I harvested roselle hibiscus, okra, a lime, eggplant, cherry tomatoes, and basil from my garden.
I started sewing an apron for my son for Christmas in his favorite color, using duck cloth that I already had on hand.
I ordered a couple of Christmas gifts on sale for a daughter. I combined that order with her sister’s order for herself so that we qualified for free shipping.
I made several meatless dishes this week, including bhindi masala, dal chillas, baked potatoes, vegetable soup, black bean soup, butternut squash gnocchi, and a vegetarian chili. I also baked French bread.
I enjoyed a tour of a private local garden with members of a local garden group.
I showed my mother some projects I want to make, and asked her to look for supplies for me at garage sales. She came back having spent $3 on supplies, including many packages of hand-sewing needles that are worth so much more than that. It’s always amazing that she can find what I’m looking for. Craft supplies are so much less at garage sales and thrift stores.
I trimmed my daughter’s hair.
The weather continues to be warmer than usual, so we enjoyed having the windows and door open every day. It will cool down at the end of this week, two weeks later than usual.
What did you do to save money this past
Oh, Brandy, I know I wrote this last week, but I’m just so glad you´re posting again! It makes me smile – in fact I’m smiling right now! Thank you for the time you spend. I hope you feel you get something in return!
The food looks really delicious! We eat mostly vegetarian (meat a couple of times a month for dinner, only vegetarian for lunch and breakfast), and it´s always nice to get some inspiration for new dishes. We buy green lentils, yellow peas and fava beans in bulk from the local food coop – saves us so much money!
I’m preparing the garden for winter – all my raised beds get a nice warm cover of fallen leaves, hedge trimmings and the like to improve the soil for next spring – makes the earthworms happy and is completely free. I’ve also planted garlic, and the celery has been moved to the new greenhouse to protect it from frost.
Mended a sweater using yarn I already had.
I plan to make a binder with a limited number of easy recipes for meals that we like and sorted by season. That way it will be easier for me to meal-plan, but also for my husband or son to make dinner if I’m busy or not at home. It doesn’t happen that often, but it takes the stress out of it and ensures that we still get inexpensive and healthy meals. I plan to only include recipes, where we always have the ingredients at hand, at least for the season in question. My son has just turned 14 and likes to cook. He has chosen cooking as a subject at school, and he is also a scout, where they learn to cook for a whole camp full of people, so he improves his skills all the time. We have started having weekly planning meetings in the family, and as a result everything runs a lot smoother during the week. We also talk about subjects that requires some debate – and it has made the weeks a lot less stressful that we have allocated time just for this. It’s not so much about saving money, more about using our time in a good way.
The butternut squash gnocchi sounds interesting. I hope you’ll share the recipe when you’re able. Last week, I gathered the last of the pears, except for a few left for the critters. I try and get more than one use, when using the oven, so knowing I was baking sweet potatoes, I made a pear pie to add. All the smallest red potatoes were canned. I’ve been working on using up various frozen greens, and made a recipe which used a bag of kale, and a jar of spaghetti squash. Knowing the time was growing short for fresh basil, I gathered basil and oregano, and made pasta sauce. I’ve begun making biochar again, tucking retorts I’ve made from tin cans into the woodstove. A batch of cashew parmesan was made. After my husband was so kind to wash my car recently, I vacuumed and cleaned the interior, which always feels and smells so much nicer. My husband and I created a new key fob for me, from leather and a carabiner I already had on hand. He did buy a pack of Chicago screws, which will be used in other projects as well. A pot of small and damaged sweet potatoes was boiled for our pup. I got around to dealing with all the recently gathered onions. Though the tops had dried down some, there was still quite a bit of green, so I chopped the tops, and dehydrated them. I’m not sure the bulbs will last any time, being they were harvested with green tops, but I’ll use them up as quick as I can. If it seems they’re not going to last, I’ll probably chop and dehydrate those too. My husband planted our garlic, and picked the last of the lima beans and green beans. Our first hard freeze is forecast for tonight. I went ahead and harvested lettuce and chard yesterday, which was much nicer to do in the 70’s, rather than the 40’s forecast for today. Easier too, before we cover it with a layer of plastic today.
This week has been colder – we even got snow yesterday through overnight! Looks like predictions for a colder, snowier winter for our area could be right.
