Homeschooling, Saving Money

Thriving In My Thrifty Week–February 8, 2022

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In the past couple of weeks, we have been very busy with the TOPS Radishes science unit. In my little house, many, many surfaces have been, and still are, covered with planters of radishes, little jars with various experiments, and big meat trays full of experiments. (WAY, WAY more than in this picture!). Both Jake and Patsy are doing the experiments, so we have double of everything.

Frankly, it’s been keeping everyone busy for hours and the kids, especially Jake, seem to be really enjoying the whole process. We have this week and next week and then we will put it all away and move on to something else. I won’t be sad to be able to move around without worrying about bumping into, knocking over, or otherwise damaging the experiments every time I move, but will be sad that the fun part is over. No worries….there’s another book–“Corn and Beans” we will do soon.

Patsy has been accepted to work at a camp this summer. We are really excited for her. They asked her if she could finish her schoolwork early, and come work at the Outdoor School sessions they have this spring. I thought that was for one extra week, but I was wrong! It’s all spring!!! We have been working extra hard, doing double school, so she can go at the end of March. We also need to gather some things for her.

We spent an afternoon sewing. She made the pink pajama bottoms and I made the blue ones. They were from fabric I’ve had for years, bought on super sale, and it felt nice to use it for such an exciting purpose. I went to JoAnn’s to get some inexpensive t-shirts for the tops. They were 3 for $9.99. We want to do one more pair of p.j. pants, and that should do her for sleepwear.

She’s been sorting her shorts and jeans, and other clothing to see if we need to purchase more of anything. Between the extra school and gathering things, we are hustling around here. Frankly, at a camp, she doesn’t need super nice things. They tend to get ruined at camp anyway. So, my aunt gave us some old towels, with the intention of using them for drying the dog after baths, etc., but we put some that didn’t look all that bad in Patsy’s box to take. If they get lost or ruined, it’s o.k. I will have Rob go to the Union Gospel Mission store and see if there are more jeans or shorts that will work. We will probably need some kind of hiking or rain boots for her–we’ll look around. They will give her a couple of camp t-shirts to wear part of the time. There’s a washer and dryer there.

She will return home on weekends, so we can get more things if needed at any time.

We’ve been using lot of fruit and veggies we preserved last summer and meat from the freezer. Today, Patsy is making her peanut chicken recipe that uses frozen broccoli.

Rob cooked a turkey I bought for very little money last Thanksgiving on the BBQ, which makes it easy for me. We boiled the bones and I froze several cartons of broth and turkey bits, along with eating it in meals. I use old cottage cheese cartons and other containers I save for this purpose. I’ve also been washing more Ziplocks than ever because not only does it save money, but the last 2 times Rob went to Costco with Michaela to get some, they didn’t have any sandwich size, so who knows if they will have what I want next time or not.

I loaded up on groceries last Friday, with the intention of not shopping this week at all, unless there’s a critical, missing ingredient I forgot. It happens. I know this week is busier than normal, so I don’t want to use Friday morning for shopping. If I did forget something, my long-suffering hubby will get to fetch it, bless his heart. I used lots of coupons, especially the save $10 on $50 at Safeway. I also picked up a Azure Standard order, which consisted of bulk items such as dry beans, spices, etc. So I can go 2 weeks. Likely 2 months. Rob says 2 years:)……Ha-ha! Still need dairy and produce, so that’s out.

I didn’t babysit much this past week. I didn’t cook for others much. Instead, I took a nap one day, read books from the library and on my iPad, watched Olympic figure skating and skiing, and worked on some quilting projects in-between work, schooling, and house work. I’ve been trying to sort out and clean one basket, drawer, or bin every few days. I needed a “down” week because I know this week to come is busier. So, bring it on! I feel ready:)

Birthdays, Garden, Saving Money

Thriving In My Thrifty Week–February 1, 2022

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My daughter asked me if I would help her do my grandson’s hair. So, yesterday, we did it! Since he was wiggling and squirming while we pressed snacks, toys and other treats on him, at the same time as singing to The Wiggles and trying to distract him in any way possible, I thought it turned out great! I washed his hair, Ja’Ana made parts and combed it, and we both started braiding like crazy from both sides. Now it’s clean, his head is moisturized, and he looks great! It’s a big job, but by doing it ourselves, we saved at least $75-$100. It brought back a lot of memories to me of years and years of doing hair….

My daughter has been at a new job for a few weeks now. She works mostly at night. This has been difficult, but we are all pitching in as we can to help with babysitting so she can keep her money in her pocket. I’ve been babysitting a lot as they have been calling her in due to people not coming to work due to Covid symptoms. These were afternoon shifts, so I was able to help her out. Patsy’s been babysitting a lot, as well, as has anyone else who will take a shift. Today, my sister and I had a great visit while she helped me with Jake, the boys, school, and life while my daughter got some sleep after working all night last night. My Mom helped while we visited last Friday. As you can see, we are using any one with arms that will come over:). They are happy to work for soup, so……..Seriously, I am very grateful for the help and J is, too.

We put Malcolm to work to help out (ha, ha). He’s happy to work for crackers, so the price is right. Rob ordered this little cleaning set and we’ve had so much fun watching him sweep and mop. Little brother was not amused today, when he got “swept” in the process.

