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My youngest came over and cooked up a big pot of red lentil soup for this week’s work lunches, using ingredients we already had on hand. (Lentils, onions, carrots, garlic, ginger, broth and bulk-purchased spices) It may seem illogical to let other people use our ingredients to make their meals, (especially during No Spend March) but I’m more than happy to share with others. I’m really good at bargain shopping and want nothing more than to help other people stretch their dollars.
Click HERE for my red lentil soup recipe.
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The two of us walked a half mile or so to the library to pick up the books I’d put on hold. Three for them and one for me. I also grabbed a Sophie Kinsella book from a neighbor’s little free library.
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I made a loaf of no-knead artisan bread supposedly for French onion soup, but it was gobbled up before I had the chance to slice up a single onion. Good thing it’s the easiest recipe and takes maybe two minutes to mix up!
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I spent a couple scratchy hours pruning my backyard hydrangeas so they’ll be nice and full this coming summer. They’ve gotten leggy over the past couple years, so I cut them waay back. (Hopefully I didn’t screw up!) By the way, this photo is from a couple summers ago. This is what they currently look like:
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I didn’t have to switch up any last minute skiing plans due to protestors.
Five Frugal Things
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1. I made a loaf of apple bread using a couple sad looking apples. I will try this recipe again, but cut the sugar and increase the apples. I’m down to 2 eggs and not excited about finding out what prices have climbed to here.
2. Roasted three sweet potatoes for our dog, which he rolled around on my rug before approving. He was a firm no on the blueberries.
3. Sold 3 items on ebay, including a pair of bulky snow pants that I am glad to see go. My sister saves all her shipping bags for me to reuse, and thankfully there was an XL one.
4. Walked up to the library sale and bought 19 books for $4.75. I also picked out 4 cross stitch pattern booklets from the free box.
5. I will be participating in no spend March. It will be a good opportunity to clean out my freezer and cupboards. I think I will also make an effort to post some free items on Facebook Marketplace.
I had the kind of hydrangea that blooms on old wood. My landscaper, doing fall clean-up, would prune those hydrangeas back hugely, which of course meant now flowers next summer. Eventually I told him he was not ever to touch my hydrangeas again.
While I did have to change my plans to ski to avoid protesters (weekend plans at the same damn mountain, as mentioned in a previous FFT), I was so proud of my ski community for standing up for our mountains and way of life, which is directly threatened by the administration. For anyone looking to read what the Sugarbush snow reporter put up the morning of the visit, please read her beautiful ode to skiing and nature here: https://billmckibben.substack.com/p/special-vermont-resistance-edition
1. We went to a mountain closer to our friend’s house, giving us cheaper fuel costs and the ability to pack lunches.
2. Saturday night was a fun night out to see live music – we made dinner at home, then shared a cab into town and then a dear friend drove us back home later.
3. We are back home and drinking coffee we made and drinking filtered water.
4. Winter isn’t giving up just yet, so I deep cleaned our humidifiers. How do they get gross SO fast? This will hopefully help alleviate my allergy symptoms as we transition to spring and extend the life of both little machines.
5. Traveling again this weekend, so hitting the grocery store for enough food for today through Thursday. Really hoping to avoid any food waste!
Also – I meant to mention – due to a lot of travel this month we are not attempting no-spend March. However, this month is our trial period to break up with Amazon and the other major entities. I’ve already made my commitment to it and DH is working his way towards it as well. Hoping to find a future where we stop using e-commerce entirely.
Glad you were able to enjoy your weekend despite the presence of the lap dog (maybe that’s too kind) being in your area. I was happy to see so many Vermonters and others protesting along the roadways up there. I love my neighboring state to the North! Massachusetts girl here.
1. I bought 1 pound of breakfast sausage in a roll, 1 pound of ground turkey, and cook those two together and then added lentils, one cup dried that equals about 2 1/2 cups cooked. The only seasoning was salt. These have been divided up and will be used for spaghetti sauce, chili, Dragon noodles, tacos, etc..
