Thankful & Thrifty

Frugal Friday August 7, 2026

2026-08-07T11:18:11.043-07:00

I have picked quarts and quarts of wild blueberries, many in the freezer, ready to top our oatmeal this winter. Last year, because of frost and drought, there were no blueberries at all, so I am most grateful.

Nearly every evening, I spend 15-30 minutes doing online surveys with the company Ipsos. I use the points to get monthly amazon gifts cards, which I redeem when I reach $25 worth-about once a month. If you are interested in doing surveys online, this is my referral link. I have been very happy with this company.

I buy groceries with the survey money. Generally speaking, the amazon grocery brand is the cheapest, and on par with Walmart prices. This month, I purchased 3 pounds of almonds for $18 and 24 k-cups for $5. We don't have a Keurig at home, but I use them at work.

Speaking of work, I was given a birthday voucher to use in the hospital cafeteria. Since I work nights and the cafeteria is closed, I used it to buy bagels and muffins on my way out of work one morning.

I was helping plan a birthday party for a friend and searched for word games online. Specifically, I created a word search using her name and other words related to her. Ready & printed in about 5 minutes and completely free. The internet really has so many resources.

Enjoying summer while I can.

As usual, I hung clothes on the line, made meals at home, and walked every day for exercise.

What did you do to save money this week?

My Frugal Birthday Week!

2026-08-01T13:18:23.780-07:00

My birthday was on Wednesday this week. We decided to go hiking along the Bold Coast in Cutler. Not frugal, but for my gift, we did go out for lunch at a restaurant my son recommended. The Nook & Cranny, in Baileyville. It is actually rated one of the top 5 in Maine; highly recommend! At $32, it was quite reasonable, and the seafood crepe was delish. For gifts, I received cash, gift cards and a hand painted family tree from my artsy daughter. 💗

Isn't it lovely???

I did have a birthday freebie on my McDonald's app, which I used to pick up a chicken sandwich. Sadly, I no longer live in the land of loads of birthday freebies, but I still wouldn't trade locations!

On the way to our hike, we stopped at the Mardens in Calais, and I used the rest of my free gift card, so it felt like another little gift. I picked up some cereal, pasta, snack mix and crackers.

I cut my husband's hair, as I have for the last 34 years.

I picked more wild blueberries, green beans and zucchini.

We have a naturalized flower garden area on our property, which we have affectionately named "Aunt Hazel's Garden," since she started it over 50 years ago. (Free sign painted on an old cupboard door by my daughter, Abby). We have been trying to add shade loving wild flowers, which we find in the woods. Some of our neighbors have also shared some flowers with us, which we've planted in various locations.

Morning Glory and Hollyhock from Belinda

My husband needed some stain for the outside of the sauna he is building on our property. On Amazon, it was $45 for 1 gallon or $180 for 5 gallons ($36/gal) I searched for better online deals, and ended up finding a sale at Blaine's Farm & Fleet, and even paying for shipping (5.99), it ended up being $32/gal. It's always worth your time to search.

How did you save money this week?

Frugal Friday Update

2026-07-24T12:33:14.819-07:00

This week I picked about a quart of blueberries in the field down the road. (I asked permission first.) Considering these are $4/pint in the store, I saved about $8.00 These are wild, Maine low bush blueberries, which are much smaller than their cultivated cousins. I love them for muffins and pancakes. I spread them on a cookie sheet before I freeze them and put them in a Ziploc. They don't clump together this way.

I've also been picking our cultivated raspberries, which are technically free since a neighbor gave us the plants when he was getting rid of them. These are my favorite fruit...LOVE them with cream and a little sugar. It's been dessert pretty much all week.

I've also harvested green beans and greens for salad--spinach, chard, beets, arugula and cilantro. The garden has been slow this year, but we should be harvesting more soon.

A neighbor gave us 3 pounds of pork ribs from a pig he slaughtered. I cooked them in the slow cooker for 8 hours with a dry rub recipe I found online, and they were SO GOOD. Fall off the bone tender. We got 3 meals out of them. Thanks, neighbor!!!

I used a free $25 gift card from Mardens (for those not in the know, Mardens is the Maine version of Big Lots) to pick up some groceries. The gift card came as a result of participating in a promotion they are running. There are 14 stores statewide, and if you visit 7, they give you a $25 gift card and a Marden's travel mug. If you visit all 14, you get $100 and a goodie bag, I have until the end of 2026 to hit 5 more stores, but I don't know if that will happen or not. Driving to them just for the promo would not be worth the gas. Deals at Mardens aren't as good as they used to be, but I did pick up:

26 ounces of peanuts-$3.99

a loaf of whole wheat bread-$2.49

6 bagels: $2.49

In our town, we have a local "swap shop" that an individual manages. Basically, you can pick up and drop off usable items for free. I stopped by on the way to a friends camp and picked up a half box of coffee filters, a vintage cookie jar, 2 books, a full pack of diapers (for when the grands visit) and a Longaberger magazine basket with a plastic liner. I also dropped off a couple of books. I conservatively estimate these items to be worth at least $50.

I also hung clothes on the line and walked at least 2 miles every day.

What did you do to save money this week?

How I've Saved Money Lately

2026-07-17T11:47:34.480-07:00

I don't know that volunteering is really considered saving money, but the organization saves money by not having to pay employees! I have been volunteering as a camp nurse for over 20 years. Living Waters, in Weston, Maine, is near and dear to my heart as I went there as a camper back in the 80s. This is my way of giving back, and in exchange, I don't have to prepare or clean up meals for a whole week, which is a great perk, in my opinion! If you have children, most camps let your kids attend free while you are working. If you are nurse, it's something to consider. Many, many camps need medical staff, and some pay a modest stipend.

I love eating what I can harvest myself. This is a picture of a recent lunch when my family was home: Smelts (caught by my son & husband) and Fiddlehead Casserole. Both the smelts and fiddleheads were harvested in late spring and frozen for later use.

While our family was visiting from out of state, we shared many meals together (47, to be exact) , making 99% of our meals at home. I saved money by stocking up months ahead of time and then utilizing the pantry and freezer. The photo below is my husband and grandson carrying water to put out the campfire after a hotdog roast, which ended with smores, of course.

Before family arrived, we did a renovation of our 2nd bath, replacing a single sink with a double and also replacing the toilet. we painted and added a new mirror and lights. Doing the work ourselves saved hundreds of dollars. (I'm grateful my husband is handyman!) We bought everything for the project on Amazon (except the toilet and paint) and took advantage of free shipping, no small thing in rural Maine.

I get outside everyday and take time to enjoy creation. It is the best therapy and walking is excellent exercise.

We traveled locally during spring break, going just a few hours north to Northern Maine and New Brunswick, Canada. I used points for a free hotel night and did free activities like hiking and visiting local sites. This is the mill that shares international sites in Madawaska, Maine and Edmunston, NB.

Pussy Willows are free decor. They were my mom's favorite harbingers of spring.

What have you been doing to save money in this economy?

Two Unusual Ways I've Made Extra Money

2022-01-19T13:57:00.002-08:00

Greetings from snowy Maine. I have been enjoying the winter months and a slower pace. We have been back in Maine seven months now, and I while I have not yet committed to a full time job, I have been trying to pull in some extra cash each month. I discovered a couple unconventional ways to make a buck, so I thought I would share them with you!

I accidentally happened upon medical research studies while searching for locations where I could have a colonoscopy completed near my home. I found two different companies that were offering payment via gift cards to take part in research trials regarding colon cancer screening. I signed up for both of them. One entailed getting a blood draw, and for the other I had to send in a stool sample. For both, I needed to meet certain criteria (age, health history, etc) and I needed to have the colonoscopy already scheduled. Neither company actually pays for the colonoscopy itself, but my insurance covered this.

The first is called "the colon screening study," and they sent me a kit about 2 weeks before the colonoscopy was scheduled. I had to collect and return a stool sample via Fed Ex overnight delivery, so I did have to make sure I could send it on a day that was guaranteed to get it there within 48 hours. They paid $50 when I returned the sample and another $150.00 after they got the results of the colonoscopy. There were dozens of choices for gift cards, which was really nice. Here is the link if you are interested.

The second company is Science 37. They actually sent someone to my home to collect a blood sample about 2 weeks before the colonoscopy. The man who came was an EMT and was very professional and fast. No issues at all. I am still working with the surgeons office to get the results faxed, but I have no reason to believe I won't be paid. They are giving $250.00 in gift cards. Here is the link.

A second unconventional way I am making extra money is signing up for bank and credit card accounts that give you a bonus for opening an account. I have done this periodically in the past, but found this channel on youtube, which took it to a whole other level! (John, who creates these videos, is taking a little break, but I am hoping he returns soon.) In the last 10 months, I have made over $3000.00 signing up for different accounts. Most banks require you to do a direct deposit and some want you to complete a number of transactions and keep the account open for a certain period of time. Most can be completed online. Banks are always changing these bonuses, but you can always search "what banks have the best sign on bonuses" to see what is currently available. I opened accounts with both Chase and Citi.

While I was living internationally, I focused on credit cards that gave good travel bonuses, but now that I am home, I am all about the cash! I recently signed up for the Capital One Quicksilver card, which gave a $200 cash bonus for a $500 spend (then I used my referral link to sign my husband up for the same card to get an extra $150!). I also signed up for the Chase Freedom Card, which also gave a $200 bonus for a $500 spend. Neither has an annual fee. Here are my referral links if you are interested:

Capital One

Chase Freedom

I have also: collected bottles and cans along the roadside (these are returnable for money in Maine), completed several online surveys, done some mystery shops with this company, sold some items on facebook marketplace and ebay, and taught first aid and CPR classes as an instructor with the American Red Cross.

I'd love to know what you do to make extra money.

MERRY CHRISTMAS from MAINE! (a 2021 recap)

2021-12-16T14:39:00.001-08:00

Greetings from Lakeville, Maine, our now permanent home as of June 2021. It's been quite a year for everyone it seems, and we are no exception. One of my goals in 2022 is to post regularly on this blog, going back to my frugal roots, but I woke up this morning and thought, "Why wait?" So here I am!