Rob’s seeds are popping up like crazy in the greenhouse. Our second batch of ordered seeds arrived yesterday and he planted some of them today. I had forgotten to order the Carmen pepper seeds the first time. I got Rob some flower seeds while I was at it and he’s excited about them.

I successfully cooked the beans I was soaking. Now I have both red and black beans frozen for quick use. The previous post details a lot of what I cooked this past week. After I posted it, I ended up making a huge vegetable-pesto soup, cornbread, brownies and potato salad. Our neighbor with Covid is feeling a little better and has food from some other places, so I’m haven’t sent more over after today unless he runs out or feels worse. (Rob just talks to him on the phone and leaves it on the doorstep. He’s a truck driver and basically crept home feeling awful a few days ago and called asking if we had broth or chicken soup. He doesn’t keep much food in the house as he’s away so much. We were glad to help out.). The soup got away from me and become too large, so I shared with a couple of other people and there’s still plenty for us. I used onions, celery, hamburger, canned carrots, broth and tomato products, frozen beans and corn, frozen pesto, frozen white beans, Italian seasoning, water, salt and pepper and a little corn pasta in it.

We didn’t need many groceries from Safeway this past week. We are still using things from the freezers and pantry. I used the last of January’s grocery money for another Azure order of mostly bulk food products such as rice mix, white beans, popcorn, etc.

I read library books on line, and a couple actual books. We watched U-Tube, Netflix, etc. for entertainment…(We Don’t Talk About Bruno in 21 languages, anyone? Jake loves that song in English, Patsy in other languages….you see how it is). Thankfully, U-Tube is free so they can both have their way. I worked on a baby quilt a bit, using fabric I’ve had for years with just a couple of small pieces I bought to go with it. There is no baby in mind for this. At the rate I’m going, that’s just as well as they would be a teen before I get done. But, I cleaned up an entire basket of miscellaneous sewing items/scraps, along with going through a couple of other drawers of sewing things and found this fabric, some scraps from other projects that matched, so…why not?)

Rob’s been taking Lovana, our daughter, driving. She really wants to pursue getting her license. She’s a little older, but feels ready at this time. They delivered a meal to a family who needed it. That was good double use of time and gas.

Rob had a birthday. He had a great day. I made the cake he loves so much. It’s a sour cream chocolate cake and it’s great. You really cannot tell it’s gluten-free, or so they say:). Making it that way means I get some, too. Yum!

Menu plans, Use it Up

January Cooking From Storage–2022

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I have been cooking from my storage so much this month, it warranted it’s own post. I have a lot of pantry items, purchased in bulk. I also have a lot of home-canning and freezing. I am always inspired to really dig in and use up a bunch of it every January. I did not do any kind of a special pantry challenge, as you read about on the internet–the kind of challenge where you don’t shop at all, or use a certain number of jars per day, or any other fun game, even though the challenges some people come up with sound like lots of fun for those who do them. Instead, I just tried to find some items on my pantry shelves that had been there for a while and use them up, along with the usual jars of home-canned and the frozen containers of food, mostly from the top of the chest freezer, if I’m honest, because I could grab them in a hurry.

I found some red beans that I’ve had for a long, long time. We’ve been using pinto beans so much lately that the red ones have been ignored. I tried making chili one day and didn’t soak them long enough and didn’t add enough liquid for such old beans. I had a hard time getting them to soften. In the end, I used my Instant Pot to cook both the chili and the beans I wanted to freeze to use later on and it did the trick. I now have a large bowl of them soaking. I will soak them for a couple of days in lots of water and then just use the Instant Pot to cook them. Then, I will freeze in meal-sized portions. Then, I will do it again until they are gone. There’s at least another gallon out there that doesn’t need to linger longer.

I am making refried black beans right now. By morning, they will be cooked and I will grind them with my stick blender, serve some right now and freeze the rest for later. I have a recipe, which I did make this week, that uses them. I was going to buy a can for next time, then realized I had lots of black beans and I could make my own. (I usually use pintos for my refried beans). The recipe has a masa crust with chili powder, green onion and other spices. You bake that. Then, you spread with the refried black beans and cheese and after baking that a little while, you can add taco toppings like tomato and cheese if you want. It’s a bit like a pizza, but not quite.

I fed Patsy several frozen burritos. When I have beans cooked, I take tortillas and fill them with brown rice and beans, cheese and a little salsa. Then, I roll, wrap in foil, and freeze for quick meals. There are a few frozen ones left, then I need to make more.

I made apple crisp more than once this week. Rob’s sister gave us another large box of apples so that’s become my go-to dessert.

We’ve had frozen corn, canned corn, canned green beans, used canned carrots and frozen and canned broth in chicken-rice soup, plus had lots and lots of peaches, cherries, pears and applesauce. We also eat relishes, pickles, and jams every week. We have been eating the peas and broccoli I grew and froze, along with frozen peaches, blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and any other fruit I can find in the freezer. We’ve also used frozen onions and peppers of assorted varieties in cooking and lots of onions from our garden, which are storing well.