2. I found leg quarters on sale for $.79 a pound in 10 pound bags. I’m pretty good at separating legs from thighs and did that. I found a YouTube video about boning chicken thighs and bone four of them. The bones went into my stock bag. I was reminding DH that boneless skinless chicken thighs are about $2.29 a pound. This was a great saving.
3. I’m trying to remember to put the lid on the pot when I’m waiting for the water to boil. Our house is cold and it does help to speed it up and thus use less electricity.
4. Continuing to put on more clothes instead of up the heat. This has been a long cold winter and I’m really looking forward to spring.
5. Going to use my 35-year-old food processor to slice up several pounds of onions to make French onion soup. I have thawed out homemade chicken stock to use for this dish and have some cold sourdough bread I made in the freezer waiting for this. A splash of white wine and some expensive gruyere cheese used judiciously makes a very appreciated frugal meal.
Alexandra, your French onion soup description is making my mouth water! I craved French onion soup and made tons of it when I was pregnant with my twins, who just turned 18!!
1. The kids requested carrot cake and pecan pie for their birthday. I baked a homemade carrot cake using butter purchased on sale and then frozen. My own 22-year-old food processor did a superb job grating the carrots. I procured a pecan pie from a locally owned bakery. Not cheap, but the ingredients and my own time are also costly, and I felt good supporting an excellent local business that benefits my community.
2. Found a quarter.
3. Borrowed a free audiobook from the library.
4. Earned a little extra money by covering a relative’s business errands while they are out of town.
5. Finally sat down with my husband and completed the FAFSA form.
Made good use of Sunday dollar sales at Goodwill. 1 dollar new with tags jJill cotton tunic. 1 dollar unworn havaianas flash sandals.
1 dollar perfect looking Keds. 1 dollar t shirt for stinky’s fish camp. 2 one dollar pairs of cotton capris. 1 dollar cotton button down shirt. I’m ready for warm weather.
Donated some good things to local charity thrift store. Donated non perishables to outdoor food pantry.
My only naughty list store I needed to quit was Walmart and it was an easy switch to Aldi’s. I do still use their bathrooms when traveling, free toilet paper and hand soap and their opportunity to help someone.
My fail is when I’m traveling and it’s a cold morning and I’m hungry I get a sausage scramble bowl from Chick-fil-A. Fluffy eggs, tasty sausage, crunchy hash rounds, and yum cheese with salsa packet. They throw in a hot drink for free.
I didn’t tag team bully a guy trying to save his people.
After posting I realized I should just suck it up and get a hot water at a gas station and dump a gluten free oatmeal in for hot travel breakfasts. Goodbye protein packed hot breakfast on cold mornings.
scream and holler with your cents and Dollars
mad consumer adversary
Thank you — I know this is a hard switch. Our habits! Your switch is appreciated and noted.
I have never worn Keds before. My 1 dollar pair of denim Keds is supper comfortable!good to know.
I’m the same way with meals for my adult kids- they’re going home with a few meals for their week ahead. I just baked bread and will be making soup to get to my SIL as my brother is very unwell, and she needs some TLC. Five frugal things-
1. Muffin bread with last of a cherry jam
2. Free exercise by walking the dog
3. Waited for full laundry load to wash kitchen linens on hot
4. Kept heat low overnight
5. Didn’t give contracts to billionaire’s while firing hard working Americans
to a NON citizen billionaire to boot.
FFT, Living with a Busted Rib Edition:
As I noted in my response to Ruby’s comment yesterday, I’m certain that I did in fact crack a rib when I fell in my icy driveway last week. But here’s how I’m dealing with this and other things:
(1) Rather than go to one of our increasingly sparse urgent care centers on a snowy Sunday morning for an x-ray that probably wouldn’t do more than confirm my suspicions (the ribcage pain was getting worse rather than better since last Wednesday), I asked Dr. Bestest Neighbor to come over and give me an opinion. He brought his stethoscope to give me a listen, and he pronounced my lungs clear (a broken rib can pierce a lung). He also gently probed my left ribcage, and when he touched the spot, I let out a yelp that they probably heard in the next city over. We agreed that the rib is almost certainly broken, and that there’s no real need for an x-ray for this. (Believe me, I’m in no doubt.) So, as always, my blessings on Dr. BN.
