Two weeks ago, one of my daughters brought home some clothes from someone who was getting rid of lots of clothes. Both she, one sister, and I have a few new things each from this. One daughter modified two skirts for herself. I took in a blouse for myself, and also gained a comfortable summer dress and a cardigan. The daughter who got the clothes plans to change out the buttons on a couple of cardigans, using ones I have on hand.
I mended a pair of shorts for my son.
Last week, I requested a Chromebook for one of my daughters to use for school through the online program into which we started her. I now have my two youngest daughters doing an online program for high school. Thankfully, they were able to provide a computer to her, as for some odd reason, they usually only provide one computer per household in my state–which would make it very difficult for siblings to both do their online school during the day. As my mother always says, “Don’t ask, don’t get,”–in other words, speak up! Very glad we asked.
My husband was assigned to work insurance claims in Spokane, Washington. Thank you all so much for your prayers! It’s been a long time since there were any claims for him to do, and he has been applying for other jobs, but if there are claims, he can still do them, as he has kept his licenses current. There have just been no hurricanes or large hail storms for him to work for almost a year, barring one small hailstorm in Ohio in March.
Because we had to sell his vehicle in July, he took mine to Washington. While I cannot go forever without a vehicle, we are making it work right now. If he gets another assignment after this, we’ll need to purchase something again, but if not, we will have saved ourselves that expense. At the moment, we are waiting to see what happens. Since my boss is out of the country, my work is on hold for a bit, so I am okay being at home for a few weeks.
I watched some free webinars and gained some great knowledge that I think will be very beneficial in my new job.
I made myself a new bracelet using beads from an old one, as well as more that I still had. This is a project I have been meaning to get to for a couple of years, and I was happy to get it done.
We had a storm that brought a tiny bit of rain to my house. It also brought humidity (70%; it’s normally around 10 to 15% here) and some cloud cover for the garden, which is good, because everything has been burning to death with the relentless sun. I’ve been collecting several gallons of water a day from the air condtioner drip and using it to water potted plants in the garden.
I took advantage of the slightly cooler weather to sow some seeds where my seedlings either died or didn’t come up. I plan to plant quite a bit this fall, once the temperatures have dropped. That’s the main planting time here, and I want to grow as much as possible.
What did you do to save money last week?
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Nice to hear that things are looking up for your family. Your bracelet is pretty.
My garden is finally waking up and providing a wide range of vegetables as well as raspberries and apples. We ate raspberry pie and apple pie this week. I froze plenty of raspberries for winter and a couple bags of less perfect ones for jam. We have company for a couple weeks and they are doing a fair bit of fishing. Have had tempura fish, breaded fried fish and fish salad sandwiches. My rhubarb continues to produce so rhubarb cake and rhubarb juice aplenty. Grocery needs greatly reduced to milk, eggs, flour and cheese.
We have a bear in the neighborhood so are extra careful to bury fish waste and meat bones. We do not make garbage. Our waste is comprised of compostables, burnables and recyclables. We produce less than 2 garbage bags of other waste like old shoes, bottle caps, and packaging in the course of a year.
I love that your daughters can modify and make their clothing. As a teenager, I learned to sew all of my clothes from my friend’s mom who taught us at the same time. Best gift ever given. I still make most of my clothes.
I am hoping that all your troubles find solutions.
Very pleased to hear your husband has found some more work in his field Brandy-such a blessing to your family. I bought a container of tomatoes on Flash Food for $3 and some were wrinkled. Also bought eggs on FF for $3 a dozen and several were broken. Both items ended up being free.
We are going away on Thursday for 5 nights-staying 4 nights with friends and one in a bed and breakfast so not too costly. We also hope to visit a mineral spa on the drive.
My husband continues to attend free physio sessions following his hip surgery-he seems almost 100% already and back to work on Sept 1.