I cooked 4 Butternut squash. Some was cut in cubes and roasted and some was cut in half and baked and mashed. We were given quite a few of these squash by Rob’s uncle and cousin, who grow a garden together. Mac loves, loves, loves squash. I froze a bunch to make meals easier.

If you are wondering why he has 2 pony tails, it’s because his Mama got his little, tiny braids undone over a couple of days and had the hair pulled back so as to not tangle up too bad. When she gets enough time, since she’s working a lot right now, she will re-braid his hair up into the little braids she likes him to wear. It will likely take her a couple of days to get it done, as it’s time-consuming and he doesn’t like it being done, so it’s a battle.

I cooked both brown and white rice. The white is the most popular around here with the kids, so I did that more than once. Rob likes brown, so he ate all I had frozen, and I made more.

I used a lot of thighs and drumsticks I had frozen. I also used hamburger, turkey burger, and bits of turkey and chicken I had previously cooked and frozen. I made home-baked chicken nuggets and also home-baked fish sticks. The fish was some kind of frozen white fish I got at Grocery Outlet for $2 for a pound. I bought 3 bags. It’s good. I wish I had gotten more, but you never know until you try unknown items from there, and I haven’t been back in that area. Since things fly out of that store, it’s not worth an extra trip to see if they have any left. So, I’ll be happy for the 3 bags I did get.

There were lots of other things I cooked, as well, like scrambled eggs almost every day for breakfast. We did use some oatmeal, cereal, pancake mix and other items as well, but eggs are our breakfast most days. We’ve baked several items, pulled some from the freezer, made pear-raspberry popsicles, and other things I’m sure I can’t quite remember.

What did we do with the grocery money we saved? I ordered from Azure Standard. I got some cleaning supplies and some more bulk food to fill up empty gaps in the pantry, including a 25 lb. bag of gluten-free flour, which cost almost $50, right there. I took Jake (my nephew) and Patsy to Grocery Outlet and let them buy snacks of their choice for a “party” when he spent a few nights. (That means eat snacks and watch a movie–we’re not very wild partiers around here.). I bought produce and dairy products and I sent Rob and Michaela (my niece) to Costco for things like Ziplocks, deodorant, and a hot dog, of course–her favorite lunch in the world!

If you think I cook a lot for 3 people, you are right. I don’t cook for 3 people, actually. It’s not uncommon for me to feed 4-6 extra people on any given day, and one day this week, I fed 17. So, when anyone offers me food of any kind, I gratefully say “thank you!” and add it to my storage. Sometimes I have to can or freeze it, sometimes I don’t, but it’s all welcome and used.

I’m so thankful that we are able to easily feed so many people on our grocery budget (around $300/month). I haven’t sent out a meal for a long time, but this week, Rob delivered two meals for some friends who needed them. (They both got home-canned corn (I cooked it so all they had to do was warm it), BBQ’d chicken, salad, a few oranges, and of course, apple crisp!) The girls and babies are here quite often. My niece and nephew are, too. I love to cook for my family and friends, and a large food storage lets me indulge my little hobby!

The Lord always blesses us–it seems food pours in here faster than I can cook it up sometimes. I feel very grateful and blessed, especially in light of all the bad news I always hear of shortages, supply chain issues and items being unavailable. We are not suffering one bit around here. Occasionally, an item is not on the shelf at the store. We simply eat something else, and we are fine and full. After all, sometimes a new recipe can become a family favorite. Who knows?

Garden, Saving Money

Thriving In My Thrifty Week–January 18, 2022

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This week was filled with ordinary, everyday activities. One fun thing Rob did was to put up this bird feeder. He made it from a recycled juice container and some wood. Our grandson loves birds. We are hoping they find this feeder pretty soon, as it is right outside a window he can look out of easily. So far, he’s only seen 2 when he’s been here. But he loved both of them:)

Rob also finished up a dresser he’s been fixing up for the babies to put their clothes in. He got it free, rebuilt the drawers, sanded it, painted it glossy black (per our daughter’s wishes), and added drawer pulls. There weren’t any. He used wooded ones he had on hand and painted them dark, dark blue. He’s been working on this project for a few weeks, so it felt great to him to be able to deliver it the other day.

Like I said…..the week wasn’t super exciting, but I need weeks like that! I mended several items. Since Rob wears this shirt outside to get firewood from the woodpile and other chores, I just sewed up the tear he made, using the sewing machine. He promptly tore it again a couple of days later, so I sewed it up again.

I also mended some items for other family members and even a stuffed toy for Jake, my nephew. His stuffed toys keep developing tears at the seams. He’s convinced it is “bad fabric” and Auntie’s is better. I’m convinced the thread is weak, or the wear and tear is great….maybe a little bit of both:).

I spent some time tidying up in the garage. It’s used as an extra living area and often becomes a dumping ground for extra items, so I try to get out there and clean now and then.

I cooked quite a few things, as usual. I made this berry-apple crisp from some wild blackberries Rob picked last summer. I added pieces of various apples his sister gave us. I’ve never had apples that are pink and purple inside. This fall, she took a seasonal job at a large apple grower’s fruit stand up near Hood River, Oregon, where she lives and got to take 5 lbs of apples home, per day she worked. I guess they have fancy kinds, and I heard she had way more apples than she knew what to do with, so she sent some down for us. Of course, I thickened, and topped the crisp, but wanted to show the gorgeous apples and berries!