One of the best things I did to save money this week was the Giant Eagle/Market District sale on their brand of flour, sugar, powdered sugar and brown sugar. It was B2G3FREE! That made flour -$1.19 for 5 pounds, sugar- $1.59 for 4 pounds, powdered sugar or brown sugar – 99 cents for 2 pound bags. There is a limit of 10 items per transaction but the sale started on Wednesday and doesn’t end until this Wednesday. I took inventory of what I had and decided to get restocked on powdered sugar . I already make my own brown sugar. I will restock sugar and flour as well but this time I knew how much I used last year so I could get enough without overstocking. Keeping a basic inventory isn’t a bag thing (I say, reluctantly. 🥴)
Had 10 more quilt tops come in this week for me to quilt up on my longarm. I’m still surprised at the way some people are still spending. But my budget is grateful for the extra!
We are eating fresh tomatoes from the garden that we picked green a couple weeks ago and are letting ripen indoors. Nothing like the taste of a homegrown tomato!!
We are grateful for the free app- Gas Buddy on our phones. This week we got gas for $2.25/gallon while many other places were almost $3/gallon! This allows us to plan where we are getting gas as we are out and about at the best price without driving all over town just for gas!
We bought another box of 186 size 2 Huggies little snugglers for just $11 for a friend using BidFTA. Got ourselves a collapsible wagon to keep in the trunk for just $8. This will come in handy for unloading after shopping.
That’s about it for this week. Made Texas style chili last night for dinner with homemade drop biscuits that used our homemade Biscuit Mix. Yum!! It’s amazing to see how many tasty, quick meals we can make using what we already have in the house. We’ve made it into a game almost! Nothing outrageous, just favorites that we already love.
I’m envious of your growing season, Brandy, but am grateful for our winter coming in as a time to hunker down and renew our spirits!
Looking forward to discovering more ways to save without feeling deprived that you and your commenters continually amaze me with!
Gardenpat in Ohio
And I’m envious of your gas prices! I can get gas for $3.29 at Sam’s right now, which is lower than it has been. It’s over $4 at most places here.
It didn’t feel like a money saving week as I needed to drive 2 hours each way, and pay bridge tolls both ways, to go help my parents. But it was the right thing to do.
I returned with homemade granola for my husband.
Dh worked on a garden project that is making our garden less prone to flooding.
I sold 2 clocks on FB marketplace.
We said yes to selling an item for a friend and splitting the proceeds.
Food remains simple and healthy.
Brandy, do you still have an Amazon affiliate link? I rarely shop there, but if I do, I would choose to give you the (probably less than) two half-pennies credit from my order.
I do! I need to figure out a new way to link to them in my posts. This blog does cost me money to host (and the price for hosting is now going up because of the amount of storage space I use). I plan to link again in my next blog post.
If it doesn’t work to link it in the post, would putting the link in the comments work? Like always making it the first comment?
I can put it in the post. I just need to decide how. The links with pictures to items I use are no longer something they are doing. Text links work. I need to probably use some other links as well.
I also have an Amazon storefront, and I want to link it here somehow.
Putting a non picture link for now would be great. Doesn’t matter to what as long as it connects me to you because often I know what I want, but just want a link to A so you get the referral. I’ve had a difficult time finding it. Maybe put one on your homepage?
I will see what I can figure out 😊 Thank you for your support!
I’m so happy to see your post this week as well Brandy!
I may try taking my jeans in. They are extremely baggy. I am very happy about it! I will probably watch a YouTube video before I try. We have been cooking at home. I watch what needs using up first and use it. This past week I have made Ham and collard greens with cannelloni beans and potatoes. We have been eggs from our new chickens that we got this year. I cooked spaghetti squash and made two types of bread from it and some banana that needed eaten. One was a chocolate bread and another was a spice bread. Neither had sugar. Although I added just a bit of maple syrup to the spice bread. They were simply sweetened with the bananas. I also made some cod this week. Quesadillas were on the menu. I made a stir -fry with ground turkey, cabbage, and carrots with sesame oil, soy sauce, fish sauce and a bit of hot. sauce. oh yes an onion and garlic were added as well. My family loved it! I made chicken and rice with soy sauce, ginger, onion powder, and garlic. And we had sandwiches and veggies and fruit. I try to get a lot of fiber from the veggies, fruit, beans and lentil. We also had Red lentil Dahl, spiced with lots of Indian spices.
