I used a free Redbox code to rent The Hundred-Foot Journey for a date night for my husband and I. We both enjoyed the movie very much!
Winter downloaded free songs from the library through the Freegal program.
I picked up some books from the library for Winter for school.
I borrowed The Awakening of Miss Prim
I said yes to some canning jars from a woman who is moving.
My husband cut both of our sons’ hair.
I walked to a store rather than driving.
I bought several pairs of leather-palmed gloves for our 72-hour kits on clearance for $2.08 a pair. I brought my own bag to the store and got $.05 off my total. Looking at pictures of people digging through the rubble after earthquakes (and having lived through a major earthquake myself) made me want to make sure I included this item with our 72-hour kits.
I used a $10 off coupon to our local nursery towards a purchase of several plants for the garden. I bought two small mum plants for the front yard to enjoy this fall, and several herb plants. I divided a peppermint plant that I purchased, putting part of it in the garden and part of it in a pot. I did the same with a garlic chive plant, except that I divided it into three, putting it in two places in the garden and the rest in a small pot.
I collected some snapdragon seeds from the garden.
I collected parsley seeds from the garden and planted them in other places in the garden.
I cut some chocolate mint from the garden and moved it into a pot to give me more.
I cut basil, garlic chives, and green onions from the garden. I picked apples from the garden and an Armenian cucumber.
It wa snot only very hot last week (105º), but we had higher humidity than normal. I collected enought water from the air conditioner to water a potted tree all week.
I used a 40% off coupon to purchase a pair of embroidery scissors at Hobby Lobby. These will be part of a sewing kit that I am making for Christmas. I also bought some fabric on sale there to use for Christmas gifts.
I went to Hobby Lobby planning on buying some red fondant for Liberty’s birthday cupcakes. It was very expensive, so I decided to buy some red gel color for $2 that said it is good for fondant, and I used it to color some white fondant that I already had. It worked perfectly and saved me $11!
We celebrated a simple birthday for Liberty. She wanted a Harry Potter themed birthday again, so I had lots of items from before to use. Winter and Ezrom made her several more things that she absolutely loved (most of which were printed), including a wand. I actually think her favorite gift was the Hogwarts letter that her siblings printed for her! For her birthday lunch, I made some pumpkin pasties, which everyone liked enough for me to make them again.
What did you do to save money last week?
Staying home most of this past week has saved us quite a bit of money. Not using as much in gas to travel back & forth to work or using money to buy sodas at work either.
I used up food in our freezer and pantry. Used some wild blackberries my husband picked this summer to make a blackberry cobbler. He LOVED it.
Received several magazines in the mail free via my Recyclebank accounts.
Hung clothing on the clothesline in our basement rather than using the dryer.
Picked several tomatoes from our garden to use in our chili recipe, which was made on Saturday.
Purchased my son’s Trapper Keeper zip-up binder on clearance at Office Max–waiting till after school started saved me about $5 on this purchase.
Got my hair trimmed free by my Mother, who is a licensed beautician.
Will find out tomorrow as to whether my ankle is broken or not, if it is, then I’ll be out of work for another 6 weeks 🙁 because of having to wear an AirCast boot which isn’t permitted to be worn inside the prison where I work.
You do beautiful things for the birthdays Brandy. They will all have so many wonderful childhood memories.
Last week I made quiches and also meat pies. I froze a spare meat pie for an emergency meal.
I finished a Christmas present and started another. As it is spring here I filled up two large news pots (that were free finds) and planted cherry tomatoes and basil. Also I added to my existing herb garden. Started spring cleaning and line dried lots of things so far.
I was given a bag of oranges which is very handy.
I added to my pantry and preparedness. We are adding as we can weekly and seeing progress. Heading your advice. Thank you.
Also I made a new menu plan around the new season. This saves a lot of time overall.
Have a wonderful week. xxx http://thebluebirdsarenesting.blogspot.com.au/
This week I picked tomatoes, cucumbers, carrots and zucchini from the garden. I made another batch of Roasted Tomato Sauce with some of the tomatoes and carrots.
I turned the air conditioner on for a few days and I collected water from the air conditioner and used it to water the garden. I also used water from our homemade rain barrel to water the garden. Since the water rates have increased this year, using rain water from the rain barrel has been a really good savings for us.
I received a Disney Movie Club offer in the mail this week. The Disney offer always comes with a sheet of stickers and before throwing it away, I saved the sheet of stickers for Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes.
I downloaded several free kindle ebooks to my Kindle for PC.
In our school district, all children starting in fourth grade have the opportunity to learn an instrument and participate in band. The lessons are given for free by the band teacher, but families are responsible for the instrument. Our son wants to learn to play the trumpet, and since we are a musical family and it is important to us to give him this opportunity, we looked into our options.
We had the option to rent a used instrument for $21/month with 2 months free. There was also another $5 per month fee for insurance which was highly recommended. The total cost for 10 months plus insurance was $260. This option seemed like a lot of money for an instrument that was used and I was a little nervous about my 9-year old being responsible for something that we didn’t own.
I decided to check musiciansfriend.com, and to my amazement, found a beginner’s trumpet on sale for $120 (reg. price $400). Not only was it much less expensive, but if for some reason it doesn’t work out, we have the option to sell the instrument and recoup some of the money we spent.
vanessasvalues.blogspot.com
I love when you share what you made for gifts, Brandy. They are so inspiring! I also love that you were able to walk to a store, instead of drive. It tells me that your weather must be getting more bearable now.
Our weather has been rather interesting this week. At the beginning of the week, it was so hot we could have had heat stroke, then by the end of the week we were wearing our long underwear to bed. We also had 2 days of much needed rain this weekend. Anyways, I’ve had a pretty full week, despite (or maybe because of) this being the first week of not working. Here are my frugal accomplishments for this week:
*Now that I’m done with my full time seasonal position for this year, I’m now working on some much needed chores that need doing at home. I started with defrosting, cleaning and reorganizing our 2 upright freezers. Both were pretty full, but I managed to force everything into one plus the fridge freezer which the other was defrosting, then switch everything over to defrost the other. Quite a job of hulling a bunch of frozen foods, but in the end it will help the freezers work better and I culled a few items that had been in there just a little too long. Not much waste though, I’m happy to report! Oh, and we have more room in the freezers now…funny how that happens.;)
*Last year I was determined to not buy any pre-packaged “school treats” like granola bars and cookies. It was a success for the most part. I was able to bake up treats and freeze them in individual serving sized portions on a regular basis, so my daughter had a nice variety to choose from. This year I have decided to continue with this. I started with making pumpkin snickerdoodle cookies since I still have quite a bit of cooked pumpkin puree in my freezer from last year (here’s the recipe link: http://www.cookingclassy.com/2014/10/pumpkin-snickerdoodles/). We all really liked them, but they do take a little more time commitment than I would like for ever day baking. They might be better as a “Christmas cookie” type recipe.
*Back in the end of July, I was convinced by my co-workers to do a “Historic Walk” production at my work (they stroked my ego and I caved…I’m such a sucker!). Anyways, this involves me actually acting in one of the skits along the walk (thankfully my part is small and only had 3 lines to memorize…phew!). This week was our dress rehearsal on Tuesday first time in front of a group, which included people from the press, and our first 2 official shows were on Thursday and Friday. My husband and mother-in-law were able to attend the dress rehearsal for free. They said they really enjoyed it. The first show was full with ~19 people in attendance and the second had ~17 people in attendance.
*Collected green and wax bean pods and more pea pods that had gone to seed from my heirloom plants.
*Gleaned 4 ripe tomatoes from the gardens at work. No one will be using them at this point in the historic village, so at least they won’t go to waste at our house.
*Home cooked meals this week included tacos, cheese, bacon and tomato sandwiches, homemade pizza (pizza dough made in the bread maker), a ravioli pasta dish baked with cheese, and cheddar smokie sausages ( from freezer – bought on sale last Christmas) with scalloped potatoes and broccoli. We also enjoyed a large chicken pot pie from Costco (which cost about $10, but totally worth it in taste) which fed 5 people with one big slice left over for my daughter’s school lunch.
*My husband and I celebrated our 16th wedding anniversary on Sept 11. On our second wedding anniversary, the 2 trade towers went down…we never forget our anniversary. This year, due our busy schedule this week, we decided to wait and do something special together the following week on my husband’s day off. I bought a movie pass at Costco for $23.50 which includes 2 adult admissions, 2 large fountain drinks and 1 large bag of popcorn to share…a really great deal and we don’t have to fight the crowds on cheap night!
*Attended a big charity event at our local mall. We bought tickets to the event a couple months ago from a friend who is involved in one of the charities that would benefit from this night. The mall stayed open late and almost every store offered discounts on almost all in-store merchandise. I was able to do some serious Christmas shopping for my daughter and I bought some things for myself (including some much needed knee high socks for work)!
*As usual, gas prices spiked just before the long weekend. However, I was able to hold off in getting gas until the prices dropped down to under $1/litre again. Yeah!
Can’t wait to read everyone’s comments. I love all the ideas that are presented here. I never know when one will inspire me to try something new (sometimes in the most unlikely of comments). Have a wonderful week everyone!
Wow, that fondant turned out great! I always worry about trying to dye things red. Seems like they always come out too pink for me. I am heading to Home Depot for some spray paint for a project (much cheaper than buying new, right?). Now I wonder if they’ll have any plants clearanced out that I could use. Thanks for the tip!
Here’s how I saved last week: http://www.mediumsizedfamily.com/5-ways-weve-saved-money-this-week-3/
Well done with the fondant for Liberty’s birthday cupcakes! It pays to be creative and flexible. We enjoyed The Hundred Foot Journey recently too. I am fairly awful at dividing plants, and need to remind myself to do this. The Awakening of Miss Prim sounds just like the kind of story I would enjoy. Thank you for sharing it. Joining in here: http://abelabodycare.blogspot.com/2015/09/persimmons-pawpaws-and-frugal.html
I love the picture with the cupcakes and the Harry Potter gifts. Sounds like Liberty had a great birthday.
