We took everything out of the pantry and washed everything in the pantry (shelves, jars, the walls, the floor, etc.).
We then reorganized the pantry, changing where we keep everything. What I buy and cook has changed over the years, as both my tastes have changed and food prices have dramatically increased, and the order of the pantry was no longer working for me.
This project took all week. When it was done, I knew exactly what I had, and what I needed more of. I can more effectively plan meals going forward.
I baked French bread. One of my daughters baked brownies.
I harvested long green beans, okra, roselle hibiscus, some cherry tomatoes, and peppermint from the garden.
I made a chicken in the crockpot one night and used the leftovers for soup another night.
I made mango cheesecake bars, using some canned mango that I had been given for the topping, cream cheese I had previously purchased on sale, graham cracker crust from my pantry that I had previously purchased on clearance for less than I can make it from scratch.
We had some rain on Friday and Saturday, so I turned off the drip irrigation. Our water day is Monday, and it’s so rare that I don’t have to water. I also put out buckets to collect rainwater to use in the garden.
What did you do to save money last week?
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Making an inventory of what you have and cleaning the shelves and containers is such a tedious but brilliant way to save money, Brandy!!
DIL called me on Tuesday morning to alert me to a manager’s special at her Krogers.
Flour tortillas- 8 count burrito size and 10 count taco size for 50 cents a package! I raced over after texting another daughter and 3 other friends to get their “orders” . Got theirs and mine and sorted and packaged them up. Gave DIL her flour and sugar and powdered sugar from the sale I mentioned last week while we were still in the Kroger parking lot!
This week, through Tuesday, Nov 18- For your own food storage or for blessing boxes, Krogers has their brand of pasta for 99 cents a box- no limits, no coupons if you buy 5 or more. Also their Kroger brand pasta sauce is 99 cents with their digital coupon (limit 5).
Simple main course for $2 that could feed 6 people!
I also picked up 5 Land o Lakes butter that Krogers had for $2.99/pound (limit 5 with their digital coupon). This sale is also good through this Tuesday, Nov 18.
Meijers also had blackberries for 50 cents/carton through this Tuesday, Nov 18. And Meijers turkeys are on sale for 39 cents/pound with no additional purchase needed (limit 1 per transaction)through Thanksgiving.
They have also lowered price on Meijer canned corn and canned green beans to 49 cents each through Dec 31, 2025 so it may be time to stock up!
I sent out the 5 quilts that a new client sent from air base in Japan . https://pin.it/3w9zcsXfQ. https://pin.it/2nGLQFWlQ. https://pin.it/2QhP579YA https://pin.it/5Nh03moy6 and https://pin.it/5tbK6glam. I finished quilting a design on 5 Christmas quilts from a client who is bringing 13 more tomorrow!
Made breakfast burritos with ham, eggs, leftover jalapeño cheese dip that was leftover in fridge and a few of my bargain tortillas! Also made chicken enchilada casserole using ingredients I already had on hand.
Getting closer to finishing the chicken coop reinforcing for winter but with just Dave and me (mostly Dave because of my work schedule) it’s taking longer . This getting older- we have the time, just not the stamina! 🙄
Thank you for your reminders of things to do as well as brand new (to me!) ideas of ways to improve my frugality without feeling deprived! ❤️
Gardenpat in Ohio
I too stocked up on land o lakes butter, but here in N California it was $3.49.
I second the “this getting older – we have the time, just not the stamina”! Boy, is that true! And it is soooo frustrating. If I remember correctly, we aren’t too far apart in age. I wish I had seen the Kroger deals yesterday! We actually have a Kroger in our area and I am heading there today; we didn’t have one in Illinois. WELL, I better get cracking…doing the same thing to my pantry as Brandy did…you gave me the inspiration, Brandy! Thank you!
It’s a lot of work! Good luck!
Is it possible you could post photos of the finished pantry?
We haven’t quite finished it yet, but I may take some when we are all the way done.
Laura S- this week Meijers has their brand of butter for $2.49/pound with no coupons needed and no limits! Don’t know if you have a Meijers in your area. We are definitely spoiled here in central Ohio with all the options we have for getting food at discounted/sale prices!
Gardenpat in Ohio
Sadly, we no longer have a Meijer’s near us. Thanks for thinking of me, Pat!
I’m so happy your blog is back! I’ve missed it so much. I don’t have Instagram, so I’m not quite up-to-date about your life. Would you perhaps like to share with us a sort of “get to know me/life update post”? How old are your children now? Does your husband still have the out-of-state job?
Thank you!
I won’t be posting those family things but I am also happy to have fixed the website issues and be back to blogging.
