Five Frugal Things -- Fresh Bread
1. I sold two items this morning, including the Restoration Hardware curtain rings that I picked up at the Goodwill bins last week.
For $85, bay-bee!
I guess that answers the question of whether I should keep them for my own house!
2. I baked a loaf of overnight no knead bread, whose ingredients are nothing more than three cups of flour, ½ teaspoon of yeast, 1 teaspoon of salt and a cup-and-a-half of water.
3. My husband I stopped by Home Depot so he could return something. I pulled a 10¢ returnable can from a wastebasket and found two pennies on the ground.
So yes, I recently came into some money!
4. I pulled a leftover Costco rotisserie chicken from the freezer and cooked up a pot of chicken soup. Nothing fancy, but thoroughly satisfying. Served with a box of Dollar Tree Entertainer crackers, it did the job.
5. I'm not extorting billions of dollars from foreign countries to create a corrupt Board of Peace.
Katy Wolk-Stanley
"Use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without."
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Your bread and soup look so good!
1. I too made soup using chicken broth made from a rotisserie chicken carcass plus the last of a packet of Bob’s Red Mill veggie soup mix, celery from freezer and carrots, onion, zucchini. Filling and several meals left for the 2 of us plus still have some broth in the freezer.
2. Hubby figured out a way to keep the wind from blowing a downspout extender around using material on hand.
3. I did some deep cleaning in the bathroom using rags from worn out tshirts, washable floor scrubber, and a small amount of purchased cleaner.
4. All the small things - mending, batching errands, freezing tortillas in small batches so they won’t go bad before we eat them, etc.
5. Not frugal but good for my mental health and for others - making contributions to county food bank, local public media, organizations fighting for our rights.
Hey, I think I have some of that same Bob's Red Mill veggie soup mix! I need to use it up. thanks for the reminder!
1. Stayed in for the storm and made guacamole (with avocados free from mystery shop) and chips, homemade wings from the freezer, and beet salad (from free CSA box).
2. Partner will walk up check to pay property tax, saving the cost of a stamp.
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But, my real reason for posting today: I was late in reading Lindsey's post (thanks, MB in MN for letting me know about it), and then became too verklempt to write. Lindsey: thank you for your fellowship over the years. Like so many have already written, your frugal adventures in life have been an inspiration, and I am so thankful that our paths [virtually] crossed. If I had your mailing adddress, I'd sent you an entire case of Sumo and Satsuma oranges.
bettafromdaville,
I, too, was late in reading Lindsey's post, and felt the same way. You are not alone in feeling verklempt. Lindsey, if you're reading this, I always looked forward to seeing your comments, especially the tales of Clobber Paws grabbing something to eat that he shouldn't. Your stories were always great. Sending you virtual {{{hugs}}}, and virtual Sumos. (They're $3 each here in SW Ohio, which is probably a fraction of what they cost in Alaska).
I was also behind in postings and have just read this news.
Lindsay, thank you for taking the time and effort to let us know. I think sometimes we cannot know the impact our lives have on each other. Please be assured of your impact on me. I will remember your tales of driving with the dogs on the dirt road to tire them out and of keeping things on top of the fridge that still were not out of reach. But mostly, I will remember your kindnesses in your local community and this one, your love for the husband and your appreciation for life. With hugs from the other side of the country in another cold climate though not as cold as yours.
1. Your bread looks fantastic! My work is delayed until 10 am
bc of potential icing on the river bridge so I was able to sleep in until 7 am!! Yay, since I am normally up between 3 and 4 am!
2. I made a new pot of chili (I froze what was left of the pot I made earlier in the week), this new pot is pumpkin chili and it is delicious!!! I used pumpkin from a can I purchased at Dollar Tree.
3. I made herbal tea from supplies I have at home.
4. I had time to cook eggs with a bagel and cream cheese this morning and that made me happy!
5. I walked in place in my house bc of the torrential rain and wind yesterday.
We had turkey noodle soup from a left over turkey carcass.
Made 2 ebay sales!
Slogging through the snow to get chores finished. Everything takes longer. But, it's just life, gotta deal. The snow is good for the soil and we need the moisture. Hauling water where we are "froze dry" and chopping ice where the water is available. Hoping the power steering hose stays on my old truck. She blows the hose when it's this cold. If I weren't looking for a replacement truck, I'd have DH fix it properly.
Grateful I don't have to commute through the hoot owl hollers to my old, off farm job. It was in the river bottoms, meaning that I had to drive in from the bluff side to get there. Narrow and winding!
School is out due to cold weather. Planning to go sledding once the work is finished. Hoping that all the kiddos have warm homes since they aren't in school. As well as something to eat. Buddy packs are sent home on Fridays and kids being kids, all of the goodies are long gone. I've never been food insecure and the thought of some mother out there worrying about feeding her kids really gets to me.
We are 90 days from green grass! Almost time to start cole crops and tomatoes in the house!
How anyone gleefully chooses to decrease/cut/not opt in for food for children under the guise of "fraud" or "entitlement" deserves a special place in Hell. And don't be calling yourself a "christian" despite doing this.
That bread is intriguing. I'll have to try it, since I have no love of kneading. But I'm set for bread right now.