This week was more of a spending week than a frugal week, but I stocked up on a bunch of things and tried to get the best deals I could. My new job is going well and I am enjoying it. However, I am doing a lot more running around on my days off to get things done. I think when I am settled into the position more, it will be easier.
Frugal accomplishments:
– A few months ago, I received a letter saying my car was caught up in the airbag recall. I had to wait for the parts and an appointment, but the work was finally completed last week. The dealer let me use a brand new loaner car. I only drove 10 miles in the loaner so I didn’t bother to top off the tank (I really hate pumping gas), figuring I’d have to pay the 25 cents a mile penalty. But when the attendant saw I had only driven 10 miles, she waived the fee. The service department also replaced a broken light socket (cost under $10) and washed my car for free. Glad to have that all done.
– My garden is just about done for the season. I picked my last beans (2lbs) and took out the plants. I collected lettuce seeds while I was there. A lot of work needs to be done before winter, and I plan on planting some lettuce (I already have some kale that will overwinter in the garden, plus some chard and green onions on my patio). Hopefully I will get this done in the next few weeks.
– I decanted the apple cider vinegar I had been making from the damaged apples at the park. So far, I have a gallon and a half. I probably have enough apples in my fridge to make another quart. Not bad for foraged apples!
– On a sunny day, I was able to dry towels outside one last time. Now the rain has started, so I probably won’t be able to do this again for a while.
– My mom gave me some kale and some sausages she wasn’t going to use.
– My boss gave me a $5 Starbucks card.
– I stocked up on two-pound blocks of Tillamook cheese at QFC for $5.99. A few days later, they went on sale at Fred Meyer for $4.99, so I bought two more. I have a lot of cheese in my fridge. I also got two pounds butter for $1.69 a pound (Fred Meyer).
– I went shopping at a local Indian grocery store, which has a huge selection of beans, legumes and spices at very good prices. Our area has a significant Indian population because of the tech industry. The store smelled so good! It is so fun to walk down the aisles and see exotic things they have on offer.
– After reading about it on a blog, I decided to buy a small butane hotplate that can be used indoors when the power goes out (not uncommon in our area). I didn’t know these types of cookers could be used safely inside. I did a bunch of research online, and decided to buy a highly rated Japanese one. We have a local Japanese grocery store, so I went there to buy the cooker and four cans of fuel. One day soon I am going to read the instructions and try it out so I know how to use it.
– Finally, I bought a new laptop to replace mine that is on its last legs. I don’t need anything fancy, just something reliable. I found a good deal at Best Buy. Now I just have to find some time to set it up.
Hope everyone else had a great week!
What a great find on the trumpet, Vanessa! I hope your son loves playing it and he gets a few years of use out of his “new” trumpet!
You can’t go wrong with a Harry Potter birthday party!
I ordered makeup online since the brick and mortar store for this company never seems to have the on sale items that I want in stock. Powdered foundation was on sale for Buy 2, Get 2 Free and would have been $28 total for 4. My daughter and I use the same shade, so buying 4 wasn’t that big of a stretch. However, the day I ordered, the price online was $5 each, so I bought 6 for $30. I also bought 4 blushers (again, a B2G2 sale) and 2 eyeliners at regular price, taking my total to just over $50, which gave us free shipping. They included a free product and some samples that will go in my daughter’s Christmas stocking. This means we are stocked up on makeup, except mascara, for about 6 months AND I didn’t have to go to the store and be frustrated by the lack of product, saving gas, time, and my sanity. It took 4 days to arrive.
I peeled, cored, and sliced a half bushel of apples and froze some in 4 cup bags for baking during the winter. I also froze 11 cups that I will use to make applesauce in October or November when the weather is cooler and I have more time because the gardening season is over. I did the same with a quarter bushel of pears that I picked for free from a neighbor’s tree. I still have to can or freeze some peaches and will do that tonight. I plan to buy more peaches this weekend along with tomatoes and maybe apples. I will also pick some more pears. While I’m preparing all these items to freeze or can, I will continue to ask myself why I do this and then remind myself that it’s because the end product is so good.
I went without cable TV for 2 years because I didn’t want to spend the money on it while my daughter is in college. I did have Verizon FIOS high speed internet so I can work from home when I choose to do so and a landline phone because there was no net cost to it. It was time to renew my service contract and long story short, it ended up being $2 less than my current internet/phone service (and $12 less than the lowest renewal cost they offered me) to add a limited cable TV package. It’s not HD and doesn’t include a DVR (those would have raised the bill $25) but it has all the local channels and subchannels (I’m hooked on channels like Grit, Decades, Get TV, and METV), a sports package with ESPN, BTN, NFL, FS1 and FS2, NBCSN, and CBS Sports Network, a news package with Fox News, CNN, HLN, etc., and some extra channels including HGTV, Food Network, etc. The shopping and religion channels are also included. For those of you who want to cut the cord but don’t want to lose certain channels and you can get FIOS in your area, this might be the deal you need IF you can also ditch HD (there is a quality difference but I can live with it) and the DVR. Even if you add those, it might reduce your bill overall if you are willing to give up the full cable and go with the basic service with 2 channel packs of your choice (you might not want sports or news after all).
As a result of renewing the service, I had enough points with the Verizon rewards program to order a $25 gift certificate to the restaurant chain that includes Outback and Bonefish Grill. I plan to use it when my daughter in home from college in November or December, likely for curbside takeaway.
I’ve borrowed some dehydrator books from the library to get the most from the Excalibur dehydrator I recently bought. I like most of them but am having trouble deciding which one to buy. Any suggestions on the book or books you find most helpful for a beginner dehydrator are greatly appreciated.
Found 5 lbs potatoess for .98 cent,
Check out Aldi. Will grocery shop there.
Saturday had a together and ate free lumch and my daughter got gift certificate for 10.00 to the local food joint.
Packed lunch for my daughter and hubby lunch.
Stay out of the store for most of the week
Had 34.00 mperk credit and used it towards new pants for my hubby.
-Using sales, coupons, and rewards points I was able to purchase two long sleeve tee shirts and a small toy for my nephew’s birthday for only $2.66 out of pocket.
-Stuck to my grocery budget for the first time in months!
-Purchased the last 3 things I needed for my oldest for fall/winter at Salvation Army. Now all 6 children have everything they need until spring.
-Went thrift shopping with my mom, mother in law, and sister in law for my birthday. My mom drove and bought lunch. My mother in law provided dinner that evening and my mom made a cake and my dad made homemade ice cream. It was such a wonderful, frugal day and I’m thankful for extended family who knows how to bless me!
-Used the library to get several books and two dvds we are using for homeschool right now.
-Thanks to your tip in your 72 hour kit post, Brandy, I went to Harbor Freight and picked up one of their wool blankets. My mom and I are both sewing things in the near future which we needed wool for. I’m going to try using this blanket for my project and see how it turns out. If it works out well, it will definitely save money because that is a good price for wool blend fabric!
Yum pumpkin! I’m glad she had a nice day. You always give them such a nice day.
I made pumpkin cupcakes with cream cheese frosting to celebrate the first week of school. I used oil instead of butter and made a half batch. I find a dozen cupcakes is really plenty.
We found a good deal on some toys, some we are keeping and some we are resellign, we should double our money for very little effort.
We saved 25 dollars correctly diagnosing our son with compliainitis and not an ear infection. Incredible how the onset of symptoms was when I was scolding him.
I was able to make it though the whole week, and only had to buy milk, cat food, and two preplanned exspenses. So that was great. I also sold one thing online. I packed our snacks for a car trip.
I hand washed a lot of dishes so I would not have to go to the store for more dishwasher soap(normally anything that fits goes in the machine to help my eczema).
I really barely have to go to the store this week, but want to stock up as we are near where the Pope will be and I am NOT driving in that. If you even can drive in that, a lot of roads will be closed. Ugh. Traffic.
I “babysat” again. My husband went to a family party after the chidlren’ s bedtime and I stayed home, saving us forty dollars on a sitter.
We got a fee reversed on our credit card. If you can believe it, we paid our bill too early and it counted as paying twice for August and not September, so my husband called and they took off the charge.
I bought wrapping paper for 50% off, in a neutral color as we have many birthdays upcoming.
We were shocked to find that some toys I thought were worthless are selling for over fifty dollars each online. Sooo I am very happy to let them go, I have many as I used to collect them and got them frequently as gifts. We are learning to always check ebay before we get rid of something.
My iphone contract is up next month and I am getting rid of it, never again. I’m getting a little flip phone, we are trying to choose the company.
Beautiful – all of it! It is nice to read she wanted the Harry potter theme again. My nephews once they see/do something they never wish to repeat.
This week, my husband and I battled a stomach flu, thankfully at separate times so one was healthy enough to take care of the other. It was one of those 72 hour bugs where you really think going to the ER might be the best option (thankfully not needed). We made the oral hydrating solution that was mentioned here – that really helped.
I canned 4 pints of homemade tomato sauce from ingredients from my garden. I am hoping to get 4 more pints before my tomato plants die. I had 2 cups of sugared peach juice and a cup of peaches (from canning peach slices) – I canned 2 half pints of peach jam.
We had a wonderful rainy day Saturday, I took time to listen to a thunder storm.
I hope everyone has a wonderful week!
It was 105º last week. I walked there right after sunrise, when it was around 80º 😀 Thankfully the store is always open.
I think it’s because it is a gel color; they are stronger. They had two shades of red and I chose the darker one. It is a thick coloring.
I’m so glad you have a way to make a hot meal when the power goes out! Such a simple and easy way to be prepared. Good for you!
I was able to turn off the AC because of much cooler than normal temperatures. We’ve had most days around 80 this past week and the last two were in the upper 70’s. So very nice! It’s supposed to warm up into the upper 80’s this week though. I’m hoping to just get through it and leave the AC off.
