Who’s ready for a catch-all post full of random things on my mind?
Ready or not, here it comes!
FRUGAL WINS FROM LAST WEEK
- We bought all our kids’ back-to-school clothes at thrift shops…including $19 vintage Sambas, which a certain teen is THRILLED to own.
- We hosted a family for Sunday lunch, and served sliced cucumbers as a crunchy veggie alongside BBQ. These cucumbers are the best I have EVER eaten in my life and were courtesy of our neighbour’s overflowing produce basket.
- As part of hosting friends for lunch, our kiddos banded together and tried to convince us of the desperate need for a sleepover. So…we ended up having two extra mouths at supper, and I had zero plans. I raided the freezer and turned a bag of bread crusts into a baked French toast casserole. This was a huge hit. (I loosely followed this recipe from The Pioneer Woman.)
- When we were at a thrift store, we spotted two costumes ($5.99 each) that the kids were keen to wear for Halloween. I am thrilled to have that decision behind us!
- We get all our drinking water (for our refrigerated cooler) from a nearby natural spring — it’s free and tastes amazing.
I’M DREADING
- Getting back into the rhythm of early mornings.
- Lunchboxes. So far this is going well, but I also realize we’re less than a week into the school year and I know my enthusiasm will plummet. The kids are doing most things independently but, even still, staying on top of having the right sort of food in the house always feels daunting to me.
- Dealing with a plumbing issue. Our bathtub was installed over an old one (no idea when the previous owners did this) and water is now leaking from the fitted bathtub down into the old bathtub below. It does not sound like a fun or easy fix.
- Winter. I know I still have my absolute favourite season to savour, but fall really does FLY by. This is really showing my inner pessimist.
- Paperwork. We’re wading through a few bureaucratic processes right now and paperwork is not my idea of a fun time.
I’M ANTICIPATING
- Routine!
- Visitors. Birchie comes in a little over a week, and next month SHU and Kae are paying me a visit. I am truly honoured people are coming out of their way to visit little ol’ me! Plus, I love seeing this beautiful province through fresh eyes.
- Having more time to pour into creative activities like writing here (and over at Patreon). Plus I’m trying to start something new at church with regard to a women’s gratitude group.
- Fall. It’s a short season, but it is stunningly beautiful. (See below.)
- Cool Bloggers Walking Club! It’s coming!!!
I’M LISTENING TO ON REPEAT
- Sound of da Police by KRS-One
- Flowers by Samantha Ebert
- Caroline by Mumford and Sons
- Exceptional Zed (and many other songs from the Zombie movie soundtracks)
- Anything by Connor Price (Indy’s current obsession) and Disney soundtracks (Belle’s long-term obsession)
I LOVE ABOUT FALL
- All the cozy, stick-to-your-ribs food.
- Foliage! Bring on the reds and yellows and oranges.
- Walking in crisp morning air.
- Sweater (but NOT winter jacket) weather.
- Perfect café weather. Cool enough outside that a hot drink feels extra luxurious, but not so cold I dread leaving my warm cocoon.
Now it’s your turn! I’d love to hear from you.
- Five things you did that were frugal last (or this!) week.
- Five things you’re dreading.
- Five things you’re anticipating.
- Five songs you’re listening to on repeat.
- Five things you love about fall (and/or the current season in your part of the world.)
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Your autumn photos are stunning, Elisabeth! I can’t wait to see the shots you’ll capture on walks with your visitors.
And well done on the frugal wins! Vintage Sambas for $19 are the ultimate thrift-store jackpot.
Frugal: we had a picnic on a bench in the glorious autumn sun instead of going to a restaurant (so much nicer!).
Dreading: saying goodbye to family and friends in mid-October.
Anticipating: our multi-day hike in the Austrian Alps next week!
Wishing you a wonderful week ahead, Elisabeth!
Picnics are a win-win. Much cheaper than a restaurant meal, but no cleanup and usually with gorgeous views!
I haven’t been frugal; all my dreads are long term so nothing unexpected there.
I’m anticipating hosting two German students for 3 weeks.
Songs on repeat:
1) I am not okay by Jelly Roll
2) I’m the problem by Morgan Wallan
3) Home by Phillip Pgillips
4) All Soul’s night by Loreena McKennet
5) Long long Journey by Enya
You need to remove yourself mentally and emotionally from the entire lunch issue. Provide the food, ignore complaints, and know that your kids will be fine even if their lunches are boring. Any dread that occurs – just remind yourself its not a big deal. (Assuming there is no medical/emotional issue that requires precision lunches.) Turn any complaints or whines back onto the kid- they are in charge of the lunchbox!
