The Bible, books and old brains!

I am a lover of books. Not just any books... but books that will draw my heart closer to God. I love biographies and instructional books!  It's my one weakness, as Dorcas would say in Larkrise to Candleford.

Sweet Williams are still blooming

 

As much as I love godly books, I love God's Word a hundred gazillion times more! My heart swells when I think of the priceless value of His Word. His Word has changed my life! Period! End of story! It just has!

Every area of my life has been touched by His Word. My marriage, my emotions, my thought life, my desires and my goals.  But, far greater than what God has done in me is the treasure of learning more about Him through His written Word. There lies a joy that matches none else. 

Broccoli plants for winter

  
So I am excited to share with you one of the sweetest little treasures on the internet that is helping me hide God's Word in my heart. My long time beloved friends, Kim and her husband John, have a wonderful new website called REFRESHINGS CHALLENGE.

  

Refreshings are described as, "... a surprisingly simple and effective method to renew our minds and saturate our hearts with God's Word (and other related helpful things), using condensations from a repertoire of bible studies we've done, skills we've learned, and helpful things we've condensed from other people."

This is how I have used their website. I picked out specific teachings and Scriptures that I want to be reminded of on a regular basis. I've chosen posts that apply to my life or teachings that I can use to encourage others.  After I  printed these posts I placed them in sleeve protectors and filed them in my REFRESHINGS NOTEBOOK under a category similar to the headings she has on her webpage for each post. The notebook sits next to my living room chair so it's convenient to pick up and REFRESH myself daily.

Raspberries are still giving fruit in my backyard

I've added other sections to my binder such as The Godly Woman. I need daily reminders of what Scripture says I should be doing daily with my time.  I've also added Scriptures on the sovereignty of God to encourage me during trials and suffering. Another goal for the notebook is to use it to battle weaknesses and daily temptations. 

Learning, knowing, memorizing and teaching God's Word is one of my greatest joys. I want God's Word to take the highest priority in my life.  The REFRESHINGS CHALLENGE is one easy way to guard what I have learned in God's Word throughout the years. This old brain needs all the help it can get. 

Dragon Tales

 

I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. Psalm 119:11 ESV

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God. Colossians 3:16 ESV


***

A Typical Frugal Day 

Here's what is happenin' in my neck of the woods:

1. My husband's T-Shirts are noticeably worn. I've been watching for sales but nothing has come along. I stopped in our local thrift store while the oil was being changed in the car. Lo and behold, I found 5 T-Shirts, BRAND NEW for $4.99. I had a 25% off coupon bringing the total to $2.99 a shirt. Thank you, sweet Lord! 

Lettuce ready to harvest. Chicken wire to keep cats away from snail bait.

2. I normally throw away the stalks of broccoli but decided to peel it and then use a grater to shred it. I added a slaw dressing along with cranberries. I had enough to use for a lunch salad from an item that normally would be thrown away.

3. Did you know that Nature Made vitamins has a reward program? I may have told you before. I enter the reward code on each bottle I purchase of Triple Flex from Costco. I accumulated enough rewards to receive a $7 coupon to use at Costco for Nature Made products.  The coupon can also be matched with Costco's sales which could drop the price by a total of $14. 

4. I cashed in my Swagbucks for a $25 Amazon Gift Card. Click here to learn more about Swagbucks. It's an easy way to make money by doing online searches. 

5. I read about an idea to line your fridge shelves with placemats but decided to buy the plastic shelf paper that does not have a sticky back. My mother has always lined her fridge shelves with tinfoil but it's an expensive habit because eventually the tinfoil tears apart after multiple cleanings. This shelf paper (it's made of a rubber type of material) can be washed and should hold up indefinitely. My shelves look so nice and clean. 

Shelf paper lining fridge shelves

6. I'm saving cooked chicken bones in a freezer bag to make broth. 

7. I live in my aprons. I have a few nice aprons and a few 'not so nice' aprons. I rotate my aprons as they get stained and worn. I keep a very worn apron in the garage to wear in the garden. Aprons save my clothes from spots and tears. I love my aprons!

