I harvested tomatoes, parsley, lemons, green onions, Swiss chard, serrano peppers, parsley, and peppermint from the garden.
It rained this week, so I was able to leave the drip irrigation turned off. We’re only permitted to water one day a week in winter here, and water rates are high. Any water I can save is a win!
I changed the plastic buttons on a cardigan I have to shell ones. I bought the shell buttons years ago for a great price at Wawak Sewing (online). I like the cardigan, but found I was never choosing to wear it because I didn’t like the buttons. Now I should have no issues.
I made several vegetarian meals, including chana masala and dal chillas.
What did you do to save money last week?
I am an Amazon affiliate. Thank you for the support of my site!
Shell buttons are beautiful. Your harvest is impressive. My garden is buried under 3 feet of snow but I know that those Egyptian walking onions will be one of the first vegetables to present themselves in spring. My potted tomatoes are blossoming! Stored squash and potatoes are holding up well. We are dipping in to our frozen raspberries and blueberries now as we’ve run out of citrus fruit.
You might consider starting fruit trees from seed. I have two good sized ‘pink lady’ apple trees and we have two mandarin orange trees (indoors) that were from seed. I have also grown butternut and black walnut trees from seed. Unfortunately, we had to drop the butternut tree as it was too big but the black walnut is well situated. Last year the squirrels took every nut as well as most of our apples.
Your meals look delicious, Brandy!
On the frugal front:
I trimmed the fronts off of holiday cards I received to use as thank you note postcards.
The hotel we stayed at on NYE offered complimentary Nespresso coffee pods, fancy teas, and sparkling water. We took home what we did not use. We also enjoyed their delicious complimentary breakfast.
We are eating from the pantry and have not grocery shopped since before Christmas.
I received a WI state park pass for Christmas. We enjoyed a beautiful winter hike at the state park near our cabin. I prefer winter hiking much more than summer hiking-no flying or biting insects!
I needed new computer glasses for work. I ordered the glasses through Costco Optical after January 1st to make use of my vision insurance and Costco’s excellent prices.
I redeemed rewards points through my health insurance company for an Amazon gift card.
We redeemed Amazon No Rush digital rewards for electronic books.
I look forward to reading everyone’s frugal feats.
Amazing to see how you are still harvesting from your garden! In my area, I have to rely on other ways to save on food. But, I’m convinced that wherever we are, opportunities to save are out there if we just keep our eyes open to possibilities! Love your shell buttons!
This week, I found (10 ) five+ pound family packages of chicken drumsticks for $2.06 each. These were on Flashfood from my closest Meijers. I discovered that when the meat manager has several packs of a certain meat (chicken drumsticks or BL chicken breast or a certain grade of ground beef, etc) that he will price them all about 60% or more less than the smallest weight package. So all of the 10 packages of drumsticks I got were priced $6.89+ each but discounted to $2.06! This made them all 36 cents a pound or less! 5 packages went to friends/family and I kept 5. Since our weather all week will be lower than freezing, I’m using the back step outside in my courtyard as an extra freezer as I begin processing them ! First up will be this simple family favorite of Crockpot BBQ drumsticks- https://pin.it/2amxdtKzN. So simple and just 5 ingredients!!
Next, I canned salsa in pints because we are getting low. I canned 21 pints ! After several years, this is the recipe that Hubs finally declared the best and as a result, we often go through 2 pints a week! https://pin.it/22k2Mynrg. I use my steam canner to process them which takes less time and energy because I am only heating up 2-1/2 quarts of water rather than the gallons of water used in a traditional Water bath canner.
I also had FF apples left from our Christmas family open house, so I got out my apple corer/peeler/slicer and took those evenly sliced apples to my dehydrator and got 14 trays dried! It filled 2 half gallon jars that I vacuum sealed. https://pin.it/1vRclcDhs Best part is, the apples didn’t go to waste, are now shelf stable AND we love dried apples and use them in lots of things!
