These are weird times at present. All of our close friends and family have been vaccinated locally (and around the country), other than the children, which is a whole different worry. But things feel safer locally than they have in a very long time.

At the same time, the COVID transmission rates among the unvaccinated population is the highest it’s ever been. We’re looking at phase rollbacks in this state. And India…. what’s happening in India right now is just utterly heartbreaking.

Bittersweet isn’t the right word, but I’m not sure that the English language at least has a word for this feeling. Within our bubble, things are looking up. But unless we can tackle this pandemic globally, things aren’t really looking up.

Friday’s Frugal Five

1. My mother in law is finally fully vaccinated! She’s past the two week wait after her second shot, which means we’re able to be together in a way we haven’t in more than a year. And hugs!

She had been helping with the kiddo during the week, but masked up, all outside time is tough for any length of time. This past week, she was able to come INSIDE our house, and I was able to head into the office. I know not everyone wants to escape the work from home life, but I’m very happy with being back in the office three days a week now.

2. We did a lot more work on the chicken coop over the last week, and it’s starting to look like a coop and not just a generic framed structure. The nesting boxes are in, and so is the full side panel above them.

This coop is a lot more work – and expense – than the simplest one we could build, but living on the forest as we do, we need to make sure that it’s secure from a whole host of predators and rodents.

We headed back to Dunn Lumber for a few more materials we needed beyond the salvaged ones we had, and I spent another $500 on entirely too little. Lumber prices are bananas right now, and I am so thankful that we haven’t had to buy everything new. Backyard chickens are definitely not the frugal option, at least for a number of years.

3. A coworker dropped off more leggings and stretchy work pants for me! Considering those are the only pants I wear these days (the only ones that fit), I was extremely thankful for the bag of clothes left in my desk.

I’m not buying new clothes for this new heavier body of mine, because I do have plans to get back into them. I know I’m not the only one who is sitting larger than I ever have, and I’m trying to give myself grace. I don’t like it, but I also realize it is something that many of us are dealing with thanks to this ongoing pandemic, and it will be okay.

4. Someone from my local Buy Nothing group came by and picked up a full tote of train tracks and train related items. We actually got them as hand me down from another friend years ago, and it feels good to be passing them along to another little boy who is in the train loving stage.

If you aren’t a part of your local Buy Nothing community, I highly recommend it. I say community, because ours at least is not simply a group of people passing stuff back and forth. I think there’s something about being in a local group of people dedicated to wasting less that brings you together in a real way.

5. The episode of Bigger Pockets Money I recorded last month aired this week. We talked a lot about the psychology behind money management, and in particular leaving retirement funds for retirement.

I had a blast talking with Mindy and Scott, and I think this is one of my favorite podcasts I’ve recorded to date. If you want to check it out, here’s the direct link, or you can just search Bigger Pockets Money on whatever podcast app you use.

Exercise Update

My heel has still been bugging me a bit since those ill fated squat jumps last week, so I babied my heel a bit. Friday was a half hour of stairs and then a long walk with the dogs.

Saturday we went on another new to us hike at the Evans Creek Preserve in Sammamish. A rainy hike, but a beautiful one. Sunday was work on the coop and in the garden plus a couple of walks.

Monday was ten minutes of stair walking, a twenty minute run, and a half hour of weights. Tuesday was two hours of walking, but nothing else, and Wednesday was the same. Thursday we worked on the coop, and we were able to get the kiddo out for a twenty minute run, though it was 77 degrees and he wasn’t loving it.

How are you holding up these days?