15 Recent Frugal Wins and Losses

A new year is upon us, and like most of us at the beginning of a new year, I'm feeling a bit reflective and am in the midst of coming up with a new set of goals for 2020. We had all our children and their families here in Hong Kong for Christmas. With a total of 10 now, it was a bit chaotic and crazy, but all kinds of wonderful. 

Our youngest son, Lee, proposed while he was here, on New Year's Eve, and we are excited about welcoming Emily to the family soon! 

Having 10 people around for nearly 2 weeks wasn't exactly always thrifty, but I wanted to share 10 recent frugal wins and 5 fails:

WINS

1) The next few days, we will be eating up lots of leftovers, which means odd combinations. But that's OK, and it fills our bellies. 

2) I dyed my own hair today with dye I purchased in the summer and brought back.

 3) I'm using the drying rack to hang a boatload of laundry.

4) I'm decluttering and taking a couple of bags to the free table at school. This allows me to open up space and also to find things I forgot I had!

5) I'm writing a menu for the next two weeks, trying to clean out the freezer and cupboard and buy only what is needed.

6) I'm scheduling free dental cleanings for Mike and I. (Sadly, for the first time ever, I missed our appointments. I should have known better than to schedule them two days after Christmas while everyone was here!)

7) I downloaded 2 free kindle "first read" books because I just signed up for prime for the month of January as we will be going to Maine in a couple of weeks for Chinese New Year holiday. Normally, Prime offers one free kindle book per month, this month, they offered two. I got them both. 

8) I used a gift card to get two free Starbucks drinks for a rare coffee date with my daughter. (Thank you, ICS PA.) 

9) I am using Clinique face cream that I found on the free table at work, but have taken it a step further and cut the tube, allowing me to get even more out of it.

10) I am returning several items that we borrowed while my family was here. It is a blessing to be part of a generous international community. From an entire apartment to a stroller and an air mattress, it's great to borrow and not have to buy!

LOSSES

1) I threw out several large containers of food that had gone bad. I hate to waste food, and I'm usually very mindful of what I have, but with the chaos of having so many around, I lost track, which makes me sad.

2) I ordered some photo books because I had a 40% off coupon. I suppose this could be seen as a win, but it's not something that was a need, and as soon as I ordered, I questioned my decision. I'll let you know how I feel after they arrive.  

3) I had a deal for Hello Fresh, which I normally would not use because it is expensive even when it's on sale, but since we were going to be in the US for 10 days, I signed up. Frustratingly, I mixed up the dates, and the first order will arrive 2 weeks before we do. At least our son and daughter in law will be able to use it!

4) I let the $250.00 airline incidental fee on my Amex card expire at the end of 2019. To be fair, I did try my best to use it, but you have to sign up for a particular airline, and you can only change this once a year. I had signed up for American Airlines, and sadly, we did not fly much with them this year. You cannot use the fee toward airline tickets, although Amex used to let you buy gift cards, but now, the fee can only be used for things like extra baggage and lounge access fees, something we don't use often.

5) I missed a BOGO offer on my Starbucks app. I thought it was good until 12/31, but it actually expired 12/30. Boo.

So here's to a productive 2020. I would love to hear about some of your wins and losses and goals for the new year! 

Final recap of 2019 Goals...Bring on 2020!

Merry Christmas, everyone.  Here's the last blog post of the year.  Onward to 2020!!

1) More intentionality regarding ____________________.C

This is a very personal goal, and I will not share the particulars. I would give myself a solid C as I look back over the year. It may not be the best, but if I hadn't made it a goal, it likely would have been an F. Goals are good for you!

2) Read entire Bible through. A

Yeah! I finished this one early. I used the One Year Bible Plan, which provides daily readings in the Old and New Testament as well as Psalms and Proverbs. It's a nice mix. Solid A on this one. I rarely miss a day, and when I did, I caught up the next day. I think I will have the same goal next year, but use a different plan.

3) Read 40 books. Actually got 60!! A+++

What I've read so far:

