Frugal Friday: How I saved money this week

The week was full and busy but not in the realm of saving money. I didn't have a lot of time to spend in the kitchen this week and it was probably a good thing. I've been cutting back my carbs to keep my blood sugar numbers low so I'm focusing on meat, green veggies and nuts.I'm hoping to make some low carb almond flour waffles this weekend.

Here is what I did in my home this week:

1. Normally I take my 4 year old grandson to the library each week. He picks out a few books and DVD's and then we play at the park. This week I wanted to take him somewhere new. I searched the internet for free preschool activities but came up empty so we took a field trip to the Bass Pro Shop. He loved the huge fish tanks. We looked at the chart and read about each fish. We named each of the 'stuffed' animals around the store (poor things). I'm so happy to have 2 free places to take him. We'll visit different parks once the weather clears up. I'd like to find some time to pull together activities we can do at home, too.

2. My main focus is getting my garden ready for spring planting.  I can't believe how fast grocery prices are rising. Having a garden is one way I hope to deter the cost.  We live in the city and our backyard is normal size but we're finding lots of room to plant veggies, fruit vines and even an apple tree as we pull up the plants. I moved my Hydrangea to the front yard where it will have more shade and moved a lilac bush to the side yard. I think we will have a pretty decent size garden once we finish.


3. My son tore out a brick patio when he was putting in our sewer line. I had been slowly moving the brick but my back was not happy. My daughter and her family came last Saturday ... and bless their hearts.. they moved the bricks to make a border around the square food gardening section. I'm now making a grid inside their brick border with the remaining bricks. I hope to have it finished before March 28 which is supposed to be the last frost. The book recommends using wood but the bricks were free. :-)

 

4.  The grandson's dug a deep hole (with some help from their daddy) and we buried the leftover concrete from the patio which saved dump fees.

5. I was short one egg for breakfast so I made scrambled eggs and added a few tablespoons of water.

6. I'm saving my large clear plastic bottles (ex. large juice and oil bottles). I'll cut off the bottom and use them as a mini-green house for my seedlings when I transplant in March.  I also read that you can use canning jars if the seedlings are just sprouting.

7. My planting chart says I can plant peppers and tomatoes this week. I hope to do so tomorrow. I'd also like to plant some lettuce seeds. My green onions are doing well in the pot off the patio and are close to being harvested.  The cabbage, broccoli, cauliflower, onions, spinach and okra have sprouted and are growing fast. I keep praying and asking God to help us reap a big harvest.  

8. I placed my sprouted seeds outside (not in direct sun) this week. I turned off the plant light while they were outside to save money. 

9. Okay.. so I didn't exactly save money on this last point but I hope it will save money in the future. My daughter had a Tupperware party last night and I purchased a container that is supposed to keep your lettuce (and other veggies) fresh for up to 3 weeks. I hope it works.

10. I'm researching what kind of outside burner to use for canning this summer. I have a glass top stove and read there is a chance it can break under the weight of the canner. I found a 2 burner stove at Bass Pro for $99. I hate putting out the money but  it's less expensive than a new stove. I can also cook on it during the hot summer months to keep my kitchen cool. 

That's about it for this week. I always love hearing what you're doing in your home. I'm learning so much from you gals. What did you do in your home this week?

Frugal Friday: Making money at home

I'm now working 2 days a week for Miss Alice. I'm grateful to have the extra hours at home. I was really getting behind on my work. I'm finally getting some untidy areas organized and it's relieving some stress.

I'll be making less money so I'm thinking of ways to stretch our money farther.

This is how I think about it: If I can do the work instead of paying someone then I'm making money at home.  Does that make sense? It's like paying myself to work instead of paying someone else to do the work for me. For instance, if I wash my own car instead of paying someone then I see it as earning $7.00.

