Author Topic: Cheap Things That Make You Happy  (Read 938963 times)

OtherJen

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1150 on: October 21, 2018, 05:42:00 PM »
Husband's friend gave us a butternut squash from his garden. For dinner, I peeled, cubed, and roasted it in a mix of butter, maple syrup, cinnamon, and sea salt. Mmm.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1151 on: October 22, 2018, 02:43:51 AM »
I might have mentioned it before, but I like my monthly free Kindle book on the Samsung book deal. But I recently got an email from Amazon that they are stopping the deal. :-(

Maybe, instead of buying books, I should start reading over the books that I already have. Some might even be a surprise.

Freedomin5

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1152 on: October 22, 2018, 03:25:37 AM »
It’s autumn, and that means apple season. Except I live in a hot and humid foreign country with no autumn, no fall leaves changing colours, no crisp chilly air, and no snuggly sweaters.

So I did the next best thing and baked apple strudel muffins, and now a wonderful aroma of apples, cinnamon, and butter permeates my apartment. Just had a soft, warm muffin straight from the oven — delicious!

I was going to let DD take some to class to share with her classmates, but they are too yummy! And...er...I don’t think I sprinkled the strudel topping artistically enough, yes, now that I think about it, they are quite ugly to look at...I had better keep them at home and eat them all myself. :P

middo

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1153 on: October 22, 2018, 03:54:52 PM »
Catching the train to work.  It takes a little longer, but it costs less than the fuel alone, let alone the maintenance on the car.  And I get to read.  I haven't read in a long time and am really really enjoying it, even when I do get slight motion sickness from it.

koshtra

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1154 on: October 22, 2018, 05:15:45 PM »
Catching the train to work.  It takes a little longer, but it costs less than the fuel alone, let alone the maintenance on the car.  And I get to read.  I haven't read in a long time and am really really enjoying it, even when I do get slight motion sickness from it.

Oh, me too! I'm not sure it even takes longer, now that my city is all clogged up with cars: one of my happy train moments -- I'd thought of posting that here, but I thought maybe it was more gloating than happy -- is glancing up and seeing that I'm flying past all the cars stalled out on the freeway. An eighth of the cost *and* half the time *and* I get to read my book.

BeautifulDay

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1155 on: October 22, 2018, 09:06:47 PM »
We were invited to test an escape room tonight. A young man we mentored a few years ago invited my DH and I to get a group together for the test session. The young man has been helping the owner build the room for 2 years!

The room was so much fun. There are still some small issues to work out, but overall the whole experience was a blast.

I think the room would have cost $20 each. So $100 savings for our group.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1156 on: October 22, 2018, 11:48:44 PM »
Catching the train to work.  It takes a little longer, but it costs less than the fuel alone, let alone the maintenance on the car.  And I get to read.  I haven't read in a long time and am really really enjoying it, even when I do get slight motion sickness from it.

Oh, me too! I'm not sure it even takes longer, now that my city is all clogged up with cars: one of my happy train moments -- I'd thought of posting that here, but I thought maybe it was more gloating than happy -- is glancing up and seeing that I'm flying past all the cars stalled out on the freeway. An eighth of the cost *and* half the time *and* I get to read my book.

I used to commute by train for 15 years and I also loved to read. I don't take the train anymore, because my job is now somewhere else and I miss the reading. I do not miss the delays, though. Trains are great as long as you can sit in them and they are not overly crowded. And as long as they go on time.

Just Joe

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1157 on: October 23, 2018, 03:23:39 PM »
I started getting up 15 minutes earlier each day so I can sit around and sip a cup of tea .  Tea is cheap and it makes my mornings so much better!

Right on. I used to wake up, shower and drive straight to work when I had to be there early.  They feed us for free but not necessarily the healthiest of foods. 

Now I wake up 25 minutes earlier, make breakfast which is healthy and have a cup of coffee before work.  My entire day is so much better because of it.  Even if I get 25 minutes less sleep.