(2) Dr. BN gave me various recommendations for treatment (the Salonpas brand extra-large pain patches I had in stock are doing me more good than anything else). And he also read me a long list of things I shouldn’t be trying to do in the immediate future. The man knows me too well. 😀
(3) I did go Against Medical Advice so far as to do a load of laundry. But I carried it up from the basement to my second-floor drying racks in three trips instead of one, thereby giving me some much-needed lower-body exercise.
(4) I also simmered the carcass of a whole chicken that didn’t come out so well on Saturday (I don’t recommend the NYT maple butter with rosemary recipe, for various reasons) for soup stock. And I’ll be using the stock in a variation on Katy’s white bean and rosemary soup today.
(5) Finally, I have committed no offenses against humanity nearly as large as the ones perpetrated by agents of the US government (elected and unelected) in the last six weeks. And, along with most of us here, I will continue to resist with my dollars and my voice.
Sorry to hear you broke a rib. I’m glad you have Dr. BN so close by. I’m not a doctor but I have had broken ribs and so has DH and I agree with Dr. BN that once it’s been established there is no damage to your lungs there’s not much to do except pain relief and avoiding exertion. Take care.
Every month is a no spend/low spend month around here, but I’ve been trying to find ways to spend even less and to fund fewer oligarchs.
1) We live in a student neighborhood. A recently graduated neighbor was tossing out their entire apartment due to a cross country move for grad studies. He’s an engineering major/art minor. He gave us everything he didn’t want, and in return we helped him load his vehicle and clean up. 3D printers, Ikea furniture, tons of art supplies, power tools, good quality kitchen items, vacuum chambers, and so much more. Literally thousands of dollars in equipment that he was just going to toss in the dumpster.
My son even had the presence of mind to grab the trash bags and the one-roll-missing package of TP that was being tossed.
2) We spent the rest of the weekend sorting the bounty into keep and donate piles. Today I will drop camping items off at the nearby shelter, unopened food off at the food bank, and the art supplies we won’t use goes to the Allied Arts thrift store when they open tomorrow.
3) Even with all unplanned business, I managed to scrape together dinners this weekend — leftovers one night, and a snacky dinner of bread, butter, fruit, and cheese on another night.
4) The only places that got our money this weekend was WinCo for our weekly groceries and to the local cafe where my wife and I have our standing after-church coffee date on Sunday afternoons.
5) I’m a bread snob and am very persnickety about its quality. I spent some time yesterday finally mastering the art of the baguette (not to be confused with those soft, cakey “french bread” sticks masquerading as baguettes at grocery store bakeries). Baguettes were my last purchased bread holdout from a fancy/expensive bakery since I mastered the perfect spongy sandwich loaf for my wife’s palate, so this is a huge win.
Congrats on number 1, that’s amazing! I’m also jealous of your baguette skills. I’m still working on my baking.
Jenny, your #1 makes me nostalgic for the days when DH owned rental properties in the local party-school university neighborhood. The tenants used to leave incredible stuff behind (Mommy and Daddy would always buy them new ones, of course). And back when I was younger and stronger, I did pretty well trashpicking that neighborhood at the end of the school year.