What a fun experience to be hosting international students. I hope that goes smoothly.
I really lean into music when I’m struggling mentally or physically; in those moments I relate to songs that tackle hard topics. I hope you get the same relief.
My kids are doing most of the lunchbox work, it’s more being prepared and having the right things in the house for them and thinking through balancing nutrition and also realizing eating a cold lunch at school day after day isn’t overly appealing. So far, so good! We’ve made a few tweaks from last year and it seems to really be helping.
Oh, and I love all that about fall! Darker evenings ( so going to bed at 8:15 after a long day seems just fine!), baking and cooking inside, cool nights for sleeping.
Yes, yes, and yes!
I know I already texted you about this, but I had a BLAST thrifting with my tween and found jeans hemmed to be her exact size– total win!
Also– SAME SAME SAME on lunches. My role is minimal; enthusiasm is high, and I still feel like awarding all the gold stars.
I was thrilled to hear about your thrift store wins! It’s so satisfying, right?
I’ve seen recipes for a baked French toast casserole yet never tried one. I may be missing out on something good. I adore being frugal, yet yummy, in the kitchen.
It’s a great way to use up leftover odds and ends from bread! I toss all the extras into the freezer and once I have enough accumulated, I make a French Toast casserole!
I am here for the random! I can’t remember doing anything explicitly frugal last week, but there were absences of spending (ex: I didn’t pay a huge cell phone bill or any phone bill because I switched to a cheap service that costs $15 a month that I prepay in January). I went to Aldi yesterday, but that’s because they are the only grocery store with the breakfast sandwiches that I like, so it was more for preference than for thrift.
I’m dreading work, but hopefully they will hire someone else soon so that’s a short term issue. I don’t want the shorter days or winter, but I’m very excited for fall, so I’ll take it as a trade off. I dread Friday morning a little bit since I’ll be getting up at 4:00 to make a 7:00 flight and I have “passport” anxiety, which is an irrational fear that I will forget or lose my passport, which means that I will be obsessively checking that I have my passport every 30 seconds for the first few days of the trip, but it’s all worth is because it’s leading to the #1 thing on my anticipate list!!!
There is nothing that I am more excited for than to come see you. Other “yays” are that I am looking forward to the end of work and being able to tear into my travel bucket list with gusto. I’m excited for fall and fall hiking, excited to hear how the kids are doing at school, excited to go visit them, excited for family visits this fall…the list goes on and on.
Gah. I wish we had an Aldi, Birchie. I get major frugal jealousy when I read about it.
Eeks that’s an EARLY morning, friend. And I’m honoured you’re enduring all the stress of travel to COME SEE ME <3
I hope things transition quickly and seamlessly for you at work. What an ordeal that has been, but the finish line is in sight.
I can’t think of five of anything right now!
Last week was not super frugal as we were travelling, but I guess we brought lunch with us on the drive to Calgary, so I’ll count that.
I’m dreading digging out the garden -I need to do cleanup next week as all the flowers are going to seed. I’d leave it longer but we leave for Morocco at the end of the month and I have so much to do!
I’m anticipating my trip, book stuff, all good things!
Hmmm…I’ll get back to you on the song thing
Pretty leaves and lots of apples and grapes are what I love most about fall!
Frugal wins are all about giving us flexibility to NOT be frugal later and to kick back and enjoy things without worrying about the cost. Vacation is such a time! And travel always pushes routine costs up, but it’s worth it.
I am so excited for your trip to Morocco. I know you don’t usually blog while away, but I’m hoping for some teaser photos along the way.
I love it! I love when everyone starts talking about fall! We don’t get traditional fall weather down here- but I’m anticipating our first cool down of the year, which probably won’t be till October. BUT! I am going up to Chicago for two days in October and it should be lovely and fall-ish. Of course it could also rain the entire time or be 90 degrees- but I’ll just take whatever I get.
As a family, we are trying hard to get our spending under control. While setting up his new place, my son bought as much as possible from Facebook Marketplace. We’re really trying to move in that direction, so I appreciate all your frugal tips and inspiration!
Ugh- school lunch. I’m dealing with a very picky lunch eater who doesn’t like sandwiches, and if I didn’t pack her lunch she might just eat cheetos from the vending machine. We just have to struggle through this year- next year she’ll be a senior with “senior privilege” which means she’ll be leaving school at lunchtime anyway. Sigh!