We also ate oatmeal. We continue to use cloth napkins. We went to the library to read books this past week and I checked out some books. But I haven’t taken the time to read them yet. I really enjoy reading at the library. I’ve enjoyed listening to the music my son plays on his computer. We do use a lot of paper towels and cleaner, because we have an older dog that isn’t too healthy. I do a lot of towels daily as well. He is diabetic and blind now. He uses insulin daily. We thought he was doing better. He gained some weight back the last time we were at the vet. We are trying to make him as comfortable as possible. He loves to be held. My mom bought him a soft doggy bed. He loves to lay on it and chew a raw hide. He sleeps a lot theses days. When I am at the table he will come over and lean into me, like a hug! My son actually picks him up and hugs him. Also I think he likes knowing we are there. We have been careful to not move anything, or he will run into it. If he cries, we talk to him and he will come over and stop crying when we hold or pet him. We talk to him so he knows where we are. I feel sorry for him. But we are giving him the best life we can. He is a sweet dog. He is my son’s baby.
try a local buy nothing group for smaller jeans
Thank-you Diana. That is a good idea!
It’s so nice to have this blog back to read what everyone is doing. My big saving items last week were:
I bought a Lanz of Salzburg floor length flannel nightgown for $6 and a 28 inch Samsung smart TV for $30 at my favorite community thrift store. This store is volunteer run and distributes all profits to various local community charities. Their contributions for 2025 were made about a month ago and totaled $250,000 in various amounts to 20 groups. It’s nice to shop where I know the money is doing good.
I also bought an indoor antenna for $38, including tax, to pick up the maximum number of over the air channels. We found it amusing that the antenna cost more than the TV. I am able to display whatever is on my phone on the TV, which means I can watch Paramount, Pluto and Tubi on a much larger screen. I really enjoyed watching college football games instead of just listening to them on TuneIn. The smaller size means it’s easy to move and it fits on a kitchen counter so I can watch while cooking.
The flannel nightgown will come in handy tonight (Monday). We had a high of 82F yesterday, which is dropping to 54F today and an overnight low of 29F. I picked all the basil, roses and other flowers that will not survive the frost. I covered a tiny little basil shoot with leaves and if it survives, it will enjoy the temps in the 70ies that will return by Thursday. I now have small vases of flowers in multiple rooms.
My daughter gave me her Christmas list and some suggestions for her husband. She does not like surprises and that make my shopping for her easier. She sent a link to a heated mattress pad at Target, I suggested a better one, she agreed and then I checked to see what the price was at Kohl’s. With a sale and a coupon that expired on Sunday, it was $51, which was less than her original one. The price was so good, I actually got myself one as well; my cats are going to love it and I hope I do. I earned $20 in Kohl’s cash and am sure I can find something to buy. Per Kohl’s, I saved $198 on my $102 purchase, as if, to quote my daughter, I would ever spend that.
I once again played Jersey Mike’s NFL picks game to earn shore points towards free subs. They are my favorite sub shop and it’s nice to get the occasional free subs or, more often than not, a sub as a salad. It’s available on the app for anyone who wants to play.
Your comment brought back memories of a few decades ago when I would get a new Lanz night gown once a year, sometimes it was a Christmas present. They were beautiful and somewhat expensive and I think were purchased at The Broadway. I could keep them for several years before they wore out, but then I saved the flannel for other things most of which I can no longer remember. My husband has always been a target shooter and needed to clean the rifle barrel often. He had me cut up the used flannel into small patches as it worked very well for the cleaning.
Some years back I transitioned to pajamas for a variety of reasons, but still remember the richness of those nightgowns.
I subscribed to a food delivery service – usually it is $99 per year but it was on special for $29.99 for the year.
If you buy $30 or more subsequent delivery is free. I have been watching the specials and have been restocking the basic pantry with canned soup – usually now $3 per can, I bought a good supply for $1.00 per can. My friends usually volunteer to pick up my groceries for me but I can order heavy items and not expect my friends to carry them. For obvious reasons, I am buying only Canadian except for Mexican and Chinese veggies and fruits. I recently read about food prices in California – I was surprised at how much food was there. Earlier in the fall, a fiend went to a harvest sale where they had large bags of veggies — stuff a bag — for $20 per bag. She stuffed 2 bags with butternut squash for me. Since they are so heavy I feel that I saved at least 50% for each butternut squash.
And since they keep well, i should have enough for the next two months at east. Lineups at food banks are growing longer. Each time I buy groceries for myself I buy something for our neighbourhood food closet. Groceries have become my leading monthly expense except for heat but I am lucky. I do not buy baking – my groceries are simple. I focus on having 5-7 servings of veggies and fruit per day. It is not always fresh but frozen veggies bought on sale.