Our friends with the 2 sets of twin boys have asked us to stay with them Sept 15-18 and Nov 12-17 which will be some extra money, The children next door collected some apples from our tree yesterday and my sister took some home to her grandchildren today. The triplets and big brother might be over tomorrow to pick the rest.
The neighbour next door repaired the fence that was leaning into our yard with a little help from my husband. We offered him money for supplies but he turned us down. Hopefully it will last a few more years.
I will also be working Sept 1 for a couple of months-part time to help transition a a baby into daycare. We had company over the other day and I baked a 5 star peach-raspberry pie with a side of custard. Totally yummy. My brother has finished paying us all our share of my Mum’s estate which turned out to be a nice sum for we five kids. No idea how she saved anything raising 5 kids on a low income but I think she made some money by buying and selling houses. Anyway we are very appreciative-she also donated some to charity.
I am so happy to hear your husband got some work. I was wondering if he’d get sent to Spokane. My daughter lives there, and it’s quite a mess from what she’s said. Besides the fires, they had some massive storms a few weeks earlier that I imagine did damage. She had a tree come down, but luckily not onto her house.
Diane
Unless the tree lands on a house, a fence, or a car, the insurance company doesn’t get involved.
Hi Brandy,
That isn’t completely accurate. Last winter, we had a huge tree fall through our outdoor shed, and another tree landed in our backyard from a huge snowstorm. Our insurance company gave us a check to cover damages and removal of the dead trees. I had to submit a claim and send photos. Thank you.
Tara
Massachusetts
Yes, if it hits an outbuilding, you are also covered. Outbuildings are also covered. I am surprised they covered the removal of the other tree; that’s awesome for you! Not all companies cover it, from what he’s told me.
So, not related to this post specifically – I just spent some time wandering through your recent blog posts gathering in beauty and inspiration. I especially love seeing what you are reading – it gives me lots of great books to try. I’d love to know some top favorites if you are willing to share.
I just started reading The Five-Star Weekend. So far, so good!
There’s also a mini series of this book and I was very good as well!
Good to know!
I’ll have to check it out!
Your husband is up in my neck of the woods. While I’m glad he has some work, I really wish it wasn’t because our city burned. At one point in time we had over 60,000 people who were evacuated. That is over 20% of our population.
We had smoky skies for most of the week, which made it very difficult to work in the garden or do anything outside at all.
I made stroganoff with some ground elk meat from our freezer. Made cheesy zucchini bake (a new recipe I found online), garlic green beans with beans and garlic from our garden, a mix of bc elk and beef with peppers and onions made into patties and cooked on the bbq, and chicken thighs on the bbq,
I worked two days at the food bank, delivered about 175 pounds of zucchini and cucumbers to the food bank, went to Moscow, Idaho to visit my son, dil,and three granddaughters. The littlest one is four weeks old and just adorable.
The sky is clearer and hopefully it will stay that way. We could really use some rain. We haven’t had any measurable precipitation in probably two months.
A new week is starting, and along bc with that, A new list of to-dos. Wishing everyone a wonderful week.
His work is just when people’s houses are damaged or destroyed. So, yes, it’s a weird thing.
I am so happy your husband is able to bring in income for your family! I bought ground turkey/beef, pepitas pumpkin seeds, Gala apples, etc. at Aldi to make lunches for work. My fridge is on the blink but the freezer still works fine so I am making do for now by cooking in small portions and trying not to have leftovers. I had made swamp soup, with canned ingredients, before it really went on the blink. Oh well. I want to pay a few bills off before I go looking for a new fridge. I am planning on getting my oil changed and tires checked out with my first paycheck from the new job. I also need to pay some other bills that got behind.
