Last Wednesday when the grocery ads came out, I did my scrounging to see what we needed and what was on sale. I was also trying to buy stuff ahead as far as Thanksgiving. Plus, DH was running out of soda and I was hoping to score a decent deal. Last spring there was a buy 2 get 2 free of 12 packs of his favorite kind and there it was this week. He doesn't drink a ton of it, but likes a can every so often and we have room to store it. All in all, I did a deal on English muffins of buy one, get one free, and other things on sale and saved over $34 on things we either needed or planned to have for upcoming meals. This puts us at having saved over $225 in coupons since July. Not a bad deal. We need to buy a couple more things for our meal and the quantity will depend on how many are coming. We will be spending more than $4 per person (sorry Walmart, can't beat your deal), but I like fresh things like celery. But at least I felt like I'm saving some money while buying the things we want and will use. 

I do 7 grocery apps. Two I don't get much from, but every so often I score a little on them and I figure it's better than nothing. I just cashed out another app for $10 and DH wanted some batteries from Amazon so they are basically free. Yay! 

Boer's Head had a settlement and I got $26 from that. I see Amazon is going to have settlement sign ups in December so I hope we can sign up for that. Sorry they have to do that, but if we're deserving, then we should get our piece of the pie, so to speak.

Our Thanksgiving won't be huge and boisterious. We put out an invite for people from our church who might need a place to eat and we are having two of our three families coming. When we see the need out there for so many who are struggling, we realize we are very blessed to have plenty of food and a nice home, and a little extra for things. Hope it is the same in your lives as well. Hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving and have much to be grateful for.

A few months ago I said I was creating a spreadsheet that listed how much I saved using coupons on stuff we would normally buy anyway. I had started in July so it isn't a full year, but as of today, we are up to $144.58. Fortunately DH is on board with using coupons and finding stuff on sale. I was commenting about how much grocery prices have increased...the brand of toilet paper we use was around $7 a year ago for a package...it's now over $11. Coffee has increased at least $4 for the same package. I'm sure everyone is seeing the same thing. So, the coupons are sort of helping with the extra increases. 

It's been a bit since I've last blogged. It has taken me some time to read other's posts because of it. Life has been busy. Between trying to get things done outside and then an "assignment," I've been staying busy. Perhaps not out of trouble, but busy.

With a garden comes the clean up. First pulled up the last of the onions, and then the tomato plants. We tilled it up and put fertilizer on it so things can rest over winter. We are enlarging the garden some since we felt like this one was a little crowded. It wasn't perfect, but we did realize some great vegetables this year and hopefully next year will be even better. I have saved some tomato and watermelon seeds and hope I can start the plants in the spring. 

Sadly I had to also pull up some of our flowers. I am trying to get starts from some of them so hopefully they can winter inside and I'll have them for the spring to plant and not spend the money to buy new. I also planted some Crocus, Daffodil, Tulips, and Alium bulbs for the front flower garden. That garden is a work in progress. It has lilies, Iris, and other  flowering plants that come up every year, but before they come out, I wanted spring flowers. I planted some daffodils and tulips last fall and it was nice to see them this spring. It's a large garden so buying enough to fill in would be very expensive. So the plan it to do some each fall. I have repotted some of our flowers and hopefully can keep them going inside so I can set them out in the spring. It would save us money if this works out. 

We have a small garden next to our pole barn. I planted Oregano and Thyme there a couple of years ago and they come up each year. I wanted to start strawberries there as well, but one plant died and the other still is living, so hopefully we can add to that next spring. Again, a work in progress. I did plant garlic in that area this fall. Before that, we filled in the area with some top soil since it was eroding away from the foundation and I tilled it and then put in a landscape border so it looks a little more orderly. DH had the landscape border so the only cost was the pegs which aren't super expensive. 

Our sunflowers did great and I cut off the heads before pulling the stalks out of the ground. I let them dry and saved a bunch of seeds for planting next year. The rest I mixed with wild bird seed. I saw a video on growing sunflowers that we decided to watch. I learned two things, the closer together you plant the sunflowers, the smaller they are, and ifyou want to see blossoms throughout the summer, you need to plant seeds at different times. My own caveat would be I didn't need to know how to turn it into a business. 