The mango cheesecake bars look delicious!
On the frugal front:
We pulled leftovers from the freezer for a few quick meals. We had applesauce buttermilk pancakes and sausage, broccoli cheddar soup, and mini meatloaves.
My neighbor and I walked around the community indoor track several evenings this week for low cost exercise.
Last November, I started a new full time job in a new field. Since the office is just three blocks from my home, I am able to come home every day to eat lunch and only need to fill my gas tank once every four to five weeks. I enjoy walking or biking to work weather permitting. My new employer has an amazingly generous health insurance plan which has saved our family thousands. I am very thankful for this new position.
DD1 received tomatoes from a friend’s garden late this summer. At the time, she roasted and froze them. This week she pulled them from the freezer and made a delicious goulash.
HH and I went on a mini date. We made homemade decaf mochas and drove to a nature preserve to photograph the northern lights. In Minnesota, we occasionally see northern lights, but this event was especially spectacular.
I look forward to reading everyone’s frugal feats!
That is so great you had spectacular northern lights and photographed them. I’ve been seeing some of the photos from the States on the BBC news.
We were even able to see the Northern Lights down here in North Carolina! They were visible with the help of a camera for two nights. They were faintly visible with the naked eye. Just an amazing surprise!
I don’t envy you cleaning out your pantry! I’ve been doing a good job with mine, including writing the best buy dates on the labels with a Sharpie pen because I’m tired of trying to read those teeny tiny dates. I did reorganize my kitchen cabinets a few weeks ago and it’s lot easier to find things now.
I spent all day Thursday working at a community event sponsored by Katie’s Krops where we gave out 725 meals, 56 containers of soup made by a local high schools culinary class, 486 half gallon and 12 full gallons of milk, 68 boxes of assorted groceries, hundreds of desserts, many bags of vegetables and 222 baskets filled with either traditional Thanksgiving meal items (most with either a frozen turkey or a gift card anywhere between $10 and $50 to buy perishables) or comfort baskets for shut-ins or backpacks for the homeless filled with food and helpful items. I coordinated the baskets and could still see them when I went to bed and shut my eyes! I’ve already made up a list of helpful ideas for better handling this volume next year. Earlier in the week, I made dozens of rice krispy treats, donated 3 of the baskets and contributed 6 half gallons of milk to this effort. Some people cried from happiness and relief. One teen was so excited when they came near the end and we were trying to get rid of the last of the milk because they got 5 gallons and he LOVES milk.
I used Kohl’s cash to order an electric knife for pickup for less than $14. I contacted a company about their 30 day return policy before I bought my son-in-law a Christmas gift from them. They confirmed via email that they’ll honor Christmas returns into January, so I went ahead and ordered it.
I made a few things to eat at home, but not nearly what I intended. I skipped going to the Italian Festival on Sunday because I just wasn’t feeling it. Instead, I did a takeout order of meatballs, cheesy garlic bread and a cannoli from my favorite Italian restaurant for $20, including tip. I had budgeted $40 for the festival and would likely have gone over that, so it was a financial win for me.
This week will be all about finishing deep cleaning my house. I hope everyone is doing well and enjoys their week.
Thank you for the tip to write the best by date in sharpie. The dates are never printed in the same location and so hard to find.
I am so glad that the blog is back on the air!
After a trip to Denver to do a few appraisals and cover an eye appointment (3 1/2 hours drive each way), I got stuck in a huge traffic jam, then another traffic jam…on my way to a free investors dinner. Grrrrrr. By the time I made it even near the event, I was more than an hour late — so gave up, and headed home. It took me another 30 min. to even get out of downtown. (Yes, I wrote an e-mail to the firm. They should know better, than try to schedule stuff in this crowded area.)
But…Daughter #1 and Son #2 fed me, I had a warm bed…and our good friends paid my supper on the way home. So that was nice.
Finiahed off my Christmas shopping at two favorite thrift shops — found several new items, and got 50% off on a number of books (some for the Little Free Library our local church started) and videos. I also found Christmas napkins, and a few decorations. Plus the dog kennel we really needed – for $38! And a 10% senior discount. When I was checking out, the guy helping me carry things out said something about the total, and the clerk said, “That would have been cheap, if she was just buying the dog kennel.” And she was right!
To make things even nicer, the shop was giving away free bread — and encouraged me to take as much as I wanted. So I did…and put it out, along with a ‘free’ sign, at our church. A dozen loaves of bread immediately disappeared. A lot of people in our area of southern Colorado are concerned about feeding their families; this was one small way I felt I could help out.
