2021-03 March 2021 Prep Journal and To-Do Lists

midtnmama, I like cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots, peas, corn, green beans, the occasional salad, cauliflower, asparagus, etc. I just like junk food better, lol. I'm working on increasing the veggies and decreasing the salt and fat, but I have to do it gradually if it is going to stick.

I still haven't found my bucket opener, so I broke down and spent $3.78 on another one on Amazon. I figure when the others show up, I can add a string to the handle of each one and hang them near where I open buckets so they can be found easily and reliably. I've already been putting this one to use (it came this morning), prying lids off so I can finish cleaning buckets. Since it's a showery day, it's a good time to work on finishing up this project. I run out and do stuff outside when it's not raining, and run inside when the next downpour hits, lol.

My bff called yesterday and asked if I wanted to go with her to Costco. Yes, please! I stocked up on supplements including the CoQ10 the pharmacist recommended and my glucosamine supplements with various other additives that make such a difference in the amount of joint pain I experience, and generic Nasacort.

I found out why Imodium is so hard to find and especially in bottles of 60 or more. Evidently, if you take large quantities of loperamide, like 100 pills at a time, it can give you an opiate-like high. 🙄 Once again, addiction is ruining things for those of us who use a medication for its stated purpose. 😡 I guess you can still get it at Costco, but it's behind the counter and you can only get 40 or so at a time. There was no one in the pharmacy that I could see.

I splurged on more perennials and spring bulbs while I was at Costco. If I actually plant them, they will be a bargain. I've been weeding flowerbeds a bit at a time, and if I can keep the chickens out long enough, I can plant the new flowers and have them grow. I'm afraid the beautiful Snow On the Mountain feather was so kind as to share with me might not have survived. The chickens have been dust bathing right where they're planted. Noooooo! 😭

I also bought a new 100' garden hose for $23.99 - that's really a good price - I kind of wish I'd bought a couple more.

Of course, I had to buy a couple rotisserie chickens while I was there. I already have one deconstructed and the carcass cooking for future soup. I also got a dozen croissants, a dozen muffins and a bag of steak strip jerky (yes, I know it's terribly high in sodium - it will be doled out slowly).

They had wiperblades for a really good price, so I bought replacements for both trucks to have on hand. I'd rather buy them on sale before I need them than pay a premium when I really need them.

I had used the last of my white vinegar to try rejuvenating my water system filters, so I bought 6 more gallons, plus 3 smaller bottles of apple cider vinegar...wow, is that stuff expensive for what it is. I need to buy some natural ACV with the mother and make my own.

Let's see, what else did I buy? Cat litter, Ziploc gallon freezer bags (which get used over and over), a 6 pack of canned air for the computers...I think that's all. I don't often spend over $300 at Costco, but I managed it this time, to the tune of $304.53. I'd better not let anything go to waste!

My bff's shoe fell apart on her while we were in line at Costco, so we skipped the hot dog and drink lunch in favor of taking everything to the car and strapping the sole back on with duct tape, lol.

We hit the nearby Goodwill in search of a pair of shoes she could wear, but decided after shopping there for a while that $15 was too much to pay for Goodwill shoes, even new with tags, and we were too tired and achy to shop the bins aka Goodwill Outlet store, so she skipped the shoes and we left with our few purchases and drove home. She bought one vase, and I bought 3 books (1 was even on my list, and I put back one that I thought I was missing until I checked my list - saving me 1.99 and the aggravation of buying another duplicate), a good, long-handled roasting fork for this coming firepit season (new in package for $2.49 - I've been looking for one, so this made me happy), and for $1.99, I bought a bag of canning bands and flats. Final count was 15 wide mouth bands, a wide mouth "all-in-one" lid, 8 narrow mouth flats and bands, and an odd sized all in one lid. That one nearly fits my odd sized canning jar that I keep bacon grease in. It still is a hair too large for the jar threads, but will work better as a lid than what I was using, so I'm okay with that. Been a while since I left a Goodwill only spending $10.45, but most of the prices were horribly high.

Both Costco and Goodwill were really busy, just felt like way too many people. I was thankful for my N-95 mask and Lysol wipe, but was really happy to head home, especially when I saw that the parking lot at the bins was packed.

My new filters have already arrived, so in the next dry spell, I'm planning to take one and a hair dryer to the pumphouse. One of the tricks to open the filter housing is to heat the housing with a hair dryer. It's worth trying.