I made a tuna/white bean salad. I was in a hurry, but had nothing thawed, at one meal time, so chopped up celery, onions and some canned sweet peppers and mixed them into our home-canned tuna and a can of white beans. I dressed it with sun-dried tomato salad dressing I wanted to use up. It was different from what I usually make, but tasted good.

I made Chex mix from some Chex and a few pretzels that had been around for a while. I added some roasted hazelnuts.

I used lots of broth I had previously frozen, home-canned carrots, frozen bits of chicken, celery, rice and onion to make chicken-rice soup. My sister gave me some manicotti she made–yum–and I also made turkey meatballs and used my home-canned pasta sauce to make a penne pasta/meatball casserole.

As we do this time of year, we emptied many, many canning jars, and freezer cartons and baggies. Since I re-use the baggies if they are still in good shape, my sink has looked quite funny with bags draped over every tall cup or spoon:)

Last summer, we filled these crates with extra jars of various canned goods I made. This week, Rob and I spent some time rotating some empty jars into the bottom crates and putting more full ones on the shelves. If you look closely at my canning, you see a film of wood dust all over it….that’s what you get when you share space with someone who is sanding an old dresser:). Thankfully, it wipes off easily, but we have been throwing around some ideas about how to keep my jars from getting so dusty.

Rob paid Patsy to help him clean out the greenhouse and he planted some peppers and onions. I found I had forgotten to order my Carmen pepper seeds when I ordered. Oops! I ordered some yesterday. At least the Lola (light green),Mixed colors, California Wonder (green), Jalepeno, Ancho, Serrano, and Anaheim and planted. I have been planting Carmen for years, since they turn red earlier than most. They are a longer, Italian pepper and taste the same as other red peppers to me. I like to cut up mixed bags of pepper chunks for use in the winter.

This time, I ordered from Pinetree, as I really like them, as well. Since I was ordering anyway, and had to pay postage anyway, I ordered some flowers for him for his birthday. He seems to really enjoy growing things these past few years.

He went to the Dollar Store and things were still $1, vs. the $1.25 they keep threatening to raise the prices to. The seeds had arrived. He got a handful of different packets, including Danvers 1/2 Long carrots, dill, and some flowers. Danvers carrots work just fine for me in my garden. I do put coffee grounds down the rows, as I read to do a few years ago and it really does seem to help with the wireworm problem.

We used all the Bottle Drop money for groceries and spent the money we would have used for a 25 lb. bag of gluten free flour, about $50. It is what it is, and we were delighted to be able to get that this month!

I’m looking forward to another nice, ordinary week ahead.

food preservation, Saving Money

Thriving In My Thrifty Week–January 10, 2021

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My seeds have arrived! I ordered them all from Territorial this year for several reasons. It saved shipping fees. I got the varieties I wanted. (I look for certain traits in different vegetables, such as short-season growing and disease resistance in tomatoes, especially.). I love their seeds because they grow well for me.

Rob saved quite a few seeds this past summer and we will plant those. We will also look at the Dollar Store for seeds for things that I don’t care about variety on, such as green onions and dill. They are not there, yet. I’m not really worried, because if they never show up, those are the things that seem to self-seed quite easily and they may just pop up in the garden all on their own.

As I think I mentioned last week, I spent a morning with my niece, sorting out all the old seeds and saved seeds to make sure I ordered only what I needed. It was still over $100. Some years, I spend much more than that, and it was nice to not need so many this time. Regardless, it is always worth the money I spend to me as I get back so much from my investment. I do not want to do the amount of work I do for a small yield, or to have the plants not produce in time, or die of blight, which has happened to me before.

We need to organize the greenhouse and planting supplies very soon. Some things, such as peppers and onions need to be planted before long. Others can wait a little longer.

We only bought a few items at the regular grocery store this past week. For the most part, we cooked with preserved items or pantry items. I did an Azure Standard order for myself and my sister. For myself, I mainly got pantry items, such as gluten-free pasta and cleaning supplies. I also pulled several odds and ends from the freezer for meals, mainly things that had been frozen during the holidays when there was too much food around to eat before it went bad.

I used up odds and ends in the fridge, too. A small amount of pesto in a jar was thrown into a soup. Yum! We were given that jar a while back, and it was nice to finish it off. There were 6 corn tortillas that had been lingering, so I made a casserole with home-canned salsa verde, chicken and cheese to use those.

I made soup from home-canned carrots, beans, broth, tomatoes and 1/2 lb. hamburger. I made spaghetti, using our home-made pasta sauce from our garden tomatoes. Small bits of jams, relishes, and fruit were finished, too. I had to carry out 2 baskets of empty jars to the shop last week! That’s a success in my book. If I’m cooking with my own preserved foods, everyone is getting fed without me spending an excessive amount of money. At this point, I don’t plan to raise my grocery budget, even if food prices continue to rise. I seem to be able to still get some good deals, and have so much food on hand to use.