1. I walked in my neighborhood.
2. I made my turnip greens soup soups with frozen turnip greens, carrots, can of diced tomatoes, chicken, leftover pinto beans, Cajun spices. I also took a pbj sandwich to work.
Otherwise, it has not been a frugal week nor month.
Sent an item back for a refund that didn’t fit.
Received $44.32 from the PayPal class action settlement.
Received jelly and clementines from someone.
Made apple crisp with apples I had at home.
Received $1 from Ibotta on tea
Found some slippers for the guys Christmas for $10 a pair.
Mended two pairs of pants
I am so happy that you are back!!!!! I love your web site, and it brings me lots of positive thoughts. Your pictures are so beautiful and always brighten the day.
I enjoy your photographs Brandy. They are so beautiful.
I made Pesto spaghetti squash and spaghetti squash bread. We used eggs from our chickens to make bread, scrambled eggs, fried egg to go on a sandwich. I made meals at home, even when I didn’t feel like it. I did buy a frozen pizza for $2.99 on sale. We added cheese, oregano and garlic to it. It was very nice on a day I didn’t want to cook. I try to have some simple things to cook. Not a lot. I usually cook from scratch. But there are days when opening a can of soup or putting something simple in the oven is just wonderful. It makes those low energy days so much better! We got our plumbing fixed today. Not cheap. But very necessary. I will continue to cook at home in hopes of saving money. I will make a stir fry for my family using cabbage, carrots, celery, ground turkey, sesame oil, soy sauce, fish sauce and a bit of hot sauce. My family loves it and I can use some veggies in my fridge and a cheaper type of meat. I made a homemade curry turkey pot pie. We ate it for a couple of days. We made a ham and ham and collard greens. I made scrambled eggs and ham with cheese. I’ve enjoyed time outside. I’ve enjoyed time with family. I got to see pictures of me and my boys when they were little. My parents showed me their pictures. What fun! I’m so glad they took lots of pictures. Lots of good memories.
Took a weekend trip to Florida. The hotel we stay at has a kitchenette so we brought food for breakfast and lunch, eating out only once. We also brought our own drinks and snacks. Prior to the trip, Dollar General had a “buy two bags of chips” and get an 18 count box of individual size bags of chips for free. We needed tortilla chips for dinner a couple of nights so I bought those and got the free box of chips to use on our trip for snacks. Saved $10.45. Used my rewards at a store we shop at when we go to Florida to save $5.00. Used my “food apps” to purchase dinner for tonight for $2.30 since we just got home and I haven’t had time to go to the store this evening. I save my rewards on my apps to use for nights I don’t have time to cook and tonight I got two cheeseburgers and a three piece chicken tender snack box and only had to pay for one cheeseburger. We had drinks and chips at home, so we used those instead of purchasing “combos” for dinner. It was a good and frugal trip. I have almost enough points on my hotel app for a free night so when we go back for Thanksgiving, one night will be paid for with points!
What a big job you did in the pantry, but I’m sure very useful and satisfying.
1. Today I’m making a wall hanging for MIL for Christmas. One of our children will be visiting her and I’ll send the gift with them. Postage from US to UK is terrible, so this saves me over $20 (for a 4 oz envelope!). It is a fabric collage from all scraps so the cost in making it is my time. She is the best MIL ever and I’m so thankful for her.
2. A friend dropped free persimmons and 2 items that she’s getting rid of. I will sell them, the friend doesn’t want any of the money, she would have donated them otherwise.
3. I roasted a chicken yesterday and invited our adult daughter for dinner. She usually comes once a week and I figured this was the best meal I was going to make this week. I made broth with the bones, and then I made gluten free gravy with part of the broth. I froze the gravy, I’m bringing it to 2 celebrations in the next 10 days.
4. Walked with friends and walked while chatting with my sister on the phone. Free exercise, fresh air, sunlight and good company!
5. Bought 5 lbs for bread for $8. The bakery sells day-old bread for $2 for a regular load (1lb) and $3 for a 2lb loaf. I don’t work with wheat flour and my husband is working and doesn’t have the time to make his own. This is a very frugal solution!
This past week, I rearranged some things in my small apartment to better make use of the space. I still have more to do, but the current situation is an improvement. The 2 cubic foot chest freezer I had ordered arrived on Friday. This morning I went to Costco to stock up on some frozen fruit and vegetables. We had a sunny day last week (rare in Seattle in November), so I washed all my windows.
As for food, I made:
– fermented salsa from canned tomatoes
– cranberry applesauce using apples someone had given me from their tree and cranberries I bought on sale
– broth in my Instant Pot from chicken drumsticks I had purchased for 99 cents a pound
– a bulk batch of vegetable soup and froze individual servings for later.