Here are just a few ways I made money at home this week:

1. I spend approx. $10 a month on canned dog food. I made homemade dog food a month ago and it was a big success. My dog really liked it. We mix it in with the dry dog food.  I've been saving scraps of meat and other food scraps to make the next batch which I did this week. Here is the list of items I saved or had on hand:

• Scraps of meat (grissle, skin, leftovers,etc.)
• leftover macaroni and cheese (grandkiddos)
• 2 cups of rice
• chicken and beef boullion
• Squash (wilted)
• Leftover veggies in the fridge

 I chose to freeze the dog food instead of pressure canning so that I could include noodles and rice in the mixture. I saved the meat scraps in recycled plastic bags which I then used for the finished dog food (using them 3 times total). I saved $10 using only ingredients I had on hand.

2.  We've cut back on carbs the past few months but my husband still likes an occasional sandwich.  I had a lot of whole wheat and bread flour on hand so I made 2 loaves of bread. I have 3 bread makers (yes 3) which helps speed up the baking process. I only use the 'dough cycle' and then place the dough in the greased loaf pans, rise again in a warm oven and then bake.  I cut the loaves in half and froze them. I made $6.00 from home.

This is just an example of how I make money from home. How about you? How did you make money from home this week?

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Frugal Friday: How I saved money this week

I made a lot of progress in my yard this week. It has been SO cold but there were a few really nice days where I was able to get outside and start working on my Square Foot Gardening area. My backyard looks bare right now because we have torn out a lot of plants to make room for our vegetable garden along with the brick patio. If I'm going to pay money for water then I want to use it towards plants that will feed us. I can't believe how the price of groceries continue to rise.

Here are a few things I did this week to save money in my home:

1. I'm still saving scraps of meat and veggies to make my next batch of dog food. I may freeze the next batch so I can add noodles to the recipe since my dog LOVES them. We mix the homemade dog food in with the dry dog food and add some water.

2. I found a rubber band on the ground and saved it. I haven't had to buy rubber bands for years.

3.  I raked leaves in exchange for 2 large tubs of walnuts that need to be cracked plus a small bag of pecans.

4. My daughter in love brought  horse manure and a free bale of hay for my garden. My goal is to not purchase compost or fertilizer for my garden. Instead I use leaves, grass clippings, newspaper, kitchen scraps and now horse manure and hay.

5. I planted broccoli, cabbage, lettuce, red cabbage, cauliflower and walla walla onion seeds this week in my toilet paper rolls (that I've been saving for months). Spinach is planted in the egg carton flat. A plant light is hung in the garage and I'm checking every day for those first sprouts. I'll plant another batch in 2 weeks and then another 2 weeks, etc. so I can have a continual harvest.

6. My girls and I drove to get free thornless blackberries and raspberry plants from a family member. They are planted and I can't wait for those first berries! These are just a few of the plants alongside the back of the garage.

7.  I worked some of my homemade compost into the vegetable garden's dirt this week.

8. I have a LOT of cleaners in the garage that I've been trying to use up. Tonight I was going to add 'room freshener' to my shopping list but decided to check my cleaning supplies first. Sure enough.. I had some powdered carpet deodorizer that will work perfectly. Once my cleaners are gone then I will make my own homemade cleaners but until then I'm determined to USE IT UP. 

9. I am working on a new plan to keep a tighter watch on my grocery budget. I wish I remembered where I saw this idea but unfortunately I didn't write it down. The lady divided a page into 4 weeks (or 5 depending on the month) and then divided the total amount of grocery money into each square. She put a line down the middle of the paper and used the other side of the paper for the household grocery money. If she went over on her grocery money then she pulled it out of the household account. I'm not going to do that but instead I'll just deduct the extra from the following week. This week I was only supposed to spend $50 but spent $69 instead. So, next week I'll have $30 to spend for groceries. I wrote down each receipt total into this week's square. I like it. This new plan gives me a nice visual to see where I am in my budget.

10. My old dog's bed has lost its fluffiness and her old bones were not happy. I would love to buy a new dog bed but they are $30. I thought about it and realized that if I put a folded blanket under the bed it would help soften the blow on her bones from the hard floor. I went through my blankets and found an old one that is working just fine. She is very happy.

So how about you? How did you save money this week in your home? I love to read your ideas!

Georgene

One year ago today...