As most of you know, we spent the last nine years living in Hong Kong. In the fall of 2020, our contracts were up, and we had to make a decision as to whether or not we would sign again. We loved our jobs and our life in Hong Kong, but there were several factors that led my husband and I to mutually decide it was time to "come home." Our children were all back in the US and grandchildren were/are coming, the situation between Hong Kong and Mainland China was/is changing and Covid changed so much about being able to travel--that is to say, it basically shut down travel for us. So, we shipped 7 boxes, packed up 6 suitcases and headed back to Maine!

Here's a visual of our last few months in Hong Kong, because pictures say so much.

The wet market where I shopped regularly.

My last pineapple bun (no pineapple used!)

Saying goodbye to our school.

Frangipani flowers--so fragrant!

Trail behind our apartment that led to the mountains.

Our farewell dinner with beloved colleagues.

I do miss Asian cuisine. Spring rolls at Ruam.

A hike to our favorite beach.

Ham Tin Beach

Tea at the Peninsula Hotel with my fellow school nurse.

A view of Victoria Harbor from the 103 floor of the Ritz Carlton.

Afternoon tea at the Conrad Hilton.

Chinese New Year lanterns on Lee Tung Avenue.

While there are things we do miss about Hong Kong, we have not regretted our decision to move home. Mike is currently working part time (every other day) at East Grand School in Danforth, about a 45 minute drive. I am doing a little bit of "per diem" work as a nurse while I figure out when/where I want to go full time. We are looking forward to having the whole family together for a week at Christmas.

So until the new year, I leave with some more visuals that made coming home wonderfully easy:

One of the first snows.

Looking out the cabin window on Thanksgiving day.

Impromptu trip to Myrtle Beach to visit a friend.

I'd never seen the loons with autumn colors.

My beloved camp, Living Waters, where I volunteer as a nurse each summer.

Home sweet home.

Our road.

Duck Lake

Foraging Comb's Tooth and Chicken of the Woods Mushrooms.

A drive along Some's Sound.

My husband and son at the Smash Up Derby/Springfield Fair.

Riding in my Father in Law's Model A on a visit to Michigan.

Family Reunions

I was able to work for the Maine Army National Guard youth camp this summer.

Sunset at the cabin.

This is what it's all about.

Tell me what you've been up to

I'll be back in 2022!

Shelftember: Or How I shopped at Home and only Spent $104 (810 HKD) for Groceries Last Month.

2020-10-01T02:04:00.005-07:00

I love a good challenge, and during this travel-less school year, I decided that I would make it a goal to save as much as possible, so when one of my favorite frugal bloggers (Jordan Page @ Fun, Cheap or Free) announced her Shelftember challenge for the month of September, I was all in. The basic premise is that you "shop" from your shelves first (pantry, freezer, fridge) to see what you have available before going to the grocery store. This ensures that items are not getting lost in the back/bottom and that you are actually using what you have on hand, before it expires or starts to mold. As a bonus challenge, you are only supposed to spend $25 USD a week on groceries, no matter the size of your family. Not gonna lie: it wasn't as easy as I thought it would be! Hong Kong groceries are quite a bit higher in general for items like meat, dairy and baking supplies. On the other hand, fresh fruits and vegetables can usually be found for less at the local markets.

I began each week writing a menu (nothing new) based on what we had and then ONLY buying the few fresh things I needed. It was not a month to "stock up." I ended up baking more than normal-bread, bagels, muffins and cookies, to name a few. I'd never tried bagels before; it wasn't that difficult, but it was time consuming. I used sesame seeds and a Mideastern spice mix that I had on hand for toppings.

I also tried a couple of new recipes, including this Thai Pomelo Salad, which was delicious. Pomelos are like giant grapefruit. Check out the thickness of the skin!

I should also note that we did spend one night at the Conrad Hilton (on a free night voucher), and because of my Diamond status, a perk of my Amex credit card, we were upgraded to a large suite, which came with TWO fruit plates and a box of 12 handmade chocolates. NICE. That was 14 pieces of fruit that you can bet came home with me.

During the month, the school provided breakfast, lunch and snacks for 2 Pro-D days. We also didn't give up our Friday night date night, but we still ate the majority of our meals at home. We had people over for 3 different meals and I provided food for another family for one meal. We also ate at friends' houses for 3 meals.

Will I participate next year? If I remember, I probably will. It was a worthy challenge and one I would recommend. I didn't quite make the $25 a week, but $26 wasn't too far off.

Masks, Germs and other Covid Thoughts from an American Nurse Living in Asia

2020-05-02T06:46:00.003-07:00

Photo Op for the Ronald McDonald House of Hong Kong

This post is especially for my US friends who have messaged me with questions about masks, quarantines, and other Covid questions. I haven't been compelled to write a post about this because 1) who needs yet one more virus article? and 2) I am no more qualified to give an opinion than any other average Joe on the street. But here goes.

The main reason we are asked frequent questions is that we have been working from home since February 3, or "dealing with this virus mess" longer than most of the world, and we are in Hong Kong, which, as most of you know, has an amazing track record of dealing with the virus. Our first confirmed case was January 23, and as of today, there are just 1040 cases and only 4 deaths. This is a city of 7.5 million people that shares a border with mainland China. To put this in perspective, New York City has 8.4 million people, 170,000 cases and 13,168 deaths. They are also 8000 miles away from China and didn't have their first confirmed case until March 1. (I realize it is likely both cities had unconfirmed cases before then.) In other words, NYC had a big "heads up" regarding this. So why the differences? Here are my observations.

Back around the end of December/ (beginning of January?), I was at work--I'm a school nurse at an International School--when I saw an article about a strange new virus in China. Back then, it was believed to only be connected to one market in Wuhan and wasn't thought to be spreading person to person. Didn't seem so serious to me, but guess what? Within a week, Hong Kongers were wearing masks even more than normal during flu season. My colleague in purchasing asked me about our mask supply. When my husband asked his students about it, mentioning that the new virus was not believed to spread person to person, the students all said, "Nobody trusts China."

We already had plans to fly home to Maine for Chinese New Year, and we left Hong Kong January 22, the day before Wuhan closed its borders. When we returned to Hong Kong a couple weeks later, the whole city was wearing masks and there was a major run on them, toilet paper, and cleaning supplies, even though at the time, the government here, trying to thwart panic buying, told us masks were not necessary unless we were symptomatic. Again, Hong Kongers said, "We don't trust the government," and they wore their masks anyway, lining up for hours to buy them.

You also need to realize that in 2002, SARS hit Hong Kong in a big way, and that is in the collective memory of most of the city. They don't mess around. As I mentioned, even during a normal year, you will see a good portion of the population wearing masks during flu season. They are diligent about using hand sanitizer (they have little bottles hooked to their bags) and they use a tissue or their keys to push the elevator buttons. (They don't, as a rule, wear disposable gloves though.) Public areas like escalators and bathrooms are sanitized every hour or two. Temperatures are checked upon entering buildings. When the city had only a handful of cases, the decision was made to close schools (they still haven't reopened). All non-essential government agencies closed, and private businesses were encouraged to allow employees to work from home. No one had to tell them twice. The streets were pretty much empty for a month or so. But here's an interesting bit: parks, beaches, restaurants, hair salons, grocers, retail shops and public transportation were never shut down. Granted, these places were pretty much empty, because even without a mandatory "shelter at home" order, hardly anyone went out. What I'm trying to get at is this: Hong Kongers did on their own what most governments had to force upon their people.

So what happened? Through mid March, our cases remained very, very low. People got out and about more, and perhaps became a little less careful. But then as city residents, especially students, who were living abroad started coming home because cases were getting worse around the world, they brought a lot of imported cases with them, and our numbers rose. This brought on stricter measures: restaurants are only allowed to operate at 50% capacity, nail salons and bars are closed and groups of 4 or more are not allowed in public. (This is a tricky one, because public places have way more than 4 people, but I guess they aren't technically "together?") Most shops remain open and only those coming from abroad are quarantined.

Finding someone without a mask it not easy. A street in Mong Kok last week.

So that leaves us where we are now. For the last two weeks or so, we've had many days of zero or single digit new cases. People once again are out and about more. There is talk of possibly allowing some students to return to school by the end of May. It's looking good.

So what's my biggest take away? Hands down, I believe the biggest difference here is that everyone wears masks. They wear them because they don't know if they are silent carriers and they don't want to infect you. They wear them because they don't know if you are a silent carrier and they don't want your germs. They wear them because it is now a cultural norm and it is considered rude if you don't--not to mention the risk you run of getting the major side-eye (or worse) from a Cantonese grannie half your size. Wearing a mask is not a moral issue, so even though I have mixed feelings on the efficacy of them, I wear one, because, well, it can't hurt.

I know that you can find scientific studies that say that masks aren't 100% effective in viral spread, and that is absolutely true. Viruses are tiny, tiny, tiny, and they can get through all but the most industrial grade N95 respirator masks. Even these are ineffective unless they are worn properly. (We had to have special training on how to wear these at the hospital where I worked in the US before we could care for isolation patients.) But let's face it, masks at least help somewhat or doctors and nurses wouldn't wear them. And any type of material will minimize the spray of a cough or sneeze; this is what we are going for. Viruses can be airborne, but they also are in droplets when you cough. It's the reason we teach little kids to "cover your cough;" germs spread more easily if you don't. Looking at Hong Kong, I have to believe that the vast majority of the population wearing masks before the virus really took hold, along with early social distancing measures, played a major role in keeping the numbers down.

We are not mask Nazis. We wear them when around people, but not when walking in open spaces.

So these are my thoughts at the moment. I reserve the right to change my opinion at any time (trust me, it happens often)...and if your opinion is different, I still like you!!

Frugal Living During the Covid-19 Outbreak

2020-02-20T01:17:00.000-08:00

This has been quite a month! If you are reading this post, I can say with certainty that you are aware of the current virus outbreak, which has turned our little world upside down. The school where we work has not physically been in session since January 22; currently, the plan is that students will return March 16, but that is subject to change. Teachers are trying their best to keep students busy. Lessons are posted online daily, with weekly (at least) face to face sessions via the internet.