The pink Zinnia’s are beautiful. They are like little pops of color.
-I had strawberries in the freezer and made strawberry bread and took it when visiting a friend who just had knee surgery.
-Enjoyed an overnight stay at my sister- in -laws home. We gave them a used chair that we no longer could use and we took it to their house. It was such a nice visit. We had errands to run on the way to their house and stopped for groceries-list in hand-on our way back to our home.
-Went up in the attic and brought down our outside Christmas decorations. We checked what we had and additionally all the lights. There is no need to buy or replace anything.
-I scheduled a Dr appointment for December so it is still under my insurance before Jan. 1st.
-Got a pint of cream for free. Froze it in an ice cube tray, took them out of the tray and placed in a bag in the freezer. Each cube is 2 Tbsp of cream so I can easily remove and melt in the refrigerator for cooking and baking.
-We were invited to a last minute dinner with a group of friends. Graciously passed and made a nice meal at home instead.
Enjoy all the inspiration in this community.
That is a great tip about freezing cream in ice cube trays then putting them in freezer bags.
My mother used to put homemade spaghetti sauce in ice cube trays and then in bags.
Rhis way if only one person was having spaghetti she could just heat up a couple of cubes.
Thanks for that tip about the spaghetti sause-I am going to give it a try.
Hi HappyHappy! I was wondering if you have used the frozen cream for coffee or tea, and, if so, is it like using the cream fresh? I like cream in my tea, but never use it up and then have to toss it. Your idea would be a great solution. Thanks!
Thanks for the tip on freezing cream!
My husband picked up some free stuff for his fish hobby and made it to the mobile food pantry as the last in line. They loaded him up with onions and apples, some bread, milk and an entire case of romaine lettuce that was going bad. I’m still processing onions – i can only take the burning for so long 🤣. The apples went into the crock pot for applesauce and the lettuce went to the chickens. Unfortunately, the oranges were quite moldy (and I’m quite allergic to molds) so they had to be composted.
I got a 14.75 pound turkey for $5 and some change. The carcass is now in the crock pot to make broth.
We picked up the bagels at the end of the day from a local bagel shop – free. My freezer is stuffed and the varieties we don’t like go to the chickens.
I’ve got an over abundance of eggs right now and offered them on our local free site – so many in our area are food insecure and it’s about the only thing I can do to help. Multiple people came by – one gave us some things for my grandson, another some bread and others all their empty cartons so I can keep on giving. I didn’t ask for anything – people just offered which makes me hopeful.
I made a new cover for my stand mixer from a pillow I picked up at the goodwill outlet (you pay by the pound) for pennies. I also altered 2 shirts and repaired my husband’s jeans.
We’ve already had snow once (5.5 inches) and I discovered that the leaf blower works much better to knock the snow off the netting over my chicken run.
I’ve been doing physical therapy for months for a hip that keeps rotating out of its correct placement and severe nerve pain from a bulging disc. It has paid off and I am hoping by next Spring I’ll be back to being able to garden.
We have made a budget for Christmas and will be giving cash to our nieces and nephews because finding gifts in our price bracket has become too much. We also very tired of the consumerism that seems to envelop the entire holiday season and we’d prefer to focus on being present with family.
I am so glad you’ve come back to the blog Brandy – it is such a positive, uplifting place and I look forward to it each week.
Melissa V, I wear swim goggles when chopping a lot of onions. I look ridiculous 🤣🤣🤣 but it works like a charm and I don’t mind. It actually makes me laugh as well.
For me, I refrigerate the onions before chopping. Helps a lot.
Cleaning out and reorganizing my pantry is on my to-do list. Thanks for the reminder! In fact, painting the walls (we already have the paint) and reorganizing the shelves are at the top of my priority list once I have all of the winter prep tasks done. I am behind on a few things (like planting bulbs) but the weather has taken a mild turn (after 2 days of snow last week) so I can fit those things in. We continue to work on remodeling the building given to us by neighbors into a chicken house. By contacting the manufacturer directly, my husband found a great deal on an automatic door for the house, about 30% less than stores that carry that item. His research also led him to a product called Rubr-Coat which is a tar-like paint used to seal flat roofs. He has the brilliant idea to paint the floor and part way up the wall with it to make it more durable. It will protect the wood even better than extreme weather exterior paint. By calling around to local shops, he found this product for less than big box stores. We also lined the floor with remnant linoleum we purchased very inexpensively from a local discount building supply store. Protecting things we own from the weather and moisture goes a long way into saving us money on replacing and repairing things. And research helps us make better and more frugal choices.
