We signed the papers yesterday to sell our house. Closing is October 5th. It's a big step for us. Now we need to buy a new house in our soon-to-be new hometown of Yakima.
We'll post more as know more.
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Appletons Club
1 year ago
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Saturday, August 15, 2009
Blueberry Time
This has certainly been the year for blueberries. The front page of our local newspaper recently touted the blueberry season we are having. All the right weather conditions came together to make this a crop to remember. We have been out picking blueberries several times in the past few weeks and now have a total 30 pounds in our freezer - that should hold us until next year.
Here's a picture of some of the blueberries on one of our own bushes. Also note that although it is only mid-August the leaves are already beginning to show signs of autumn. Theses leaves are also on the same blueberry bush.
Saturday, August 8, 2009
Lean Times
We were recently having coffee with friends and talking about ways we save a little in these lean times. Here are some of our ideas:
We pick blueberries at a county park that was once a blueberry farm and so now all the blueberries are free for the picking. There are no signs - you just have to know it is there. We go once a week and so far this season have picked 22 pounds of blueberries. They are frozen and should last until next season. Of course, since the season is still going strong, we'll go back for one more round and may just top off the year with 30 pounds - all free!!
We are Starbuck's fans so we bought a Gold Card and get 10% off purchases plus several other perks. Last month Gold Card holders were sent a certificate for a free pint of Starbucks ice cream (value about $5). Earlier this week we were sent a certificate for a free Vivano (Starbucks smoothie). Often there are sample drinks and pastries in the shop of which we partake - of course. Another favorite of ours at Starbuck's is reading the newspaper. Patrons buy newspapers there, or bring their own, and after reading them, just leave them in the basket for others to read. We have canceled our local newspaper, because there is always one there for us to read. To top it off, we order one drink (10% off with the Gold Card) and split it between us as we peruse the newspapers. What better way to start the day! Oh, and don't forget the pastries behind the counter..... the banana bread for example costs about $1.75 per slice, but they give out the recipe cards and you can make an entire loaf of banana bread (10-12 slices) for less that the cost of one slice. Our Gold Card has paid for itself and then some!
Cherries are another favorite of ours this time of year. They generally sell for about $5 a pound, but this time of year they're about $2 a pound in the grocery store. Costco had them for $1.50 a pound, but a truck along side the road was selling them for $1 a pound, but.........buy 10 pounds and they are just $5 - that's only 50 cents a pound - now that is a real savings. We got enough to last us a year.
We never did have a gym membership, but if we did, we'd cancel it. We just get outside and hike several times a week. Who wants to be in a stuffy gym? Yuck. Also having a house with stairs is great exercise. We go up and down stairs several times a day - who need a stair-stepper exercise machine - not us.
Eating in rather than out is another huge way to cut back, as is cooking from scratch rather than buying packaged foods and mixes. We bake cookies rather than buy them, turn old bananas into yummy banana bread, never buy frozen meals, make popsicles from our own juice rather than buy them, make our own pies from the abundance of seasonal fruits and buy single-ply toilet paper (50 cents a roll).
As for the gasoline bill, we let our errands accumulate and run several in one outing, especially if it involves going to a neighboring town.
We try to make our big trips/vacations during the off season - now that we don't have school age children or jobs that tie us to a set schedule. We recently booked a family cruise and saved more than half, by going two weeks earlier than originally planned.
Not only is traveling off season a huge savings, but buying clothing is, too.
Food is bought seasonally, but clothing and travel are off season purchases.
What ways are you cutting back and saving big $$ ?
We pick blueberries at a county park that was once a blueberry farm and so now all the blueberries are free for the picking. There are no signs - you just have to know it is there. We go once a week and so far this season have picked 22 pounds of blueberries. They are frozen and should last until next season. Of course, since the season is still going strong, we'll go back for one more round and may just top off the year with 30 pounds - all free!!
We are Starbuck's fans so we bought a Gold Card and get 10% off purchases plus several other perks. Last month Gold Card holders were sent a certificate for a free pint of Starbucks ice cream (value about $5). Earlier this week we were sent a certificate for a free Vivano (Starbucks smoothie). Often there are sample drinks and pastries in the shop of which we partake - of course. Another favorite of ours at Starbuck's is reading the newspaper. Patrons buy newspapers there, or bring their own, and after reading them, just leave them in the basket for others to read. We have canceled our local newspaper, because there is always one there for us to read. To top it off, we order one drink (10% off with the Gold Card) and split it between us as we peruse the newspapers. What better way to start the day! Oh, and don't forget the pastries behind the counter..... the banana bread for example costs about $1.75 per slice, but they give out the recipe cards and you can make an entire loaf of banana bread (10-12 slices) for less that the cost of one slice. Our Gold Card has paid for itself and then some!
Cherries are another favorite of ours this time of year. They generally sell for about $5 a pound, but this time of year they're about $2 a pound in the grocery store. Costco had them for $1.50 a pound, but a truck along side the road was selling them for $1 a pound, but.........buy 10 pounds and they are just $5 - that's only 50 cents a pound - now that is a real savings. We got enough to last us a year.
We never did have a gym membership, but if we did, we'd cancel it. We just get outside and hike several times a week. Who wants to be in a stuffy gym? Yuck. Also having a house with stairs is great exercise. We go up and down stairs several times a day - who need a stair-stepper exercise machine - not us.
Eating in rather than out is another huge way to cut back, as is cooking from scratch rather than buying packaged foods and mixes. We bake cookies rather than buy them, turn old bananas into yummy banana bread, never buy frozen meals, make popsicles from our own juice rather than buy them, make our own pies from the abundance of seasonal fruits and buy single-ply toilet paper (50 cents a roll).
As for the gasoline bill, we let our errands accumulate and run several in one outing, especially if it involves going to a neighboring town.
We try to make our big trips/vacations during the off season - now that we don't have school age children or jobs that tie us to a set schedule. We recently booked a family cruise and saved more than half, by going two weeks earlier than originally planned.
Not only is traveling off season a huge savings, but buying clothing is, too.
Food is bought seasonally, but clothing and travel are off season purchases.
What ways are you cutting back and saving big $$ ?
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