Cindy – what is swamp soup? Would love to see a recipe if you don’t mind sharing. 🙂
So sorry I just saw this. I think it originally came from Louisiana (I like turnip greens or mustard but some folks like collards), can of beans or beans you cooked, can of diced tomatoes with chiles if you like heat, cooked sausages chopped up, but some folks leave that out if vegetarian, diced onions, celery, cabbage if you wish, can of carrots if you wish, cajun spices, bullion, water so that it doesn’t burn, and whatever spices you prefer, put in slow cooker and cook for several hours, I prefer low and slow but some will cook on high for a couple of hours.
Received a bag of samples from Walmart with my delivery order…one bubbler drink, a Pepsi zero, 2 sour candies, a sample bag of cat treats, a 3 hydration electrolytes additives and 6 ricola cough drops.
Received a free coffee at Einstein Brothers bagels by ordering in the app
Earned $1.25 ibotta
Audible had a spend 3 credits get one credit to use later. It was for books on the best of lists for several different years. I found many that were on my TBR for a long time, so it was easy to use three and get one more credit.
Needed milk for a recipe, but only 1 cup. I picked up a 16 ounce container of milk. I’ll freeze the half I didn’t use for another time.
Used a 20% off an oil change coupon.
I’m trying to figure out how to earn extra money this semester that won’t require me to leave my house and it’s something I can do whenever I get free time, in additionto a full-time job and a 12 hour class schedule of four, very writing heavy classes this semester. I usually tutor on Monday and Wednesday, but I have a Tuesday/Thursday in person class this semester and dont want four, 11 hour days that I am gone in a week. My financial aid is gone now(ran out the mandated allowable time limit), so now I have a $6,600 bill to pay AND my teen starts cosmetology school and will owe $130 a month after her aid.
Are either you or your child able to give plasma? That may be an option.
Hi Brandy and everyone
How nice that you and two daughters gained some clothes and you have the skills to alter them to fit. Good news too that your husband has had some employment and you are making the one car situation work for now.
We have been enjoying some free entertainment on television, watching a couple of classical concerts from the Proms on catch up. We enjoy live events but they are not a priority now.
I took my granddaughter to a nearby historic house and garden which offers free children’s entertainment and outdoor games in the summer holiday. We pay an annual membership for this national organisation which preserves our heritage but we get far more from it than we pay. My GD loved it and I took snacks and drinks from home.
I took advantage of summer sales to replace a set of bed linen for our bed at half price. I washed our pillows and one dried a bit wonky so I opened a seam, straightened out the stuffing and resewed the seam.In a charity shop I found two like new books for my granddaughter, a book for myself I’ve been searching for and a book in immaculate condition which I will gift to a friend for her birthday.
I found a deal on dark chocolate this week and bought extra for the larder.
The garden provided runner beans, French beans, mint, basil, potatoes, tomatoes, cucumber and courgette. I picked flowers for the house.
We had the first rain today for two months, just a sprinkling. We are officially in drought and hosepipes are banned. We will water veggies with watering cans but I think the flowers will have to take their chances now. Counting my blessings, we still have water. Good luck everyone.
You can put a washtub or bucket in the shower and collect water while you shower to water the plants. Also out a bucket or bowl under vegetables while you are washing them and use that as well to water your garden.
We have a 5 gallon bucket in our shower to collect warm up water. We have a 1 gallon bucket in our kitchen sink that catches rinse water from hand washing and from washing fruit and veggies. I get 2-3 gallons a day in the kitchen sink bucket alone. It’s magical to use something that would otherwise literally go down the drain. We also have over 1,000 gallons of rainwater barrels, most of them 55 gallon drums. Even in a California summer, we still have rainwater left to use on our fruit trees. I know not everyone is allowed to collect rainwater, I’m thankful for it here though. I think most people can put a bowl or small bucket in their kitchen sink and have excellent benefit from it in their gardens.
We also keep a small container in the bathroom sink. It’s astonishing how often they fill up. We use septic-safe soap to hand wash our dishes in dishpans and use that water as well.