This year, my youngest son joined Trail Life, a scouting group for boys. He has really enjoyed it and they are a very active group doing service projects, learning skills, earning badges and going on camping trips each month. I have found many organized activities like this to be expensive but Trail Life troops are sponsored by a church. Because it is considered a mission of the church, there is no fundraising requirement and the fees to participate are very low to free. The only required uniform is a shirt and many of the older boys pass on outgrown ones to the younger boys. It’s been a really good experience for him thus far and we’re glad it’s also an affordable one.
Sales in my two antique booths are going well. I am adding some more Christmas items that I have made including ornaments made from vintage sheet music. The supplies came from old paperback song books my mother found in the trash outside of a thrift shop about 4 years ago. I have been making ornaments from them since and have sold them for the past two years. Fun to take literal trash and turn it into treasure! Another big seller last week was, of all things, pinecones. My parents live part time 5 miles away from us and part time “off the mountain” as we say in an area of Longleaf pine forest. The pinecones from these trees can easily be 12” tall or more and are really pretty. On a whim, I put some in a basket in one of my booths and they sold like crazy. It’s been fun to just take a (reasonable) risk and see what people respond to. Now that I have 2 booths, I will be interested to see if different things sell at each shop. I am really grateful for this creative outlet and the extra income especially since my oldest son started wearing braces this past Spring and my youngest will probably get them this coming Spring so they may have them at the same time. Also grateful for our insurance which is paying 50%. Whew!
I very, very rarely (like never) buy clothes new – only secondhand/vintage. However, one of my birthday gifts was a discount code to JCrew. In addition, I participate in their review program where you get a percentage off for writing 3 reviews. I started this a few years ago when I found some NWT JCrew items at a thrift store and found they were still on their website so eligible for a review. Each anniversary of my sign up as a reviewer, I get a $10 gift code. So, between the two codes, I had $25 to spend. That, coupled with their 60-70% sale allowed me to get a couple of gifts for my sons and a sweater to wear with two vintage plaid skirts my mother gave me. Fun!
I still have a bit of kale in the garden but much of it is put to bed for the winter. Using food we have stored and getting creative with meals is always the challenge but one I am committed to even more these days. Recent inspiration from IG accounts “Jenna Eats Good” and “Diane Morrissey” has given me new inspiration. I also really enjoy the recipes I have tried from Arash at Shred Happens. Always something new to learn and be inspired by!
Have a lovely day, all!
I love those pinecones! I bet you could sell them on eBay and Etsy as well. I brought back some from Italy that were interesting to me….they were really wide and with thick scales. I love finding treasures and souvenirs in nature! I just stumbled upon Arash @ Shred Happens…..his recipes look so good, but I’ve yet to try any. I requested his cookbook through the library.
Growing up, I lived near some longleaf pines as well. Their cones are amazing and I always collected them to use in decorating my house. They were so large, it didn’t take many!
I sowed arugula in september, and now I can pick some a couple of times a week even though we have had frost a few nights. It´s very nice to be able to pick fresh greens in the garden this time of year.
I’ve put pots, garden furniture and the bird bath into the shed to keep them dry during winter, so they will last longer.
We have a polystyrene box just outside the utility room where we keep vegetables in winter. This saves us space in the fridge, and the vegetables are within easy reach.
My son has started archery recently – he has built his own longbow at a course he attended together with my FIL. Even with the course fee, this has been a lot cheaper than buying a premade bow. They stayed at my FIL´s sister, and she and her husband really treated my son so well, giving him nice food, a homemade painting and a small bronze cast. As far as I remember, Brandy, your children also practiced archery at some point?
I bought a second-hand sweater for my son.
I put a lot of fallen leaves into an empty compost bin and my sons old sandbox to make leaf mold. I will use this as it is for sowing and also mix it with compost for flower pots – it gets dark and beautiful. I’ve done this once before in the sandbox and got a nice large bucket full. Now I will get even more!
The older ones did. The younger ones have not, but we still have the bows, and I’ve been thinking I need to take them to the range.