My daughter and granddaughter came over from Dayton (about an hour away) and “shopped” from my fabric stash. They each went home with 2 big trash bags filled with fabrics and it thrilled me to know that they would be creating things using it! It also helped me decluttering and reorganize my remaining fabric so I can continue to put it to use!
I got a text message from my friend who works at Krogers. https://pin.it/PETzwbxIi No words, just a photo of a huge pallet with cans of Carnation evaporated milk for 25 cents a can. For the $6.25 I spend, that will give me 25 cans for my shelf which will see me through for 1 year. That’s 90% off their “regular” price of $2.49 and still way better than their “sale” price of $1.69 this week! Actually, I ended up with 17 cans for myself so my friend could have 8 cans.
I also got 20 one pound tubes of 93/7 ground beef for $2.69/pound! Some of these will go to my daughter and others I will use when my son comes over later this week to cook ahead for himself as I cook the same things ahead for Hubs and me. I saved about $200 on those 20 packs (about $10 off per pound!! 😳)
The following day, I found 20 one pound tubes of 81/19 ground beef for 99 cents each, so those will be going to friends who have tight budgets and growing families. The savings on these was a total of $120! So, needless to say, ground beef is readily available from our freezers and 5 families will not have to pay the crazy “regular” prices!
I am committed to making our meals from what I already have on my shelves this month to start the year with more savings. We are amazed at the variety of meals/snacks that we are able to make without leaving home!
“Use what we have “ is the motto for Hubs and I for this year! To that end, he made me a 2 tiered step that is about 6 foot wide so I can more easily attach quilts/blocks on my design wall. Really clever design and he used all scrap wood/hinges, etc! https://pin.it/5zD4b4tRu. Not beautiful, but it works incredibly well and I couldn’t be more pleased with it!!
I’m getting ready to teach a mix-making class at church in a couple weeks. I’ll have a big handout but I thought I would demonstrate Ground Beef Mix, Taco seasoning, Onion soup mix, Ranch dressing/dip mix, Muffin mix. Any other suggestions of mixes to include? I wouldn’t get half the meals made that we eat without the homemade mixes, but I’m not sure what would interest others.
Hope you and your readers continue to find ways to keep saving without feeling deprived! I am convinced that attitude about our circumstances makes all the difference!
Gardenpat
Gardenpat-
If I lived in Ohio, I’d be coming to your class! Any chance you could share the recipes? Love to see yours and everyone’s accomplishments. It gets my frugal (and creative!) juices flowing ; ) This year my husband and I are “practice” budgeting for when he retires. I’m up for the challenge!
Jennifer in IA
What a great topic — demonstrating mixes! Wish my area library would offer something like that. Especially interested in the taco seasoning mix.
Seasoning mixes for party dips or grilling rubs could be fun. Muffin or pancake mixes might be useful too. Love this idea for a class.
For your class on mixes, I find the two I use most are the cream of soup mixed and the snack cake mix. The snack cake one I use with my 3 year old granddaughter to make ginger bread and the soup mix I use in all my cream soups to add some richness.
I also wanted to let you know, I used your salsa recipe last summer and made 28 jars of salsa with produce from our garden. I had always frozen my salsa, so this was a new and very tasty skill to learn.
Nancy in Eastern Washington- You have no idea how many salsa recipes for canning I went through over the years before there was one that Hubs gave a 2 thumbs up rating to!! We still ate the jars of salsa that were less than 2 thumbs up so they weren’t wasted but not as enthusiastically as the jars I make from this recipe! 😉
Glad you like it too!
Gardenpat
I would love your salsa recipe.
Thank you
Garden Pat Mrs Brown’s Kitchen on TikTok, YouTube etc has a few excellent mixes like beef bullion and chicken bullion that have neither beef nor chicken in them but are both extremely tasty and work great.