While the teachers are having to get creative and totally change the way they teach classes, support staff like myself, while having to keep up with certain aspects of our given jobs, have more down time, and I am embracing the change of pace and seeing it as a gift. (My crazy will start when those kiddos come back to school all stressed out about every sneeze and cough!) But for now, with almost all outside activities cancelled (including church, volunteer work and planned travel) and trying to avoid crowded areas, my life is revolving around books, movies, cooking and extra time to pray and reflect. Call us naive, but we really aren't very concerned personally about catching the virus. At this point, there still aren't very many cases in Hong Kong and the city seems to have it under control. Please don't see this as my being dismissive of all the hurt, death and chaos that this virus has dumped on the world...it's just that I need to deal with it in the best way I know how, for me, right now, and that means not worrying and daily rolling with what's right before me.

Since we were here for Valentine's day, I made Shrimp Scampi (one of my 2020 goals is at least one new recipe a week) and had that with a side of baby green beans.

I also made these delicious Fully Loaded Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Bars, which I found on one of my favorite blogs. You can get the recipe here. Highly recommended. (I didn't add the raisins and they were still amazing). My husband gave them 2 thumbs up also.

There are certain items that people seem to be "panic buying," among them, bread, toilet paper and rice. Thankfully, I had all the ingredients for yeast bread on hand and have been making my own.

I also decided to use this time to finally schedule an appointment with a dermatologist to have a couple of questionable blemishes checked. She said neither were skin cancer (yeah!) and I used my time in the city to take advantage of a Starbucks gift card to get myself a croissant and a cappuccino. The place was half empty, unheard of on a normal day in Hong Kong. It was nice to chill and people watch for awhile.

I remember when I was a kid, my mom collected S&H Green Stamps and redeemed them for various household goods. Always an exciting day when she had saved enough to get what she wanted!

Here in Hong Kong, the grocery store Wellcome (yes, it's spelled that way), has a similar program. I don't usually shop enough to get a "prize," but this time I succeeded.

I turned in my 50 stickers for a nifty pair of new kitchen sheers and I'm pretty pumped about it!

The same store also gave out coupon booklets over the Chinese New Year holiday, (coupons aren't much a of a thing here), and I was able to get 10 HKD ($1.30 US) off 50 HKD ($6.40 US) for fresh berries. It's the little wins.

Today, I went for a walk and stopped at Park n Shop, another local grocer. They had this 6 pack of string cheese for 10 HKD ($1.30 USD). That's crazy super cheap here, so I bought the only 2 packs there.

I'm also reading several books (I always have more than one going at a time) that were either from the free table at work or free on my kindle. And Mike and I are watching some episodes of Maine Cabin Masters. If you haven't watched it, you should. Well, if you like fixer-uppers, and Maine, and cabins...let's just say we like it!

Have a wonderful day, friends. Embrace whatever season you are in and find the gifts that are there, no matter how hard you have to look to find them.

10 Thankful, Thrifty Things: Cheap Tickets, Free Hotels, CNY and Saving Soap...

2020-01-18T05:38:00.001-08:00

Chinese New Year is next week, and that means festivities are ramping up here in Hong Kong. I always look forward to this time of year. Firecrackers, orange trees, dragon dances, cherry blossoms, traditional foods...so much fun!

I'm also thankful for The Ronald McDonald House and all they do for families around the world. I was blessed to volunteer at the RMH here in Hong Kong today. One of the regular local volunteers, Candy, makes the most amazing homemade Hot Chili Sauce. Today, I mentioned how much I like it and she gave me a jar! Thank you, Candy!

I'm also thankful that it is raining in Australia. My friend and former coworker, Jane, posted this picture today. I think it is a touching shot. (PC Pamela Schramm.)

We are part of a wonderful international community. Last week, we had a little gathering of "awoks"(adults with out kids--(at home:)). Some were back visiting, some are getting ready to leave, and some of us still call this city home for right now. New Zealand, US, and Canada all represented here. Thankful for these people who love Jesus and love each other, and thankful for the Autys who hosted.

Our son needed to fly home earlier than he had originally thought because of some college issues. American Airlines wanted to charge us $3000.00 USD!!!! to change our ticket to an earlier day. That was NOT going to happen. I had some points with the same airline, but since it was a last minute flight, I was looking at 120K points for a one way economy ticket from HK to Philly. I didn't have or want to use that many points, but I kept checking several times a day, and sure enough, a business/first class ticket showed up for 70K points and $62, so I snagged it. My son got the enviable opportunity to fly in a sweet lay flat seat for his 13 hour flight, after his steak dinner. I have never been able to do that. And that, my friends, is nothing but mother love. Here he is back in Philly with his girlfriend.

A few things on the thrifty front:

I have a pair of slippers that were wearing through on the the bottom. I found a child's fleece jacket on the free table at work, and it yielded enough material to add two extra layers to the bottom of my slippers. I cut them out and rough-stitched them in. Not only are they softer, they are much "cushier."

How many small, almost used bars of soap can you add to a bigger bar? In this case, the answer is three.

I told my kids that the only thing I wanted for Christmas was cheese and coffee, and they delivered! This is only a portion, but today we enjoyed some Wisconsin Cheddar from Abby and some Starbucks from Lee, (who happens to work there).

I know it's a little thing, but I get free trash bags every month from our apartment security guards. We get a receipt in our mailbox when our landlord pays the management fees, and our guards stamp it and give us our free trash bags. It makes me smile every time!

I needed to get in a free night at a hotel within the IHG group before my annual certificate expired, so last Friday, Mike and I spent the night at the Crowne Plaza in Causeway Bay. Had a little fruit platter waiting for us, and we had nice view. Room was comfy and we slept in. What more can you ask for?

In other news, we are trying to eat up all the leftovers before Chinese New Year break begins next week. Do you know where we are going? I'll let you guess!

Thanks for those who participated in my contest a week or so ago. The winner was Jon Seah, who correctly guessed 4 out of 5 of our favorite eats.

That's a wrap for this week. Tell me...what are you most grateful for this week?

22 Ideas that are Helping Me Declutter My Life

2020-01-11T00:37:00.001-08:00

We all know it. We are consumed by STUFF and it drives us crazy. And yet, somehow, we can never quite conquer the piles. Oh, sister (and brother) I am right there with you. Living in Hong Kong in 425+-sf, I sometimes start feeling smug. "Look at me," I tell myself," I have all I need right here in this tiny space. I am amazing! Who needs a McMansion?"

My tiny kitchen in Hong Kong.

Then I remember that I have a 2700 sf home in the US that is full. (1800 sf of living space, plus a basement/attic that are jam packed.)

Our home in Maine. (PC the fantastic Morgan Wiley)

I am quite naturally a hoarder. I am sentimental. I love anything antique. Items received from any member of my family are precious to me and I feel like I am giving away a part of my soul when I part with them. OK...maybe a slight exaggeration, but still. I like to be be prepared. I hate to waste. These are just a few of the many reasons that is it difficult for me to part with...anything.

My grandson, Calvin, playing with a safe that belonged to his great, great, great, great grandfather.

The last few years, I have been making a concerted effort to scale back, minimalize, declutter...call it what you will, but here are some thoughts that have helped me. I am a work in in progress.

1) Only keep one or two items from a loved one. This is one idea that has helped me immensely. I remember when my Great Aunt Blanche died and my mom had me chose some items to keep. For some reason, I felt I could never part with any of those items since they came from her. Now I have narrowed down my selection and saved items that are actually useful, like her bread box, which sits on my counter in Maine and her picnic basket, which I actually use.

Aunt Blanche's picnic basket in our borrowed canoe.

The reality is, my attachment to those items will mean nothing to my kids, who don't even remember this aunt.

Lilacs from my Mom's bush. Everything in this photo has sentimental value.

2) Ask yourself if you've used it in the past year. There will always be items that we keep that don't fit this category--certain tools, craft supplies, books-you get the idea, but for me it has been best applied to clothing and dishes.

3) Is it a rarely used item that you could borrow and/or rent if needed? We borrow items like extension ladders, baby equipment, air mattresses and power tools. We are always happy to lend items also.

4) Do you want to leave this to your family to deal with? This thought is what keeps me motivated. I have heard so many nightmare stories about "cleaning out" Gramma's/Dad's/Uncle's house. All these "things" that represented a whole lifetime, and no one is interested. I'd like to save my family the hassle as much as possible.

5) Can something else you have do the job just as well? How many kitchen gadgets do you really need? Small appliances are a huge money drain and space saver. That fancy yogurt maker? You can probably use your crock pot. The new instapot you were gifted for Christmas? Time to hand off your slow cooker because now you have an appliance that does the same thing.

6) Is it online and on paper? I save many of my tax receipts in a folder online now. No need to print them. Likewise with recipes and owner's manual, most can be found online these days.

7) Clothing? Does it even look good on you anymore? Do you have 20 sweaters, 40 pairs of shoes? You know what to do.

8) Scale photos back to about 20 per trip. I try to delete photos from my phone at the end of everyday while we are travelling and only save the best shots of the day. I need to go through my boxes of printed photos. I know I have duplicates.

Every time I go to Macau, I take this photo. Seriously? How many do I need?

9) Does it make sense to sell the item and invest the money? I have some jewelry that I never wear. I doubt that anyone in my family would wear it either. I am contemplating selling some of it and investing the money elsewhere.

10) If you had to move to 300 sf, would you take it with you? Pretty self explanatory.

11) Can it serve someone else better? I have too many winter coats. I'm pretty sure there are people who need a warm coat. Time to pass some of them along.

12) How many of any particular item do you need? Random coffee mugs. Scarves. Half burned candles. Sample sizes from hotel stays. You know what I'm talking about. You know what to do.

13) Can you sell it and use the money for something that will make you happier? I use this as a challenge to myself sometimes. While I was planning one of our trips, I really wanted to stay in certain hotel that was out of my price range. I challenged myself to sell enough items to pay for the difference in room prices. Effective.

14) Can you give it to a family member now rather than later? I had a ring that belonged to my Great Uncle. It was a simple gold wedding band. I decided to give it to another cousin who was closer to this uncle. He was happy; I was happy. The ring stayed in the family.

15) Does it cost you more for upkeep than it is worth? Case in point: our 1991 Honda Accord. I love this car. I really do, and it has been a great vehicle up until the last few years when it started nickel and diming us like the old vintage car it is. It's time to let it go and quit paying the annual registration, insurance and inspection fees. Especially since we only use it for 7 weeks every summer.