Starting in April, I always see if there are any garage sales in student neighborhoods (they’ll give/sell you tons of stuff for very little, just to get gas money home), and I ride around to student neighborhoods and apartment buildings to trash pick anything at the garbage dumpster. I also look on craigslist: that’s how I got my free dog 14 years ago, she belonged to some graduating students who were leaving her behind (shame on them!). I also got an Ikea king-sized bed with box springs for under $150 and the grad student delivered them to my house. (He kept his mattress and I got a new king-sized Sealy Posturepedic from Sears on sale Memorial Day for under $500 including delivery and removal of old bedding.) Around May, the thrift stores start putting out donations from the (spoiled rich) college kids; among my haul last spring was a very clean $2 trash can (now in my bedroom) and numerous office supplies. My former coworker was a pro at it: she’d go around in December and says she never bought a Christmas tree or a bicycle bc she’d find those items at the curb. Her kids had the best bikes in the ‘hood.
My granddaughter has a great aunt who works at a private college in a nearby city. She has given so many nice things to my granddaughter after the students move out of their dorms each year. Even clothes which Granddaughter20 has enjoyed wearing since she hit the teenage years. It makes me happy to know these things are kept out of the landfill.
My father went into an empty dorm room when he came out for my sister’s graduation in 1988 and came home with an abandoned vintage stapler that he still uses to this day!
I make tea every day with my university trash-picked electric kettle. My last move-out working there, I brought home a year’s worth of toilet paper as charities will not accept opened packages. The sealed ones went to the food bank and my family happily used the partial packs.
It’s hard to get ahead financially when all your money is tied up in toilet paper! 😉
1. Made a suet block from leftover bacon grease, peanut butter, birdseed and some cornmeal to help bind it. Waiting to put it out until it gets a little cooler again. I would have used that bacon but ended up wanting to try this instead.
2. New month, new attempt to keep to the no-spend budget. It will be interesting since we will be gone a week in AZ at spring training. We are sharing a condo with friends and eating mostly at the condo; we are also taking them out for dinner. One reason this is part of the frugality is that I have a rather large (hand-colored photo) portrait of my GGM that I was going to ship to my cousin in Phoenix but now I will carry it with me and give it to her in person. My cousin Laura is named for this GGM and I have enjoyed GGM’s portrait for a long time but it’s time to hand it over to the namesake. Saves on postage since I’m going anyway.
3. Saturday is Put-Away day and boy, lots of putting away. That extended to the garden, where I have been moving pots around. I also tackled one project that I’ve been avoiding for 4 years. That’s the pile of concrete chunks in the corner of the front yard, under the trees and now covered with ivy. UGH. I took 4 wheelbarrows of concrete chunks and put them under our old walnut tree to make the base for my future rock garden. I’ll be putting prettier rocks and dirt on top. I like how it looks but oh, my aching back! (PS – three cheers for Epsom salts in the tub for my personal/cheapo spa treatment.)
4. Freezer meal tonight — ravioli and jarred sauce from pantry. How I look forward to a bumper tomato crop this year, with enough to preserve. We had enough for salads and out-of-hand eating last summer with cherry tomatoes that lasted into December, but not enough for a really good sauce year. I’m also still buying romaine lettuce and trying to sprout the stems. I have about 1 inch of growth on the current ones and they look sad. My lettuce seeds in the garden are also just sprouting, so lettuce is not very frugal here yet.
*Since I started this list, we had a powerful rain and then hail, so it got very cold outside and my lettuce will not sprout today, but…I can still feel spring coming.
5. My SIL’s gift to me was to come today (Sunday) and limb some trees that were overhanging our yard badly from a neighbor’s neglected property. Their landlord is not living in this country and his tenants come and go monthly, so we went ahead and did the work ourselves. This was several hundred dollars worth of cutting by a professional (my SIL fells 100-foot trees from the top down. He’s an actual lumberjack. He left the branches in the side yard and I will cut off the little bits when I have time, fill my green bin, and I will save the large branches for a bird habitat teepee I wanted to build in the corner.
I clipped some of the plum tree twigs for an about-to-bloom blossom bouquet.
Here’s another vote for “time spent” or “experiential/service gifts” in the non-consumer era. It was a great gift and much appreciated.
1) I did low spend last month and will continue this month, only buying groceries and gas. I do have both kids birthdays coming up, but am already being a lot more thoughtful, looking at Etsy, eBay and our local toy store and trying to plan ahead, rather than waiting too long and rushing to order something last minute from Amazon.