My emphasis is on
Canadian food bank lines are growing?
I hadn’t heard this yet.
They’re very long in the U.S. this month, throughout the country.
Well, at least here, the lineups are longer. I can’t comment about all across Canada. My cab driver (whom I use rarely as I don’t go out much) said that the lineups are longer but he also said that the cars parked outside Foodbank are fairly expensive so maybe to keep their cars people are visiting foodbanks — hard to say. Food has become a major expense – a friend told me her niece spends about $1400 per month to feed 4 people.
I doubt that she economizes very much as they have the incomes to support it.
I didn’t finish my post – my emphasis, except for a pantry supply of soup, is fresh or frozen fruits or veggies,
low sodium, no msg or other additives. Simple food. I’m allergic to rice so don’t eat it but potatoes are still a good deal. The trick here is to buy beets and some other veggies at the beginning of the season as they are cheaper when they first come on the market. Then I make an easy dinner roasting squash plus beets plus baked potatoes all at once. A friend bought a stuff a bag of sweet potatoes — they are huge. I’m going to cook them all at once, then freeze slices.
I grew peas — eaten by the squirrels, cherries – eaten by the squirrels, pears eaten by the squirrels and my great mini tomato crop stolen while still green and half eaten by the squirrels. Will be building protective cages if I grow anything next year. I’m hoping to grow broccoli sprouts during the winter. I received a credit from a nursery so I planted 100 daffodil, narcissus, camas bulbs, etc to fill in the flowerbeds where massive weeding was done. Hopefully they will thrive. Gardening expenses were higher than usual as I hired help – two young women. I hired them only three times — to weed, to weed, and yet again to weed, and to plant bulbs as kneeling is hard because of knees. I did not have to mow my lawn except twice all season as most of my lawn has gone to moss or sometimes clover which I love. Only the sunny boulevard needs mowing. So lawn mowing expense was replaced by the gardeners. Almost everything in the flowerbeds is perennial. I have several pots of annuals for the hummingbirds but will scale back on annuals next spring. I bought three extra beebalm plants which they love. My original one has been crowded out by my peony jungle.
I have written a children’s book and am trying to figure out how to print it, financing it myself.
California is a huge agricultural state, but everything is very expensive here. We don’t have sites like flash food, and it’s difficult when I see people from other parts of the country post sales of things like strawberries and it’s a local brand and I can’t even begin to buy it as cheap as someone in the middle of the country even though it’s grown 30 miles from me.
Hi Maria,
Why do you think food is so expensive there?
Your food looks delicious. I have been following you on Instagram. Glad that you are back posting on your blog again.
A local natural foods co-op occasionally offers a free or item for members. I have not been interested in most of the things offered in the last few months, but last week it was a one pound package of ground beef. So I went and picked that up. I rarely shop at that store anymore, as it’s quite expensive. I do better with the weekly deals at Kroger and Safeway.
Other grocery savings:
– Purchased a carton of 18 eggs at Safeway for $2.79.
– Found chicken legs on clearance for 99 cents/lb. Bought about 4lbs. I use these to make chicken broth.
– A friend gave me four butternut squash from her garden.
– Grocery Outlet had some frozen fries for 75% off. Bought four 1lb bags. This is an easy option for when I’m too tired to cook.
– Made a big batch of pulled pork from pork shoulder bought on a good sale ($3/lb). Portioned it into individual servings for the freezer.
I decided to invest in a small (2 cubic foot) chest freezer so I can stock up Costco frozen vegetables and other deals I find. The freezer will be delivered on Friday. It will be nice to have more space than just the fridge freezer. I am reorganizing furniture in my small apartment to find a place for it. I also reorganized things in my kitchen and bedroom, using baskets and other items I already had.
I have been sorting through my clothes because I lost a lot of weight due to a health issue (I’m doing better now) and most things no longer fit. Passed on a various items to my sister, to someone on NextDoor, and to the thrift shop. Bought some new clothing that fit on sale or at the thrift store. Thankfully I can still wear my coats/jackets, even if they are a bit too big.
Looking forward to reading everyone’s comments.
My week mostly revolved around work and homework.
Purchased 2 delicious loaves of sourdough bread from one of the teachers at the school I work at.
Ate mostly at home. We did get Panda Express one night and I had enough points to get one meal free.
Ate or froze any leftovers.
Hubby purchased an item from Best Buy and it came with an offer to get Apple TV free for 2 months.
Checked out 2 books and one Audible from the library.
Entered receipts on reward apps.