I made our bread this week. We are going through less because the kids are in school. I made your oatmeal cookie recipe and it was a hit! I also made pumpkin bread.
I made all our dinners at home except for one. Dh and I went out to a cheap dinner (Wendy’s) before the adult session of stake conference. We had a real treat in that Elder Bednar was here and spoke to us. So wonderful!
We went shopping Saturday night at Sam’s and bought several things to fill the holes in our pantry. I am feeling good about where we are right now in our food storage. I feel good about being resourceful and creative. I went back to Sam’s club today to get some things they were out of. I went to Aldi to get a few things and while I was there I found ham for 89 cents a pound. I bought four. That will last us many meals. I also saw potatoes for 29 cents a pound but decided to leave them. I’m trying to wait for a cheaper price. I have one more shopping trip planned this month. I don’t usually shop this much but I want to get prepared for winter. Then I won’t worry.
Those are cute cupcakes! Have you ever tried a marshmallow fondant recipe? I’ve never made it but heard it works great and is much cheaper than buying fondant.
I am amazed that you can walk to a store rather than drive in 105 degree heat! That would knock me out flat. Even 90 is really hard for me to take, but I’m used to cold weather so it’s all relative.
I continue to stay frugal by shopping the sales and using coupons. Last week, I found $0.50 Barilla pasta, $0.66 BBQ sauce, $0.98 Maybelline mascara twin packs, free Hot Tamales candy, and $0.25 Hershey’s candy. All of my deals with pics can be found here: http://thejewishlady.com/super-savings-saturday-91215/
Let’s see…It’s been a while since I have commented.
1. Stocked up my pantry and freezer. Our grocery store had a great sale on pork chops (.98 a lb.) and I bought 3 large packs.
2. Decorated my house for fall with stuff I already have. I did not buy anything new this year as of yet and if I do, it will only be a couple of hay bales for the front yard. My son’s school will be going on a field trip soon to the pumpkin patch and each student will get to pick out a pumpkin so I will either use it to decorate or to cook part of our Thanksgiving meal with it.
3. Had a long, overdue, serious talk with my husband about being more frugal and prepared. We are already pretty frugal, but we can do a lot better with being prepared for disasters and such. We are now working out plans for 72 hour kits and other things to be prepared. Thank you for all of your tips on how to build a kit and to do it for less!
4. We are now only eating out twice a month and that is with coupons we got in the mail. We were eating out at least four times a week, mainly on the weekends. Saturday would be all three meals out. This past Saturday I made pancakes and bacon for breakfast, tacos for lunch, and popcorn chicken, pasta salad, honey mustard sauce, and ranch dressing all from scratch for dinner. I was quite pleased with myself on that accomplishment. Eventually I hope to completely phase the eating out altogether except on special occasions.
5. Last Friday, I planned to buy lunch in our school cafeteria. When I got up to the register to pay, one of the ladies that works in the cafeteria told me that I did not have to pay for my lunch that day. That saved me 3.25. I normally bring lunch everyday but forgot my lunch on Friday.
I’m sure there’s more, but that will do for now!
I walked there right after dawn, so it was around 80º.
Hello! Your rosemary plant is beautiful, I am hoping to find one this year 🙂
-Stayed home all week, other than work. One tank of gas lasted me two weeks with 1/4 tank leftover! 🙂
-I did not grocery shop at all last week. We used items from the freezer and pantry and got creative with leftovers.
-I made milk to add to the whole milk in the fridge, yogurt, granola, chocolate syrup, hair gel (using hot water, gelatin, and essential oils for fragrance), and “chocolate” bars from a recipe I found on Facebook using coconut oil, cocoa, maple syrup, and a dash of salt. It was delicious! My husband made a chicken/rice/cheese casserole, chicken and dumplings ( My daughter helped me make the homemade baking mix). We obviously ate other food but these are the most memorable. He made biscuits and gravy using bread we had a package of premade sausage gravy found deep in the freezer. I took leftovers to work for my lunches or sandwiches with fruit and oatmeal or yogurt/granola for breakfast.
-I renewed our library books online to avoid a trip. The book you got, The Awakening of Miss Prim, looks very interesting so I reserved it at our library. It should only take a day or two for it to come in then I will return the other books.
-The kitchen received two HUGE donations of breads last Friday. They filled up the store room then begged Staff members to come take some. I took a huge bag of french bread, a huge back of yeast dinner rolls (large rolls good for sandwiches), a bag of various types of donuts, and some whole wheat rolls, and a bag of sliced white bread from a bakery. I won’t have to make or buy bread for at least two weeks. I need to get some large bags to freeze the bread in tonight.
-I sorted and washed my daughter’s winter wardrobe. I did not store her summer clothing yet because we could still have some warm days.
-I drank water, hot tea, coffee, or free coffee (while at work).
-I discovered the carrots in my crisper drawer had gone back ( black spots and mushy). These were only two weeks old so I am not sure what happened. I managed to save 3 and cooked them for supper last night. All food waste was composted.
-I reused an empty, medium sized dog food bag for trash one week ago. It wasn’t quite half full but was getting stinky so we put it in our outside garbage can. That is all the trash we had for a whole week! I am so proud of us 😀 !
– I made more citrus vinegar that will be ready in two weeks.
-I line or rack dried all clothing except one small load of towels and family cloth. I did not have room to air dry them.
-I continue to look for more ways to save water and electricity. I use the saved water in the garden.
– I planted beets, broccoli, and lettuce for a fall crop. Hopefully it’s not to late. I have not had luck with beets or broccoli but hopefully 3rd times a charm! We harvested tomatoes, basil, parsley, kale, and pumpkins. I have processed the tomatoes and one pumpkin. We are trying to save the other pumpkins for Halloween and will process them after that. I discovered I do not like the taste of swiss chard. I harvested lots of it and gave it to a co-worker who has turtles who LOVE all greens.
-We received some Menards rebates in the mail.
-I found a battery store in the next city over that recycles batteries and lightbulbs for .99 per pound. The only other option is to take them to the “Hazardous Waste facility” that is at least one hour away. The next time I go into the city I will take the batteries/lightbulbs into the store to recycle. I have about one pound of batteries and three lightbulbs. I also took some old expired vitamins and expired nasal spray and put them in the medication disposal box at work. These are then taken to the local police station for proper disposal when the box is full.
– I continue to turn things off when not in use, save water in a bucket for the garden, flushing, etc. It rained twice last week so I only needed to water some specific garden plants. I use a bucket so I can pour the water directly on the base/soil so I use less. I have not finished my handkerchiefs but hopefully will this week.
Have a great week everyone!
I was able to pick basil, peas, tomatoes and beans from the garden. I live in upstate, ny and my garden is winding down, but it has been a wonderful season. I was able to inventory all of the produce in my freezer and I am quite pleased with the amount of veggies we have stored. I will probably only have to spend $40 on veggies all year since our garden was so productive.
I bought more past on clearance at Aldis for .49 cents box. My first trip last week I bought 14 boxes/lbs, after discussing with my husband, I went back and bought 20 more boxes while running another errand. I was surprised to see that there was still some left this week so I bought 10 boxes/pounds.
I also bought a couple of cans of black beans that were on sale for .39 cents a can. I never buy canned beans due to the price, but after the discussion on using water/ fuel to cook beans in an emergency situation, I felt that a few cans of beans (esp. at this price) would not hurt to have on hand.
My husband and I went to a harvest festival at the winery down the road from us. We learn lots about the types of grapes they grown and they had a great demonstration on how they make vodka. It was wonderful to learn so much information.
Picked the last of the grapes & continued to dehydrate them. We harvested 384 clusters from the Red Reliance grapevine this season. Reclaimed the sink water from soaking the trays in between loads to use on the garden & berry beds.
Harvested Early Girl & yellow pear tomatoes & continued to put them up as tomato jam. Buried the small bit of kitchen waste from cutting the tomatoes for jam in a perimeter bed to compost in place for next season.
Bottled the rest of the prune plums & the last of the pears. Made one last pear clafoutis from fresh pears.
Continued to clear the back fence line, on both sides of the #1 field fence that is there, to have it ready for the new fence to be installed.
Worked on the baby blanket for a new little granddaughter due soon.
Picked & ate a butternut squash from the garden that had split the skin, so it would not go to waste. Picked green beans twice & used them for dinners.
Used gift cards to buy a new toilet seat & a bag of weed & feed fertilizer from Home Depot for no out of pocket cost.
Bought quite a few items at our case lot sale for our oldest daughter. She checked the prices here, since I emailed her the price list, & the prices where she is (she lives about 3 hours away) at the exact same store – Macey’s. The prices here were less – a lot less. I spent $225 on the food, including tax, & the receipt said that I saved $108.78 (off the regular prices), We figure she saved around $50-60 on top of that, by having me buy the items here, then her reimburse me. I was planning to visit this week anyway, so gas cost was not included.
I haven’t, but I have heard the same thing! I had white fondant leftover from a previous try, so I thought I would use a bit of that. I bought the earlier one with a coupon. I really do want to try making it. I hear it tastes better, too!
I also noticed that Hobby Lobby sells a big bucket of white fondant, so I suppose if you had coloring and wanted to make a bunch of other things, you could do that, too.
I actually have a bit of gel fondant leftover in other colors (I no longer had red) so I might try making something up with some of what I have, now that I know I can color it with it.
Our winco gives you a discount when you bring your own bags!
About the chard–have you tried it with lemon juice? That is the way I like it. In soup with other items I don’t mind it. Plain, though, I don’t care for it!
Ours used to give .06 a bag but they discontinued that earlier this year, unfortunately.
I keep forgetting to thank you for the Duolingo recommendation! I’ve been using it for a few weeks now, and am communicating with my Cuban parents-in-law much better!