16) Seasonal decor is nice, but can you simplify? It's easy to let seasonal decor get out of hand. One year when we were first married, my husband was gifted a ceramic village house. I found another I liked at a yard sale. The collection kept growing. As pretty as it is when it's all set up, truth be told, I don't really enjoy it anymore. I need to pass it on or sell it.

17) For everything you bring in, send one out. Twice a year, the ladies at the school where I work have a clothing exchange. My goal is to never bring more home than I donate.

An outfit from a few years back.

18) A decluttered home looks cleaner. I read somewhere that a refrigerator with nothing on it looks much cleaner that one that is covered with magnets, pictures, coupons and takeout menus. It's true. Think about it. Both may be equally clean, but perception is reality.

19) The bigger the space, the more you need to fill it. Downsize. Smaller home. Smaller vehicle. Less storage containers. Get. Rid. Of. Things. Don't give yourself more storage options, get rid of the stuff you were going to store.

20) Does it bring you joy? Marie Kondo made millions after her book "The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up" became an international best seller. Her key question? Does it spark joy? I read her books, and I did learn some very helpful tips. I changed the way I organize my closet and fold my clothes. I learned to work with the storage space I have rather than buy more shelves. I did actually get rid of some items that I really disliked, but kept because I thought I should.

21) Don't be afraid to ask for help. A few years ago, a younger colleague of mine was wanting to get rid of some of her clothing. She thought she had too much, but was afraid she would not be ruthless enough. I spent an afternoon with her and helped her evaluate. She got rid of several large bags of clothing.

22) Can you re-purpose something? Several years ago, my cousin gave us a wooden boat that he had built in the 1960s. It has brought us lots of joy, but my husband has been having to repair leaks every summer lately. When the time comes, we are planning to turn the boat into a bookshelf in our cabin.

These are few ideas that have been helping me. I'd love to hear what you would add to the list!

How Well Do You Know Us??--Win $25 Gift Card

2020-01-05T00:18:00.000-08:00

While our kids were all here with us, we told them they were responsible to provide one meal for the entire family. They could buy groceries and prepare the meal, or take everyone out to eat. Everyone chose going out to eat. I thought choices were interesting, so here's a fun little game for you: match the restaurant with the right Cliff for a chance to win a $25 Amazon gift card. First person to correctly guess all 6 on facebook or the blog wins! Contest will close on January 12, unless someone guesses correctly earlier. If no one guesses them all correctly, I will pick the person who gets the most right. (My kids...sorry...you can't vote!)

Although kids' spouses did help pick, for the sake of ease, just list a number with the following names: Mike, Trish, Abby, Will, Aaron, Lee---numbers below:

1) Paisano's Pizza

2) McDonalds: (Are Chicken Nuggets the Universal Kid Favorite?)

3) Bafang Dumplings with Bubble Milk Tea

4) Ichanzo Sushi

5) Hot Star Fried Chicken

6) Macanese Pork Buns

15 Recent Frugal Wins and Losses

2020-01-03T04:42:00.000-08:00

A new year is upon us, and like most of us at the beginning of a new year, I'm feeling a bit reflective and am in the midst of coming up with a new set of goals for 2020. We had all our children and their families here in Hong Kong for Christmas. With a total of 10 now, it was a bit chaotic and crazy, but all kinds of wonderful.

Our youngest son, Lee, proposed while he was here, on New Year's Eve, and we are excited about welcoming Emily to the family soon!

Having 10 people around for nearly 2 weeks wasn't exactly always thrifty, but I wanted to share 10 recent frugal wins and 5 fails:

WINS

1) The next few days, we will be eating up lots of leftovers, which means odd combinations. But that's OK, and it fills our bellies.

2) I dyed my own hair today with dye I purchased in the summer and brought back.

3) I'm using the drying rack to hang a boatload of laundry.

4) I'm decluttering and taking a couple of bags to the free table at school. This allows me to open up space and also to find things I forgot I had!

5) I'm writing a menu for the next two weeks, trying to clean out the freezer and cupboard and buy only what is needed.

6) I'm scheduling free dental cleanings for Mike and I. (Sadly, for the first time ever, I missed our appointments. I should have known better than to schedule them two days after Christmas while everyone was here!)

7) I downloaded 2 free kindle "first read" books because I just signed up for prime for the month of January as we will be going to Maine in a couple of weeks for Chinese New Year holiday. Normally, Prime offers one free kindle book per month, this month, they offered two. I got them both.

8) I used a gift card to get two free Starbucks drinks for a rare coffee date with my daughter. (Thank you, ICS PA.)

9) I am using Clinique face cream that I found on the free table at work, but have taken it a step further and cut the tube, allowing me to get even more out of it.

10) I am returning several items that we borrowed while my family was here. It is a blessing to be part of a generous international community. From an entire apartment to a stroller and an air mattress, it's great to borrow and not have to buy!

LOSSES

1) I threw out several large containers of food that had gone bad. I hate to waste food, and I'm usually very mindful of what I have, but with the chaos of having so many around, I lost track, which makes me sad.

2) I ordered some photo books because I had a 40% off coupon. I suppose this could be seen as a win, but it's not something that was a need, and as soon as I ordered, I questioned my decision. I'll let you know how I feel after they arrive.

3) I had a deal for Hello Fresh, which I normally would not use because it is expensive even when it's on sale, but since we were going to be in the US for 10 days, I signed up. Frustratingly, I mixed up the dates, and the first order will arrive 2 weeks before we do. At least our son and daughter in law will be able to use it!

4) I let the $250.00 airline incidental fee on my Amex card expire at the end of 2019. To be fair, I did try my best to use it, but you have to sign up for a particular airline, and you can only change this once a year. I had signed up for American Airlines, and sadly, we did not fly much with them this year. You cannot use the fee toward airline tickets, although Amex used to let you buy gift cards, but now, the fee can only be used for things like extra baggage and lounge access fees, something we don't use often.

5) I missed a BOGO offer on my Starbucks app. I thought it was good until 12/31, but it actually expired 12/30. Boo.

So here's to a productive 2020. I would love to hear about some of your wins and losses and goals for the new year!

Final recap of 2019 Goals...Bring on 2020!

2019-12-18T19:51:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas, everyone. Here's the last blog post of the year. Onward to 2020!!

1) More intentionality regarding ____________________.C

This is a very personal goal, and I will not share the particulars. I would give myself a solid C as I look back over the year. It may not be the best, but if I hadn't made it a goal, it likely would have been an F. Goals are good for you!

2) ~~Read entire Bible through.~~ A

Yeah! I finished this one early. I used the One Year Bible Plan, which provides daily readings in the Old and New Testament as well as Psalms and Proverbs. It's a nice mix. Solid A on this one. I rarely miss a day, and when I did, I caught up the next day. I think I will have the same goal next year, but use a different plan.

3) ~~Read 40 books.~~ Actually got 60!! A+++

What I've read so far:

You Were Warned
Women at the Well
Deception Point
The House by the River
Hope They Like Rice
The Address
First Aid Manual
Broken Grace
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
China Rich Girlfriend
Your Money or Your Life
The Address
Manuel of School Health
Nurse Exam Secrets
Anna Karenina
One Friday in Jerusalem
Murder in the South of France
If She Knew
Wish Upon a Shell
Generous Justice
Bridge to Haven
All This I Will Give to You
Hunger for God
Dig for Your Dinner in May
Dig for Your Dinner in June
Commander in Chief
Dinner with a Perfect Stranger
Youth and Consumption
Romancing Your Child's Heart
Blueback
Dig for Your Dinner in June
Out of Range
The Lost Kitchen
An American Princess
The Stranger in the Woods
Allusion
Camino Island
The Way to Wealth
What You Did
False Step
Tender is the Night
In Our Time
The Meaning of Marriage
Carpool Confidential
Munich
Dig for Your Dinner in September
Our Incredible Journey Home
Stay Hidden
Pretty Girls
Twenty and Ten
Hidden Treasures
A Year in the Maine Woods
How Bernie Madoff Saved My Life
The Whistler
The Money Mentor
Coco and Igor
The Green Hills of Africa
Dig for your Dinner in November and December
The Reckoning
Thin Air

The books I'm working on right now:

Wild Swans
The Power of a Praying Grandparent

4) Spend at least 20 minutes daily in prayer/prayer journaling. (In addition to Bible reading and gratefulness journal.) C

I would say a C on this. Prayer is an area of struggle for me. It's not that I don't sit down to do this almost every day, it's that my mind wanders far too frequently. And we all know that thinking about (translate: over-analyzing/worrying about) an area of concern is NOT the same thing as praying about it. I believe Satan likes to keep us here. This is why I wanted to try using a journal, and this has helped, but I need to figure out a better system.

5) ~~Take Cantonese classes.~~ DONE A for effort...
广东话

I did it, but I need to practice more.

6) Weigh ______ by Will's wedding, July 20. FAIL
(Daily: 10K steps, at least 60 active minutes-per fit bit, 1100 calories or less, 2L water)

I did not meet my goal, though I almost did at one point. This is a high priority for 2020, along with a better plan.

7) ~~Hike Mt. Katahdin before I turn 51 (on July 29)~~. DONE

8) ~~Pay off faith promise to our church by the end of the year.~~ DONE A

We truly love our church in Hong Kong. Here's our class:

Anyhow, we were blessed, and consequently able to pay off our faith promise to our church in Hong Kong before the end of June. God is good.

9) ~~Save $________ by the end of the year.~~ A

This was close, but we made it! Again, if it had not been a goal, I don't think I would have had the discipline to finish this one.

10) ~~Provide 30 meals for others.~~ DONE--but will continue. A

I do this in a variety of ways: having guests stay in our home, having friends over for a meal, taking someone out to eat, providing meals for others in need (after a baby, an illness, etc), sending gift cards for meals when I cannot provide a hands on dinner.

11) Volunteer 3 hours a month on average and ~~1 week at Living Waters.~~ B+

I don't think I've quite hit 3 hours a month, but it's been close. I was able to complete my week as a camp nurse at Living Waters in Maine last summer. I have been going to this camp since I was 11 years old...these folks are like family to me. It is such a blessing to be able to give back to a place that impacted me in such a huge way.

12) Post on my blog weekly. Solid Fail.

