I harvested lemons, garlic chives, figs, a kumquat, and parsley from my garden.
I sowed seeds in my garden for roselle hibiscus, New Zealand Spinach, okra, eggplant, and Indian Snake Cucumbers. Some of the seeds were ones I had collected from my own garden.
I cut roses from my garden to enjoy inside.
I combined trips to save time and gas.
I read an e-book from the library called The Library of Flowers using the Hoopla app. Hoopla likes to suggest stories and this one that was suggested to me.
What did you do to save money last week?
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I’ve done a couple of things that are frugal for my time, I deleted instagram and ebay. I used to sell on ebay but sales are super slow and not worth the hassle to me. And I had a terrible experience as a buyer on ebay, where the seller violated all of ebay’s policies and ebay took no action. Onward and upward!
1. I harvested onions, rhubarb, kale, arugula, parsley and chives from my garden. I planted 5 cucumber starts, 8 basil starts, 1 more winter squash start (3 are already in), and 5 more arugula starts. I expanded the area where I can grow greens and squash. I have 2 loofah starts ready to be put in. I also have a jar of seeds for dry beans free from a friend. The loofah and the dry beans need to be planted in a place where water can be cut toward the end of the summer. I just made such a place.
2. I received 2 55-gallon water barrels from a friend. This week I’m checking on her garden and invited to harvest lettuce or flowers.
3. I chopped and froze onion (from my garden). I used 2 of the last 3 bags of frozen apples, in preparation for turning off our chest freezer in the garage for the summer.
4. We have greatly cut down on using the car. If an errand is for an item that my husband can fit in a backpack or the box on the back of his motorcycle, he will do the errand instead of having me do it in the car. We always have done local errands on the ebike and that continues. I have seen a noticeable change in the behavior of people who buy from me on fb marketplace. Most ask what part of town I’m in and more are saying they’d like the item but they can’t drive across town for it. Dh rides the ebike to school again some days to even save the gas that the motorcycle takes. And co-workers are asking him more often to ride in their car with him because of the savings of time and gas for them that the carpool lane provides.
5. I found a lovely shaped plant stand for free and will spray paint it and give it to my mother for her birthday. I also am giving her a tomato plant, a basil plant and 2 lavender plants. All were raised from seed and watered with rain barrel water, so are completely free to me. She will be thrilled.
The white roses in the blue & white vase is a true classis Brandy – just lovely. The white lilacs in the church garden where I work gave bloomed and the scent is very strong this year!
The only protein that I bought was a pack of chicken breasts that were on sale. I had the smallest one for Sunday dinner and a second large one will be 3 meals! The other two went into the freezer and each of those will do 3 meals. Otherwise, I bought milk, a couple of bagels as a treat and some fresh fruit & salad greens. I bought a few non-food items at the drugstore that were on for 40% off and are in long=term storage.
Managed to get through the week without having to do laundry and have concentrated on getting some cleaning done in my apt. After some more very chilly days it has been very hot over this long weekend in Canada (29C today) so I enjoyed some early morning walks in the sunshine. Temps are due to drop back down to around 15C by Wednesday so jackets will be back in use!
Made all meals at home and my office mate treated me to coffee twice as I had brought her some HM muffins and energy balls. I also got a good deal on coffee pods this past weekend due to a store error. I noted that my bill was about $10 more than I had calculated when I went through the till so before leaving the store I double checked. Sure enough the coffee that should have been $18.50 rung through at $28.50. The manager got the clerk to check and while what I bought should not have been on sale she honoured it as someone had stocked the shelf incorrectly and there was only one price tag for the whole section – win!
I went to cancel two subscription services as I don’t watch as much in the Summer but was offered a large 3 month discount on both. I’ll keep them and make a note to cancel when the offer expires. I currently get the two at a monthly cost of 50% less than what one was originally.
Finished a cozy mystery from the library and I’m about to start a second. I’ll finish it in a couple of days and return it in time to pick up another that is in transit to my branch. Trying to cut down on the number of holds as they tend to arrive all at once and then the reading becomes more of a chore than a pleasure.
I hope everyone has a lovely week.
Those are large figs!!!! I retired from my part time state job and will be opening my own private practice on June 1st so not a lot of frugal things going on except that I bought the things I absolutely needed at Aldi, packed my lunch to drive up and clean off my grandma’s grave before Decoration Day at the cemetery where she is buried.
Excited for you!
Congratulations on the retirement! That’s huge! And, to start your own practice, as well. You’re going to be busy!
Congratulations on your retirement and your new ventures, Cindy!
Congratulations!
Enjoy your retirement!
How exciting for you, Cindy! Best of luck with your practice and congratulations on your retirement!
Cindy in the South, congratulations on the retirement and opening your own practice. You will be a smashing success!
Jeannie
Thank all of y’all so much!!!
Those poppy photos are just beautiful.
Today we had my mom’s burial at the cemetery (her funeral was a month ago). We chose a weekday because that was included in the price, while they charge $1400 extra to hold it on a Saturday. The ceremony was very brief, but nice. Just a few family members attended, and afterwards we had lunch at my sister’s instead of going out to eat. I brought a fruit crisp I made from free rhubarb and blueberries I bought for 79 cents a pint. The weather was beautiful and everything was simple but nice, just as my mom would have wanted it.
Otherwise, I foraged dock, a relative of Swiss chard, and used it in soup. Was the recipient of more rhubarb from a kind person on Nextdoor. Found 50 cents in a coin return (the person was long gone). Used two basin shaped plastic vases from my mom’s funeral as planters on my patio, after drilling holes in the bottom for drainage. Bought a large package of ground beef on a Safeway digital deal and made meatball mix. Cooked it in muffin trays because I did not feel like rolling dozens of meatballs. Found some good clearance deals at QFC, including seasoned chicken thighs, which turned out to be delicious.
I have been experiencing complications from the major surgery I had last year. Went to see my doctor at the cancer center, and also reapplied for financial aid, which was approved. (Note: I thankfully did not have cancer, but that’s where they do this particular surgery). I also qualified for mileage and toll reimbursement to drive to these appointments. It is humbling to ask for help, but I am so thankful it is available.
