desire to be more of a homemaker and live in the country or a small town anyway with enough property to at least have a garden is returning. When all I was able to do was eat, sleep, work and go to the doctor, it was hard and there were no dreams there, and even the desire to cook and bake were gone. Now, I am more like “oooooooh, I want to make this that and the other thing”. Now that I want to make more things, I will be posting and sharing more things again.

Trader Joe’s

Hey Everyone!

Life has been constantly busy these past few months. Work keeps me busy, and then I am dealing with some health stuff on top of it all. I have had a lot of doctors appointments and other medical stuff to deal with since this past summer. It has taken a lot out of me.

Part of my treatment is to eat better and get more exercise. I have also started physical therapy, which will hopefully help. I need to work on losing weight and drinking more water.

Today, after my doctor’s appointment, I stopped at Trader Joe’s to pick up a few things. I bought some Pita chips to go with some of the Hummus we have in the house, as well as some beef jerky, banana chips, organic dried cranberries with no added sugar, some flavored almonds, a package of crumpets (because I had been craving them), and a package of whole wheat English muffins. I still have pecan pieces and Macadamia nuts at home for work snacks.

My entire Trader Joe’s haul only cost me $31.72. Had I bought all this at work, it would have been double what I spent today. I buy what I do at work, because work is convenient. I also like the produce and meat departments where I work. That being said, if I didn’t work where I do, I wouldn’t shop there much because of how expensive it is.

I realize that I do live somewhere, where we have several Trader Joe’s stores in the area, and the one I went to today was literally on my way home from my doctor’s appointment. There is another one slightly out of the way of coming home, but not enough that it would have used too much gas to stop there on my way home if the other wasn’t where it was. I also realize that I live in a part of the country where stores like Trader Joe’s, New Seasons, Market of Choice, and Whole Foods are plentiful.

This is one of the reasons I love this part of the country, which is the access to grocery stores we have. Even if I moved further away from the city, I would still be coming into the area for doctor’s appointments and to see my parents and sibling.

Catch Up With Me

Hey Everyone!

I have no idea what i am going to title this yet, so if you are reading this, I have titled it.

This week has been a long week, and there has been copious amounts of coffee consumed. And yes, I have the pumpkin spice coffee. I keep the pods at work since we have keurigs at work. I also keep a bottle of dairy free coffee creamer in the price file fridge.

My favorite dairy free creamer (since I can’t have the international delight Cinnabon creamer) is the Planet Oat Coffee Cake creamer. It is so good that one of my coworkers who isn’t dairy free loves it too, and I let him use mine.

I am trying to be better about spending, and using coupons when I am able to at work. This past week I was able to use a 25% off supplements coupon, coupled with the fact that the vitamins I take were on sale, plus a $10 off Rockstar coupon (coupons we sometimes get for going above and beyond at work), as well as my discount. I had also picked up a handcream I had been been eyeing. Even with the hand cream I still spent less that the vitamins cost on sale. We have also have a neighbor rewards coupon for $10 off when you spend $50 and that was on top of my discount, so I used it yesterday when I did my grocery shopping after work. I also had earned a $5 off reward for getting enough points based on how much I spend over time. I was able to get a whole roasted chicken, the good bacon, and a half gallon of chocolate oat milk in addition to my normal groceries for $62.08 yesterday. Without my discount and coupons, it would have been $110.09

Part of why I grocery shop where I work is because of being dairy free. The other part is that I am already there for 40 hours a week and don’t have the energy to go somewhere else to go grocery shop.

This week I also tried the salmon jerky we carry at work. It was pretty good.

A couple weeks ago my mom and I canned 7 batches of garlic dill pickles, which made for a long day.

Life has to change

Hey Everyone!

It has been ages since I last posted. I know. A lot has happened since the last time I posted.

The end of march saw me not even two months into my current position at work. So that was also not even two months being back on days after a year and a half working nights.

So, in the last four months, I have been tired and hurting all the time still. My boss had her baby, I have a new / temporary boss who I get along well with.