Our small local library has these craft nights. One was macrame keychains. I've not done macrame before. It was interesting to learn, but I can say I don't think I'll be doing it again. The nice thing about the library stuff is they provide everything. It's a great social program. They have crochet night once a month and this month it was a pattern to make a pumpkin or candy corn. Most of the people are just learning, so they only chose one. I have crocheted before so I did the pumpkin while I was there and then brought the pattern home for the candy corn and I now have two fall decorations.

The other thing I did was I attended a terrarium class. This was something I had to pay for, but it was cool. The couple who led it explained the water cycle, and had all the things, and gave us step by step instructions. So far, the terrarium is doing great!

I decided to crochet bookmarks for the ladies in our ladies' Bible study class so I have been working on that. I finished the last one last night. I had the crochet thread already and of course the crochet hooks so this was a no cost idea. 

Now, on to my "assignment." Our church has worked hard the past three years so pay off our mortgage early. We did it in about 3 years. We are having a mortgage burning after church at the end of this month after service. Then a potluck. One of the ladies asked me to come up with stuff for a history table. I went through things and made a timeline to put on the wall and then created a slide show besides. Yeah, I'm anal and an overachiever. But hopefully people will enjoy these as well as the other documents and photos that will be out. And other than my time, it was again a no cost project. 

My spending hasn't been bad lately for any of these projects. I'm hoping to save money this spring by having some of the plants either I've had starts of, or are overwintering, or will plant the seeds. But boy, am I tired!

Happy first day of fall! After suffering through extremely hot and humid temperatures, we are finally receiving some rain, rain we haven't seen in almost a month and a half. It's deary out today and sort of cooler, so it feels like fall.

Since the end of July, I've been keeping a running tab on how much I've saved using coupons, digital and paper. I'm not counting mark downs, just coupons. I hit just a few cents over $74 this weekend. This is for stuff we normally buy, but I'm trying to pair the coupons for either keeping the pantry/fridge/freezer stocked or something we would use for every day. I guess that's not bad. Sadly, most of the things we buy, I can't find coupons for.

I try to give blood every few months. I received a $15 gift card for Amazon for doing so last month. It isn't why I donate, but it was a nice benefit.  I do a bunch of receipt apps and just got to a $20 gift card for Amazon as well. We live in rural America so DH often orders things off of Amazon that are not available locally, or even 30 minutes away. I consider it found money.  Again a lot of things we buy do not give us bonus points. 

I try to stay out of thrift stores because I'm often tempted to buy things I don't need, but I was on a mission to replace mixing bowls. The ones that were here had those cracks on the inside that bacteria can grow in. When I divorced, I didn't take everything out of the kitchen so I really wanted decent mixing bowls. I cook and bake a lot. I found a set that were clear for $20. Vintage, but safe! As a result, I was motivated to clean out some cabinets and reorganized a few things to get rid of the other mixing bowls. Hopefully it will make me a little more efficient.

I often use my Discover card to pay for things. I am getting a little over $100 back after a few  months. That will go into savings. 

As we head into the last quarter of the year, do you think you did enough to save money? I'm not talking about things that were out of your control, but just everyday things that helped you save? 

I'm beyond pleased that I am able to see the blogs and actually blog again! Thanks admin!

John Denver in his song, "Thank God I'm a Country Boy" starts out with "life on the farm is kind of laid back..." Well, I'm not exactly sure how accurate that is, unless he means it is less stress than corporate life. I know there is a never ending cycle of things to do, but I am not complaining.

Last week I did a bunch of work in the gardens. The Rosemary I planted just didn't do very well because another plant overshadowed it and it didn't get much sun. I dug it up and potted it and brought it into the house. Hopefully I can keep it going over the winter and then replant it elsewhere next spring. I also did the same with the Sage. I cut Oregano and Thyme and washed and then stripped the stems of leaves and have two platters (one each) to dry on the sunporch so I'll have dried herbs for cooking. I then cut back the plants for the winter, although later this week it is supposed to get very hot (90s). 