And now, a frugal fail: I found a recipe for cranberry mustard in my Ball canning book. I had all the ingredients, including some frozen cranberries from last fall. It sounded delicious, but…the finished product was so bitter as to be inedible. Not sure what went wrong. Also made some rhubarb/apple/strawberry pie filling from the same book. The ingredients turned to mush halfway through the cooking time. The “pie filling” looks rather unappetizing, but it tastes GREAT. I will eat it over yogurt and enjoy every bite.
Have a great week, everyone.
Tina– What a lovely way to finish your mother’s service! May her memory be a blessing for you.
“Simple but nice, just the way my mom would have wanted it.” What a lovely way to honor her. Sending prayers and comfort.
I have had those canning issues in the past; mine was a pickle recipe that turned out horrid! 😖😖Sometimes you just have to dump it. Using the pie filling for your yogurt is ingenious!
Hello, everyone!
I’ve been going through my mother’s things after she recently moved into an Independent Living facility and needed to significantly downsize. I’m finding myself actually keeping things that I would normally set aside for a garage sale. I don’t like clutter, but I know my kids will be needing things when they move out, which is several years away, but will be here before I know it! My mother has lots of useful kitchen and household items.
I found a glass microwave popcorn maker at a thrift store. It retails for $25 on Amazon, but I got it for $3. I’m teaching my youngest child to use it. He is always hungry it seems. I buy bulk popcorn kernels, so this will be a more reasonably priced snack option.
I started to buy some shade cloth for my garden, but talked myself out of it. Last year I just used regular umbrellas when needed, so I will do that again. Most of my plants are in containers and raised beds.
I did purchase a sushi mat. I got this idea from another blogger. I’m starting to transition to more meals that don’t heat up the kitchen. I’m planning to make sushi rolls with vegetables, tuna, or some popcorn shrimp that I found on clearance.
Temperatures are cooler here this week so I am batch baking some treats (cookies, muffins, breads) for the freezer.
Minor ongoing habits:
—using solar chargers for electronics or charging at work or in the car.
—changing out of “good clothes and shoes” when returning home. I’ve gotten in a good habit of always wearing old sneakers when I’m just dropping off the kids somewhere.
—price comparing grocery items online/in apps
—regrowing celery and green onions.
My husband and I went out for a rare lunch date to celebrate our anniversary—before the kids get out of school! While we waited for our table, I realized Dave Ramsey was sitting next to us. I wanted to tell him, “we’re here using a gift card (Christmas present),” but I didn’t say anything! Lol.
🤣🤣🤣
You saw Dave Ramsey but didn’t get his autograph or a selfie with him? I admire your polite restraint. He is a frugal rock star!!!!!!!!!!!!!
😂😂😂 the urge to show you weren’t wasting money to Mr. Frugal😂😂😂 Question is…was he using a gift card?
Each of your photos are more beautiful than the last. Thank you for sharing the beauty of your garden each week.
My youngest son got his braces on last week so now we have two undergoing orthodontic treatment at the same time. The practice offers no interest payment plans for 2 years so that helps us spread out the cost. But, that money has to come from somewhere so we are on hyper-frugal mode watching every penny. This topic has been brought up in this space before – when you are already frugal, how do you find ways to save more? The “don’t go to Starbucks every day” advice doesn’t work when you don’t have those kind of habits. For me, it has been little tweaks such as sitting in the truck reading a library book while my son is at his Trail Life meeting rather than running a small errand that really can wait for another trip. Even cutting down on driving a few miles around town adds up. I reminded myself that line-dried towels are not a bad thing and did not use the dryer at all (towels are the one thing I usually machine dry but can fluff them up by hanging them out on a particularly breezy day – that tends to soften them up.) I figured out how much honey I have left from last year’s harvest and figured we had a bit more than we need until this summer’s harvest so I am selling the extra. I have been monitoring my bee hives carefully for developing queens. I made two splits a few weeks ago so hoped to find new queens developing on other hives to give to the new hives in case they weren’t inclined to make their own. Lucky for me, I found two frames with queen cells in one hive, put one each in each of the splits I made and, when I checked a few days later, there they were in all their glory. Beekeepers can buy queens from those who graft them but by paying attention, encouraging the worker bees to make their own queens, and a little bit of luck, you can avoid the $30+ per queen price tag (they may be more than that these days, I really don’t know.) I added some things from home I like but am not really using to my antique booth (sales have been not very good lately, unfortunately.) I asked the antique store owner to apply my payout from last month’s sales to this month’s rent in case sales lag. I am reminding myself to look at the whole year of sales rather than month to month as there are slow times and how I do overall is what matters. Before heading to town, I checked the gas prices and was glad to see one chain of gas stations had lowered their price from $4.19 to $4.01/gallon. Other gas stations are still at the higher price so I was able to plan my route to fill up at the lower priced station. The pantry clean out continues with the barest minimum of groceries purchased – mostly $1/loaf French bread (not baguettes but medium sized loaves) that I put in the freezer. The garden is coming along so we ate kale and lettuce. I planted bell peppers and tomatoes. One of our hens hatched out 4 chicks. I wasn’t positive all of them were fertilized (the shells were dark and challenging to candle) so was pleased at 100% success. Having the Mama hatch and raise the chicks is SO much easier than using a brooder box (and negates the need for electricity for the heat lamp) and I think Mama-raised chicks just do better in life. Many hatcheries try to breed broodiness out of hens so I have always been in favor of encouraging a broody hen to do what comes naturally to her and, hopefully, raise more hens like her. Of course, these chicks may not even be hers (I know for sure one of them isn’t) but time will tell who they resemble. Chicks cost about $8/each at the Tractor Supply closest to us so there is a savings as well. Interestingly, none of the local independent feed stores are selling chicks this year nor are the independent chicken breeders I know. They don’t have time this year and the feed stores said they just haven’t sold many chicks in the last couple of years. One store owner said, “I think people just can’t afford it” which I find sad. I rarely make money off of my egg sales – they just offset the cost of feed so we enjoy a high quality, organically raised source of protein we probably couldn’t otherwise afford. But, financially, no small producer can compete with big factory farms. I contend that the products are completely different foods so its not an accurate comparison but the numbers are apparently affecting chicken ownership. My sons and I did paid mowing and trimming for a neighbor which helps a lot. This neighbor has a lovely cottage garden and she often gives me little cuttings or starts. I like to look around my garden and see all of the “friend plants” she and others have given me. The wild roses are in full bloom here so every time I open a window or step outside I am wrapped in perfume. I love this time of year for that very reason! Wishing all of you a lovely week! Thank you for sharing your inspiration and encouragement!