I had a Dr’s appointment about a week and a half ago, where the whole being tired all the time and hurting thing got brought up. I had a battery of blood tests done, so thank goodness for good health insurance. There is definitely inflammation going on, possibly something autoimmune. I really hope that it’s not celiac. Being dairy free is hard enough. I tried being gluten free, and it was difficult for me, especially since I like wheat based foods. Since I am used to wheat based foods and meals, and the gluten free options just aren’t the same, I would struggle with HAVING to be gluten free. I could handle reducing the amount of gluten I consume though if I had to. I am definitely working on trying to eat better and not grab the day old bakery goods at work that they put out.

A couple of weeks ago, my mom and I made white currant jam because I had found white currants at work. We tried it this morning, and honestly, I was a little disappointed as it was really bland and really had no flavor. We had even added some cinnamon and nutmeg to it when cooking it.

My mom and I still need to can Pickles this year. Store bought just aren’t the same as home canned.

New Job

Hey Everyone!

I started at my new store this past week. I am still getting used to being back on days and not having to work on freight.

I did some grocery shopping after work on Friday, and spent $131.17 for this:

There are a couple things I left at work to use at work. The meal replacement shake powder and the Probiotics were what racked it up so high.

I still have a little room in my budget for picking a few other things during the week if I need them.

Trying to eat healthy is not cheap, and now that I am back to working days after a year and a half of working nights, I really need to work on losing weight and getting healthier.

New Job Finds

Hey Everyone!

I started my new job two weeks ago. I work at a upscale grocery store now.

It is super interesting to see the different products we carry, as well as the variety of dairy free options my store carries.

I have found quite a few interesting things. Which prompted the “what I find at work” series on instagram.

The duck eggs are regularly $10.99 a dozen at my store, so definitely not something I will be purchasing much of in the future, as they are definitely not in the budget at that price. I was able to get them for reasonably cheap since I get a discount at my store and I had a $5.00 off reward coupon. I have heard that they are good in baking though.

The dairy free “cream cheese” has quickly become a favorite of mine with bagels. While I love it, it is rather expensive, even with my discount. Especially with fall and winter coming, I definitely see Scottish Oatmeal with dried fruit and chopped nuts on the breakfast menu going forward.

The dairy free version of the creamsicles, were actually a good price, they were only $2.99 a box. That I could afford for a treat in the heat we are having.

After punching the numbers and creating a budget. i am definitely going to be working towards paying off debt, saving money, trying to live simply, and working towards getting out of the city. Anyone who knows me could tell you I would rather be living simple life, somewhere far far far away from the city on a tight budget than have plenty of money and be living in the city. So for me, trying to get out if debt and not have to be reliant on my family as means of support is a huge thing for me.

Interview Update

Hey Everyone!

I wanted to update you all real quick on my interview today. It went well, my interviewer just wanted to confer with his assistant manager, who was off today. I should hear back on Tuesday.

I interviewed for a freight lead position at a local grocery store, that carries more of the food alternatives, like dairy free and gluten free options as well as local brands and produce.

While it is still retail and freight, I am hoping I get it, and it would be a good fit for my life right now.

My long term goals are to still be a stay at home homeschooling wife and mother and living on a homestead, in this season of my life, I still need to work. If I can get this job, and continue to eat well, I definitely feel like this will help me be in a better place for the life I am working towards.

I am definitely ready to quit the seasonal job I started recently, as I really don’t feel safe working there with what is expected of me, and the toll it is already taking on my body. I am not willing to risk injury to myself or put unnecessary strain on my body just to be chasing after money.

I just wanted to update you all on how my interview went, before I headed put to work.

Making Sure I Have the Necessities together

Hey Everyone!

I had kind of hoped to take today as a rest day between packing boxes, moving boxes to my storage unit, going to home depot and then working the next three days.

Things don’t always go as plan. I got some ironing done, as well as washing the beach towels I have picked up a couple summers ago. I also worked on sorting through a couple boxes I have had sitting in the garage for the past few years. I found some of my cookbooks, which I was excited about. I think I have found all of them besides the ones that had belonged to one of my Grandmothers – the pastors wife – to whom I was the only granddaughter, and not having had a daughter herself.