8. My house was built in the early 1900's and I think the kitchen grout is probably as old. Maybe not but it sure looks old and dirty. I've tried several cleaners but nothing has worked. I found a tile renewal product/sealer at Home Depot by Polyblend called, Grout Renew. It comes in different colors. It painted and sealed the ugly grout on my kitchen counters and it looks almost like new. So happy with it! It cost less than $15. I used a fine tipped paintbrush instead of the recommended toothbrush. 

9. My mom and neighbor lady save their newspapers for me. I've started using coupons again to help offset rising food prices. I visit Coupon Mom on Sundays to see if there are any good deals for the week. Last week I was able to get cold meds for .99 cents. 

10. I used the library instead of buying a book that had been recommended to me. 

Saved, Stretched & Re-used!
- banana peels (buried around my rose bushes)
- coffee grinds (buried around my rose bushes)
- tin can tops (put in a bucket with water to make a fertilizer tea for grapes and hydrangea)
- dog food can (washed out and used to pour grease into rather than down the sink).
- egg shells, fruit & veggie peelings (compost pile)
- tea bags (saved in fridge, 3 used for new cup of tea and then thrown in the compost pile)
- LC tortilla bag, cranberry bag, broccoli bag,etc. (washed and reused as a baggie)
- Rubber band off of radishes and broccoli (washed and reused)
- Hair from vacuum (compost) 

That's all for this time. What are you ladies doing in your homes? Are you getting ready for winter? I've started pulling out my blankets and heaters to make sure they're in good condition.

Blessed to be home,

Geogene

Making Money at Home!

 I've been blessed with quite a few paid projects I can do in my own home. I am so thankful!  I finished 2 of the smaller projects this week.

It's hard to believe I don't have to work outside my home for the time being. I've been home most of our married life until the recession and then my husband's disability changed our financial situation. I only worked part time and was thankful for the jobs the Lord provided but my heart always longed to be home. It's hard on a woman to work outside the home but sometimes a necessity.  Things could change but it looks hopeful that I won't have to work outside my home in the near future. That is important to my husband and I. We both know from experience that our home is more peaceful when I'm not under the stress of outside work. So I continue to do my part by saving and stretching our income. Laine taught me years ago to consider it my part time job.

Our first and only cauliflower this year! It was huge!

Here are the paid jobs I'm working on now from my own home:

~ 2 microwave Neck Rolls (finished)
~ A bag for a wheelchair (finished)
~ Apron
~ Kitchen Aide Cover
~ Editing a dissertation
~ Organizing a ladies receipts for taxes
~ Took in the seams on a family member's pants (finished)

There are so many things a wife can do to make money from home if that is her desire. Some women enjoy working outside the home. Each family must make it's own decision.  But, if you truly want to be home you may be able to find ways to make money without leaving your house. Working from home may save you gas money, clothing expense, child care, lunch expenses and any fast food expenses from being too tired to cook.

Over my years as a homemaker I have done a long list of jobs such as:

• Sewed doll clothes and sold them at a beauty shop.
• Babysitting (Before and after childcare along with full and part time sitting)
• Foster care
• Typing
• Ironing
• I tested Crewel kits
• Sewing Projects
• Addressed envelopes
• I ran a used curriculum bookstore from our home for 10 years
• Managed a group of duplexes while receiving free rent in exchange. I also made money on the side by cleaning and painting them. 

I still strongly believe the best way to make money at home is to stretch the money that is already coming in. 

***

Here are just a few things I did at home this week: 

1.  A penny saved is a penny earned and that is one way I look at mending. If I can make our clothes last longer then it saves money (or a penny) because I don't have to buy new ones. I mended a hole in my  husband's sock and also mended some sweat pants.

2.  I finished cracking the pecans that were given to me months ago. I'm so thankful for any kind of free nuts because they are so expensive in the stores. I'll use them in my daughter in love's cake this weekend along with the German chocolate I found at an outlet for a dollar. I stocked up on a few boxes and put them in the freezer.

Sweet peas and cabbage

3. I like to collect new recipes. I was given this recipe for Salsbury Steak from a helpful gal over at Low Carb Friends. We liked it.  I was short one patty for a second meal so next time I'll make thinner patties. It's fast and easy to make.

4. I was so busy during December that I didn't make a menu. My grocery budget suffered because of it. So, I spent a half an hour making a 2 week dinner menu tonight. I went through my freezer to see what meat I had on hand and checked my pantry and freezer for vegetables on hand.

