Five Frugal Things | annnd we have a second cat
1. We got a "free" cat
Meet Chiquita!
Soo...I'd been thinking for a little while that perhaps when Lisey moved out, a second cat would be a nice thing for Zoe.
It's hard being the youngest, I think, and the only kid left at home with mom. 😉
We visited two SPCA shelters, but eventually we ended up back at the shelter where we adopted our first cat, and Zoe fell in love with this little dilute calico.
We have her home on a foster-to-adopt basis right now, because her spaying appointment is still coming up. But she will be free to adopt after her appointment.
I know no cat is actually free, given the costs that will arise down the road.
But some of the adoption centers here charge up to $250, so this is definitely a bargain.
And I think she and Zoe are going to be very good friends.
(Will Chiquita and our other cat be good friends? Time will tell once we introduce them in the future. We're supposed to keep them separated for a while at first.)
She's a year old, so she's definitely got more energy than our other cat (she's 12!). But she's not quite as crazy as a kitten, so this is a nice middle ground. 🙂
2. I got some free food and water bowls
There was a corner full of free-for-the-taking items at the shelter, so I picked up a water bowl and food bowl for Chiquita.
3. I ordered some furniture protector sheets
Miss Chiquita seems like she might be a little more prone to furniture scratching than our other cat....so I ordered some of those clear sticky sheets to put on our leather furniture.
If she scratches the downstairs couch, I don't care! That one was free, and it came with some prior cat damage already.
But my leather couches are still ok, and I'd like to keep them that way. If the sticky sheets work, they will be VERY worth the investment.
4. I ordered a second-hand hair dryer
Lisey and I were sharing a hair-dryer, but she took it to Hawaii (which was fine with me, of course!)
My mom had ordered a new version of the Conair dryer we had, and apparently something changed, because the new one had almost no blowing power.
So, I knew I didn't just want to order a new one. I hopped onto eBay and found an old one for $8, and now it's on the way to my house.
Hopefully it'll be working well; I'll let you know!
5. I used up leftover rice and sauce
I made chicken katsu for dinner the other night, and I ended up with some leftover rice and sauce.
Sooo, I fried some eggs this morning, put them over the rice, and added some sauce on top.
Gorgeous cat.
Got six pounds of organic grass fed ground beef for $2.68 total. Kroger had them clearanced to $1.28 each and I had a digital coupon for $1 off each up to 5x. So I got one pound for $1.28 and 5 more one pound packages for .28 each.
Signed my kids up for the summer reading program. They got activities, coloring sheets, and a free book each.
Had to dig out the next size clothes for the youngest. All were given to me for free by others.
Used Kroger reward points for a fuel discount.
My husband asked about a military discount when buying a new lawn mower battery. Although not advertised in store, online information says they do so he asked and got 10% off.
Whoa! That's such a great deal on the beef!
Your kitty is very unlikely to like the new cat. Unfortunately.
Praying for a miracle.
Sincere, not snark.
We can hope for a bare minimum of peaceful co-existence! We shall see. We are following all the introduce-a-new-cat protocols and hoping for the best.
@Kristen, We've fostered and adopted a number of cats over the years, and they've all grown to either live in harmony or live in absolute love. <3 I hope you have the same experience!
@reese, absolutely. They don't have to be in love, just live together in the same household.
@April, While it's true that the resident cat may at first resent the newcomer, over time, as long as the younger one respects the alpha, they can get along. When my parents brought home a stray kitten, our older cat was very cranky about it and hissed a lot, but the younger one showed submission and was very respectful and won her over. We paid the older cat a LOT of attention, and I think that helped.
@Karen A.,
lol, my cranky older cats (2 of them) haaaaate the latest newcomer (the newcomer has been ours for 3 years now). We did all the introduce-your-cats stuff, give the older cats plenty of attention, etc. etc......nope. There's lots of friction, especially lately for some reason, and the newcomer couldn't care less about the havoc he causes. He's super chill. He's the most cat-like of our three cats. 🙂 You just never know.
@Liz B., True, just like people, animals are all very different when it comes to personalities!
@April, i wish her all the luck too. We tried all the usual advice but we need to keep our two cats separated at all times. Our old cat snuck into the new one’s side of the house and sent him to the vet after a bite became infected. Now we keep a closed door between them at all times. But my old man has always been kind of aggressive and unfriendly. I hope this does not happen to Kristen!
I'm hoping the fact that our first cat is so mellow will work in our favor. We shall see!
Calicos are the best! We have one named Peggy,
@Jen, I also have one who is now 15 years old. She is tiny and still looks very kitten-like.
How do you make sure the two cats don't meet in the house?
The new cat looks nice and quite active.... 🙂
Hopefully your first cat will come to terms with the new addition to your household.
Every time you leave or enter the house - do you have to be careful so that no cat gets out of the house?
Haha, I wasn't expecting this! Chiquita is so beautiful. I'm sure both of your girls will either be friends or at the very least, tolerate each other well. I grew up with a mom who was constantly involved in some form of cat rescue and she drilled into me that there is no such thing as a free cat, so it made me smile to see you use her line. 😉 Have a great weekend, Kristen.
Well, luckily our house has an interior door that separates the upstairs and downstairs! Our other cat mainly likes to be downstairs, so we are just keeping the door shut for that level, and letting Chiquita explore the upstairs.
And yes, the new one is very busy. lol
Our other cat is terrified of the outdoors, so we never have to worry that she will run out. I'm not sure about Chiquita yet; we will see if she is a runner!
@Kristen, We always had multiple cats- inside & outside & all coexisted peacefully. Our dogs, on the other hand, not so much
Ah, new kitty! I hope she will feel at home soon.
You might want to get a second litter box if you do not have an extra already. It is generally recommended to have one for each cat, plus you'll be more at ease if Miss Chiquita feels confident with a box smelling only of herself -
(Off to work again for now)
Yes! We got her her own litter box for the room she's in!
@Kristen, this is really funny. We are temporarily taking care of my son's cat and we immediately made sure he had his own litterbox, which he almost never uses. He prefers our other cat's box. And sometimes our cat uses the box for visiting cat. They apparently never read the rulebook.
Hi Chiquita! Cutie. I hope she and Shelley love one another.
Hm....frugal? Trying to avoid spending, having my renter do yardwork in exchange for reduced rent, eating at home more, putting off buying a new AC because it's going to barely break 70 for the foreseeable future. Not getting a new cat nor a puppy despite strong provocation via adorable Facebook posts from local rescues.