Rob returned all of our bottles and cans. He hadn’t done it for quite some time, as in months. It took him 2 days. We had cans the girls and others had given us, plus the ones we found while walking, and our empties. He put $70 on our Bottle Drop card, and I will use that for groceries one of these days! I will use the +20% feature at Safeway or Fred Meyers to stretch that money even further.

Patsy and Jake continue to do puzzles when they have spare time. I only have time to put in a few pieces now and then, but it’s fun when I do.

We spent a couple of days with the babies, as usual. Zai is starting to eat a little food, so that’s been fun. Mac continues to eat everything I put in front of him, except bananas, which I find odd, but…..We took walks, read endless books, played toys and, yes…watched the Wiggles.

We also had an entire day where we didn’t do anything. No babies, no kids, no big projects, just a nap. Frankly, I was ready for that! I did manage to clean the bathroom and cook something, but that was about it. Pretty easy day! I need that now and then.

Saving Money

Thriving In My thrifty Week–January 3, 2022

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This past week was very laid-back around here. We played with babies. We slept in a lot. We cooked whatever we felt like eating…..or didn’t cook–just ate odds and ends. We had snow several days, which is uncommon around here, so we hibernated. We only had our niece and nephew with us for one day, and Patsy spent a couple of nights with her cousins. Ahhhh……

But, we did manage to do a few money-saving activities in-between all the laying around!

I canned up the rest of the pineapple we had purchased on sale for either 99c or $1.50 around Christmas. Two stores had them, and the sale went on for a couple of weeks, so in the end, I was able to get 8, buying the limit at various places. I have over 20 jars canned, mostly 1/2 pints, but there are a few pints in the mix as well.

Along with all the little jars, we ate fresh pineapple several times, and I made pineapple stir-fried rice for the second time. I’ve done it with both shrimp and chicken now, and it’s great!

We got some great bargains at the grocery store. We bought 97c/doz. eggs, 2-lbs shredded cheese for $4.97, used a $10/off $50 coupon, and got lots of produce. Our daughter went with Rob to buy a few sale groceries at one store and paid for it. She said, “well, we eat over there all the time,” which is true, but he was still pleasantly surprised.

A couple of weeks ago, I was blessed when I stumbled upon a situation where I could get both my Covid booster and my flu shot at Safeway, plus 10% off my groceries. I was buying quite a few groceries, and saved a lot! I already had many coupons electronically clipped to my account, was able to get the shrimp I purchased for 1/2 price, and bought lots of sale items anyway, so the additional amount off was a nice bonus. I had recently returned from vacation, so was out of many things. I had been putting in some work trying to find a place to get both of those shots, so was very fortunate in being able to do a walk-in on the very day I was shopping for a larger-than-normal amount of groceries:). Later, when Rob tried to get his shots (more than once) he was told there was no availability for that and wouldn’t be for quite some time. He both called and just showed up, to no avail. A few days later, he found a drive-thru clinic for the Covid shot, but still has to find a flu shot.

We had a big family birthday party on Saturday. We celebrated 3 January birthdays and one February birthday. We had a Mexican feast. Everyone brought different things. Rob made carne asada for the first time. It came out great!

I made pork verde. I used my home-canned salsa verde and cooked it in the crock pot until it was very tender.

I’ve been trying out the new air-fryer I got for Christmas. I used my Instant Pot and my Crock Pot several times this past week. When I have extra time, I love to use my appliances so I have quick and easy recipes in my mind that I can make when I’m busy.

We saved the most money of all by the choice of pony my sister chose to give the boys. Right now, baby brother is too young for horses, so Mac took it over. The feed and hay bills are non-existent, and stable fees are very low. Riding lessons were free, compliments of Grandma, and he can already ride better than she can, which was pretty easy to accomplish. We didn’t even have to buy a horse trailer, as he fits into the back of the car, since horsey had to go back to auntie’s house for the birthday party and then over here for several hours yesterday!

We also had hours of free entertainment watching “The Wiggles.” One daughter pays for Netflix for Rob every year as his Christmas gift, so it is truly free for us. We watched it over and over and over and over and over……When I tried to put on a different show, he just turned his head away, went and got the remote and fussed at me until I got the message:) (The Wiggles are an Australian group that sings and dances for preschoolers–good exercise and a little learning is involved, but mostly nursery-rhyme type songs. It’s really not so bad–it’s just that we have seen all the episodes multiple times…..)

There are several things I typically do in January. First, I often clean things. I’ve already been doing small bits of deep cleaning, so I have a good start on that. Second, I tend to eat more healthy and exercise more. I’ve already been using up the holiday desserts and not replacing them, and so forth. The rain has been extremely heavy and we’ve had snow, so it’s only been the past few days that we’ve gotten walks of any length. Third, I try to save money. I tend to use up pantry and home-preserved items even more than usual. I’m on board to do all that this year, as well.

The other thing Rob and I have been doing is taking a small plastic bag with us on our frequent walks. We have been picking up cans and bottles. It’s been amazing how many we’ve found since we started picking them up. Bottle Drop will even take cans that have been ran over and are totally flat, as long as they are not 1/2 gone. Who knew? Today, when Rob returned all of our personal cans and bottles, he received $1.10 just in smashed cans, and easily over $5 worth that we had just picked up alongside the road. Better yet, one day, I found a dollar bill laying on the ground, and occasionally we have found coins.