I agree with you about finding more ways to save money; it is something I constantly look to do as the prices of everything keep going up.
Wow on the baby chicks! That’s sad that no one is selling them nor can afford them.
Yes, when you’ve been frugal all your life it can start to seem like there are no new ideas out there. Most of the time, the tried-and-true still works but I do try to learn all I can. There is always something and often a new way to think about things, even small ones. 😁
So interesting to read about your caring family, MMD!
I wonder if people will be looking for vintage items as we get closer to the 4th of July. Maybe put red-white-blue ribbons on your things?
I remember the bicentennial in ’76 as a time when houses were decorated with old coffee grinders and spinning wheels, and everything possible was painted red-white-blue. I’m thinking of one city park in particular, which even had painted fire hydrants. I have not felt that patriotic enthusiasm yet for this year; perhaps it will come.
Thank you, Heidi Louise! The seasonal ideas are great and I do that to an extent. I find that very specific seasonal things don’t sell too well for me which is interesting to note. I agree that the visible patriotism I grew up with (and granted that may be affected by my Dad being in the military) is not as visible anymore. However, I live in a rural community where American flags are still faithfully raised every day which makes me smile.
Heidi Louise, I remember 1976 as well. It was my graduation from high school year. Everything was red, white and blue. I am a patriotic person, in general, and am looking forward to all the celebrations in our area! I think that 200 years is a much grander idea to celebrate than 250. Also, life was very different then. When I watch The Sandlot and the Fourth of July block party, I remember that that is how it was for me. I think it’s sad that it isn’t like that anymore, but I keep trying to keep that spirit alive, to connect with people and keep our family connected.
Dawn,
How exciting to have a 100% hatch rate! I agree totally about the selling of eggs just offsets the cost of keeping chickens. One should never delve into keeping Chickens in order to save money but it is a wonderful & entertaining way to have organically grown eggs at a reasonable cost. Another person a few weeks ago was asking about saving money on feed, so this might be a good place to add a bit of info.
I would never recommend buying the cheapest feed available since you are eating the eggs. However even on organic feed there are ways to save. At most feed& seed stores there is a scratch and dent (ripped or torn) section with a steep discount on that bag of feed, similar to discounted potting soil at nurseries. It’s wise to occasionally change up your hen’s free choice feed anyhow b/c one product is likely to have a little different variety often balancing out what may be missing in another. Also Nutrena offers in their organic line ,’Nature Smart’, 35 lb bags on sale 4-6 times a year, $3- $4 off…. stock up. I switch between that and a 50 lb of local non-gmo organic feed. Lastly grow your girls’ treats. A small section of barley, an extra hill of pumpkin or watermelon or plant an informal hedge of Siberian Pea shrubs around a portion of your property. Quality feed is worth it for their health along with your family’s. Plus they give us all the fertilizer we’ll ever need between dried crushed eggshells and their plentiful poo.
Other things we did to save this week:
Planted seed saved from last year.
Repaired irrigation lines; cracks, leaks and holes. oh my!
Took home prepared food to an out of town event for our child.
Used discount on fuel fill up.
Sold eggs & received empty return cartons.
Used leftover coffee in pot to make ice cubes for mocha protein smoothies. On days when there was no leftover coffee, I restarted the maker with 1.5 cups of water using existing grounds just to get the liquid for a tray’s worth.
Spent some time unsubscribing from emails, most emails are just a thinly veiled attempt to separate you from your money. The spirit is willing but the flesh is weak…. especially during spring gardening season. 😉
Asked my Husband to stock up on motor oil as it looks like those shortages are going to really sting.
Thanks to everyone for their tips and to you Brandy for hosting.
I agree with you on all counts regarding the keeping of chickens and do all you describe plus free-ranging and feeding them garden scraps. They are a joy and, as I have said before, cheap therapy! 😁 I would say my ducks and geese are maybe even more so – they are so silly and never fail to make me laugh. Interestingly, I have not been as successful selling duck eggs (have a few customers) even with direct appeals to all the bakers I know. I think people can only bake so much. I do have thoughts to approach a new bakery opening just across the border in TN to see if they might be interested. Stay tuned!
Hi JB! That was me! Thank you for all the tips! I definitely want quality eggs. I plan on giving them kitchen scraps and moving them around the yard during the many months of good weather here in Tennessee. I will also stock up on that feed when it is on sale. As I sit on the front porch writing this, I hear someone’s rooster crowing😊😊 Thanks so much for the mention about the coffee. I don’t drink it, but the three other adults in our house do. I am going to mention this to my DIL. Iced coffee would be so good during the hot months. Also, YES on the motor oil! I picked up two cases when I was recently in Florida at Costco, and I’ll pick up more next week when I am in Illinois. Our closest Costco is almost two hours away so I stock up when I travel. My husband mentioned we needed more oil (my son does our oil changes); I didn’t even think about the impact from the war😳 Gosh, I am so glad you mentioned this!
Just found this and wanted to pass it along to my fellow farm animal families. 😁 https://www.instagram.com/p/DYVBkuQALqb/?igsh=MTFhdHRlemRlZmN5NA== Hope the link works. If not, it is for a $5 coupon for Purina feed when you sign up to be part of a test group. A search might find it if this link does not work.
JB, my husband mentioned shortages and price increases on motor oil and other similar items. He has been comparing prices so I will remind him.
