October Decluttering Part 2

My decluttering goal for October is 10 items a day for a total of 310 items.  Unfortunately, I am behind with my decluttering, but, I hope to get caught up and I'm telling myself that some progress is better than none!

Here's the link to October Decluttering Part 1 which covers Days 1-5.

Here's what I've decluttered more recently:

Day 6:  9 books, mostly gardening books.  They have lovely photos of lush, flower filled gardens, and lots of good ideas, but, the majority of them have, at most, just one or two examples of drought tolerant gardens.  Looking at the lush gardens only makes me feel envious.  Time to let them go!  The garden secateurs broke and came apart in my hand when I was trying to cut some flowers.  I put the two halves together to take the picture; they have been tossed.  The books will be donated (I offered them to M, but, he said no thank you).

Day 6: Books and Garden Secateurs

Day 7:  6 more books, 2 items of clothing (blouses), old garage door opener remote control, 1 mop (not pictured).  I have now decluttered all my gardening books.  I am not quite sure how I feel about that!  

Day 7: Books, Clothing, Old Remote Control
(+1 mop not pictured)

Day 8: 6 books about decorating (the book on the top of the stack dates back to 1970s), 4 decorative kitchen wall hooks (a gift from my sister, many years ago; I used to hang the pot holders from them)

Day 8: 6 Books, 4 Decorative kitchen wall hooks

Day 9:  9 books from the shelves and one toy catalog that came in the mail.  I kept four books on decorating and two books on scrapbooking.

Day 9: Books and a Catalog

Days 10 & 11:  20 Holiday Cookie cutters - for St. Valentine's Day (a cupid), for Easter (lilac colored - bunnies, a chick, and a duckling), for Halloween, and for Christmas, including five Disney-themed ones.  After going through all the books and making difficult decisions whether to keep or donate, I needed to sort through something that was easy to declutter and the cookie cutters were it!  I still have half a container filled with more cookie cutters and tartlet shells.  

Days 10 & 11: 20 Cookie Cutters

I am making progress!  If you are decluttering this month, how are you doing?

Mid October

Dinner and More, Compliments of Neighbor S

Here we are, midway through October!  Already!

I'm happy to say that I've had two fairly productive days, so far, this week.  

On Monday, I called the pharmacy to request a refill, did a load of laundry, watered the garden both front and back, took the trash cans to the curb for pick up, and did a bit of decluttering.  I need to post an update on that.  I had a cold cuts sandwich for brunch and for dinner, I had chicken noodle soup and another sandwich. 

On Tuesday, I put away the laundry from Monday and did another load.  Then, I ran a cleaning cycle on the washing machine as the light came on to let me know that it needed to be cleaned.  Afterwards, I rewashed the kitchen wall.  I found that, if I stood on tip toes on the top step of my two-steps step stool, I could manage to reach almost up to the ceiling.  I used a microfiber cloth and undiluted Pine-sol and managed to get the wall mostly clean, but, I can still see the outlines of where the copper pans used to hang.  I might have to wash the walls another time or get a magic eraser or something.

I was resting after I washed the wall when neighbor S called to ask if I'd like to have some rice and kebabs, lahmajoon (a thin flat bread spread with a ground meat mixture), and burek (bread filled with a cheese mixture).  I said I'd love to have some and offered to come over to collect it, rather than have her bring it to me.  So, I was able to sit and visit with her for a few minutes, as well, and chat with her older daughter, too.  In addition to the food she had mentioned, S gave me a red velvet cupcake for dessert and another carton of coconut water!  Although it was about 5:30 p.m., I had not had eaten anything, yet, so I had lahmajoon and some of the rice and kebabs for brunch and had a small piece of the burek for a snack dinner.  I have a choice of leftovers for Wednesday's meals.  

In mid-October, I am grateful for:

- Neighbor S sharing more delicious food with me
- Working appliances and the electricity to run them
- Water for the garden
- Sunny days (in the 70s, but the nights are getting a bit chilly)
- The electric neck massager that was a gift from my daughter one year

Joyful activities the past couple of days have included reading, visiting neighbor S, and spending time in the garden.

Plans for Wednesday include tending to the garden with M and washing another kitchen wall.