I'm stuck in a pattern of hunkering down inside due to the cold. It does give me the opportunity to get some things done. And I am working my way through my pantry and freezer food and not spending money on groceries, or using gas. (Looking for silver linings here)
My car is parked on the street outside my window. Yesterday it was piled with snow after a long drawn-out snowstorm. In the late afternoon I looked outside and saw that someone had cleaned it off! I don't know what happened. It could be that someone was awfully nice. It could be that I'm mistaken and it's not my car (there are several in the neighborhood that look just alike, and I'm not 100% certain about where I parked last). Or it could be that someone mistook my car for theirs, and now they're saying, "Oh, man....". I'm not going to drive today, so I won't know at least until tomorrow what happened. But if it was the awfully nice scenario, well, that was awfully nice.
It's laundry day, and the steps are clear, so later I will make my way down to the basement and wash two loads. I will probably dry both loads today, as I feel it's too cold for damp clothes in the bathroom....
Planning to make pizza today, but that's only if I can locate pita bread in the freezer. I may have already used it. Otherwise it will be breakfast for dinner.
Thank goodness I have lots of books on hand to help me get through these dreary days.
Pizza dough is easy peasy, 1 c warm water, 1/2 tsp rapid rise yeast, 1 tsp sugar, honey or brown sugar, about 2 cups flour, mix together, add about 1 tsp of olive oil, pat out into a crust. You don't have to let it rise unless you want to.
I've had bad luck making pizza dough, but I'm willing to try again! Your recipe looks easy enough. This time, however, I did find the pita bread.
congratulations on your epic curtain ring sale! yowzer. Is that part of your $100 GC challenge?
Also for your new found money. And for one of the best foods in the world-soup! I cannot get enough this winter. My current fantasy is to have a chief to prepare a new soup daily for both my lunch and dinner. Then to package them in individual servings in my walk-in freezer. A soup library! sigh
1. I came into some money too. I discovered my first found money of 2026! 1 little penny on the big Safeway lot. Have to start somewhere.
2. Was able to snag 24 cans of 50 cent tuna for my church's Park Ministry. They take lunch to the homeless on Sunday afternoons. Also took in 2 5# bags of potatoes from last week's ad. I can't help physically which frustrates me. But it brings so much joy to still participate in a small way.
3. Found a couple of work arounds at home this week that did not involve any shopping. Already had everything needed. YAY
4. I belong to a women's group who get together for lunch/ dinner/ activities monthly. I am building new community, and it is part of my budgeted fun money. We met for Taco Tuesday. My dinner was such a good time, delicious, satisfying, and came to $6.70 + tip. WOOHOO
5. I have been looking for an old fashioned coin purse for over 5 years. I finally found one at thrift for 50 cents.
Hope everyone is safe and warm. Have a blessed week
Question for Katy: Do you freeze your rotisserie chickens exactly as purchased, and then just pull them out & defrost? I've always assumed I need to debone the chicken before I put it into the freezer, but that sometimes seems like a hassle. If I can freeze the entire thing, that would be huge. Of course, it would also take up a sizable amount of freezer space, but assuming I have room for that.
1) Realized that I'd already bought DS18 a ticket home for spring break. I was pretty confident I'd done so, but both of us searching turned up zero options. I bought another ticket, and United helpfully emailed me & provided the original confirmation code & let me know that I was double booked. It was just an hour or so after the second ticket was purchased, so I was able to cancel & get the credit back. (I was using a flight credit anyway.) I'm really organized & am not sure why all of my email searches didn't pull up the flight to start with, or why it wasn't tracked in DS18's United app, but the good news is that's solved. Please see also that flights between the bay area & Denver over spring break are over $800! What in the world?! Luckily, since I bought a bit earlier, they were slightly less than that.
2) I helped my sister find the least expensive options for herself & her son to get to Iceland for her SIL's wedding. My parents gave her their miles, but didn't know how to go about the booking. I spent about 90 minutes on this yesterday, and got it all resolved for them.
3) We had the Costco street tacos for dinner last night (carryover from Saturday night, where I fell asleep at 5:45 pm and skipped dinner altogether, thanks to jet lag). They were good, although expensive on a per serving basis. But, still cheaper than takeout, so a win from that side. We do still have a bit of leftovers, just no chicken meat. Maybe I'll sort that out & we can have one more chicken taco meat from them.
4) DH continues repairing things around the house. Made a big fix to DS19's car, and continues to work on repairing our garage door.
5) I needed something sweet (well, the word need is doing a lot of heavy lifting there) after being so exhausted, and I remembered that I had chocolate covered pretzels tucked away & got those out. Crisis averted for free.
I do not have any luck freezing the chickens as it drys the meat out. Maybe Katy knows something I don't. I tear mine apart when I freeze it.
We eat the chicken for a few days and then I throw the still a bit meaty carcass into the freezer. I pull it out later and throw it in the Instant Pot with water, bullion and veggie scraps. I then pick the bones out and make soup.
I hope this helps!
If you have a frost free freezer, then stick the chicken, still in the bag inside a 2 gal Ziploc type bag, squeeze all the air out and it should keep well for a few months.