I didn't start until Feb 22, and this is my 17th post. I kind of gave up on this one, but I still want to make it a goal next year.

13) Write a real letter or card weekly. Maybe a C??

Don't you love it when you get a real letter in the mail? It's a rarity these days. I've done OK on this, but not great. I started out strong, but then missed some weeks, and then, well...it just went downhill.

14) Buy one new piece of "investment" clothing for Mike or myself monthly. Fail.

As in, didn't do this at all. No excuses, just didn't do it.

15) ~~Finish up and notarize our will~~. DONE Talk to the funeral home.

Finishing our will has literally been on my to do list for 20+ years. It is finally completed, notarized and in the Safety Deposit box. This is such a relief for me, and it's really silly that it took me so long to finish.

I did not talk to the funeral home, but it's still on my list for 2020.

16) ~~Change over old 401Ks to IRAs,~~ ~~or at least talk to financial planner.~~  DONE

Actually, after talking to a planner, we opted not to change over to IRAs.

17) ~~_______~~~~a ________ for _________.~~ DONE!

A personal gift. You'll find out about it when the recipient does. It's finished, but I can't tell you until Christmas!!

I'm ready to give these out in less than a week!!

18) ~~Get nursing CEUs finished by summer.~~ DONE

Nothing exciting, but checked this one off the list.

19) ~~Get some sort of travel certification.~~   DONE

You are looking at an official member of the American Society of Travel Advisors (ASTA)!  Pretty happy about this, and looking forward to maybe being able to help others soon.

2019 Goals--Half Year Grades.

2019-07-08T13:31:00.002-07:00

1) More intentionality regarding ____________________.

This is a very personal goal, and I will not share the particulars. I would give myself a C+, or maybe a B- at this point in the year. I have had more success with this the past couple of months; I'm guessing that's because I started praying more. Imagine that!

2) Read entire Bible through.

I'm using the One Year Bible Plan, which provides daily readings in the Old and New Testament as well as Psalms and Proverbs. It's a nice mix. Solid A on this one. I rarely miss a day, and when I do, I catch up the next day, or sometimes I read ahead if I know a particularly busy day is coming up. Currently reading I Chronicles in the OT and Acts in the NT.

3) Read 40 books.

I've already finished 32. I think I undershot this goal.

What I've read so far:

You Were Warned
Women at the Well
Deception Point
The House by the River
Hope They Like Rice
The Address
First Aid Manual
Broken Grace
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
China Rich Girlfriend
Your Money or Your Life
The Address
Manuel of School Health
Nurse Exam Secrets
Anna Karenina
One Friday in Jerusalem
Murder in the South of France
If She Knew
Wish Upon a Shell
Generous Justice
Bridge to Haven
All This I Will Give to You
Hunger for God
Dig for Your Dinner in May
Dig for Your Dinner in June
Commander in Chief
Dinner with a Perfect Stranger
Youth and Consumption
Romancing Your Child's Heart
Blueback
Out of Range
The Lost Kitchen (from my friend, Della) Such a great read!

Currently reading:

An American Princess

Playing for Pizza

The Stranger in the Woods

4) Spend at least 20 minutes daily in prayer/prayer journaling. (In addition to Bible reading and gratefulness journal.)

I would still say a C on this. Prayer is an area of struggle for me. I have been doing a little better during this second quarter.

5) ~~Take Cantonese classes.~~ DONE
广东话

6) Weigh ______ by Will's wedding, July 20.
(Daily: 10K steps, at least 60 active minutes-per fit bit, 1100 calories or less, 2L water)

It's not that I'm making excuses, (OK, I am) but I don't think I'm going to quite make this. But it's OK, because I can change the end date!

7) ~~Hike Mt. Katahdin before I turn 51 (on July 29)~~. DONE

I DID IT! And I climbed arguably the hardest trail: up Cathedral, across The Knife's Edge, and down Helon Taylor. My legs were stiff for 4 days, but I did it, and I have zero desire to try it again when I am 60. Hiking Katahdin is one of those things you do that is not enjoyable at the time, but it does bring a certain sense of pride.

A portion of the Knife's Edge.

At the Peak.

Lots of hikers on Cathedral when we got there.

Looking back across Knife's Edge toward the summit.

8) ~~Pay off faith promise to our church by the end of the year.~~ DONE

We truly love our church in Hong Kong. This is part of our adult Sunday School class. (The men are sitting at the other end...taking about men things.) Isn't eating the universal prerequisite for Christian gatherings??

Anyhow, we were blessed, and consequently able to pay off our faith promise to our church in Hong Kong before the end of June. God is good.

9) Save $________ by the end of the year.

I am not sure if we will make our projected goal, but in the savings department, SOME is always better than NONE. B-

10) ~~Provide 30 meals for others.~~ DONE--but will continue.

I do this in a variety of ways: having guests stay in our home, having friends over for a meal, taking someone out to eat, providing meals for others in need (after a baby, an illness, etc), sending gift cards for meals when I cannot provide a hands on dinner.

While we are in Maine, this ramps up a notch or two...or three or four! Our home is basically a Bed and Breakfast in the summer months, and we love having people over. I've already provided my 30 meals, but I'll keep this going throughout the rest of the year.

My son, Aaron and 3 of his college buds were here for a week. Here they are with brother Will.

11) Volunteer 3 hours a month on average and ~~1 week at Living Waters.~~

I don't think I've quite hit 3 hours a month, but it's been close. I was able to complete my week as a camp nurse at Living Waters in Maine this past week. I have been going to this camp since I was 11 years old...these folks are like family to me. It is such a blessing to be able to give back to a place that impacted me in such a huge way.

Mrs. Emery has been working in the office at camp since the year it opened in 1970. 49 years!! She is 95, and shows us how it's done.

These two couples have invested greatly in my life personally. The couple seated, Wendell and Joan Calder, founded the camp and directed it for the next 20 years. Karen and Roger Black, standing, have been there for 36 years, 29 as director.

The view from the infirmary window.

12) Post on my blog weekly.

I didn't start until Feb 22, and this is my 17th post. That's 17 out of 27 weeks, or 63%. Which is failing by some standards, and a D by others. But that percentage will go up as the year goes on, if I stay the course. Maybe I can end up with a C??

13) Write a real letter or card weekly.

Don't you love it when you get a real letter in the mail? It's a rarity these days. I've done OK on this, but not great. I started out strong, but then missed some weeks. I try to write a note to someone each weekend. B or C on this one.

14) Buy one new piece of "investment" clothing for Mike or myself monthly.

Still not doing well on this goal. I did buy some expensive underwear for myself that was on sale and 3 pairs of Darn Tough Socks for Mike. Does that count?? D+

15) ~~Finish up and~~ notarize ~~our will~~. DONE Talk to the funeral home.

Finishing our will has literally been on my to do list for 20+ years. It is finally completed, just need to run to the notary and get it tucked away. This is such a relief for me, and it's really silly that it took me so long to finish.

I also want to talk to our local funeral home this summer about planning ahead. I'm not sure what that looks like, but that's exactly why I want to start the conversation. We already purchased cemetery lots in my family cemetery a couple of years ago. That's a start!

16) ~~Change over old 401Ks to IRAs,~~ ~~or at least talk to financial planner.~~  DONE

Actually, after talking to a planner, we opted not to change over to IRAs. We are, however, moving around the investments we do have within the companies they are already in.

17) ~~_______~~~~a ________ for _________.~~ DONE!

A personal gift. You'll find out about it when the recipient does. It's finished and ready for Christmas!!

18) Get nursing CEUs finished by summer.

Slated to finish on July 11, this Thursday! So close to checking this one off the list.

19) Get some sort of travel certification.

I thought I was going to be able to have this checked off because I sent the money in to join a group over a month ago, but I haven't heard back from them...sooo...maybe next time!

Thankful and Thrifty, First Maine Post

2019-06-30T16:45:00.000-07:00

We have been home in Maine for 2 weeks already. To be honest, it feels like not much frugality has happened, but only because the first few weeks back there are always lots of things to do that cost money. We pay our vehicle and home insurance and pay ahead on some other annual bills. We do budget all year for this, but it's still a little shocking! This year, our pipes froze during Christmas break, so we had to have the appliance repairman come, along with the plumber. But, we now have a working washing machine, dishwasher and shower. And our vehicles all passed inspection. Yeah!

Our son had been working on a new deck for us, and he and his dad finished it up in the first few days. This was way overdue, so I'm really excited.

We were given some trout from a friend, and Will and Mike caught a couple also.

We've already had numerous guests, which is great. I love that family can just drop in and that I run into my brother at the grocery store. Our son, Aaron came up for a week with 3 of his college buddies. Great to have them here!

I love summer in Maine, and I'm trying to savor every moment. Here's a few pictures for you. So much to be thankful for!

I also spent a week as camp nurse at Living Waters, but I think that deserves its own post!

Thankful and Thrifty this Week.

2019-06-09T01:06:00.000-07:00

Hey there, friends! Only 5 more days in this school year, and we head to Maine for the summer. I'm happy to report that I have been checking items off my to do list left and right. It's such a good feeling, isn't it? I saw a quote this week that really struck me.

"What if it were easy?"

That was it, but the story behind it was that we often convince ourselves not to do something because we are afraid it will be hard, and often, when we finally start, we realize it wasn't so hard after all. So, what if it were easy? Would we do it?

We had what I call a "mattress run" this week. This is staying at a hotel simply to accrue stays to attain or keep status, or in this case, using up a free night before it expires. The above pictures are at the Hyatt Regency here in Hong Kong. We've stayed several times now, and always find it very relaxing. Bonus that we always get upgraded to a harbor view room.

This photo was taken by a coworker, Justin, and it shows our side of Hong Kong. One of my favorite things about the city is that it has so much green space...and the mountains are amazing!

This is the view out our bedroom window.

Some frugal happenings this week: I cut my husband's hair today. I dropped off 2 pairs of shoes to be re-heeled, which is definitely cheaper than new shoes. I picked up a bed sheet, some perfume, a large bottle of shampoo and several children's books from the free table at work. I bought very few groceries this weekend because we are trying to eat up all the food in the house before we leave for summer. I emailed our landlord because our AC unit started leaking. He had someone here the next day and the problem is fixed. Three cheers for great landlords and not having to pay for repairs. Hip, hip hooray! Hip, hip hooray!! Hip, hip hooray!!!

