Marivene is a reader who has commented on my site for years, and I have learned so much from her comments. Because of her, I put a grape leaf in every jar of pickles I make, so that they are crunchy. In the past, when she has not commented for a couple of weeks, I…
I spent the first part of the week organizing things to run as smoothly as possible for the end of the week, as I had surgery on Thursday to remove cancer from my head. It was growing in my hair next to my part, a place where I don’t usually put sunscreen. I’ll have stitches…
Hamish sat up a couple of weeks ago at 4 1/2 months old. Now he wants to sit up all the time. I sewed 5 toddler bibs that I cut out from an old fitted sheet of my mom’s. I turned a pair of my son’s pants with a torn knee into shorts. I…
At the case-lot sale, I purchased two cases of canned tuna fish, a case of green beans, and a case of corn. The next time I stock up on corn and green beans will be during the Thanksgiving sales. I also bought a package of mini-marshmallows on sale at the same store. I checked my receipt…
What a busy week! I am finding that my new schedule means school all day with my children who are at home, and then just as we are done, I am helping with homework all afternoon until late into the night (10:45!) The baby nurses at 11, 2, 3, and 4 since school started (before…
I turned a pair of jeans into jean shorts and mended two dresses. I harvested Armenian cucumbers, red noodle beans, and cherry tomatoes from the garden. I took seeds from one of my Armenian cucumbers and planted them in the garden. I made Ranch, Italian, and Balsamic Orange Vinaigrette dressings to go on our salads. This time of…
This post contains affiliate links. On the try, try, again line I planted seeds in the garden yet again for sunflowers and zinnias. Only one of the seeds came up from all of the zucchini seeds I planted two weeks ago. This next week, I hope to plant again and I also plan to dust…
The few tiny flowers to be had in the garden right now: Siam Basil flowers, Peppermint flowers, and Honeysuckle This post contains affiliate links. We sent three of our children to public school this past week for the first time, which was not at all frugal. Besides the hundreds in school supplies that are required…
Armenian cucumber in the garden; you can see why these are also called “Snake melons.” I have never had one grow like this before, but it sure looks interesting! I read eight more Hamish Macbeth books in e-book form from the library. I love that the e-books mean I don’t even have to drive to…
I harvested peaches, figs, grapes, garlic chives, Swiss chard, green onions, grapes, tomatoes, and an Armenian cucumber from the garden. I canned fig jam, sweet pickle relish, and giardiniera. I read 4 books (Hamish Macbeth!) that I borrowed from my mom. I then went to the library’s website and borrowed and read 4 more Hamish…
We have had a large number of unexpected expenses this month, with multiple costly repairs needing to be made and items needing to be replaced. Some expenses one just doesn’t imagine ever having, but yet, there they are. Continuing to find frugality in as many ways as possible is important to keeping everything running smoothly….
I’ve had several garage sales over the last decade, and I’ve made anywhere from $150 to over $1600 at my sales. Here are my tips for having a successful sale: 1. Pick a beautiful day (or two) for your sale People like to go out when the weather is nice–not too hot, not too cold,…