Not so frugal: renewing my passport, planning to go to London in the autumn to scatter half of BFF's ashes (per her wish).
Chiquita looks like a climber. Get her a cat tree with some scratching areas on it.
I called my best friend in high school Chiquita. 🙂 Also, I laughed to myself about you saying that of course no cat is actually free because of the costs associated with keeping them. I've been telling this to everyone as we prepare to get our third free horse this week. People keep giving them to us, and that's because horses can be incredibly expensive to keep. We can do it much cheaper than most can, though, and our kids love to ride, so it's worth it to us.
Anyway! Let's see if I can come up with five frugal things . . .
--Actually, having a full size horse again (as opposed to our pony) is kind of frugal, as we had purchased a new roping saddle for our oldest son just before our old horse died this winter. The saddle was only used a few times, and it's too big for the pony, so at least now we can use the tack for a full-sized horse again.
--Harvesting lettuce from the garden, yay! Also LOTS of parsley, and some kohlrabi, dill, and green garlic.
--I found some shoes for my sons in the bin of old ones that came in handy when they continued to soak both their usual shoes and their boots in the neverending puddles they always want to play in lately.
--Haircuts for all this week. We've gotten way more than our money's worth from the $25 hair trimmer we bought at Walmart at least 7 years ago.
--My husband split several cedar logs cut on our neighbor's property (with permission, of course) into posts for my tomatoes, using his old wedges and the sledgehammer he found next door. Metal T posts are five bucks each, so that saved fifty dollars right there. I'm trying a new method of tomato support this year (Florida weave), so I didn't need a post for each plant, but it was still ten posts.
@kristin @ going country, I looked on your blog for a post about Florida weave, but alas, not yet. Never heard of it, and looking forward to learning about it. My husband just bought those aluminum tomato cages, which always strike me as symbolism over substance.
@Central Calif. Artist, I had never heard of it, either. One of my commenter's recommended it this year. I've never done it before, so I can't write about it yet. I will, though, when my plants are big enough to start needing support and I can judge how well it works.
Also: there's no such thing as a free boat. 😉
@Kristen, my dad always said there are only 2 happy days in the life of a boat owner.
@kristin @ going country, thanks! I will look for it, and would rather learn from you than from Mr. Google (actually, I use Duckduckgo). Sometimes I just rebel against spending hours digging through piles of info and trying to discern what is truth while dodging pop-ups.
@kristin @ going country,
1. We got our first dog from someone on Freecycle that was giving away a horse and a dog - we only took the dog. The concept of a free horse was kind of funny to me.
2. I think we pretty much do the Florida Weave. I just read about it this past week for the first time but it looks like what we've done for years. It works well for us.
@Central Calif. Artist, @kristin @ going country, and anyone else wondering about it - go check out the blog post at "the art of doing stuff" called Staking Hybrid Tomatoes with the Florida Weave. (I don't think I can post a direct link here, but good ol' internet searches work wonders. The Art of Doing Stuff is a fun and worthwhile blog by a Canadian woman living in Ontario - she does all kinds of big and small projects some of which are astonishing to me (she lives in a very old house and is often tearing up floors at 2 in the morning, or so it seems to me....)
@kristin @ going country, I too have a horse. I love this mare very much, but ooooh boy, she is very expensive to keep. Between board, routine shoeing, and her necessary meds and recently added daily supplement, the amount is staggering. I always tell people that you can get a horse for free. It's the upkeep that is gonna cost ya.
Welcome, Chiquita!
It was a really busy week last week (and, same for this week). Crazy work weeks for myself & my husband, and finals prep for the teens last week, finals this week. We try to do a few splurges in the lead up to finals week. We added a few drinks to the shopping list (they like those sparkling flavored waters, etc), so I wouldn't describe it as exactly the most frugal. But, here we are.
1) After a long drought, sold a tank top on eBay
2) Finally allowed myself to admit that my favorite flats are not comfortable. I had this style/size before, and they were my all time favorite shoes (Rothy's). My husband ordered me three pair last Mother's Day. Guess what? They do not fit properly, and I keep trying to wear them. They kill my toes. So, washed them (the shoes, including soles, are entirely washable, which is one of the reasons that I love a well fitting pair) & took photos so I could list them on eBay. Hopefully I can cover the cost of one replacement pair, in the next size up.
3) Used some garden goodies for meals, including basil, lettuce & artichokes. Made a delicious lemon aioli to go with the grilled artichokes. Yum!
4) Didn't have meal items for some of my lunches, so I made myself eggs instead, Kristen style. 😉 I also had 5 teen boys unexpectedly over for lunch yesterday, and they ate the lunch I'd planned for myself. I topped my salad with peanuts, instead of chicken. It wasn't quite the same. 😉
5) Gave away a bunch on Buy Nothing, uploaded receipts to Fetch, & one iBotta $.10 offer.
Congratulations on your new livestock. She is a beauty. Sometimes a younger cat will bother an older cat just for fun but I think that is more often males. Young male cats are frequently buttheads.
@Ava, middle-aged male and female cats are also frequently buttheads! (Thanks for the laugh)
Oh, how I wish all the many cat lovers would be near my mother-in-law; she does not like cats at all, and there are feral ones there that like to be in the bushes around her house and under her porch. There always seem to be kittens! And they are not all completely wild. My daughter spend most of her time on our recent vacation loving up on those kittens.
This is a vacation/returning from vacation version:
*Before we left for our vacation, we planned travel meals.
*Although we forgot to pack the cut up carrots and other veggies for travel eating, we didn't allow that to deter our efforts to eat veggies on the road. While at our first stop (in-law's house), we bought more carrots and celery, cut them up, and remembered to take them for the 2nd leg of our trip.
*While at the in-law's house, we took advantage of their local Goodwill to shop for shorts for my daughter.
*We rented houses where we could cook meals instead of having to eat out.
*We used GasBuddy to check gas prices on our travels.
*When I needed to pick up groceries upon our return, I checked both grocery stores in town and bought salsa for the cheaper price. I did NOT buy much milk because I didn't like the price; instead we bought it when we were in the town with the cheaper milk price a couple days later. Also, I didn't like the price of some other things on my list, so I simply didn't buy them. Do without, right?
Welcome Chiquita! I have loved having two cats and, in spite of their occasional squabbles, I think our cats are glad for the companionship, too. Enjoy getting to know each other!
