This past week turned out very differently than I had imagined. My husband got a work assignment 2000 miles away, and he needed to be there in a couple of days time, which meant driving straight through with all of his equipment.
I went with him so we could drive straight through without stopping over a couple of days, taking turns sleeping in the car in order to get him there in time.
When we arrived, he had some work to do and I had a few hours to myself. I opened my map to see if I could find a place we had just passed, and instead went a little too far and accidentally found a nearby arboretum.
I was intrigued. So, I looked it up.
Turns out, it was free–and only 10 minutes away.
I showered and went over for the rest of the afternoon.
We saved money (and needed time) by driving overnight and not paying for a hotel for a couple of nights.
We had lunch one day with my son at his place, which was on our way.
I was able to see a free art museum for a short while.
My husband and I were able to spend about an hour in between a work assignment and my flight home to visit Kirtland, Ohio. We didn’t get to see everything, but we did get to see a little (and it was free).
I downloaded an e-book from the library for free to read on the plane.
What did you do to save money last week?
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Brandy, I am very happy to hear that your husband is working again! My only savings this week were buying some veggies on flash food for half price-I ended up getting a cauliflower for free as it was brown. I trimmed it and was still able to make it into a pot of soup for dinner.
How fun!!! I have always wanted to go to Kirtland!
Gas is now $3.79 gallon at the cheapest place in the town where I work. So, I am continuing to stock up as gas prices are out of control. This week I bought hydrocortisone cream, triple antibiotic ointment, dish soap, paper towels, toilet paper, and soap from Dollar General for stock up. I bought a couple of gallons of water but need more. I also bought six large cans of turnip greens and mixed greens from the grocery store.
I cooked dried pinto beans and made bean burritos using a can of generic ârotelâ tomatoes with green chile mixed with rice to make Spanish rice to go on the burritos. I made mac and cheese, mashed potatoes with potatoes that needed to be used, bbq chicken legs, coleslaw, fried rice with leftover cabbage , leftover chicken, etc. I made cornmeal mush for breakfast and ate it with butter and honey. This next week I plan to stock up on more water, and maybe a few items. I do not have the heat nor the air on so saving on electricity, and I am walking an hour a day, or trying to, while the weather is pleasant and in the low 80âs for a high.
keep track of the expiration dates on the hydrocortisone and antibiotic creams. They are usually 1 year or less, and odd lot places like DG often get items about to expire.
Gosh, I wish our fuel (gas) was that cheap! Here in Australia, we are paying the equivalent of $US8.60/gallon ($AUS3.30/litre).
Brandy,
I am so happy that your husband found work and you were able to turn it into a fun time too! We have been cooking at home for the most part to save money and feel good.. We had found inexpensive chicken leg quarters and have made several meals from it and made chicken broth to go in the freezer. My husband made a depression era meal with hamburger on mashed potatoes and pickled onion on top of that today. It was a recipe I found when researching the depression era. We both figured that they probably used very very little hamburger on it and lots of potatoes. We pickled the onion ourselves. My son and I had 16 bean soup that I had in the freezer for an occasion when I didn’t want to do a lot of cooking. Worked out perfect because my son wanted one of my soups. I was able to give him a choice of several that I had frozen. I have been listening to music on YouTube while cleaning or relaxing at home. I donated my bigger size clothes to goodwill. We went to an indoor garden room in Kansas City. It was free. Just cost gas to get there. There were beautiful trees blooming and it smelled amazing! I loved it! My dad, son, and grandchild came to our house for a visit. It made me very happy to see them! So I had both my boys here for a day! We spent a lot of time at home trying to get things done and if felt good to accomplish some things.
Wow, what an unexpected adventure. Such a lovely place and free too!
Found matching napkins this week to the vintage tablecloth I got last week at the thrift store. Also got an Easter tablecloth.
Put together a care package for my neighbor to take to her hospital stay. I bought most everything online. Normally I wouldnât purchase toiletries and such online, but the cheapest gas is $5.89 per gallon, so trying to limit errands and took advantage of free shipping. I was out of milk so made sure to plan a couple weeks of food to get at the same time today. Iâm down to half a tank so will fill up and use reward points discount tomorrow on my way to an appointment.
Carpooled with my sister in law to a relatives birthday party an hour away.
Downloaded an audio book from the library.
Heatwave is over so turned off the ac for now.
Oh, how wonderful that you found the matching napkins!
I thought some of those places looked familiar – I’ve lived in Ohio for 25 years!
I did several food rescues again and was able to keep a nice amount of organic meats, some eggs, a few sides, and organic and conventional produce for my household’s use.
I read library books and worked on some projects at home with supplies I already had. Due to fuel prices, I carefully planned my weekend errands and skipped a few things that weren’t 100% necessary and would have been out of the way. I have a few things I must do over upcoming weeks, so saving the fuel for then.
I got a few free books from a little free library. My college student stayed home over their spring break. We visited a nearby large park and took a walk. My youngest child carpooled to a few events.