Thank you all for the suggestions to save and reuse water, I use kitchen rinse water already but haven’t ever used a bucket in the shower. We have always had such copious rain in the UK but I think we need to wise up now to the changing climate and use some of the strategies those of you in dry places use. We have lots of butts for rainwater collection in the garden and we’re going to get more.
The British ( including me) love complaining about the weather and we know when the dry summers over it will rain for the next six months! Now, where did I store our wet weather clothing?!
I have a bucket in the shower to catch warm-up water, but it was a British account that I follow where last week she showed standing in the washtub while showering so that she can use the water in the garden, due to the hosepipe ban.
Raìn last week got in the way of my grass being cut, so another week less to pay. This will leave some funds for household supplies like ligĥtbulbs and a furnace filter. Beautiful weather this week so the grass got cut yesterday.
I enjoyed a pot of chili made with tomato sauce instead of diced or whole tomatoes. I roasted a very small chicken (3 lb) with a lot of meat on it, so lots of leftovers from it.
Got Amazon Prime for $4 for 2 mo.
Making progress learning to use my android mobile instead of my older PC laptop.
Hi Elizabeth! When our kids were younger, they didn’t like tomato chunks in their chili or casseroles so I used tomato sauce instead. It didn’t make much of a difference and I actually prefer it still.😊
I really do prefer it chunky. On the other hand, I did enjoy it. I truly believe that tomato products are interchangeable, so we’ll see what comes of the pasta sauce, tomato paste, soup and ketchup I have!
Brandy, that’s great news about your husband and work!
I bought three cartons of peaches (2 litre cartons) from Canada Safeway for half price ($4.99 each reduced from $9.99). I have been enjoying them fresh, but I may make a crisp with the next batch that ripens. I bought 2 pound clamshells of blueberries for $5.99 from No Frills. That is a great price. I will freeze them. I am reorganising the freezer (small one above the fridge). I donated some peaches to the Hatch, a community 24/7 food cupboard.
I feel that every tome I buy groceries I should donate something to the Hatch, no matter how stretched for cash I am.
I have only spent money on food. I bought some items on sale for my pantry, and ordered some price-reduced items online from Healthy Planet – some peanut free items are out of stock everywhere here but available on sale from Healthy Planet. I am greatly enjoying all the locally-grown fruits and veggies that are in season.
I finished a history article using online resources totally, especially from McGill University’s digital library. I did not have to go anywhere or pay a cab to get there. It was a great experience but very intense to meet the deadline.
Now to catch up with household and gardening chores. Between the severe thunderstorms and then the smoke from Washington State and B.C., outside chores have been neglected. I’m hoping for a long lovely fall. I am doing “rehab” before knee surgery. I love doing the exercises outside but can only go outside when the smoke is not bad.
I am going to completely change my routine for winter. Am working on planning.
I somehow missed your fourth child leaving home and I can’t believe your 2 youngest girls are high school age already!!
My fifth moved out in July.
I remember when Ivory was born!!! I can’t believe it has been that long!!
It’s the same for me as I remember when the youngest daughter was born! Wow. Now high school.
So wonderful for your husband to have work. And like much of life, that blessing to him coincides with what may be someone else’s worst day. Your husband is a blessing to others, I am sure.
I thought I was going in for a pre-op appointment today for a tendon release on a toe that I broke early this year and it healed badly. But instead of the pre-op, the doctor actually did the procedure! It isn’t often that something gets done earlier than expected. So I have 2 weeks in a surgical shoe, and need to stay off my feet as much as possible. It’s a really good thing I made a lot of food yesterday, giving us leftovers for several days. I also ran my errands this morning and walked at the lake. The timing is quite perfect because September is full-visiting grandchildren and then caring for my adult daughter when she has her tonsils out (2 week recovery, apparently tonsils out as an adult is one of the most painful surgeries out there according to the surgeon who mainly does facial reconstruction surgeries so he certainly should know!).
I picked tomatoes, apples and basil this morning before my appointment. I’ll dry the basil.