Happy New Year! I missed last week’s post – busy times – so am glad to catch up on everyone’s holiday festivities and accomplishments. The production of A Christmas Carol I was in ran until the 23rd so the week of Christmas was busy but profitable. We had 7 sold out shows and the most wonderful audiences. The pay for theatre jobs varies widely and this one paid very well which I really appreciate. Definitely one of those times when I pinch myself thinking I am being well paid to play and pretend. It’s a wonderful feeling! I hope I will continue to be asked to do it as I would gladly have it be an annual tradition. This was the second year of this production and with its success, I hope that will be possible. Fortunately, we long ago figured out how to live off my husband’s salary by pinching pennies (till they scream, sometimes) so whatever I earn helps us further our goals like house and property projects, kids braces, etc. Also on the income-producing side, my two antique booths are doing well. It is interesting to see that, while they are about a mile apart from one another, they get different customers so it is a constant learning curve to figure out what will sell where. Sourcing items is becoming more and more challenging for a lot of reasons but I persevere. We enjoyed a simple Christmas, as many others mentioned – Christmas Eve service where I sang and played in the bell choir (such a joy) and enjoyed wonderful food contributed by all and on Christmas Day drove the 90 miles to my in-laws house. There is a gas station just north of their town that usually has much cheaper rates than our area but I was interested to see they were only 5 cents cheaper than where we live. I am not sure what this means but $2.49/gallon much be pretty good. My MIL is the queen of practical gift which I love. She gives me things like kitchen towels, postage stamps, soap and shampoo, Scotch tape, etc. I love it! Both of our parents also very generously give us monetary gifts which is greatly appreciated. My great-grandfather, a banker, was known to say, “It always fits and goes with everything I own.” 😁 Gifts for our kids were practical, too – parts for my oldest son’s dirt bike that he is fixing up and a satchel for the artist to carry his supplies in when he goes out and about. All bought secondhand or greatly reduced. We usually buy a Christmas tree from a local tree farm but, with all that was going on with my play and the fact that I seem to be the only person on the planet let who puts up a tree the week before Christmas, he was closed for the season. So, we went to a local hardware store and they gave us a tree for free. The one time procrastination is frugal! 😁 Otherwise, I never spend money on decorations – just a walk in the woods with my trimmers and I find all the greenery I need to make things festive. Not sure if I mentioned it in an earlier post but I even sold pinecones my mother had gathered for me in one of my antique booths so those woodland walks can be profitable. In an audit of our spending for last year, I was pleased to notice we spent less on groceries than the previous year, not by much but enough to feel good about. I think I was better about using up what we had and we had a good garden year so hoping that continues. We’re eating up stored things and looking forward to planting time. Otherwise, we do the usual – heating our house with wood, batching errands, having things we need delivered with free shipping (living rurally you save a lot not having to drive anywhere) and practicing contentment.
Have a lovely week, all!
Lovely fresh produce, all I can do is dream (and plan) about my next harvest. Checking my seed store to see what I need to order.
We are also making more vegetarian meals, finding lentils are a good addition to curries as they make the meal go further.
Have cut in half and then inserted the narrower end of a tube into the wider end,
I’m finding there can be as much as 2 weeks worth of product left in the tube that cannot be squeezed out. Make sure your hands are clean before putting your fingers into the tube, so the hand or foot cream doesn’t get contaminated.
Bought some birthday presents in a sale ( at Tescos) for over 50% off, worth planning ahead.
Stocked up on marked down meat at Safeway the other day-used Scene point so no OOP. While we were away at friends I bought a Flash food bag for 3.50-usually $5 where I live. Lately spinach has been marked down to 50 cents a container of washed baby spinach so I have been stocking up for my husbands salads.
I leave Friday for a 65 night cruise from Southampton to Sydney-really looking forward to missing the rest of winter. My sister was going with me but had to cancel as her husband is ill-I will need to make some new friends. Hoping for calm seas.
That cruise sounds wonderful. Have an amazing trip. Can’t wait to hear all about it.
Thanks!
Hi Brandy,
I admire your roses and garden!