Jeannie
I also feel like I’ve cut every corner there is to cut. And I have been focusing on using less gas since it has gone up so much. I also am perfecting a couple of sewing patterns that I can make repeatedly to save on clothes expenses.
I hear you, Kara! I have made few clothes in my life but do regularly alter things I find at thrift shops. I may be old-fashioned but I really believe in wearing clothes that fit you well regardless of the size label or current trends. Just makes sense to me. Altering and mending skills help me a lot!
Mountain Mama Dawn, I am always looking for better ways to save money and reading the comments here is about the best way to learn something new. For me, studying history has helped me see the big picture and understand why economies change over time. Being able to predict which domino will fall next helps me to avoid the holes in the road.
Jeannie
Hi Brandy and everyone
At last we’ve had some decent rain, the garden desperately needed it.
Your photos of poppies, particularly hosting bees,are so lovely.
This week I made a big batch of chocolate chip fairy cakes using up chocolate chips in the larder.
We ate rhubarb, leeks and parsley from the garden. We planted out the tomato plants we’ve raised from seed. I cut snapdragons, iris, sweet rocket and Sweet William from the garden to take to floral group to make my arrangement.
I used a bar of laundry soap to scrub especially grubby patches on my rain jacket then ran it through the washing machine with a couple of backpacks. I also put a big woollen blanket through the wool wash cycle and dried it in the sunshine.
I used a voucher for money off bacon and bought two packs of reduced price beef mince.
Our iron died and I found a good one on a half price deal.
I took redcurrants from the freezer and made 3 jars of redcurrant jelly. I already had the preserving sugar in the larder. These will probably be gifts.
We donated lots of plants we have propagated to a church fundraiser.
Hope everyone has a good week.
I had some cardiac symptoms aboard the ship but all tests were negative. So luckily they let me stay aboard. I was surprised 5 hrs for testing and observation down in the medi centre came to only US$ 1552-I think if I had gone to the ER it would have cost more.
Anyway I am fine now and flying home today.
I think my $450 Can investment in one year of medical insurance coverage was prudent. It has already paid off.
oh sorry to hear you had chest pains. Hopefully it’s not carduac — otherwise you may be grounded for a while.
Love to see your harvests!! Finally, many of my garden beds are cleaned and planted and we are actually starting to harvest lettuce and chives. I also have huge rhubarb and am embarrassed to say that I don’t know how to harvest and use it! Any suggestions would be appreciated!
Our peach, apple and cherry trees are loaded with little fruit so we are hoping for a good harvest!
The Home Storage Center in our city is closing so they are selling their inventory of filled #10 cans for 50% off. Yesterday was there first day so we got there 30 minutes after they opened and waited in line with our list. We also took a list from 2 of our friends who have preschoolers so they didn’t have to wait in line. I picked up 2 cases of dried minced onion, black beans, Great Northern beans and rolled oats. I didn’t get a huge amount. Just “topped off” want I have stored already. Some people were buying a lot more and they had a restriction that you could only buy up to 10 cases of a single item to make sure as many people as possible could purchase. I’ll be sorry to see it closed but we can still buy from them online as needed. I’m glad we took a good inventory of what we already had stored when the basement renovation was going on a few weeks ago! That way we could assess what amounts we really needed to store for just the 2 of us.
Since we do so much buying for friends/family as meat sales present themselves, Hubs suggested we find a small chest freezer to put upstairs as a temporary ‘way station” to keep things before they are picked up or prior to m6 processing them. We found one on FB Marketplace that was like new and because the seller lived rurally, about 36 miles away, he had reduced the price after a week of no one wanting to drive that distance. We got a great deal and combined it with our Home Storage Center visit and then a FF pick up a couple miles from that (BL.chicken breast for 80 cents/pound!)
I found on FF ground beef for $1.18/pound and bought the 12 pounds they had. I have “saved” our Church Memorial Day picnic because traditionally the hamburger Pattie’s come out of congregation budget but with the skyrocketing price of beef, they were going to have to do without and people were sad to see tradition ending after decades. But I will make the burgers and flash freeze them in the new freezer and will add another 13 pounds either from my freezer or from store if I can get a great price. I’m watching tomorrow and for the week after to see if there are markdowns/sales or FF for ground beef.
I sent 3 quilts back to my client in Japan and I just finished 2 more for a client who is picking hers up today. Just 3 more in my queue for clients plus I’m making a graduation quilt for a sweet teenager.
Still got more pressure canning to do. I canned 21 pints of boneless chicken drumstick chunks. I baked up 5 pounds of chicken tenders and Pattie’s that I made using some of the FF sale chicken! Had no idea it was so easy to do and tasted so good!
So much to do outside and in and definitely getting tired out faster than before, but grateful that we have opportunities to work!
I saw some really gorgeous rhubarb tarts on Instagram recently. My neighbor made us a rhubarb cake to thank us the other day, and even though I don’t really care for cake, this was quite good! The rhubarb was tangy and I enjoyed it.
Send the word out that you have rhubarb and you will have many takers! If you pull the stalks up, rather than cutting them, they will continue to grow better. It is easy to freeze–just wash and slice– and I know my mother canned it.
Hi GardenPat
Great news you’re going to have a good rhubarb harvest. I often chop it into approx 1 inch chunks and freeze it.
Rhubarb and ginger or orange go well together. I put chunks in a dish and bake in the oven for a short time with a splash of orange juice and serve hot or cold with ice cream/ yoghurt/custard. If you gently stew the fruit on the hob with a bit of sugar until it becomes a softer mass and swirl into whipped cream it makes delicious rhubarb fool. It makes good pies and crumbles( I think that’s called a fruit crisp in the US?) and topping for a sponge cake.
I don’t want to teach grandma to suck eggs but do you know that rhubarb should be harvested by pulling the stalks up and away from the crown, don’t cut them? Rhubarb leaves are poisonous and shouldn’t be put on the compost heap and rhubarb is poisonous to dogs( maybe other animals, I don’t know). It should only be cropped for a few months, in the UK that’s from about March to the end of June, then you stop harvesting to enable the crown to recover it’s vigour for next year. If you cover the crown with a terracotta forcer or upturned dustbin early in the year you can ‘force’ an earlier, pinker crop.