I gave my sister a referral code for Vinted and received $20 in credits. She also received $20. Once one of her items sells, we’ll each receive $30 more. I’m quite pleased about that! She just happened to mention that she was sorting her clothes and I told her how easy Vinted was to use (I’d say it is an easier entry point than Ebay). Here’s a referral code if anyone is interested! https://www.vinted.com/invite/repurpose5
I put out my husband’s name when someone on a local fb group asked for tutor recommendations. It’s always good to network!
Cutting sugar has been a high priority for me. I’ve been liking date sugar (I’m allergic to coconut, which seems to be a common sugar replacement, and I am completely unable to tolerate any synthetic sugar substitutes). I found Azure Standard has date sugar at a much better price, so I’ve placed an order. https://www.azurestandard.com/?a_aid=jWb0sVFU6M
We’ve been having cooler than usual weather and I’m looking at autumn planting ideas. My garden is frugal and fills me with joy. I have 2 loofah on the vine this year, not a lot, but I’m excited to see if I can successfully dry them this year. The inside is what natural sponges are.
My father planted loofahs for several years back in the day. They are such interesting plants! I hope yours will do okay.
Thanks, I used your code to join.
Love the bracelets. So elegant. I am so proud that your husband is working. I am sorry for the families effected, but thankful he is getting to work. Are you able to work from home while your boss is out of town? Your pictures are beautiful as always. Your daughters have learned a valuable skill in sewing that they will use the rest of their life. Your mom is right about asking for something, you never know until you ask. We planted lima beans, English peas and turnip greens today in the garden.
I am waiting for my boss to come back in town.
Hi everyone,
I started typing this last night and lost it. I love your photos Brandy!
The only “benefit” of the storms that hit our state is that some trees came down. I was able to get free mulch with chip drop and will share the rest with others. It helps the crews, reduces landfills and is good for my budget! My son (who is waiting for his apprenticeship interview next month) started the yard work on that today.
Going through pantry to sort supplies to see what we can give for a drive to help others. I also got my raise on this check so some of it will financially go to recovery efforts in one of the more rural parts of the state.
Picked all the green tomatoes before the storms so they wouldn’t split. They reddened up enough to make 7 cups of sauce. (I just roast and then blend once it cools.) Got extra 3-cup containers to freeze at dollar tree.
Received $16 commission from Amazon from my old blog.
Got some flour and supplies from costco rebate from when we got tires. If you have space to store it (I do not), a 25 lb bag of AP flour is cheaper than the King Arthur 10 lb bag there!
Picked up “free” insulin at pharmacy because of deductible being hit. I’m not going through quite as fast but will “save” any extra for after the first of the year. Trying to squeeze in some occupational therapy visits and shared the exercises with a friend who’s dealing with similar issues but didn’t have coverage.
We were gifted a bag of chocolate chip cookies from a family we had helped. A nice surprise.
Wishing you a positive week!
Robbie
I am currently caring for 14 cats in our home – 7 of our own, and then fostering a mama and 4 kittens and 2 stray adults that were at risk. All basic supplies are provided by the rescue. We saved $12 on litter for our own at Costco.
I have dried a pint size jar of catmint from our garden with more drying in the dehydrator.
I made several catnip toys from scrap fabric, the dried catnip and stuffing I was given for free. A single toy at the $1 store is $1.50!
I gave 3 dozen eggs to a local family and traded the wineberry bushes (it was supposed to be blackberry bush) for black and red raspberries starts.
I sold several items that were taking up space.
I bought at the Goodwill outlet by the pound store: several small hand towels, fleece blankets and a bunch of mini sized stuffed animals for the cats + some lipped plates that work well for feeding kittens a book to read and a brand new bra. All for only $8!!
All meals were made at home.
I harvested tomatoes, banana peppers, corn, carrots and potatoes from the garden.
I mended multiple items of clothing + a fitted bed sheet. I made new curtains for 2 rooms in the house from fabric I already had.