DH and I had planted sunflowers last May, but they didn't come up. I had some seeds left so I planted them in a different area and lo and behold they came up. My plan is to let them dry and then keep seeds to plant next spring. I also hope to have extra seeds to put in the bird feeder.

I pulled up the cucumber plants after picking the last of the cucumbers and made my last batch of sweet pickles. The pantry is looking fuller. 

We went to a local orchard and bought a bushel of seconds of locally grown apples. I made a pie and then processed the rest to make and can apple pie filling, applesauce, and apple jelly. Again, most of this is for the pantry, but some of the jelly will be gifts. I have used all of the half pint and pint jars I own, but it sure is a nice sight seeing all these full jars of goodness.

Now I'm concentrating on getting things ready for winter as far as outside. I started on the herb garden as I said before. I am working on the flower garden and will be cutting back those plants that need it to come back stronger in the spring. I also hope to add to the garden with more tulip bulbs and daffodil bulbs. I planted some last year, but realize this is a work in progress, as are the flower gardens. I intend to add to them as time and money allow. 

I started a compost pile and that needs some attention. The soil here is very clay like and not very rich. I like the idea of recycling things like vegetable and fruit scraps as well as grass and leaves. I'm hoping to have rich compost next year so add to the gardens.

Speaking of gardens, the vegetable garden was both a success and a failure. We didn't get many bell peppers, but we did get 5 watermelons. We have one lone pumpkin. But we had a bounty of cucumbers which we ate both raw and I pickled as well as gave some away. The tomatoes did great. And we have had three growths of green onions. I'm waiting for the second batch of peas to mature. I got quite a bit of lettuce and radishes in the early summer.  The garlic did great and I processed that as well as saving some to replant. I planted potatoes for the first time using some potatoes that had "sprouted" so basically trash and we got a few nice sized potatoes.  I know social media has had posts about you don't save money if you garden, but I think you do, depending if you actually use what your grow. We have eaten so much of what we planted and although it cost money initially, if we priced it out on buying what we have had in the grocery, we would have spent more plus we got some exercise doing all this work. Additionally, we enjoyed the planning and look forward to enlarging our garden and make better use of the land. 

Hummingbird Hills has become pickle palace! Our two cucumber plants have gone wild and besides eating them now, I have made sweet pickles, bread and butter pickles, dill pickles, and sweet relish. My pantry is filling up and hopefully there is enough to share during the holidays with family. 

DH and I have already had serious talks about the garden for next year. We started a compost pile, but it won't be ready for when we tear up the garden and pull the plants. We don't think we want to plant much more, but would like ot make the garden a little bigger just for ease of getting around it. 

I had hoped to get enough tomatoes to can a few jars, but not sure if that is going to happen. At least we are getting fresh tomatoes. We've had extreme heat and little rain, so it's been a hot job watering and even if the plants want water, those pesky weeds can grow no matter what. 

We picked our second watermelon. The first one was around 27 pounds. I think this one is close. 

We planted sunflowers at the end of May and they didn't come up so I planted some in July just to see if the seeds were bad. I planted them in a different place and they all came up. I'm hoping we get some nice blooms before it gets cold so I can harvest the seeds for next year. 

One of the goals this year was to plant more butterfly and hummingbird friendly flowers. I hope that worked and my observation skills are spot on. I've seen more butterflies this year than last year and we have a couple of hummingbirds who seem to be visiting frequently. 

We have been eating a lot of stuff from the garden which means we aren't buying as much at the grocery store. That has helped with the grocery budget. 

A lot has been going on so I didn't know what else to title this than Potpourri.