Kinda like human siblings. 😉
Congrats on the new kitty! Miss Bananarama
Uh oh, the toxoplasma gondii is taking control and you are on your way to CCL status. 😛 (just kidding of course.)
My FFT:
1.) Amazon had a 20% off coupon for Goldfish crackers. They've shot way up in price lately but this was an okay price. My daughter really likes them and they are good for snacks and such.
2.) Went to Costco and got almost a year's supply of allergy meds for less than the cost of one bottle at the drug store.
3.) Got a pair of shoes on clearance at Walmart for $4. They are a little big for my daughter but she loves them and her feet will grow. It is nice being able to have things in advance for when she grows and we can just pull out what she wants. Luckily her tastes haven't really changed all that much and fashion is not a concept she cares about. (All fashion really comes down to is getting the approval of rich people who hate you and just want your money.)
4.) Getting some stuff together to sell on eBay. I'm not really looking forward to doing it but I am looking forward to having less stuff.
5.) Doing some minor home repairs. I installed an AC unit which required me to cut a scrap board down to size as a sort of shim. But it did work!
@Battra92, Had read--somewhere-- perhaps here-- the idea of mixing less expensive oyster crackers with goldfish. Keep the seafood theme, perhaps dilutes the cheese powder. I like the traditional goldfish crackers, a lot.
@Battra92,
"All fashion really comes down to is getting the approval of rich people who hate you and just want your money."
So true!
I am going to save that bit of wisdom from you! You are absolutely right about that! (Or should I say "right on the money" about that?)
@Heidi Louise, When I was growing up a very popular snack (pre-Goldfish) was oyster crackers tossed with Ranch dressing mix, the powdered kind. I guess a little oil so it would stick, and then bake them? I just like plain oyster crackers!
@Karen A., I think I remember that!
And yes, good oyster crackers are a good food.
@Battra92, “All fashion really comes down to is getting the approval of rich people who hate you and just want your money.” I have always thought this but never put it so succinctly!
1. Received a regift (for no special occasion) from my niece. She's a teacher and could not use a parent's year-end gift.
2. Got four books from the small library in our apartment building. This is even cheaper than the library as I don't have to drive to and fro. (I don't like to read books on a device.)
3. Saved $7 on ramp parking when the ticket got stuck in the machine when we were trying to leave and the remote attendant opened the gate for us and told us parking was on them.
4. Redeemed a coupon for a free bottle of wine at the liquor store and they asked if it was OK to put it in a Christmas-themed wine bag as they were trying to use up what a wine distributor gave them. Double bonus!
5. This one might be my favorite: After using up the cinnamon in its plastic jar, I added some sugar and shook the jar to mix with the cinnamon clinging to the sides of the jar. This mixture has been on at least six pieces of cinnamon toast so far!
•I was able to return some yarn I just purchased because I had colors at home in my stash that worked just as well – I’m making a temperature blanket for my husband for Christmas so I have a little wiggle room with colors during the planning stages.
• We tackled some tree trimming over the weekend. I really appreciate that our town has yard waste bins so we don’t have to pay to have things hauled away.
• We cancelled AppleTV – we subscribed to watch Ted Lasso (and a few other shows) but now that the series is over it is time to cancel.
• I’ve been using my stash of hot tea to make iced tea now that the temps are warmer.
@Geneva, "temperature blanket"? Do tell!
Aw! Love the new kitty! I haven't heard of furniture protector sheets and would be interested in learning more.
About cats: Uncle is one year older than the 2 littermate nephews, and they all take turns getting into little snarl-fests or being good buddies. I had hoped that keeping it all in the family would diminish some of that baloney, and maybe it has. It was certainly easier to start out not having to introduce, only letting the one year old gradually adjust to the kittens (3 years ago). He was good with the mama, his littermate, so maybe that helped. (She disappeared when the kittens were about 3 months. . . )
FFT (Few Frugal Things this week):
*Sold another music book on eBay (Dino was always too hard for me).
*All my vegetable seedlings are still alive, including sweet potatoes and basil rooted in water)
*Husband didn't like a short sleeve henley—thought the color was too bright and the shirt a little too tight, so I took it. It is a glorious teal, it is HUGE, and I wear it almost every day. (Nope, I didn't buy it with that in mind because if so, I would have gotten a smaller size for myself. . . now that I think of it, I looked but there were no smaller sizes)
Spent an enormous sum on 5 cubic yards of Nitro Mulch, including delivery, some deer repellant concentrate, and some special slow-acting fertilizer (Milorganite). Maybe this will be frugal in the long run because I won't be continually replacing plants, in that continual triumph of hope over experience called "gardening".
@Central Calif. Artist, "triumph of hope over experience called gardening." Absolutely brilliant.
@Anne, That's the old saying about remarriage after a divorce. Actually, it was first said by Samuel Johnson as "A second marriage is a triumph of hope over experience." Later, Oscar Wilde said "Marriage is the triumph of imagination over intelligence. Second marriage is the triumph of hope over experience."
@JDinNM, good to know! It is an expression that my dad used when describing people who started a second marriage, so he must have known the Samuel Johnson quote.
Give yourself some credit, Kristen: Not only was your new cat free, you only came out of the shelter with one! 🙂
—I used a $5 Michael’s rewards voucher to purchase a plain black shirt for my husband’s work and a new cloth tape measure. Cost out of pocket was $0, and now my two missing tape measures are sure to turn up.
—By combing coupons, sales, and CVS ExtraBucks, I stocked up on nearly $20 worth/two grocery sacks of my husband’s work snacks (nuts, dried fruit, crackers, etc.) for $0.
—Walmart had whole frozen turkeys on clearance for $7! We grabbed one (we didn't think two would fit in the freezer), plus marked down/last day sale brats, Wagyu burger, and salmon.
—We received a check from a class action settlement with Turbo Tax. A surprise $29.30 is always welcome.
—I bought a new-without-tags bra and two pairs of new-with-tags underwear off eBay for 1/3 retail price. Victoria’s Secret boy short underwear is my favorite, as are their t-shirt bras—so comfortable, with *just* enough padding vs. comically padded. The goal isn’t to pretend I’m more than 34B, it’s to conceal when I’m cold! 😛
I've been reading and loving your blog for ages, so I want to participate more in this community and this seems a good place to start. (And congratulations on the new kitty. She's beautiful!)