I did the math on that bread recipe to fit my 2 qt corningware square casserole dish with lid (yes, the iconic one) and call it a blob of bread. I mix it up in the morning, proof it in the microwave all day so the cats don't get it and bake it when the workday is done. Best thing ever! Thank you!
Better half cooked some Rhodes bread in the crock pot this week. I know the crock pot we have was refurbished (poor QC in China = jobs in the US) so we're looking to replace it as it cooks uneven.
FFT, The Big Chill Edition (crank up "I Heard It Through the Grapevine," somebody!):
(1) As in much of the rest of the US, the temps dropped into single digits on Saturday in my part of Central NY, and we've got about 12" of snow (not mixed with ice or sleet, fortunately) as of 7 am today. So I haven't been endangering my own and others' lives by attempting to go anywhere. Alive = frugal.
(2) Got a robust and free aerobic workout this morning by shoveling paths to my trash/recycling carts, the bird feeders, and the street, and by wading down to NDN1's house to make sure that her furnace vent isn't blocked by snow. (Her furnace seems to be going wonky yet again, and I'm not about to let a frail 87-year-old freeze to death on my watch.)
(3) Keeping busy indoors, I've been doing this and that. I made a very good loaf of bread machine whole wheat (a King Arthur Flour online recipe with a tweak or two as usual), ran a load of laundry and rack-dried it (the house can use the humidity), and completed a joint garden seed order with the Bestest Neighbors (hey, it's gotta be spring sometime, right?).
(4) I'm also doing a cull of my royal commemoratives and other collectibles for the annual antiques/collectibles auction held in August to benefit the library in the town near the BNs' lake house (which members of Ms. BN's family founded). I was up on a stepstool and on my bed dusting the commemorative plates on the plate rail that runs the length of my master BR, and I realized about halfway through that I probably shouldn't be doing this any longer. So those plates are going to the auction. A triple win: stuff out of the house, a nice tax deduction, and the wisdom of recognizing my own age-related limitations.
(5) And I'm considering the best ways of supporting efforts to stop ICE's obscenely illegal activities in Minneapolis and elsewhere, including my own city. My Sunday walking buddy FD, who lives right behind the local Catholic church that's become a center for activism, tells me that ICE has started targeting workers and immigrant parishioners at this church. Arghhhh!
A.Marie,
I think we are the same age. I am also not climbing on ladders or stepstools anymore. One of my friends at church fell off a ladder and suffered a closed head injury, and almost died. Prayer works: she is back to her old self now. But I don't want to have that happen to me!
I'm also confined to the house due to icy weather, a rarity down here in Central Texas. Does NDN1 have a space heater/radiator for backup?
Also, as a snow and icy weather veteran, do you have any tips for getting a wooden gate un-stuck so I can let the dog out in the back yard again? I left the gate open so that I could get the car out in an emergency (garage is in the back), but it has frozen in place. That means Snuggles could escape from the backyard. I take him out on the leash but he doesn't like to do his business when I'm watching.
Sorry to hear about the ICE and Catholic parishioners situation in your area. For everyone who is as sick of this as we are, please go to today's Frugal Girl blog; Kristen has written up a beautiful essay about it. For once she broke her own no-politics rule.
Meanwhile, I'm wondering what'd happen if all of us would contact our Senators and Congress reps. and ask them to rename the Minneapolis VA in honor of Nurse Pretti.
Thanks for the kind thoughts for myself and NDN1, Fru-gal Lisa--but I'm frankly more afraid of what might happen with a space heater in NDN1's house than I am of her furnace going wonky again. (As I've noted in the past, NDN1 is a clinical-level hoarder.) I'm monitoring the situation closely and will be in touch with her and my trusted HVAC guys as needed.
And I'm sorry I don't have a good suggestion about your frozen-in-place wooden gate, other than maybe trying to unstick it with a few gentle kicks (hard enough to loosen the gate, but not hard enough to shatter it).
Finally, I agree wholeheartedly re: Kristen's post today on TFG. At 5:15 am EST, I may have been the first one to email her my kudos and support.
Agree. It was masterful and so appreciated. I didn't think I could love her more as a human being - but her essay proved that there wrong.
From what A.Marie has written, NDN1 is often confused so use of a space heater would be unsafe, I think. And, I remember the problems that winters in MI and WI cause. Please take care.
Maybe try pouring a pot or 2 of super hot (boiling?) water where it's stuck?
I have been using the 5Calls app to call my (MAGA) Senators/Congressperson weekly since this administration started their shenanigans. Since Renee Goode's murder, I 've been calling/emailing daily.
Me too as well as signing lots of petition (ACLU, change.org, UltraViolet)
I’m so glad you let me know about The Frugal Girl! I had actually stopped reading because of the no politics rule, I didn’t necessarily want it to become heavy on politics but it just felt too complicit to not be able to acknowledge anything going on at all during these times. I do understand she was very dependent on her blogs income though which may have led to that decision (couldn’t afford to lose readers)
That post of hers was so well said though! I may start popping back over there to support her!
Reader Lisa: Me too. Same story, same reasoning. Her post today was heartfelt and strong.
I hear you on "things we should not be doing." We had a smoke detector beeping in the night. My seventy-eight-year-old husband hauled out the ladder and the two of us stood in our jammies and bed socks looking at the offending alarm on our eight-foot ceiling. Then we looked at each other and said, "Nope." We waited for the maintenance folks to come a day later.