How is your week coming along?

Kitchen Cleaning on Sunday

Strawberry Salad

This salad was part of my dinner on Saturday.  I had half a cold cuts sandwich with it.

Last week's cleaning area was the bathroom.  This week's cleaning area is the kitchen and I got a head start on it on Sunday.  I emptied the dishwasher and dish drainer, refilled the dishwasher with the dishes that were waiting in the sink and ran it.  Then, I washed all of Dancer's food bowls by hand and kept them to dry on a fresh dish towel.  I wiped down the counters and stove top, swept the floor, and mopped it.  I started to wash one of the kitchen walls, but, I think I need to bring in the step ladder for that; the step stool wasn't tall enough for me.

Brunch had been half a cold cuts sandwich and dinner was rice, mackerel curry, dhal, and tomato chutney.  I ate some strawberries for dessert.

On Sunday, I was grateful for:

- Working appliances
- What I was able to accomplish
- Pleasant weather (in the 70s)
- Interesting videos and TV programs to watch
- My hands didn't cramp when I was cleaning

Sunday's joyful activities included video chatting with my daughter.

Plans for Monday include more kitchen cleaning (the fridge needs to be cleaned out), watering the garden, taking the trash cans to the curb, and making an appointment for my Covid booster.

How was your Sunday?  What are your plans for Monday?

October Grocery Shopping Part 1

October Groceries (10/12/24)

I put in an order for groceries this morning and picked up the items in the afternoon.  I am going to consider this as my first grocery shopping order for October although I bought two frozen food items and some candy when I shopped at the dollar store on Monday.  I spent $3.75 on that shopping trip and that will be added to the spending total for this month, but, today's shopping is the first 'proper' grocery shopping trip. 

The store sent me a text when the order was completed, saying that there were no substitutions or out of stock items.  However, when I went to pick up the order, the person who brought the items to the car said he substituted the bread and the pancake syrup.  I said that was fine (I usually order the lower priced store brand items and if they substitute an item, they usually charge the lower price for whatever item they substitute).  When I came home, I noticed that they had substituted the bread and syrup with higher priced items and charged me the lower store brand price. 

However, they had charged me a higher price than the advertised price for grapes and this was the second time that has happened!  The advertised price was $1.99/lb. and they charged me $3.36/lb.  I am not going to complain, since they have given me extra items such as the two additional boxes of croissants with my previous order, at no charge.  But, I might think twice about ordering grapes from them in the future!  

Once again, I will copy and post the receipt, without all the item codes, etc.

Order Summary

Original Item Total$66.46

Item Coupons/Sales-$26.72

Fulfillment Fee+$0.00

Sales Tax$0.00

Order Total$39.74

---

Item Details

24 Items

CA Redem Val (deposit on the bottle of juice)$0.10

1 x $0.10 each

Cucumber, 1 ct$0.39

1 x $0.39 $0.89 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.10

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.40

Fresh Banana - Each, 1 ct$0.48

0.7 lbs x $0.68 each (approx.)

Fresh Strawberries, 1 lb$2.49

1 x $2.49 $3.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.50

Kroger® Complete Buttermilk Pancake & Waffle Mix, 32 oz$1.99

1 x $1.99 $3.49 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.50

Kroger® Garbanzo Beans Chickpeas, 15.5 oz$3.96

4 x $0.99 each (cheaper than at the dollar store)

Kroger® Grade AA Large Cage Free White Eggs, 12 ct$3.99

1 x $3.99 each

Kroger® Hardwood Smoked Bacon, 16 oz$0.00

1 x $0.00 $6.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.50

Item Coupon/Sale: -$5.49

Kroger® Original Pancake Syrup, 24 fl oz$2.79

1 x $2.79 $3.29 each (the item they substituted with is priced $5.99)

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.50 

Kroger® White Sandwich Bread, 20 oz$1.79

1 x $1.79 $2.49 each (the item they substituted with is priced $2.99)

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.70

Lay's® Classic Potato Chips, 8 oz$1.99

1 x $1.99 $4.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.50

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.50

Oscar Mayer Deli Fresh Slow Roasted Roast Beef Sliced Deli Meat, 7 oz$4.99

1 x $4.99 $6.49 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.50

Ralphs® Vitamin D Whole Milk Half Gallon, 1/2 gal$2.79

1 x $2.79 each

Red Seedless Grapes, 1 lb$5.99

1.78 lbs x $3.36 $4.49 each (approx.)