1. I made two loaves of sourdough bread, a batch of yogurt, and another of granola.
2. I harvested asparagus, rhubarb and lettuce from my garden.
3. I took a flower arrangement I purchased last week, threw out the dead flowers, trimmed up the others, added some greenery from my garden and a couple geranium blossoms, and now I have a new arrangement to enjoy.
4. We replaced our gas grill and my husband turned the bottom half of the old one into a cart to hold a belt sander he inherited from his dad.
5. I watered all the potted plants on my front and back porches with collected rainwater. (Our water is very expensive.)
@Cindi,
Hi Cindi!
Re animals getting along--my beagle liked our old cat fine, the one with RBF. He thinks Gus is prey and has done ever since I found him. grrr, so we keep them apart, mostly. The coonhound, who is three times the size of the beagle, is scared of Gus.
@Cindi, I love repurposing the good flowers from tiring bouquets! Makes me really pay attention to the individual flowers, as well as use some of my "I will keep this under control" yard sale vases and dishes accumulations.
@Cindi, I admire your #2 - I bought all three at the grocery store just yesterday! And your #3 reminds me of my niece who fills out flower arrangements with hosta leaves - they're just stunning.
Chiquita is a cutie! I love calico cats and the cat that we had for 17 years was a calico. We had an adult neutered male cat already when we got her, and he became that calico's "parent" as soon as we brought her home at 10 weeks old. He even attacked our 55 pound (and innocent!) dog when she accidentally scared his "baby" one time. Hopefully your older cat will end up loving this new cat.
Now, for frugalities...
1. My electric bill is on a budget plan and the monthly cost is going up in July. I have transformed into the Electricity Miser, especially since it's now hot enough I have to run the a/c to be able to cook and sleep. I'm turning off lights, conserving water (my well has an electric pump), ignoring my clothes dryer, manually washing small loads, turning off the shower water while I soap and shampoo, and catching water in a clean bucket as it warms up, using the water to do things like water plants, flush a toilet, rinse a dish to put in the dishwasher, etc. I already was air-drying my hair and using a broom to daily sweep up sand (Florida!) from the floor.
2. I needed to pinch back coleus plants in my planter box. I don't know why I never tried this before, but I put the cuttings (pinchings?) in water to hopefully root. I've read that they root easily, so I hope I'll end up with more plants.
3. I used some frozen persimmon puree from last year to make fruit ketchup this past weekend. Tomatoes can be a problem for me.
4. I sent a check for a graduation gift using my own stationery instead of buying a card. I know two people who had checks stolen in transit out of mailed cards. This being graduation time, most people know that checks are enclosed in a lot of those cards being mailed. I also saved myself the cost of a card, but frugality was a secondary consideration. Bonus, though; I had room to write a letter.
5. I've been combining driving errands every chance I get. If I can wait and batch those errands, I'll do it. I also set up my annual mammogram and bone density tests in the same afternoon, since I have to drive almost two hours to the medical complex where they both will take place.
Your new baby is just adorbs. You can never have too many cats. (Well, I guess you can.) But I am appalled that a shelter would charge $250 for an adoption. Many, many people would not adopt at that price, and there are so many cats who need homes.
@Anne, I paid $450 for the coonhound. But she required vet bills and transport up from Arkansas and also she's worth every nickel. Not sure what the local shelter asks for cats. Both of ours were "free."
Kristen, an extra thought, though it's very much part of the "free kitten" joke in that it costs money: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01AVI1I06
When we moved, our vet recommended Feliway pheremone diffusers to help our feline trio settle into the new house. We've not been without the multiple cat option since, as the diffuser makes a noticeable difference in how well two of the three get along. They were all adopted from the same shelter and had shared the same kennel for over two years, so 80% of the time, life is dandy. However, one of our boys likes to sometimes play rough, and the one who is NOT into it will fight back if his brother won't take the first few hints. The diffuser keeps the play levels reasonable so that everyone is stressed less, making life 95-97% dandy. 😛 We find it worth it.
@N,
I'm glad the Feliway works to keep the peace on your home! My three....nope. It doesn't seem to have much effect.
I used Feliway for a while until the diffuser almost caught on fire in the plug. So definitely watch them carefully. I didn't notice a huge difference in how my one cat treated the others with it though so it wasn't a big loss for me.
Give me that kitty right meow!
1. My son had to see a specialist and they thought it would not be covered by our insurance due to being out-of-network. I insisted that they bill the health insurance, as our insurance does not have "in-network" requirements for children. Low and behold, the office now owes us $120. It's frugal to fully understand your health insurance benefits.
2. It appears the USPS is going to pay for our patio to get fixed, after the letter carrier walked across it with driveway sealant on their boots. It will cost about $600 to fix unfortunately.
3. I used foraged garlic mustard to make pesto; using leftover almonds and parmesan cheese. The pesto will be used on homemade woodfired pizzas later this week.
4. I was referred to a TMJ specialist by my dentist. The specialist wanted to give me a mouth guard, then 3 years of braces, and then oral surgery. For the mouth guard it would cost $5,000 alone! After reviewing clinic studies and recommendations by the TMJ Association, it appears his recommendations are not ethical. Stretching, physical therapy, and massage are first line recommendations for TMJ issues. So, my massage therapist is going to start with massage and I have started doing recommended stretches. I could see my massage therapist over 50 times before it would exceed the cost of just the mouth guard they recommended!
5. Our home owner's insurance went up $150/year this year. I plan to call later today and see if we can get a cheaper rate.
@Corrine, well done with all your health insurance wins! I particularly think you were wise to look up the recommendations from the TMJ Assoc. and compare the best practices to what was recommended for your treatment. Well done advocating for yourself and your family!
@Lindsay B, I agree that @Corrine is rocking it with her insurance stuff - however, @Corrine, I encourage you to have a long conversation with your dentist about your experience with the specialist to whom he sent you. I would be expressing some deep disappointment in the recommendation and ensuring that my dentist knew the financial costs that could have been racked up if you had followed the treatment course suggested by his Recommended TMJ Specialist. Good luck with the stretches and massage, and I am sure you will be feeling very righteous as you do your exercises and save all that money!
@Corrine, It might be worth your time to search for the Center for Facial and Functional Recovery. This is my facial physical therapist place for the facial paralysis, and they have some videos online about TMJ, too. I'm very impressed with them.
Oh, such a pretty cat! Hopefully they will get along just fine in time.
Back on track after my spending spree at the estate sale last week 🙂
1. 1. Home alone so have been eating odd and ends out of the freezer.