One year anniversaries can mark many things. Often, they are reminders of happy events.. a birthday, an anniversary, a year free of cancer. Today is the one year anniversary of the death of our youngest son. I cannot say that it marks a happy event. For our family it marks a day that is filled with the memories of some very dark times marked by many tears and deep sorrow.

It’s taken me a year to be able to write the words that follow… our youngest son committed suicide.  Even after one year of the Lord gently working me through the grief from his actions I still experience a horrific pain when I face the decision he made to end his life. 

But, today on the one year anniversary of his death, I do not want to focus on the darkness of this past year. I want to share with you the constant thread  that so evidently  wove it’s way through the ups and the downs of this past year. The evidence of the Lord’s presence with us through the ministry of family and friends and the comfort and power of His Word were our saving grace. 

In some ways this past year reminds me of the story of  Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego who were thrown into the fiery furnace. Their faith in God did not rescue them from experiencing all that the trial produced.  But, as they were thrown into that furnace the Lord made His presence known to them. He was in the furnace with them. That is the overall banner of this past year. God has been with us!

When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and through the rivers, they shall not overwhelm you; when you walk through fire you shall not be burned, and the flame shall not consume you. For I am the Lord your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior. Isaiah 42:2-3 (ESV)

I’m not sure I can even adequately share with you all that God has done over this past year.  I believe the greatest measure of His presence has been through His Word. His Word has been a light that has shone bright through the darkest valley and when I have looked to Him for direction… He has directed me safely to the next step. I have fallen many times but that has only been when I have taken my eyes off His Word and listened to the lies of the enemy.

The  first night after we had arrived in Texas (where my son lived) I began to plummet emotionally. We had been busy throughout the day with many details but after loved ones had gone to their rooms for the night then I was bombarded with many dark thoughts.  No one knew what was going on inside my head… not even my husband. But, the enemy of my soul was throwing his fiery darts of accusations and instead of taking up the shield of faith (as I had known to do in times past) I accepted each hit. Suddenly the phone rang (as it had all day). I had not been taking any of the calls. I just couldn’t talk to anyone. But, at that exact moment the Lord gave me grace and I picked up the phone and the Lord ministered to me through the words of a dear friend on the other end of the line. She had lost a relative through suicide and was able to encourage me through those first dark moments. After our phone conversation ended I picked up the Gideon bible found in the hotel drawer and started reading. The Lord brought to mind a scripture I had not thought of in literally years. His Word instantly filled my heart with peace and that scripture became a very important weapon in my fight against the guilt that would hound my  soul over the coming months.

The  Lord would continue to minister His Word to each struggle I would face in the coming days.  Some were given in my quiet time with Him. Others came through a few close friends who patiently ministered to me through those dark days. His Word, when obeyed, became the light that continued to help keep me on His path of peace.  When I deterred and stopped obeying His Word then that is where I entered those dark places of torment.

Secondly, the Lord  made Himself known as our Provider. I started following Christ when I was 17 years old but I had never experienced such an outpouring of generosity as we did in the days following our son’s death.. not only for ourselves but the entire family.

Most of you may know that my husband became disabled a few years ago and as a result we are living on a very tight budget.  The morning that we received the phone call that our son was dead we immediately called our daughter in love. There was no hesitation in our hearts … we knew we had to travel to Texas immediately regardless of what it cost . We were able to find a plane leaving within 4 hours and so we booked the flight.  We had not even left town when a close friend showed up and handed us money for our trip. Within hours we received a phone call and were told that a family member was sending money to help with expenses. Then we received word that another one was sending money. A dear friend and her husband paid for our hotel room on our trip bringing our daughter in love and grandchildren back to California.  By the time we arrived home our entire trip had been paid for. Oh my! I can’t tell you how much this ministered to us. God did not keep us from the deep painful grief of those beginning hours and the days that followed but He ministered to us through the outpouring love and generosity of others. He was making Himself known as our Provider.

After we had made it through the funeral and had arrived home we started opening cards that were handed to us at the services. We found love offerings in nearly every card. We were speechless. We just couldn’t believe it. Our hearts were overwhelmed. There was enough money to not only pay the pastor for his services but enough money to start saving for his cremation plot. My mother’s heart wanted his ashes placed somewhere permanent as a remembrance. I knew it would probably take a few years to save for the cremation niche but my husband and I agreed that it was important and committed to saving for as long as it took.