The year’s off to a great money-saving start already!

Holidays, Saving Money

Thriving In My Thrifty Week–December 26, 2021

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We have had a wonderful 2 weeks getting ready for, and celebrating Christmas. I found that it wasn’t feeling a lot like Christmas for me, after returning from our trip. So, Rob and I decided to spend time on some activities that made it more meaningful to us.

We made many batches of caramel corn and used some as gifts and ate some at holiday gatherings. My neighbor then borrowed my popper, as hers broke, and she made a lot, too. She gave us some, as well, which we gobbled up on Christmas Eve.

Most of the activities didn’t cost much, if anything. One day Rob and Patsy were at Grocery Outlet getting some lunchmeat I wanted to use for Christmas Eve. Just as they were leaving, as a total coincidence, the girls showed up with the boys. Rob and Patsy immediately took the babies into the car with them while the girls did their shopping and I guess there are lots of things to do with face masks:)

We made a gingerbread house.

He knew what to do with the candy….

Patsy, Michaela and Jake were invited to a cookie decorating party. I had fun taking them.

Rob, Michaela and Patsy delivered gifts to some friends and family we weren’t going to see on Christmas. Our gifts are simple–some home-canned items, cookies, caramel corn, etc., but it’s nice to say Merry Christmas to people.

We attended special services at church. That one thing, especially the one on Christmas Eve, makes it feel like Christmas to me. Afterwards, as we have done for many, many years, we open our gifts in our immediate family. This year, the girls came and brought the babies over, so it was twice as fun.

As babies often do, Zai liked the paper better than the presents:)

My sister made a very special spread for Christmas Day.

Everyone contributed things, but she orchestrated the entire thing. (And, yes, I know the proper term for it, but please, please don’t ask me to spell it!)

My niece, Alissa, wanted mashed potatoes, and even teased that she wasn’t coming if there couldn’t be potatoes. So, I was given the job of bringing potatoes. I made her mashed potatoes, potato soup, twice-baked cheesy potatoes and potato skins. Just to be silly.

Christmas night, it snowed. What can I say? The perfect ending to a wonderful Christmas week!

We did a few mundane activities, as well. There were lots of incredible grocery deals, such as pineapple for 99c at one store and $1.50 at another. We gathered several, getting the limits at both places, and I canned 16 small jars of pineapple, as well as enjoyed them fresh.

We got 97c/carton ice cream, 77c/loaf bread and eggs, and many other inexpensive groceries. Our freezers are so full that we almost didn’t get the ice cream–no room–but Rob remembered the camper freezer was empty so we loaded it up with bread and ice cream. We also got the items we needed for our holiday gatherings. I’m doubting I need much this week, other than perhaps a little produce or dairy. I have quite a few leftovers to use, as well.

Vacations

Thriving In My Not-S0-Thrifty, but super Fun Week–December 13, 2021

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Last week, we went on vacation. My sister and brother-in-law invited us to join them at their time-share down in Mexico, and even bought our plane tickets for us! They spoiled us rotten. It was Patsy’s second time in an airplane, and she was super excited to go. We all were! The first night, we ate in a restaurant on top of a hotel, near a roof-top pool, and the week only got better from there, although that seems impossible.

Rob spent the week taking pictures of every flower he could find in the area. He found a lot of different ones. We also saw many beautiful butterflies and iguanas, along with many birds that were new to us.

The time-share was on a large campus with lots of walking paths, several pools, and restaurants. There was even a gondola, which we rode a couple of times. We walked between 2 and 5-1/2 miles most days. Rob spent a lot of time rejoicing and praising God because he could walk. It wasn’t so long ago that he was forced to sit around while everyone else walked around. He felt so blessed. He and I took several walks alone, and even slipped out to a restaurant together one evening for a date.

We got some nice people from Minnesota to take our picture down at the pool.

Another time, the guys took advantage of Happy Hour and enjoyed virgin Pina coladas in the pool. And, that’s how the week went folks–one fun time after another, and lots of rest for us.

Boy, you should have seen Rob jump out of the swimming pool though, when this bug landed on him! It was way over an inch long and just huge! Amazing how the man can move now:) 🙂 🙂

We shared the pool areas with iguanas. They were climbing in the trees, bushes, and sunning themselves. During one exciting moment, a couple of them crashed down from a near-by tree, scaring the tar out of everyone in the vicinity–what a surprise!

We played lots of games in the evenings. Jake loves ordering room service, and one day, I caught him making towers with the condiments….

…and blowing the tower down….so you can see everything was fun! Even the food:).

After a week of lounging around, hardly lifting a finger, it was time to make our way back home. We brought Jake and Michaela home with us to spend time here while my sister and brother-in-law stayed there another week.

My brother-in-law kindly took us to the airport and got us as far as where we went through security. Spanish is his first language, as he was raised in Bolivia, and boy is he handy to have around in Mexico (as well as being a super awesome guy). Although he had to work quite a bit during the week, remotely, he had plenty of time to make sure we all had the food we wanted, got to all the right places, and the taxi and then the airport….well, that was such a blessing. Since regulations changed to require a negative Covid test within 24 hours of traveling regardless of vaccination status, while we were there, there were forms and forms to fill out, along with my first Covid test. We did our forms 3 times, I kid you not, until all the people at the airport were satisfied. Even when we stood by a man telling us which boxes to check, and where to sign, and did exactly what he said, the next person wanted the form filled out differently. Without Ron, we might still be there at that airport!!! But we safely made it home, and I crawled into bed at 2 am on Sunday morning, tired, but full of good memories.