2. Bought a TGTG a day I was feeling too tired to cook. Got dinner and a chicken sandwich for next day lunch. And a free soda since the salesclerk forgot to ask if I wanted a drink with my meal.
3. Finally found plane tickets to visit the in-laws this summer. Used airline points and have been waiting for a campaign price, but all those prices have been with a layover in Oslo.
I feel it’s bad value to pay for a hotel room when I land just before midnight and are supposed to fly again seven hours later. So instead I’m stopping for a few days in Oslo and get a second holiday.
Using points to pay for my hotel and my budget is the hotel price I’m “saving” not spending the night at the airport hotel (have no points to use there).
4. We need some pillows for the outdoor sofa and I wanted to get some that we can use for overnight guests also. Even though they were half off at the store the price is double of what I paid last time.
So I’m using the filling of a winter duvet to make pillows. It’s too large for me to launder at home so now I’ll save that dry cleaning expense and we have enough blankets so no one will freeze anyway 🙂
5. Spending the time home alone spring cleaning and decluttering. So no moneyspending and I get some exercise since we have a four story house.
Congrats on your new kitty family member! When it comes to introducing cats, I highly recommend checking out Jackson Galaxy's advice on introducing two cats - he has a lot of great free tips and videos out there on the internet. A "Feliway" wall diffuser can also be helpful by providing calming cat pheromones, if you find you're having trouble.
Welcome, Chiquita! We really enjoy watching the interaction between our two cats. I hope yours get along wonderfully when the time comes!
My FFT:
1. I went 9 years of parenting without knowing the magic of lemon essential oil, but now I know! I used lemon essential oil to remove sticker residue from a couple of shirts my kids love and it worked beautifully! I was amazed. I also used it to remove some tape residue from a mirror I got from a yard sale for my girls' room.
2. We went to a minor league baseball game and had a couple of frugal wins with it: I packed lunch to eat on the way, used a clear backpack that my kids got free from a library program last year (they have very tight bag rules), and packed an empty water bottle leftover from a party we went to the day before. I figured it was no loss if they made me throw it away, but since it was empty and clear they let me bring it in and we all enjoyed free water during the game!
3. Our town had their first-ever city-wide yard sale and I got a bundle of about 20 unopened rolls of wrapping paper for $5, a bag of clothes for my daughter for $2, and a brand-new bike helmet for $5.
4. We had some friends also having a yard sale as they prepare to move away and they said we could take what we wanted for free. I got a big box of clothes for my daughter (their daughter is one size taller than mine), 3 pairs of snow boots, a puzzle, a game, and some books.
5. My daughter heads off to camp next week and I remembered that they charge a processing fee for credit card payments, so I called yesterday to ask about my balance and find out what a good amount is to put on her Snack Shack card, then I went to the bank today and got cash for it all to avoid the processing fee.
@Ruth T, Mayonnaise removes adhesive residue, too. I think it's just the oil. Although the lemon oil no doubt smells much more pleasant.
@kristin @ going country, How do you keep the mayo from staining the clothing?
@Jody S., I've never tried it on cloth, actually. Just on metal and glass. Does lemon oil not stain? I would think almost all oils would.
@kristin @ going country, That's what I would think, too.
@kristin @ going country, My friend used it on a shirt for me a month or so ago with zero stain. One of the two shirts I did had no stain, but one had a little stain where it had soaked through to the back. I covered a really large area with the oil (it was a large sticker!) but it was a very small stain. I think that if I had gotten it into the washing machine faster it wouldn't have been a problem. I waited a day, which was dumb. Overall, it was a win.
Chiquita! I love the name and she is SO cute!!! I am excited to get to see pictures of her 🙂
I used the Tomato Food for my tomatoes that I had languishing in the garage instead of going out and buying more - hooray for clearing out shelves and using what's on hand first.
I planted my flower bed beside the garage using Dahlia bulbs that I found...on a shelf in my garage. I don't know if they will come up but if they do they are perennials and will return year after year.
I purchased three Veronica plants on the clearance rack marked down to $7/each instead of $29.95/each which is the regular price.
I took advantage of a pop-up sale at Old Navy to purchase a couple of swimsuits at 60% off. The best reason in the world for this purchase...all my swimsuits were way too big for me! Joy!!!
My biggest win this week is that we are eating through leftovers. This is always a struggle in my household but I am getting better & better at meal planning in the appropriate amounts. We have some leftovers but aren't eating spaghetti for a solid week.
Not feeling particularly frugal this week, but I like to participate in this one because it forces me to think back over my week:
1)I got some expired OTC meds that were going to be thrown out. I know they may not be as potent, but they're not going to hurt me either. 2) I was thinking I didn't have any food to bring to a pot luck, but I really didn't want to drive to the grocery store. I ended up making a pot of "dirty rice and beans," which worked out well. 3) I dyed my hair at home 4) We went fishing and caught quite a few perch 5) My neighbor brought me a dozen hen/duck eggs.
Ahh, yep! There was frugal in my week.
1) I rode my bike to my dental appointment yesterday. It's just far enough that it takes a while to walk and just close enough that it seems silly to crank the car. While I was there I went ahead and made an appointment later in the week for my husband to get fitted for a night guard before our good dental insurance runs out.
2) I have been regularly scrolling FB Marketplace for a new bookcase for the living room. The current one is too small for the space and is feeling it's age as an Ikea piece. It took me a while because I wanted something solid wood (and by that I mean actual wood--lots of folks say something is solid wood when really just some part is solid wood) for a reasonable price. Last week the coolest bookcase came available that I could tell was truly solid wood. It was priced at $150, which I thought was a steal. I could easily see this piece listed for $500 in an antique store. Somehow I got it before any other buyer. My husband picked it up on Saturday. It was just as described.
3) None of my shorts fit me comfortably right now. I fought the urge to order some things online and instead stopped by Goodwill today. I found one pair that fits me nicely. And I also bought two pairs of sweatpants that I will cut off. I don't know why manufacturers don't make shorts according to pants measurements just with shorter legs. Instead so many shorts seem to bell far out in the leg from the hip. Maybe it's just me?
4) I stopped by Aldi and the library while I was out at Goodwill.
5) I had leftovers for lunch when I got home.
@Amanda, Oh man, I love when patience wins out with a great Goodwill find!
