Thriving in My Thrifty Week–September 9, 2018

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Down at the coast again–crazy, I know!  We took one last quick trip camping at the beach this weekend.  We were fortunate enough that Lovana had the ability to get time off and go along, so we took her down there.  She hasn’t been able to go at all this summer until now.  It was a whirlwind trip, and we are back home already.  Because I knew we were going again, I was able to leave a lot of things in the fridge of the camper last week. I left clothing enough in there for this time, and things like my embroidery were also just left in there.  After we returned this afternoon, we really cleaned it out of perishable things and things I would want.  I’m also going to wash some bedding, and actually got in the bunkhouse where the girls sleep while we were down there, and cleaned out a lot of cluttery things and wiped off the window ledges, etc.  That’s not necessarily frugal, but it counts as a feel-good moment, for sure:)

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We went clamming in Yaquina Bay, where Patsy skunked me–getting 11 clams while I only got 5, and mine were smaller:). We just cleaned and froze them, and another meal of clam chowder is on the horizon in the future.  Rob went down with us, and he did get one.  It was a different kind, and he dug for it in a different area while we were raking for ours out further.

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Before we left on Friday afternoon, we had a busy, productive week.  Patsy started school, and Rob and I worked many, many hours with the kids, as they are now on vacation and we will not work with them this week at all.  We got the chore routine going, by having the kids do them several days this week.  Rob took Michaela to her volunteering.  I took her to the zoo on Jake’s first day of school.  She had so much fun.  We went to the tigers 3 times, some other things twice, and skipped several animals entirely.  A cheetah decided to sit down by the viewing window, and Michaela sat there for at least 15-20 minutes, just enjoying the big cat.  I took food with us, and we re-filled the 2 water bottles purchased at the zoo in years past.  If you take the time to wash them and bring them back, they will re-fill them with soda for $1.   We also got one order of fries for us girls to share. (J went with us.). I used our zoo pass for admission.  It was a frugal, fun day.  It was so nice to have a relaxing day after all the canning I had been doing before and after watching the kids.

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I pre-cooked and prepared some of our food for camping so it would be easy while we were there.  I made it super easy, and just used the jarred sauce and didn’t even add meat this time.  We used up parmesan cheese packets that I’d had in a ziplock for ages.  They were from when the older girls ordered pizza at some point.  Lovana took us out to lunch yesterday.  It was a nice treat, and we ate the food I took the rest of the time.

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Before my sister’s family went on vacation, I was over there working with the kids.  My brother-in-law kindly offered me all the rest of the perishable food that would go bad while they were gone.  I got 2 sad bananas and made banana-coconut bread for the trip.  There was cilantro and 2 halves of white onion, so I added garden tomatoes and peppers and made Pico de Gallo.  There were corn chips in the camper, so we ate it with them.  There were some limes, so I juiced them out and froze the juice in tiny containers for when I have a recipe that calls for them, after I used what I needed for the Pico.  Rob saved them a fortune by taking them to the airport and he will pick them up.  Parking is quite expensive up at the airport.

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Rob made stuffed zucchini one night for dinner.  It was great, and a welcome meal after coming home from work.  The zucchini has slowed down to a nice level of production, and we enjoy having it in more moderate quantities.

My aunt passed a few tomatoes on to me, and I got 5 more pints with what I had on hand from my garden, plus hers.  I hope to get another small batch of pints this week, as well.  Little by little, I’m coming to the end of the canning season.  I still have a few more things I want to make, though, like salsa, salsa verde from the remaining green tomatoes once the season is over, maybe taco sauce if I can find a good recipe, some dried herbs, etc.   My focus is still on using the fresh items as much as possible while they are available, but we have started popping open a few jars.  That’s what they are for, and I’m glad to have them.

How did your week go?  Did you have any “feel-good” cleaning moments or save money in a creative way?

 

16 thoughts on “Thriving in My Thrifty Week–September 9, 2018”

  1. That is great that you could get out camping again. Summer is surely winding down. My husband and I enjoy the zoo now that the kids are grown because we like to just sit and observe, too. It is sure different than just cruising on past. You have done so well with supplying your family with all those wonderful jars of food. I was looking at a house on realtor dot com this week with a great walk in pantry and there were seriously 4 food items in that pantry! All the rest of the shelves were full of empty storage jars. How can one live like that?

    We enjoyed a free concert Thursday evening as the concert series for September on the library lawn has begun. We had coupons for free milkshakes that we picked up afterward and really enjoyed since it was so hot that night. Our oldest son and family came to visit over the weekend. I thawed a spiral ham that I paid $5 for many months ago and we ate it for 3 meals. I still have a good bit that I will chop and freeze for later meals. The grandchildren enjoyed a new obstacle course park for big kids that opened here this summer for free fun. We watched an old family movie that our children enjoyed but the grands had not seen and we watched our college team play Saturday night. The grandchildren are such fans that it is amusing. We have a hurricane bearing down on our coast this week so we are watching and waiting. We are well supplied here but would have things to do outside if it seems that we will have strong winds this far inland.

