Muscle Memory

Oh, yes, the days of having to scrimp and save and build margins where there are no margins... I apparently remember it well.

I might have mentioned how much the Lago Vista Friday food giveaway has helped us this past year. It's truly been invaluable. 

 

Sometimes we go and our number is picked pretty early; that's when we end up with hauls like the ones pictured above. Other times, our number is later and we get a few carrots and some bread... but it's still free food! Also, I anticipate late spring and summer will feature the return of produce in a quantity that isn't there during the winter.

Furthermore, I've gotten back into mystery shopping. I have done a couple of jobs, have a few more scheduled (including one at a portrait studio where Mal has to be the subject... and he's getting the pay for that one! He has his eye on some action figures that he wants), and am picking up random gigs here and there.

Yesterday, for instance, after we dropped Mal off at school, James and I went to have blood drawn for a medical trial. We each got $45 for that!

And tomorrow I'm doing an online marketing focus group for an hour for $150.

It's not James's "career-level" money, but every little bit offsets something on the other end.

Also, we're trying to think of other streams of income we might be able to create.

Whatever, it seems like we might be in this season of unemployment for a hot minute.

Now we just need to see some prices come down. So who wants to work on that?

I KNOW I said I wasn't going to do a whole post about my hair...

 ... but here's the deal: There's a lot.

First of all, when I realized I was getting some grey hair, back in late 2018, I decided that it was time to stop coloring my hair red and let it grow out. 

My rationale was that I didn't want to be one of those white-headed ladies with obviously fake red hair and shocking white roots.

It took about three to four years, but I was finally able to cut that last bit of dyed hair off and had my natural brown back, with some grey "highlights."

But THEN my hair had started changing into the wavy hair I mentioned a few posts ago. My hair had been absolutely straight, no body at all, my entire life. I guess it's perimenopause hormones, but it made my hair curly. 

Last summer, a hair-dresser misunderstood me when I said I didn't want layers and thought that I wanted my hair to match my "fringe," so she cut about 6 inches off of my length. 

What THAT did was to get rid of the remaining straight hair I had. 

Truth is, I needed that cut but was too much of a wimp to ask for such a drastic cropping.

It's so weird. This wavy hair came out of my head! New hair after half a century!

Well, I realized today that we're in another kind of "grow it out" waiting game.

In summer 2023, I started taking minoxidil. At the time, I assumed that I was losing hair because of perimenopause but now know that hair loss is a symptom of hyperparathyroidism. Regardless, my hair was thinning more than I was comfortable with when my hair was still mostly straight and very fine (it's still fine, but it looks thicker because of the volume).

Now, I figure we have about 18 months until my new growth catches up with the length I am keeping my hair these days.

I'm sure something else weird will happen by then and we'll get to start this process all over.

Austerity Measures

Back in the day, when I lived in Sherman and had much more time than money, I clipped coupons. The local Kroger would double coupons up to $.50 and it would triple coupons up to $.35 (so that was the BEST coupon to have!). I'd shop on Wednesday morning as soon as the store opened, and the specials from the past week's circular AND the new week's circular were still in effect. 

In this manner, I made do with $75 per week for groceries for a family of 3.

Over time, paper coupons weren't worth the newspaper subscription. As we got busier and were able to be a little less fussed with cost, I came to value my time more and started doing eMeals for weekly menu planning, and just bought what was on that list. It helped me save money, having a plan, but it was less of an on-the-fly kind of planning I'd done before, and it was a time-saver.

Once eMeals integrated with shopping apps and I could just pop my list over to Walmart and have it show up on my doorstep within 24 hours (we have In-Home, so we don't have to tip... but it's not as fast as Walmart+ Door Dash delivery). 

Well, it's been MONTHS since James got laid off. Grocery prices do not seem to want to drop at all. Tariffs are about to make things even more expensive! 

So I decided to try a little experiment and -- gasp! -- go to a grocery store. 