5. I froze the gizzard and neck from the turkey I cooked in December. I boiled them this week and I'm chopping a little every day to put in my dog's food. She loves it!

6. I saw a recipe using a bag of broccoli slaw and it reminded me of coleslaw so I made my own version. It was yummy! I've tried all kinds of recipes for coleslaw dressing but these days I just use 1 cup of mayo, 1 tbsp. sweetener (I use Erythritol) and 1 tbsp. vinegar. I added a few cranberries and pecans to the slaw.

 Broccoli slaw 

1 bag of broccoli slaw
1 cup mayo
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp sugar of Erythritol (or sugar)
Handful of dried cranberries
Handful of salted sunflower seeds or pecans or pistachios

Mix the vinegar and sugar into the mayo and then mix in the slaw. Add cranberries and nuts.

Here is another recipe I made this week. It's a keeper! I think we'd really like it on the grill, too. 

Chipotle Chicken

This chicken was very good and very spicy! My husband really liked it!

1 medium can of Chipotle peppers in Adobe
1 can of water
1 tbsp. vinegar
1 tbsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. salt (Kosher salt if you have it)
5 pounds of drumsticks (I used chicken legs and thighs)

Blend peppers and water and seasonings. Use 1/2 of the mixture and freeze the rest for another time or use some in your mayo for sandwiches. Marinate an hour to overnight. (I marinated overnight). Grill or bake on a tin foiled rack in a pan at 400 degrees for 45 minutes or until done. Rotate half way through.

Lettuce is so easy to grow and so inexpensive if grown by seed!

7.  Savemart was giving away free flowers today. I was blessed with a dozen red roses! Each day is full of God's little gifts to us if we choose to see.

8. Washed my own car and paid myself $8 instead of the car wash. I really dread washing the car in the winter months but the weather has been pretty mild this week so it wasn't too bad. I've never timed it but I can't imagine it taking any longer than 15 minutes. Pretty good pay for the time invested.

9. I haven't been to the thrift store in a few months so I stopped in this week and found a winter and summer  blouse. I had a 25% off coupon. I paid $5.23 total for 2 blouses. I can't see the sense in buying new clothes to wear around the house for everyday when I can find them so inexpensively at the thrift store.

10. Things I didn't throw away:

• Saved rubber bands off of the free flowers
• Plastic salad bag (washed and reuse as a baggie)
• Plastic wrap over mushrooms (reused as seran on sauteed mushrooms)
• Mayonnaise jar (Use to drain grease from a roast in before throwing in the garbage)
• Plastic shopping bags (reused as a garbage can liner)

That's it for this week. My son and daughter in love will be here tomorrow to help us rebuild our fence that is falling apart in the backyard. YAY! 

So I have a question to ask you ladies. What do you use as an inexpensive (but effective) facial cleanser and moisturizer? I need some ideas. I used to pay $50 for the kit at Bath and Body Works but I don't want to spend that kind of money again. 

Blessed to be home,

Georgene

Preparing to make less money

Life is forever changing. My part time job with Miss Alice will be ending this month. I'm so grateful for the time we had together and look forward to visiting her in the days ahead. She has become a dear friend.

It's interesting that we have been talking (in the comment section) about the 'unknown' and whether we should take on more work when it 'looks' like things maybe tight.. and here I am .. in just that situation. God is pretty amazing to prepare us for situations that we don't even know are on the horizon.

I don't know if I will take on another job outside my home in the future or not. My husband would like  to wait and see if we can make it without me leaving home. So, I've been praying and making some plans on what I can do to make money from home and cut back on expenses.

Here are just a few of my ideas:

1. Christmas is just around the corner. The bank automatically takes $25 out of our paycheck each month for a Christmas savings. This pays for the grandchildren's Christmas gifts. My plan is to make as many of the Christmas gifts as I can for the adults. I'm working on several of those gifts now so that I'll (hopefully) have a nice little stash of gifts by December.