My last post was I would start keeping track of how much I saved using coupons, digital or paper. This week Kroger has a special on Quilted Northern Toilet paper, the digital coupon was $5.99 for a 9 roll package. It's normally over $8.49 at Kroger and at other stores, it is $9.99. I bought some a few months ago when they had it down to $5.99, but we just opened our last package the other day, so I was hoping they would be running a special. They did, and they had a limit of 5. The kicker is I had an addition $2 off a package that was on the digital coupons  a couple of weeks ago, so that made it $3.99 a package. I had a few other things on sale with coupons, so my coupon savings this week was $22.49 and a total over the past two weeks is $25.09. 

My husband has been calling me his prairie woman because I do things he thinks prairie women do. We planted a garden and the bulk of the responsibility is mine, but we do share some of the labor. Our cucumbers have been coming on which is a blessing. I've made the refrigerator cucumbers and onions with vinegar and sugar that we keep a jar of going all the time, and I've made a lot of cucumber dill pasta salad to eat with our lunches. But my first project was to make sweet relish. I had to buy bell peppers for that, but had some onions I had planted and have made 3 pint jars and 3 half pints thus far. I've made sweet pickles and bread and butter pickles too. I had to purchase more half pint jars but there is a reason behind all this. Our plan is to give a jar of each to each one of DH's kids and their families as part of their Christmas presents. I picked wild black raspberries and made jam and I have enough to gift each one a half pint jelly jar of it. The berries weren't as robust as last year because we had very hot temperatures and little rainfall during the time the berries were starting to blossom and then ripen. But it's free fruit and I'll take advantage of it. Plus, I'm adding to my own pantry. 

We planted some tomato plants and one called "Early Girl" is producing small, but delicious tomatoes. I started a small herb garden by the side of the pole barn and although the strawberry plants I planted, well, all but one died, but then there was this other plant that came up. It's a volunteer heirloom tomato plant. They are small little bulb shaped tomatoes, but hey, free food is free food, right? 

I planted a bunch of watermelon seeds and was discouraged that only one plant came up originally. Well, that plant has been a powerhouse because it is taking over the garden. I planted some more seeds and have another plant that is following in the other's plant steps, because they are reaching out. We picked our first watermelon this week; it was almost 27 pounds. We have another one that is growing long and a small one that has started. So, that is exciting. We may be sick of watermelon by this fall if they all grow so big, but at least it is healthy. 

My husband has a woodworking machine called a CNC machine. He's learning to use it, and has a laser on it. I found these small cutting boards at Dollar Tree that are made of bamboo. Bamboo is considered a good wood since it is easily sustainable and if someone doesn't want to use it as a cutting board, they could be used as a decoration. So, we decided to experiment with them. I've designed different things and DH figured out the program and made these beautiful board designs. Again, we will be giving these to the kids as part of the family Christmas gift. But we also made some for other folks. 

I made a solar oven the other day with a shoebox, but my experiment didn't work well with it. I need to find a better recipe, but figure I might as well use what I can as far as solar. We have solar panels where we live. DH is a retired electrical engineer and installed them himself. Since he has an electric vehicle, he put more up last year and I helped with that. But if you are interested in solar panels don't believe the sales folks who claim you won't have an electric bill. Do your research. 

It's been busy here, but it's been a good busy. We've spent some money on materials, but overall, we feel we have saved some money as well. Hopefully the kids appreciate the pickles and jam and the cutting boards. We plan to give them a gift card to a meat market as well as their family gift, but wanted them to feel like they have other stuff too. I kind of like thinking we are doing our Christmas shopping early. 

Each Wednesday, Kroger does an ad for the week's specials plus the digital coupons. We were headed to the town where Kroger is and since we had a couple more errands to run, decided to make a stop for a few of the loss leaders. One of the things on sale was Folger's Coffee. There was a digital coupon for $7.99 whereas the regular price would be $12.99. DH caught me on my knees reaching to the back of the bottom shelf to get one of the last few cans. The ad said "as long as supplies last." There were very few left, so I might have one of the lucky ones. My dear husband laughed and said I'd do a lot to save money and when I pointed out how much, he said he'd get on his knees to to get one if need be!