My husband switched his cell phone carrier (nightmare!) That will save $50 a month.
We made the 2nd to last payment on our truck🥳
Have a good week everyone
Bless you for fostering the cats and kittens! We have done that many, many times and it is the definition of bittersweet – you fall in love with them but are sad to see them go even though their finding a forever home is the goal. There is such a need for foster families – so glad you can help in your corner of the world. ❤️
I’m so happy your husband was scheduled for work! Unfortunately for those affected, sounds like there will be a lot of work for him in the pnw.
I had to get new tires. I was planning for them, but unexpectedly last minute. The tire store matched both an online store price and its $100 off sale on the brand. This saved me $300. There was a problem w sensors and my great mechanic looked at it today (didn’t charge me), will order a part and give me the incorrect ones back to get a refund from the tire store. So nice when you have honest mechanics you can count on.
My insurance just approved meal a plan delivery! I had no idea this was a thing covered by health insurance till a dietician told me about it. Healthcare using food if you have a medical need. They just approved 168 premade meals till the end of the year covered 100%. Delivered weekly. This will be a *huge* cost savings on groceries! (Glad I bought that freezer,)
I revisited both my optometrist and ophthalmologist. I got a new eyeglasses rx because the one she initially gave me wasn’t correct. The optician will exchange my new glasses lens for free. Glasses will be short lived though because the ophthalmologist said it’s time for cataract surgery in one eye. I will talk to him about doing both to save on getting new glasses once instead of twice. (One eye will not be able to be fully corrected w new surgical lenses, so will still need glasses after.)
Otherwise I saved by not spending extra. Hanging my clothes to dry, using microfiber towel and water on some cleaning, eating from freezer, doing my own nails, open windows at night to cool the house, use cloth kitchen towels instead of paper, cloth napkins, real plates, not paper. Audiobooks from the library (especially good during a recent bout of migraines). Eating all meals at home, grouping errands to save gas and planning to get gas when near a Costco (best price in town).
My lime tree has 2 ripe limes and lots of blooms. I have what looks to be a volunteer carnation that came up in my other lime tree pot getting ready to bloom. No idea how it got there. My large jade tree I got from a neighbor who moved, had branch breaks and rooted where they fell so have 3 new plants.
Since my daily visiting squirrel momma died I haven’t had any squirrel visits, but two of her babies came to see me yesterday. Hope they come again.
Hope everyone has a great week!
Can you please share how to get the meals? That’s amazing!
I do not have much new to share this week but just wanted to say how glad I am to hear that your husband has some work, Brandy! I know the circumstances of his work are difficult for others (disasters), but I’m sure he is a blessing to the families he deals with during their times of struggle. Perhaps as we are heading into hurricane season, his work will pick up.
Our weather here continues to be positively roasting hot – we are under extreme heat warnings daily. One of our local news channels keeps referring to it as “the gates of hell remaining open.” LOL. It is funny but also true. We are doing all the usual things – keeping blinds/drapes closed, leaving the air on 78 when we are not home and 77 when we are, collecting AC drip water to water our patio plants. I paid off 2 credit cards. We cooked and ate almost all meals at home. One evening after work we did go out for dinner because I had a reward for a free entree for my birthday month (which is actually next month… but whatever!) I continue to bake all of our bread at home. Shopped at Aldi and Sam’s for groceries and household supplies and stuck to our lists. Brought my breakfast, lunch & snacks to work, made coffee at home, so no spending there. We wear our work clothing pieces twice if possible before sending to the dry cleaners. Since my job is largely sitting in an air conditioned office all day, many items are fine to wear a second time. My husband usually re wears his pants, but not shirts. I picked up a few clearance items from the Target/Ulta closure on 50% off to save for Christmas gifts. I have been watching “slow living” and “cottagecore” videos on YouTube for entertainment – I have found several that I especially enjoy, mostly European-based. I love the focus on simple living and finding enjoyment in the everyday things without the heavy focus on consumerism. It actually reminds me a lot of what I love about this blog. 🙂
I hope everyone has a lovely week!