Dear A. Marie and everyone else in the US,
My heart is going out to you. I also am very happy that Kristen spoke out, and I also sent her an email of encouragement. Please stay strong and keep on fighting the uprising fascism in your country--which we Germans currently als have to do (looking at you AfD).
You all are an inspiration to me in your kindnesses and frugality.
With love from Germany!
No knead bread is the best and so easy.
1. The glass pitcher of my ice tea brewer (thrift shop buy)cracked last summer. Yesterday I remembered I had another glass pitcher (Salvation Army Store buy) in a tall cabinet. DH got it down for me and it fits perfectly.
2. I shopped in my own house for an item that will physically elevate some small items in my china cabinet (inherited from my grandmother) that were almost hidden from view. My small, beautifully carved wooden sewing box fit the bill.
3. I donated the shoes DH didn't like to the church's thrift shop. In good shape but they felt too heavy on his feet.
4. Washing out food storage bags, keeping the heat at 64 during the day, 60 at night, cooking at home, enjoying our coffee and tea at home...Fika every afternoon at 3...reading library books and doing a puzzle for entertainment, batching errands and staying home whenever possible. Love my modest but cozy home so this is not even an issue.
5. It was so great to see the Patriots win yesterday but my heart is with the folks in Minneapolis.
Can you give the rest of the directions for the no knead bread?
Thanks!!
https://frugalfitmom.net/recipes-1/2020/2/12/crusty-no-knead-bread
It is better after it sits a few hours, tastes best about six-eight hours after baking is my observation from the loaf we just finished off.
People have written previously about various add-ins, but I haven't done any of those.
The link appears in very very light blue text on my laptop screen. It is for Frugal Fit Mom No Knead Bread.
Do you have to use the cornmeal or can you use non-stick spray? Given the fact that I don't use cornmeal for ANYTHING, to buy cornmeal just for the bread is not frugal.
I don't use cornmeal. I use a well seasoned cast iron Dutch oven. I don't spray it or grease it and the bread comes right out.
I've used corn meal; parchment paper would work, (I fortunately found some at a yard sale, because I always feel like I am wasting paper when I use it!). Or a well-seasoned pan, as Christine wrote.
The one I use is online at One Good Thing by Jillee but the recipe posted here by Heidi Louise looks identical.
Because of the weather the library where I work is closed...yay snow day!
1. I keep getting gifted Rancho Gordo beans from a friend and my mom. I don't like beans much, but my husband does. So since they are free I am using it as an opportunity to try out new recipes. Maybe I can acquire a taste for them.
2. Taking advantage of being home bound to get items listed on Posh and eBay.
3. Before the big storm hit I met my mom and sister for lunch. (My mom is in her 80s and I make a point of seeing her every week.) I used a restaurant gift card to pay for everyone .
4. Using our exercise equipment and You Tube videos to get my workouts in.
5. Plenty of library books and advanced readers around the house to keep me entertained.
Hope everyone affected by this winter storm is staying safe and warm and, dare I say, maybe even enjoying themselves??
1. We had a beautiful day at home yesterday as the snow fell in New York. We ate leftovers for breakfast and grazed on all our leftover snacks we packed for our ski trip cut short.
2. I got restless around 1 and decided to start shoveling. It was great to get out of the house. With how hopeless everything seems right now particularly online, it felt good to get outside and dig out our apartment entrance and the rest of the building, since the snow removal folks my landlord hires were most certainly overwhelmed. Helping neighbors fills my cup.
3. Dinner was out of the pantry and freezer plus one sad carrot. Japanese curry didn't disappoint!
4. In pet owner news - we learned that our cat has been nesting into our stack of dish towels every night which was a very, very rude awakening. After chucking every last one in the washer on hot, we needed to reorganize to store these in a drawer. This triggered a full reorganizing of:
a. Our kitchen island, where we learned we have about 10 packs of skewers
b. Our pile of reusable bags, which has taken on a life of its own (also the food pantry is always asking for bags, so being able to give away about half of them means they will go to good use)
c. The top of the fridge, which is dusty and full of forgotten dry erase markers
d. Our "mud room"/bike storage closet, to accommodate the aforementioned reusable bags
It was a busy afternoon but worth it. The rolling shelf the towels/totes/random items were on has been repurposed into vertical storage in a closet. We also discovered three tension rods in the mud room from a previous tenant (impressive, given we've lived here 5 years) and put them up to hang light items from including bike helmets/bags, totes, and out of season jackets. Looks like the only purchase we need to do is to buy some hooks for the rods that are easy on/off, which I'll try to find a deal for. Currently using upside down wreath hangers (Why we have 3 of them, I'll never understand) to test the theory before purchasing.
5. Wanted to feel cozy so we made a simmer pot out of some geriatric oranges and lemons, lavender and cloves. The house smells so nice and it helped increase the humidity.
1. I found $2 while walking.
2. I boiled another rotisserie chicken and was rewarded with some beautiful broth and plenty of chicken to pick off the carcass. I froze everything for another day.