I hope more people choose opportunities to carpool as gas prices rise.
I have never been to your state before. Even though it’s just barely spring there (while it was 100° here), it was SO green! Such a difference!
And the birds! It was amazing to hear SO many birds at once. I saw robins all over, chickadees, and starlings (that was incredible), and even heard a woodpecker.
Hello Brandy and everyone
What a lovely trip you were able to take while helping your husband. Sometimes spontaneous things that happen turn out really well if you take the opportunity, seeing your son must have been so nice.
This week we spent time in the garden, tending seedlings in the greenhouses and sowing tomatoes, bell peppers and chillis. I potted up some dahlia tubers which we had dried out and overwintered. I spread wood ash lightly at the base of some roses. My husband worked hard at weeding beds and I deadheaded lots of daffodils.
I picked a few tulips for the house.
I froze a chicken carcass because I was too busy to make bone broth at this time.
We turned off our oil fired kitchen range earlier in the year than we would normally. We have an electric oven to use.
I redeemed some research panel points and bought a newly published book about growing a year of cut flowers. I almost never buy new hardback books for myself but I really, really wanted this book! I wanted to get going this spring.
Good luck to all.
I guess I missed it. What is your husband doing for work now? I thought he was in real estate.
What lovely pictures! Spring is such a beautiful time of year.
Insurance claims adjuster for natural disasters (which aren’t really here; they occur in other states; we don’t get hail, have large wildfires, tornadoes, or hurricanes).
We have had a few times needing an insurance claim adjuster due to very large trees coming down here in NY by lake Ontario and I have always been so grateful for their work. I also love how you work as a team tackling whatever situation is at hand. Your magic is turning it into the positive side like seeing a son, visiting places and generally putting a positive side. My husband and I try to do the same thing when ever we can. Really nice job sharing your thoughts on this.
Thank you.
Brandy, that is an interesting job. I have a college friend and that was her husbandâs job. He was a pilot and flew himself in his own small plane to his sites.
Hello Athanasia! Good to hear from you again.
What a wonderful find off the unplanned path!
It is refreshing to read another couples team work as well.
I was solo with the pets this past week and once again was thankful for leftovers frozen in single portion servings to keep kitchen clean up way down and to not need to think about meal planning for a week.
My sibling found a trail hike and at the last minute we joined. Knowing how unplanned this was, I packed enough snacks for everyone and we did an extra 2 miles and saw the most beautiful cabin that had its main window look out at a waterfall – imagine waking up to that everyday! This cabin is no longer occupied and is part of a state preserve (Swatara State Park).
A friend is going through a bit of loss right now, one being their beloved pet. I embroidered an image of that pet as a birthday gift using all supplies on hand.
Hope everyone has a calm and productive week!
What a sweet gesture to support your grieving friend. Years ago when one of my horses passed away, a friend sent me a poem he wrote about the special bond between humans and horses. I treasure it still. đ
J in PA, we have been to that cabin as well! What a beautiful sight to see as you would sit at the table eating there. Did you know the man that built that had his woodworking/technical students help him build that all by hand, in I believe the 1930’s? It is a wonderful thing that we have such available nature to us, for free. It is also an inspiration to realize how much you can actually do if you put your mind to it.
Teamwork makes dreamwork!!! The drive sounds arduous but a change of scenery always rejuvenates me.
It t is Money Saving Madness March and I am determined to come under budget for March. I have gamified it to make it fun. I have reached the limits of every category of spending but have about $20.00 in cash to to “play” till the end of the month. The cupboards and frig are full. I used Chatpt to figure out how many miles I can drive to April 1st given I am doing a round trip to take my Mom to a doctor’s appt. which is quite far away. The essentials are taken care of and I am filling the days with absolutely free tasks to avoid the temptation to drive around or shop online.
1. I cut branches of bushes gone wild that were touching the roof. 4 hours and I am super sore. Great exercise.
2. I have discover the Great British Sewing Bee. How did I not know about this show? It is on Roku channel only and is free if you have a Samsung tv. LG does not get it. OMG. I LOVE IT. I was inspired to make matching bathmats from a towel I was given for my wedding 25 years ago. I had some great home dec fabric remnant. I made a pillowcase, matching right sides. Flip it and topstitch the edges. I am going to embellish a few hand towels in the same color scheme to match. High fashion.
3. I will have to switch from coffee to teas for the last few days. I can do it. Both have enough caffeine.
4. Last year’s “cushie” budget had me buying season 3 of the “Good Doctor.” I put season 4 DVD on hold at the library and Hubby and I will watch it.
It’s been a very expensive week with paying a plumber bill abd a very large vet bill with expensive medication for both the short term and test of my dogs life. There’s my vacation fund but he’s worth it. So, trying to eat from what’s on hand, no eating out for a few weeks at all.
Wow, Brandy, sounds like you had a really good adventure!