We did church remotely Sunday morning, then Rob went and got our dog back from my aunt who watched her all week, which was so appreciated.

He stopped by the store and got a few things, including a ham for 87c/lb. He got produce as well. It was so nice to have a well-stocked pantry and freezers so we did not have to worry about doing a big shop right away. I cooked some noodles and pulled the bagels and bread from the freezer I had put in there for the first couple of days home. We had got some long-dated milk before we left so our niece could have the milk she so loves the first morning. Although eating out so much was nice, especially the part where we didn’t have to do the dishes, we are settling right back into our usual ways of cooking here at home, and have already washed a couple of emptied canning jars and made some more space in the freezer by eating things up. That’s a good thing, because we got the call that our 1/4 beef is ready for us to pick up. We save quite a bit of money by buying many things in bulk, and that includes beef, purchased from a local farmer.

And now….Christmas! That’s my next project, and I’d better get started on the final details, I mean besides doing school with the kids, cooking for extras, the grand babies, whom I’ve seen twice already in the 2 days I’ve been home…..Good thing I got all that rest:)

Holidays, Saving Money

Thriving In My Thrifty Week–December 3, 2021

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We’ve had more spare time this week than we’ve had for quite some time. The main reason for that is because we babysat the grandsons less this week. That is one reason I’m writing this post early. We spent a little of that time decorating for Christmas, did some shopping, cooking, and extra cleaning.

My sister and brother-in-law put a wreath on our door while we were out. I added a few decorations to it from my stash.

I was able to use some art my niece made as a backdrop to the little trees Rob made last year. I love putting things I already have together in new ways to get a whole new effect from them.

Now I feel ready for the next few weeks. We kept it simple. I will not host the “big family” for Christmas, instead, I will go to my sister’s house. I will have a few of my children over at least once, my niece and nephew staying for a few days later in the month, and our own nuclear family to enjoy the Christmas cheer.

Most of our gifts are already purchased, and those remained simple this year, as well. As tempting as it was, we did not go overboard with buying things for the babies. Instead, we got a few useful items, and we plan to spend time with them.

This was clean-the-fridge week. I only bought a couple of items, including whole milk for the baby. For the rest of the meals, I used all the leftovers I could find in the fridge from Thanksgiving and we pulled several proteins from the freezers and thawed them in readiness for quick meals. This picture is spaghetti made with home-canned pizza/pasta sauce and some buckwheat noodles we got at a scatch-and-dent store for 99c/box. They look kind of funny, but taste great. Contrary to their name, “buckwheat”, they are a gluten-free option and I’m all for it when I get anything gf for 99c!

My Mom left some cranberry relish here after Thanksgiving dinner. I ate a bunch of it because it tasted amazing, but could not eat it all. I decided to make some cranberry bread with the rest of it. I just put it in instead of the cranberries called for. The bread came out great, even though I was afraid it would be too moist. I have no idea how much I put in or anything, so I can’t exactly make it again, but I’m glad I found a way to use that delicious relish up! We will eat one or two of the mini loaves and freeze the others for later.

As always, we filled our days with simple activities and children. I took my niece and nephew to the park. We got some library books and movies for the now-open (finally) library–ahhhh:). We watched some movies on Disney+ since one daughter put it on our t.v. and we could.

I did watch Malcolm one afternoon/evening while his mother and auntie cleaned like maniacs for a walk-through by their landlord. They had plenty of notice, but the babies are messy so they wanted to finish without the 16-month-old. It went well for them, and I’m glad. While he was here, I pushed him up and down some surrounding streets in his stroller as it was getting near dusk. We both really enjoyed the lights and decorations we saw. He’s at the stage where he waved at every car, called out “dog” to every reindeer he saw and craned his neck almost backwards to see things he really liked. Fun! I’m glad to let the girls clean and keep all the fun in these cases:). Then we danced to the Wiggles, played with the cloth Nativity set, looked at books with Grandpa, and the girls ended the evening by bringing take-and-bake pizza for us all.

Enjoy the season. That’s our plan for the next few weeks. We’ve made a good start.

Cooking for a crowd, Holidays, Saving Money

Thriving In My Thrifty Week–November 29, 2021

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The kids and I made a turkey platter just for them:). One kind of turkey was rice cereal treat balls on gluten-free Oreos with candy corn feathers and beaks.

The other one was from a library book and was a Rolo on a gf pretzel, candy corn feathers and an M and M beak. You put the candy on the pretzel and put it in the oven for a little bit. But, although I did 2-3 minutes, it was too much and the Rolos melted way too much, so I will do 1 minute next time. Most of the kids in the family don’t actually like turkey, but they liked this turkey platter.