Won two books from the library.
Received a recent Menards rebate in the mail.
Not so frugal
The teen asked for pot roast on Wednesday. It was a rush to get it cooked and not sure what happened, but I opened the oven to stir the vegetables, closed the oven door, then heard a bang. The glass dish with the roast exploded. Needless to say, dinner was ruined. It turned into a disappointing sandwich night, lol.
As always, Brandy, your productivity level is an inspiration!
We have been out of town several weekends in a row. It was time to reset! I spent the week catching up on laundry, making returns, cleaning out the fridge to avoid food waste, and deep cleaning the house.
Since we were out of town most weekends in October, I did not buy Halloween candy for trick or treaters, fall decor, or porch mums.
I mended a sweater for DD1.
I have been propagating several houseplants in water.
DD1 coordinates the little food pantry for our church. She learned about Ruby’s Pantry (https://www.rubyspantry.org) as a food source. She went to a pickup event last week but the lines long and would have taken roughly three hours to collect the food. She spoke with one of the volunteers and learned she can preregister for shelf stable food and a pickup time in the future.
HH and I processed the last of the garden produce. We chopped peppers, apples, and mystery squash that was supposed to be butternut squash (Google images says it may be Lunga di Napoli pumpkin-they are huge!) HH made an apple crisp, and I made pumpkin muffins with mini chocolate chips.
I look forward to reading everyone’s frugal feats.
Love seeing your photography of the gardens and flowers!
I work at a store that has an organic/health food section. Bought some about-to-expire organic milk for under $2. (It was on clearance and usually costs more than twice that amount.) Since it contains DHA Omega 3 Oil, it tastes funny if you drink it alone, as in a glass of milk. But it makes an amazingly delicious coffee creamer. So I’ve been drinking lots of coffee! We’ve had the first freeze of the year, so the hot coffee really hits the spot these cold mornings.
Divided up a spider plant hanging basket and now have several new spider plants in (thrifted or re-used) flower pots. Am about to do the same with the aloe vera plants, and previously used cuttings of house ivy to root new plants.
BTW, if you need flower vases, use bottles! Individual-sized glass bottles of juice and tea make great little vases when you remove the labels. Larger juice bottles sometimes have the glass molded into fancy designs.
Painted a bedroom window with — of all things! — buttermilk. It “frosts” the window and does not smell once the milk dries. Per a home improvement website, it will last a long time and can be removed by scrubbing with water. Of course, there are no harmful chemicals in buttermilk. The website says to do at least 2 coats (the first one doesn’t look like it’ll work, but do another after it dries overnight), paint it on the interior side, and use the kind of buttermilk that contains milk fat, for best results. Yes, it works great — lets the light in but no one can see in, so it’s fantastic for privacy.
I have used bottles in the past for flower gifting, but I don’t really buy anything in bottles now.
So garage sale vases have been great to use for gifts of flowers.
Hi Brandy and everyone
The hand sewing needles your Mum found for you were a great buy, packets of needles are so expensive. Your vegetarian meals look delicious in your photos.
This week we used carrots, kale, tomatoes and cooking apples from the garden. I picked up all the windfall cooking apples and brought them indoors to store.
I made medlar jelly, enough for us and to gift some jars. There are more medlars on the tree but we’ve decided not to pick them and make jelly because of the cost of sugar. I’ve already made red currant jelly this year and have enough to gift too.
A friend passed onto us two big boxes of Duplo and Playmobil for our granddaughter. As a token thank you I gave her medlar jelly and fresh walnuts.
I made a batch of sausage rolls for the freezer. Sausage meat and pork mince is cheaper than beef mince and I substituted sausage meat for beef mince in a recipe which we enjoyed.
I tried a new recipe for vegetarian savoury pancakes and would make it again with a couple of tweaks.
I redeemed points from my consumer research panel rewards and bought several books and 2026 calendars for Christmas presents. One of the books was half price on a bookshop promotion.
We have a couple of small metal water tanks hidden in a corner of the garden, they’ve been there for years and are filled with leaves, water etc. My husband emptied and cleaned one and moved it beside the back door for me to plant up.
I found a nice wooden skittle set in a charity shop for my granddaughter, the skittles are Beatrix Potter characters. I will save it for when she’s a bit older. The floor of my wardrobe is packed with things for when she’s older!