Item Coupon/Sale: -$0.50

Item Coupon/Sale: -$1.50

Simply Cranberry Cocktail Fruit All Natural Juice, 52 fl oz$0.00

1 x $0.00 $4.99 each

Item Coupon/Sale: -$4.99

StarKist Chunk Light Tuna in Water Can, 5 oz (to be shared with Dancer!)$6.00

6 x $1.00 $1.59 each (it was cheaper than the store brand, this time!)

My total came to $39.74.  

My October grocery budget = $100

I do have $71.84 carried over from September, but, I am going to set that aside for when I go to the Sri Lankan store to stock up on tea, curry powder, treats, etc., or for extra groceries when my daughter comes home for a visit in November.

So, October's grocery budget is $100.

Spent to date: $3.75 (at the dollar store) + $39.74 = $43.49

Balance remaining = $100 - $43.49 = $56,51

As always, I am grateful for:

- Being able to buy groceries and the availability of items
- The store's substitution policy
- Friendly staff
- A safe drive to and from the store
- A well stocked pantry

Today's joyful activity was getting free splurge items (the bacon and the juice).

If anyone is wondering where are the vegetables...apart from the cucumber, I didn't need any fresh vegetables.  I have moringa and a handful of green beans I picked from the garden, most of a lettuce, some beets, and some carrots, in the fridge, frozen corn, broccoli, snow peas, okra, etc., in the freezer, plus some canned vegetables (which must be used up, soon).

Have you grocery shopped in October, yet?  Do you have a grocery budget?  Are you able to stay within your budget?  

On Friday

 

Unhappy Kitty

Friday was another sunny, warm day, with a daytime high of 93F (33.8C).

Dancer's appointment to get his injection was at 1:00 p.m., but, he received his sedative at 11:45 a.m. The ride to the clinic was fine although he protested a little bit.  Then, as I turned into the parking lot, he started to heave and threw up.  Fortunately, I had put a towel under him so he didn't make too much of a mess.  When I went inside and told them what happened, we were shown to an empty examination room where I could clean him up a bit before he was taken to the back for his injection.  He was not a happy kitty.  

The journey home was much better, although once home, he made a beeline to the litter box!  Thank you for waiting until we got home, Dancer!

He spent most of the rest of the afternoon sleeping off the effects of the sedative.

Dancer Sleeps It Off

But, he's fine, now, and enjoyed his treat of canned tuna.

Later in the afternoon, I took friend R's packages to her, along with a bunch of curry leaves and a package of frozen grated coconut, as she had been telling me that she has been unable to find frozen grated coconut in any of the local stores.  I buy mine from the Sri Lankan store and I had stocked up on my last visit, so I was able to give her a package from my stock.  

After I came home, I moved my bed and unplugged the window air conditioner so that M could take it down for me, which he did.  He asked me how often I used it during this summer and I said maybe 3 times during the heatwave.  I might not have used it often, but, it was good to know that the air conditioner was available if I wanted to use it.

I cooked rice, mackerel curry, and dhal for dinner.  Later, neighbor S called and brought me some treats:

Treats from Neighbor S

A piece of coffee cake, some cookies, a carton of coconut water, and some chocolates.  I think the cake and cookies were from her younger daughter's birthday, midweek.  I ate some of the coffee cake for dessert and it was very good.

Later in the evening, I video chatted with my daughter.  She is still unable to walk even with the walking boot, but, she thinks her ankle is getting better.

On Friday, I was grateful for:

- Dancer's vet visit went fairly well
- I had a safe drive there and back
- I was able to drop off friend R's packages and take her some frozen grated coconut
- M's help with the garden and some household jobs
- Treats from neighbor S

Friday's joyful activities included chatting with M and visiting briefly with friend R and neighbor S.

Plans for Saturday include some housework, maybe a load of laundry, some decluttering, and maybe some crocheting.

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for Saturday?