She's a gorgeous cat! I'm sure both will learn to live together in time
Frugal things we did this week:
1) Ordered replacement parts for our metal shelving that the movers lost. I also "fixed" the "bent" poles that my husband said he couldn't fix. They had simply been untwisted in a weird way at the center so I untwisted and re twisted them and they were good as new. The movers paid us to replace the shelving, we really did think they were a lost cause since my husband cookdr figure them out. Now we have usable shelves again!
2) I put those shelves in the garage storage room they we connected to the rest of the house to use as a pantry. We will one day build out permanent shelving in there, but these metal shelves are helping us to see what configuration we like and don't like which will save us money in the long run. It's also putting the space to good use.
3) Bought 2 whole chickens on sale for $.98/lb and hubby baked them last night and then used the instant pots to turn the bones into broth. So a good deal on the chickens and bonus broth!
4) Stopped in at the grocery store near an appointment binuad yesterday and hubby went in himself and came out with just the corn on the cob that we needed.
5) Bought a huge 8x10 rug from Facebook marketplace for $75 and a bunch of new unused yarn and crochet hooks and kitting needles for the same price. The yarn alone would have probably been double that.
Aw, she's beautiful! I hope she and Shelly get along well.
1. We had gotten out of the habit of eating eggs when they were so expensive, but I had some from making lasagna. (Eggs help the ricotta cheese not be so grainy in the filling when baked.) Well, I noticed the remaining eggs' sell by date was, well, yesterday, so I went ahead and hardboiled them.
2. We had company last night for dinner, and I know my chicken and rice casserole is great, but I wanted to offer something extra beyond that and green peas on the side. Found two heads of neglected romaine in the fridge, and refreshed them with Kristen's ice-water trick. Between that, some shredded carrots, cucumbers (always on hand since my youngest will only eat cucumbers for a vegetable), some chopped hardboiled eggs and chopped leftover turkey bacon, managed to put out a nice little salad bar, which was appreciated not only by our guest but the kids as well.
3. We went on a short trip down south to meet up with family, and stayed at an Air Force Inn. If you have access to these (some Army bases have them as well), they are well worth the slight hassle of getting on the base (I had to stop at the visitor center so my husband could vouch for me and get me a pass); they're cheaper than most hotels, safer (behind those nice manned gates) and very quiet. No free breakfast, but there are fridges and microwaves in every room, so we got yogurt and fruit and turkey bacon and had a nice breakfast and plenty of food.
4. Library books, always. I loaded some on my old Kindle and enjoyed those on the road.
5. After doing some research, DH figured out that drying our towels at night on a line with a fan (rather than using the dryer as we had been doing, to avoid mildew), and putting attic fans up to draw out hot air from the attic during the summer, we've managed to use 14 KW less this month than May of last year! Or something like that. He is an electrical engineer, so he knows his business, and was very impressed at how we'd lowered our energy usage, so I'm thinking it's pretty good! 😀 Our bill, even with the rate hike, was the same as it was this time last year.
Oh, she is so pretty! My sweet girl kitty is a dilute tortiseshell. I just love those colors.
My FFT:
1. Finished using up some fabric discovered while decluttering the sewing stash. Also mended a ripped pair of jeans for my son, sewed up a tiny hole in a pair for my husband, and altered a shirt to be smaller for myself.
2. Fried up the trimmed-off skin from the manager's special chicken thighs I roasted for dinner to make crispy treats for the dogs (doled out one a day to avoid gastric upset) and a precious half inch of rendered chicken fat for the jar in the freezer.
3. Made fancy salads for my husband using some sale lettuce and some add-in goodies we already had on hand (radishes, almonds, golden raisins).
4. Received an offer from a Poshmark seller of a ten percent discount on some items I had been looking at. Accepted because it made them super affordable.
5. Saved a dollar off toilet paper, which was on sale, and received a free 20 oz. bottle of soft drink using two coupons mailed to us by our local grocery store. Gave the drink to my son to take to work. Bought more toilet paper on sale at the drugstore with a 50 cents off coupon. We are set for a while in the TP department.
Bonus: Used about $7 in ingredients on hand to make to delicious large pizzas that also created leftovers. The last time we ate pizza out, one pie was $28 and not a scrap was left. The savings of making it at home is dizzying.
Chiquita is very pretty - I like the black spot on her back leg - just randomly there.
It's been a funny week for frugal wins.
1. Traded 2 like new Milwaukee tools that I'll never use - for firewood and a chimney cleaning. The fellow delivered the first load of wood. I have 2 wood splitters, a small electric one and a 22 Ton! gas powered beast for really big blocks. Barter win!
2. Sold a Warhammer D&D manual my son didn't want. 3 more to go. I'm liking Marketplace for selling local.
3. Sold a hedge trimmer for $15...why we had a hedge trimmer when we don't have a hedge??
4. Still making our own bread. Using up a packet or 2 of instant oatmeal flavours in the bread, and adding an extra egg or 2. (Have my own hens and they are in laying overload).
5. A friend gave me tomato, cucumber, cucumber and petunia starts. But we had a frost last night...gulp...I haven't gone out to have a close look at them and see what happened yet. June 5th and we had frost.
Chiquita is beautiful! Congratulations!
Hello, cute kitter kat...when I read that her name was chiquita my mind went to the escape song and I was all like...if you like chiquita bananas...lol..yes I know I'm weird. Lots of kitty toys help expel pent up energy and hopefully your two fur babies fall in love with each other.
Anyway, frugal things.
It's coming...spider season is almost upon us and instead of buying expensive spray to ward off the creepy crawlies from entering out home I've been planting mint, lavender, marigolds ect ect around the place...it works and it's more environmentally friendly.
Was poking around my freezer trying to figure out what to make for dinner and stumbled upon some chicken and precooked canilli beans...after googling I found Jamie Oliver's recipie for just that along with potatoes, tomatoes and garlic...it's good, fairly cheap and easy (it maybe took me seven minutes to throw together which made me happy). Makes a ton to so lunches were leftovers.
Went to the goodwill to donate some no longer wanted items and found two pairs of almost new Levi's for my husband for eight dollars.
When we weren't eating leftovers for lunch we were cleaning out our very full veggie/fruit bin. Along with a few different dippers such as hummus and spicy peanut sauce even huzbeast doesn't mind being a herbivore.
Lastly, doing all the usual.. coffee and tea from home, no takeout, watching our gas consumption (6 dollars a gallon here... yoiks)
Hope everyone has a good week!
"Chica" is Spanish for "girl" and "chiquita" is a diminutive. "Little girl."
What a pretty kitty!