I only had 2 days of school with Jake last week, so we read more about Pilgrims, made these special treats, I read aloud a book called “Molly’s Pilgrim” plus finished up a Hardy Boys book we were reading. He read aloud to us, choosing any story he wanted from his easy reader Bible and some others. Some of the books were from recent yard sales, or left over from years past, so he got a week of what we called “fun school” for pennies. The kids also worked on a fall-themed puzzle while I read and at other times for hours. Funny thing about that puzzle. We ended up with 2 of the same fall-themed puzzles, due to the fact that we purchase them at yard sales and thrift stores. The first time they did it, it was missing a piece. This is the second one. They are hoping it’s all there. If not, I guess they will be very busy trying to find the missing piece in the first box! Anything to keep kids busy with good projects, right?

I also tried a new gf pie crust recipe and filled it with “pumpkin” pie made from butternut squash that was given to me and I cooked and pureed. It was crisp, to put it mildly. It had a good flavor, so I may do some more experimenting. That is one thing I have not figured out how to make well, gluten free, so usually make crustless pumpkin pie and lots of crisps.

I decorated the entire house with tablecloths I already owned and with selections from a huge box of artificial flower arrangements Rob got in a free box on the side of the road last summer. I thought he bought them at a garage sale, which I mentioned last week, but it was even better than that! I’m keeping that man! After 39 years of marriage, he still surprises me with some of the amazing things he finds and does. I’m blessed with so much more than dried flowers with that man.

I threw some little candy bars around and was done. Since I didn’t get to really buckle down and do the final cleaning and decorating until Wednesday night before the big day, I was thankful that, first, it was so easy and, second, my sister had helped me clean on Monday. I had a lot of little ones in and out, so had some major clutter to pick up, but it was clean underneath so didn’t take long–whew!!!

Rob and I took several walks. On Thanksgiving, one sister and I grabbed a couple of kids and took them on a short walk.

The parade of jars continues. We get the full ones from the shop, where they are stored, empty them, and carry the jars back out…repeat….repeat…repeat! On most days, we wash anywhere between 1 and 5 or even more jars. I’m so glad we have so many full ones still left out there and will happily trot out there with the basket I use every day if I need to.

I cooked the Thanksgiving meal in a very traditional manner, since we had to skip the family gathering last year. Rob did a turkey and a ham on the Green Mountain Grill. I made mashed potatoes with turkey gravy, cooked home-canned corn, deviled eggs, gluten-free stuffing with apples, celery and onion, and sweet potatoes with butter, brown sugar, orange juice and topped with marshmallows. I made crab-stuffed mushrooms with some huge mushrooms my sister brought me and some crab we caught and canned a couple of years ago and they were impressive, I just have to say! I wanted one thing that was not traditional, and they turned out as good as I hoped. We used our home-canned green beans to make traditional green bean casserole with gluten-free cream of mushroom soup and some Rob-made fried onions. He toiled over them the day before after we checked 3 or 4 stores and could not buy any. In years past, we did. Not this year. His turned out great! We put out home-canned pickles galore, and people brought rolls, desserts, home-made fudge, candy, salads, and more. Several family members pitched in significantly for the meat and other groceries so it was a burden on none.

I think everyone loved it, as there were not all that many leftovers left over! Everyone got some to eat the next day and no one had to eat it daily until we were tired of it. Perfect! I finished up my turkey portion yesterday in turkey-rice soup. All the bones were boiled right after Rob cooked the turkey and I used the broth for the gravy and stuffing, plus froze some.

At the end of the day, a couple of grown kids were still left over here for a while:), so I made a turkey enchilada casserole real quick while they watched movies. One daughter puts Netflix on our tv each year for her Dad’s Christmas gift. We get Prime because we like the 2-day shipping on Amazon. Another daughter just put Disney Plus on the tv so the baby could watch Mickey Mouse. With all that, we still ended up watching a disk of Princess Bride from the library:). So funny!

On Friday, I was very tired, so I told my daughter to bring the baby over so I could play all afternoon. (The 16 month old, not the 4 month old, as he is still wanting Mama most of the time.) I guess he was screaming his way through Walmart, and was very happy to come see Grandma. I had absolutely no desire to do any work on Friday. We read, laid on the bed, he slept a while, we played, ate, and watched the Wiggles. We both had a great afternoon. She cleaned and organized at her house for a while without his help. Win-win! In this picture, he’s kissing his baby brother. They already love each other. It’s so cute to see.

We had a nice visit with our oldest daughter and son-in-law on Saturday, as they couldn’t come on Thanksgiving Day. That’s one of the perks of having so many kids…we can enjoy them for days! I made ground turkey tacos/taco salad bar–since I could do it fast while they were driving down. I still have a few tomatoes we have ripened from green ones from the garden, so I used those with the taco bar. I thawed ground turkey purchased on a great sale a while back, head lettuce, pre-shredded cheese, canned olives, canned refried beans, etc. and it was easy and fast! I had a bag of corn chips from a huge bag from Costco. I buy the huge bag and re-package in gallon Ziplocks so they don’t get stale fast and you can’t beat the price! I have lots of home-canned salsa, so dug out a jar of that. I didn’t choose to make dessert, and everyone still had a wonderful time. Just sayin’.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you! I hope you had a wonderful holiday and that you are looking forward to the next month as much as I am.

Making My Home A Haven