Or wake up 45 minutes earlier than that, make breakfast and coffee - and then bicycle to work. Its so close to bliss that I almost don't even mind going to work. Almost. Now if I could ride a bike path with a view all the way to work I might be unbearably happy.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1158 on: October 24, 2018, 01:34:16 AM »
Or wake up 45 minutes earlier than that, make breakfast and coffee - and then bicycle to work. Its so close to bliss that I almost don't even mind going to work. Almost. Now if I could ride a bike path with a view all the way to work I might be unbearably happy.

When I was at school, from age 12 to 18, I cycled 30 kms a day through some nice scenery on quiet roads, passing this windmill:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Netherlands,_Vlist_(3),_Bonrepasmolen.JPG

At that time I didn't value it that much, although I did enjoy it from time to time in good circumstances. It was much further than if I would have visited the local schools. But I was sent to a school for children with higher IQ-test results.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1159 on: October 24, 2018, 05:22:34 AM »
Not free, but relatively quite cheap, I just bought a sunrise lamp for $25 (as opposed to the $200+ model I've been eyeing for 5 years) so that I can wake up to "sunrise" light every morning instead of pitch black darkness well into the morning. It's usually still pitch black by the time I get to work all winter.

It's cheap because it's not a SAD light, which I don't need. I don't actually mind the cold darkness of winter here and don't get depressed at all, I just find it really hard to wake up without light, so this has been awesome. It's only been 2 days and I'm already waking up without my usual dark-morning headache.

I have a Philips Wakeup light alarm clock. And before that one from Lumie. I think the philips cost approx 100 USD a number of years ago.

I really like waking up with a light rather than a beeping alarm clock. And going to sleep with a fading light. My current alarm clock also has options for the sound. When I use bird twitter, I wake up really early because the birds outside my house start long before the alarm clock in the spring (4 in the morning or so). So now I have Zen piano or something like that.

The Philips Wakeup Light has way too many buttons, I think 15 or so. I regularly press the wrong one with my sleepy head. The number of buttons is partly because it also has a radio function that I don't use. But in comparison, the Lumie had only 3 buttons. With the Lumie I sometimes changed the clock time instead of the wake-up time, because you needed to press the buttons in the right sequence.

Dancin'Dog

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1160 on: October 24, 2018, 10:43:47 AM »
FIRE means you don't need an alarm clock, right?  ;)


I've got the fury type of alarm clocks.  The pitter patter of their little paws on the hard floor tells me to get up now, or mop up a puddle or two later.  They're sweet & I love them, but I'd sure like to sleep in some days...

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1161 on: October 24, 2018, 11:04:43 AM »
I've got the fury type of alarm clocks.
What, you get woken up by Samuel L Jackson every morning?! :P

Linea_Norway

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1162 on: October 26, 2018, 05:34:17 AM »
Spending a few hours hiking in the local forest, at my own pace. I brought everything I needed and didn't feel anxious about anything.

Just Joe

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1163 on: October 26, 2018, 12:13:08 PM »
Re-truing my bike wheel. Maybe even replacing a spoke if necessary. Buy a bundle of spokes and they last forever. Anyhow a task that is very thoughtful and calming.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1164 on: October 26, 2018, 12:38:25 PM »
Re-truing my bike wheel. Maybe even replacing a spoke if necessary. Buy a bundle of spokes and they last forever. Anyhow a task that is very thoughtful and calming.

My DH has the same idea about doing this.

frooglepoodle

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1165 on: October 26, 2018, 02:17:03 PM »
Tea, popcorn, and Netflix with my 3-year-old on a rainy afternoon.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1166 on: October 27, 2018, 01:16:23 AM »
Spending the evening home alone, laying on the sofa, nice melacholic music on, tempered light and reading the last hours of my book.