The closest I’ll get to winter gardening is that I have some seeds for sprouts that I may grow to provide green veggies for me.
To save money, I spent money. I bought 3 packages of Schneider’s chicken schnitzel for $6.99 each — on sale from $12.99 regularly. Each package has 4 cutlets in it. So that is $1.75 for meat for a meal. I have a great supply of sweet potatoes and baking russets. I also have a great supply of butternut squash (bought at a stuff a bag fall harvest). Safeway has “stuff a bag” for gala apples for $6 per bag which works out to $1 per pound which is a great price for here. I figure I’m eating for about $5 per day. I do very little baking as I’m allergic to eggs and find I don’t miss baking at all. One expense is cottage cheese but I’ve been reading about it and it doesn’t seem like it would be hard to make but whether I’d really save money is another question.
I have now revitalized my wardrobe — clothes were bought on the Black Friday and the Boxing Day sales. The shorts that I bought last year for $15 each on sale from $50 now cost about $81 Cdn regularly and $23 on the sale.
I’m glad I started replacing my wardrobe about 3 years ago. Fortunately, I did not need any winter coats because the ones from years ago were well-made, classic in style, and from high quality fabric that just isn’t used anymore.
I should have stocked up on cheese last week — it was $4.77 for 400 grams but is now almost double in price. I will eat less cheese. I was worried about what eating so much dairy would do to my cholesterol but the latest tests show a great improvement and back into the normal range. And a great ratio of good to bad cholesterol. I credit this to eating the apples and veggies. And that the dairy was mostly low fat. I am almost never hungry between meals.
Getting the best prices is like high finances. I would use the Flash Food app but I’d have to take a taxi to go pick it up so that would wipe out any of the savings. Instead, a friend picks up food from our local Safeway and drops it by and I get free delivery after an initial cost of $30 for the year. That initial cost was a sale price as it is usually $99.00 but it has really been worth it. I’m not sure if I’ll continue with the delivery arrangement when the price goes up. I once again have a decently stocked pantry. So whether or not something is on sale, I’ll not be buying much at all. A bargain isn’t a bargain if you don’t really need it.
I am, also, allergic to eggs and use pumpkin instead as a substitute. Bananas are a good substitute, also. 1/4 cup of pumpkin or mashed bananas equals one egg. I am gluten free, in addition, so grind my own sorghum berries and teff mixture into flour. The baked goods turn out delicious and are the texture of using wheat flour and eggs. I add 1/2 cup of psyllium husk powder to the ground flour mixture, also, and mix it into the flour thoroughly.
Hi Glenda,
Thanks for the great tip abut pumpkin! I’m keen to try that out! Thanks for taking the time to write about it.
Always so lovely to see “live” flower photos in winter! While waiting for an appointment today, I went through the notebook in my purse where I write down what garden things I purchase. (I don’t keep maps or calendars, just this list). It cheered me up to read the creative names of the petunia plants I had in pots last year, which did very well because we had so much rain in the spring. I also spent less last year than usual, as I know what is most likely to grow and am better at resisting impulse buys, at least some of the time.
Our oven quit working right before New Year’s. Because it is 25+ plus years old and has already had the heating element replaced, we decided to retire it instead of calling for repairs. The technician those two years ago said that parts for it were becoming obsolete. We shopped locally for the new one, since the appliance store in our (small) town is very dependable for the fortunately rare repairs, and we like to keep money in town when we can. The new one is a basic no frills model. Less to break.
We know other replacements will be coming: Refrigerator is also 25+ years, dishwasher ten or so, central AC unit more than 25, my precious Kenmore dryer 35. The washer is only two and I hate it: it balls the clothes up and wrinkles them horribly.
While at WalMart for my insurance-paid flu and covid vaccines today, I looked at the small section of holiday clearance. Like other stores in town, they have had increasingly less holiday merchandise overall every year for the last several years, and what was there was truly odd stuff, even at 90% off.