Here are some of our other frugal accomplishments this week:
We used our airline miles to get plane tickets for my in-laws to visit us in Austin at Christmas (So, I need to keep practicing my Spanish!). Two non-stop tickets from Las Vegas for $22.50, on the airline that lets you check two bags free 🙂
I put a bucket out during a summer shower to collect rainwater for our indoor plants.
Husband got a new-to-us bathroom sink (it has a little crack that we can repair, and it’s so much prettier than our current sink) and some used-but-still-good fence planks from a neighbor.
When our pawn-shop lawnmower battery died, I looked up how to replace the batteries inside the casing for 2/3 the price of buying a whole new battery. And less waste, too!
I took advantage of a free brunch buffet at a work event, choosing the healthiest options.
We had a friends over for a fun double-date playing games at our house. We made food and they brought drinks, so it was a very inexpensive afternoon.
Husband cut his own hair. Honestly, it looks just as good as the $26 cut he sometimes gets.
I went to a free Deputy Voter Registrar training in my county, so I can now register Texans to vote. It doesn’t save or make us any money, but it’s a nice way for me to be of service in my community, and I can work tables at lots of fun events, too!
We watched a free DVD from the library, and I reserved some books I might have been tempted to buy.
What a great deal on the gloves, Brandy! And your potted plants look so lovely. Your garden is amazing, as are your always-beautiful photos. Thanks for sharing your accomplishments and lists. I’ve learned so much from you!
Here’s my list:
-Our weather cooled sufficiently that we went without the air conditioner for a few days. It was so pleasant outside and nice not to use “bought air” but I know it means winter is coming. For some reason I am really dreading the cold this year.
-We received about half a gallon of cherry tomatoes from a volunteer plant that grew near our church facility. We enjoyed the tomatoes with several meals and I saved more tomato seeds.
-I picked tomatoes and another fall cucumber. We had BLT’s with bacon from the freezer and a wonderful tomato & cucumber salad.
-I picked our first pumpkin.
-I tried several new recipes that I had pinned on my “Recipes I’d Like to Try” Pinterest board, including one for homemade “Goldfish” crackers and another for homemade “Velveeta” cheese. They were very good!
-I dehydrated banana slices for snacks and then dehydrated the banana peels to use as garden fertilizer.
-I received a free soft drink, a free candy bar, and a fuel discount with my rewards card.
-I found more pantry items on clearance and took the opportunity to stock up.
-My husband patched a large section of curb damage at the end of our driveway. The city was supposed to repair the curb a year ago and hasn’t done it yet (the curb is the city’s responsibility and the driveway is ours), so he thought he should do it before winter weather makes the damage worse. He learned to do concrete work on our three mission trips so the only cost was for the float and the concrete mix. He already had the other tools. We weren’t happy to have to pay for work that should have been covered by our city taxes but we decided the cost of the repair would be less than the potential damage to our vehicles if the repair remained undone.
I wrote a series of articles about the Pinterest recipes I tried and posted them at AChatOverCoffee.com.
It was a super busy week here. I am Thankful for the Following :
I combined trips for Sam’s club and My daughter’s art School open house. I had purchased a Sam’s club membership a few weeks back when it was $45 through Living social ( I shopped through ebates first to receive the rebate). When I first activated the membership they said it would be a few days before the free food items would be loaded onto my card, so I waited and rec’d those items this week. They at first did not come off but I waited in line at Customer Service and received the refund. Filled out several free sample forms from freebieshark . I rec’d several samples of feminine hygiene products In the mail (all with coupons). I combined the received coupons with sales to stock up on needs (This has been on my stock up list, as we have 3 teenage girls and myself so this is a big expense if not purchased smartly). Was able to buy reduced chicken breast for $1.30 a pound for freezer. Helped a friend do cleaning in her home (I clean vacation rentals to pay college tuition for our eldest 2 children), the money she paid me allowed me to purchase shelf stable quarts of milk $1 each, 25 lbs of flour, bread flour and sugar. I collected bell peppers and basil from the garden. I replanted basil seeds and collected seeds for next year’s bell peppers. Redeemed 2 coupons for free Lindsay natural olives. Picked up several books and DVD’s from Library for the children that are homeschooled. Bartered for a pair of jeans for my son, he is the only boy out of our 5 children,so no hand me downs :(. Mailed off one rebate and received a rebate check In the mail. Paid my life insurance bill online to save postage, bought my Husband’s contacts online and again shopped through ebates first. My biggest frugal accomplishment of the week came with a notice in the email from our local Grocery store stating that I had won a prize for filling out the survey about my shopping experience. The prize to be mailed within next 6 weeks is a $250 grocery card and 1000 meals donated to our local food pantry. I hope to receive this in time to combine the card with sales and coupons during the holidays and in turn I can allocate that grocery money elsewhere. I hope everyone has a wonderful week!
What wonderful looking cupcakes for Liberty’s birthday! It’s great to read the cupcakes and hear of marshmallow fondant -I’ll have to look that up.
So hot in your area! Our weather is cooling off here but we are still harvesting from the garden. Here is a list of my frugal accomplishments here:
http://vickieskitchenandgarden.blogspot.com/2015/09/my-frugal-ways-this-past-week-91315.html
On Labor day, I canned 14 pints of tomatoes, cleaned out and reorganized the freezer and inventoried the contents to know where I needed to stock up. I also started cleaning and inventory the pantry in the basement. I had some food waste and bottled items where the seal was broken.
I’ve picked tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, beans, cabbage, and rhubarb from the garden. Gave a bag of tomatoes and a cucumber to neighbors.
Made eight pints of freezer puttanesca sauce.
Took all lunches to work and did little driving during the week, so I didn’t need to top off the tank.
Paid off the mortgage for a rental property!
Went to a free concert and a free lecture. Took a rhubarb crisp and cabbage salad to the concert.
Harvested radish seeds.
Exercised most mornings.
Read books from the library. Also finished the second season of “The Indian Doctor”, a PBS mini-series that a friend recommended. Really good. I started the third season last night. I borrowed it from my library.
Forgot one thing. A plastic shoe rack in my closet snapped. Replacements are about $39, although they don’t make the same kind. I tried super glue, but it wouldn’t hold. But I used two blue rubber bands from some produce and it’s holding just fine!
The marshmallow fondant worked beautifully for the large mouth bass cake I made for my Dad’s 70th birthday and it didn’t taste too awful either.
We camped this last week so not much frugal stuff went on at home since we weren’t here. However, on our drive home to restock and head to our next campsite, my hubby and I were patting ourselves on the back for how little we spent on our 5 days away and not 20 minutes later, the axle broke on our pontoon trailer. So there we sat on a Sunday on the side of the expressway. The whole tire and rim sheared right off. Not a tow company was open or willing to help so we ended up dragging it to the off ramp and around the corner of a side street – NOT FUN! We called and left a message with the sherriff letting them know that it wasn’t abandoned and told one of the home owners and we drove home – almost home and the bus (rv) tires started wobbling. The rest of our trip has been cancelled. Thankfully, my FIL knew someone who is rebuilding an axle for us today so we can get it home for only $150 which is MUCH less than the $800 we had estimated!!!! Come to find out, a very thin strand of wire had gotten wrapped around the axle next to the wheel and must have heated up and cut thru or didn’t allow the tire to turn. Now we have to check the bus to see if that is what happened to it as well since the problem is on the same side as the sheared off trailer tire. Fun stuff! At least we were able to get home and there is no damage to the pontoon itself or the motor – we worked hard to get that boat!
I picked another 1/2 bushel of tomatoes from the garden, some purple broccoli and 5 peppers. The garden is pretty much done now other than a few squash.
I opened the gate to the garden so the poultry can now go in and clean up the last few tomatoes and get all the bugs that are in the tall grass areas that I just couldn’t keep up with this year.
Not much else other than the usual cook from scratch and make it do!
It has been another great frugal week here…I feel so grateful since this is giving me the opportunity to pay down some more debt!
*Will it being Labor Day last Monday I did not have to travel to work so that saved some gas money and also the price of gas has continued to drop so that is a double win in my book
*I have been tempted to join a gym lately since they have been running a promotion for free enrollment and only $10 per month for a year. I find it very hard to push myself to go outside when it is so hot out and exercise. The weather is starting to cool down some so I think I will be able to hold off on that temptation and get myself out and walk more now
*Once again with the temperature cooling a bit it has been nice to sit outside. Had a nice night to sit out with some friends and also sat outside with a good book a couple of times. With a trip to the local library I was able to relax and enjoy a good book
*I didn’t have to do a real food shopping this past week and may not have to do one this week also! I re-organized my freezer so I could see what I actually had on hand. I found a bagel and a muffin that I had forgotten I had put in there so I had “breakfast” for a couple of days that seemed like a “treat”. I also found a couple of links of sausage and I turned that into a nice pot of soup. With some chicken broth, chopped spinach and a can of small white beans it was delicious and cheap. I served it with grilled cheese sandwiches made out of homemade pesto, garden tomatoes and mozzarella cheese.
*My garden is still producing tomatoes, eggplant and basil. I had to pull out the zuchinni and strings beans already. I really enjoy going out to the yard and picking produce and am always sad when it gets to the end of the season. This year I did plant butternut squash so I am looking forward to having that in the fall. Want to consider planting more things for the fall next season. I am going to have to start researching how to grow more items now.
Now off to read about everybody’s frugal accomplishments!
I bought 10 lbs. of apples on sale for $.47 a pound and made some applesauce to freeze. I also dehydrated a bunch of grape tomatoes. My husband and I used a B1G1 coupon we had to have a date night. We had a family night one night, we popped popcorn and watched a netflix movie.