I hope you enjoy your fruit, we love it!
Oh, let me count the ways (to use rhubarb). Rhubarb crisp … we’re a purist family, so just rhubarb; but others will mix in strawberries, etc. I used to make an excellent rhubarb custard pie; however allergies have cramped my baking. Rhubarb quick bread or muffins; rhubarb sauce … delicious on ice cream or stirred into yogurt (you can make a small batch in the microwave); rhubarb chutney; and the best rhubarb ginger jam. Just search!!! You’ll know a good recipe when you see it.
I juice my rhubarb and then make a slush or mix it with gingerale or sprite. We also make rhubarb syrup which is excellent on pancakes, ice cream or mixed into Yogurt. And of course strawberry rhubarb pie is a must.
you probably know this but don’t eat the rhubarb leaves. they are toxic
Rhubarb is great to have in the garden,it has so many uses ,you can look up recipes on line.You can make jams,jelly,sauce,crisps,cake,muffins,rhubarb custard and strawberry rhubarb pies as well as juice to make a punch with.Just boil chopped rhubarb and strain off the juice then mix sugar to taste into the hot juice,let cool and then add to gingerale or 7up.You can waterbath can the juice to make punch with in the winter months.
A lovely variety of things you harvested from your garden, Brandy. The white roses in the blue and white vase are just gorgeous!
At this point in my husband’s illness he is spending most of the day watching tv. He rarely leaves the room except to use the bathroom. On one hand it is very sad to me, but I am coming to realize that this is how he is processing the disease and I am trying to meet him where he is at. Sometimes I watch along with him and remind myself that just being together is what’s important even though our life is far from normal. Because I won’t leave him home alone now, I rarely go anywhere. If I do I group all my errands together. I guess if I look on the bright side, I am saving a lot on gas. He can no longer drive so we do not need two cars. My son is in the process of selling one of them for us.
I have found reading to be a great way to escape from reality. I sent a text to the ladies I play Mexican Train with asking if they had any books they would consider sharing with me. They showed up with bags of books and many suggestions for audiobooks. I just finished one of the books and have checked out another using the Libby app.
My husband no longer wants to socialize. I find that I am still able to play my weekly Mexican Train game if my son comes over to visit with his dad. We play at different neighbor’s houses and it is right across the street so that I can walk. It is a frugal way to still find time to spend with friends and very helpful for me to do something fun as the caregiving load can be so heavy.
A couple years ago a neighbor shared a small fig tree in a pot. For the first time it is forming little figs. I am very excited by this and can’t wait to see what I might harvest. I made a delicious quinoa salad this week using parsley from my garden. It was enough for several meals.
Dear Kim: Sending thoughts of care and peace to you.
Kim I have no words for the season you and your family are going through but great admiration. Sending best wishes for your days
I haven’t posted in a long time but I love to read everyone’s comments every week.
*2 weeks ago we were invited to watch our nephews ball game and ended up coming home with 3 kittens. The rescues are completely overwhelmed (were talking several thousands of cats/kittens in rescues) so we decided to “keep them out of the system”. When I called and asked the local low cost spay/nueter clinic to find out if they still offered a reduced rate for 3 or more, the lady said no. I said okay, let’s just schedule get the male first and go from there. When she found out why we have them and where we are located she said we could get all 3 done for the cost of one!!!! That was a huge blessing cause female cats in heat are nightmares!! ($180 saved). We also recently adopted 3 other adult cats from a local rescue as our old cat seemed very, very lonely without his brother we had lost in December.
*We switched out all the cats to a better quality but cheaper food thru Cosco and discovered their canned cat food and litter was significantly cheaper.
*sold enough batches of silkie chicks to pay for 2 months of the chicken feed. I also sold 4 adult laying hens that I wasn’t impressed with (temperament and laying ability).
*covered the arbor for our daughter’s wedding in June with vines and saplings off the property. I’ll add greens to it the day off.
*made the welcome sign for said wedding using a thrifted large wall sign and scrap wood plus an easel we already had. I found all the artificial flowers at the Goodwill outlet bins. The cost of the sign alone without the easel was $70 at Hobby Lobby. I’ll repaint it afterwards to use for my egg stand we are building with pallet wood.
*purchased ground beef/pork combo for $3.89 a pound, ground chicken for $1.99 a pound and BS chicken breasts for $2.19 a pound. I then split it all up and vac sealed it into meal size portions. We hit the returns bread store outlet and got all the buns and bread we needed for the month for .30 a piece.
*picked radishes from the garden. None of my lettuce germinated so I will try again this week (3rd time – I have no idea what the problem is). The peas, carrots and potatoes are up and my strawberry plants are loaded with blooms. I have tomatoes starts to plant out this week as well as peppers the following. I also planted luffa gourds, nasturtiums and marigolds.
*I had something kill 4 of my 6 quail I keep for eggs so I gathered every egg I had off the counter and put them in the incubator. I was hoping for around 10 but 16 hatched and are growing fast. That saved me having to buy and drive to pick up hatching eggs.
*We are doing as little driving as possible and combining any other errands with those trips – usually its doctor appointments 😂
*I’m doing my own alterations on the dress I’m wearing for our daughter’s wedding and my husband’s dress pants need to be hemmed shorter. It’s not easy to pin yourself into a dress – I no longer have a dress form 😆
Have a great week everyone!
If you haven’t already, try putting the dress on inside out to pin it.
Melissa,
Good for you giving the cats a good home!
It is definitely kitten season here. Our neighbor had a mom give birth in his shed, and our friends who rescue took those. We were feeding a young female for a couple of months (never saw her pregnant) and she apparently brought her five babies over from the next block. We have them all inside now and think, like you, we’ll keep them out of the system. They are adorable, but certainly not frugal. We feed raw and the mom eats multiple times a day because she’s thin and nursing, and the babies are eating on their own several times a day, too.