Hi Heidi Louise! I am so disappointed when I have to replace my old appliances with new ones. Ugh! We had to replace our washer, so opted for a Speed Queen. Great reviews and very happy with it. I did get the front loader because I prefer it, however, my cousin loves her basic toploader. Replaced our dryer with another LG (ours has lasted 18 years and we had to leave it behind when we moved). The new LG is nowhere as efficient or good as the old one. Very disappointed! Still holding onto the dishwasher that came with the “new” house…it’s old and uses more water (makes me smile) and hoping it continues to last. I repaired the silverware basket in one spot where the pieces had broken and the silverware kept falling through by using white twisty ties and threading them to replace the broken spot. Has worked great for a year and if they start to go, there are always more to use. 🙂 We are also looking at a heat pump and AC unit that is at least ten years old. Supposedly the average life of the heat pump is ten years!!!! A $10,000 system at least. Our gas furnace was far less. Frustrated!
I am in bread and soup making mode. We have been enjoying different soups and my no knead bread. I have been using up items in storage and trying to come up with new ideas to keep from eating the same meals each week. I found out I am in garden zone 7b., so that will help me on seeds and plants. I have started a list of what I want to grow. My husband and I are committed to paying off bills this year. We don’t have a lot but we owe on equipment and my car loan. We are cutting cost where we can and want to support local businesses as much as we can. We are saving a lot of money by me working from home now. Also, I can stay ahead on cleaning and cooking from scratch as I am in the house and my office is just off my kitchen. I love reading everyone’s responses and learning from Brandy.
Hi Brandy and everyone
The shell buttons look lovely, I hope we will see a photo of you wearing the cardigan. I would call it winter white I think but not sure if that’s appropriate in Las Vegas!
On New Year’s Day we needed a hostess gift. I had bought two inexpensive bunches of supermarket flowers and I separated them out and remade them into one bouquet filled out with some greenery from the garden. I looked at a YouTube video for how to wrap a bouquet like a florist and used pretty tissue paper, cellophane and a sparkly ribbon from my stash. They looked much nicer.
It was my turn to make cake for my monthly sewing group and I used ingredients I already had for cherry and sultana loaf cake. I mended a pair of woollen gloves, they are not beautiful but they are fit for purpose, for everyday.
I substituted smoked mackerel for salmon in a recipe, it is about half the price.
I had to take our dog to the vet and was pleasantly surprised that the consultation was free as our pet plan has improved its offer and one consultation a year is now free.
The price for electricity has fallen slightly and our monthly cost has reduced by £10.
We booked the ferry for our summer holiday and got an early bird reduction on the price.
1. I went to Walmart to return a gift that was a duplicate. In the parking lot I found a Target gift card. When I got home I looked it up. It has over $100 dollars on it. I feel so bad for whoever lost it. I bought 3 pretty candles for less then a dollar each for my gift closet. They are purple but were 75% off of Christmas.
2. On Saturday Hubby and I went to a new to us thrift store. They were having a quarter sale. Everything Christmas was a quarter. I got PJ pants, a shirt and a brand new baby outfit. Everyone seems to be having babies so I got it for my gift closet.
3. Hubby did a return to Lowe’s and PC Richards. Each was under $10 but we didn’t need either item.
4. I started on a glp-1 for my sleep apnea. I have a $25 copay per month.
5. Our neighbors had us over for dinner Sunday. We brought a bottle of homemade wine and a homemade Stromboli. Good food with good company. They sent us home with leftovers so that became dinner Monday.
6. I packed up all of the gift boxes, gift bags, tissue paper and bows to use again next year.
7. Onion soup and sauce with meatballs was pulled out of the freezer for 2 easy dinners. I always make double the amount so I can freeze extra
8. Laundry has been getting hung on clothes racks in the guest room.
9. Bills were paid online when there are no fees saving us stamps.
10. I have gotten some great Christmas clearance from Aldi: their brand zipper bags were 28¢, stollen was 68¢, Scrub Mommy & Daddies were 49¢, chocolate for 78¢. Plus Take and Bake bread had $1 off stickers making them 89¢ each. I made bread pudding with 2, 1 became garlic bread, 1 went to my son,1 went to my in laws with gingerbread cookies that were 28¢. I got a pack of chicken cutlets for 50% off too.