The way we like chard – chop it then steam till almost soft. Then drain thoroughly. Meanwhile mince some garlic (we grow garlic, so always have lots). Heat a little olive oil, add the chard and garlic and give a quick stir fry. My DH can’t get enough that way. We also add to pasta instead of spinach. Again with garlic and olive oil, a little pasta water to make more sauce (and make the oil go further) and maybe some mushrooms and green onions if I have them. Chard is one of our favorites! (Of course, my DH is Italian, so anything with garlic, olive oil and pasta just suits him)
Mandy – I’m not a fan of plain chard either. I harvest it, freeze it in ziplocks and then add it as a layer in lasagne or mixed with cheese and stuffed in pasta shells. To freeze, I take cut out the center rib and then blanche the greens in salted water. To use it fresh, I like to add it as the last ingredient in a stir-fry. A friend uses the fresh green part, not center rib, in her smoothies.
Nancy, I will have to try it this way! That sound wonderful!
My husband isn’t crazy about chard either, but I tried your chard soup recipe and he liked it very much. Says he now believes it IS edible. I prefer it plain myself, with a little butter and vinegar. It’s easy to sneak a little into soups and stir fries, where they are likely to think it could be spinach, and it’s mixed in with other tastes also. I often add it to ricotta cheese for lasagna or stuffed shells.
What a lot you accomplished!!
This weeks frugal-ness:
* participated in a bulk buy for 30# green beans which we processed and froze
* I used my new slicer to slice bulk bought cheese ~ love it!
* shopped around for best prices on my daughters college textbooks. We were able to buy a couple used and over all I think we did well on prices. It’s nice to have options!
* we are still getting some tomatoes from our garden but things are starting to take a turn towards cooler temps and I think we are near the end 🙁
* packing lunches and sending reusable water bottles
My sister makes the marshmallow fondant and it is much cheaper and tastes much better. It is very simple to make. If you go to the Wilton cake decorating site and type in rolled marshmallow fondant. I don’t like the taste of regular fondant, but this one is really good. You can also use the gel food coloring in it and it works great. She did my son’s 16th birthday cake which was a three tier Sherlock Holmes cake and a lot of it was red and it did fine.
We’re in the process of buying a new house and needed a refrigerator. We’d been looking at brand new ones but they were all in the $2500 range. On Saturday we came across a scratch and dent appliance store and found the exact model we looked at in Lowes for $1300 with just a small dent in one of the handles. My husband was able to negotiate that price down to an even $1000.00 saving us almost $1500! I can go online to the manufacturer in the future and order a new handle if I want but for now we’re not too bothered by it.
I took advantage of a promotion the dealership offered and got my yearly car inspection for free.
I got chicken legs and thighs for .99/lb and bought 10lbs to freeze
We did the same thing with a violin. Bough a 3/4 when my oldest was in 3rd grade. She used it for 2 years, middle child used it for 2 years, youngest used if for 1(she quit after that) and my niece used it for 2years. Only needed it for elementary school. Middle and high school lend them for free. We got our money out of it and it still is in good shape. Just got our middle child a full size last year. He is in high school and wanted it for the summers. He loves it and takes great care of it.
I have Eczema also, it used to be very bad. I found once I switched to all natural products for anything that touches me, it disappeared (I am allergic to chemicals). Of course, these products are usually expensive which is why I make as many myself that I can. I purchase Seventh Generation dish soap. I haven’t had a break out in years other than a stress induced spot on my hands here and there. I hope you find relief soon!
I have tried putting it in several different dishes but I can always taste it. My husband won’t eat most vegetables (seriously – corn, peas, green beans are it) and my daughter didn’t like it either. I am just glad I got to bless some turtle friends and not just throw it all in the compost pile. 🙂
I’ll have to try those ideas with the last bit I have growing. I tried putting it in a smoothie already, it was horrible. I absolutely LOVE Kale though! I add it to everything.
Your garden is so pretty. I love the way you keep extending the plantings by dividing them. I spread petunia seeds from spent blossoms in my pot on the patio. This morning I had a lot of new little plants started. Here’s what I did to save last week. http://bluehousejournal.blogspot.com/2015/09/in-my-home-this-week-season-of-savings.html
I also did a second post on my wardrobe options for fall. I am shocked how much mileage I’ve gotten from three tops and two sweaters thus far. I’ve never had a large wardrobe, but it’s been a long time since my wardrobe was this small. I am amazed at how basics plus accessories can equal so many ‘different’ outfits.
I can’t stand it in smoothies. I think it’s too strong.
I don’t like kale, but if you love kale, are you growing it? It should grow all winter in most places without any covering!
Happy Anniversary Rhonda! Your cooking sounds good, too, especially the scalloped potatoes…one of my favorites.
Hello Brandy and all from Australia.
My frugal accomplishments are –
In the garden
– Found a supplier of bulk manure and purchased a huge trailer load and saved $45 and got twice the amount.
– Purchased bulk lime for the garden and saved $20.00 by buying it in a 25kg sack.
– Purchased bulk urea for the grass for fertilizer and saved $45 by buying it in a 25kg sack.
– Bought a whipper snipper on ebay with money earned from odd jobs and saved $600 on the local prices we get here from shops.
– Bought a blower vac from ebay from odd job money and saved $100 on local shop prices.
– Purchased bulk seasol and saved around $20 by buying it in a 10 lt bulk container.
– Blown the garden budget but these will last 6mths or more & will take it out of future weeks pays.
– Picked broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, peas & turnips from the garden to eat for tea.
I love your mum. It is gorgeous.
Brought lunch to work each day.
Made pizza from dough in the fridge.
Froze salsa made last week. Got 7 quart and 6 1 1/2 pint containers.
DH picked up 2 buckets with lids from a bakery. Traded some excess tomatoes for them.
Picked grape tomatoes. Cut in half added olive oil, salt, pepper, dried basil and oregano (from our plants) and then put 4 trays in the dehydrator. Have so far dried 16 trays of grape tomatoes.
Made BLTs for dinner twice. Just one slice of bacon per sandwich to give it some bacon flavor then a lot of tomatoes and either lettuce or cucumber from the garden.
Washed all bedding including comforters and mattress pads and hung on the line. this was probably our last real warm day until May or June of 2016.
Cut DH hair.
Made popcorn for a snack while watching a movie on Sat. night.
Sent instructions to son, who is looking for ways to cut his expenses, on how to make a chicken from Costco last all week. He works plus coaches and goes to school, so time is important. He is getting his education degree so he can teach math.
Made a quinoa enchilada casserole. Vegetarian and DH loved it.
Picked cucumbers, chard, carrots, tomatoes, corn, herbs, zucchini, peppers and green beans from the garden.
Worked on Labor Day, so will take an extra day off after my busy season is over.
Aw! The Harry Potter theme is always cool isn’t it? I’ve made my own version of butter beer a couple of times and the daughter loved it, got some frog molds to make chocolate frogs, etc. I think I’m going to knit her a Hogwarts scarf as part of Christmas too. I think she’ll get a kick out of it.
My list for the week can be found here…
http://makedohomemaker.blogspot.com/2015/09/frugal-friday-money-saving-weekly-recap_11.html
Our week wasn’t entirely frugal. My husband had to go and put new tires on my car. He did get a good deal though. He got $60 off for buying the set and a rebate of another $60. The best part of this is that a few years ago we would have put it on the credit card and paid it off slowly but since we have been putting money aside for such things, we were able to pay with cash.
On Saturday night my husband and I babysat for our two grandsons while our daughter and son-in-law went out. We almost always go their house so the boys can be tucked into their own beds without having to wake them to take them home. My daughter always has a nice dinner for us to eat. It’s a fun night for us plus I didn’t have to cook.
I was able to get a 3 pound bag of McIntosh apples (my husband’s favorite) for 99 cents, chicken thighs for 78 cents a pound, and cauliflower for 99 cents each. These are all very good prices for my area so I stocked up.
I made yogurt in the crock pot.
I harvested some cilantro and Swiss Chard from my garden.
Got books from the library. Requested the Awakening of Miss Prim.
And I did all the usual-washed used Ziploc baggies, made our meals from scratch, combined errands to conserve gas, turned off lights when leaving a room, and washed large loads of laundry.
well, everything including salt is a chemical, but I take your meaning. I have been battling eczema for 15 years now and have tried most things. I actually found seventh generation dish soap made it much worse, I have better luck with Method. But I have the best luck with no dishes at all. hahah. sigh. Anyhow, it’s a balancing act. I’ve been having a flare up for months and trying to spare my hands vs my budget is a moving target. I already don’t eat a lot of acidic foods, take warm not hot showers only three times a week, use gentle cleansers, am careful with laundry, etc etc. But thank you for thinking of me.
I went to DSW to spend a $10 coupon they emailed me. They had summer print socks on clearance. I got 12 pairs of socks for 94cents OOP. We stopped at Panera a couple blocks away. I had a free coffee rewards and my SO had a free bakery item, so we split that and had a nice little date for free. I stopped at Publix and used a rain check and coupons to get 4 Nivea bodywash for $2.78 total.
I finally hooked up a webcam to my computer after reading about Skype here. We bought the camera years ago when my son was taking classes online and his computer didn’t have a built-in webcam. My father was able to Skype with my daughter which he LOVED when we brought him over for Labor Day BBQ. He was amazed!
For Labor Day, We grilled burgers for my father and son that I got free from a mystery shop. Made homemade pasta salad, corn on the cob, watermelon, homemade brownies (corn, watermelon and buns were from Aldi). Served the brownies with a scoop of ice cream from SaveALot and then drizzled raspberry sauce and fudge over the top that was leftover from a catered lunch at work. Very frugal holiday!
I completed a Pinecone survey.
On my way home from work I did 2 mystery shopping assignments at grocery stores. I’ll get reimbursed for what I bought and a small shoppers fee. I purchased some things I need for Rosh Hashanah.
I ended up with $22 in surprise points at Kmart. I got 4 bath towels and 1 hand towel on sale and paid $1.88 OOP.