3. We rotated the rug in our living room. It looked worn in some spots and now those spots are a lot less noticeable.
4. We had lots of snow and sleet yesterday. I wore snow pants that are at least 27 years old. They have elastic attached to the bottoms to keep them in my boots. I rescued the elastic from the waist band of a pair of pants long ago.
5. I used a snow shovel that someone in our neighborhood sold for $1 at a yard sale last spring. It is a great shovel. We also used a decades old ice chopper and a snow plow shovel that is at least 35 years old. This afternoon I will help a neighbor shovel as her DH is not in very good shape, health wise. The county has not plowed our street so we are going nowhere today and maybe tomorrow.
We’re settled in at the retirement community. I miss trash day in the old hood but found fun resources here. The new opportunities at the Home:
1. There’s an onsite thrift store run by residents—the Elephant—t hat raises money for the caring fund. Great place to buy a soap dish—that I had donated. I’m viewing the quarter I spent as a storage cost. I also bought a hutch for our front entry for $35.
2. There’s a free bench often stocked with toiletries by persons clearing out a deceased relative’s unit. I scored enough eye drops to last us a couple years. I also pick up odd foods that have been rejected by others. Compassion for leftovers have given me the figure I carry. Arepas, anyone?
3. People give me things (I’m not sure why). I take yarn to the free yarn at a nearby church and clothes to the refugee center. But I shortstopped a flowered LL Bean night gown to replace the raggedy tee I had been wearing to bed for the past several years. I feel pampered every night when I put it on—haven’t had a new nightie since 1986.
4. Harris Teeter and Trader Joe’s drop off almost outdated food weekly. We are not food insecure, so I wait until late afternoon to see what’s left. Turns out no one takes the pizza dough. My husband loves pizza. I made several from the whole wheat dough. Last month they dropped gluten-free dough. I find it much lighter on my stomach. We have another eleven packages.
5. Health expo on site. The freebies that exhibitors give us mature models are pill holders, lip balm, emery boards, notepads, and pens.
6. Sewing. Several people have hired me to do alterations or make small things. I made a second quilt for the massage therapist who matches my hours of labor with hours of massage. I recently finished a gorgeous quilt for her grandchild’s wedding present. I bought her the fabric at $4/yd at my guild’s yard sale and threw in a wool batt I bought on sale years ago (the grandchild lives in Maine.) Since I starched the fabric heavily to prevent bias from stretching, I had to wash the quilt before sending it on. My first time washing a wool batt. Used warm water/delicate cycle wash and warm tumble dry. The quilt looks great.
What a fun and interesting post, @Mary in Maryland. Sounds like you are fitting right in and already sourcing the deals. I laughed at your phrase " Compassion for leftovers have given me the figure I carry". Same same.
Your other phrase " But I shortstopped a flowered LL Bean night gown..." - laughed again, as I am also given things and didn't have a term for what happens when things don't move on from my house due to being snapped up for our use.
Glad your move seems to be working out for you, I envy your husband all the pizza. Since this is yet another pizza mention in this blog, I think I need to make some dough...
Well, the stomach bug hit our house at the same time as the snow storm, so at least we didn’t eat ourselves out of house and home. Our sweet granddaughter apparently brought it home from daycare. But luckily everyone is getting it sequentially - first my GD, then DD, then me, then my husband. I am just praying my son doesn’t get it - he started a new job last week, and I don’t want him to have to miss work so soon! My kids live in their own houses, and he had been staying away because he had a cold, so I’m praying for him to skip this!
Last week it was our furnace, and this weekend it is my MIL’s gas stove. Even though hubby was up every two hours last night, he is still going to help her with that - she is willing to risk the bug for heat! Our friend the furnace guy is coming to look at it, too.
Still working on decluttering. I got rid of 17 tank tops. And still had a third of a drawer left. Who needs that many tank tops? Not me!
Katy, thank you for posting so frequently. In the midst of the grim news, this is a place of hope. And directing our money to businesses that align with our values makes a difference.
1. Though I have a nasty cold, I'm trying to stay productive. I did some email clean up, copied out some saved recipes, made an email folder for the things I want to print for free at the library, and got my calendar up to date.
2. It's a sunny day today so 2 loads will be dried by the solar dryer. Cold, but sunny.
3. Tonight's dinner is homemade mac and cheese, with sausages bought on flash foods app. A much cheaper way to buy meat!
4. I clipped the coupons in the safeway app yesterday and got 5lbs organic carrots, 1 chobani yogurt, 2 oranges and a bakery roll all for $5.30. The carrots alone were regularly $5.99.
5. Picked up mandarin oranges from a free box on our neighbor's driveway. I'll go check for more today.
Glad to see I'm not the only one stranded in my house due to Winter Storm Fern. (Where do they get these names anyway?)