Freedomin5

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1167 on: October 27, 2018, 05:04:39 AM »
My four-year-old’s logic. A few days ago she told me she wanted all of us to live with grandma when we repatriated. Great! She’s frugal and she loves grandma, right? Nope. I asked her why and she said, “Because grandma has a big bathtub.”

middo

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1168 on: October 28, 2018, 01:36:52 AM »
A long walk tbrough the forest with my wife this afternoon.  Blissful.

lemanfan

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1169 on: October 28, 2018, 03:04:07 AM »
Realizing that I live in modern times - I found out by electronic means that my train is an hour late before I got out my chair to walk to the station.  Now I can read some more. :)

kei te pai

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1170 on: October 28, 2018, 03:04:29 AM »
Roses. A big bunch of Souvenir de Mme Leonie Viennot, grown from a cutting taken from an abandoned garden a few years ago. They are so beautiful.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1171 on: October 28, 2018, 02:26:56 PM »
My walk in the forest this morning. Late in October with vold, but sunny weather. It felt like pure medicin against whatever difficulties I might have.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1172 on: October 28, 2018, 06:24:27 PM »
Guacamole, because really, what more do you need? Oh, and chips to help facilitate the guacamole eating.

FIRE Artist

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1173 on: October 28, 2018, 07:16:54 PM »
Art books from the library sales, all softcovers for $1 and hardcovers for $2. It is always worth the trip downtown for me, invariably I find books on my wish list as well as a surprise or two.  My favourite art books in my collection were found there.

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1174 on: October 29, 2018, 06:14:21 AM »
Finding flowers in the garden even after waking up to snow on the ground.

Rural

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1175 on: October 29, 2018, 06:34:53 AM »
My old dog still having the energy to go for a walk in the woods twice a day.

OtherJen

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1176 on: October 29, 2018, 07:12:26 AM »
My friend with advanced cancer celebrated another birthday over the weekend, and the current meds seem to be controlling the disease really well.

BeautifulDay

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1177 on: October 29, 2018, 09:17:45 PM »
My friend with advanced cancer celebrated another birthday over the weekend, and the current meds seem to be controlling the disease really well.
That is wonderful.


Over the weekend we went to a state park with my annual pass. I’d pay for a pass even if we didn’t use it, just to support the parks. Day of hiking that I paid for over 6 months ago. Perfect weather and good times with DH and the doggo.

eljefe-speaks

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1178 on: October 30, 2018, 11:07:11 AM »
Swimming in the river in our village.

Erma - you posted this a long time ago, but I took a vacay to Switzerland this year and I envy you! The rivers and lakes looked so inviting - as if they weren't even real, like Disneyland or something. What an unbelievably beautiful country. In fact, when the jackpot for a lottery in the US was $1.5B recently, the fantasy I kept returning to was escaping to a Swiss mountain village for a few months and just breathing that air.

Free thing I enjoy - I am crazy for the fall colors on a sunny cool day this time of year.

okisok

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1179 on: October 30, 2018, 06:22:34 PM »
Leaving work after a really stressful day to run a company errand. Normally I'd be irritated to have to drive across town to pick up one tiny item, but today I was really grateful to get out and see the lovely fall foliage and listen to my (free from the library) audiobook.

CharlesBronzee

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1180 on: October 30, 2018, 10:41:02 PM »
Getting into bed that's been warmed up by a heated mattress pad on a cold night!  Should have bought one years ago!

EnjoyIt

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1181 on: October 31, 2018, 02:36:26 AM »
Getting into bed that's been warmed up by a heated mattress pad on a cold night!  Should have bought one years ago!

I will counter that with: getting into bed with cool freshly cleaned sheets.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1182 on: October 31, 2018, 03:03:16 AM »
Walking through a park in Berlin full of very mature deciduous trees. We don't have so many of these in Norway.
Nice to see lots of runners and cycling commuters in the park.

Rosy

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1183 on: October 31, 2018, 09:28:38 AM »
Getting into bed that's been warmed up by a heated mattress pad on a cold night!  Should have bought one years ago!

I will counter that with: getting into bed with cool freshly cleaned sheets.

... or my favorite, fresh off the line sheets, still smelling of sunshine:) - sometimes even still warm from the Florida sunshine.

Rosy

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1184 on: October 31, 2018, 09:30:36 AM »
So happy that it is finally cool enough to open the windows again - yeah, fresh air, no more AC.

BZB

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1185 on: October 31, 2018, 06:00:21 PM »
trick or treaters at my door

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1186 on: October 31, 2018, 07:04:07 PM »
A carpet of amazingly colorful leaves on the road as I go to work, courtesy of a nice rainstorm last night.