Last year, not a single hurricane touched the US–thus not much work for him last year. There are no hurricanes predicted for this year; maybe ONE, if at all, according to the storm predictions.
So we don’t expect him to work any hurricanes this year.
Congratulations on your husband finding work – what a blessing! And I am sure he is a source of comfort and assurance to those who need his services. We didn’t have any insurance claims with Hurricane Helen but we sure have been grateful for the assistance we have received from numerous church and relief organizations. People are always surprised how long recovery from such things take. Almost 2 years since Helene and still there are needs in our area. My frugal accomplishments this week are very boring but it is often the boring, everyday habits that make a difference. I cashed in points from Receipt Hog to get a $40 gift card to Chewy. I also found a deal on Amazon for a $20 credit if you purchase $75 worth of certain brands of pet food. That is more than I usually spend at one time but it happened to be exactly what I needed so I went ahead and stocked up. Over 25% in savings is worth a little investment up front. We have had some unusual predator activity around the chickens so need to reinforce our fence. Some of that we are doing with T posts we have on hand reducing how much material we had to purchase. Just when I think our Surplus Materials Pile (as my husband calls it – never a Junk Pile!) is getting a bit large, he pulls out exactly what we need and I see the value of it. Fortunately, we have plenty of space where it is out of plain view and he keeps it organized. I have thought many times that owning a salvage yard – a nice one that was very neat and organized – would be fun and good way of keeping useful items out of the landfill. Future plans, maybe? My youngest is interested in studying psychology. In my search for a good curriculum, I found one that can be used with just the Teacher’s manual – no need to purchase the student workbook. I discovered this possibility a few years ago and it has saved a lot. Not all manufacturers will make this known but if you do a little digging you can find out if this strategy will work. How I wish I could send some of the rain we have experienced to those of you in dry conditions or fires! We have gone from an unusually dry early summer to rain almost every day. It is definitely the most unusual summer weather I can remember in recent years. But, it makes for easy seed starting in the garden and has increased the frequency of mowing jobs so that helps. Enjoy your week, all!
He worked Hurricane Helene as well.
I remember you writing that he had been here in Western NC after Helene. Am sure he was a help to all who needed it so desperately.
He sent me pictures of trees that were left permanently sideways. That was shocking.
I am in Spokane. I am thankful your husband can work here after the fires. Nearly 900 structures burned in one week. My home is safe, but so many people lost homes, pets, and belongings. 🙁
Last count I had heard was 600; 900 is snaller than the California fires he worked last year, but still quite a lot. Thanks for sharing the number.
The good news is that the insurance companies hire people to come in and knock it out quickly, so that people have money to stay somewhere while their houses are being rebuilt, and so that they can get them rebuilt quickly. It’s been interesting to learn the process.
There were 900 structures, of which 600 were homes. Erin, I’m in the greater Spokane area also. Far enough away that our property was not threatened, close enough to deal with the unhealthy air.
We are cooking at home for the most part. We are watching sales and that is when we buy things. We are doing upkeep on our vehicles to save from big expenditures. My car will need tires soon. I will look for a sale. We are enjoying ourselves. Utilizing the library. Singing together. Enjoying spending time together and being entertained by my son’s funny dog.
Today I walked into the grocery store with an eye to really pay attention to the food prices, it is a chain grocery store, not high end! Peaches $2.99#, organic ground beef $9-$20#, chicken breast organic $8#. I don’t buy any of those items but was curious what they cost. I did buy a package of clearance organic chicken breast to make a meal for a family with a newly paralyzed spouse that I want to make sure it is a healthy special meal. It is very concerning to see these prices and know that this winter the weather looks even more unpredictable, and food will require even more diligence to stretch things. Your old posts come in really handy when doing to do so, Brandy! Thank you for all the work you did to share with us!!