11. I pulled all of the egg shells out of the freezer. I cooked them and crushed them. I add a tablespoon to the dogs food when I make it. Which I also did.
I am thankful for your inspiration of vegetarian dishes.
Funny, I had a henley blouse with 2 plastic buttons, I meant (for a few years to replace these buttons) and finally yesterday, sewed the button holes and “flap” shut and embroidered small flowers in matching shade of the blouse to hide the button holes. I very much like this improvement.
Gleaned my closet and put the no longer wanted items on or local facebook free site. The taker came and got and I didn’t need to drive to the donation center.
Had a bright orange box that a product had came in. I cut it up to make cards.
I heated homemade broth and put it in an extra travel mug to cover my lunch as I hustled from one destination to another during lunch hours.
Hope everyone has a calm and productive week.
My second week of Christmas break turned out to be cold. 🥶 (Thankfully, it’s back up to the mid 60s again)
Made 12 cups of chicken stock from all the carcasses I had in the freezer.
I used different bags for trash. My trash man is probably glad I am back to work this week, lol.
I read and returned library books and audiobooks as soon as i was finished so others could enjoy them.
Friday, I went to leave to do errands and I seen I had a flat. I just replaced them in in February. The hole was too big to patch, but thankfully I got a new tire under the replacement warranty. We think someone was purposely cutting tires, because my neighbor had two also with holes.
I got a free coffee at Einstein Brothers. Hubby wanted a breakfast sandwich and I seen it was available for app orders.
Mended a pair of pants.
It is supposed to be 75 degrees here tomorrow and Thursday. It will be 78, or supposed to be on Friday! Perfect temps for walking in the neighborhood, and for sitting outside and watching the beautiful sunsets in the evenings! Food wise, I made dried beans with a can of carrots, tomato soup and cheese toast, and a chicken casserole with more canned carrots. I can’t eat raw carrots anymore. I seem to have a reaction in my mouth to them. I can eat cooked carrots. I also made
Potato salad and unfortunately
dropped and broke a new can of pickles. Accidents happen.
I also washed my work dresses, tights, jackets, and skirts in the bath tub by hand.
Same here on the carrots, Cindy. It doesn’t matter if they are organic or not. My daughter has this issue as well and it has something to do with beech pollen and the veggies. Can’t eat raw cherries, peaches, nectarines, apples unless I take the skin off because of the same reaction. If I have to peel carrots, I end up sneezing like crazy, eyes water, congested. My oldest son can’t peel potatoes…one peel and he is running for Benadryl because he reacts so severely. None of us used to have issues. Cooked and we are all fine. Go figure!
That salad looks amazingly delicious. I have noticed that the length of the days are expanding and sunset is later; good encouragement for a future spring garden.
-Enjoyed a nice afternoon with friends. We all brought sewing project and helped and encouraged each other. Finished off with a cup of tea and treats. No money spent and great fellowship.
-Snow falling and saved on snowblower gas by only going outside once to remove.
-Cut out a postage stamp from a returned piece of mail and glued it to a new envelope for future use.
-Checked our fuse panel and turned on the electric base board heaters in our bathrooms to turn on if the furnace should fail.
-Enjoying yoga on Youtube.
-Passed on going to town to run errands because the roads were impassable. It all worked out thanks to having a well stocked pantry.
Appreciate all the great ideas and positivity here. Stay warm.
It is so nice to check on your blog — and have something new to read each week! I do read your instagram account, too — thank you.
Could you do a family update report? I’d love to hear whether your oldest sons are through school yet…and how Winter’s job is doing. Things like that.
