Na Na pinches her pennies
Shh… don't tell anyone I'm poor. They all think I'm living frugal and green just like everyone these days. This is a blog about a senior citizen living a frugal life, on a fixed income, in a low income food desert, and passing along knowledge from lessons learned. Some she learned from her Grandma Mama many years ago and some learned only a few days ago.
THANK YOU!
I hope everyone had a great day with lots of good food, family, friends, and got their gift wishes.
I had a fantastic Christmas. I can’t think of a single thing I still need after the gifts I’ve gotten. I have wishes but not actual needs. I’ve have wonderful blog followers and they’re so generous. I got tip money in paypal and more inside Christmas cards. I also received some items from my amazon wish list.
I’ll be using the little skillet often. It’s the perfect size for one or two. The KitchenAid shredder is way smaller than it appeared on Amazon. The food shute is only 2″ x 2″ so it’s very tiny. Much smaller than I realized and it was mis-represented as an actual KitchenAid item. It may work with a KitchenAid mixer but it’s not genuine. Shame on you Jeff Bezos! I’m beginning to see more and more dishonesty on Amazon. I removed the other off brand KitchenAid attachments from the wish list. They’re probably very tiny too because they’re from the same company.
This year the most useful gift from a blog follower came in the form of money to pay for the custom orthotics I need. I was given the money several days ago and didn’t mention it until I told my daughter on Christmas. My appointment is next week. When these are made I’ll finally be able to walk without pain and maybe I can walk to lose weight.
My grandkids gave me nice gifts. A coffee grinder and coffee beans to go with the single serve French press that a blog reader gave me last year. My daughter gave me a pair of battery heated socks because my toes are always cold and a pair of soft house shoes. Grandson gave me a pair of fuzzy slipper socks. The youngest granddaughter gave me pot holders so we can cook together and chocolate kisses. I guess you can tell by the gifts I was given that I’m a practical type person. Frou-frou gifts don’t interest me.
My daughter fixed a nice dinner of grilled BBQ ribs, greens, mac & cheese, and sweet potatoes. What gifts did you get? What did you eat? Please share.
Now that the city repair work inside my house is almost finished I’ll be spending the rest of the week putting things back where they belong. I’m so tired of my house looking like a hoarder’s house. I want to get back to the task of downsizing that I had started and also to clear off the quilting machine so it’s usable. It’s been idle much too long. My creative me is anxious to create again.
Be prepared, save more in ’24
Na Na pinches her pennies 
How nice you got your lovely gifts. You have had many challenges this year, but it sounds like the year is ending well. You got your home repaired, got items that will keep you warm, and can get your orthotics. It seems that 2024 will be off to a good start.
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Yes, I’ve been blessed with good things and good friends.
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Sent you email.
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So funny. I don’t celebrate the holidays, but on the very same day my mother made barbecue pork ribs, collard greens, baked sweet potatoes and roasted golden beets. So practically the same meal 😉😃!
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It must have been a BBQ and collard greens kinda day.
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I hear you on the Amazon misleads! Every page has a ‘report inaccurate info’ link and the most frequent thing I report is clicking on an image with a reduced price to find that on the actual page the bargain price is not on offer…Last week I had ordered special bandages, a 3 pack, which showed up late as a pack of 1; when I called to complain I was told to keep the item and given a full refund, so all these mistakes must cost the businesses you’d think. Some of the stuff I sent for my brother in the UK didn’t get delivered but the people were really helpful with refunds and replacements; he gets a lot of joy from the Amazon deliveries, and the stuff which goes missing is lost by Royal Mail, something none of us have control over!
Glad you had a lovely time and are getting the orthotics.
I received practical gifts this year too, friends who cooked and baked for me, and money and giftcards. I was worried I could not continue providing the therapeutic music and activities for seniors, life has become so much more expensive since the pandemic, but now I can go on for another year. I’ve been given a grant from the University of Virginia to cover a course in end of life care which I’ve wanted to do since they first introduced it, and will fill a gap in my training.