I got a pineapple in the CSA and planted the top. While I was in the pineapple patch, I noticed another pineapple we planted last year fruiting! I now have 25 pineapple plants. I weeded around the fruit trees and added mulch. I dug 4 trailing lantana that were too large for their space and put them in pots to bring to work to gift to a co-worker (I’m transitioning to all edible landscaping). I took 4 cuttings from my porterweed to also bring in to work for her. Her finances are tight but she would like to do some landscaping so this will help her out. I also have a banana plant flowering! I added to the compost pile and turned it.
I continue to bring leftovers home from work from catered lunches. I bring coffee from home or drink what they make at work instead of buying one on the way in. I’m surprised at the number of people at work that will walk over to the Starbucks in the hospital and spend their money on a fancy coffee drink rather than drinking the free regular coffee from the pot in the kitchen at the office. Got a free spray hand sanitizer reps from the hospital were passing out.
I always love hearing about your birthday celebrations!
We went over finances this last week to see where we can save and focus on paying off debt. We applied and were approved for a credit card transfer with $0 transfer fee for 15 months. This is our first time ever doing this, but the payment is well within our budget and will save us over $1,000 in interest within those 15 months and ‘force’ us to pay it off!
We also put a deadline on ourselves to get everything out of our storage unit by December. Now that we bought a house this summer no more excuses! . this will save us $30 a month. I already was there this week and brought back 1/4 of it to go through – donate/keep/throw out.
Looked over our food budget- spending way too much. I am setting myself up a stricter budget and although I meal plan, I had not been FIRST going through the pantry. This week I WAY less than I did last paycheck! I need to keep track better and crunch numbers more often.
My nephew was born last week and I met him today!! He has a namesake of my father and grandfather. My sister (this is baby #5) looks GREAT and she had a great experience with a home birth and 2 hour labor! I gifted her some baby clothes, I bought her a $5 mug for tea, gifted a comforter that no longer fits our bigger bed, and brought her a breakfast meal and a freezer dinner meal.
Gas tank lasted 2 weeks!
Immediately did our Lowes rebate upon returning home for $10 from buying a gallon of paint.
I bought pizza from the store for convenience rather than be tempted to order one. I need to make up some ‘pizza packets’ for the freezer.
Homeschool is going great! our first year. using lots of free homeschool print outs from the internet, found a math workbook at family dollar for $1.
Exercised at home with Calvin with weights that he bought me for Christmas .
Sold a lot of my sons pjs that funded his next size up. Sold our Keurig. Sold 2 items on ebay (shipping keeps eating into my profit grrh). Lists more on Ebay.
Congrats on a fantastic win ($250 grocery gc)!
Kelly, I am retired from Federal Prison system. I was an RN. What prison do you work at and what is your position?
Love, love, love the HP themed birthday. And somehow Brandy, you always manage to make things elegant. You have an artist’s soul!
Glad to report that just today, I was offered a four month temporary position, so starting next week, I won’t be unemployed. It’s been a bit scary, but so thankful this opportunity has come up.
Here are my accomplishments:
[list=]
[list]
[*] Received a dining room tables and chairs free from a friend’s daughter who no longer needed it. I had given my friend a Cameo Portrait machine I received as a gift with purchase – she gave it to her kindergarten teacher daughter, who then offered me the furniture
[*] Learned how to take the legs off the table so I could move it myself, saving big bucks on hiring someone to do it for me
[*] The weather was cool (and somedays chilly) so I didn’t need the A/C and I held back from using the heat even though I woke up to 64 degree temp inside one day
[*] The Great British Baking Show started up again on PBS (the prior week’s episodes are available on pbs.org); Not only is this entertaining, but I always learn things. The amateur bakers were making breads this week, and I learned about proving and other kneading techniques
[*] I needed a new color printer and decided to get a laserjet since I don’t print photographs at home. Costco had a really good deal on the perfect model, but I couldn’t get one in a store. I used Best Buy’s price match guarantee to purchase one from my local store and thus avoided shipping fees
[*] Got a really good deal on gas last week (don’t faint – $2.49/gallon is cheap where I live)
[*] Met a friend for a nice walk instead of spending money on entertainment
[*] Did the usual simple, home cooked meals, hanging out laundry, etc.
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Have great week all!
I separate the stems from the leaves dice them then dice onion and carrot and sauté the stems with the onions and carrots in bacon grease or oil. I then add the leaves and a little chicken broth, crushed red pepper and freshly grated nutmeg(that’s the secret), salt and pepper(and bacon or ham if I have any). My whole bunch, husband, kids, parents, nephews, siblings gobble it up. It has replaced our mustard greens for thanksgiving and is coming close to taking over the place of green beans and we also use it to make pot licker soup. Oh and that pepper sauce that was mentioned weeks ago is awesome with it, that and a slice of cornbread.. Makes me hungry now!!
One of these days, I’m going to walk to our local super market, just to see what the journey entails (12 miles one way). One never knows when one might have to walk to the store.
I’m sorry to confess, we don’t like it either, unless I really work hard to disguise it:) My poor husband thinks it tastes like dirt! The problem is, it grows really, really well here, and overwinters well, or I would just give up the fight to find ways to use it.
So, I do like many of you do–cut it really fine, cook briefly, and add to the cheesy part of lasagna or shell pasta filling, put a little on top of an egg pie (like a quiche with hash brown crust instead), a tiny bit in soup, etc. So, as long as I don’t use very much, and cut it fine it will go down. Also, I bought a light green variety that said it was much milder and have some growing. It is much more lemony-green, vs. the bright green one I planted in the spring–we’ll see how it tastes.
I remember a friend of my mother’s burying a row of compost along her fence, digging a new hole each time she had a bucket full. I still remember wondering why she was doing that!!! We just dumped ours in a pile. But, now, being grown-up, I can see that it would be a wonderful way to make compost, especially in an area with strong wind, or no place to make a pile.
I am grateful for the resourceful people who post here. I learn something new every week.
This is what we accomplished this week:
Monday – puttered around the house and the yard in the morning then spent the afternoon out in the bush.
Over the weekend, we prepared several meals from our garden. Roast pork with roasted potatoes, leftover pork with mashed potatoes and gravy and Shepard’s pie.
Picked up an extra day of work.
Started working on a new winter quilt. I should have enough scraps leftover from years of other projects that I should not have to buy any new fabric (that would be a first!)
We took a truck full of stuff to the dump and the recycling ($3.00 saved). The neighbor kids came over with some pears from another neighbor’s tree. We let them pick their full of tomatoes from the mutant tomato plant and dig for potatoes. They really enjoyed digging for their dinner and playing in the dirt.
Found Helman’s mayonnaise was on sale for 3.97 and I had a coupon for $2.00 and I get a dollar back from Checkout 51! I don’t think I’ve ever bought name brand mayo for .97 cents before!
Stopped by and visited with my mom and she gave me a dozen eggs from her chickens. Harvested honey from my beehive before the bears get it all before heading out to a work function (dinner provided!)
The week ending with another quiet weekend at home. Worked on my quilt, started a couple of dresser scarves for my bedroom using a wool fabric from my stash and downloaded a couple of free cookbooks.
I hope you all have a great week.
We went camping last Thursday and returned Sunday. I was very hesitant and a little worried about how I would do camping in a tent. We own a very nice camper! BUT, a friend was going horse camping and invited us along. I’ve never camped in a horse camp, obviously, since I don’t own a horse, but the sites were enormous. This particular place did not care if you had a horse or not, so we were near our friends–hence the tent vs. trailer. We ended up having a ball. We went to Lost Lake, near Hood River, Oregon. There are no stores nearby, except the overpriced lodge store. So, we did not spend money when we stated in camp. We took food from our home, garden, etc. and ate that. We caught fish a few times and ate them. Besides the normal sized ones, my husband caught a trout that was between 19 and 20 inches long! I cannot tell you how exciting that was. It was delicious. We fished, hiked miles, swam in the lake, sat by the fire, etc. We brought our own wood from home.
On the Saturday, we did take an excursion. We drove about an hour from our camp, to the other side of Mt. Hood, and found the living history pioneer camp we had wanted to go to. Although my husband got a map, directions, etc. the road was not well marked once we got down into the canyon a ways. At one point, we were going along through the woods on a narrow road wondering what we were thinking, but suddenly popped out of the woods and there it was! There was one U.S. Forest Service covered wagon (restored), some people dressed as pioneers, and several “stations” where we could learn about the pioneers. They were set up at a place where ruts came up out of the river (I’m pretty sure they were actual ruts leftover from the Barlow Trail). They were cooking over the fire, making butter, carding wool, etc. I loved it and the rest of the family did too.
We did use extra gas, but otherwise, we took snacks from the campsite. (There are no fast food places while going around Mt. Hood, or deep into the forest–so I got no complaints, or hints:) ) On Sunday, we went home down the Columbia River Gorge. We took the money we had not spent and bought ice cream, etc. and, best of all, a salmon from the Indians in Cascade Locks. They often set up under the bridge there, and sell extremely fresh fish they have netted from the Columbia. What a treat! They filleted it for us and we took the bones as well. Tonight, my husband barbequed those bones and got enough for our dinner. We froze the rest. (It was around 17 lbs.–a beautiful fish) The lady said she had reduced the price to $5/lb because it was getting late in the day–but who knows if that was just a sales pitch. Anyway, that’s a good price for salmon around here.
Today, I started back to work. Because I teach piano to mostly home-schooled students, about 1/2 of them were still not ready to start until next week, giving me a nice, slow start-up for fall. I worked some this summer, but it’s nice to start making more $ again with the increase in students in the fall. I picked a lot of produce from the garden. I weeded a little bit in the raised beds with the fall crops. My meals this week are planned around the garden and the chicken my husband barbequed tonight because we caught fish and ate them instead during the camping trip. I also have some chili leftover we will have this week.