My children and husband have said they all prefer to choose their own social media presence (or lack thereof) so I am not posting any updates except to say that my second child just graduated and will be starting grad school. His school didn’t have a ceremony for December graduates, so I’ll have to wait until the next graduation to see him receive his next degree.
I just wanted to add that I completely respect that, and I am so glad you respect their choices! Social media and the internet can be a scary place.
Your photos look good enough to eat!
On the frugal front I haven’t gone anywhere, but today spent more on groceries at one time than I can ever remember. I used delivery, which felt like a splurge, but at least got the lowest $ price of $3.99. However, because of my ankles, plus cracked tooth (insurance is trying to find a specialist who will accept my insurance), got a bunch of microwave easy chewing meals. I never buy these, my goodness even on sale they were very expensive.
The good news is I took off my cast and can manage to put weight on my ankles w an ace bandage only on each. I can get around the house fairly ok, though walk like a toddler. I finally get into the orthopedic dr tomorrow. I’m hoping I can start rehabbing them soon. I feel this is a minor miracle I’m not wheelchair bound like last time. Still managing to use real plates, cloth napkins/kitchen towels, and even got some laundry done. It’s made me feel like this will be a better year despite the ouch start.
More good news, my insurance approved a surgery I’ve been trying to get covered for 46 yrs. Persistence finally pays off.
Time to get my seeds started. I’m being optimistic I’ll be well enough for gardening come spring.
I’ve been meaning to ask: Now that Joann’s has gone out of business, where do you source your sewing supplies? I see that you purchased your shell buttons at Wawak years ago, and I know that you once had a huge stash of fabric (so maybe you don’t need to purchase anything new at the moment), but I’m curious where you (and others) are now sourcing fabric, etc.
I am sewing from my current stash (and even gave a lot of it to my eldest recently). I have bought some duck cloth, stretch satin, and velveteen from Hobby Lobby, but I really haven’t done a lot of sewing for a while. I know a lot of people don’t want to shop at Hobby Lobby now.
I had found some interesting looking places online that I was thinking to try, but they weren’t in the U.S., and then the tariffs went up, so I’m grateful to be working from my stash right now.
Thanks for the info. If you find good sources, please let us know. I think I have plenty in my stash to do the little projects I have in mind, but I’m interested in finding another source/sources for the future.
A Thrifty Notion is a website that resells sewing supplies, patterns and fabrics from stores going out of business, estates and the like. http://www.athriftynotion.com Her goal is to get these items into the hands of new crafters and keep stuff out of landfills. I’ve purchased from her and it’s always a treasure hunt to look for things. New items for sale posted every Friday morning at 10am CT.
Kathleen, Thanks for sharing the info. I like the concept.
Michael’s has increased their sewing supplies by buying rights to the JoAnn’s brand. You could check there.
Lovely photos as usual, Brandy! I have cooked two pumpkins( the flatter kinds that are different colors), and have about 40 cups of pumpkin bagged and frozen. One was from a son and the other from a neighbor( I gave her two batches of pumpkin cookies and am making some for my son). I use the pumpkin daily for my smoothies along with my homegrown kale, homemade keifer, homemade apple pectin and store bought chia seeds and cinnamon. It is super cheap and I make a weeks worth at a time for the freezer. I am making many batches of pumpkin cookies, made with sorghum a friend was getting rid of and they are delicious. I am making a batch of some sort of lentil or bean soup for lunch each week. I can eat the same thing each day for breakfast and lunch and am just fine with that. It makes meals so easy and dirt cheap and nutritious!
I am starting a five minute exercise routine I saw on IG before I do my morning walks, have a free membership because of Medicare at the local gym and do classes there and use the weight machines. I am hoping to lose a few pounds this winter that I haven’t lost since Covid. I can’t fit into some clothes that I hope to be able to come spring!
Thankful for this community and the creativity and inspiration you all bring to live a healthier, simpler, more joyful life!