I negotiated a special rate with my cab driver. It was a slow afternoon for him so we went a half an hour west of Calgary to see Trumpeter Swans at a small pond. The swans were on the far side of the pond and I thought I would not get photos but I was lucky as various small groups flew and landed right in front of me and I got some lovely photos both in-flight and landing. I spent my grocery money for the rest of the month on this. I will eat food from the little freezer and the pantry. It was a reward for me as I’ve spent every day for the past three months outside sorting papers (dating back to the 1950s) from an office in the basement. They were my father’s and at night I would come inside and enter the information into a history I compiled. I almost despaired and simply threw out a box of papers (not even recycling it) but at the last minute I said to myself — you’ve come this far just keep going — and so I sorted that box and at the very bottom I found his long-lost WWII medals. Also I found lots of other treasures — mostly photos and negatives. I can identify with Tammy’s happiness at seeing old photos. I found lovely old letters — some in French– from a new-found friend in Paris during the war. I found tidbits of info about my father’s service in WWII. He would update his resume and add a new sentence or two about his service so i could piece it together. In the evenings, I would read the war diaries of the units he was in. This was an incredible experience! Usually servicemen are not mentioned by name except for a duty roster but the daily war records mention him several times so I can trace his steps through England then later in Holland. It has been an incredible learning experience for me both about the war and about my father. I had some of the negatives scanned so i could enter them into the history. My very favourite photo is of him and his mother walking together, smiling at each other, as he arrives home from the war… I had never seen this photo before! Some of your readers may remember my long journey to identify a box of 300 photos of my mother’s relatives and to put 2100 copies into 7 albums. Now I am once again surrounded by photos to put into albums – a great winter project. (not to mention that I now have to declutter inside). Out of 50 months of service – I have been able to trace his progress through NW Europe and England for 40 months. The other ten months I know his general whereabouts but not his precise movements as a unit clerk forgot to make entries in his record. I have had wonderful contacts in England who have jumped in to volunteer to answer questions. It has been a journey, a mystery and a treasure hunt. Mostly free except for some scanning of photos. I did pay a friend’s brother who carried boxes from the basement up the hill to my outside sorting area as long as the forecast was for a stretch of sunny days. I could watch birds as I sorted. I should have cleared out his papers decades ago but I was always either working or sick so we just left it. It has taken me 9 full time months spread over 3 years – usually in the summer if there was no forest fire smoke or the fall. We sorted about 200 boxes of letters and other papers. Each box ended up being 4 large garbage bags for the recycling bin. I have one small box under tarps left to do, then some sorting of stuff that came inside to be entered into his history which is now 160 pages long. So I’m sure I saved thousands of dollars doing this myself plus had the joy of finding treasures — photos or information that no one else could really have done. I would have waited until i had finished the last box but the swans might have migrated by then. We have been blessed with a superb fall after having had almost 6 weeks of rainy days.
Thank you for sharing this story of your search through your father’s life, Anne! What treasures you found.
It is so good to see you posting again. I have missed this community of frugal friends. Brandy, you mentioned the change in meals/taste. Will you be adding to your recipes here? On the frugal front this week:
*We went to Alabama to check on my 92 year old MIL and then on to a wedding. We had enough loyalty points for a discounted room for on the way down as well as points to discount the Air B&B we stayed in LA (lower Alabama) when we visited my MIL.
*We turned our thermostat down to 60 while we were gone.
* We stayed with friends in Northern Alabama for the wedding.
*We took our own food for most of our meals along the way and while in LA. We used our portable refrigerator/cooler. We offered to treat our friends in Northern Alabama to a meal out but they wanted to treat us “like guests.” 🙂
* There was a lot of food leftover from the wedding so our friends sent us home with chicken tenders, potato salad and pulled pork. Now that we are home I divided up the meat and froze multiple bags for future meals.
*On Veterans’ Day we used Cracker Barrel’s free breakfast for veterans offer. We only paid for my breakfast (7$). We did the same for dinner that night at Olive Garden. We had leftovers from both our meals so we paid $22 for 4 meals in all.
*We used military discounts at Lowes prior to our trip.
*We used our T Mobile gas discount to fill up our car. We have a hybrid Toyota RAV4 which gets great mileage. Our total for gas for the trip from southwest Virginia to Lower Alabama to Northern AL and home again was $50.
*I loaded receipts to Fetch for points.
Now I am challenging myself to see how little I can spend for groceries this week. I only have a few things to purchase for Thanksgiving so hopefully I won’t have to spend much.
Blessings to all my frugal friends!
I have been making a lot of lentil recipes from the blogs Tea for Tumeric and Ministry of Curry.
I am so happy to see these posts return! I would love a post on your reinvented pantry (with pictures please) and how you now cook to combat the ever increasing food costs.
Some days I feel as though I am not very frugal while others I do my very best. I am trying to focus on the things I can control even though that is very difficult. I am working on my budget at this time. I know my homeowners insurance and taxes will increase this next year as well as my health insurance (quite significantly) so I am trying to trim any fat. It’s really difficult as a single income household to increase your wages only to see them devoured by inflation and the rising cost of living expenses. I am very grateful for a good job that allows me the benefits and opportunities I have. I do my best to provide for my girls and teach them the value of a dollar, even though it can be difficult in the area I live in.