2.The  grocery budget HAS to come down. There is no way around it since I paid for $100 (out of $360 a month) out of my paycheck. Here is my plan (if the Lord wills it):

• Buy 10 pound bags of chicken thighs and legs for each week of the month which will cost from .58 - .89 cents a pound. This will be our main meat but then I'll watch for low beef or fish sales (under $2 a pound) to fill in the rest of the week. One 10 pound bag of chicken will give us 4 dinners and several lunches.
• Eat 'clean'.
• Fix soup 2 times a week to fill in for lunches. 
• Use up frozen vegetables and fruit before I buy any more. 
• Bake Kevin's bread for his sandwiches instead of buying it. 
• Pay $12 yearly fee for the Senior Brown Bag.
•  Buy what I need weekly so that I don't use all my grocery money the first few weeks after paydays. 
• Keep back $10 each week to use for last minute items that I run out of. 
• Set aside $5 a week to stock up my food pantry with the lowest priced sale items. 
• Continue to find recipes that use smaller amounts of meat with more vegetables. Find more meatless recipes. 

3. Set aside an hour in the afternoon to do online survey's,  Pinecone Research, etc.  It doesn't pay a lot but it comes in very handy at Christmas time when I cash in my earnings.

4. Use another hour in the afternoon to work on my webpage.

5. Find recipes for household cleaners with ingredients I already have on hand. I found a recipe for a floor cleaner and a sink cleaner.

6.  Continue to grow vegetables year round and 'put up' any extras.

7. Make as much from scratch as possible unless it costs more like mayo.

8. Research cutting cable and internet.

9. Pray for God's grace to trust Him to provide in the days ahead as He has in the past... sufficiently and abundantly!

Do you see anything I may have missed in my list? Can you think of how I can make or save money in my home?

Amazed by His Grace,

Georgene

Exhausted from making extra money?

I've found that it's a balancing act when I try to make extra money. It doesn't really matter if it's outside my home or projects IN my home.  Too many hours added on top of an already full job taking care of my home and husband can begin to feel like a pressure cooker and I'm the one with the short fuse. 

I've had some experience making extra money.  I've done ironing, sewing, typing, babysitting and foster care all from home. I started my own used homeschool book business and ran it for 10 years. These are all things I did while my children were under 18 years of age. Recently, I've worked part time outside the home when my husband became disabled. I currently work 2 days a week/3 hours a day. I've never worked full time outside my home.

A few months ago I realized that working 5 days a week (even though it was part time) was putting me into a 'zone' where I was tempted to be irritable with my husband. We talked about it and decided to cut back my schedule to 6 hours a week. (There were other things that counted towards this decision too).  This has been the perfect amount of hours for me. I'd rather pinch pennies at home and work less hours and have peace in my home. Better to do with less. God gave us wisdom to know when to quit!

Don’t wear yourself out trying to get rich.
    Be wise enough to know when to quit. Proverbs 23:4 NLT

(I wrote an article on home businesses here). 

How I saved money this week at home:

1.  I made a list of leftovers and posted it on the fridge door. I lost a bowl of coleslaw last week and found it too late. Money down the drain. I plan to write any leftovers that go into the fridge on this list and check it before dinner each night. 

2.   I've harvested spinach, strawberries and broccoli from my garden. YAY!

3.  We've been pulling a weed out of our front lawn hoping that we won't have to spend $25 on a weed fertilizer.

4.  We don't have central heat and air so I'm always looking for ways to keep the house cool.  I've been cooking outside on a camp stove when it's hot.  I have a high BTU camp stove and also a large counter top oven in the garage. 

Boiling egg shells for liquid fertilizer

5.  I made my own tartar sauce (for the fish I fried on my outdoor grill). Mayo, ketchup and pickle relish. 

6.  I've been buying 2 boxes of canning lids from each paycheck so I'll have a nice stash by the time canning season hits. 

7. I packed away the electric blanket for the summer. My mother always taught me to not sit on electric blankets and store them away when not in use to help them last longer. 

8.  My mother gave me some flowers from her yard. FREE landscaping. 

How about you? Did you start any new projects this week to save money? I appreciated  your good advice for saving money on flea meds.

Mending: A Frugal Duty

I don't know a lot of younger people that mend these days. It's a shame because it really can save a family a lot of money. I remember my mother sitting at the kitchen table doing her mending. It was just part of her household routine.