I was also trying to not going out or go up to my storage unit today, but I ended up finishing up four boxes. It is easier to make a trip with three to six boxes / plastic tuba than it is to make several trips in a day with more. So I bit the bullet and took my boxes to my storage unit.

It’s actually kind of nice to see where I am at as far as space is concerned. I am actually surprised at how much my little unit is able to hold. I was hoping just to get as much as I have in there. The fact that there is room for more, actually makes me happy. I will definitely have a well stocked kitchen to get started on my own again with. I will also be able to get a bathroom with the tub / shower combo set up again right away, and even be able to have a bed to sleep on, even if it is an inflatable air mattress and sleeping bag, there is something to be said for that. I will be able to cook, shower and sleep like a normal enough person at least. It wouldn’t be fancy, but fancy is totally over rated, especially if I ever get to live at the beach. As ling as I have the ocean (and preferably the Pacific Ocean), I could be living in a smaller beach cottage or bungalow, sleeping on my inflatable air mattress, in my sleeping bag and be perfectly happy. My biggest thing is being able to cook and have groceries to cook with in the house, and being able to shower / aka not stinky or sweaty longer than I have to.

I didn’t think I would be this tired after only going through a couple boxes and taking what I did to my storage unit.

Thanks for following along with my packing journey at least. I didn’t think I would end up daily blogging this week, but here I am.

I am still trying to figure out the whole budget thing, but I am sure I will at some point, the same with the frugal life. Though I think I will get the hang of being frugal quicker than the actual budget thing. Once I get a place of my own, I want to try to set up a meal plan, even if it is just for me, and work hard to live on a budget and within my means to pay off the debt I have.

Smorgasbord of All the Things

Hey Everyone!

Oh my goodness! There is so much that I want to share with you all.

Online Shopping can be an amazing thing, especially for those living in more rural and remote places, to be able to have access to things that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to have, especially for those with food sensitivities. It also comes in useful for books, tools, seeds, homeschool curriculum, and so on, that one cannot get locally.

There are also quite a few drawbacks to it, and it can be a budget killer, and cause financial issues when not used responsibly. I’m talking from a city stand point, and not about things you cannot get in stores. How often, do you forget what you ordered (especially off amazon), and have it show up a few days later, and you go “oh, i forgot i ordered that”. There there is Shipping costs if you only need a couple things and then sometimes there’s “spend x amount and get free shipping”, and all you want/need is just under that threshold, so you spend more money than you need to either adding an extra item or two you don’t particularly need in order to get free shipping, or you spend the shipping costs, which is more than it would have cost you in fuel to go to the store and pick up those items yourself.

I am also still trying to get used to using Ibotta. I tried drop, and quickly stopped, since I rarely shop at the stores connected with drop. I have also found that Fetch also has some good deals, especially on brands I am familiar with and use. Just this year alone, i already have earned 5,095 points, and I haven’t even been scanning all my receipts on fetch. I am still a slow earner on Ibotta, as there are a lot of things I can’t or don’t use. I would use more of them if i had a husband and family, but for just me, there are a lot that go unused. Though there was one that i was able to use, for $2, which is a lot for me, considering most of the ones i am able to use are the small 10 to 50 cents any brand ones. The one i was able to take advantage of today, while not something i need right this second, but it isn’t perishable, and i will use it in the coming months. There was also a $2 off coupon for it on the Fred Meyer app, so in the long run, i saved $4 on this product.

I am still really learning how to be frugal, and live frugally. I am trying to eat at home as often as possible, and save eating out for a treat (especially if i can use a gift card), especially if i can get that gift card by running my normal errands, buying normal things.

Mind you, that Fetch and Ibotta aren’t the only apps that i am using. I also use the stores apps (like Safeway and Fred Meyer), that i shop at the most, to save me money on my actual purchases. The store apps and Ibotta all take a little time to go through the offers and coupons, but the time spent is definitely worth it, in order to save some money.