Our weather is getting nice and warm. So I planted a hanging basket using an old wrought iron basket that’s been in the garage for awhile. I had found it in a Habitat ReStore thrift store one winter. Not having much of anything to go in it, I got some small flowers and vines from the local mission garden store, helping support that ministry, and from Walmart. I also bought a few more items to plant in a matching container but will also use some ivy cuttings from the yard I dumped out a dead poinsettia plant from its flower pot and used its soil for the potting soil.I will take the empty pots back to the mission to be reused.
Hello, frugal friends. Brandy, it looks like you had a lovely trip. I am glad to hear your husband has some work lined up. I cannot say this past week has been particularly frugal as I came down with bronchitis and had to send Mr. FixIt to the store on occasion as meds ran out or prescriptions were filled. It’s never a good idea to leave Mr. FixIt on his own in a grocery store. While the man can fix just about anything, he isn’t a frugal mindset shopper. I overlook this as he has saved us, literally, tens of thousands of dollars over the course of our marriage. He does use his military discount wherever he goes and he shops sales, but when I let him loose in a grocery store, he is like a kid in a candy store. Oh, well, I have to love him:) Our power bill was down $30 this month. That was nice. I haven’t spent much on groceries because I am sick and there is plenty in the house to eat. Our water bill went up $10 and we are not sure why. We continue to prep for spring planting. Mountain Mama Dawn, I meant to tell you thank you for telling me about Earth Fare’s meat markdowns. We have one of those stores near me and I was unaware of that. I will be checking it out in the near future. Time for a nap. I wish you all a lovely week.
My pleasure, Marley! When I told my parents, they were happy, too, saying those sale prices were cheaper than the commissary they go to. Hope it helps your budget! Get well soon! đ
Hi MarleyITM, Earth Fare has a senior day on Tuesdays, a military day on Mondays, and 10% off organic fruits and veggies on Thursdays. The first two are 10% off your purchase. I try to hit one of these days. You can also sign up for their emails and there are some great bargains!đ
Thanks for that info. I will definitely check that out!
I had the days wrong. They can tell you, but I think Sunday is military and Monday is senior.
Hello all!
Savings have included re-thinking purchases at the grocery store. I have found that full fat, higher calorie versions of some foods are the same price as lower fat/calorie versions. For instance, if full fat sour cream is the same price as low-fat sour cream, I will buy the full fat version and eat less. So reading the labels and getting more calories (energy!) for my dollar, as able.
Over the summer, at yard sales, I purchased materials to make greeting cards for pennies. Throughout the year I have free photos printed using specials from drugstores, I then make personalized birthday, anniversary, get well, etc. cards using the photos. For Valentine’s Day I used a stencil to decorate cards, as I am not very artistic on my own. For each card I make, I put a dollar away in a small fund. The dollar being what I would have spent had I bought the card instead of made it.
Our local grocery store bakery gives away icing buckets for free. The buckets are food grade and come with tight fitting lids. We use them for all sorts of things from storing rice and flour, to hauling weeds out of the garden. The store does not advertise this, but if you go up to the bakery and ask, they almost always have a stack they are happy to give away. It may be worthwhile to ask at your local store. I realize many stores do charge or do not do this at all but may be worth an ask!
I’m learning how to use lard in cooking as we have lard for the first time. Each time I reach for the oil or butter, I stop and think, could I use lard instead? Thus far the results have been positive.
Utilized our local library for DVD’s as well as audiobooks via Hoopla.
We planted snow peas and lettuce in the garden. Tomatoes, peppers, chard, herbs, and other things are under grow lights indoors. Dandelions are starting to bloom and will dehydrate some for tea. Will also mix in greens of dandelion with our salads.
Found recipe for Montreal steak seasoning when I ran out. Tried making Jamaican jerk seasoning and that was also delicious! My daughter made pizza seasoning with herbs from our garden last summer and we have enjoyed using it on various Italian dishes.
As are many, we have been combining errands to save on gas. Another way we save is to ask a few close neighbors if they need anything from town or would like to car pull. In doing so, we save each other money!
Used Brandy’s Amazon link for a re-stock order.
Susie, I LOVE your card idea, as well as putting the money aside! I love sending cards for no occasion, and they are soooo expensive.! Who doesnât like getting personal mail?đ I have loads of stamps (the lick kind) from my in-laws to use, so postage doesnât matter for me right now (or probably for the rest of my life!). Might as well use them! Also, thanks for the reminder about Hoopla! I need to see if our library has it as my husband loves to listen to audiobooks on his work drive, and we donât have a very good selection here.
My library uses both the Libby and Hoopla apps. Both have audio books (Hoopla has more).
I hope you can find some great ones through your library!
Me too! Our selection is woefully small and they donât have a working interlibrary loan! We could get almost anything at our old library and the loss is keenly felt. I actually like a physical book and not one I have wanted to read has been available.
I see you are writing again! Was fun to find the notice pop up in my email. I have checked your site a few times but it had been unavailable. Your husband is working in a new field now?