I am not nearly as diligent about my mending as my mother. I have a mending drawer in my sewing room. If something needs to be mended or darned I just throw it in that drawer until mending day. I've been in this home since last June and mending day has not come.. until this week.

I enjoy mending once I start the task. It's just setting aside the time. My mending drawer was full so the time had come to tackle the job.

Mending really is a necessity for a frugal household. This is what I found in my mending drawer:

• 2 pants (I bought them at a thrift store. They needed to be shortened into capris). 
• Hanky (Hem needs to be sewn)
• Skirt (Like new, needs to be taken in).
• 2 undergarments (Mend a tear)
• A new blouse ( I've only worn it a few times because it's too big). 
• Blouse (Needs a snap sewn on)
• Dress (Needs to be taken in)
• 4 socks (Holes need darning)
• Apron (needs the tie sewn back on)

I would eventually have to replace these items if I gave them away.   I believe there is at least $80-100 worth of clothing in the list above. I'll save myself a lot of money once these items are mended.

I had planned on purchasing some new capris at the thrift store for summer. I had forgotten I had 2 pair waiting for me in the mending drawer.

A few months ago I mended my granddaughter's pants. She had a hole in the knee. You couldn't even tell it had been mended once I finished. She was so surprised.  I used to save old jeans to use for patches on my boys pants when they were young. I'd use a zig zag stitch to make a solid stitch over the patch. The patched jeans then became their play pants.

Here is a great video on how to do a 'blind stitch'.  This stitch can be done by hand. I did a search on You Tube for mending videos and there were a lot of them.

   
Hand sewn items go next to my chair in the living room so I can work on them in the evenings.

Do you mend your clothes? Do you have any tips to offer?

Frugal Friday: How I Saved Money this Week

It's been a full week of many extra duties that have squeezed out the attempt to try new frugal ideas. One of those extra duties is a sewing job. I'm hoping that some day I can work exclusively from home again like I have for most of my years as a homemaker.

So, my Frugal Friday list is less full this week. I'm still doing the 'main things' that help me save money:

• Hanging my clothes on the line to dry.
• Only washing clothes when I have a full load.
• Keeping the lights off as much as possible during the day.
• Washing and drying dishes by hand. 
• Using up left overs to stretch my food budget. 
• Saving as much water in the house as possible to throw on the plants in the yard.
• Composting any leftovers.  

These are a few new things I did to save money this week:

1. I have a 'mending' drawer which was very full so I spent an afternoon mending pants and shirts that otherwise would have been given to Salvation Army. This will also save money in the future by extending my wardrobe. I also have some socks with holes that I plan on mending soon.
2.  I wrote in previous posts how I would save the water that runs from the faucet in the mornings while I'm waiting for the hot water. I would throw the cold water (that normally went down the drain) on plants outside. This week I heated a cup of water in the microwave and used the warm water to clean my face instead of letting the water run. I normally run a 1/2 bucket of cold water before the hot comes so I saved quite a bit of water doing this.  I'm still saving the 'extra' water in the kitchen though when waiting for hot water to wash my dishes. 
3. I kept my grocery receipts from this past month so that I could keep track of what I was/had spent. 
4. I started a Price Book. It's not finished but it's started. :-)
5. I made up a monthly menu and a grocery list from that menu. I was just making 2 week menus but seem to run short on vegetables by the end of the month. I'm hoping that better planning will eliminate that problem. 
6. I made a new stain remover which I will share on a later post if it works. The last two I made are working but I need something a little stronger for those determined stains. 

So.. that's it for this week. What did you do to save money this week? 

Making Money from Home: SWAGBUCKS

I LOVE SWAGBUCKS!

There! I said it!

Swagbucks is a search engine that I use for nearly all my searches because it gives me an opportunity to make some extra money from home. I've cashed in $75 in SWAGBUCKS over the past year towards Amazon purchases. It's so easy! 

If you do searches online (and I do a ton of them) then Swagbucks is for you!

If you click on the SIGN UP icon below then I get credit for you as a referral. Then you can turn around and do the same on your webpage to help you gain referrals.

 Thank you in advance for your help.