Meals are planned around the garden and foraging; green beans, cukes, zucchini( my first late summer planting worked), tomatoes,potatoes, herbs and pears from my tree. I am finishing off my sweet potatoes bought last Thanksgiving week for .25#. They are a little tough but very edible! I encourage all of us to take advantage of seasonal specials and load up, if possible.
I checked out about 8 gardening books to see if there any new nuggets to glean. It is supposed to finally cool down to upper 80’s so I can put in my fall seeds. We are supposed to get rain( much needed here in NC) tomorrow and you better believe I will be out in the rain planting. I put homemade compost on my clean beds this week in preparation.
Hope we can all prepare and be wise in stewarding our food budgets, this community gets it I know!
What a praise report to know your husband has some current work, God is so very good.
I made my shopping list and compared prices between the stores, as I drive 30 miles to town in order to grocery shop.
I harvested 20 lbs. of potatoes, this row will give me extra space in the (protected from chickens) garden to plant an additional fall crop.
We ate all meals from home, utilized all leftovers.
I made homemade Mayonnaise using Avocado oil and our hen’s eggs. We avoid seed oils and this one project alone saves me about $5/ week (1 cup per week) versus buying store bought Mayonnaise with no seed oils.
We were able to share eggs and zucchini.
We used in meals our eggs and harvested garden items; lettuce, zucchini, indian snake cucumbers, red onion, yellow onion, bell pepper, cauliflower and garlic.
We enjoyed cut flowers inside that we grew in the garden.
We had one day of rain last week and on that day I did the Fling 27 boogie (leftover flyLady days), I collected 27 items of trash/ recycle items mostly from the mail basket and office area and also found 27 items in the house to donate.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week!
Hi Jen B…I don’t know if you saw the information that came out about the avocado mayo and how 71% of them are not made with avocado per all the tests. The tests showed it was made from seed oils!🤯 . It was a UC Davis study. I can’t access the study myself to read, just have been seeing it all over. I guess I will be making my own and salad dressings as well (100% tested no avocado oil even though they claimed it).
Happy for your husband’s employment. Your sewing skills are a blessing in making garments new again and using what you already have.
In the past few days we:
*Visited my BIL and his wife for a couple of days. DH and his brother went fishing and were very successful in catching their daily limits. We will have a fish fry when our children and their families are here for upcoming visit.
*Make refrigerator pickles from some beautiful cucumbers I got from a farmer.
*Did inventory of our pantry and freezer. Compared prices using online information at several grocery stores.
*Our power went out and we have a backup generator. We turn the generator off in the evening to save on the propane that runs it. It uses about a gallon of propane per hour that it runs.
*I reserved a new book months before its release at the library. I happen to be the first to read it and enjoyed the story and the “new book” feel.
*I am propagating sweet potato vine and coleus to over winter for next years flower garden. I used the vases with the cuttings as a center piece when we hosted friends for dinner.
*I am so inspired by comments and suggestions here. Hope everyone is having a week filled with great opportunities and kindness.
More dumpster diving for food to eat is how I saved money.
Hi Brandy, I’m catching up on your blog. I know you took a break from writing for a while, and I happened to stop in last week and have been catching up. Congratulations on your new position, and good luck to your husband on finding something or getting more work in the insurance field. I don’t know how you balance everything, but you have always shown a lot of perseverance over the years. I’m also in awe that you only have four children left at home. I hope they are all doing well!! I noticed that a lot of mom bloggers leave photos and more intimate details of their children out of their blogs and vlogs after the Ruby Franke case. I think it’s wise to show discretion with how much we share. I’m a huge reality tv fan, some more interesting than others, and while I love it, I also know I wouldn’t want my whole life exposed to the world especially if I had kids. You seem to have a good balance of sharing while not oversharing. Glad you’re doing well!