Yes, for the last three years.
What a lovely impromptu adventure!
Well, that was an adventure! Well done. Nice that you always find beautiful places to visit. The spring flowers are beautiful. We are still buried in snow which is unusual for late March but it’s been a long, cold and snowy winter.
What a fun trip and got to see family too. Some of the best conversations my husband and I have had is in the car. I made a list so I could share more this week.
-My son in law went fishing and my husband cleaned them and we ate crappies Sunday night for family dinner. I made the sides and we had a pleasant meal.
-My husband and I took some left over boards and made boxes to go around our new pecan trees. No money spent just time.
-At my FCE Club meeting I won a Lodge cast iron loaf pan. We had a speaker on maintaining and seasoning cast iron and they had a drawing. I also had asked in our club face book page if anyone had any colored wine bottles for my bottle tree. I had some get broke over the winter and received 4 to fill my bottle tree. My bottle tree was made for me several years ago and I have been able to get free wine bottles from friends. I think it looks good in the yard.
– Our flag pole for our American flag broke in high wind, so my husband took a pipe and made me another one to hang off the deck.
-Our ladies group at Church met Saturday and had a paint party. One of the husbands cut out rabbits for us and we painted and had snacks. The church provided the snacks and everyone brought paint from home. We shared with each other.
-I continue to use the library for books and conversation.
-My husband and I continue to walk everyday and have been eating out of our freezer. We had finished all the beef we had, and our daughter brought us some of the ground they had. They have not been eating much ground so we were very appreciative for it. They had processed 2 large deers in all ground so they have been eating deer instead.
A bottle tree sounds very interesting. I have some very vintage Italian liqueur bottles that I’ve been wondering what to do with…
Hi Donna! Another source for wine bottles might be any place that hosts wedding receptions. They often have loads of bottles they just throw away. I brought home a lot of blue bottles back when I worked weddings. I have seen some beautiful bottle treesđ
I was off work last week for Spring Break, so saved money on gas and my daily gas station fountain soda.
Earned $0.25 from Ibotta
I finished an audiobook from Libby in two days and returned it. I also finished a library book and returned it when I ran an errand.
Sent in for $16 in Menards rebates
Received a $200 account credit on my Chase card for spending $500 by a certain time.
We stopped in at Waffle House and they made a wrong waffle for our order and we got the messed up one free(nothing bad, just not a flavor we ordered)
What a great adventure! Sounds like you made the most of it, saving money, time and experiencing new things.
Along the disaster relief front, we are still repairing and cleaning up our property from Helene. One thing I addressed last week was repairing two garden boxes that had a tree land on them. I planted some early seeds – radishes, lettuce, sugar snap peas and kale – some seeds from last year and some I got for free from various places. My parents continue to edit their belongings and gave me a few things to sell in my antique booth. Sales are up now that the snow seems to be done for the season. In an effort to simplify my life, I gave up one antique booth and now just have the one in the more established business with a lower monthly vendor fee and no percentage of sales taken by the owner. I felt relived after that decision so know itâs the right one for me. My youngest son went on a camping trip to Cape Lookout on the NC Core Banks last week. He has been involved with a Trail Life troop for almost a year now and loves it. They go camping almost every month (even in Winter) and all of the activities are free or very low-cost. This was the most expensive trip heâs done at $70 but it included his transportation (about a 7 hour drive), all meals for 4 days/3 mights and ferry ticket to the island. They surf fished, went hiking and shelling ands slept under the stars. I consider it a bargain. The woman who owns the ferry business also gave each of the boys (about 16 of them) a Cape Lookout hooded sweatshirt for free. Very kind! Another unexpected benefit of TL has been the badge opportunities. The requirements have lended themselves to be ideal unit studies for our homeschooling and my oldest son, who elected not to join TL, has been using them as a guide, as well. Itâs been a great resource. I also love to always be learning something new. I signed up for a free on-line course with Hillsdale College over a year ago but hadnât finished it yet. I started back up with it last week and also signed up for another. I find them fascinating and I can fit them into little pockets of my day. I attended a cast party for the play we just finished the end of February. It was great frugal fun – karaoke, funny awards given by the director, gifts of some set pieces by the set designer, potluck food (I made PB cookies from ingredients on hand), card games and general frivolity. My very outdoorsy boys are rough on their clothes so I need to replace things from time to time. I found both of them some shirts and shorts at thrift shops and am grateful they trust my judgement in picking out their clothes even at their age (13 and 14.) They are not fans of shopping which helps their frugality, too. I attended a free concert at the local university. A former member of our choir is retiring from the music school and this was his last concert as professor of saxophone. It was beautiful, free and I enjoyed sharing the evening with another choir friend. My oldest son expressed an interest in joining our local volunteer fire department for their junior firefighter program. He was invited by a friend who is a member and he really enjoyed his first meeting. We are thrilled to see him excited about helping our community in this way. His friendâs family has also offered to drive my son there every week which saves us on gas and allows them to spend more time together to and from. I sold some eggs which always helps offset the cost of grain. Continuing to clear out the pantry and freezer makes me think of all the good things that will be coming forth from the garden in the months to come. I am ready! Enjoy your week, everyone!