This morning, I got up just as the stores were opening, and I arrived at a Randall's by about 6:40. It was good I hadn't knocked down the door, because they were just starting to do daily mark-downs at that time.

I went through the store a couple of times, and ended up with enough stuff both to make all of our meals for the week (with some help from our pantry and some produce James and D got for free last night at the Lago Vista food giveaway), and some "snacky" kinds of things Mal likes (granola bars, yogurt, pudding) for $65ish. 

In Sherman, I'd aim to save 33% on my shopping trips. Today, I saved 48%!

Some of the biggest wins were: berries are all buy one/get one free. Brownie mix is usually $3 and was on sale for $1. I found 1/2 price yogurt cups, plus had digital coupons for them in the app. I got a pound of ground turkey for $2 and 3 pork chops (bone-in) for just under $3. The only thing I bought that wasn't either on sale, expiring and marked down, on clearance, or had a coupon, was 5 pounds of flour, which I needed and which, at $2.79, was one of the most expensive things I purchased.

When I got home, I browned all of the turkey because it was already looking sad. I added some seasoning, then put half of it in the refrigerator. I took the other half, added half a bag of shelled edamame and two diced carrots, and made some "peppery bacon" mac and cheese James had gotten for free at the giveaway months ago.

It was delicious, and enough food for the three grown-ups in the house (Mal is always the wild card; he doesn't like mixed flavors, and so I have to make sure we have fruit, chicken nuggets, and yogurt to keep him happy). 

I also made this lentil "meat" loaf recipe that I'd sent my parents, because another thing James got last night was red bell pepper. We had everything else (except the celery), and I just wanted something around for everyone to eat or make sandwiches out of, so I don't have to cook again until Monday.

Then I prepared one of the two boxes of brownie mixes that I'd bought. I used the "flax seed egg" mixture mentioned in the lentil loaf recipe, because at this point, flax seed is cheaper than eggs. So unless the egg is acting like an egg (scrambled, boiled, crepes, creme anglaise, etc.), it's going to be flax! You do have to make sure that you cook whatever you put it in, as people have gotten botulism from raw flax seed. 

Anyhoo... it's been a throwback, and not a bad way to spend my morning. 

We're not in trouble yet, but there's no harm in reeling things in a little bit. If Mal were as good an eater as D was at his age, this would be a lot easier! I might have to start asking him to take a "yes/no" bite of everything that I make, to see if he can develop a wider taste palate.

A Note About a Thing that Happened Today (and why my house might smell like ozone)

We had our biannual HVAC check today. As the guy was looking at the attic half of our heat pump, he noticed some "organic growth" (mildew) on the unit. He took a very blurry picture, but you'll get the idea:

The solution is to install this UV light system both on this unit and the other half, so they work together. We could do just one or just the other, and neither was cheap. But there was a small price break for doing both. It really seemed like a no-brainer. Not something we actually wanted to do, but, ya know... homeownership!

Anyhoo, James and I were both talking to the tech, and asking questions. Once we got to the end, I looked at James and asked, "What do you think?" 

Folks, my man looked straight at me and said, in front of God and the a/c tech, "You're in charge of the money, so it's up to you."

When I tell you how many years of trauma that undid for me, please understand that I'm not exaggerating or overstating it in any way.

If you have a man who isn't confident enough to hype you up like that, then I am very sorry for you. I've been there.

I hadn't planned to spend hundreds of dollars on a heat pump repair, but even so... pretty good day. Pretty pretty pretty good.

Happy New Year!

Hey, in case you didn't notice, 2024 is over! 

Also, that's irrelevant because the calendar is subjective and we're in the same winter we just started a couple of weeks ago, so calm down.

I was getting over food poisoning on New Year's Eve, so although James took Mal to the store to pick out a bunch of yummy hors d'eouvres kind of things like we normally have, I just ate a bowl of pumpkin pasta and called it a night.

The next morning, I was feeling better and did enjoy a variety of bites for breakfast. We also set off some "fireworks" on New Year's Day because Mal wanted to.