This Week

 

Brunch Salad 

Since I didn't make a meal plan, this week, I haven't been keeping track of what I've been eating, but, I have been trying to eat a few salads along with spaghetti with meat balls and sauce, the frozen burrito and Hot Pocket I bought from the dollar store, pancakes with seeni sambol (spicy onion relish) and half of an apple fritter (keeping the other half for tomorrow!)

I have been spending quite a bit of time, this week, decluttering.  I am afraid that it has been a bit of a process for me.  Decluttering does not come easily to me.

However, in between bouts of decluttering, I've been doing a few other things, too.  I've already written about Monday when I went to the dollar store and my neighbor fixed my garage door.  Later, I took the trash cans to the curb.

On Tuesday, I continued to clear up the spare bedroom, which had become a bit of a dump as I store various things in there, from extra pantry items to crafts supplies and other items.  I was able to clear the items I had placed on top of the bed - rolls of quilt batting, and a couple of extra quilts.  I still have a quilt in progress folded and stored at the end of the bed, but, the top of the bed is clear!  I also sorted out the closet in that room, where I keep my crafts supplies (the bin with all the yarn, for example) and part of the fabric stash, as well as the air purifier filters and part of the fabric stash.  I haven't finished decluttering it, but, I've made a start. 

M was here on Wednesday and we tended to the garden.  He brought another iris plant and we planted a cabbage stem that I had rooted in water (not sure if it will grow or not, but, we shall see).  I picked more moringa and six green beans from the one green bean plant that survived the heatwave!  

On Thursday, I called the vet's clinic to confirm Dancer's appointment that is scheduled for Friday.  I also inquired about the status of his medication refill, which I had called in to the pharmacy on Monday.  The pharmacy was going to call the vet's clinic to request a new refill and they were going to call me when the refill was ready.  That pharmacy is usually very prompt with filling requests, and I hadn't heard anything from them.  The staff member I spoke with checked the records and said, "Yes, the pharmacy sent us a fax".  But, apparently, the fax just sat there!  He said he will call it in and I thanked him.  The pharmacy called me, later in the afternoon, to let me know that the medication was ready for pick up!  So, in the afternoon, I went to the pharmacy and picked up the medication (for Dancer's thyroid issues).  While there, I went to the doughnut shop (next door to the pharmacy) and treated myself to an apple fritter.  

I also dusted the living room and dining area and cleaned the bathroom, on Thursday, and did a load of laundry.  I was going to vacuum the living room, but, Dancer was sleeping there and I didn't want to disturb him!  He'll have a difficult day on Friday with his visit to the vet's clinic, so, he was entitled to enjoy his naps without being bothered by a vacuum cleaner, on Thursday!  LOL.  

Later in the evening, I watched the news, checked on my cousin's daughter who is in Florida (she came through the hurricane safely), called former neighbor T, and chatted with friend R (I accepted more packages for her, this week, which I will take to her on Friday).  

This week, I am grateful for:

- Sunny, warm days
- Neighbor E's help with the automatic garage door opener
- M's help with the garden
- Dancer's medication refills
- What I've been able to accomplish this week

Joyful activities have included watching videos, listening to music, tending to the garden, and being able to open and close the garage door at the touch of a button!  

Friday plans include:

- Taking Dancer to the vet's clinic for his injection
- Taking the packages to friend R
- Tending to the garden with M and having him take down the room a/c unit
- Vacuuming

How was your week?  What are your plans for Friday and the weekend?

Making Progress

Before

This was the second shelf of the family room bookcase.  This shelf held books about quilting/patchwork, knitting, sewing, crocheting, and "one stroke" painting.  These were the books that had been left after previous decluttering sessions.   I enjoyed looking through them even though I didn't look through them all that often.  But, I am on a mission to reduce the amount of items I possess.  So, I've been trying to declutter my books, going through each book and asking myself if I really needed to keep it.  Was I really going to make any more of those projects?  Would I be able to find ideas for similar projects online?    

Here is how the shelf looks now:

After

I might switch things around once I've finished decluttering this bookcase.  But, for now, I am happy with how this shelf looks.  

If you are decluttering, too, are you starting to see signs of progress?