Hirondelle

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1187 on: November 01, 2018, 04:40:37 AM »
IKEA 'date' with friends and then walking around the whole thing looking at furniture we don't need (nobody bought anything!)

zolotiyeruki

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1188 on: November 01, 2018, 05:32:04 AM »
Going on a walk this morning with DW and hearing the crackling of the leaves underfoot.  Fall is such a magical time!

Trifle

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1189 on: November 01, 2018, 05:34:57 AM »
Halloween!  I just love it.  Best costume I saw was a neighborhood family that had their huge black and white spotted Great Dane trick-or-treating with them.  Mom, dad, and three kids were all dressed like the dog in full spotted onesie suits with tails.  The littlest child was maybe 15 months old, wide eyed and just starting to grasp the concept of trick-or-treating. 

Young toddler in a homemade puppy costume with a little tail on it -- cutest thing ever.   

Trifle

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1190 on: November 05, 2018, 05:38:01 AM »
Went for a trail run yesterday with my twelve year old son.  Weather was crisp and cool, and we made a game out of catching falling leaves as we ran. 

At the end as we walked to the car, he took my hand and held it.  Magical.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1191 on: November 05, 2018, 07:40:47 AM »
I found out that the particular cell phone I'm interested in buying, is available for $30 cheaper than I first presumed.

OtherJen

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1192 on: November 05, 2018, 08:32:54 AM »
I found out that the particular cell phone I'm interested in buying, is available for $30 cheaper than I first presumed.

Yay! Which phone did you choose?

Frugal Lizard

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1193 on: November 06, 2018, 06:09:01 AM »
A one pot meal that I cooked in my big heavy cast iron frying pan that everyone has seconds of.

zeli2033

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1194 on: November 07, 2018, 07:10:09 AM »
Falling asleep at 730pm and waking up a smooth 10 hours later, ready to take on the day. The. Best.

MaybeBabyMustache

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1195 on: November 07, 2018, 09:11:47 PM »
Crunching leaves when walking around outside

Raenia

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1196 on: November 08, 2018, 08:54:54 AM »
New recipes!  This week we've made a lovely chana masala, and I attempted to make chicken mole with plantains.  Less than fantastic, but no worse than I was expecting given that it was very experimental, and we had to substitute several ingredients we didn't have on hand.  Still fun to try something new, and it wasn't half bad.

Not really cheap, but so grateful to have a good emergency fund and a fully funded HSA.  DH wound up in the ER last night after a minor accident at the woodshop.  Fortunately it's not serious and he's going to be fine.  But it was so nice that he could be more upset about missing part of the class he was attending than about the bill we'll be getting from the hospital.  When FIRE seems so far away, it's nights like this that remind me why we do this whole financial independence thing.

middo

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1197 on: November 08, 2018, 08:04:48 PM »
Our home cooking.

This week we have had:
Spaghetti bolognese, with extra chilli and a cut up chorizo (onsale really cheap) added.  Yum
Fish and chips - home fried fish ($2 for 2 of us) and a bag of chips in the freezer ($1.90 at Aldi)
Kebabs (wraps) using left over meat from a roast a while ago, shredded lettuce, capsicum, cheese and tomato with a bit of greek yoghurt.
Pumpkin Penne - pumpkin pan roasted, with a few sausages cut up and tossed through, onion, balsamic vinegar, a bit of cream and cooked penne.  Top with parmesan.

I'm hungry...

OtherJen

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1198 on: November 09, 2018, 07:08:10 AM »
I’m drinking coffee and watching the first snowfall of the season from my cozy kitchen. It’s so pretty—big flakes falling straight down—and the best part is that I don’t have to go out in it until the afternoon.

Linea_Norway

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Re: Cheap Things That Make You Happy
« Reply #1199 on: November 09, 2018, 12:28:36 PM »
Watching interesting chess world championship on TV with Norwegian title defender.
« Last Edit: November 13, 2018, 06:52:55 AM by Linda_Norway »