1. Although the electricity blinked on and off 2 or 3 times during the first night, everything is OK now. We had sleet instead of icy rain, and the city trimmed the trees around the power lines a couple of weeks ago so no lines went down around our neighborhood. But just in case, I charged up the fancy new lightbulbs: they are emergency LED bulbs that stay on in a blackout. They look like regular light bulbs but they have a little plastic holder. If the power fails, you put them in the holder and it has some sort of newfangled battery. You can turn it on and it will give out light for 12 hours. Although I have some battery lanterns, I decided to get these since they will work for so long. (FYI, they are NEBO Blackout Backup Emergency LED Bulbs. I got them from our store but maybe they are also online.) I put the little holders on the lampshades of the lamps where I installed the new bulbs, so they'd be easy to get to if I needed 'em. I know that's not being a NON consumer, but because I'm not getting any younger, I am prioritizing safety and preparedness over frugality. (A broken bone would not be frugal.) Also charged up the decorative lights that can be used on the patio and charged up on the computer.
2. Checked the outside faucets. One had a cover that was coming off. Fixed it right away! Even though the sun is out, the temps are only in the 20's. It's not forecast to get above freezing until at least tomorrow.
3. Workmen who installed the flooring had to move out the furniture. They just replaced the furniture and I told 'em I'd put back the little stuff. But now, I can't find one of my bedside lamps! Put a pole lamp next to my bed and it actually works better than the one that was there before. Like the new gas heater, it looks like hell but does the job well. It just might stay.
4. Making hot tea from indoor faucets where hot water is streaming. Why heat water when you already have it? And like many others, I'm eating lots and lots of hot soup and chili. Including the soup I'd made in a big batch and put in the freezer.
5. Sitting in bed (under multiple blankets and quilts) reading Little Free Library novels and listening to radio. Snuggles is sitting by my bed munching on a bone. (I get terrific buys on big basted bones at Ollie's Outlet.) When it warms up a bit, I come sit on the sofa by the new heater and throw a comforter over my feet when I read or watch TV. Some of the lower-numbered channels are not coming in very well with my indoor antenna. Guess it's because of the weather.
Snuggles just barked -- guess he's saying hello to everyone.
Update: I just phoned both U.S. Senators and the Congressman who represent my area, and left messages that they rename the VA Hospital after Alex Pettis, and that they defund ICE and impeach the Orange Ogre. Should you wish to do likewise, you can look up who represents you on 5 Calls and get their office numbers from there. Right now, there is no script for renaming the VA but they have information about defunding ICE and other issues.
(What else do we have to do on a cold and icy day?)
I discovered a $5 survey and put it in my virtual card. Redeemed 120 points that were expiring for a reloadable $12 Visa card. Found flavored coffee syrup that expires in March. Enough for a few cups of coffee
1. In honor of Lindsey in Alaska, I purchased Sumo oranges with price as no object. Super delicious.
2. Continuing to pick up trash around the community. Feels good to leave something better than I found it.
3. Found a $30 Outdoor Research cap on the side of the road. Washed it for my husband to wear.
4. Watched movies via our basic Netflix subscription: Goodbye June and The New Yorker at 100.
5. Took recycling to the local transfer station (it's not picked up curbside). Arizona - at least the county we're staying in - does not recycle glass. Ugh. Instead of throwing away glass bottles, we've been using them to store leftovers. I am going to bring them home with us to Minnesota for recycling, along with the paper and plastics the county here also doesn't accept (like sour cream containers and berry containers).
I have a question about the bread. Does it rise in your not warm house? We keep our house at 65° and have trouble getting bread to rise. Do you have any tricks for that? Thanks!
If this is the no-knead bread, it doesn't need a particularly warm place to rise. I just put it on the kitchen counter. At the end, after it sits and you stir it once while the oven/pan pre-heat, it seems to expand.
We've been hunkered down here in the South with lots of cold weather, lashing rain, some sleet and some ice. But the wind blew overnight to dry the roads and today is sunny and breezy, though still quite cold.
For storm provisions, I made a pan of roasted chicken, big pot of hamburger-veggie soup, a double batch of chocolate pudding and two small pans of peach baked oatmeal. Today I used up several bags of frozen veggies and pork chopped into bite-size bits to make a big pan of sweet chili pork, a recipe dreamed up to use up a long opened bottle of chili sauce. Also turned the last of the chopped walnuts and discounted frozen bananas into 1.5 dozen muffins for breakfasts.
Found a quarter in the washer. Mended a pair of pajamas. Cut up a pair of worn-out jeans for scrap denim (all my son's jeans become organ donors for future jeans repairs ). Scrubbed and sanitized a little wastebasket we were not using so it can be donated.
Used a 15% off coupon from Ollie's to buy 120 pounds of cat litter -- made in Canada, so we get to support our neighbors on this continent -- and a month's supply of chewies for the dogs.
"organ donors". Snort
You have been very productively busy!
Well, we got about 14"-18" of that nasty white stuff. Since my "snow removal guy" (DH) broke his hip, that left the job to me. He's younger (by 10 months) and in better physical shape (except the hip), which left snow removal to me. Cleaned off our car and the school van multiple times, then moved both so the landlord could plow the driveway. Neighbor came over and helped shovel some when I could no longer do it. Helped a lot. Have to pay in cookies.
Schools in the area closed today, so I got to stay in (except for cleaning off and moving vehicles). Leftover sauerkraut and pork for supper tonight. Had 4 little potatoes headed for the garbage, so I used those and made DH some ham and stringbeans for his lunch. I wasn't very hungry, so I had 2 slices of whole grain toast with peanut butter and banana.