    1. No, I really cannot imagine a pantry with only 4 items. Even when I was moving, I had a large amount of food. Each to his/her own, I guess. Maybe they ate it all up in anticipation of their move?

      I’m glad you are getting to spend time with your family, but not excited to hear a hurricane is heading your way. We absolutely do not have them here, so I can only watch with horror at the damage caused in other places when they arrive. I hope it misses you.

  2. That is wonderful that you were able to go away again even for a short time. I’m glad you got more clams. Free food is my favorite and free seafood is even better.

    We had a great week. School started here and YD is a senior. She is driving herself which is new for me. I don’t have to worry about driving anyone anywhere anymore. I am not a taxi driver anymore. I made more pickles, tomato sauce and hot sauce. The garden is still keeping me busy when I am not at work. Glad to be doing it though. We are also enjoying eating most vegetables fresh. Have a great week.

    1. I cannot even imagine not having to drive kids around, it’s been so many years of doing it!!! What a blessing! This year, in fact, we have to drive Patsy both to school and back home again. She is not able to be bussed, but Rob clocked it at a mile and a half. She has to be in her seat by 7:30 am, and it’s a huge school. So, we made the decision to just drive her. It will be dark and rainy before we know it, so we decided to just start from the beginning and get a routine going. So far, so good.

  3. It made me smile that you were able to go camping again!!! I’m so happy for all of you! I, also, got to go camping on Labor Day weekend! It is so relaxing! We’ve had so many unexpected things come up this summer that we did not get to go camping near as much as I would have liked. But, fall is just around the corner, and it’s actually the better time to go camping here in Georgia because of the beautiful weather! So here’s hoping!

    We have been very busy around here too (no canning though)! My daughter had her second daughter last week!!!! I had my older granddaughter during the time she was in the hospital last week and most of this weekend. We are all exhausted! Such an exciting, exhausting time! Since my son in law will be home this whole week I’m hoping I get to catch up in my house before I’ll be back over there helping with my grandbabies! Again, here’s hoping!

    I, also, just have to tell you how impressive your pantry is!!! I have showed that picture in last week’s post to everyone in my family! Goals!!! GOOD JOB!!!! You should be so incredibly proud!!!!

    Hope you have a wonderful week!

    1. Thank you so much. I’m glad you had time with your grand daughter. Those are precious memories that you will never be sorry you have. Because in the end, canned tomatoes are very cheap compared to a precious little life and the time spent on family:).

      With my niece and nephew away on vacation, I have high hopes that I can get some order out of this chaos here, as well. Here’s hoping for both of us.

  4. Becky, you are one of the reasons that I can’t wait to take our RV to the Oregon coast! Glad you got a break at the beach. While you are looking to a difficult near term with Rob’s health issues and the changes to your schedules I have so much faith that you will continue to thrive.

    1. Thank you! You will find it amazing on the Oregon Coast. We love it so much. We went on our honeymoon to the beach for half the time, and the mountains, camping, the other half. We haven’t grown tired of either in 36 years. (We had our anniversary last week).

  5. 1. Rooted plant clippings to start a new plant for my son
    2. Found a cute dog costume in the Target dollar aisle…it was a hot dog
    3. Chase sent me a message telling me that I have earned $206 in reward points so far this year…so Christmas is paid for:)
    4. Found free study guides online for Frankenstein, so I will not have to buy or make one…thank goodness!
    5. Stocked up on dollar tree toys to refill my homeschool reward box

    1. It sounds like you had a wonderful week–especially over $200 in free money! I can really appreciate the free homeschool curriculum–sometimes not having to start from scratch is a real blessing. I need to get busy and organize myself for homeschool–my niece is on vacation right now, but when she returns, we are going to hit the books with a vengeance!

  6. So sorry to hear about your husband’s health issues and I hope and pray he is able to get them fixed. I am glad, though, that you are able to work part time so that you can spend more time doing the things you love like canning, and he can take up the other part-time position, and help with repairs around the house. It is hard, at least for me, to get things done around the house, when I work full time. I tripped at work, broke my toe, hit my head, had to be carted off by ambulance, and I have two black eyes. To say that I am clumsy is an understatement….lol. So, the med and ambulance bills will not be frugal, but on the plus side, I got to stay at home a couple of days and just rest. The beach pictures are lovely.

    1. Oh, no!!! I’m so sorry that happened.

      Thank you for your prayers on my husband’s behalf. We need all we can get. There are so many doctor’s appointments that we are having to read the schedule each day lest we forget some. At the appt yesterday, he got a big, bad, hurtful shot right in that hip, but we are hoping it will help with the pain. He had a shot like this before, but within the next couple of days after he got it, a kid in his previous classroom kicked him so badly that it undid the work of the shot. He is being super careful to take it easy for a couple of days this time, and so far (only one day, though), he is feeling a little bit better. The doctors are clear, this won’t fix the problem, but for some people, it alleviates the pain to some extent. Here’s hoping and praying that the pain eases a bit for him. It’s hard to hear him at night–he can’t stop himself from moaning from the pain when he’s asleep like he can during the day.

      I hope you recover quickly from your aches and pains! Take it easy for as long as you can:)

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