2) A family member passed away and left a fairly new car. No one in the family seems to want it or wants to do anything with it (sell it) so it’s just been sitting. I hate car shopping and am not at all particular about type of car as long as it works. This car is the same make, different model as my current car though and about 10 years newer. My husband suggested we replace my car with this one which I am all for if it delays the inevitable need to replace my car. We would pay something for it though but likely at a discount and I will sell my current car to my sister who has expressed interest in it before.
3) We had a weekend with no plans which was nice after so many busy ones in a row. We did all free activities with the kids including gardening in our backyard (with supplies we already had), riding bikes to a nearby playground, a nature walk on a trail by our house where they took pictures using the iNaturalist app on my phone, which identifies plants, animals and insects, and cleaning the house (they think mopping the floor and scrubbing the toilets is a lot of fun right now, I’ll enjoy it while it lasts!)
4) I cooked a big batch of African peanut stew for my lunches this week. I added teff to thicken it, first time ever trying it so we’ll see how it tastes. I’m having fun experimenting with different whole grains that I can buy from the bulk bins at a local store.
5) Checked out this months book club book from the library.
Gorgeous hydrangas in the older photo! Hope they grow back real soon!
1. I had to purchase a vacuum cleaner that didn’t have a rug beater (new vinyl flooring instructions say rug beaters will beat up the floor). So I shopped at an outlet and got a refurbished Bissell. It has a 6-month warranty instead of a 5-year one, but otherwise I can’t tell any difference. (I’ll know right away if the vacuum isn’t a good one; it won’t take 6 months to figure out!)
2. Neighbor across the street left out a computer chair for trash pickup. I grabbed it up for my soon-to-be office redo. Yes, it has some fake leather peeling off the arms, but that’s why God invented duct tape. Otherwise, it is very comfortable and the (free) “price” was right!
3. Another refurbished buy: a HP computer CPU. I’ve had this old one for almost a decade, it is no longer supported, and one of the drives has gone on the blink. So it’s about time.
4. Staying home with flu, eating out of pantry, fridge and freezer — thus participating in the No-Spend month. Also saving gas by not driving the car.
5. Did not dance to Vladimir Putin’s tune as I caused an international incident by being horribly rude to the heroic president of Ukraine.
Not too frugal but glad to do it: ordered “DEPORT ELON” car magnet for under $6 instead of paying $19.95 for same. (Tee Public website, if you’re interested).
In another direction, if you don’t need the (currently battered) arms on your office desk chair, they probably are easy to screw off. Otherwise, of course some kind of tape will cover the problems.
On the day of the blackout, I managed to destroy my oven door while trying to clean it. Don’t ask, but imagine glass particles all over the kitchen. A mess and a distress. Here is how I handled it:
1. Called a local repairmen to assess the situation. I did have to pay for a service call, but it was good to get his opinion that the cost of replacing the door and repairing the hinge area on the stove itself was going to be high, making it a better choice in the long run to get a new stove. (This one is very old, and it was on my list of likely replacements in the near future).
2. Mindful that it was blackout day, I chose to purchase a modest stove from a local appliance dealership that is highly respected. The price I got was just the same as the deals the big box stores were offering, and the delivery is free.
3. For an extra fee I am having them haul away the old one. I live in an upper-floor condo in a century-old building with no elevator, so I need an expert doing this.
4. No-spend March suddenly has new meaning, as I have decided to go bare-bones to offset this large unexpected expenditure.
5. I did not deliberately harm my country and its citizens to to boost my over-swollen ego.
We spent a bunch to take the grandkids to a local Touch a Truck event. They got to ride on the bus (we sang the song), pet goats and a bunny, play with toys in the dirt. Their mother did learn that they are too young for Disneyland, as they were pretty overwhelmed, and they didn’t want to climb up in the cab of any of the trucks. It’s nice to have evidence to tell people that they won’t enjoy an overwhelming day.