I hope you get deliciously cool fall weather when you’re visiting Paul.
You’re almost done with kid lunchboxes forever, Jenny. The end is in sight!!!!!
My kids are all about turkey and swiss sandwiches right now, but I realize at some point the novelty will wear off so I’m trying to steer them away from eating that everyday and burning out on that option!
Girl, no part of me is ready for winter either! UGH! Fall is #3 on my list of seasons, but here are my fave things: the colors of the leaves, making soup, pumpkin everything, trick-or-treating with my grands, going to wineries (LOL, that’s a year-round thing, but it’s harvest season in the Fall)
It feels like a disservice to fall to be immediately followed by winter (my least favourite season), but I can’t help but feeling joy knowing that my favourite things about fall are still to come. Leaves! Stick-to-your-ribs food! Cool, sunny weather.
Wait, those leaf pics aren’t current, are they?? If so, they’ll all be GONE in a month!!! lol. I’m hoping/assuming those are from last fall? 😉
What amazing thrifted finds!! Belle looks great.
And I agree- give me “sweater but not winter jacket” weather! I am perfectly happy to throw on a hoodie to walk Charlie, but I do NOT want to be shivering and feeling cold air pelting me. Not ever. haha.
Take a deep breath. It’s all okay. THOSE ARE FROM LAST YEAR.
I am holding my own breath and hoping that you arrive at the absolute best time possible for leaves. It’s always a bit of a crap shoot when they’ll peak. Fingers crossed it’s when you’re here.
I love, love, love sweaters. I hate to sweat so if I’m in a T-shirt it means there’s a good chance of sweating. But sweaters are the perfect in between. There’s about 20 days in the whole calendar year where it is perfect sweater weather for me and I live for those days!
Okay, I am not ready to do five lists of five things! I’m going to take the easy way out and just list five songs that have been on repeat in my world.
“Ask Me” by Amy Grant – a super sad song that I have had in my head (EARWORM) and I thought if I listened to it, it would go away. This hasn’t happened yet.
“Soda Pop” by Saja Boys – my niblings were obsessed with this song over Labor Day, so I added it to my playlist
“Am I Okay?” by Megan Moroney – I adore this song.
“A Long December” by Counting Crows – Why not throw another sad song into the mix?
“We Don’t Fight Anymore” by Carly Pearce and Chris Stapleton – LOL. Maybe I need happier songs to get me through September.
I am all about songs matching my mood and sometimes I just need tear-jerkers or ones that are honest about how hard life can feel. There will be a time after this, but it’s okay to lean into all the hard feelings and music might be a great outlet for that?!
What great thrift store scores! Your fall photos are stunning and I like the looks of that French toast casserole 🙂
It’s such an easy breakfast meal and the kids love it. (It also reheats so well, so leftovers are greatly enjoyed.)
Let’s see. Five things I’m dreading (how’s that for pessimistic?!): 1.The continuing decline in daylight hours. 2.The holidays. 3.My upcoming colonoscopy (it’s not even scheduled yet, and still…). 4.Getting a house project underway — so much research and so many phone calls and all the decisions and then paying people and having people in my space ugh. 5.The end of my kid’s sports season and my lovely long days.
I HATE house projects. The money. The arrangements. The decisions. And yes…all the phone calls. And never knowing exactly when people will arrive, how long it will take, what side issues they’ll find. Why yes, I AM SCARRED FROM RENOS. Why do you ask?
Hmm I don’t think I have five of any category right now… but here goes some random thoughts in those categories!
– Looking forward to walking around the nearby lake after dinner. The city reopened all trails today thanks to the rain! I’ve missed the lake/woods hike a lot.
– Dreading yet another meal where the two talking kids will complain. They seem to be going through a whining about food phase, again. I think this is my “lunchbox situation”. We serve foods they like, and ultimately they eat what’s served but oooof the whining.
I’m running out of thoughts having had my train of thought broken by an in person conversation! So I’ll end with saying I always enjoy a good hodgepodge post like this!
Our trails are still closed, but we had torrential rain yesterday so…maybe sometime soon?
Whining is definitely a phase and I struggled with it so much. I feel you on this one. Hope it improves soon, as it is draining as a parent. Not to mention the effort it takes just to prepare the food in the first place.
I like hodgepodge posts, too, and I guess I had a variety of random things on my mind!