Regarding the outrageous cost of sterilization, our vet gave us a price of $380 for a female. Luckily we’ve been giving produce to the Humane Society for their bunnies and guinea pigs and I asked if they might be able to help us avoid the high vet prices. I’m thankful they will, at about $80, so that’s a relief.
We’re still fortunate to get excess produce from our volunteering. We use whatever we get that’s good, and the rest goes into our compost. I’m having a plant sale this weekend and that’s usually a fun weekend of sitting outside, meeting people and getting rid of excess plants while making a little money.
Regarding gas prices, they still are nowhere as high here as they were a couple of years ago.
Thanks for the pictures and post, Brandy.
i saw on Youtube a lady put rhubarb in a chicken casserole. She said it was a sweet and savory casserole.
My internet connection dropped so if I have two posts about the same I am sorry.
Your pictures are beautiful as always. Thank you for your posts and the community that meets here. I learn something each week. We have harvested all of our broccoli and have pulled the plants. I have four bags of broccoli florets in the freezer and 1 bag of stems to make broccoli cornbread. We have harvested about a cup of blueberries and my husband was wanting a blueberry cobbler so I made one with fresh and frozen blueberries to take to a family meal. I took zucchini bread with zucchini from my garden to a FCE Club Meeting for a snack. My recipe makes two loaves but I made it in a 9 x 13 pan and took some spreadable cream cheese for anyone to top their bread. It was a hit and I was able to share my sister’s recipe with others. We pulled one onion to get an idea of the size and they are doing great. This is the first time we have grown onions and we are excited. I have been saving up trips to town and planning my stops to save gas. I work from home so I am saving gas that way as well. My husband and I are learning new skills and trying to save as much as can.
Donna, I would love to hear a little of the new skills you and your husband are learning to save money.
Jeannie
It’s always been interesting to me to read about rhubarb on this blog. I’ve never eaten it, very rarely see it in stores and stores do not carry it in cans or frozen (is that even a thing?). I had to order some cans of it from Amazon to make a rhubarb pie when my SIL was here and requested it. It’s just not very common in the Deep South or at least where I live.
Rhubarb grows like a weed here (Pacific NW). I sometimes see it going to waste in people’s yards/gardens. I grew up eating it, mainly in pie. But I also have a few friends here who have never tried it. Our local co-op sells it frozen, a product from a local farm. You can get it seasonally here at most grocery stores, but it’s usually $5 a pound.
Was given broken premade hamburger patties(I’ll give to the dogs), and a couple burritos.
I made a whole chicken in the oven one night. I then made chicken salad from the leftovers, and then put the carcass in freezer to turn into stock later.
Earned a free fountain drink from a gas station.
Returned a library book as soon as I was finished.
Ate out for breakfast since it was cheaper.
Decided to grill on the weekend and we had everything we needed on hand.
Your pictures are always a feast for the eyes!
I’m so encouraged to read all the frugal comments. It’s makes me feel like I am not alone.
I got a free week of Apple TV and was excited to watch 2 shows that I really wanted to see.
Went to Goodwill on senior day for the extra off. I try to clothe my two grandsons, as life is just expensive.
I was able to cut & color my hair. Which saves a crazy amount. I cut all my gown children’s hair and grandkids.
Sowed more seeds. I have expanded my garden 2 fold to try to offset rising prices.
Made my own bread and strawberry jam, so good.
I harvest asparagus and rhubarb and all the herbs. Love giving dried herbs in s pretty bottle as a gift.
Filled out surveys at our Fred Meyer for extra money off gas. Seattle was $6 a gallon. I am out a ways and it is $5.20, just crazy!
Happy frugal habits everyone!
We cleaned out the garage today and I have tons of books and misc. to donate. Some of the thrift stores give books away because no one wants to buy them. Thought of having a garage sale but probably won’t, as this isn’t the safest neighborhood around. Last time I tried having a garage sale, my helpers bailed on me. Maybe I will sell somethings on FB Marketplace.
Found some items (small appliances and an entertainment center still in the box but not yet built) left behind by my former renter-who-didn’t-pay-rent. She moved out a couple of years ago, caused a bunch of damage, and still owes me lots of $$. Left no forwarding address. Is probably in another state by now. So I’m going to try and sell those items.
Built some shelves. I had two boxes of shelving I’d bought from Aldi a couple of years ago. One was open and missing some nuts and screws and bolts and things. Will go to Habitat ReStore to look for hardware that size. The other bookshelves are now in my bedroom, looking great.
This weekend was my best ever frugal win! I went to a thrift store that was having a bag sale. I got 14 pair of slacks, many of them nice dress slacks, for $10.82. (It was $10 a bag but they charged 82 cents sales tax.)That works out to 77 cents a pair! Not only that, but those slacks are my favorite brand and in my size!
We are consolidating errands to save on gas. We are eating a lot of beans and vegetables. I got a raincheck on hamburger at $3.99 a lb. Now it is up to $6.99 a lb on sale. $8.99 at some places. I was happy to get some for $3.99. I got to take a trip to the store with my mom and it was nice to do that together. I’m looking forward to my sister coming over for a picnic. She is bringing hotdogs, buns and chips. She insisted on bringing these things. I am going to make asparagus and maybe potato salad or macaroni salad and probably cut up some carrots, and have baked beans. I’ve enjoyed talking to family on the phone. I am making a lot of ethnic foods. It makes us feel good, all the veggies and beans and wonderful spices. My husband has picked daisies for me twice now. There are beautiful daisies where I live. I have always loved daisies! I get to enjoy them in the outdoors as well. We have seen lots of wildlife. Raccoon, deer, possums, lots of birds; including turkey and an Eagle. My son and I have enjoyed playing with his dog. I’ve enjoyed listening to my son’s poetry and songs. Oh yes! We saw the first lightening bug of the season! I love fire flies! Beautiful sunrises and sunsets. Lots of free entertainment.
I love fire flies too Tammy. Sadly they are no longer found in our park
It was the best thing you did to move into your house!
I always feel hungry after reading your blog.
It was a good thing for us to move into our house. Fireflies are wonderful! I do enjoy cooking most of the time and making meal plans. I hope you are doing well!