We were gifted a Starbucks gift card, Haggen Daaz gift cards, and two umbrellas this week. We really do have generous parents and employers. So thankful!

See the crack in the bottom shelf? It was at a point where I could hardly use the shelf anymore. I had been dreading calling the Toshiba Parts line because of the language barrier, but I got a Cantonese friend to call for me, and the new shelf was delivered that same day for $25 USD, cash on delivery! Now I wish I had not put it off for so long. ("What if it were easy?" applies here!)

I also got a notice that one of my credit cards, the Citi Prestige, has a new benefit--cell phone protection if you use the card for your monthly payments. I read all the fine print, and it looks like they cover theft or replacement if the phone breaks. I made the switch for payments. Here's hoping I never have to use it.

So what frugal things did you do this week? What are you thankful for?

BENIGN, Noshing at the Consulate, Birthdays and Free Stuff.

2019-06-02T02:30:00.004-07:00

So much to be thankful for this week, as always!

First up, I had to have a biopsy of what was long thought to be a breast cyst, but which looked "different" as of late. Turns out, it was a tumor, but of the Fibroadenoma variety-- BENIGN. PTL!

I also had the opportunity to have evening tapas as the US Consul General's residence up on The Peak as a thank you for volunteer work at Ronald McDonald House through the American Women's Association. Honestly, I'm not one to like to go to these types of events, but I decided to get out of my comfort zone and go for it. (And here's one thing that struck me....most people are awkward when hanging out with strangers.) It ended up being a fun evening....even though we were fogged in, The food was delicious!

The kindergarten parents gave us a lovely little Thyme plant with 6 coupons to be used for things like cookies and coffee. How sweet is that?

It was my husband and my son's birthday on May 30th. So, so thankful for another trip around the sun for both of them.

I found some reading glasses, a shelf for my kitchen cabinet, baby clothes for my grandson and some books and dvds on the free table this week.

I also got $4 back using ebates and I sold a couple of items on our school share site.

We only have 2 weeks of school left before summer break, so this is the time of year that I try really hard to clean out all the food in the refrigerator and freezer. I also spend time cleaning the apartment and getting rid of accumulated "stuff." I'm taking a bag full to the free table tomorrow.

Have a wonderful week, my friends. Look for all the blessings in your life. Sometimes they are not where we expect to find them.

56 Reasons Why My Husband is Great...for his 56th Birthday!

2019-05-30T01:30:00.003-07:00

It's my husband's 56th birthday today, and I didn't know what to get him. He's not into gifts much anyway, so I thought I would just talk about all the reasons I'm glad I married him!!

1) He does karate kicks in public.
2) He washes the dishes every night.
3) He genuinely loves his students, and people in general.

4) He's quick to forgive.
5) He knows how to do mechanic work....
6)....and basic electrical stuff....
7)....and basic plumbing...
8)...and construction too (teaching the kids...)

9) For the last 3 summers he has been working on our log cabin. It's A LOT to do during a 7 week summer break.

10) He lets me plan all our travels without even knowing where we are going.

11) He loves to grow flowers.

12) He humors me and grows vegetables also.

13) He doesn't let me feel sorry for myself.
14) He's incredibly organised.
15) He's the opposite of messy.
16) He tells me he loves me every day.
17) He values family.
18) He's frugal like me, so we rarely have money issues.
19) He's quick to apologise.
20) He taught the kids to respect me always.
21) He loves Maine more than Michigan.
22) He takes me fishing.

23) He once restored a GTO....but he really doesn't care what he drives now.
24) He loves to travel as much as I do.

25) He's willing to go wherever God leads.

26) He makes sure we go to church and supports the Pastor and staff.
27) He makes sure we tithe (at a minimum).
28) He prays for me and the kids every day.
29) He lets me give away money to causes that are important to me.
30) He sings silly songs. (OK...it IS annoying sometimes, but still great.)
31) He picks me wild flowers in the summer.
32) He loves my family.

33) He is a great dad to our 4 kids.

34) He understood teens way more than I did. I am so thankful we were a parenting team.
35) He listens when I'm being totally irrational.
36) He's willing to do all the frugal things.
37) He doesn't complain about my cooking, and he's not a picky eater.

38) He's even learned to eat (not like) onions.
39) He watches Chick Flicks with me.
40) He points me back to rationality when I am anxious.
41) He takes care of his health.
42) He fixes all the things I haul home.

43) He loves to read.
44) He's always trying to be a better person.
45) He doesn't make excuses.
46) He likes to tell stories.
47) He likes to meet new people.

48) He'll try any food.

49) He loves teaching and his former students.

50) He makes the best eggs...and breakfast every Saturday morning.
51) He wears the thrift store clothes I buy him.
52) He likes to go camping.

53) He loves traditions.

54) He honors his parents.

55) He tells me I'm pretty.
56) His love language is encouraging words....this should get me some Brownie Points!!! I love you!!

Friday's Thrifty Five---Saving Money this Week

2019-05-10T01:24:00.001-07:00

Happy Friday from Hong Kong, my friends! TGIF...and because Monday is Buddha's Birthday, we have a 3 day weekend. Nothing big planned, and I am so looking forward to sleeping in.

Here are 5 things I've been doing to save money this week:

1.) Does anyone else make sure that they get every last drop of detergent out? I do with most everything. Always surprising how much you can eek out if you try:

2) Another little thing...rewashing plastic bags. I don't always do this, but if they aren't too dirty I do.

3) I bought a gift on ebay. I can't tell you what it is, but I saved almost $100 USD by purchasing the item on ebay instead of Amazon. The seller says it is a new product and that just the original box was damaged. I'm pretty excited about this one!

4) I clicked through Ebates first (now renamed Rakuten) to get $4.37 back on some items I needed for Maine this summer. Everything helps! I also got a $29.00 "big fat check" from Ebates this week. They payout quarterly and put the money directly in my Paypal account.

5) My husband and I are going on a date tonight using gift cards from a friend, so the meal should be free or almost free! Keep dating people....almost 27 years, and he's still the best date!!

I also packed salads for lunches for the whole week last Sunday, picked up a free book, Stash Camomile tea and some cooking oil on the free table, walked to work everyday and talked to 3 different friends about how to get good deals on airline tickets and credit cards.

How about YOU?? What thrifty things did you do this week??

5 Things I'm Thankful for this Week.

2019-05-05T02:51:00.001-07:00

1) Living in a country that has 18 public holidays! May 1 is Labor Day in Hong Kong. It fell on a Wednesday this year, and it was great to have a day off in the middle of the week. We decided to make it a date night. The Van Gogh Alive exhibit is currently in Hong Kong, so we took the train to the area and checked out a big 18 story mall that we had somehow managed to escape visiting since arriving here. 18 FLOORS! Hong Kong knows how to do malls. Along with all the requisite stores and restaurants, it has a huge IKEA, a theater, an indoor ice hockey rink, a fitness center and floors 14-16 are for parking. How about them circular ramps!

The Van Gogh Exhibit was lovely. It had two rooms full of movie screens that bring VG's paintings to life. I realized just now looking thought my pictures that I have no still photos of that...I guess that's appropriate! We came away saying that is was NOT a waste of money, so there's that!

2) My siblings. I'm the youngest of the bunch, and I love them all so much. I don't get to see them nearly enough. Today, May 5th, is my youngest's brother's 63rd birthday and my oldest brother's anniversary.

Happy Birthday, Doug!

Happy Anniversary, Larry and Lauren!

It's also Kentucky Derby weekend, and some of my siblings get together for the event every year. Even though I can't be there, I look forward to the great pictures!!

3) I'm also very thankful for technology that makes it easier to feel connected. There's a lot wrong with social media, but there's also mucho righto!!

4) My job. I complain, (then I complain that I'm complaining!!), but the reality is, I have a good job with great benefits. I have the same vacation days as my husband and they allow me to take the summer off without pay so I can go home to Maine. I am thankful. Very thankful.

5) Access to health care. It's something that I take for granted. I had to go to the doctor this weekend (nothing major!), and as I was paying on my way out, I took time to marvel at the blessing of not only having good doctors but also having the funds to pay for them.

Count your blessings, name them one by one. Count your many blessings see what God has done.

A Review of the Conrad Maldives on Rangali Island--Part 2

2019-04-30T20:55:00.002-07:00

My husband and I recently returned from an AMAZING vacation in the Maldives. We stayed at the Conrad Maldives Resort on Rangali Island, and it was truly a dream. It is my favorite vacation spot of all time, (well, aside from Maine!) and that's saying something. I actually want to go back. I don't say that very often. Conrad is one of Hilton's Luxury Brands, and the Conrad Maldives is definitely at the top of that list. It was applauded by Time Magazine as one of the "World's Top 100 Greatest Destinations in 2018." I agree! Seriously, I would be a spokesperson for them for free--it's that amazing! (I wrote a separate blog about how we used the Hilton Aspire card to make this vacation a reality. There are many more details in that post. You can read it here.)

This property actually sits on 3 separate islands, two of which are accessible to guests (the third is for staff). The islands are linked by bridges, and you can walk, call for a buggy to take you to and fro, or take a boat back and forth.

I took this shot from the sea plane as we were leaving.

The resort is about a 30 minute sea plane ride from the international airport in Male. This is the only way to get to the island, so be sure to figure in the cost, which is about $580 USD per person (ouch!). It is the one aspect of the trip for which I could not find a discount. However, it is VERY cool to fly over the Maldives, which is comprised of over 1200 islands; it is unique and splendid and a treat all by itself.

In the interval between your arrival at the Male airport and your transfer by seaplane, you are invited to relax in the Conrad lounge, where cool drinks and a small buffet are available.

For the flight, they provide a little bag with bottled water and ear plugs. The engine is pretty loud!

On arrival at the resort, you are met by your own host/hostess, who is "assigned" to you for your entire stay. These are some of the most genuinely friendly people you will ever meet and will try to meet any request you might have. They give you a delicious Italian Ice to start you off:

We stayed in a Spa Retreat Villa (we were upgraded), which has it's own hot tub, spa treatment room, steps down to the sea and over 1600 sf of amazingness! Watching the fish swim under you and porpoises play off in the distance, combined with amazing sunrises and sunsets, was absolutely stunning. We felt like we were the only people at the resort. So quiet and secluded:

After 2 nights over the water, we moved into a deluxe beach villa (also an upgrade), which is very much an open air concept and was a whopping 3200 sf. We had our own path to the beach, complete with umbrella and chairs, a private plunge pool, and an outdoor shower and tub.