Best wishes to all
Your food looks fabulous and I hope you are able to eventually add the recipes to your recipe list. I made pinto beans from scratch and make them like you do. I used them in pinto beans tacos from your site. I don’t mashed up the pintos either. I also made turnip green soup with turnip greens, cabbage, carrots, little bit of tomatoes and chicken. I took pbj sandwiches to work for lunch.
I walked in my neighborhood. My heat is set at 64. We are setting records , or close to setting records, for this time of year. Thankfully, it will warm back up into the 70’s tomorrow and the weekend. I had not anticipated having to turn the heat on yet! I am glad I purchased all new windows and a new back door last spring bc it has made a difference in cooling this summer. It has also made a difference during this cold spell. The windows and door were expensive though.
I don’t have any new money saving ideas to offer. But I just wanted to say how happy I am to have come to your blog and find you had posted again. Thank you so much for the blessing of your encouraging posts.
The dishes you prepared Brandy look delicious.
-With the temperatures dropping, we turn off our furnace when we leave the house to save on the LP.
-Had a craving for sweet rolls, they were $1 each at grocery store. I made them for .11 each at home.
-Finished up a table runner Christmas gift and baby bibs for a new mom. I started making a tree skirt using fabric in my stash.
-Off loading data to my hard drive as I will not purchase storage space.
-Went to an estate sale and for $15 purchased never opened salon hair spray, face cream, 100 pkg name tags, large mailing envelops, 10 yards of quality quilt fabric, gloves, 3 gift bags, fish salt/pepper shakers that will give as a Christmas gift to our son and 3 large garden flower pots.
-Local restaurant was closing to remodel and offered a “free buffet” to use up of their extra food. We went with friends and had so much fun.
-Returned unused heating ducting from our furnace project with our receipt and got $15 back.
-Not sending photo cards for Christmas instead paper cards I bought at the end of the season last year. I am sending handwritten greetings on the inside of each card.
That’s it for this week. Great to read everyone’s updates as it inspired me.
What a joy to have to remember to check for a new post Prudent Homemaker! A habit I am so happy to regain.
My birthday is the first of November so celebrating was part of my week. We don’t go out to eat often (if we do, it is mostly with one or both of my parents who graciously treat us) but try to go to local places that have rewards programs, if we do. As a result, I have several rewards/gifts for my birthday including a small cake, a milkshake, and two full meals at various restaurants. It will be fun to pick up some treats in the near future when we are in town.
I had received two $20 off codes for Chewy which I used to order dog food and chicken grain. With the discount, my purchases were less expensive than what I normally pay. Every little bit helps!
My boys and I went to a town about 1 hour away to attend an estate sale that had great potential for inventory for my antique booths. It was well worth the drive (which was beautiful) and I found many lovely things (some for me, some for the booths, as is always the way) at very good prices that should allow me a good profit on resale (fingers crossed!) While in the area, I stopped in Aldi (we do not have one closer than an hour away) and stocked up on staple items and thought ahead to purchase a few Christmas stocking gifts for my husband and boys.
I had some bread going stale so toasted it and mixed it with sautéed onions and carrots from our garden as well as apple (I picked from a tree down the road) and celery. All that was put into a bowl with eggs from the chickens and some homemade chicken broth, dried cranberries and some cooked chicken. I scooped it into muffin tins making what I called stuffing muffins and served with mashed potatoes (from the garden) and gravy. It smelled and tasted heavenly on a cold snowy evening and has me in the mood for Thanksgiving. It would be a good way to use up leftovers from that meal, too, I think. Like many others mentioned, I’m trying extra hard to be creative with the food we have and limit shopping. Though I feel like I have always done this, there are times, like now, when I feel reinvigorated to try even more since it sometimes feels like the only expenditure we can control.
Our church had a wonderful All Saint’s Day celebration with a new (for us) addition this year. We made ofrendas (altars) for loved ones who have passed away and everyone brought food that person liked or was known for making. There was so much food left over, we came home with enough for 2 meals for all of us. My youngest son, the artist, volunteered to draw temporary tattoos and give away small original drawings of flowers and other Dia de los Muertos themes. Much to his surprise, the event organizer handed him $100 at the end of the event. He was very pleased! I also helped by making and teaching party-goers how to make tissue paper flowers to put on their altars. The church had the supplies and I just got to sit and make flowers while chatting with people and listening to great stories and great music. A fun day!
Rehearsals have begun for A Christmas Carol in which I will be performing for the second year in a row. The show sold out almost all performances last year so two more have been added. That means a bigger paycheck which will be much appreciated.