Seriously, I know many of us have been trying to cut grocery costs and it is getting more and more difficult. I peruse ads, look for digital coupons, and use 6-7 grocery apps. One app never seems to have much that we buy; another sometimes does, but it is hit and miss. Just for 4 bananas, coffee, toilet paper (saved $1.50 on it), radishes, and a box of pasta that was on sale for 99 cents, we still spent over $20. 

On Facebook there has been a couple of posts on a couple frugal sites where someone shows ( I think it is the same person) all these photos how they have stocked their pantry by setting aside an extra $20 a week to buy stuff. If they have, I say all power to them, but not exactly sure how they are doing that on $20 a week. In one photo there are over 20 boxes of cereal. This person said they caught them on sale, but even so, cereal is expensive. They had shelf after shelf of canned goods and the same with paper products. Either they have better sales or are they are a better shopper than I am.

Anyway, thought I'd give you a chuckle thinking about my being on my knees!

After a long day on my feet, I'm taking a little rest and decided to check the blogs. Glad to see a few more people wrote a blog. 

The past couple of weeks have been ones of working in the yard. On Easter we are invited to purchase an Easter lily and can designate it as a remebrance or a thanksgiving. We bought two since they were $8 and after Easter service, brought them home and used them as table decorations for the two tables we had for our Easter dinner and our family coming. I then planted them in the front garden near the ones we planted last year that are starting to come up. Yesterday when I went to church to fill the altar candles  and attend ladies' Bible study, one of the ladies was going to get rid of the leftover ones so I snagged two more. It rained yesterday and today so I need to wait to plant them. I know I won't see them bloom again this year, but that's OK. I figure it is a good way to reuse the plants and with the two free ones, it's something else nice to have in the garden. 

Sadly I have spent money on some plants to put in the front flower garden, and then also bought two plants for a smaller flower garden at the back of the house. We are trying to make it a pollinator garden to attract butterflies and bees. I read where you could put different sized rocks in a bird bath and it helps the butterflies and bees get a drink, so I did that. Some of the rocks were ones I dug out of the ground when I mowed. There are lots of rocks in the land around here. DH had said we could buy a bag of rocks, but I figured I might as well use what we had. I'm sure the butterflies and bees won't mind. We also bought a "bee house" to put out in the pollinator garden. It is scary reading how many honey bees we've lost in this country.

We have a Dollar Tree in the small town we live near and I was surprised to see some perennial bulbs. I bought a few and planed them in the front garden. I spent $3.75 and tax. Figure if just a couple come up, I'm money ahread. Dollar General had a box of flower seeds for hummingbirds and butterflies so I spent $2 and bought that and planted them in two different areas. It is supposed to have both perennials and annuals in the seeds. I have a small area near the front steps that I planted some since the tulips are starting to die back. I found some black landscape border in the pole barn so before I planted the seeds, I put it in around the tulips and the rest of the bed, hoping that will enhance the area. 

I read online where you could plant potato starts if potatoes had started growing the eyes. I cut them up and dried them for a couple of days and planted them. I did buy grow bags because I honestly didn't want to have to dig them up in the soil. It seems like it has taken forever for anything to pop up, but I'm seeing leaves so I'm hoping my "free" potato starts do well. 

The big thing was we tilled up a small area in the very back to make a vegetable garden. I have been saving coffee grounds, tea leaves, and egg shells and DH tilled them in the soil. I planted lettuce, green onions, radishes, and carrots. I want to make sure there is no chance of frost and hope to plant peas, cucumbers, tomatoes,  and green beans. I'm hoping we do well on this garden, not only because fresh vegetables are wonderful, but hopefully it will offset the grocery bills. 

In the front flower garden was this small plaster decoration that said Cubs. My husband is a Cubs fan. Sadly, the paint had totally faded on the red part that said Cubs, and the blue circle around it was faint. I bought some red paint at Dollar Tree  and we had blue paint, so since I could not work in the yard due to rain the past couple of days, I painted the red and blue. DH is thrilled. It did revive it and better than buying new. It was nice working in the room we finished in the basement just for crafting. 