The grounds are meticulously maintained and there are many quiet nooks and crannies to explore on both islands.

There are 11 restaurants you can choose from as well as two spas, a dive center, two gift shops, two pools and endless beaches. You can read my other blog post for particulars regarding where we ate and all the benefits we received. There are also many "excursions" and extras you can add on for additional costs. We chose not to do many of those. We did go sunset fishing, which we both enjoyed immensely. I think everyone on the trip caught at least one fish--I caught 4 Snappers and Mike caught a Barracuda.

Watching the sunset itself was enough to get me on the boat, and the next day we paid extra to have the Rangali Grill cook up our fish. They were delicious!

Snorkeling equipment was free to use, as was non motorized water equipment like kayaks and paddle boards. There is a beautiful house reef, and we saw lots of rays, sharks and amazing fish. I don't have an underwater camera, but work colleague was at a nearby resort the same week we were, and she gave me permission to share some of her pictures.

Conrad is also home to the first ever underwater restaurant, Ithaa. You cannot visit without a reservation, and the meals are super expensive (as in over $200 pp expensive!), so we opted to pay for the $75 cocktail hour. To be honest, it was nice, but in retrospect, it was one thing we did that I didn't feel was worth the money. If you've ever been in building with huge aquariums that fill a wall, you've essentially had the same experience.

All in all, Conrad Maldives is a fabulous property, and I recommend it with no reservations!

If you want to see all the professional photos, go to the resort website here. This is one of the few places I have been where reality was as good or better than the website photos!!

Be sure to read Part 1 for many more details and tips to make the trip more affordable.

The Hilton Aspire Card and the Conrad Maldives--2 Free Nights--Part 1

2019-04-30T20:46:00.002-07:00

(This post contains affiliate links. You do not need to use them, but Mike and I get a few points and/or $ if you do, so thanks!)

My husband and I recently returned from an AMAZING vacation in the Maldives. We stayed at the Conrad Maldives Resort on Rangali Island, and it was truly a dream. It is now my favorite vacation spot of all time, (well, aside from Maine!) and that's saying something. Conrad is one of Hilton's Luxury Brands, and the Conrad Maldives is definitely at the top of that list. It was applauded by Time Magazine as one of the "World's Top 100 Greatest Destinations in 2018." I agree!

You may be saying, "Yeah, only in my dreams!" And to be honest, a few years back, I would have been saying the same thing. This is NOT an inexpensive vacation, no way around it. But you know, I recently read that the average cost PER PERSON for a week at Disney World is around $1400. That means you are looking at $2800 for two people. (You can do it for less, which I blogged about here, but this is the average.) If you are willing to do the work and figure out the system, I would submit to you that you can likely save for up for a Disney vacation (or two) and go to the Maldives instead.

Originally, I didn't seek out this resort specifically when I was searching for Maldives vacation spots, of which there are hundreds. I looked at dozens of properties. I am not brand loyal, and try to find the best value, but last summer, I signed up the for the Hilton Aspire Card from American Express, and it came with a boatload of benefits. One of those benefits is a free weekend night at almost all Hilton properties worldwide (there are a few exceptions). Hilton includes not only Hilton, but also Hampton Inn, Conrad, Waldorf Astoria, Double Tree, Curio and other properties. At the time I signed on, I earned 100,000 points when I spent a certain amount within 3 months--I can't remember now how much--but these points were enough for another free night. Then, a few months ago, Hilton was running a 35% off sale for its Diamond Members (which you automatically get for having the Aspire Card) for certain locations in Asia. When I made the connection that I could get 2 free nights combined with 35% off the next 3 nights, it sealed the deal for me.

You can click here to read all about the amazing Conrad Maldives resort--it was so fantastic it deserves its own post--but let me tell you why I think the Aspire Card is such a good deal, especially right now, and how you can use it along with a few other tips to make your own trip to the Maldives not only possible but a little less painful and a lot more fabulous!

American Express has 3 different Hilton branded cards. The Hilton Honors card has no annual fee, the Hilton Ascend card has a $95 annual fee and comes with Gold Status, and the Hilton Aspire card has a $450 annual fee (WHOA!) and gets you coveted Diamond status. Why would anyone pay $450 a year for a credit card? Let me give you a few reasons.

1) The Aspire Card gives you $250.00 a year back on airline "incidentals." You have to choose your airline, but then you can use this toward baggage fees, meals and other charges, but not airline tickets. However, there are work-arounds on this; I have used my Aspire card (and the Amex Platinum card when I had it) to buy American Airline gift cards directly from the American Airlines website, which I then use to buy airline tickets, and I have always been reimbursed for these quite quickly, before the bill comes due. So that's $250 toward your airline tickets!

2) You get Priority Pass membership, which gives you free unlimited admission to over 1000 airport lounges worldwide. The PP normally costs $429 annually for unlimited visits. Not gonna lie, if you only travel in the the US and don't travel often, then the lounges you have access to will be limited, but internationally, this is a HUGE benefit, especially since you can also bring two guests with you for free. Most international lounges have a decent food selection, many with a hot food buffet, along with drinks. Some have showers and we've even had a free massage here and there. There has always been free wifi. When you have long layovers, this is such a great perk. We all know how expensive airport food is. We didn't have to buy any food on our journey to/from Hong Kong/Maldives because of this benefit. We had some very good laska on our layover at the Plaza Premium Lounge in Kuala Lumpur:

And a great breakfast at the Plaza Premium in Hong Kong (Cheung Fun noodles make me all kinds of happy:)

3) As I mentioned, on approval of the card, you get 1 free weekend night (Friday, Saturday or Sunday) at almost any Hilton property worldwide. This is renewed annually as long as you keep the card. You could stay, like we did, in an over the water bungalow at the Maldives:

Or perhaps you'd like to stay at Conrad Koh Samui (bucket list!):

Or even the magnificent Waldorf Astoria in Dubai, where we stayed for free in 2016:

The possibilities are endless, and depending on where you use your free night, this perk can be worth over $1200, as it was for us in the Maldives.

4) You get $250.00 worth of "resort credit" annually. Like the airline fee credit, this is technically supposed to be used for incidental/resort fees like meals and massages, but in reality, if you pay for your bill at the end of your stay, and you are at a Hilton Resort Property, this amount will be automatically deducted. For example, last October, we stayed at a brand new Hilton Resort in Dalian, China. It was seriously like a castle--gorgeous!

I made the reservations online well in advance. When you are a Hilton Honors member and reserve in advance, you can choose a member-only fee if you "pay now," which is always less, sometimes as much as 35%. Keep in mind though that if you cancel, you forfeit your money. In reality, Hilton puts a "reserve" on your card, but doesn't actually complete the charge until you check out. (This has been my experience anyway, on our last several Hilton stays.) So, our stay in Dalian ended up being less that $25 a night after this "$250 resort fee" was deducted, and included all our meals for 5 days. You can only use this once per year, but it would count toward your stay at the Conrad Maldives property.

5) You get Diamond Status. I cannot give you a hard value on this because it totally depends on where you stay and what is available at each hotel, but some of the perks include: free breakfast, free wifi, free executive lounge access, free bottled water, a welcome amenity, room upgrades if available, double bonus points on Hilton spending, and the 5th night free if you use points--but only if you pay with just points.

Let me show you what some of these perks looked like for us at the Maldives:

Free Breakfast: There were two restaurants where you could get your free breakfast, both open from 7-10:30 each morning. The breakfast buffet at the Atoll Restaurant was incredible (breakfast at Vilu was equally nice, but not as extensive)...it even includes Champagne if you ask for it! I did not take many pictures, but there were plenty of Asian and Western options and you could custom order all coffees, fresh squeezed juices/smoothies, eggs and waffles. You can see from the picture that I love to try different fruits. Those brown pods are Tamarinds (fig/date flavor)...who knew?? I love Asian breakfasts, and tried a lot of different curries and sushi. Mike is more of an omelet guy. He also made a banana split from the ice cream bar each morning. We ate late and called it brunch!

Free Executive Lounge Access: Conrad Maldives does not have an executive lounge. Instead, they give their Gold and Diamond members free afternoon tea and free happy hour (not B1G1F--completely free):

The "tea" was not what I expected, where you get a set amount. Rather it was buffet style at the Rangali Grill, and you could go back as much as you wanted. The iced tea was a jasmine infused green tea which was so light and refreshing and the scones were so, so good. Other appetizers were different daily.

Happy Hour lasted exactly an hour at the Vilu Restaurant, and was not just for those who like their free alcohol, although that was included. They also had delicious mock-tails, fruit juices and sodas:

and a small tapas plate, which they delivered without fail toward the end of the hour.

You could have as many free drinks as you could order in the hour time frame, which was actually funny to watch. One rather loud fellow drank more Vodka on the Rocks in one hour than I thought humanly possible, and I grew up around some Maine lumberjacks who could slam back some vodka!

Between breakfast, the Afternoon Tea and Happy Hour, we were always pleasantly full, and with the exception of a couple of "excursions," which were not required by any means, (see my other post), we did not pay extra for food. So even though the resort is not "all-inclusive," for us it was.

The Welcome Amenity: You can choose alcoholic or non-alcoholic "bubbly," and then you also get some chocolates and a fruit platter.

Room Upgrades: I read many reviews about this resort before signing up (ah, the wonderful age of the internet...) and learned that upgrades are pretty much non-existent because of the nature of the place. This is clearly stated on the hotel website. I was fine with that, and certainly didn't expect to be upgraded, especially since they allow you to use points on over-the-water bungalows and not just beach villas. I was super thrilled to be staying there at all. However, immediately on arrival, we were offered an upgrade to a spa retreat villa, about a $300 per night value, (more in my other post) if we were willing to "move in earlier and not wait until 3 pm." (We arrived at 10 am and normal check in is 3 pm.) Ummm....does anyone turn that down? Not this mama! We also were offered late check out, and were able to stay in our room until 3 pm instead of the normal 11 am.