The day that his ashes arrived at my front door was another dark time of sorrow. The grief hit like a tsunami wave when I took the heavy box from the UPS carrier. I didn’t even let my husband know it had come yet. I was trying to gain the courage to tell him when I heard the mailman drop the mail in the garage slot. As I began opening the mail I couldn’t believe what I found in one of the envelopes. There was an extremely large check that covered the rest of the burial plot. Only a sovereign God could orchestrate such a huge blessing to arrive on such a sad day, for we had told no one the desire of our hearts. We immediately called our daughter in love - our son's widow- and all of us were able to drive to the cemetery and make plans for his burial. Our son’s ashes would have a resting place and we experienced the comfort of knowing a tender God had again provided for not only for our needs but our desires.

I never again want to go through what we experienced this past year but I can tell you that I have come to know God in a more intimate way through it.  He has been my comfort. His Word has been my guide. His presence has been my peace. I can not imagine.. I mean this in full sincerity… how I would have lived through this past year if I had not known Him as my Savior.

Thank you.. from the bottom of my heart.. to all that prayed for our family.. to all that gave so generously of your hard earned money… to all who reached out to my children in the weeks that followed and brought them meals… to those who stayed behind and helped my daughter’s family get a room ready in her home for my daughter in love and grandchildren... to my other children and their spouses who gave of themselves in so many ways..to all who helped provide money and clothing for my daughter in love when she arrived (that is another story all in itself!). The list goes on and on. You will never know how you ministered to my entire family. 

To those I have never met personally but have known you as an online internet friend and who prayed and sent money… thank you so much for reaching out to someone you have never met. Thank you to all those at Victory Life Center who allowed us to have our funeral at the church where our son grew up and who gave of your day to provide food and organize all that went into the planning and to a dear friend who made a beautiful picture memorial of our son. The list goes on and on and I fear that those I have not mentioned will not know how much each gesture, small and large, meant to us.  Each of my family members repeatedly said during those following months that WE were learning how to minister to others in their time of need by the way that others had comforted us.

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God. 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

May God bless each one of you!

Grief and God's Grace Blog

Housekeeping No-No's and Saving Money!

Housekeeping rules! Every homemaker has them. I was trained as a young girl that there were certain duties you do every day. Make your bed, wash the dishes after every meal, sweep the kitchen floor. a few pennies. Those pennies do add up after a while.

For instance..... it's been my daily routine to wash my dishes after each meal. I really don't like having dishes piled up on my sink. I especially do not like to leave my house without the dishes being washed. Nope, don't like it at all!  But, I started noticing that I'm running a lot of hot water for the small amount of dishes that my husband and I use at breakfast time.

So, sometimes (shhh.. don't tell my mother) I will LEAVE my breakfast dishes on the counter and wait to wash them with the lunch dishes. I know.. it's disgraceful! Truthfully... it really bugs me! And sometimes it bugs me so much that I just do them .. regardless whether I save money or not. :-) But, other mornings I opt to break the unspoken rule and leave them till lunch when I can run just one dishpan full of hot water and wash two meals at one time.

My method of doing laundry is another task I am reevaluating. There are many products on the market to make your whites their whitest and your clothes the softest. But, each of these products can make a dent in your otherwise shrinking grocery budget. The price of groceries continue to rise and the less I have to spend on non food items the better.

So, in order to save money I often break a few taboos. Today I had a few dirty rags and I did the unforgiveable and threw them in with my towels to make a full load. I know.. shameful! If the truth be told I cringed when I did it! :-) But, stretching our income is a higher priority right now than having the whitest whites on the block or the perkiest towels.

A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do!

How about you? 

Frugal Flops!

I thought it best to do an update on a few frugal ideas that flopped!

 Our water bill was higher than I wanted so I went on an all out campaign to save every drop and reuse it when possible! I'm not positive but I may have ended up causing problems with the pipes from the kitchen to the bath because they backed up.  There is no way to know for sure if my water saving methods caused this problem but  I want to warn you  just in case.