You Were Warned
Women at the Well
Deception Point
The House by the River
Hope They Like Rice
The Address
First Aid Manual
Broken Grace
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
China Rich Girlfriend
Your Money or Your Life
The Address
Manuel of School Health
Nurse Exam Secrets
Anna Karenina
One Friday in Jerusalem
Murder in the South of France
If She Knew
Wish Upon a Shell
Generous Justice
Bridge to Haven
All This I Will Give to You
Hunger for God
Dig for Your Dinner in May
Dig for Your Dinner in June
Commander in Chief
Dinner with a Perfect Stranger
Youth and Consumption
Romancing Your Child's Heart
Blueback
Dig for Your Dinner in June
Out of Range
The Lost Kitchen
An American Princess
The Stranger in the Woods
Allusion
Camino Island
The Way to Wealth
What You Did
False Step
Tender is the Night
In Our Time
The Meaning of Marriage
Carpool Confidential
Munich
Dig for Your Dinner in September
Our Incredible Journey Home
Stay Hidden
Pretty Girls
Twenty and Ten
Hidden Treasures
A Year in the Maine Woods
How Bernie Madoff Saved My Life
The Whistler
The Money Mentor
Coco and Igor
The Green Hills of Africa
Dig for your Dinner in November and December
The Reckoning
Thin Air

The books I'm working on right now:

Wild Swans 
The Power of a Praying Grandparent


4) Spend at least 20 minutes daily in prayer/prayer journaling. (In addition to Bible reading and gratefulness journal.) C

I would say a C on this. Prayer is an area of struggle for me. It's not that I don't sit down to do this almost every day, it's that my mind wanders far too frequently. And we all know that thinking about (translate: over-analyzing/worrying about) an area of concern is NOT the same thing as praying about it. I believe Satan likes to keep us here. This is why I wanted to try using a journal, and this has helped, but I need to figure out a better system.

5) Take Cantonese classes.  DONE A for effort...
广东话

I did it, but I need to practice more.

6) Weigh ______ by Will's wedding, July 20. FAIL
 (Daily: 10K steps, at least 60 active minutes-per fit bit, 1100 calories or less, 2L water)

I did not meet my goal, though I almost did at one point. This is a high priority for 2020, along with a better plan. 

7) Hike Mt. Katahdin before I turn 51 (on July 29).   DONE

8) Pay off faith promise to our church by the end of the year.  DONE A

We truly love our church in Hong Kong. Here's our class: 

Anyhow, we were blessed, and consequently able to pay off our faith promise to our church in Hong Kong before the end of June. God is good. 

9) Save $________ by the end of the year. A

This was close, but we made it! Again, if it had not been a goal, I don't think I would have had the discipline to finish this one. 

10) Provide 30 meals for others.   DONE--but will continue. A

I do this in a variety of ways: having guests stay in our home, having friends over for a meal, taking someone out to eat, providing meals for others in need (after a baby, an illness, etc), sending gift cards for meals when I cannot provide a hands on dinner.

11) Volunteer 3 hours a month on average and 1 week at Living Waters. B+

I don't think I've quite hit 3 hours a month, but it's been close. I was able to complete my week as a camp nurse at Living Waters in Maine last summer. I have been going to this camp since I was 11 years old...these folks are like family to me. It is such a blessing to be able to give back to a place that impacted me in such a huge way. 

12) Post on my blog weekly. Solid Fail. 

I didn't start until Feb 22, and this is my 17th post. I kind of gave up on this one, but I still want to make it a goal next year. 

13) Write a real letter or card weekly. Maybe a C??

Don't you love it when you get a real letter in the mail? It's a rarity these days. I've done OK on this, but not great. I started out strong, but then missed some weeks, and then, well...it just went downhill. 

14) Buy one new piece of "investment" clothing for Mike or myself monthly. Fail. 

As in, didn't do this at all. No excuses, just didn't do it. 


15) Finish up and notarize our will. DONE Talk to the funeral home.

Finishing our will has literally been on my to do list for 20+ years. It is finally completed, notarized and in the Safety Deposit box. This is such a relief for me, and it's really silly that it took me so long to finish. 

I did not talk to the funeral home, but it's still on my list for 2020. 

16) Change over old 401Ks to IRAs, or at least talk to financial planner.  DONE

Actually, after talking to a planner, we opted not to change over to IRAs. 

17) _______a ________ for _________.  DONE!

A personal gift. You'll find out about it when the recipient does. It's finished, but I can't tell you until Christmas!!  

I'm ready to give these out in less than a week!!

18) Get nursing CEUs finished by summer. DONE

Nothing exciting, but checked this one off the list. 

19) Get some sort of travel certification.   DONE 

You are looking at an official member of the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA)!  Pretty happy about this, and looking forward to maybe being able to help others soon. 

2019 Goals--Half Year Grades.

1) More intentionality regarding ____________________.

This is a very personal goal, and I will not share the particulars. I would give myself a C+, or maybe a B- at this point in the year. I have had more success with this the past couple of months; I'm guessing that's because I started praying more. Imagine that!

2) Read entire Bible through.

