Thursday, Focus!!!, thrifty Thursday

 Yesterday was just a lesson in frustration. In fact, the whole week has been.  Some weeks I can get work out and others know matter how hard I try or how good my intentions are I can't get anything done.  I worked on two bride dresses yesterday ALL DAY.  Neither was hard but just complications set in. 

One was a simple dart in the bust, but the bust turned out to be done in small lace pieces and would not lay right and when I tried to get the seams lay correctly, I ended up releasing pieces of lace and then had to get it all back together with little, teeny tiny stitches. It was a very cheaply made dress and made for a very time-consuming alteration. It was like a dragon rearing its ugly head.  When you pick up a dress and say to yourself oh this will be easy, just shorten straps, put in darts and bustle and then hours later you are frantically trying to get it back together it is very discouraging.

Then I had to put cap sleeves into a sleeveless dress and as it had to be done by hand, I got them in in correctly.  I don't know what I was thinking.  Maybe I wasn't.  Anyway, I have not finished that dress either.  So, I was planning on getting to 5 dresses and I got to two one not even close to done.  All damn day.

I just have to really focus, as when I get frustrated by these kinds of things, I start to spiral out of control and my anxiety gets the better of me.  I then start doing things that don't need to be done, like, let's clean the fridge and empty the freezers.  Or I think I need to totally empty the garage and wipe everything down and put it back, even though it is 112 outside.  You know ridiculous things.  Of course, I stopped myself, What I really need to do is get about 8 dresses out of the shop and get it cleaned.  

I just can't explain how hard this is sometimes.

I am having porkchops, applesauce, baked potatoes, fresh tomato slices and green beans for dinner. SO that is thought out.

Deep breath Kim, you can do this.  What I really need is Sissie here and I can't have her.

1. saved all my spare change

2. saved all $5 bills. Total $980.00 so saved $90 this week makes up for last weeks $5.  Many people paid in 5's this week

3. saved a $1, $5, $10, $20 bill

4. downloaded receipts to fetch

5. used coupon at Joanns

6. ate all meals at home

7. used sip and save membership for diet coke everyday saving trip to McD's

8. hung many clothes on the line to not use dryer

9. cooked most meals stove top to not heat up house

10. Using peppers, tomatoes, onions, cabbage, squash, green beans from garden

11. took neighbor to food bank at end of day, came home with apricots, peaches, nectarines, plums, two huge watermelons, (gave one away), potatoes, lettuce, green and red apples.  Way more fruit than we can eat.  They were forcing fruit on us.  I will have to peel and slice the apple for pies.  

12. made a huge fruit salad we will eat on for a few days

13. paid tithing up for the year so now I only have to save $1600.00 for taxes and the rest of the years savings is for cream (fun) and pay down the house loan. 

14. Always bought gas at least expensive place.

15. back on a no spend at the grocer challenge

I do have 4 food points I have to use next week or lose them, so I hope to find a good meat mark down and get several dollars off.  Also have a 70 cents off gad voucher that I will use for the truck fill up after we go camping next week.

So that is it, now I have to get to that ^%$#@* wedding dress that I did not finish yesterday.

Say a prayer for Kim's mood, she needs it badly.  Plus, Sissie and Slugs are having fun..... pouty face.

Have a great and productive day staying positive while you are in the negative.

Kim