My other project today besides putting together dough for homemade sandwich bread was to clean and organize the pantry. We have a reach in pantry and I'm ashamed to admit it was a mess. I looked on Pinterest for suggestions on organization and honestly, some of those folks either don't have a lot of stuff, or are far better at organizing than I am. I did not want to buy anything, just wanted ideas. I did use some of my canning jars to put cornmeal and oatmeal in, but it helped that I took everything out and then reorganized everything. A few items found homes in better spots. Fortunately nothing in the pantry was expired, so at least I haven't let that happen. 

After baking bread and making supper, I think a relaxing evening reading a library book sounds wonderful. 

Spring is here and DH and I planned our vegetable garden. Last year we planted 3 tomato plants, some green onions, and a cucumber plant and three herbs: Oregano, Rosemary, and Thyme. Last fall I planted garlic. 

This year we are expanding our garden a little bit. DH got out the tiller and we measured out the plot based on my plans on graph paper. Yesterday we planted most of the seeds for the cool weather crops. And today it rained so it watered our newly planted seeds. I've been saving coffee grounds, tea leaves, and egg shells and those were worked into the soil for our garden. Hopefully they will help feed some of these plants as well as commercial fertilizer. 

I bought some grow bags a couple of months ago because I wanted to try and grow potatoes. I had some potatoes that were starting to get soft and grow eyes, so I read online how to prepare them to grow new potatoes. I have two grow bags and a large pot planted, as well as a few in the ground. The ones in the ground are going to town; the ones in the pot and grow bags are beginning, but aren't as large. But hopefully we'll have some potatoes this year. I tried regrowing green onions, but haven't had a lot of luck with that, but other than my time and some water, I'm not out much. 

In addition to our vegetable garden, we've been working on different other yard projects. One was to fill in some holes the dogs dug. Top soil seems to have increased in price over last year. Mulch has as well. And although seeds are not super expensive, I'm seeing an increase in price there as well. 

As we've been working on all this, we sort of wonder if we will see an uptick in people planting gardens with increasing grocery prices and possibility of empty shelves. I remember during Covid more people gardened not only for the food, but also to have something to do since so many places were shut down. What are your thoughts?

I've spent quite a bit of time working on a front flower bed. My husband's late wife started it and planted lilies, a peony, and a rosebush. I've added some other lilies. We purchased Easter lilies for church the past two years and after EAster service, we can bring the plants home. I have planted them both years. I bought a lily root at Dollar General for $2 the other day, hoping it comes up. Last fall I planted a few daffodils and tulips and they came up. My hope is to have a variety of plants that flower at different times to keep color going during the growing season. We put out our hummingbird feeder and saw our first humming bird this week. I planted some flower seeds in two different areas to hopefully help hummingbirds and pollinators. I hope to plant some sunflower seeds soon too. We found a reasonably priced "bee house" on line and it is out as well. 

So here's hoping for a successful growing year. 

In the past I've mentioned my sourdough starter, Sammy. He's around 5 years old. I started sourdough because I wanted something to do during the months we couldn't do anything or go anywhere during the Pandemic. I know I have learned a lot and have more to learn about sourdough bread, but it sure is fun.

The interesting thing is sourdough has become big. I mean, really popular. Just this past couple of weeks I've seen "classes" for showing people how to start a starter. I guess that's wonderful, but it's a skill one can learn for free. 

A friend of mine, when I offered him some starter a couple of months ago, turned me down, saying he didn't want to be bothered. He visited a family member and is suddenly interested in starting his sourdough journey. So, when I head to the city he lives in later this week, I will be sharing a little Sammy with him so he can start. Although he can start his own, mine has that good sourdough taste from years of fermenting. I'm still amazed at how 1/3 cup of fed starter and 3-4 cups of flour and some honey, extra virgin olive oil and some salt can make a delicious sandwich bread if let rise overnight. 

My loaves aren't the fancy ones with the designs. I have thought about it, but honestly, the bread I make is for every day stuff like toast and sandwiches, so we like the softer crusted stuff. Plus, I like to experiement with different types of flour, which I sometimes add to give it a different flavor and crumb. 