- My biggest frugal win was buying a heated carpet cleaner that is much nicer than it's unrepairable replacement from Marketplace. I think it was used once.
- I sewed two plastic bag organizers with fabric from my stash for the large and medium size parts bags, etc we use for trash can liners and hate to stay organized.
- I shopped the house for supplies and made two outdoor coasters for the front porch.
- I used Meijer's Shop and Scan app when I picked up a few things we needed. It alerted me to an extra digital coupon that I hadn't clipped. I also submitted a couple of Ibotta rebates which also allows me to avoid the fee for not using the app for awhile.
- I used water from our rain barrel to water the herb garden.
I probably missed it somewhere but is Sonia living on her own now? Such a great experience for Lisey 🙂
@Tebble,
Kristen had previously stated Sonia had chosen to stay in the family home when she left her marriage
Foraged some mushrooms and made mushroom stock with them. Froze it for use in soup later.
Made a pie for my husband’s boss’s birthday instead of buying something at the store as a gift.
Made homemade thank you cards for my kids’ teachers instead of buying them.
Stopped at the further away grocery store and picked up a bunch of clearance produce.
Line dried our wash on some of the warmer, sunnier days.
Washed, detailed, and shampooed both our cars so they look shiny and new.
The age difference between our two cats is slightly greater than between yours. Our young girl kitty was about 18 months old and our old man cat about 16 years old. It took a good six months, but they really love each other now. She helps keep him active but is gentle enough to not aggravate him.
When we adopted our last 2 kitties, they both had a bit of a scratching problem.Oh no!! I have nice furniture. We bought a large standing scratching post. We put the kitties up to it and put their paws on it every single day..sometimes 10 times a day. If we caught them attempting furniture scratching, we picked them up and put their little paws on the scratching post.They liked it!! I have one in bedroom also.it only took them about 5 days to stop scratching the furniture! THANKS GOODNESS! Our last kitty was not a scratcher.She used a post immediately. So, TRY A POST!! Your new little girl is adorable!!!!!
@Madeline, the big thing about scratching posts is that the cats don't push them over. If the posts aren't secured to the floor somehow or super heavy, the cats will always prefer the couch or a heavy armchair. A few years ago I had everything reupholstered and the next set of cats are not invited inside. We have a scratching post bolted to the floor in the workshop where we put them each night for Kitty Curfew, and they use the heck out of it.
1. Had to wash out my daughter's shoes after an adventure challenge camp, and used the dirty water in the bucket to water my sad looking tomatoes
2. Picked strawberries at a local farm. Not cheaper than the grocery store, but so delicious and I picked enough to make freezer jam as well as freeze some for future pies and smoothies
3. DIY-ing our above ground pool opening. It's taking quite a bit of time (mostly because we're transporting water to top it off) but so far we're willing to do that instead of pay $$$
4. Had to drop off a vehicle for inspection, and coordinated a trip into town that my FIL was already making for work so he could drive us home
5. Used up some brioche buns that weren't getting any younger by chopping them up and throwing up them into a breakfast casserole. Hopefully won't be rejected by my children, who didn't prefer them for sandwiches!
Beautiful kitty!! Thank you for saving a life by adopting from the shelter. You clearly give cats wonderful, loving forever homes, which every pet deserves.
Please make a generous donation to the shelter anyway because 1) you can afford it 2) every animal shelter is under-resourced and has way more need than it can meet 3) the shelter put a lot of resources into your cat in terms of care, good, surgery, vaccines, etc. Animals should never be free from shelters because the shelters need resources and people who can’t afford the fee (I realize this is not you) should not be adopting pets that will require funds for food, medical care and other costs.
I hope Chiquita is a great fit for your family!
Someone I know has six cats, all rescued at different times, that get along well enough to cozy up in the same bed together. It’s most definitely doable!
Well, that is encouraging to hear!
I love that you have a new housemate! (The new kitty!) I would love to have a pet again, but at this stage in our lives it’s not practical health-wise.
As for FFT-
I remembered to use our “healthy benefits” insurance card to help lower the grocery bill.
I combined errands to save gas, although it took me 4 hours to complete them all.
I returned & checked out books from the library.
I started a box for the charity store. They are in need of items to sell.
And, lastly, I am using up the foundation I already bought even though I’m dying to try something else.
Haha! I love how in almost every picture you take of her she's all like "what!?! I didn't do it!"
Haha yes, so cute!!
Awww, kitty therapy! I love it.
1. I was paid to renew my CPR/AED training, which is great because I am a casual employee and very few things like that are covered for me. It was doubly frugal: I was paid for my time, and the course fee was also covered.
2. We finished a soap bar, so I put out one of the little soaps I kept after we stayed at a hotel. I don’t know that it saves any money, but it is satisfying to reduce waste as hotels just throw those little bars away afterwards.
3. I didn’t own a single dress (I owned one dress pre-baby, but my body changed postpartum), but we are attending a wedding in a few weeks and I wanted one. I found a NWOT dress at Goodwill that is pretty and fun for $8.
4. We participated in our city’s “No Mow May” to help pollinators start out the spring with food (in our case, plenty of violets, ground ivy, and dandelions). It is also nice not to have to mow for a month, saving both DH’s time and gas for the mower.
5. Finished some lackluster tea that had been sitting around for over a year. I combined two types and it was an improvement, but I’m glad they are both gone. Fingers crossed my mom doesn’t decide to get me more (she says gets them on a great sale, but they are often a weird flavor or just cheap quality, and I like my plain standard Earl Grey.)
6. I was inspired by Kristen’s lemon tree, so I’d been looking for some small citrus to keep indoors. I found nice Meyer lemon trees for half off (only $15) at Walmart. I don’t know if it’s a good price or not, but $15 was more reasonable than $30 and now I have a little citrus tree in a yellow pot and it makes me happy to think about the future blooms and fruit.
I went through a lot of years where I didn't wear many dresses due to having babies and so often being a nursing mom. It was a separates time of life for me.
Good for you for finding a dress so cheaply!
1. Got $32.32 from a Zoom class action lawsuit (which I had forgotten that I had filled out a form for in the past).
2. Posted to my local FB sales group and sold some extra kitchen items lying around plus some items that my parents no longer needed, netting me $40. Another lady bought something from me in advance to be picked up next week and paid using Venmo, but then sent the money to the wrong person (same name, different spelling) even though I sent her my personal Venmo link. So, awaiting another $25 from that once she gets it resolved.