ING Bank: Make $107 in 50 days

ING Banking has a special Black Friday deal for new customers. You can make $107 in 50 days with 5 deposits  (made within 45 days of opening the account). No minimum balance and no monthly service fees. This would be a great way to help pay for Christmas. :-)

ING Bank Black Friday Deal

The deal ends today!

Gift Giving on Less Income

Gift giving was always very important to my family when I was growing up. Mother taught my sister and I to crochet and knit simple projects while we were in elementary school. We used those skills to make gifts for Christmas.  My sister and I learned to crochet borders around dishcloths and made them into lovely potholders and we knitted house slippers and a myriad of other craft projects. I couldn't wait until I turned 12 because Mother promised she would teach me to sew.

Those skills came in very handy the first 15 years of married life.  I made the majority of gifts for family members and a lot of gifts for my children since we didn't have much money left after our bills were paid.

I stopped making gifts when I started my own home business. It was just too much stress. But, this year's circumstances find me in a place where I'm picking up those long ago learned skills to help stretch my gift budget again. 

 I've been crocheting dishcloths while I sit with Miss Alice in the evenings.  I also keep a crochet project in my purse (and a book) to work on if I'm stuck in a long line. Last week I nearly finished a dishcloth while waiting in the doctor's office. I also crochet or knit in the evenings after my work is finished for the day.

I went through my material bins and found some unfinished projects to sew. I finished a retro apron yesterday. I have enough material to make one more.

Every time I can save money by doing the work myself then I consider it the same as if I earned money at a part time job. Except the wonderful thing is that I didn't have to leave my home to do it. :-) Stretching my gift budget by sewing or crocheting saves money which helps our income go just a little bit farther.

It feels good to have a head jump on Christmas. Do you have any Christmas projects started?

A Productive Home

My hubby and I were not feeling very well today so we decided to take it easy. There has been a steady rain in the valley so it was a perfect day to rest inside. I'm fighting off the urge to take a nap but I feel so lousy that I might just give in.  I think it might help the pain in my husband's back if he'd rest, too. The rain seems to be effecting his arthritis and the pain is increasing.

A few projects were finished up  this week.

 This wooden version is much sturdier than the plastic ones sold in catalogs like Harriet Carter. I purchased my original one from the Amish many, many years ago and it has served me well.  Mine hangs in my laundry area and use it to dry lingerie, socks, plastic bags, etc. Sometimes I'll hang it on my clothesline outside.


I made a bible cover and hope to make more to sell.

I wish the fabric would have shown up better. It has a pretty gold thread that runs through the pattern. I may use ribbon for the tie next time. I'll see how this one works. I love it!
I think I just may head for that nap now! My warm, comfy bed is calling me!

Work at Home ideas

If you're like me you're always looking for ways to make money from home. One day I realized that I 'was' making money at home. How you may ask? (you did ask, right? *S*) By doing the job that I would pay someone else to do.

Let me try to give an example. Our car needed a bath terribly. We live in the country in the middle of an orchard. The wind is either blowing or the tractors are spraying or harvesting. Our car sits outside under an overhang from the barn so it's always dusty.

My first choice used to be a run through the car wash. I did this for years. The fee is $6.00. We even paid a monthly fee ($30.00) at one time so I could run it through anytime I went to town. But, my budget doesn't allow for this luxury now. So, the way I figure it is if  "I" wash my car then I save $6.00. It's as if I am paying myself to wash the car since this was a normal expense previously.

It took me less than 30 minutes which means I paid myself $6.00 for a half an hour worth of work.

How many jobs or duties do you pay someone else that you could do yourself? This could include food items in your budget, too. Do you pay someone to bake your bread (when you purchase it from the grocery store)? Do you pay someone to make your clothes? or sew your children's clothes? Do you pay someone to cut your children or husband's hair? or bake your children's birthday cakes?

If you are currently paying $3.00 or more for a loaf of bread and can make it for 1/3 the price then isn't that the same thing as earning $2.00 for baking your own bread?

I make as much as I can from scratch but I'm always watching for new things to try. I think my next project will be finding a good recipe to replace Cream of Mushroom & Cream of Chicken soup.  I did try making Cream of Chicken soup years ago but haven't since. I wish there was a way to freeze it because I'd like to have it handy when I try a new recipe rather than make it on the spot.


Happy Homemaking!

Georgene