Then, 3 days later when we moved to a beach villa, we were offered another upgrade to a "deluxe" rather than a "standard" for being a "valued Diamond member." It was double in size and had its own pool!!

I didn't ask for either of these upgrades. I have a possible theory on this. I have never mentioned that I am a Diamond member at check in. I mean, they already know that, right? So in my mind, to mention it sounds entitled and I'm sure elicits inward eye rolls. You know, those people who start their conversation with "as a Diamond member, I was hoping to be considered for...?" Sometimes, I wonder if they give the upgrades to the people who aren't obnoxious about it? Just a thought. I haven't been in this category long enough to really test the theory, but so far, we've been upgraded without asking every time (our last 4 Hilton stays), so there's that...

100% Point Bonus: Hilton Honor members (free to sign up) get 10 points for every dollar spent at Hilton properties, which can then be used toward free nights. Diamond members get 20 points. On top of that, if you have the Aspire card, you get another 14 points for every dollar spent at Hilton. That equals 34 WHOPPING points for every dollar spent. Let's say you spend $1500 on your week long stay. That ends up being 51,000 points. This alone could translate into 12 free nights if you stay at a lower tier property (5000 points) and use the "stay 5 nights, pay for 4" Diamond perk, which ends up being 4000 points per night. This is what we did in Bali, where a stay at the Hilton Garden Inn is only 5000 points per night. Our 5 night stay was completely free! Isn't it beautiful?

Hilton also continually runs bonus promotions. You can sign into your account anytime to see what is available. Before this stay, they were running a 2000 point per stay bonus and a "Diamond My Way" promotion. Together this equaled 3000 extra points. I should earn enough points from this stay to make our next vacation hotel stay completely free with points!

6)Amex Offers. This isn't exclusive to the Aspire card; all Amex cards come with different bonus offers each month, but I have learned that the more expensive the card, the better the offers. You do need to add the offer to your card for it to be valid; they are not automatically applied. Right before our trip, I was checking the current offers, and there was an offer for $100 off any Conrad property stay if you spent $500 or more. I immediately added this to my card, so I expect that this will be deducted from my credit card bill.

There are a slew of other benefits for the Aspire card, including no foreign transaction fees, 7X points for every dollar spent on airline tickets, and many more. But I think I hit the highlights.

If I haven't convinced you that this is a good deal yet, Amex is running an offer of 150,000 bonus points if you spend $4000 within 3 months of opening the card. This is a HUGE bonus, which could be used for many, many free nights--up to 37. (Property stays range from 5K to 95K points per night, but the 5th night is free.) I don't know how long it will last....I only got 100K points when I joined...so if you are even remotely thinking about getting this card, I would highly recommend you do so before this sweet offer ends. (Only good for US citizens, I believe.)

I realize $4000 is a very large sum of money. More than some of you can or should put on a credit card, so don't even think about signing up if you can't pay it back! However, there are lots of ways to put money on a card that you may not have thought about. Here is a great list from a travel blog I read. I routinely pay for vehicle and homeowner insurance, regular utility bills, building supplies and donations on my credit card for this reason. I have been known to pay ahead on things like car insurance just to meet a limited time spend.

Some other ways we saved on this trip:

1) We took the bus to and from our apartment to the airport rather than hiring a taxi, saving us about $66 USD.

2) We didn't buy expensive resort souvenirs, and there were some beautiful items at the gift shops....even I was tempted! I beach combed for shells instead:

3) I made sure to bring to bring sunscreen, which I had to transfer into four 3 oz bottles because we only brought carry-ons. A bit time consuming initially, but sunscreen at the resort was $28 USD, so I was thankful I planned ahead.

4) We used a budget airline out of Hong Kong, Air Asia, and chose the cheapest tickets with no meals and no checked baggage, see #3. (Hong Kong friends, I got the tickets for $387 USD, or around $3018 HKD each. This was with a layover in KL.) For many of you, especially in the US, flights will be the biggest part of your expense. Here is an article that gives you some tips on flying free to the Maldives with airline miles. (Do keep in mind that the only way to get from the airport in Male to the resort is by seaplane, which is $580 per person, and is arranged by the resort. There is no way to get that for less, so make sure to figure that cost in.)

5) Because our flight to Male arrived so late at night, we spent our first night at the Express Inn, which is about 10 minutes from the airport. I paid $100, which included pick up and drop off the next morning. I didn't get a picture of the actual hotel, but it was adequate, and also included breakfast. We could have booked a place through Conrad, but I did this on my own and saved quite a bit. There were many little shops and restaurants nearby, so it is possible to stay in the Maldives fairly inexpensively. This was our view; you can see we were near the beach. I should add here that there are plenty of places to stay right in Male, and there are a few resort islands, like Finalhohi where our friends stayed, that you can get to by ferry, which greatly decreases your transportation costs.

6) Last but not least, I used Ebates first. If you have never signed up for Ebates, you should. As a Diamond member, you get 1% of your total back if you first go to Ebates and then click on the Hilton link. Every little bit helps. (If you use the above referral link, you will get an extra $25 and Mike will get $10:)!

I sincerely hope this post has been helpful to at least one person. Even if you have no desire to go to the Maldives, I want to inspire you to think outside the box and reach YOUR dream travel destination!!

Feel free to leave your travel tips in the comments! There is ALWAYS more to learn.

9 Ways I've Saved Money this Month

2019-04-12T01:17:00.000-07:00

(This is the school where we work.)

I enjoy reading personal blogs about saving money. There is no end to the amount of money saving information available via books and the internet, but so much of it is "big picture" savings. Nothing wrong with that, but I absolutely love reading the specific ways people save money in everyday life. I follow several blogs from people who live in different areas of the world, which is even more fascinating to me. While the concepts are the same, the tips are as diverse as the countries they represent.

There are very few people who don't like getting a deal. So while the specific ways I save money may not apply to you, the concepts can be applied no matter where you live. Hong Kong ranks as one of the most expensive cities in the world in which to live. Rents are ridiculously high, which in turn causes retail shops to charge more money for goods. For this reason, I can often buy items in the US that are made in Hong Kong and China for less than I can buy them here! But, "expensive" is a relative term and there are always ways to save.

1) I pack work lunches from home for my husband and I nearly every single day. 90% of the time, that means leftovers for Mike and a salad for me. Our school does have very generous parents, however, and yesterday our grade 4 parents provided a meal for us. This happens at least a dozen times a year. It's such a blessing not to have to pack a lunch the night before. Packing lunches is NOT something I enjoy doing, lest you think I only do it because I find it fun. Many, many nights I have to force myself to do this task. It would be very easy for me to spend $4-6 USD a day for each of us and buy lunch here at school. We'll say that conservatively averages $9 US a day. This equals $1710 per school year. I make our lunches for about $2-3 total. That's over a $1100 a year savings, and there are many ways I'd rather spend that cash!

2) I mended a cloth grocery bag, a throw rug and a pair of my slippers. The year we moved here, I bought a little sewing kit for about $3 US and it has no doubt paid for itself. None of these items are particularly nice nor would they be expensive to replace, but I can get at least another year of use out of them.

3) I bought produce from the mark down cart at our local grocery store. Prices were half what normal prices were, and this meant I did not stick with my grocery list, and had a few meal combinations that were a little odd....which leads me to...

4) We will be on spring break next week, and will be traveling. I always try to use up all the food in the refrigerator before a trip, so we have had some rather strange food combinations. But, I am happy to report that when we leave in the morning, and the only thing I will end up throwing out is a very wilted head of lettuce and a bowl of soup. I will chop and freeze a half onion and a bag of bok choi. Normally, I would freeze the soup, but the noodles are already mushy and couldn't handle the freezer, and it was made with leftovers anyway.

5) I downloaded 5 free kindle books so that I can just take my phone (I have the kindle app) instead of books, because...

6) I bought super cheap airline tickets, and would have to pay extra to check a bag, which I don't want to do, so I am trying to keep the packing very light as even the carry ons have a weight limit. This means I didn't want clunky books hogging up space and weight.

7) I used Ebates (affiliate link) to get over $20 cash back on a Kohl's order for wedding clothing. (Our oldest son is getting married this summer.) The order itself was not even that high, but they were having a extra discount through Ebates. If you don't use Ebates and you buy anything online, I highly recommend it or another cash back site. Please, do yourself a favour and sign up. So easy! Use my link above and get an extra $10 when you spend at least $25.00.

8) I used the Kohl's Cash that I received on the above order to get a pair of shoes for myself for free! Aren't they cute??

9) This one is not specifically mine, but our oldest son told us the blinkers were not working on his truck. He stopped by the Ford dealership, and they told him it would cost at minimum $150.00 USD. He googled the problem and then looked up how to fix it on YouTube. He bought the part at NAPA for $40ish and did the work himself. So proud to pass on the frugal genes (indirectly, I take credit..ha)!

Hope you all have a frugal week! Next week, I'll let you know how we saved money on our trip (and where we went!) Hint: sand and sun

Grandson, 3 day weekend, TeaWG, and more..

2019-04-07T05:11:00.000-07:00

I was looking through the pictures on my phone, taking time to be thankful for another week. At first glance, the week seemed fairly ordinary, but really, life is extraordinary, isn't it?

Went on a date Friday night with my husband. Here we are, waiting at our bus stop, the 281A. Public transportation in Hong Kong is cheap, reliable, clean and safe. I am grateful for this.

This is steamed milk custard at the Yee Shun Milk Company. A Hong Kong classic. Very simple, but tasty. I am grateful.

We went to Mong Kok for street food...nothing better than meat on a stick! Sausage wrapped in bacon, pork, fish balls and Siu Mai (I don't know how to describe this, but I love it--the yellow stuff that isn't round!) I am grateful.

Our grandson, Calvin, and daughter, Abby, the day AFTER Calvin's fever lifted.

How can you not be grateful for all this cuteness!

Volunteering at the Ronald McDonald House always makes me smile.

Candy, who speaks almost as little English as I speak Cantonese, has always gone out of her way to be friendly when I work at the house. I am grateful.

We had a relaxing 3 day weekend, which ended with Creme Caramel Tea and Pineapple Cakes on a Sunday afternoon--both gifts from a friend. If you haven't tried either of these, you should!

Grateful.