3. Made some birthday cards for friends with June birthdays using craft supplies on hand. Mailed using extra envelopes I had from Christmas photo cards.
4. Husband and son redeemed free Chick-fil-A sandwiches from the app, then husband filled out a survey and got another free CFA sandwich offer!
5. Returned a case of chicken broth I bought at Costco when it became apparent I had too many at home to use up in a timely manner.
Being home alone with mom may be kind of hard, but also has its nice moments (I say as another youngest child.) A chance at a one-on-one relationship that’s never before been possible.
Chiquita is very pretty! I hope she has a lovely bond with Zoe and gets along decently with Shelley.
Hello to your new addition!! So my cat won't do scratching posts at all, but those corrugated scratchy flat floor things? Oh yes. Try those, they are very inexpensive and he just hops on and scratches happily. Sometimes he naps on them too. 🙂
I put silicone claw covers/caps on my cats. The original is called Soft Paws. But, they all work. I got small packages at the pet store first to figure out size and then went to Amazon for a larger generic package. After the initial trim and pawdicure.... We just reapply new ones as they fall off.
I can relate to being the youngest and left at home. I am the youngest of 10. My siblings would come home for holidays and as they would leave, I always felt sad and used to think, "That will be me one day. I'm going to leave too." Some family traditions fell away (no Easter baskets, no more real Christmas tree), but on the upside, my parents became more relaxed and lenient. And I got the biggest bedroom, all to myself.
Your new kitty is the same colouring as my senior cat (19), I did not know they are called dilute calico, I learn something new everyday. The slight difference is mine has the grey around her eyes. Senior cat was a b* of a cat for many years, and I was convinced that we'd never be able to bring in anymore cats. We brought in 2 new cats (at separate times); we put the new cat in a bedroom upstairs and would open the door a crack a few times a day so that senior cat and new cat(s) could sniff each other & get used to each other. After a couple of weeks or so, we let new cat(s) out, and would you not know, senior cat (eventually) mellowed out, and definitely lost (most) of her nastiness.
I bought a couple of (needed) workout wear items from the consignment store; it turns out that their prices are better or the same as the thrift store in the next plaza, and they have change rooms whereby I can try on the clothing items. Plus they check all items for damage before they bring them in.
I also went to the thrift store and bought a top, which I have to return as it does not fit. When oh when am I going to learn to not buy clothing from the thrift store = NO CHANGE ROOMS! and so almost every time I have to return said item to the thrift store. Thankfully HB can use the credit towards electronics items he purchases and then fixes.
Oh, I'm happy to hear of a positive story of adding another cat. Hoping for the same story for us!
I love calico cats; have two tortoise shells of my own. They have such a great disposition and very loving once they bond to you. One of my calico cats is 10, she was adopted via a no kill shelter. The other is a little over 1 year old who is part of a chowder that showed up on my property. (in total I take cat of 8 cats; mama and two brothers are 2 years oe there about- 4 kitten who are now a little over 1 year old; all but one still needs to be caught and nurtured via the feral cat program we have in our city; catch, fix and release back into their environment thus keeps rodent population down due to me living by a canal. ) Thank goodness my sister will be taking two of the kitten for her own yet I have had to domesticate them which is a long term thing with feral cats. Oh well, one down and one to go and the nice thing is that the other feral trust me in the process and are coming around little by little. Once there I will be listing them for adoption via one of the many programs (or in all) we have.
As far as your new family member; might I suggest you try to teach her not to scratch the furniture, any of it. This is due to my long experience with cats. Once they start scratching furniture they never really stop....perhaps when you are around they are good about it due to them knowing they will get in trouble. However when you are not around they usually do as they please. Good for you for taking steps with the clear sheeting, I had to do such on my furniture due to the 1 year old not getting that furniture was off limits for scratching. purposes. Lucky for her that my 10 year old is very spoiled and has a scratch pad of some sort about every 10 or so feet within my home. With the addition of the many many toys the one year old learned real quick what was accepted and what was not. This is not to say that even now she does not act like a cat. I do in fact catch her on the kitchen counters once in a while which she promptly jumps from when she see me, lol. All my cats have always been allowed to get on anything they so desire...just not the kitchen counter nor the dinning table; dinning chairs okay just not the table.
New pet are always such fun and I would not worry about your cat and the new one. They will learn to get along, tolerate each other and/or become friends. I never thought Cali Flower would take to Tortie yet here they are coming from "talk to the paw or I slap you' from Cali to then running about play chase. I ever catch Cali cleaning Tortie here and there. Makes me laugh because when I do catch them doing such Cali always acts like 'no I was not' and walks away, lol.
Hope you and your family have many many joyful years with this new pet!
Cute kitty, what a nice idea for Zoe to hug on--- I'd love to get an update of what everyone is up to? I seem to have lost track: Zoe is home (attending HS?) Lisey went to Hawaii for her airplane mechanic job. . . and Sonia? Is she away at fashion school? I started following your blog when I was sort of newly married, needing to save money as a new homeowner, and trying to bake bread and cook from scratch, but I got involved in your whole family activities too. It's been easily 10? 15 years? Maybe not that long.. .
Sonia's finishing up her two year degree at the community college and then she's gonna transfer for a four year school! She might eventually do something with fashion history, actually. She might like to teach on the subject, and I said, ok, as long as you are willing to teach, then it can make economic sense to get your degree in something rather off-the-beaten path. lol
Zoe graduated from high school this spring and she will keep working on her two year degree at the community college this fall. She's been doing college classes for the last three semesters of high school, so she's got a head start. 🙂
I don't usually comment often but I also went through a divorce after a long marriage and I'm so happy for you and pulling for you. (My first thought was that a lady who restores furniture from the trash wouldn't end a marriage carelessly!)
Anyway, I used to have a cat with just the same coloration - we called it dusty calico! She went to the rainbow bridge in 2019 but she was the sweetest, most loving kitty. I hope this little miss brings you and Lisey so much happiness!
Hahahaha, I love that! (My first thought was that a lady who restores furniture from the trash wouldn’t end a marriage carelessly!)
Yes, you are right. This was the very, very opposite of a careless decision; 25 years, two separations, five rounds of marriage counseling. I know I gave it my all, so I can walk away with a clear conscience.
So excited about Chiquita!!
Heh, so are we!
Oh P.S. meant to add we had a 4 year old cat and got a tiny kitten. They hit it off like gangbusters right off the bat! 4 year old was so curious about kitten and they just started playing together.