It has been several months since I posted, but have enjoyed your photos, Brandy, and everyone’s posts. Life has been expensive this past year. Major, major household repairs including new plumbing getting rid of the old cast iron pipes as we had multiple issues and now demolition in our finished basement to deal with recurrent flooding issues over the years. So I just continue to do what I can with frugal lifestyle choices and being grateful we can do these repairs!
* I am harvesting chard, kale, spring onions, lettuce and radishes.
* I am collecting food scraps from my daughters and a family I work with and churning out compost as fast as possible. I made compost tea using comfrey and weeds and fermenting it. I plan to use it on my cukes, squash, zucchini and cantaloupe plants. I am mulching heavily as we have been in a severe drought and am hopeful that we may get some much needed this week!
*The family I work for have give me free organic drumsticks and clothes for my daughter’s kids who are coming this summer. The other family didn’t want a non- organic chicken and I was glad to take it! I combined several coupons to get free shampoo and conditioner for my daughter when they come.
*We continue to eat simple healthy meals and use my crockpot on the porch to not heat up the house!
* My husband had a co-worker who offered us her mountain house for a free weekend get away. Now I want to make her a basket of local goodies as a thank you!
* We are able to avoid the ac till bedtime when the house hits 80, I get up around 2 am and turn it off and turn on the house fan. We are expecting cooler , more seasonal temps next week!
Blessings to all of you for a lovely Memorial Day!
Jean, I am trying to grow comfrey but so far only one seed has sprouted. I use the essential oil for health reasons but want have my own to use in the garden. Does it really work great as a fertilizer like I have read?
Jeannie
Hi Jeannie! I just read that the best way to plant comfrey is planting crowns in the spring. I am going to do this next spring.
Laura S, I could not find crowns for sale anywhere in the spring because the seed companies were out. Since it is medicinal, I don’t want to trust a person online. Seeds weren’t available either (in the US) so I ordered from Richters’ Herbs in Canada. The packet sat at the border in customs for almost a month in no telling what conditions. I’m not sure they are very viable now. I will plant a few more seeds and keep trying. Why everyone was out is a big mystery to me.
Jeannie
Well, arrived back home last Thursday. Was pleased I spent far less this trip south than usual. I have no urge to shop; it was just food (often used gift cards) and gas, and a bottle brush for my daughter. I leave in a week for the trip to Illinois (babysitting my daughter’s two littles for a couple of days, some doctor appts, fun events with friends). It will be a longer trip (three weeks instead of two, since much time is taken up with specific things and I won’t be back up there until early October). I am so grateful I can do this! Gas and food will be the expense. I filled up this week and realized it is over double what it was earlier this year! Egads! I, like many here, am combining errands so I usually go out one day a week (except for church). Watching sales and mostly buying produce. My husband has been using up a lot of my canned jams, jelly and applesauce to flavor our homemade ice cream. These jars go back to 2021! It’s hard for me to use them knowing the work that went into them (my hands hurt just thinking about it), but I am thrilled he is using them. It also means I will be canning this year. My husband has been wanting me to help clear out some of the larger items in the garage, so I have been listing on FB Marketplace. I sold the washer that came with the house (we had brought our own) so far. Hoping other items sell. Some of them probably won’t and we will just junk them. Money in, things out. Frees up space. I am glad we didn’t sell the fridge that came with the house as we are now using it in the garage for drinks and extra items. Brandy, I love your photos! I remember the vase😊 Have a great week everyone!
It was a joyful week with the birth of our grandchild. Went to visit and gave my son and DIL the baby quilt and crib sheet I made. Rather than sending flowers, we took flowers and an extra vase from home. Friends of ours had me deliver gifts and it was all so joyful.
Savings here included-
*DH created a pumping system to pull water from the lake to water our gardens rather then using well water.
*Stayed with our daughter/SIL when visiting our grandchild rather than a hotel room. Took groceries and ate meals at their house.
*Enjoyed a meal at a friends house when everyone brought something to share. I made pound cake with strawberries.
*Planted lettuce, basil, spinach, and cucumbers.
*DH and I cleaned out an old wood pile, organized and restocked good burnable wood.
*Took an inventory of our pantry and stopped at a large grocery story when we returning home from visiting our family. I cross checked the cost of items at our local Walmart to confirm lowest prices.
*Repaired a pair of garden gloves and washed, and hung in the sun to dry.
*My friend and I took another friend to lunch for her birthday. I had a card and helped split the cost of her lunch. It was really nice as it is so rarely we go to lunch.
*Hooked up a hose to a water source with a smaller hose I had saved in the attic.
*Planted geraniums, ivy vine, begonias, roses, creeping Jenny, asparagus fern and hostas that I buried in our soil pile over winter. I will do this again as I saved so much rather then buying accent flowers at $5 each.
Have a great week everyone.
Wishing your family a happy and healthy new child! How exciting!
HappyHappy, congratulations on your grandchild! Grandchildren are such a joy. May this child and your family be blessed!
It’s been a bit of a losing proposition week for me. First, I visited the garden centre on my way home from the dentist last week. I stuck to my budget for bedding out plants.
Then I was very energetic and planted half of the plants the next day. I forgot to check the forecast. Then we had terrible wind. Then snow. Half of the plants still in flats died. Ironically the ones I planted survived – I had managed to cover half of them. Then I received a tax refund intended for my property taxes but instead the whole amount is going to replace a filling that broke while I was flossing (who says flossing is a good thing). For groceries I spent $12 on ice cream bars and received $5 in points. By next week I should have enough points to have $20 towards groceries.I go to the dentist tomorrow and I’ll spend a bit more on bedding out plants — starting from the ground up so to speak once again. in our minds it is safe to plant on the Victoria Day long weekend in may but that is a bit of a joke. Luckily the frost after the snow did not kill any more of the plants. My friend’s brother is getting up to the ceiling to turn on my outside water. In the meantime, I bought a case of water on sale and have been using it for the plants. $3 seemed a reasonable amount to save my plants. I would have carried it out from the house but I’m not supposed to lift much of anything for another 4 weeks.