Guess I missed my chance to make money on teaching people to make a starter. I didn't look into the classes, but I wonder if people have to bring their own jar or if that is provided. The cost is $10. I take that back, one class offered by an extension group was ten dollars and people had to bring their own jar. But I think they learned about it and got part of a starter besides. 

So, my Pandemic hobby continues. I have baked our bread since last summer. I think I've saved money because Artisan bread is expensive. Are you doing any of the hobbies you picked up from being isolated at home during the Pandemic?

Yesterday was a day I could head to a Kroger store in a nearby larger town. Since we live 40 minutes away, I try to bunch my errands so I don't make a lot of unnecessary trips and with gas prices on the rise, I especially don't want to spend more on gas and wear and tear on my car.

I had a list created. Most, not all, of my items were either on sale or I had digital coupons. I was fortunate that I found a couple of things that I wanted on clearance so I saved even more. Even so, I wound up spending almost $120 and only one item was meat. I did splurge and buy some teeth cleaning dog chews simply because the pups like them and its cheaper than getting dental work done on them. I try to write out my list based on the store layout so I don't forget stuff or make additional visits to aisles. The longer I spend in the store, the better the chance I wind up buying stuff I don't need. One item was buy one, get one free and although expensive, it was far more reasonable than regular price. 

I kept seeing some of the same people making many of the same purchases I was making -- stuff on sale, stuff on clearance, stuff with digital coupons, or items with paper coupons. According to the cash register tape, I saved over $40 and if that can be believed, that's a nice chunk of change. The gal ahead of me in check out had a full cart. But of that cart, I bet she didn't have more than 5 items at regular price. Everything was either on sale or marked down on clearance: very little snack foods, mostly fruits, vegetables, and bread.  I saw the same pattern with the older man ahead of us. Very little was regular price in his small basket. I think there is a trend developing. I think this trend is going to continue as people feel more of a squeeze as prices increase and money doesn't go as far as it did. The thing that bothers me is the people who can least afford high prices are the ones who need help and as programs are being cut, they won't get the assistance. I hope I'm wrong, but I'm thinking as everyone suffers, the folks who were generous to donate to food banks and things like that will cut back because they will be afraid themselves.

I'm hoping if you are going to the grocery you'll report on what you are finding. I'm curious if you are seeing the same thing or doing the same thing. 

Yesterday we went to the local theatre in the small town we live in and saw a movie that was called "The Farmer's Daughter." It isn't the old movie, but a recently made one about a young woman who was once on the local TV station as a reporter, but after her brother died, she gave up her career and came home to work for her father on the farm. Fast forward a few years and her dad became very ill, and she's now running the family farm. It was a good movie and if you are interested in this sort of thing, it is on Amazon and costs $2.99 to rent. It was a movie that showed the moxie of the gal, but also how hard it is for family farm. The two directors were at the movie (it was free for the public) as well as the female farmer. It had a feel good ending so if you like this sort of thing, I encourage you to watch. 

Farmers are planners. They have to plan what they are going to plant and when and how and what can make them money. I think gardeners are as well. I'm not going to claim the title as gardener because I'm still working on it, but I do have plans. I recently planted some potatoes. I've never tried potatoes before, but I had some potatoes that sprouted "eyes" so I figured other than my labor, I'm not out a whole lot, but I am hopeful. I bought some onion sets so I hope to get some of them in the ground soon too. My radishes in the tin tray are starting to come up. I planted some lavender seeds the other day and so far, no sprouts. I'm hoping I get some started. I planted some more in egg cartons this afternoon. I'd like to start a small area of lavender because both bees and butterflies are attracted to lavender. I hope to plant some other plants that are bee and butterfly friendly as well as another small garden of wildflowers that are hummingbird friendly. I know, big plans!