 

That was cool. 

I feel like I've let Mal down a bit this season. Christmas felt kind of off, and because we didn't want to spend too much money... we didn't. I got sick on a short/cheap trip to Waco to use up our PogoPass, and when we got home, Mal told me that I'd been acting "differently," which he said meant more easily irritated. I feel like I was just sleepy and dizzy a lot, but it's definitely been a weird kind of month or so.

I've started a couple of blog posts that I haven't finished because... well, do we really need a whole post about how my hair is curly now when it didn't used to be? No. Just trust me. Here's the abbreviated version, with me and my natural hair back in August versus 5 years ago or so. 

I'm sorry, am I aging BACKWARD??

I have actively resisted New Years Resolutions for most of my life (that whole "calendar" thing, and the fact that any day is a good day to try to start (or stop) something new (or old). So it's totally random, but I've decided to work on disciplining my tongue. I didn't grow up cussing, and I didn't cuss for a long time. I remember the day I did the first time, and it was glorious. I was working at Sam's Club in Las Vegas, and that was a crazy job environment. 

Anyhoo, have never sworn much until the past couple of years when I've just gotten into the habit. And I don't want that to be my default because it's no different than saying "totally" about everything, to the point that it becomes meaningless and sounds like you don't have a vocabulary. Wish me luck, ***... no, I'm not going to say it.

James is still job-hunting. Or is about to get serious again now that the holidays are over. We're still doing fine. The longer he goes, the longer he has to work before we can afford retirement, but we're trying to take some advantage of his off time now to do things together. Mal definitely enjoys having his dad around, and will comment on his not being there when we do little jaunts like we did last weekend. 

Every night before bedtime, James goes into Mal's room for their nightly catch-up. It's a cool tradition they've instituted since Mal turned 9. I hope they keep doing it for a long time.

D is still working retail, and is making plans to move out of Texas.

We'd like to, as well, eventually... but there are a couple of things keeping us here for the moment. Namely, my parents. And the fact that Mal is heading into adolescence with a great core of friends from school and his homeschool group. This middle school age is a time when it's very difficult to connect with other kids (reference point: D when we moved to Austin at about this same age), and he'd miss everyone if we took off.

Here's our December album, if you're interested.

Mal's ready to film "Mal Wars 4," so I have to go be a cameraperson.

A Thing I Learned About My Asthma Treatment and the Rest of My Body

That was a long title! Thank you for staying with me.

This past month has been an education, for sure.

When James got laid off, he got a stipend to pay for COBRA (a continuation of his work-provided healthcare) for three months. That ended on August 31.

We're all pretty healthy, but D and I are on a few prescriptions, including two pretty expensive meds (one each). Mine is my maintenance inhaler.

For many years, I just didn't have access to a maintenance inhaler because of the cost. They're several hundred dollars every month! I would get the albuterol rescue inhalers ($30 per month, except when I and friends/family bought them in Mexico) and had to use them at least once a day, and usually closer to 4 times per day. It sucked, but it was relief and I appreciated it.

Indeed was the first company that offered family insurance at a low enough rate that we felt like we could swing it. Soon after that, I started on a maintenance inhaler and it was an absolute game changer. I kept my albuterol, but only needed it on particularly bad allergy days. 

I was on Flovent for about 3.5 years, then my insurance stopped covering it. I was upset but they offered an alternative in Pulmicort. I switched, but after a few months, I could see that it wasn't as effective for me. I was having to use a rescue inhaler a couple of times per week, much more frequently than I was used to.

Just as I was about to contact our insurance about other alternatives, they reached out to me to say that Pulmicort was being discontinued (and apparently Flovent was also discontinued at the beginning of 2024). 

This time, I was switched to Wixela, which is a generic version of the meds combo in Advair.

This one seemed weird because instead of being an atomized liquid, it is very powdery. I didn't always remember to rinse out my mouth after taking the other inhalers, but I definitely remembered with this one. 