Hillsdale College has a lot of great coursesâŚyou have reminded me of something I let slip by. We also get their free mailing, which has some interesting topics. It doesnât come that often so you have time to read it.
Hope you find something to interest you!
Some people might complain that their husband had to be so far away to work. You, however, are not one of those people, Brandy. I really admire how you took it as an opportunity and turned it into a wonderful adventure. That is one of the many things I find inspiring about you. You share so much with us on the frugal front, especially how to still have a beautiful, plentiful life. I thank you for that.
I am struggling a bit right now to be honest. My husband was diagnosed with an incurable disease at the start of the year. The long term prognosis is not good. As we are trying to adjust to all that this entails, I am finding it hard to keep up with food preparation and, unfortunately, seem to be wasting food more than I would like. My husband’s illness has made it hard for him to swallow at times so I am always trying to figure out what he can eat. A bit of a challenge.
We are saving on gas costs as we rarely leave the house so I guess that is a good thing. As his disease progresses he is unable to do most of the things he once could. My load has doubled. I guess on the bright side I am learning how to do many new things.
This sudden and unexpected event in our lives has been giving me a lot of time to think. I now know, without a doubt, that life as we knew it can change in an instant. It’s hard not to think of all the things that we hoped to do together in retirement. I guess your post just made me happy that you took that opportunity with your husband and made it into such a lovely experience. Wishing you many more!
Kim, that must be so difficult!
I wonder if your husband could sometimes eat some blended soups? You could make enough for a few days, and freeze some if you can’t eat it all in time.
I have learned to do a few new things. I’ve also needed to ask my dad to help me with some things, and sometimes I have had to hire someone (right after my husband started this job three years ago, a bunch of things in the house broke within the first two months–one the day after he left!)
Life can definitely change quickly; I know my husband risks his life on steep roofs.
It’s hard to take on more responsibilities at home, but it’s important to learn them when they become yours. I’m glad you are learning them now; I have found it to be really helpful.
Kim, I am sorry to read that. I hope you both will be blanketed in strength and rest as you dive into this new chapter. If you do have time, and use social media – free support groups can be helpful with learning quick tricks to not feeling alone. It really helped me when my hands were full and I was exhausted. I could hop on when I needed. I understand if that wouldn’t be your cup of tea, for me, I wish I would have known a little sooner. Big virtual hugs!
Thank you for that. I did attend my first support group for the caregivers of ALS patients. It was helpful and I intend to do so whenever I can. As this is such a rare disease, it feels especially lonely at times. The support group helps for sure.
As a caregiver, know you are in my prayers.
Thank you, Kaye. I will keep you in my prayers as well.
Brandy,
The blended soups usually work well for him and I like that I can sneak in a lot of healthy ingredients. I like your idea for freezing them. I had not thought of that, but it would be good to have on hand.
I can relate to how things seem to break as soon as the person who normally fixes them is not able to do so. I am finding a similar situation here. It seems like daily something new breaks.
Kim – Nothing I write will make your situation easier but I hope knowing others are thinking of you and including you in their prayers helps a little. â¤ď¸ Where (in general) in NC are you – if you donât mind me asking?
It does help. Thank you so much. We are in the Charlotte area.
Kim, I am so sorry to hear of your husbandâs diagnosis. You both will be in my prayers.
Thank you, Laura.
I know someone that drinks protein drinks when they have trouble swallowing. You can buy a big pack of them at Walmart or small packs at Dollar General. I”m sure other stores have them as well. They are near the pharmacy at Walmart usually..Soups are good too.
Thanks, Tammy. We have been buying those to supplement his meals.
Kim I can only imagine how overwhelming everything is right now. I am an older nurse and wish I could send you strength, compassion and kindness that was tangible. The quote it was the worst of times it was the best of times really fits life altering situations. Best wishes to you and your family as you navigate through.
Thank you for that, Pam. We truly appreciate it!
Kim, please give yourself grace from worrying about food waste. You and your husband have found yourselves in unexpected difficult times. Iâm glad you have connected with support groups. I hope knowing that this group is sending loving, supportive messages can provide you with some additional comfort and strength.
As a fellow North Carolinian, I hope you can find the medical support you need as well. Try and take a little time for yourself as you can. We will be thinking of you both.
I donât post very much, but please know that my heart goes out to you and your husband. You are in my thoughts.
Thank you very much, Susan.
Kim, I do not post very frequently, but wanted to say that you and your husband are in my thoughts and prayers during this time.
As gas prices are over $7 a gallon CDN, driving is reduced to a bare minimum. So grateful that I am retired and have grocery stores within walking distance.
I was able to buy some food from the Flashfood app as well as great produce deals from the reduced price cart.