I’m anticipating:
1. The CBWC
2. You and Birchie writing about your visit
3. All the cozy fall things
4. Taking part in an Artist Trading Card swap
5. Being all caught up on my routine medical exams
The lunchbox thing sounds like a huge pain! Does the school offer lunch?
The school does have a lunch program, but Indy used it some last year and the quality was…not good 🙁
I am so excited for Birchie coming to visit. Four more sleeps and she’ll be here!
I love fall, as you know, and can’t wait to lean into the beautiful weather with the CBWC. I’m so happy it made the top of your list.
And all the best with your medical exams. It is such a wonderful relief to have them over.
Sweater but not winter jacket weather! I love it. And I couldn’t agree more about dreading the winter, even if my version is nothing compared to yours. I do love the autumn and this year when I’m able to enjoy it to the fullest, I will, and will ignore the fact that winter is coming.
The foliage in your autumn photos looks fantastic! Real autumn foliage is one of very few things I miss in Ireland (I guess there is some further inland). I wouldn’t be able to list 5 of all those things but about the autumn… the feeling of new fresh starts, what you said about sweater weather, cosy evenings, the crisp fresh air, beautiful mornings with fog (I need to get myself out for walks at that time for photos).
I am also choosing to ignore the reality of winter. It is just…the worst. Mostly because I hate being cold and it takes so much effort to stay warm (inside and out) in the winter. But it will come and there are perks to winter, too. I guess. I keep telling myself that!
Yay on the awesome thrifted back-to-school clothes! How sweet that your neighbor shares their cucumbers with you—- I can eat them daily and never tire of them.
I love your fall photos and I can imagine having a sweet walk in that lovely scene while wearing a sweater.
We dont’ have much of a fall way down in SW Florida, but hopefully I’ll see less mosquitoes soon and I can let my a/c have a break here and there. (In Georgia, fall is gorgeous, but I might not make it there because: BABY!)
I remember the drudgery of going back to school; the lunches, the morning routines, the time in the car. Hang in there, it is all fleeting!
BABY!!!!! I mean, how exciting! It’s a boy, right? Gah. So fun and what a special time for your whole family.
I know that the days can feel long but the years are short. I really can’t believe that I have a highschooler. It feels utterly bizarre. Sometimes I could swear I was still a teen myself and then I realize I’m a parent RESPONSIBLE for a living, breathing human teenager. Wild!
So many thoughts… I’ll give a mishmash of the lists.
I am not really dreading anything… Teaching is a bit overwhelming at the moment but I know it’ll get better since the students and I are still getting to know each other. Especially those who are new to high school.
Fall is my absolute favorite time of year! Fall in NJ lasts from September to around the end of November, and I am here for it! At the moment we have 73 degrees at the height of day and I love it.
Anticipating… Fall equinox, my friend’s birthday on October 5, and Halloween.
I love fall, too. It’s hit-and-miss how long it lasts. Our November and December weather has steadily been getting warmer, but I tend to consider Halloween the official cut-off of fall. Some years we’ve even had a bit of snow by Halloween.
Does spending the week on the couch with an icepack on one’s ankle count as frugal (since you can’t actually walk or go anywhere)? If so, I totally rocked that last week …
I am SO READY for fall! The colors! The light! The sweatshirts! Not melting when I water the garden or feed my chickens!
Oh no. That does not sound like a fun week. Though, perhaps it gave you lots of opportunity to read some great books?
Elisabeth, how did I miss this wonderful post yesterday? Great photos, intriguing lists. I could probably provide 5 items for each of the five lists, but it is a work day, and frankly, no one cares about all my stuff nor do I want to put it on the World Wide Web. But I’m glad you did.
And I find it so weird that people pay money for ripped up jeans because ripped up jeans cause me to go looking for new ones! We (as a society) go from weird fad to weirder fad. . . pants so right that they look as if they belong to one’s younger sibling, pants above the ankle looking embarrassingly short, pants so big they are falling off, pants so low-cut that it is impossible to bend, sit or move without plumber’s butt, pants so long that we walk off our hems instead of sewing them to the correct length, pants with legs so wide that the fabric flaps around and trips us.
Obviously I like to make lists. 😎
Aww. Thanks for such kind words.
My dad goads Belle about ripped jeans all the time. But they are still in fashion and I’d rather buy them for $10 at a thrift store than $100 at full retail. You can rest assured I don’t own ripped jeans AND my parents would never have let me wear them.