The wood stove is glowing with warmth, the cats and dog are curled up nearby and I’m enjoying a cup of tea while I read all of your comments. All is right with the world! 😁
Oh I forgot to mention — the one thing that surprisingly did well was a butternut squash plant. I did not know you need two blooms for pollination — a male and a female — so I had one bloom each time in sequence so no squash. Next year I’ll buy two plants. Then I may be able to cross-pollinate with a q tip. I’ll also grow only one variety of mini tomato which did super well and kept the squirrels busy. My yard is shady so I was surprised the little tomatoes did so well. Also next year I’ll make fried green tomatoes and beat the squirrels! LOL.
My brother in law passed this summer but due to travel and health issues on his side of the family, the memorial was held a few days before Halloween. Due to my health issues, I couldn’t travel, but I did make a box of treats for everyone who would be staying at my sisters, including skull shaped sugar cookies, I decorated for Dia de los Muertos and shipped them. Those went over well.
Couple years ago, my neighbor gave me her wedding dishes, Johnson Brothers, Friendly Village. I pulled it out for fall and have been making myself a cuppa tea with the plates and cup/saucer for breakfast each day and it’s just been so nice. It’s sparks joy. 🙂
I went out for stirfry noodles with beef in Vietnam today for the princely sum of $5. It sure wasn’t beef but very tasty. I hired a taxi to show me the sites-the first price was $100 but I kept walking until it went down to $50. I think they like to haggle.
My sister was on a shore excursion the other day and a motorbike ran over her foot-luckily she is just fine. I was very careful crossing the road and grabbed the drivers arm each time-it is treacherous even at marked crossings. I love Vietnam but…
Hi Brandy!
We are back home after living in France for 10 months. While there we enjoyed skiing the winter season, getting cheap flights around Europe (€9 was the cheapest), making lifelong friends and full immersion into French life. I particularly enjoyed riding my bike everywhere (no car) & love how the city was made for bikes. The kids enjoyed their French school. We saw the northern lights, went into ice caves, walked on glaciers, behind waterfalls, around and down into craters, saw Paris all dressed up for Christmas, enjoyed ice-skating at outdoor Christmas market ice rinks, saw Monet’s water lillies, the statue of David, Mona Lisa, swam in the ocean on the Amalfi Coast, took a gondola in Venice, was in awe of the interior of the Familia Sagrada, crossed into the artic circle, floated amongst the ice in the ocean, sat on giant chunks of ice washed up on the ocean shore, took an ice breaker ship through the frozen ocean, watched the sun rise over Parc Guell, walked the ramparts at Carcassonne, scaled Mont St Michel, soaked in steamy hot thermal spring waters after a day of skiing, rode on red double decker buses, saw Queen Consort Camilla arriving at Buckingham Palace, took afternoon tea at Windsor castle, watched the fireworks & drone show over Disneyland Paris castle, took the old yellow trams in Lisbon, sailed along the beautiful northern Spainish coastline, ate poffertjes in Amsterdam, learnt how to make clogs, sailed the Elbe river, went on a reindeer sleigh ride and a husky sled ride. We liked it so much we plan to go back, to another French city but for longer. So I have goals set to make it happen. Lots to do and plan. I am currently reading a Norway travel book I borrowed from the library as I would like to travel through the fjords area when we go again. It’s given me lots of information and resources.
I have been lucky enough to experience some of the wonderful sights you mentioned. Ten months provided you with ample time to do all of that. What a great adventure!
Thanks Lynn. So many memories of wonderful and meaningful experiences with amazing friends. It was the best “classroom” experience for my children – they just thrived.
Wow! How fun and amazing!
It’s been a great frugal week in Houston!
A friend texted when she found size 2 diapers on clearance at Kroger, and picked them up for me.
Last week, at Randall’s, I had an amazing score. The Land-O-Lakes butter with a sell by date of 11/11 was reduced to $2.49/#, then they stuck 50% off stickers on it, making it $1.25/#. I bought over 200 lbs (they had several cases in the back) for myself and a couple of friends, then one friend went back and bought the rest. It’s currently refrigerated in my garage fridge, so I’ll need to organize better after I take out a ham and turkey for Thanksgiving. We use butter in place of oil for a lot of baking if we can, plus my daughter will be practicing her FFA non-livestock project entries many times between now and the show in January.
Kroger had Halloween chicken nuggets (shaped like ghosts and pumpkins) marked down to $2.49/bag, so I bought several for easy dinners/lunches.
