One Last Post Here

Just a reminder that I am now posting on my own site, http://blog.yearoffrugality.com/ . This just makes my rather hectic life easier (plus it gives me a bit more copyright protection, should I ever choose to write a book or something of that sort). This is my LAST post on blogger, I'm moving 100% to the new site. I'll keep this one up for archives, but won't be posting any new posts here.

My Last Post on Blogger
According to the old adage, “Time flies while you're having fun.” I have to say it also flies when you're busy and tired. I hadn't realized how long it had been since I posted, but I'll catch you up on how I've been doing with everything.

I had to spend a bit more money than I thought I would this month, my old glasses broke. I bought prescription sunglasses last month, and pretty much as soon as I got them, my old glasses bit the bullet. Thankfully, I always keep a spare pair of glasses around, or I would have to wear my sunglasses all day. The spare pair aren't quite the right prescription, though, as they are about four years old, so I've been getting headaches thanks to the eye strain. I finally got new glasses ordered Saturday morning (I couldn't find a pair I liked until then). Hopefully they'll come in early and I can pick them up when I'm back in town on Friday.

I made another trip to Kansas City next week and I did okay. I spent $15 at Office Depot, but I got a lot of stuff for my $15. I had a gift card for $28 and I got things which were on sale. Everything but the blank CDs was on clearance. I got some porous point pens which would have been $15 off the shelf for $1.50, nearly everything was at least 50% or more off. I didn't get too much for school, but I got Christmas gifts for my two nephews, so that's not bad for $15. I also went to Fashion Bug and got some new clothes. As the weather gets warmer, and I slowly get smaller, I am finding that I don't really have anything which is summery to wear. I bought a skirt and blouse for under $40, they weren't even on clearance. The entire store was having a 30% off sale, and then I had a coupon for $10 off my $40 purchase. That still makes them nearly $20 each, but it seems like you can't get clothes which will last for much less than that. I found out long ago to buy work clothes which are a bit more expensive, they just last longer. Occasionally, I find career wear at Wal-Mart, but this is a rarity. Normally, I go to Fashion Bug or Dress Barn for work clothes, more expensive, sure, but I have yet to throw out anything which I bought there. They still have plenty of wear in them when I pass them on.

In the last couple of weeks I have been in search of a pressure canner so that I can can some fruits and vegetables this summer. I still havn't been able to find one with I like and can afford. Finally, I gave up and got a boiling bath canner. I'll see how it works. What is amazing is that the boiling bath canner is 1/5 of the price of a pressure canner. I will probably still buy a pressure canner at some point, I just don't seem to trust a boiling bath one...maybe that's coming from my mother and grandmother, or maybe from the fact that I've never really used one before. I'm going to try it out later today if I have time, I have to clean house and grade a pile of papers first, though.

I have saved enough money by not shopping that I could pay off the first loan from my parents. I paid the final installment on Friday, all $3,000 of student loans is paid off. I'm not sure if I want to burn the note or frame it. I still owe them quite a bit of money, but the fact that I was able to pay off one of the two loans feels really good. Now I can focus my efforts on the larger one, for my weight loss surgery. What is really scary is that I am considering putting myself further into debt. I am looking at post-grad schools, thinking about getting my PhD. That will cost quite a little bit of money, $60,000 is a conservative estimate. In the long run, it will be worth it, but in the short run, it will still make me very uncomfortable. This means that being frugal will be a way of life, I won't have any money to go shopping with.

This past weekend, I went back to my parent's house and spent Easter with my family. It was nice to see everyone. We celebrated my grandmother's 90th birthday. It is amazing to think that someone could have lived for that long. The things she has seen...I can only imagine. It was really nice to see how much some of my cousins have grown up. I haven't seen some of them in several years. On Sunday morning, the Easter Bunny came again, and even though I'm 26, I still got my egg filled with money. The $100 was nice, but not necessary, which was a good feeling.

Later today I am going to go to Hy-Vee and pick up an Easter ham. They have them for $1.98 a pound, a fairly decent deal, I think. I will bake it some more, then package it into individual servings. I put them in foil, so that I can easily put them in my toaster oven to get a bit browned. Ham which is slightly browned is my favorite, it just makes it taste so good. I also like to fry it, yum. Okay, now I'm hungry and will have to go get dressed so I can go get some ham. Once I get these silly papers graded today, I will have a bit more time. I promise I'll write again soon.

Remember, if you want to keep reading my stuff, you need to go to http://blog.yearoffrugality.com/
I even have a page of frugal tips over there. I will also be adding a page of helpful websites and books once summer gets here and I have a bit more time to work on things. The months of April and May are always busy for me, but then come summer, ah, I'm looking forward to it already. Feel free to comment on the new site, and let me know if you have any problems commenting over there.