This fall:
tailgate season
not spending time (maybe wasting time) reclining on a chair in the sun to read – I’ll miss this down time, but I bet I’ll get more stuff done
Having Reg home for a week in October
Finding time to organize Mini/curly’s room
still having a light enough babysitting schedule to be able to walk with babies in my quad stroller twice a week
I’m listening to a lot of Violent Femmes, since I just wrote a chapter about the day I saw them in concert in HS in 1989. It’s a funny story and man – those songs take me back to high school mode.
I hope your fall lasts longer than usual for you.
Tailgating! We were just talking about this phenomenon the other day (not really a big deal in Canada) and I was explaining the concept to my kids and used you as an example!
Those fall colors! So stunning. I’m ready for the weather to cool down but that’s not going to happen anytime soon here in Florida. Ugh.
I am always so amazed at your thrifting finds. You have a gift!
Thanks! It does seem to feel like we live under a golden halo of thrifted finds!
I’d be the opposite of fall season as it’s getting warmer here I’m actually dreading for it to start because it means we need to use AC, I need to run earlier, we will enjoy less outdoor time. But we will use more the pool, have more cold treats, and more summer vibe.
It’s wild how depending on where you live in the world, you’re entering a different season! It boggles my mind that at Christmas it’s summertime in Australia!
Such fun lists! (Well, not the dreading one, but it does help to name specific things that are contributing to a vague sense of unrest.) I echo other commenters with the awesomeness of Belle’s thrifted outfit. Our local thrift shop doesn’t have a fitting room so I rarely buy clothes for myself there, but probably 80% of Nick’s wardrobe comes from there and the girls love going thrifting with him (I also think it’s super sweet that it’s a Daddy/daughter activity).
Also super jealous that you already have Halloween costumes locked down. It is still a topic of intense debate in our house and the clock is ticking… last night we were discussing going as Cat in the Hat characters and having Elizabeth and Victoria be Thing 1 and Thing 2, but then Greta said she and her friend would want to be Thing 1 and Thing 2 because apparently they are “preppy” (which doesn’t mean what it used to mean!).
Thanks for the song list, too. I don’t listen to much music except when I’m running — otherwise it’s pretty much podcasts or audiobooks when I’m driving or working around the house, so I feel very out of the loop sometimes when it comes to current music! I have recently been listening to more classical music though, after a Peloton workout class that alternated songs from classical and hiphop genres and it was super fun. Rachmaninoff’s second piano concerto was one of my favourite pieces in high school and running along to those rolling arpeggios was surprisingly motivating!
I don’t think I’ve ever gone running with classical music for the background music! I should try it some time.
The kids love to go thrifting with John; I think he is a bit more “fun” when it comes to saying Yes to things.
Cat in the Hat sounds like such a fun family-wide Halloween theme. Can’t wait to see pictures.
I tried to comment on this post from my phone on the plane but it clearly did not work! These are such fun lists! Each list could be it’s own post! So I will pick one from each category:
Frugal thing: I packed my lunch most days last week and only ate out once! My packed lunch was quite sad by Friday but I made it work.
Dreading: Winter coming. Every year I say I’m going to find more fun things to do and then each winter I fail to carry out that endeavor. Although this year I want to enroll the boys in skating lessons. I feel like it’s a skill they should learn as midwesterners. I don’t know that either of them is thrilled about it.
Anticipating: I’m anticipating my 10 mile race on Saturday. I’ve done as much as I can do to train so it’s a matter of just stringing the miles together. I will be glad to have the race behind me. I’d like to focus less on running and more on strength training to see if that makes a difference in my body composition.
Songs on repeat: I have been listening to songs from the many Taylor Swift albums I own on shuffle!
Fall: I love the changing leaves more than anything else! The leaves are just starting to change here and I’m trying to soak it up!
I hope the race tomorrow is amazing!! It will be nice to cross that off your list and not have to think about training as much as you head into colder weather.
Packing a lunch is a hugely frugal decision!
Your fall photos make me NOT dread fall, especially because I’ve been complaining about the fact that the days are getting noticeably shorter. But that is the price we pay for fall vibes 😉 People have already started to decorate for Halloween in my neighborhood, and while I am not a big fan of Halloween, it definitely marks the change in season!
There is no free lunch, as they say, and the beautiful leaves come with a price. COLD. DARK. But how I love the fall!
Those foliage photos are amazing. Wow.
The air smells like fall here. musty, wet with a hint of mushroom. I love it.
As always I am in awe with your thrifting. I think you just have the best stores for that.