Winter is still going strong with lots of snow still happening. Perfect time for soup weather as well as eating lots of root vegetables (beets,carrot, turnips) bought at a great price in the fall and still holding up.
Staying home , cooking and baking all my food and snacks.
So happy to see you posting again. I enjoy both the photos and your saving messages. I also enjoy everyoneâs input!
Weâve been eating from the freezer, pantry and fridge. We are aiming for zero waste as much as possible and due to that we’ve had a few interesting meals! I have started making the bulk off all our bread and rolls. I think Iâve purchased one loaf since the start of December.
Iâm trying to stick to a list at the thrift stores. Iâve done pretty well keeping to it! Our thrift stores are so full, and though also very busy, itâs still a good reminder to be thoughtful of all purchases. Gas is $4.69+, so very thankful for my full efficient car!
You and others have mentioned gas prices and I have always found it so interesting how varied they can be. Cheapest near me (just over the border in TN) is $3.49. I rode into a gas station on fumes last week because I was determined to fill up there and not on this side in NC where it is $3.79. Those pennies add up!
I wasn’t going to buy groceries but Safeway advertised a good deal on beef roasts and marinating steaks. My friend and I each bought a beef roast — then she cut mine up so I can have stewing beef. She will keep two packages in the freezer for me. She made stew and brought some over — what a treat! If you bought $5 of this meat you could enter a contest for $10,000 worth of points for groceries. there is no way we’ll win but for 415 we each got a roast. It has been a long time since I’ve had a roast.
We are supposed to get more snow tomorrow but my first tulips are up. It will be a miracle if they are not eaten by deer, hares or other critters before they bloom. Tomorrow I’m going to cover them so they don’t get nipped by the frost.
I had scans made of very old negatives and then prints. This was costly but the photos are exquisite so I am back to compiling photo albums again but this time on the other side of my family. I wish to take up painting and would like to paint several scenes from the beach photos. I’ve never painted before but i’ve been offered 12 free canvasses and I can borrow some paints. I’d like to try.
I was going to cut down a dead tree — it is the tree where the chickadees nested last year but I see some bird has been very industrious and has excavated a new hole so I will leave it for now.
415 should be $15 The roast per pound was cheaper than stewing beef…
Oh and I greatly enjoyed your photos as usual, Brandy and glad to hear your husband has a work project.
It was a great but quick getaway for you, too, with interesting things to see.
Wow! That kind of drive sounds crazy to me. We simply don’t operate on such long distances in this country, I am always amazed to read about American “road trips”. Last year we drove six hours to a holiday destination to stay for a week and I thought that was EPIC. I am happy that your husband has work, even if it is so far away.
I have had a good week!
I made a bike and scooter store for the garden by standing three pallets upright and topping with a broken patio table top. Now the children have somewhere that is “away” to put things without leaving them all over the garden, and they will be sheltered from the rain and so hopefully last longer. I plan to grow an evergreen climber over it, as it is a bit ugly! But it was made from things we had lying around, so the out of pocket cost was zero! I am very proud of it, and myself.
I also installed drip irrigation in our vegetable garden from a kit I bought. We have two IBCs (1000 litre containers) which I hope means we won’t have to get the hose out at all for the raised beds. One of them isn’t quite working right, but I am slowly troubleshooting it and I think we are nearly there.
The kits were quite expensive, but the main thing I hope to save is time, especially during hosepipe bans. Last year we didn’t even have all the beds we now have, and I was spending an hour each evening watering everything. I could really use that time for something else this year!
We have a fruit cage full of berries in a different location, and I do have a third unused IBC, so I will be keeping an eye on things and might install a third system. However, the place I would have to put the IBC and the fruit cage are 25m away across the main stone path in our garden and I can’t figure out how to get the tubing to cross the path without it being tripped over and ridden over by my children on bicycles. I keep scouring it, hoping for some little crevice I could tuck it into, but no crevice goes all the way across the path at any given point. I don’t think my husband would be very happy if I took a strategic chisel to the path!
And my first few seeds have germinated! I am trying lots of new things this year, so it is so exciting to see them get started.
I bought a lot of joints of meat on half price sale to freeze. I am trying to reorganise my buying patterns to be able to stock up during Easter and Christmas sales, but this is the first year I have done it so it needed a bit of budget juggling and I didn’t buy as much as I otherwise would have done. I hope to plan better next year now I can anticipate it, and have kept a list of what I expect to be on sale and how many I would like to buy.
Today is the Annunciation, and I made a cake using only things I already had on hand – including zero eggs! In the past I might have run out to buy something special, but now I looked around my kitchen first and it turns out we have plenty of food.
I so enjoy listing my frugal accomplishments as the week goes by. In the throes of daily life and homeschooling, I often don’t feel like I get much “done”, so it’s such a boost to look back and see I did do more than meals, lessons and laundry!