I've pretty much quit drinking coffee and have turned to hot tea. DH may as well brew a 12-cup pot of coffee and drink it out of the caraffe with a straw. Tea is cheaper. He can buy and have his coffee. I'll stick with the tea.
Found 7 cents in the coin return at the grocery store.
We're supposed to get hit with a possible Noreaster this coming weekend. Not sure where we'll put it all, but I'm prepared as far as food goes. Keeping heat at 65 during the night, 70 during the day. We live in a drafty old trailer with 5 windows in the kitchen...coldest part of the house. Have our electric heater in the bedroom so we can sleep comfortably while the rest of the house stays just warm enough to keep the pipes from freezing. Have all faucets dripping to help keep pipes from freezing as well.
What a great sale on the Curtain rings!
Had 17 family and friends for Sunday dinner. We served seafood (fresh crabs, bbq oysters, shrimp linguine) to celebrate the Seahawks play off game.
Picked up 4 energy drink cans on my walk this morning.
Sent out a need to friends for a new weather station as my 30 yo one the outdoor sensors no longer work. A friend's mother had a brand-new one in a closet. I gave her a lap quilt for it...she initiated the barter and my heart swelled. So, today I will program my new station!
One of my daughters asked me to embroider designs on a vintage levi's jeans jacket. I remember in the 70's my mom embroidered jeans for hire at night. I still have my first pair she embellished for me when I was 6. I can't wait to get started.
Dear Katy, I have a left over rotisserie chicken carcass from Costco. Do you have directions for your soup? I make soup once or twice a year using turkey carcass, but I may start doing it more often as money is very tight at the moment. Would love to know your general chicken soup instructions.
Frugals....
1. I had to travel for unavoidable reasons and decided to take a 6 day trip by car, during which I only spent $60 on food. I packed most of what I had for snacks and car food like jerky etc from home as well as a drink cooler. I was often tempted to eat at stops but decided not to. As Bradley on a Budget would say, the money I save is a gift to my future self.
2. I slept in the car one night at a rest stop with security for Free. I utilized my car camping skills and slept comfortably when it was only in the upper 40's outside as a low. I used card points to get a hotel a different night. I stayed with a relative two nights. Another night, my SO gifted me a hotel stay.
3. I listened to two audio books for free through Libby and Hoopla, both free from my library. The first book was After Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil; a deeper dive on background info and facts regarding John Berendt's poetically written Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil. The second book was Annabelle Tometich's, The Mango Tree - 100% recommend. The book is an amazing biography on her and her mother, and it was heartfelt and well written. If you listen to the audio book, she narrates it, and did a great job as well. I then listened to several Youtube Channel's including Bradley on a Budget. I finally get why he's so appealing, he's real and has some great gems in there.
4. I stopped in Savannah on the way home and was able to go to the Mercer Williams House which is the sight of the true crime from Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, and also where a lot of the movie was filmed. The house itself is being renovated and is closed for tours at the moment, but the giftshop is open. I stopped in the giftshop and bought a token $5 souvenir and garnered new information about the home. I walked through part of Forsyth park, also featured in the book and film, and found they are only a block from each other. This was all free except my small purchase. I'm ecstatic that I went in person!!! And, it was on my travel route.
5. I went out shopping for Instacart on Sunday for 7 hours and made $140. I'm a little tired for having worked on my only guaranteed day off, but I need to get motivated to increase my funds. I'm hoping to do Instacart once a week. Sundays are the peek day in our market. I also think I have found a honey well store with more generously tipping customers.
My Costco chicken soup is as follows:
1. Remove meat from bones and set aside.
2. Put carcass in a crockpot with some water and cook on low for a few hours.
3. Sauté a mixture of minced carrots, onions and celery in a big pot.
4. Remove the carcass from the crockpot, and pour the remaining stock into the pot with the veggies.
5. Add the chicken meat to the pot. (If you like, add leftover pasta or leftover rice!)
6. A splash of vinegar brightens the soup.
7. Enjoy!
Thank you! I never sautee my onion/carrot/celery mixture. I always boil them in the stock for half an hour or so to make them soft. I will try this!!
I don’t know if it makes a big difference in flavor, but it does save me some time since Costco chicken soup is a go-to if I want a quick dinner after I’ve been out and about running errands or working.
Leanne from Saving Dinner recommended sautéing the veggies when you make soup - it starts a bit of caramelization, I think (turning starches to sugars then browning them) and really does add another layer of flavour.
Soup is very forgiving - great for leftover bits and bobs in the fridge, using up the last limp carrot or celery or green onions on their way out. I like to ensure I have celery, carrot, onion (leek, green onion, shallot) as the base 3 veggies, but some cabbage, or kale at the end, broccoli cauliflower potato yam - just look at how long each veggie will take to cook and add in order.
If you don't fully spice up a huge pot of soup, you can change it up over the next few days. pull some aside and add black beans and corn and chilli powder. Another day slice some ginger and maybe add lemon. Or go for curry flavours, or head for asian. if you have a mild pot of soup you have so many opportunities for variety
My husband uses either lemon juice or the corked cheap white wine we keep for this purpose for the "brightening". Just a splash.
The bread and soup look like good eating to me! Imagine how much that would cost at a restaurant!