I’ve been making lots of sack lunches these days for people to take with them. I understand that for most of you, taking a lunch is second nature, but for us, we still struggle at times to get everything done and end up buying a cheap, bad-for-you burger or taco. I always get sick from it, and hope to continue our trend to lessen that choice, for health and financial reasons. Because the kids love to do it, I’ve been just calmly letting them know that we are cutting back so they can take dance classes, and they are fine with it so far. I’m hoping that we have a few less appointments in the future with our youngest, since DHS will be less and less involved with us, and that will give more time to be home cooking. We will still have therapy appts., ortho, ADHD doctor appts., regular doctors, dentists, etc. and her CASA worker is still going to come out until the adoption is finalized, as well as the certifier, and probably a worker occasionally. BUT, there are no more once a week visits up to the DHS office–whew! This has all added up in a large cost of time over the last 2+ years and that takes a toll on my efficiency at times. I also have my 19 year old who doesn’t drive and works 30 minutes from home. And the 15 year old, who is active as well with many activities. We do take lots of lunches, but sometimes can’t seem to get one packed in time. (Trust me, I’m glad I’ve met their needs and fed them–no grief over the burger on those days–but I really hope to get back to my old ways where we never or rarely did that) I have plans for the money saved, too, which helps me stick to the goal better.
I really liked The Hundred Foot Journey movie, too. Had a chance to see it last year at a free preview screening. And I need to figure out how to use the free music downloads available through our library.
Last week, I: cashed in Register Rewards at Walgreen’s (on the last day before they would have expired) and had a 35 cent transaction. Since I had three Register Rewards coupons, I made sure to buy three things, and they came out very close to the dollar values of the RR: feminine supplies ($4.29 –$4.00 RR); turkey bacon ($1.49 – $1.50 RR); Milky Way candy bar ($1.00 – $1.00 RR). The candy bar is a treat for DD, age 9, before she gets braces later this month, because she is worried she won’t be able to eat lots of her favorite foods/will miss out on Halloween candy.
Had a free lunch as part of a work event. Another free meal as part of a welcome picnic on Sunday at church.
Took DD to soccer pictures; the registration fee for the association that you pay at the beginning of the season gives each family $8 in photo credit – enough for a team picture and either a button or a magnet of your player.
Thank you, Athanasia!
I tend to use the drops. I will have to look for a good, dark gel the next time I need a nice red. Thanks for the tip.
It also deters rodents in the compost.. that’s why we stopped composting. Our city 2 years ago had a serious rat problem. I think I either have mice or rats in my shed again.. not seeing them but my dogs are digging at the sides of the shed which tells me they are after something. I hate putting poison down because if the dogs got hold of whatever ate it, it could make them sick but having them there is a issue too. We’ve tried mouse traps, rat traps to no avail they are sneaky little things somehow manage to eat the treats without tripping the traps.
Hi – do you have a special recipe for freezer puttanesca sauce? I have had the sauce a couple of times and really enjoyed it! Thank you 🙂
I love the Harry Potter gifts, as I have enjoyed all your Potter birthdays! They are just always just so well done. This week I was able to pick up carrots and onions for .19 per pound and picked up a really promising cook book (Quick, Thrifty Cooking) at a thrift store. The rest of my week can be found here: http://livingwithinreason.blogspot.ca/2015/09/weekly-steps-forwardand-back.html
Was gifted 8 stuffed chicken breasts, hot wings, and a casserole of sausage, meatball, potato, and peppers from a meeting my husband attended. Which fed my wonderful family, Sunday lunch, Monday night’s dinner, Tuesday nights dinner, and one lunch! So happy to have such a thoughtful friend and feeling blessed that I didn’t have to cook AND it saved us about $30.00 on our weekly food budget. Have also been blessed to have a neighbor with a wonderful garden that often leaves us bags of surprises that greet me when I come home from work.
Upon re-entering the workforce full time I was faced with the daycare question as school has begun. My parents were gracious enough to care for both my kids this summer for FREE but I don’t want to inconvenience them during the school year. My daughter is going home after school (she is in 7th grade) and my son who I used to pick up after school is taking the bus home! I didn’t think he would like it since he is on for about an hour but he loves it; which gives my daughter a bit of freedom before she cares for her brother. My husband and I are both home shortly after the bus arrives. Savings us a TON of money, giving them a sense of responsibility, and freeing my parents up to visit when they want.
While doing some fall cleaning I brought clothes to a consignment shop and made $22.00; which will be added to the vacation fund! The kids were a great help freeing up space in their rooms and helping me with the sale and donating the remaining items. I still have more to do but am making great headway.
Was able to save 58% at CVS while buying items we needed for our home with my daughters help.
Also was able to use gas points to pay $2.19 a gallon for gas which is great where I live. Bonus, since we have two cars again; no more double trips so the tank lasted my two weeks :0)
That is a fantastic win!!! Wow, 4250 free groceries. Hopefully that will stock you well through the holidays – and you can save your grocery money for holiday or bills. CONGRATS to you!
We find peanut butter works the best, just a tiny smear, because they have to lick it off if they want it. We get field mice every fall.
I had a quiet week again, but I managed to list several savings: http://ahomeinthecountry.blogspot.com/2015/09/weekly-savings_13.html
I used to, but can’t find it. But I used a recipe I found online by Mark Bittman, made a large batch and just froze it. Basically it’s tomatoes, anchovies (even though I don’t care for them they enrich the sauce and you can’t really taste them), garlic, Greek olives, capers, and red pepper flakes to taste. Cook it until it reaches the consistency you want. I put mine in pint containers and freeze. You could always use zip lock bags too.
Good luck!
It’s been the same here in MS… So nice after all the 90’s!! I’ve had the AC off since Saturday even though we’re hitting about 85 now. Unfortunately I don’t think we’ll be able to last through the weekend, as we’re forecast to hit 92 again. I’m so ready for fall!
September is the least frugal month for me but I am trying to embrace it. I am very frugal most of the year so it is ok. I am just so busy at work now (until the end of September) that it is hard for me to be planning / prepping / etc. I am eating many lunches out (still choosing cheaper options), I am bringing my water bottle with me though so spending money just on meals and not soda / coffee or tea.
I also received a nice gift bag with the ‘bag’ being the nicest thing out of it. Perfect for grocery shopping. This was my biggest ‘score’ this week.
My weekly update is here:
http://www.brooklynbasedgirlfriend.com/last-weeks-frugal-accomplishments-17/
i love hearing the bday ideas when our kids were still home from when they were little i would every bday cover the frig door in paper and i would go thru pics and pull the ones i wanted for the frig poster from baby to current of the birthday girl we had two girls i would tape the pics up from back as to not hurt the pics then i would write silly things under for example one daughter is playing dolly with a doll who has bad doll hair and is mostly standing up i would write something like do you like my doll’s hairdo I did it myself they would always squeal with joy over this poster yrs after they left home they would ask do you have my poster up every yr was a surprise to see what it would be. Even now i write a birthday letter to the person on their day be it children husband gr children in my journal they love it that there is a letter to just them.
frugal things i have really no choice to be otherwise on our budget got husband home from hospital he gets better each day used the last of the yogurt today so i have another batch going.
while i stayed up with him in hosp i would make one run home a day exactly fifteen miles i would tend the cats and get my meds a shower change of clothes and clean things for him as well i would pack cheese and celery sticks took crackers too but was always too busy to eat them i stopped at the store to get bananas for breakfast they had a special for slightly tipened so i got those and took several ea day i did not have to purchase meals. I would read what all you were doing that helped pass the time along with knitting on Christmas gifts i was in the middle of making our oldest her bday gift so i was able to finish i was skeptical the whole time but you know they were quite wonderful celtic heart knots of course it was like fighting an octopus but they are pretty i think she will like them i also made some knitted cord you know the kind you use to make as a kid with wooden spool and for nails French knitting i have heard it called then i made same celtic heart knot only this is a necklace i hung a tear drop bead I had that matched at the bottom of heart and put closure behind neck area…..was pretty i threw in rasp jam her fav with popovers and filled in the box with a few things i had that the grand kids could play so that is my week in a nutshell we now have hot again weather for a few days a nasty trick after some beautiful fall weather days.
Thanks Becky, we’re excited!
Thanks Cheryl! It wasn’t too long ago that I was wondering what on the holiday menus that I wasn’t going to do this year due to the cost of butter, eggs, milk etc. Now I can add a few of our favorites back in. I feel very blessed and thankful! Our eldest 2 children will be home from college on break and I know they’ll enjoy the treats!
Thanks for the cheese and butter tip! I hadn’t seen a Fred Meyer ad yet this week because we were camping. So, my husband and probably the girls stocked up in there on both. The $4.99/2lbs for cheese and $1.69/lb for butter prices don’t come around too often, so when they do, we buy a lot. So, I think he bought 6 or more bricks of cheese-several varieties and 6 or 8 boxes of butter. I froze the butter, but the cheese keeps for months in the fridge–I’ve done it lots of times. I’m just deciding if that is enough. It has been a few months since I’ve seen that price. I may use the food processor to grate some up to freeze if I get more.
Also, the cereal was $1.50 and included gluten-free cheerios and some other kinds. After my husband bought them, the register spit out a $2 coupon if you bought some more, so he did, making that batch around $1/box if I understood him correctly. I was down to the last couple boxes of cereal, which was not a crisis because we rarely eat it, but it’s nice to be stocked again. Our last child, who came to us at age 9, was raised on cereal so loves it and begs for it. It is sure a quick breakfast when we are in a hurry to get her out the door to school! The rest of the kids really don’t like it much, but there are times…..
I noticed that the 7th Generation products are 40% off. I get the dish soap because a couple of people around here handle it better than other soap (rashes, etc.). I hope to get some tomorrow or Thursday. My husband also bought some bread for those that eat gluten around here–it was a good deal as well and I am so sensitive to wheat that the last time I let a daughter cook with regular flour (she spread it around pretty freely–it “pouffed” all over the place) I was sick for 3 days.
Thanks again for the tip.
I have read this book also, while offering it to my mother. And I enjoyed it a lot. It’s so sunny.