Susie, it amazes me all you do get done! I especially like to hear about your garden as it gives me inspiration for mine.đ
Did not do a lot that was frugal last week. I went to my son’s house on Friday to visit and help take care of the grandkids. They live about 100 miles away. My son was having a weekend with his father, so I had a weekend with “the girls.” I came home Monday morning. We were exhausted on Sunday. My DIL was part of the worship team on Sunday and had to be at church at &;30. In order to get there in time, we had to get up at 6:00 a.m. Not easy with a three-year-old and an 18-month-old. It was 2:30 by the time we were home.
Before I left, I did a few things.
Shopping: Was able to get pasta for 68¢ a pounds. Got 30 pounds of different shapes. Eggs were 99¢ a dozen. Got 4 dozen.
Cooking: Made refried beans in the Instapot using pinto beans and onions from our garden. Made chicken fajitas using onions from the garden and frozen pepper strips. Used some seasoning given to me by my sister and chicken from the freezer. Made eggs with sausage, peppers and onions. While I was gone, my DH made a sausage, peppers, onion, and potato dish using ingredients on hand. The peppers and onions were from the garden.
Helping others: Worked at the food bank for 6 hours. 3 hours each on Wednesday and Thursday.
Hope everyone has a good week.
Brandy your husband’s end destination was probably the State I grew up in. Very bad storms hit there. I am glad you had the opportunity to help your husband and see some different things.
We are saving money by trimming the scrubs before they get out of control. Google is my friend finding recipes for the food items we already have.
My rose bush I planted 6 years ago is coming back strong and that makes me smile.
What a lovely vacation! It’s so nice that you found some beautiful areas to enjoy.
It’s been a great frugal week in Houston, TX: I combined errands as much as possible to save on gas. I signed up for one of the least expensive items requested for the school bake sale: rice crispy treats. I can even have one of the kids make them for me.
My son and I made his birthday cake together. We put a toy monster truck on top, and he was so thrilled by the monster truck cake. It was just a box mix made in a 9×13 pan. My neighbor gave me some bag salads that were “expired” but still mostly good. I picked out a few wilted leaves and they were fine.
The kids helped me pick up the house ahead of a get-together we had. Clean is free!
I made a taco salad bar, with taco meat, beans, rice, lettuce, tomato, salsa, cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc. It was a great way to stretch the food, as we had plenty left over. We usually drink water, but I mixed up some lemonade. Mr. 3 calls it “Crunchy Time” lemonade. đ It is quite the treat.
I found some size 18 jeans for my older son at Goodwill: $1.99/pair and like new. He’s really closer to adult sizes, but those jeans are $6.99, so I was excited to find him some from the children’s section. I bought a pair of Hoka tennis shoes in my size for $16.99. I soaked them in boiling water with (homemade) Oxiclean, and will run them through the washing machine tonight.
I took one child to a podiatrist with plantar’s warts on the bottom of the foot. The podiatrist told me to use duct tape stuck to a dry foot for several days at a time. Evidently, the body thinks it needs to fight off a foreign object, and the antibodies attack the wart, which usually makes it go away. So far, it appears to be working. Maybe this will save someone a $235 podiatrist fee.
I cut my hair (unevenly) and two sons’ hair.
I dressed the baby and her 8 year old sister in matching outfits that my now 15 year old wore with middle sis many years ago. They’re smocked and so cute. Not frugal, but nostalgic.
Our Chickfila was giving out free strawberry hibiscus lemonades, so I got one for each of the kids. Too sweet for me, but they enjoyed it.
Hope everyone has a great week!
IG: Frewgalfam_HTX
I haven’t commented for awhile, but read and enjoy your posts and others comments every week. In December we paid off our Ford Explorer 8 months early. In January our home phone and internet raised again. I called them and made a few changes and am now saving $60 a month.in February we paid off our home in 9 years and 2 months instead of 15 years. Our Dish bill raised 35 dollars. I called them and got it lowered by almost 40 dollars. March has been an up and down month. Sirius radio raised by 5 dollars and I got it lowered by 11 dollars. Then this past weekend our electric pole with the meter on it rotted off, and was on the ground. We never lost electric, so don’t know how many days it was down. When I called the electric company they came out and shut the electric off. We had to find an electrician to set a new pole, and put a new meter box up and get it ready for inspection. 2600 dollars later it was ready, the inspector came and the electric company came and hooked it up. I’m so glad we have a whole house generator. Our electric was off 50 hours. With paying off the Explorer and house and the other things I saved on, we were able to take care of this disaster easily.
I’m glad your husband was able to go back to work and that you were able to have a lovely weekend with him.
Now I need to figure out ways to save more money for the next disaster. Haha
Brandy glad you were able to help your husband arrive on time at his new work assignment. With the arrival of Spring here in the Midwest, I use the Merlin App. which listens to the birds singing and identifies them.
This week:
*Made a loaf of sourdough bread. Hadn’t fed my starter in 10 weeks and by increasing the flour it turned out fine. I am going to fed my starter less and save on flour.