I finally got my tax refund this past week, so i was able to order a fitbit. I had been thinking about getting one for a while, but never got around to it. Now that I am serious about trying to live a healthier lifestyle, I figured it was time to get one. I have also been wondering, for the better part of the year and a half that I have been at my job, how many steps I take during a shift, and granted every shift is a bit different. The cool thing about having this, is that it tracks it in the app, so I can see what a truck day is like, versus a normal working freight shift, versus a down stocking day versus building new sets. If i am still at my job during the next holiday season, which i really don’t want to think about, it will be interesting to see how that compares day to day, and to the rest if the year.

The fitbit app is actually pretty cool, it also allows me to track my food, and therefore calorie consumption, water consumption, sleep, heart rate, weight, as well as keep track of my cycles. It’s a convenient way to keep track of my health stuff.

Smorgasbord of All the Things

Hey Everyone!

Oh my goodness! There is so much that I want to share with you all.

Online Shopping can be an amazing thing, especially for those living in more rural and remote places, to be able to have access to things that they wouldn’t otherwise be able to have, especially for those with food sensitivities. It also comes in useful for books, tools, seeds, homeschool curriculum, and so on, that one cannot get locally.

There are also quite a few drawbacks to it, and it can be a budget killer, and cause financial issues when not used responsibly. I’m talking from a city stand point, and not about things you cannot get in stores. How often, do you forget what you ordered (especially off amazon), and have it show up a few days later, and you go “oh, i forgot i ordered that”. There there is Shipping costs if you only need a couple things and then sometimes there’s “spend x amount and get free shipping”, and all you want/need is just under that threshold, so you spend more money than you need to either adding an extra item or two you don’t particularly need in order to get free shipping, or you spend the shipping costs, which is more than it would have cost you in fuel to go to the store and pick up those items yourself.

I am also still trying to get used to using Ibotta. I tried drop, and quickly stopped, since I rarely shop at the stores connected with drop. I have also found that Fetch also has some good deals, especially on brands I am familiar with and use. Just this year alone, i already have earned 5,095 points, and I haven’t even been scanning all my receipts on fetch. I am still a slow earner on Ibotta, as there are a lot of things I can’t or don’t use. I would use more of them if i had a husband and family, but for just me, there are a lot that go unused. Though there was one that i was able to use, for $2, which is a lot for me, considering most of the ones i am able to use are the small 10 to 50 cents any brand ones. The one i was able to take advantage of today, while not something i need right this second, but it isn’t perishable, and i will use it in the coming months. There was also a $2 off coupon for it on the Fred Meyer app, so in the long run, i saved $4 on this product.

I am still really learning how to be frugal, and live frugally. I am trying to eat at home as often as possible, and save eating out for a treat (especially if i can use a gift card), especially if i can get that gift card by running my normal errands, buying normal things.

Mind you, that Fetch and Ibotta aren’t the only apps that i am using. I also use the stores apps (like Safeway and Fred Meyer), that i shop at the most, to save me money on my actual purchases. The store apps and Ibotta all take a little time to go through the offers and coupons, but the time spent is definitely worth it, in order to save some money.

I finally got my tax refund this past week, so i was able to order a fitbit. I had been thinking about getting one for a while, but never got around to it. Now that I am serious about trying to live a healthier lifestyle, I figured it was time to get one. I have also been wondering, for the better part of the year and a half that I have been at my job, how many steps I take during a shift, and granted every shift is a bit different. The cool thing about having this, is that it tracks it in the app, so I can see what a truck day is like, versus a normal working freight shift, versus a down stocking day versus building new sets. If i am still at my job during the next holiday season, which i really don’t want to think about, it will be interesting to see how that compares day to day, and to the rest if the year.

The fitbit app is actually pretty cool, it also allows me to track my food, and therefore calorie consumption, water consumption, sleep, heart rate, weight, as well as keep track of my cycles. It’s a convenient way to keep track of my health stuff.