This past week I sold an item on eBay, accepted some lovely hand me downs for my girls (many brands they love), shopped loss leaders and bulk items, meal planned, hung laundry to dry, ate all meals but one at home, started Christmas shopping with a few sales, switched my internet provider to save $40/month, and sold a few items on Marketplace. I’ve lost quite a bit of weight this year and most of my clothes for my have been thrifted or purchased second hand. I have been looking for new athletic shoes and a coat without much luck. I am going to continue to hunt for the best deal on the shoes but I purchased a new coat from Costco for $20. I am not sure if I am done losing weight so this will get me through the season at a reasonable price. I love my Buy Nothing Group – it is very active and I was able to pickup a few items this past week. My girls always love to see what I get! I am very appreciative of resources like this blog and the BN community.
1. Just opened a new carton of milk. We use very little of it, so I always reach to the back of the store shelf for whichever of the longest-dated, hopefully “whole”, has the best date. Whole milk and paper cartons seem to keep longest. I have read that putting a pinch of salt in it will keep it fresher a few days longer and sometimes do that. Not sure if it helps, but it isn’t an expensive fix.
2. Library FINALLY is getting the latest Louise Penny book in, and I am first on the reserve list. A few months ago, a major book wholesale supplier (Baker and Taylor) abruptly closed and my library, like many in the country, is scrambling to replace its services. The new release before that I wanted I got sooner because I put myself on the Large Print reserve list. I think I read faster with the big type as well.
3. Our local food bank has new people in charge and is being more active with publicity, including on Facebook, which I appreciate. I learned they will use paper grocery bags and egg cartons, both of which I sometimes have. They have had two free firewood giveaways this fall; a great help to some people, I am sure. And they are posting photos of business and charitable groups who donate, hadn’t done that before.
4. Making a lot of homemade soups as the weather changes– chicken noodle, vegetable, copycat Applebee’s tortilla, “Stilton”/I use blue cheese.
5. We’ve been using Brandy’s homemade laundry soap recipe for over a year and it works well. My variation is that instead of Olay, I have used various kinds of bar soaps, usually purchased at yard sales, that seem to have a lot of fats or oils. (Gifted handmade soaps often end up at sales). I also used some FelsNaptha bars from my parents’ house that were probably so old there were no scanner bar codes on the wrapper, and a small bit from a motel stay.
I still can’t say enough about how happy I am that you’re back blogging. Really brightens my day when I see a post from you!
I switched phone providers and got a new phone while lowering my monthly cost. The phone was 10 yrs old and could no longer be updated. I originally got it on a black Friday sale for one dollar, so I think I got my moneys worth out of it.
I stocked up on Land O Lakes butter that was on sale for $3.49 a pound and Thomases English muffins that were on sale for $2.99. Walmart has fresh cranberries marked down to .97 a bag, but with sale items at the other store and the fact that wm is not close by, I ended up paying $2.99 for the same size bag at Safeway.
I too would like to hear more about this pantry update. Pantry items are always a challenge for me since I don’t have a dedicated pantry, but I do have shelves in the garage that I use as a pantry, but as the summers have gotten hotter. I can’t utilize it as well as I once did.
I’ve cleaned out the dishes from the kitchen, China cabinet, buffet, and a Hooser cabinet I have. I washed everything and cleaned the inside and outside of all of the cabinetry and have a lot of it stacked in piles on the floor to determine what stays and what goes. I’m also filling out a few sets from eBay and until they arrive I can’t organize getting everything back into the cabinets and it’s been stressful to have the house torn apart.
My refrigerator that is not hooked up to water, is leaking water on occasion so I’m going to have to try to figure out what’s going on with that because walking into a puddle in the kitchen is an unsolved riddle vexing me.
Some refrigerators have a drip pan that you sometimes need to pull out and ditch the water. if too much water gets into the pan but will flood and you could have water on your floor. Maybe someone else has more specific info about a drip pan.
This week has flown by and I savor reading posts while I eat lunch! I have had wonderful buys in the clearnance section of meats this week. I saw clearance BOGOF sliced turkey meat with $2 stickers which came to $1.50 # and got 8 packages which will come in handy Christmas week plus my husband uses meat for his lunch sandwich. I also got organic hamburger patties (24 oz) for $3 , also will be used for a birthday on Christmas week! I love having these sales and knowing I have the food when lots of family is hanging out over the. Christmas holiday and it is within budget!
I had 4 huge pears come down and they are the last of the season and make wonderful pear applesauce! Taking some to a sister I am meeting today to celebrate my birthday early. I am sending her Christmas presents early and giving her food for another sister who is recuperating after a serious car accident. I have learned the hard way if I am seeing a family member near the holidays to go ahead and give them my gifts, sickness has hampered this so many years!