I took it for probably a year before we lost our insurance. The sticker price for the inhaler is over $300 a month. Even with a discount card, it was more than $100. Just not feasible.

Fortunately for me, I had backups of both the Pulmicort and the Flovent because when they refilled, I typically still had some left. I decided to start with the Flovent, which was older, mostly because it actually worked for me. My hope was that by the time I ran out of Flovent, we would have insurance again.

A week or so after I ran out of the Wixela and returned to the Flovent, my daily intense bouts with acid reflux returned. I was on Prilosec for about five years because otherwise I was awakened by painful burning in my throat one or two nights per week. You're only supposed to take Prilosec for 2 weeks because it can cause bone loss and kidney issues, but your girl has to sleep.

However, as I realized that I had bone loss and kidney stress from the hypercalcemia that comes with hyperparathyroidism, I stopped taking Prilosec in the first quarter of this year. I was still having some acid reflux, but never the tear-inducing wake-you-up pain of before, and I was able to treat it with normal antacids (which did not put a dent in my GERD before). Side note: my symptoms improved noticeably after my parathyroid removal.

As my acid reflux became more prevalent and intrusive, I googled "Flovent and acid reflux." It's not common, but some asthma medicines can relax the lower esophageal sphincter, thus allowing acid to travel up the esophagus. 

Desperate to keep my asthma at bay while still being able to do things like sit down and go to sleep without having my chest on fire, I searched and was able to find a way to get the Wixela for $50 a month at a pharmacy more out of the way than the one we typically use.

Would I have been willing to pay $50 at the beginning of this experience? Meh. Probably not. If the Flovent had worked as well as it used to AND I hadn't had acid reflux, it would have been fine. But from here on out, I'm going to pay my 50 bucks and thank my lucky stars that our insurance jerked me around so much with different options so that I found this one!

I took the Wixela yesterday and was able to lie down last night and sleep all night with zero burning. So, yay! Some people try to avoid medicines at all costs, but, man, the quality of life that some of them offer is just an absolute miracle. Big Pharma? Boo!! But I can't quit them because they're truly just so so good at what they do.

The End of My Crocs Era?

For probably the better part of a decade, all of my shoes were Crocs. I LOVED Crocs. I was a Crocs evangelist! People think they're ugly? Who cares?! Wear what you like! You can't argue with the comfort!

But something happened...

A weird thing about my Crocs obsession was that I don't actually like their clogs. I don't find clogs comfortable, and because I have very high arches, the tops of my feet are up higher than most feet, I suppose. Clogs give me blisters. 

The good thing, though, is that Crocs used to make all kinds of styles of shoes beyond just their clogs. 

During the past few years, it seems like they've tightened up their lines. They're all made of that rubbery Crocs material, and they're mostly variations of clogs. They have platform shoes, sandals, and even rain boots. But they're all the same hard material and the past couple of pairs I've ordered, I had to send back because they were too big or too uncomfortable.

I think I'm done ordering Crocs... for me. Mal still loves them. Regardless, I'm sad that this go-to for me is no longer an option. 

And so, to honor the Crocs of the past, let's stroll through some of the Crocs I've worn (and worn out) in the past ten years...

I almost never need rain boots but I do still have these and wear them in rain and snow!

Cute Mary Janes I could wear AND dip my feet into a pond/fountain in downtown Dallas.

I LOVED these; they have the Croc material sole but stretchy fabric uppers.

Adorable boat shoes with a fake leather thread.

I still wear these shoes, sans lining, when I'm working outside.

Little yellow and blue print on white flats.

Blue floral print on a black background.

Okay, these were Mal's. But they were the same-ish as my shoes with Croc bottoms and cloth uppers

Another pair of Mary Janes. They were translucent! And so flexible.

Heels that look strappy and complicated but aren't. I still have these and wear them extremely rarely, but they're surprisingly comfortable.

 Fare thee well, Crocs! I'll miss all of the fun we had.