1. I found a nickel and 14 cans when I went out for a walk. I guess I’ve come into some money too!
2. I was asked to bring food to a memorial gathering, so I chose to bring a veggie platter, knowing that the leftovers could be used up. The attendee list was smaller than predicted, so I did end up with lots of leftover veggies. I have a use for every bit of it, so there will be no waste. I hate waste!
3. I went to the grocery store and found lots of good clearance items. All of it is stuff I’d buy if it wasn’t marked down. It’s smart to avoid being dazzled by the depth of a markdown and consider whether the item is something I’ll actually use.
4. I always keep a few pennies on hand to thwart the retailers who round up to the nearest nickel. Oregon has no sales tax, and it’s always annoyed me that stores price things at 59 cents or $1.98. Just make it an even amount, especially now that you’re trying to keep my pennies!
5. I watched Rick Steve’s show, “The Story of Fascism in Europe”, on the Tubi app. It reveals a familiar pattern. I guess there are people who are incapable of learning from the past!
Nice work on the eBay sales lately!
1 - Got a Venmo rebate for $5 from a case of beer I got at the holidays
2 - bought almost a lb of ground beef on markdown and we have the makings for nachos that need using up so that is dinner. I was out of taco seasoning so while the meat was browning I made up a new batch
3 - We have been mostly house bound for 3 days now and tomorrow no school either. Definitely saves us money! (I did go to the grocery store for produce today and found the clearance meat) Dh has been doing lots of shoveling as we got more than a foot of snow.
4 - Pulled out a puzzle I bought last summer on our marketplace group. I didn't really want to go pick it up at the time but figured my winter-self would appreciate it - and I do!
5 - Made a cinnamon quick bread for our breakfasts this week.
That bread looks so good!
It is hard these days to have so much bread in the freezer from the roommate, because I do actually like to bake it on occasion, (however that really is a First World problem, right?).
1. I threw 4 chicken legs/backs into the instant pot with some of the rotisserie broth plus some taco seasoning, then went for a walk. Soaked some basmati rice for 10 min (who knew that was so transformative) then rinsed and put into the rice cooker with the regular amount of water. Took the chicken out of the instant pot and put in a cup of black beans, with some spices and water, and cooked them up. Chopped and roasted some yams, and cauliflower and brussels sprouts. Chopped a cucumber, a tomato, grated some cheese. Stripped the chicken and put the bones/skin into the 'later' bag in my freezer. Everyone had a delicious bowl for dinner, and have taken for their lunches.
2. I found a bag of mixed veggies in the freezer (error purchase on my part, should have been just corn) and I had some hockey pucks of onion/celery/carrot that were made up for me by family when I first broke my arm. Put those in a large frying pan with a bit of oil, and once cooked I added some of the chicken from the day before, plus all of the rice. Fried rice, baby! Packaged that up for the family when they get home, and tidied all the containers in the fridge to make up a lunch for #2 son, the Roommate doesn't eat beans and I wanted to ensure that she didn't take all the remaining chicken by mistake, so now her share is portioned, too.
3. More rice on to soak for more bowls for everyone tomorrow, including #2 son's lunch, as I used all the rice in the fried rice.
4. Got a report about my mom from my lovely cousin who visited today. She was eating toast, and my cousin got her to drink some Boost. She was taking her antibiotics, and my niece had made up a schedule sheet for her to tick off when she takes them, which my cousin helped mom remember.
The care folk are coming the next day to get her a shower again (apparently she DID shower when they were there on Friday, YAY!) and I am on the schedule for the day after.
5. I've appointments with two banks to bring my Power of Attorney in for mom's banking – so I can get access while I am at home. We are spending some of her money via her credit card, as well as needing to budget for the home care, so I have to ensure that she is covered in her accounts.
So many moving pieces!!!! Yet there is a real team of us doing this, my sister and niece and myself doing much of the foundation building and we are working really well together.
1. A long and tedious day in the ice & snow. My school was closed so I had to teach 9 hours online. Fortunately, there were 3 other teachers, besides me, to divey up the content. More on-line teaching Tuesday. I am not a work-from-home type person.
2. Everyone is making chx soup, myself included.
3. Haven't gone anywhere is 3 days. No gas used or eating out.
4. Once it thaws out I will go & get my free birthday treat at Panera.
5. The electric blanket makes the below freezing temperatures bearable.
Looking forward to things thawing out so I can get out of the house.
Recipe for the chicken soup, please? Yours looks soooo much better than mine. I think I spy potato chunks????
How long and at what temperature do you bake the non-knead bread? I am a new follower of this site. You are my people!
I recently made chicken and veggie stock for the first time, and then used it in a white bean soup - man it was good! I tried making bread with red fife flour, but it is not rising so that made me sad... :(. Other wins - walked downtown for some errands and didn't drive, bought a zipper to replace my broken one in my backpack (wish me luck! I barely know how to use a sewing machine), and decided I'm tired of using debit cards and having banks nickel and dime us every time with those charges, so will try to use cash when I can. I know I'm not paying for it "directly", but it's something tiny that can give me some satisfaction. I'm new to your website and excited to take a look around! Oh, and big win for Canada - our offer to join the Board of Peace was rescinded. LOL.
You inspired me to make my own easy bread today!!