We have had lovely kale and Swiss chard that is thriving and used in meals and smoothies daily. I also give it to a friend weekly whose husband is battling cancer and they are so appreciative! I bring a cooler to church and share it with friends there as well who have come out the other side of cancer.
I have compared prices at the local groceries for the best Thanksgiving deals. I buy sweet potatoes at .25# to last till summer and can use my senior discount on top of that. Several different stores are close by and I pass them all several times a week, so it is worth it to compare and buy the best deals at all the stores!
Blessings dear friends!
Brandy, what you did with your pantry is exactly what I need to do. Knowing what I have available in the pantry and freezer, and having them organized, would be quite helpful for me going forward.
I continue to do the usual frugal things, which many here do as well. We use cloth napkins and cloth rags instead of paper products.
My husband takes our recyclables to the recycling center instead of us paying a monthly fee for pick up. He has done this for decades resulting in big savings over time. Speaking of recycling, our local Publix recycles clean styrofoam containers including cups, egg cartons, meat trays and take out boxes. This is the only place here that does so. If you have a local Publix, and have foam, you may want to check it out.
Since I don’t yet make my own bread, I accumulate empty bread bags. I use these when discarding meat or other smelly foodstuffs instead of tossing them in the regular garbage. By doing this, it prolongs the use of garbage bags, reducing the need for purchasing them.
I made beans for soup from dried. We ate all meals at home, using food we already had. Stocked up on sweet potatoes at $.25/pound. Continue to shop weekly specials, picking up items at stock up prices (sugar, oil, flour). Tried to use up all bits of leftovers to avoid food waste. Picked up requested items for our church’s food pantry while on sale.
Got some exercise by raking leaves to go in our compost pile. I added these leaves to the greens in our composter. This compost will amend our garden soil come springtime.
It is great to read Brandy’s posts again weekly, as well as the additional suggestions from everyone here. Have a great, frugal week virtual friends!
We are fresh back from a five-night stay in St. Augustine. Here’s how we kept it frugal for us.
(1) We booked our room for November. Typically we stay only 3 nights, but what we ‘saved’ by booking in November we were able to get in two extra nights.
(2) We set the money aside all year long, from our pocket money (allowance) that we give ourselves each month. We tithe from that first, then put money into vacation fund and then we used what we had over for extra. We also put in birthday gift monies and Christmas gift monies we received, jury duty funds, and a couple of refunds we received that we weren’t expecting. It adds up!
(3) We used our 2nd car which gets an incredible 40 mile to the gallon on the open road to make the trip.
(4) We bring some food from home, and cook in the room (full kitchen in our suite).
(5) We paid for only three meals out. Two breakfast meals (under $5 for one and more than we’d planned for the second, won’t do that again) and one lunch out. We paid from our cash allowance for those.
(6) When we went shopping for food, we went to a grocery store where I knew what was on sale and purchased from those sales to get food for the week. I made all but one meal in the room.
(7) We kept track of all expenses so we’d know what we were spending.
(8) We packed picnic lunches for the two lunches on the road.
(9) We set money aside for gasoline each month. This month I purposely set aside a little more than usual which helped offset the expenses in that area.
(10) We have been visiting the area for years and about know what we can do for free and what activities will cost. This trip we opted to go on the Old Town Trolley, which offers a one-day ticket these days which suited us. You can get on and off and ride all day long if you choose for that one fee, so we took advantage of it. It saved us parking costs (upwards of $20 which was half the cost of one of the one day tickets right there).
Another day we rode down A1A to Ormond by the Sea to hear the Carillion played at the Lutheran church there. It’s a lovely ride along the coast with lots of ‘vintage’ Florida visible along the way. The Carillion doesn’t last long but it’s nice and we always sit in the parking lot and eat a picnic lunch there before we make the return drive to St. Augustine. It’s a nice little two-hour round trip that costs us nothing but gasoline.
(11) We took full advantage of the pool, and the balcony with beach views, and such as at the condo.
Next year we are thinking we might downgrade to a studio room which has been updated (also has kitchenette and seating other than the bed).
We thoroughly enjoyed the trip and given all the stuff we have had to deal with at home (HUGE car repairs, plumbing leaks, unexpected bills, etc.) since September it felt like a nice reward to ourselves for persevering and getting through it all.
We have eaten from the pantry and freezer the majority of last month and this. I’d just completed an inventory on both the week prior to leaving for vacation and did some reorganizing too. It must be ‘in the air’ lol.