Hi all,
I read every week and learn a lot from everyones comments but rarely post.
I have been thinking about trying batch cooking to ease my fatigue during the weeknights.
I am gone 12 hours a day most week days with work and transporting kiddos. By the time I get home I am too tired to think about “what” to cook. I am thinking if I get some stuff cooked in advance on Sat or Sun – I would just be assembling meals or even just reheating a pre-made.
My question is where do I start? Does anyone have suggestions for books (I would borrow from my library) or vlogs they would recommend?
I am cooking for 3-4 people. I have dietary restrictions but the other family members do not.
Thanks for any guidance !
Joyce
Hi Joyce,
It sounds like you are in a super busy season and working really hard to get it all done! For batch cooking, I have found two blogs that offer lots of ideas that are both affordable and delicious. They are Budget Bytes (especially check out the “Meal Prep” section) and Good Cheap Eats (Jessica is a mother of six and many recipes generate a good amount). I have utilized recipes from both sites for years and have been pleased with the costs and results!
Kind Regards,
Rachel
Joyce– How about starting with recipes you know your family likes? That way, you should be destined for success. Make a few recipes and double them to freeze one, if you have freezer space.
Or think of the ingredients you need– browned or shredded meat, chopped vegetables, etc.– and get those ready and frozen or in the refrigerator, so you just have to assemble the parts. You might realize you don’t have the containers you want to do this.
It does sound exhausting to do what you need to do! Are your family members able to help? It might take a while to teach them, but the results would make it worth it.
Hi Joyce,
Small thing, but my husband will marinate and grill a bunch of boneless chicken to use in dishes throughout the week. He’ll eat as is, make fried rice etc. It’s helpful as he’s on a unique diet and sleep schedule, so he’s able to prep and go with fewer pans during the week.
Robbie
Why not throw something in the crockpot before you leave and if there is someone that gets home before you do, leave them instructions to unplug it?
I bought lean pork cubes for 1.99 per kg.
Also gas at Costco for 1.57 per liter
Which is 20 cents cheaper than the local station.
I feel like I do less frugal things but I think it’s just the perception that I’m now doing things for one and not two…Nor do either of my nearby children need things from me as they used to. Here’s what I did last weekend/week: I saw a single layer chocolate cake recipe that called for ingredients I had on hand so I made it. My goodness it was quite good and a proper Devil’s Food cake. It’s the only time I’ve ever made one that didn’t come from a box. I’ve made sure to save the recipe. Since it was a single layer, it suited me quite well. I ate about half of it over the week and then cut the other half into smaller portions and froze so I can pull out one at a time when I want a little something sweet.
I combined errands…but I was out doing errands three days last week. I noted that gasoline had dropped 30c a gallon. I hope it’s that low tomorrow when I drive back into that area. Regardless, I will fill up there because I’ve noted that living in the rural area we do, gas is always 30-40c a gallon pricier than in the town where I go to church and shop.
I had two pictures to reframe for my kitchen. I got both frames and mats, and had them mounted for less than the original cost of the frames once the discount was applied at Hobby Lobby.
I took donations to the thrift store and hauled off trash…Just getting the piles out of the music room floor improved the appearance by about 90%. That was very satisfying.
I went through all my seed packets and discovered I’d saved seeds of balsam (an impatien variety that I particularly like and is heirloom). I’d been looking for seeds online and they were $10 for 250. I reckon I saved at least that many seeds last year. I will be planting them this next week.
I went into the grocery on Sunday. My grocery budget is thrifty per the government but generous for me. I was out of several things that are occasional use or low use items (like rice wine vinegar), all of which were on sale this past week, so I got them. It made my spending slightly higher than usual but I’m glad to have bought them all while on sale.
I made nearly all of my meals at home this week even though I was out of the house several days.
I keep lights off in all the rooms I’m not in, even though I have low use LED bulbs. I dried clothes on the line or hung to dry on a curtain rod in my laundry area.
Not frugal but necessary. I have very thin, soft, fine hair. I’ve been going for years and years to get it cut where they spin you into the chair, run scissors around as you spin, spin you out again and you pay $20. They do no styling, shampooing, suggestions, upselling of products or favors! I’ve been chronically unhappy with my hair for years upon years. Now that I’m letting it grow out somewhat it has looked particularly bad. So on a bad day last week, when I was feeling really sad and was running still more errands, I treated myself to a ‘proper’ salon haircut. Did I reel in shock at the price? What’s more they recommended I wait 8 weeks to return which is twice the amount of time I generally got from the other haircut! I did, but it was worth.every.single. dollar. Even unwashed and un-styled, my hair has honestly looked better all the week and when I look in the mirror it helps tremendously not to look like an old hag!
Terri– The hair salon cut sounds like exactly the reason you are frugal in other ways: You look good and feel good because of it! A well-chosen luxury and a boost for your spirits.
Beautiful flowers! Look at Internet Archive – many books are free to read (with a free account). I think there is a way to read them on e-readers but I haven’t tried it.
My husband and I have been doing some of these things for a little while now:
~ We never buy something just because it’s on sale or we have a coupon, unless we always liked the item anyway. I worked at grocery stores in the past, and I could write a much longer comment about the crazy things that “extreme couponers” do.
~ We started cutting each other’s hair during the Covid restrictions.
~ I saw on YouTube that the average load of laundry only needs about 1 tablespoon of detergent, maybe 2 for big loads. I’ve been doing this for a while, even with cheap brands, and our clothes seem just as clean. Now a container of detergent lasts much longer.
~ This is just my personal preference, but I don’t wear much makeup anymore. Usually tinted lip balm and maybe a simple neutral eyeshadow. I also shave with bar soap or shampoo or conditioner.
~ Frozen pizzas and lasagnas. If we have a hectic day, I think it’s better to put an easy frozen meal in the oven instead of eating at restaurants too often.
~ I buy a lot of clothes at thrift stores (except for socks and underwear). You have to be careful with this now because thrifting became “trendy” and some of them are charging higher prices now. But there are many good small stores out there.