1. I mended my dad’s favorite jeans, with an upcycled patch and orange thread, for his favorite football team.
2. Had my niece and nephew over to dinner one night, and my husband’s brother, and sister, and their spouses. Used up food we already had, including a lot of veg from our local farm delivery box.
3. Didn’t buy anything at Goodwill this weekend. We were tempted by an unnecessary lantern, but they line was long. When we got home, we realized we didn’t actually have a place to put it.
4. Read Anxious Generation from the library. We loved it, and have recommended it widely. Cutting down on phone use, yet again.
5. The usual: hang out laundry, eating leftovers for lunch, use the library.
The color on your hydrangea blossoms is absolutely gorgeous! Bet you’re looking forward to that lovely show again in a few months here. We’ve had a batch of warm days here in Denver so I was doing a bit of backyard pruning this weekend as well. (Scratchy indeed!) Does the soul good to be outside in nature like that.
1. DD turned 41 today but it being a weekday, I made her a cake and brought it over to her house yesterday. I made her favorite Almond flavored frosting. I also gave her some wind chimes which I purchased last Friday at my friend’s indy book store. No big box stores then and maybe never.
2. Granddaughter20 came to visit with one of her friends Saturday late afternoon. We made a Swedish Almond Cake together, most of which the two girls split to take home. It’s so precious to me that her and her brother still want to come over and bake with me.
3. I had planned to make tacos for them but she asked me if I would make plattar, very thin Swedish pancakes much like crepes. This kid loves her Swedish heritage more than my kids or other grandkids. I happily made the plattar which turned out to be a more frugal meal.
4. Bundling up and braving the New England cold to walk the neighborhood for free exercise.
5. I was not part of a tag team that sought to denigrate a visiting president while he respectfully and politely answered in English which is his second language as best he could. I was not an embarrassment to our country.
Actually, Zelensky speaks three languages– Russian, Ukrainian, and English.
I very much admire people who have skills in more than one language.
Whether English is his second or third language is fine. It was just very embarrassing for our nation to see the president and vice president shout over his speaking while belittling him and yelling at him to grovel to Trump.
Plattar!!!! I am drooling! I am also of Swedish heritage, and we eat many delicious dishes! My Mormor made the best Swedish Meatballs!
I love that you had a Mormor! I’m a Mormor too and I love being called that. Good Swedish meatballs are definitely an art.
Hydrangeas like you have will not over winter here. My grandmother had them lining her entire backyard; we used to call them snowballs. I envy your plants!
I got gas and necessary groceries. That’s it.
1. Picked up a lemon tree that needs some rehabilitation. Happy to try, and it was free.
2. Found a tray in my garage just the right size for all the little houseplants I have started from cuttings. I use these as gifts, planted in a free pot which I collect as I see them.
3. Mailing masks, left over from my covid stash, to DIL who is concerned about measles for her 2 littles. She plans to mask when she goes in stores. I have found that people have been giving away their excess masks, and I accept every batch that is offered. It’s great to have a stash, never know when they’ll be needed. Printed discount postage on pirate ship.
4. Stopped at the local stone yard because we need some rock for areas that we’ve dug out to catch rain. Delivery fee was 3 times the price of the rock. I declined. I’ll either wait and watch for free rock, buy it bagged and put it in my car, or borrow a pickup truck.
5. Our solar attic fan was installed today. Yippee for less dependence on PG&E.
An inventory of the freezer and pantry revealed several items that needed to be used:
1. I cooked a pan of mixed berry baked oatmeal for my breakfasts and a big pot of kibble topper for my dogs that used some reduced ground beef, a carton of chicken livers, baggie of frozen pumpkin, and some oatmeal. The dogs absolutely loved their pumpkin-enhanced kibble topper.
2. For supper, I got out the rice cooker and cooked some quinoa that had been open in the pantry for a while, added some Goya seasoning, black beans, vegetarian “crumbles,” diced tomatoes, onion, spinach, a bag of last week’s homemade roasted butternut squash cubes, and sprinkled some long-frozen shredded cheese on top. It is delicious.
