My Frugal Accomplishments and Goals for this Week

Class Rings

This past week, the High School Juniors had their ring ceremony.  Class rings are horrifically expensive now, with the low end rings beginning close to $500.  We really didn't want to fork over that much money for a ring.

So, I offered her an alternative option.  I pulled out my high school class ring and handed it over to her.  My ring is 30 years old... and from my old high school.  Not the high school she is attending.  She was thrilled when I pulled it out. My ring is small, and very understated.  My old high school name is written around the stone.  There's no huge engraved image of the high school, and no special design on the side.

She happily turned it into the school, and was presented with the class ring at the ceremony last week.  Happy as a clam, she has been wearing my ring since then, having friends turn the ring for her. 

The really funny thing?  No one noticed that her ring is 30 years old.  Someone commented on the fact that her parents "Weren't wasting money on a class ring."  She promptly invited her friend to take a closer look, and when she read the name and date on the ring, she looked up and said "What?  Where?"  "It's my Mom's ring," she replied promptly.  "It's really pretty isn't it?  I love wearing my Mom's old ring.  She has such good taste."  Her friend looked back at her and said "I wish I'd thought of that." 

Since that time, she has found out that there are 2 other kids wearing class rings that belonged to their parents, and 1 other student whose parents bought her a ring (not a class ring, just a ring)  to be her class ring. 

I wore my high school class ring until I bought my college class ring... almost every day for 5 years.  I love the ring- gold, with a ruby stone.  But, I know I won't ever wear it again.  I'm so happy that she is going to be able to wear my ring and make some new memories with it!

Fence Line

On another note, our back fence line came down a while back after a snow storm.  We've been intending to fix it for a while, but it has been buried under a list of other things we needed to do. We have over an acre of land.  While none of us have any animals we need to have contained, having that fence line back up would make it safer for the neighborhood kids.  Over the weekend, our back yard neighbor got together with my husband.  His son in law has a gas powered post hole digger.  The guys worked together, put up new uprights, and put the cross pieces in place.  They finished the job by stapling the wire back to the wooden uprights.  One day of work, hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars saved fixing that fence.  We split the cost of the posts and the cross pieces with our neighbor.  All told, each of us spent close to $50 to replace the back fence line.  ($48.50)

Looking Back, these were my goals from last week:

1) Start Subbing More.
I don't like to sub the first two weeks of schools while the students and teachers are settling into new routines and getting to know each other better.  Now that school has been in session for a couple of weeks, I need to start subbing more.  I will work at least 2 days each week.
I worked 2 days last week.  I've already scheduled 2 for this week, and 3 day for next week.

2) I will get out and exercise at least 3 days this week.
Not only that, but I ran/walked a 5K.  I managed to set a best time on that run.  Don't be impressed, by time was 53:00.  There were people who finished in 20:00, or less.  I wasn't one of them.  On the plus side, getting out of the parking lot was easy!  I'd like to participate in the Komen Race for the Cure next month.  I'm not sure yet if we're going to make it!

3) Work on Middle Child's t-shirt quilt.
3 more blocks are finished.  I promise I will share some pictures of the quilt with you later on this week.  I'm well over halfway finished with the blocks at this point.

4) Meatless Monday
We had baked potatoes with steamed broccoli and cheddar cheese.

5) I will salvage the strawberry patch.
Ye gads, I've got to stop putting this off.  No good excuse, except that I'm lazy.

6) I will go to the community wide Girl Scout leaders meeting this week.  (Yes, I have to write this down because I keep forgetting to go, and the beginning of the year is an important meeting to make.)
Done.  This was the cookie training meeting, as our cookie sales begin in a week.  It was odd realizing that next to the community leader, I had the most girl scout experience in the room, and I had the oldest troop of girls.  How the heck did that happen?

7) I will spend 15 minutes a day cleaning the big messy room in the basement.
I spent only one day down here, but I spent well over an hour.  And then, *sigh*, I moved in the business and public relations stuff for the robotics team.  The building that housed our robotics team is being torn down this next week, and, since I'm the Business and PR mentor, I got a ton of stuff.  I'm going to have to go down there and clean it all out... AGAIN...

8) I will clean up the woodpile in the back, stacking the wood that fell over, making certain that it is under cover for the fall, and raking up/throwing away the loose leaves and other stuff that is on the ground around where the woodpile was.
Done.

9) I will line dry at three loads of laundry this week.
Done

10) I will move my scrapbook supplies to their new, temporary home in the dining room.
WHoops... I got sidetracked again.  I'm also working on scrapbooks to give to my girls when they finish girl scouts next year.  I started shifting stuff, and next thing you know, I was working on the cover page for each album.  Sad, I know.  But hey!!  I've got the title page for all 5 albums finished now!

My goals for this week:

1) Sub at least 2 days this week.

2) Exercise 3 days this week.

3) Salsa.  I will can salsa.

4) Work on middle child's t-shirt quilt.  Share pictures of progress on the quilt.

5) Salvage the strawberry patch.

6) Bake bread 3 times this week.

7) Spend 15 minutes a day in the messy room in the basement.

8) Begin work on my niece's graduation present.

9) Finish the second page of the memory books for my girl scouts.

10) Can spaghetti sauce.