The past few weeks I’ve been shaking pneumonia and my diabetes and blood pressure has been a bit crazy but I found a wonderful doctor at a $30 clinic, she has been so helpful and since I had to keep going back several appointments she said ‘no charge’ which I really appreciated.
So like you- a lot to be thankful and happy about for the new year.
Regarding creativity, my sister sent me an Amazon giftcard and one of the things I ordered is an easel so I can keep my watercolor painting set up all the time and paint when I like. I’ll make all my own cards in 2024, people love getting handmade cards! Look forward to seeing your next generation of quilts Anita, and reading more writing of course.
Happy healthy frugal 2024 everyone!
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Oh Tracy I’m so happy you got that grant. I know you’re happy to get into the class you’ve wanted. I’m glad for you.
Several people that I know have gotten pneumonia lately. My brother was hospitalized with it. I hope you feel better soon.
My NP has turned into a pill pusher. My A1C went from 8.2 to 8.5. She’s upset with me because I refused to take the three and four different pills she wanted to prescribe for my diabetes. I told her the two I already take is enough. I’ll do the rest with diet. She got upset and ended the visit by walking out. Didn’t even tell me to schedule the next appointment. Maybe she’s under pressure to write more prescriptions. She’s always been so nice. I know why it went up and will be changing my eating for 2024. I was stress & grief eating sweet stuff before and after my SIL’s death. When I get the orthotics I’ll also be walking around instead of sitting all the time.
People are buying pallets full of returns and selling the items as new but Amazon does nothing to assure us the products are not used or damaged. Also, I don’t think the warehouse workers are trained enough to pick and package the correct products that are stored there.
Tracy, I’d love to have one of your water color cards. My birthday is on Monday, hint, hint. I’m shamefully (shamelessly?) asking for a card. Something simple that could be turned into an applique design for the 2024 fair. Please.
Prosper more in 2024, hugs
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Good for you trying to stay off the pill train. Take a pill that requires one or two more pills to address the side effects of pill #1. My sister or I have been going with Dad to most of his medical visits. His PCP is likely to not be too happy with me. When his specialist doctor says he can go off a medication, the specialist calls the shots. I’m sure his PCP is exhibiting some age bias (the specialist is “young” relative to her). I know when the one pill requires two more pills Rx was written AND by what specialist. It wasn’t the one my Dad says PCP told him. I saw the bottle and the date of the Rx.
Numbers – numbers that are set for one size fits all. And when something happens that the numbers say shouldn’t happen, the numbers all of a sudden don’t matter. I’m sure a couple of my numbers are going to prompt the if-then-else cookie cutter spiel.
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Selena you sure got that right. Two more pills to fix the effects of pill #1 is exactly how it felt. I didn’t get a chance to ask her because she abruptly ended the appointment but I would question – If the pills I’m taking aren’t working then why am I still taking them? Why add more pills instead of upping the dose of what I’m taking? Why not do other diabetic related testing like liver function or the status of my anemia which I’ve had all my life? Why not ask ME why I believe my A1C went up. After all I’m the one putting food in my mouth. I want/need a healthcare coach not a pill pushing drug dealer. Oops, sorry, I get rather passionate when talking about the issues of our healthcare systems. I believe healthcare providers should be more concerned with proper eating than what pill covers the symptoms of what ill.
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You will be getting a water color card, Anita : ) It may not arrive by Monday, depending on USPS, but it will be on its way!
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Thank you so much Tracy. I’ll treasure it.
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I have a geniune KitchenAid shredder that I have had for years. The chute on mine is only about 2″ by 2″. I just slice the ham, potatoes, bologna or whatever I am going to shred into pieces that will fit in it. I am guessing that yours is the real deal – it looks exactly like mine! I probably use that attachment more than any of the others that I have except maybe the noodle press/cutter.
Merry Christmas!
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The one you have may be different than the one I thought this one was. The current KitchenAid shredder arrives with a storage box to keep it in when not in use. It’s also more expensive. Here is the link to their website and their shredder. A video below the pictures showing how it shreds.
https://www.kitchenaid.com/countertop-appliances/stand-mixers/attachments/p.fresh-prep-slicer-shredder-attachment.ksmvsa.html?
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