3. Used up the last of some reconstituted dry milk to make pudding for our dessert.
4. Sewed up a tiny hole in the waistband of a pair of my husband’s underwear. Sewed a free embroidered patch over a hole in the outer compartment of his backpack.
5. Made more labels for reused glass jars out of a scrap of self-adhesive vinyl leftover from lining the vanity drawers (73 years old and very stained) in our bathroom.
Ruby, I’m giving your #5 some thought. My beloved old Dymo label maker bit the dust last year, and they’re not making them like that any more. And, so far, I haven’t found a satisfactory substitute for making labels for my dried herbs and refrigerator pickles. I’m willing to pass up the 73-year-old part for anything that will work. 🙂
This vinyl “paper” is a very pretty pale blue with a white floral on it. Chances are good I bought it at the Habitat ReStore. All it takes to make labels from it is a steady hand with scissors and writing with a permanent marker.
Those SalonPas patches are heavenly. They are one of the few things that help the arthritis in my upper back. I was using them frequently before we finally replaced our 25 year old mattress.
1. Finally switched the landline number to VOIP, which will save about $60/mth. I can’t believe I took so long to do this, but it’s so much easier to get to these things now that I’m retired. The old provider sent an email saying the number had been switched and my account was closed…and then they continued to bill me! Today, I got them to credit me and close the account.
2. Started putting together clothes to donate locally and some to send to Thredup.
3. Finished sewing a nightgown I cut out about 5 years ago. And I’ve started making a dust cover for the printer with fabric left over from another project.
4. No spending since last Thursday, but I’m about to break the spending fast by signing up for a Spring CSA bag. We’ve been getting a CSA bag every other week for years from the same small farm. It may be my favorite way to spend money. We know the farmers, the produce is beautiful, and I’ve had to try new recipes to make sure there is no waste.
5. I did not set up the president of another country to chastise him in the Oval Office and then brag about it. Oh, and I didn’t let a Russian reporter sneak in to view the shameful event.
Your #5…and not allowing the Associated Press in. I guess free speech is on the table now.
1. Made a menu plan and grocery list, starting with ingredients I had and then sale items.
2. We’ve been using our pot of mint which as grown tremendously! It’s been in tzaziki, tabouli and tea.
3. Made homemade granola, substituting a little of the honey for brown sugar. Honey is expensive!
4. Mad à big crockpot of chcik peas to freeze. I cooked them overnight to make use of our free nightly electric rate.
5. I also am enjoying library books!
1. My oldest daughter made chicken paprikash for dinner last night which fed five of us. It was delicious and so much more fun and definitely less expensive than eating out. We all helped prepare the ingredients. Most of which I had already.
2. My daughters and I stopped into a couple of thrift stores. We all bought sweaters and my oldest found a cute puzzle.
3. I finished another library book on my kindle. It was All The Colors Of The Dark which was very good.
4. I was able to scrounge up a couple birthday cards from my dwindling stash for the two birthdays we are celebrating this week.
5. I’ve sold a couple more items on Ebay. None of my sales are earth shattering but it’s enough to pay a bill or two each month.
Solid five, well done! Those non-impressive eBay sales add up!
1. Husband found a roll of dog poop bags in the park.
2. Received a dozen eggs from our neighbor, whose girls have been laying more in the warmer weather.
3. Received a lot of things from Buy Nothing this week: tortillas, salad dressing, a pair of jeans, toolbox, toothpaste, buns, soap dish and bar of soap. I have some things I will be posting shortly.
4. Added mayo to a jarred mustard sauce to extend it.
5. Just returned from a 3-hour (as opposed to a 3-martini) lunch with a friend/former colleague. He surprised me by paying for my lunch, which was lovely. I was a cheap date as I had ordered something less inexpensive as a way to reduce restaurant costs.
Oops, I meant “less expensive.”