 

Now granted.. our pipes were thrashed. We had problems as soon as we moved in this summer. I'm wondering since I wasn't putting any water down the kitchen pipes  if it caused things to not move through easily.

I'm still saving water from the kitchen .. but not to the extreme that I was before. I only save the water that normally gets wasted when I'm waiting for the hot water to travel from the garage to the house. That usually amounts to a small bucket full. Sometimes I'll save the rinse water.  I place the bucket of water in the bathroom tub and we use it to flush. In the summer I plan to use the extra water on my patio plants. 

The second idea that flopped had to do with  putting my shampoo into a hand pump soap dispenser.  I hoped the pump would stretch the shampoo by administering a smaller amount of shampoo.  The idea was great but the administration failed. I'm not sure if the shampoo was too thick or if the pump just wasn't efficient but the pump ended up not working after the first few times.  I'll keep my eyes opened for a better hand pump because I think the idea would really work well!

The majority of the ideas I've tried are keepers but every once in a while I come across a dudley!

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that your New Year was a blessing!

Frugal Friday: Inexpensive Baking Gifts

Christmas is almost here and most of you may have finished your baking, but if not.. then I have an idea you might want to try for your gift giving.

I normally make a lot of goodies but this year our budget just could not handle another $40 or more in baking supplies. I love being able to give a little something away so I decided to make homemade bread and scones, instead.

I have 2 marvelous scone recipes that are listed on my recipe website but I decided to try the recipe below since it had over 1600 good reviews and I wasn't disappointed with the results.  They were great. I did not add the raisins or cranberries. Not because I don't love them but because they were an added expense. Instead, I used two different glazes.

I've posted the recipe I used below for scones. The homemade bread recipe came from Laine's website and can be found  here.

Merry Christmas everyone! We have so much to be thankful for.. but most of all I thank God for the gift of His Son Jesus Christ!

Grandma Johnson's Scones    

Submitted By: Rob
Photo By: S. Becker
Prep Time: 15 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
   
Ready In: 30 Minutes
Servings: 12-16

(The directions have been changed to reflect the recommendations from one of the members on the recipe site. I tried following the original directions and the dough came out very dry. There suggestions worked much better.)


1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
   
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup butter (room temperature)
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla (opt.)
1 cup raisins  or cranberries or chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:
1.     In a small bowl, blend the sour cream and baking soda, and set aside.
2.     Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease a large baking sheet.
3.     In a large bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, cream of tartar, and salt.
4.       Mix the butter and sugar together in a separate bowl.  Beat in 1 egg and 1 teaspoon of vanilla.  Don’t over mix.
5.       Add the dry mixture to the butter/sugar/egg mixture and stir. Do not over mix.
5.        Stir the sour cream mixture and baking soda mixture into the above mixture until moistened. Do not over mix. I used my kitchen aid until the dough looked like it was holding together and moistened.
7.       Lightly stir in raisins.
8.     Pat dough into (2) 3/4 inch thick rounds. Cut each round into 8 small wedges. The wedges will expand when baking. Place  them 2 inches apart on the prepared baking sheet.
9.     Bake 12 to 15 minutes in the preheated oven, until golden brown on the bottom. It took an extra 5 minutes or so in my oven. I made sure they were done when I touched the top and it wasn’t doughy. They do not get real brown on the top.



Once they have cooled I wrap them in seran wrap and then place them in a freezer bag to keep them fresh.

TO FREEZE: Use a 3 inch cookie cutter. Freeze the rounds for 1 hour and then put in a Ziploc bag. Take out rounds when ready to bake and place on an ungreased cookie sheet and bake for 45 minutes.

Glazes:

1 cup powdered sugar, 3 tbsp. milk, ¼ tsp. or so of lemon or orange extract, ¼ tsp. or so of lemon zest. I added a little cinnamon, too but you don’t need it. Brush scone with butter when hot out of oven and then glaze it with this mixture.

Or:

Brush melted butter on the scone and then brush with this mixture of 2 tbsp. sugar, ¼ tsp. cinnamon and 1 tbsp. milk.

Grandma Johnson's Scone Recipe