The Goodwill Outlet (pay by the pound) that I frequented shut down. 🙁 That’s ok, there are others in my city, plus I need to use the time to declutter and sell what I already have.
I gave the 3 boys haircuts.
I’m trying to plan ahead for Christmas. I already bought a (used) power washer for one son, and another teen son wants a phone. I am going to try to find a decent deal on a used iphone, as it would be nice for him to have when he’s out walking dogs for neighbors. My youngest son wants hot wheels cars, so that’s pretty easy. I need to get a Christmas stocking for the baby.
I took down a Lego bin that the kids hadn’t played with in a long time, and it was like getting new toys! There were some small accessories they hadn’t seen in a long time.
I used Kroger fuel points to save a bit on gas. It’s not that much cheaper than Costco, but every little bit helps.
Have a great, frugal week!
Brandy, welcome back! Like the others, I’m overjoyed that you are posting again. I have missed you and this kind community you created.
Loved all your pictures of your flowers and food.
Regarding frugal accomplishments this week: I used gas rewards to get .18 off per gallon. Our prices are currently 2.89/gal in my area of NC.
I have several family members going through hard times due to job losses. I’ve made casseroles using items I have to provide meals and leftovers. I have also shopped strategically to find their food favorites at the best, lowest price. I’m thankful I can do so.
I made chicken noodle soup using hm broth from the freezer, noodles and vegetables. I also made a hearty lentil soup for lunches as our weather turned cold.
I was given some cheese by house guests that I turned into pimento cheese with LO pimento from the fridge. We used this for sandwiches at lunch with soup.
We had a road trip. I packed lunches with sandwiches, fruit, beverages and snacks to avoid fast food. This was healthier and much cheaper than fast food.
Our garden was a disappointment this year. Even our tomatoes struggled. Our peppers barely produced in the summer, but currently are coming in strong. I’m freezing many to have through the winter.
Our church’s food bank is serving more people with fewer donations. I am shopping again strategically for the requested items, trying to stretch my money the maximum amount.
Lastly, we’ve done a bit of foraging. I cannot seem to grow a rosemary bush, despite trying with 3 different plants in 3 locations, to no avail. They just don’t make it. Our town has planted rosemary throughout several parks. They are growing HUGE, with no attention whatsoever in several parks. So I broke off 2 sprigs to use in my soup. My husband walks every day. He has begun picking up pecans he finds in the road. He’s found almost enough for me to make a pecan pie for Thanksgiving! Many have been run over, but many are fine.
That’s it for my week. However, since I’m posting later, I have to comment that we were able to see the Northern Lights here on the coast of NC. I missed the peak night, but saw them the next night-with the help of my phone. Pretty amazing!
Thanks again, Brandy, for hosting us all again. It’s so good to see the names of so many virtual friends:)
I went down to the ship’s infirmary to ask about cold medicine for my daughter-they offered me cough syrup for $52-can they be serious. Instead I bought cold pills for $4 in the shop-saving me $48. They help with the coughing allowing her to catch up on sleep.
We seem to have hit the rainy season in Vietnam but it is still much warmer than at home. I am really enjoying it here.
Off I go for a complimentary wine tasting. Also enjoying free laundry service coming back all pressed. Back to reality in 10 days.
I rarely comment, but love following along for inspiration! I just needed to order something on Amazon, and realized I could find your referral link by searching an old post that had a link. It just took a minute, and I’m happy to support your site in a small way. I do follow you on IG, but have missed the *community* on these posts, and am glad to see you and others back!
Just another comment to say how nice it is that you are posting again and to read all the comments!
I did some watercolour paintings for a book a while ago. Now it’s published, I don’t need the originals. So I let my children paint with their watercolours on the other side! It was a big treat because normally they just use scrap or printer paper and they were able to do blending and things that wouldn’t work on normal paper.
Weather here is so warm for November! But we are supposed to be having a cold snap next week. We are hardly using the heating (1 hrs morning and evening) and have the occasional fire. Things will change next week!
I wanted to buy a new dress but I am two sizes larger on my bottom half than top half. So I bought a second hand printed blouse and a second hand skirt and am going to sew them together into a dress! I am very excited. (I cannot wear separates, the children yank at the skirt so much it comes down or ends up otherwise disarrayed.) If it goes well, this will open up whole new wardrobe opportunities for me to make just what I want at half the price and half the effort of either buying new or making completely from scratch. (I have done that in the past but that’s very difficult in this season of life.)
I continue to be grateful that we homeschool. It saves so much money, even with buying books and going on paid-for field trips.