I'm using the One Year Bible Plan, which provides daily readings in the Old and New Testament as well as Psalms and Proverbs. It's a nice mix. Solid A on this one. I rarely miss a day, and when I do, I catch up the next day, or sometimes I read ahead if I know a particularly busy day is coming up. Currently reading I Chronicles in the OT and Acts in the NT.

3) Read 40 books.

I've already finished 32. I think I undershot this goal. 

What I've read so far:

You Were Warned
Women at the Well
Deception Point
The House by the River
Hope They Like Rice
The Address
First Aid Manual
Broken Grace
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
China Rich Girlfriend
Your Money or Your Life
The Address
Manuel of School Health
Nurse Exam Secrets
Anna Karenina
One Friday in Jerusalem
Murder in the South of France
If She Knew
Wish Upon a Shell
Generous Justice
Bridge to Haven
All This I Will Give to You
Hunger for God
Dig for Your Dinner in May
Dig for Your Dinner in June
Commander in Chief
Dinner with a Perfect Stranger
Youth and Consumption
Romancing Your Child's Heart
Blueback
Out of Range
The Lost Kitchen (from my friend, Della) Such a great read!

Currently reading: 

An American Princess

Playing for Pizza

The Stranger in the Woods

4) Spend at least 20 minutes daily in prayer/prayer journaling. (In addition to Bible reading and gratefulness journal.)

I would still say a C on this. Prayer is an area of struggle for me. I have been doing a little better during this second quarter. 

5) Take Cantonese classes.  DONE
广东话

6) Weigh ______ by Will's wedding, July 20. 
 (Daily: 10K steps, at least 60 active minutes-per fit bit, 1100 calories or less, 2L water)

It's not that I'm making excuses, (OK, I am) but I don't think I'm going to quite make this. But it's OK, because I can change the end date!

7) Hike Mt. Katahdin before I turn 51 (on July 29).   DONE

I DID IT! And I climbed arguably the hardest trail: up Cathedral, across The Knife's Edge, and down Helon Taylor. My legs were stiff for 4 days, but I did it, and I have zero desire to try it again when I am 60. Hiking Katahdin is one of those things you do that is not enjoyable at the time, but it does bring a certain sense of pride.

A portion of the Knife's Edge.

At the Peak.

Lots of hikers on Cathedral when we got there. 

Looking back across Knife's Edge toward the summit. 

 8) Pay off faith promise to our church by the end of the year.  DONE

We truly love our church in Hong Kong. This is part of our adult Sunday School class. (The men are sitting at the other end...taking about men things.) Isn't eating the universal prerequisite for Christian gatherings??

Anyhow, we were blessed, and consequently able to pay off our faith promise to our church in Hong Kong before the end of June. God is good. 

9) Save $________ by the end of the year.

I am not sure if we will make our projected goal, but in the savings department, SOME is always better than NONE. B-

10) Provide 30 meals for others.   DONE--but will continue. 

I do this in a variety of ways: having guests stay in our home, having friends over for a meal, taking someone out to eat, providing meals for others in need (after a baby, an illness, etc), sending gift cards for meals when I cannot provide a hands on dinner.

While we are in Maine, this ramps up a notch or two...or three or four! Our home is basically a Bed and Breakfast in the summer months, and we love having people over. I've already provided my 30 meals, but I'll keep this going throughout the rest of the year. 

My son, Aaron and 3 of his college buds were here for a week.  Here they are with brother Will.

11) Volunteer 3 hours a month on average and 1 week at Living Waters.

I don't think I've quite hit 3 hours a month, but it's been close. I was able to complete my week as a camp nurse at Living Waters in Maine this past week. I have been going to this camp since I was 11 years old...these folks are like family to me. It is such a blessing to be able to give back to a place that impacted me in such a huge way. 

Mrs. Emery has been working in the office at camp since the year it opened in 1970. 49 years!! She is 95, and shows us how it's done.

These two couples have invested greatly in my life personally. The couple seated, Wendell and Joan Calder, founded the camp and directed it for the next 20 years. Karen and Roger Black, standing, have been there for 36 years, 29 as director. 

The view from the infirmary window.

12) Post on my blog weekly. 

I didn't start until Feb 22, and this is my 17th post. That's 17 out of 27 weeks, or 63%. Which is failing by some standards, and a D by others. But that percentage will go up as the year goes on, if I stay the course.  Maybe I can end up with a C??

13) Write a real letter or card weekly.

Don't you love it when you get a real letter in the mail? It's a rarity these days. I've done OK on this, but not great. I started out strong, but then missed some weeks. I try to write a note to someone each weekend.  B or C on this one.

14) Buy one new piece of "investment" clothing for Mike or myself monthly.