I have been picking fabric up at estate sales. There are some colors and designs that are classic and will work well. However, want to make a baby quilt from flannel and had to source from various online fabric stores. I learned a good lesson to be very flexible with fabric choices; things would sell out and couldn’t get the yards I wanted. I am cherishing my stash and value it more and more.
Happyhappy, picking up fabric at estate sales is a good idea. I’ll have to keep my eye out for them. Thanks.
Lovely photos as always!
Frugal wins/fails here: Our weather has been terribly warm. We had a record number of days in the 80s on December (including Christmas Day) so we’ve had to run the central air more often than not. We miss actual seasons lol. We are supposed to get a cold front tomorrow, so I’m hopeful we will be able to go back to open windows. It is such a nice savings and we love the fresh air. This year we are deeply committed to low-spending, cooking at home as much as possible, and enjoying free or low cost activities. Over the holidays we cooked a turkey, ham, and prime rib, and have enjoyed many leftover meals, and froze some leftovers for later use. I picked up a turkey on markdown at Costco after Christmas for $6 to stash away in the deep freezer for next Thanksgiving, but was too slow and missed out on Sam’s Club marked down spiral hams. I had my 2nd round of shingles vaccination and had to spend a day at home recovering. Well worth it though! Learned that my employer is putting in a fitness center for employees, which will be a wonderful benefit. My husband waxed and detailed our vehicles at home. I did my own manicure. I took a week off over Christmas and went through a large stash of beauty/cosmetic products, reorganized them better, and focused on items I want to finish off quickly. I also decluttered some items to friends that I know I will realistically never use or that do not work for me.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week!
I went to the library – borrowed and read books while the children played board games they have. It was nice to sit in their air-conditioned building for a few hours as it is 40 degrees Celsius here and very humid.
I batched cooked three different savoury meals & have lots portioned out in the freezer.
I spent $27 on the weekly grocery shop. My goal this year is to continue to keep groceries & toiletries under $45 per week.
I harvested fruit and vegetables from my garden and swapped my friend some for fresh eggs from her chickens – I got 6 x dozen – so lots of scrambled eggs, boiled eggs, quiches coming up! I continue to use as much fruit & vegetables from our garden as possible but I always get too much – except for tomatoes as we can never have enough bolognaise sauce! Such a great thing to freeze & use with some pasta & salad when I don’t feel like cooking.
I bought 12 pack deluxe Christmas crackers for 10 cents – I got 20 boxes (total $2) & will gift 18 boxes next Christmas to adults (along with homemade short bread biscuits) that receive a gift from me before Christmas day. The biscuits, bags and ribbon will cost under $10 so that is 18 presents for under $12. I also got Christmas wrapping paper for 10c per roll x 8 – they are 12 metre rolls. I chose some rolls that are less festive, so I can use them to wrap birthday gifts. My children find joy in the act of unwrapping presents.
Some of my childrens birthdays are coming up and I am up to 60% under budget ($40 per child budget set this year) by shopping sales, thrift shops & clearance. I found brand new Lego City sets, medium sized, for $2.50 each so got an assortment of 10 sets. These sets normally retail for $22 each. I also saw Lego City Central Train Station sets for $13. They normally retail for $119 so I bought 4 sets – 2 to keep for gifts for my children & 2 to sell. All the Lego was from a local shop that was closing down & I asked if there was anymore Lego – he went out the back et voila – then discounted it further due to me buying 14 sets. I also got large ceramic cookie jars, boxed, at Target that were $20 marked down to $1!! I grabbed 6 for Christmas gifts for adult family members. I think I will be extremely under budget for all presents this year.
I read travel books & guides from the library, planning for our next big adventure.
I did some much needed gardening.
Wow Annie Blake, you got some fabulous deals on things you can turn into gifts throughout the year or for Christmas! That must feel very satisfying.
For 2026 I’m just trying to adopt a mom or minimalist consumerism lifestyle so hopefully my week reflected that. I used up bits of odd ingredients in a big soup, turned heat down low ( ongoing) and planned meals to maximize energy use in kitchen.