This week, friends gave us some mulberry jam. Grandma gave us some rhubarb jam. We fixe the vacuum cleaner : 54 Euros not to be spent !
Great Job! I love the way the cupcakes turned out!
This week I have been using up what is in our pantry rather than grocery shopping. It has made for some interesting dinners.
I happened to wander into Target the other day and all of their craft kits were 50% off. I snagged a few and now my daughter are almost all set for Christmas and Birthdays (and I only spend $40) 🙂
I made almond milk the other day and saved the pulp to make almond flour (which I promptly put in my peanut butter cookies!)
I have stopped eating all meat, dairy and eggs. It really has saved so much money on our grocery bill (even now with buying more veggies), not to mention I feel so much better!
I have already decided what I am giving each family member for Christmas. Now I can keep an eye out for sales and deals from now until December to make sure I get the best price on something I know they will really like.
I like chard prepared the ways mentioned, but I especially like bitter greens like chard or kale prepared with a little added sweetness. I thinly slice an onion and caramelize in a little olive oil. Add the chopped and washed greens, saute until bright green and then add a little chicken broth (or water and bouillon). When greens have significantly reduced, add a handful of raisins or cranberries. Braise until tender and most broth has been absorbed. I finish it with a little bit of balsamic vinegar or balsamic glaze. Sometimes I add crushed red pepper and/or garlic. This is our favorite way to make greens and is good on it’s own or tossed with pasta (add a little extra olive oil when tossing). Pine nuts and Parmesan are lovely, too, but I don’t always have those on hand.
Question about the Verizon Rewards program: I signed up a while ago because it seemed to make sense to earn points on something I was paying for — but whenever I log in to check my account, it appears that, while I can get a discount on gift cards, I still have to pay for them. Am I missing something? (Or possibly just spoiled by Swagbucks ….)
Earlier today, As I read through the original post and all the comments, I couldn’t think of anything interesting to add…I didn’t have any major frugal moments other than the usual, and was starting to feel disappointed. I know I am making a lot of changes but haven’t really felt like I have accomplished much. So I looked over my grocery spending for last year though sept, and compared it to this years spending for the same time period. Down 24 percent! And we have almost stopped eating out so our grocery spending would be more. Thanks Brandy for your blog, and thanks to everyone who adds their interesting comments. It is wonderful to have a way to learn new things.
Try cutting up sweet potato and put it some place the dogs can’t reach but the rodents can. I read about this on Mother Earth News and it worked for me. Sweet potatoes are toxic to mice/rats.
This week has been a crazy one but it coulda been worse. My surgery went fine and I was waiting for the Dr. to release me the next day. Came home and thankfully my mother washed two loads of clothes and was able to stay the first night back to help with the kiddos so my husband could return to work. While I have downtime, it certainly has been tempting to tackle all of these todo’s I have on my list but my body keeps reminding me I’m not as young as I once was.. My DH had a car accident Monday, she is ok, but it am not released to drive so her daddy had to check on her and I of course was on pins and needles even though she had called and said she was alright. A drive crossed into her lane and hit her rear tire sending her into a spin across two lanes and ending in a field. Thankfully no one was injured and the only damage to our vehicle was a bent rim. This stretch of highway is very busy in the a.m. And how she managed to spin like that and not hit another driver is a God thing hands down. My mother and grandmother thought I needed to get out of the house so they grabbed me and drove me to the stores. I think it’s funny that they thought I needed a good time!! But I was able to find our boys coats for Christmas, they are camo, pack able down and usually very expensive. I was able to purchase both of them for less than $35. I also found a deal on pork loin and Greek yogurt. Then I came home and rested. I used a free redbox code for a chick flick movie treat since I am at home and used this time to get caught up on note cards that I need to write. Next week I will do more but this week I just went slow, which is hard for me to do.
Have a blessed week everyone.
I had a very relaxing week. Some accomplishments:
-Christmas shopping is done (except for a few bottles of wine I will pick up the week before Christmas)! All presents, including wine, come to a total of $104 for 16 people;
-Next year for Christmas, to keep it inexpensive, I have decided we will give framed artwork by our daughter or a potted plant;
-I picked an abundance of tomatoes from our garden and made a lasagne. I made enough bolognese sauce to freeze for spaghetti at a later date;
-we had tomatoes on our sandwiches and wraps throughout the week, and in an omelette I made us all for breakfast;
-I borrowed books from our library & took my daughter to an interactive singing & dancing session they held;
-all washing was line dried;
-no air-conditioning;
-only spent $35 on groceries for the week as we are trying to use up some food that we already have;
-I made a batch of cookies and froze half the mixture. The Cookies cost a total of 23 cents for all of them;
-I used overripe bananas from my freezer to make muffins;
-I am using items we already own for baby number 2’s nursery. Friends have graciously offered clothes and other goodies which we are happy and grateful to accept.
Enjoy the rest of your week
Wow! That’s great that you have finished your Christmas shopping, and for so little!
I saw some potted herbs at the grocery store recently. They often have them as gifts for the holidays. They are $4.99 each. For the same size pot, I can pay $2.99 at the local nursery for a potted herb right now. The only difference is the grocery store one is wrapped with paper at the bottom–which you can do rather inexpensively to make the nursery one fancy. I was thinking these would make a nice family or housewarming gift at the holidays.
Thank you, Rhonda! He has his first (free) lesson with the band teacher today! 🙂
I have never heard that about sweet potatoes being toxic.
Athansia
We have tried p butter like that they still get it. I have tried the traps and they are smart they won’t go in them. Tried tying bacon to the trap they still got them. I’ll give the sweet potatoes a try though and see what happens.
Awesome! My daughter is using our third generation flute.
I love these posts as they are so inspiring to me!
Made first of the Christmas scarves for gifts.
Helped son sell cub scout Popcorn. He is only 7 but knows if he wants to go to camp he will earn it. Long way to go but that is ok!
Daughter is making jewelry for a friend’s birthday gift.
Have been honest with my child’s teacher about our situation. Learned a “mystery benefactor” is covering the cost of the fifth grade trip this fall. Huge blessing as she probably wouldn’t have taken the trip otherwise.
Best of luck with your eczema, have heard it is not a fun thing to deal with.
How blessed to live near where the Pope will be. Only more blessed to be able to receive free tickets to see him.
Respectfully yours,
Mary-Katherine
Melissa , thankfully no one was hurt when this happened. Sometimes you only have seconds to react!
My daughter used chard the other night like stuffed grape leaves. She used a lamp mixer and it was wonderful,you can also use rice mix or any ground meat. place mix at bottom of leaf roll up put seam side down on baking sheet with sides drizzle with 1 tbs oil oil put 3 tbs water in tray to steam them. Cover with foil bake 15 to 18 mins at 375 degrees. We love them and am not a huge fan of chard.
Lorna, too bad you don’t live around here…you could get all the manure you want for
free…just go down any country road and watch for the “free manure” signs.
Hi Robbie and so glad the mystery benefactor came forward to pay for your daughters camp how wonderful and what a blessing for your whole family. Heavenly Father and Jesus bless us when we least expect it at times, because he knows us, our situation, and loves us.
For me I would be saying a quiet prayer to say thank you and really thank the school teacher on the quiet as well to pass on to the benefactor your personal thanks too.
Remember Robbie that this is just a temporary situation, and that your financial situation will change when the time is right. Challenges are there to help us grow stronger and in most cases help us to do things more frugally than we would have thought to do in times of plenty.
Hi Athanasia yes that would be good . We have friends with farms who said we could come and take their manure for free if we collected it and shovelled ourselves from the paddocks they have. Unfortunately with my husbands injuries by the time we got there and shovelled it into the trailer my husbands back would have collapsed due to injuries, and I would be doing all the shovelling with bad shoulder injuries.
We are paying now only $20 now for 3 cubic metres of the manure and they load it with a frontend loader into our trailer at the transport company we buy it from. We then get it home and tip it off our tip trailer into the back yard on black plastic for the gardens which are right next to our gardens. Previously we were paying $55 per cubic metre so it was a saving of $145 for us and it will last a heck of a long time.
No back breaking work, husband doesn’t walk like Quasimodo for a week and live on pain killers, I don’t walk around with one of my shoulders out of it’s socket and dragging lower for around 3 days in huge pain either. Yeah problem solved :).
I am looking for a recipe for a Bisquick type mix. Here Bisquick has increased in price quite a bit, to over $5 a box, and I think I canmake it cheaper. I use it when I am in a hurry and there is a recipe for coffee cake that my husband swears no other mix or recipe duplicates in terms of the flavor he likes. I tried looking through your recipes, Brandy, without luck. If I missed it somehow or you have a recipes you use, please post it. Thank you.
Mable,
I don’t have one, but I seen them often! Check out Pinterest for recipes; I am sure you can find some!
Hi Mable and here is the link to a bisquick recipe I have found online, this is one I am about to try out shortly when I have finished planted out our spring gardens here.
http://www.creativehomemaking.com/articles/042504a.shtml
Just click on the link above and I hope this saves you some money with your grocery bills. Things here in Australia are getting hugely expensive too for our mere pensioner budget as well, so we try to make most of our goodies and treats from scratch here at home to make our money stretch a little further as well.
Thank you, Lorna!
This is a homemade Bisquick recipe I made for the first time last week. It worked well in the recipe I used it in.
2c flour
3 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 tbs shortening (calls for butter or margarine, but I used Spectrum All-Vegetable shortening)
Mix all dry ingredients in food processor. Pulse 15 seconds, then add shortening and blend until mixture resembles fine crumbs. Use as a substitute for Bisquick. Keep in a cool dry place.
Most welcome Mable,
I hope it helps.
I just discovered your blog again today as I used to read it long ago but lost track of it. Anyway, you mentioned purchasing fondant and I wanted to tell you that you can make it very easily! Here is the recipe I use with great success (not my blog but a great recipe):
http://www.annies-eats.com/2009/07/06/andrews-first-birthday-party/