Still not doing well on this goal. I did buy some expensive underwear for myself that was on sale and 3 pairs of Darn Tough Socks for Mike. Does that count?? D+

15) Finish up and notarize our will. DONE Talk to the funeral home.

Finishing our will has literally been on my to do list for 20+ years. It is finally completed, just need to run to the notary and get it tucked away. This is such a relief for me, and it's really silly that it took me so long to finish. 

I also want to talk to our local funeral home this summer about planning ahead. I'm not sure what that looks like, but that's exactly why I want to start the conversation. We already purchased cemetery lots in my family cemetery a couple of years ago. That's a start!

16) Change over old 401Ks to IRAs, or at least talk to financial planner.  DONE

Actually, after talking to a planner, we opted not to change over to IRAs. We are, however, moving around the investments we do have within the companies they are already in. 

17) _______a ________ for _________.  DONE!

A personal gift. You'll find out about it when the recipient does. It's finished and ready for Christmas!!  

18) Get nursing CEUs finished by summer.

Slated to finish on July 11, this Thursday! So close to checking this one off the list. 

19) Get some sort of travel certification.   

I thought I was going to be able to have this checked off because I sent the money in to join a group over a month ago, but I haven't heard back from them...sooo...maybe next time!

Thankful and Thrifty, First Maine Post

We have been home in Maine for 2 weeks already. To be honest, it feels like not much frugality has happened, but only because the first few weeks back there are always lots of things to do that cost money. We pay our vehicle and home insurance and pay ahead on some other annual bills. We do budget all year for this, but it's still a little shocking! This year, our pipes froze during Christmas break, so we had to have the appliance repairman come, along with the plumber. But, we now have a working washing machine, dishwasher and shower. And our vehicles all passed inspection. Yeah!

Our son had been working on a new deck for us, and he and his dad finished it up in the first few days. This was way overdue, so I'm really excited.

We were given some trout from a friend, and Will and Mike caught a couple also. 

We've already had numerous guests, which is great. I love that family can just drop in and that I run into my brother at the grocery store. Our son, Aaron came up for a week with 3 of his college buddies. Great to have them here!

I love summer in Maine, and I'm trying to savor every moment. Here's a few pictures for you. So much to be thankful for!

I also spent a week as camp nurse at Living Waters, but I think that deserves its own post!

Thankful and Thrifty this Week.

Hey there, friends! Only 5 more days in this school year, and we head to Maine for the summer. I'm happy to report that I have been checking items off my to do list left and right. It's such a good feeling, isn't it? I saw a quote this week that really struck me. 

"What if it were easy?"

That was it, but the story behind it was that we often convince ourselves not to do something because we are afraid it will be hard, and often, when we finally start, we realize it wasn't so hard after all. So, what if it were easy? Would we do it?

We had what I call a "mattress run" this week. This is staying at a hotel simply to accrue stays to attain or keep status, or in this case, using up a free night before it expires. The above pictures are at the Hyatt Regency here in Hong Kong. We've stayed several times now, and always find it very relaxing. Bonus that we always get upgraded to a harbor view room. 

This photo was taken by a coworker, Justin, and it shows our side of Hong Kong. One of my favorite things about the city is that it has so much green space...and the mountains are amazing!

This is the view out our bedroom window. 

Some frugal happenings this week: I cut my husband's hair today. I dropped off 2 pairs of shoes to be re-heeled, which is definitely cheaper than new shoes. I picked up a bed sheet, some perfume, a large bottle of shampoo and several children's books from the free table at work. I bought very few groceries this weekend because we are trying to eat up all the food in the house before we leave for summer. I emailed our landlord because our AC unit started leaking. He had someone here the next day and the problem is fixed. Three cheers for great landlords and not having to pay for repairs. Hip, hip hooray! Hip, hip hooray!! Hip, hip hooray!!!

We were gifted a Starbucks gift card, Haggen Daaz gift cards, and two umbrellas this week. We really do have generous parents and employers. So thankful!

See the crack in the bottom shelf? It was at a point where I could hardly use the shelf anymore. I had been dreading calling the Toshiba Parts line because of the language barrier, but I got a Cantonese friend to call for me, and the new shelf was delivered that same day for $25 USD, cash on delivery! Now I wish I had not put it off for so long. ("What if it were easy?" applies here!)

I also got a notice that one of my credit cards, the Citi Prestige, has a new benefit--cell phone protection if you use the card for your monthly payments. I read all the fine print, and it looks like they cover theft or replacement if the phone breaks. I made the switch for payments. Here's hoping I never have to use it. 

So what frugal things did you do this week? What are you thankful for?