*Pushed out my next hair cut for another 3 weeks decided I will stretch these a little longer.
*Secured repayment and got money refunded based on the paper work we had saved.
*Have been walking and doing yoga.
*Deep cleaned and detailed our car.
*Had Kohls Cash and put it toward a pair of pants for my granddaughters birthday.
*Invited to a potluck and made a dessert with all ingredients I had on hand.
*Turned down our heat anytime we are not in the house.
*Kindly declined an “out to eat luncheon” invitation with friends. I know I can make several meals for what one little lunch would cost.
*Using hand rub varnish/cheesecloth put a fresh coat on all the window sills in our house.
*Made pancakes for brunch, had batter remaining so refrigerated the batter rather then making them all. A few days later, made fresh pancakes and tasted better than reheated cooked pancakes.
Hope everyone has a good week. I am so inspired by this community.
Brandy, I am happy your husband is working again; and you made the best of a last minute change in plans! It must have been very enjoyable to be in a cooler area with the spring flowers coming up.đ We have been having fluctuations in temperature, but more nice days than not. When it is really nice, we sit outside and eat. I canât believe we can do that in March!
I cancelled Sling since we have not been watching much TV. We also have other streaming services that are much cheaper or free, so I doubt we will miss anything other than the $68 savings a month!
We have been working hard in the gardens. My friend let me know the nursery finally has the strawberry plants in. They are $.60/plant or $20 for a flat. We will get two flats, I think. There is a huge layered bed that we will use for the strawberries. One of the other beds has been mostly cleared and we are planting seeds for lettuce, spinach, arugula, radishes and green onions in the area that will have more shade. Potatoes are going in, but most of my seed potatoes rotted so I need to find more. This year will be a big experiment to see what will grow, what critters might show up, etc. We are trying to be smart about all of it.
I am grouping errands to save money on fuel. My daughter in Canada has told me what their fuel and food costs are now, and I actually feel lucky with what we have here.
For the first time, I started a book to keep track of every penny we spend, particularly on food and miscellaneous. I know this should have been done long ago, but better late than never. We are being very conscious about not wasting food. And, another new thing for us, we now have a compost heap and all unusable kitchen plant based kitchen scraps are going in there, other than ones I use to make broth. We have also started to plan for when all the kids come over the 4th. There will be almost 30 of us in one house. My DIL who lives with us has a list going of food we can make in large quantities. So looking forward to it!
Thatâs all for this week. Thank you for this blog, Brandy!
Brandy, it sounded like a nice adventure with your husbandâs long trip. The only time Iâve needed a home insurance adjuster was when we lost our home to fire. đ As I recall, that adjuster flew in from somewhere in the Midwest all the way to the coast of NC to assess our damage. (a total loss) So I guess long trips arenât that unusual in that business.
My main savings this last week was for gas. I had a medical appointment out of state. As we were traveling, in an adjoining county gas was 2.99/gal. Everywhere else (at the time) gas was 3.59-3.79. We werenât sure that was the correct price, but it was. Plus we have a loyalty program with that station, so we paid 2.89 gal. We were in my husbandâs larger car, so it was quite a savings. On our return later that afternoon, we stopped and topped off his tank. Now, gas is 3.99 gal. I know that is low compared to others, but high prices for all of us.
I continue to try and shop frugally but boy is it difficult. I shop the sales and loss leaders. I continue to decrease meat in recipes and make more affordable meals. I made a delicious lentil soup which tasted great with the cold days weâve had. We will be leaving for a two week trip, so Iâm trying to eat what we have so as not to leave a freezer full of food. Although this may not be the time to eat up what we have, our refrigerator acted up a few weeks ago, and I donât want to chance losing large amounts of food while we are gone. I had purchased a freezer alarm awhile back, but it wouldnât sync with our WiFi, so I returned it. Hereâs hoping all will go well.
I made bone broth from a carcass for additional soups and dishes. We compost food scraps to amend our garden soil. Weâve begun planting our garden which is always exciting.
My husband continues to recycle by dropping off items instead of paying a monthly pickup fee. The recycling center is very close. This habit has saved us thousands of dollars over the years. I also drop off local bills, saving stamps, as the drop off is on the main road in our town, so no extra miles driven for that.
As always, I enjoy everyoneâs posts and always learn something new. I hope everyone continues to have a good week. And thank you Brandy for your return to posting and hosting!
It’s very common when there are natural disasters. They need extra adjusters and inspectors when there is a lot of damage in one area. My husband worked taking care of claims from Hurricane Helene and from the fires in Altadena, California, as well as in several other states doing hail and wind damage.
That was definitely a long way to come to inspect all the damage from Helene, which was just awful. As MountainMama Dawn indicated, many people in NC and other states are still recovering from Helene.
Thankfully, my house fire wasnât from a wildfire so there werenât a lot of other houses involved (It was electrical). Iâm sure with the extensive hurricane damage here in the east, adjusters were needed from everywhere-including the Las Vegas area!