Part of our plan it to plant a small vegetable garden at the back of the property. Here in Central Illinois we usually have a wet spring and then as the summer goes by, it often gets very hot and very dry. DH and I spent some time the other day making a rain barrel. We used a plastic trash can for the rain barrel itself, but built a small wooden platform for it. We finished it Friday afternoon and set it out. It rained some yesterday and then a whole bunch today so hopefully we have a good start on rain for our rain barrel. We need to till the land for the garden and I'm working on planning it. I want enough to get some good eats, but not so big that I'm married to it that I have no time to do anything but weed. I like fresh vegetables and I'd like to have enough cucumbers to make pickles and hopefully enough tomatoes to can a few. We both like green onions so I hope to do quite a few different plantings so we have plenty for the table, not to mention more radishes and hopefully a decent amount of carrots. 

Groceries continue to rise in price. I'm wondering if more people will be planning a garden of some sort to help offset the cost of eating. Although we have enough property we could raise chickens, when I was a kid we had them. People act like they aren't a lot of work, but they are. If you let them run free, you have to make sure they are roosting for the night and locked up so some predator doesn't get into the hen house and kill them and eat them. They only lay so long so it isn't like you are going to get ten years of laying from chickens. And although I helped with the butchering as a kid, I didn't do that much and I don't want to take that on now. Call me squeamish I guess. With the good, there's the bad and unless things change drastically, I'm not ready to be a chicken farmer. 

Here in Central Illinois it isn't exactly warm, but it isn't freezing either. When we don't have the usual gloomy winter days, it makes me think spring is around the corner and I'm getting excited.

We have this lovely sunporch on the back of the house. Although it is early to be planting a vegetable garden, I'm getting excited about doing so. Scratching around here, I found a metal pan and asked DH if I could use it to plant some seeds in it and have it on the porch. The porch seems warmer than the outside with the afternoon sun and the way it is built, it doesn't get super freezing cold when the weather is cool outside. So, I bit the bullet, put some potting soil in it and planted some radishes. Hopefully they will come up and we can enjoy some. I saw this dude on Facebook stating you could start strawberries by planting a small slice of a strawberry in dirt, so I did that as well in the plastic containers and those too are on the sunporch. 

We've been throwing out ideas on what we want to plant for this year. Last year we tried a few things and some where successful and some were a failure. DH had this wooden raised garden and the soil just wasn't deep enough to grow tomatoes or cucumbers because of the way it was made, the soil dried out so fast. We had some fierce, hot days so it made it tough to keep things alive. We bought one of those small raised metal garden rings too and planted tomatoes in that and they did really well. So, we bought a second one and that's the plan for this year -- 4 tomatoes in the two of them, two each. We are going to till up a spot and fence it in for other things like cucumbers, onions, and other things. I have garlic planted already and a small herb garden in a small area as well as strawberries. So hopefully we will get some good things this year. I'm hoping to preserve some of the things we have. With grocery prices we hope to have some fresh produce. I'm also hoping that the rhubarb and the black raspberries produce a lot too. 

Last fall I planted tulip bulbs and I'm looking forward to when they break through the soil. I plan to take a photo of the three spaces in case I need to fill in spots. I can plant things, but we have two dogs who like to dig so I think some of the bulbs have been moved. 

I seem to concentrate on food a lot, but since it is a necessity, I'll validate it that way. A few months ago I bit the bullet and bought a large toaster oven. I always had one to use for smaller things to bake, but when I moved out with the divorce, I didn't take the one that was at the house. I missed it. We have a perfectly good oven, but I know ovens are a big energy pull so unless I can bake more than one thing at the same time, I prefer to use a toaster oven to save on electricity. Lunch today was a casserole and heating up a vegetable, both fit in the toaster oven. As I have watched my retirement accounts decrease the past few weeks, I feel a little better knowing I'm saving a few cents here and there. It adds up as we go along. 

One thing that probably isn't frugal, but I have been crocheting little items and leaving them with a note that it is a free gift and if the person can, post a photo of it and where it was found. I crocheted bookmarks and left them in the Free Little Libraries in our small town and one person posted a photo on the Random Acts of Crochet Kindness so that was cool. I'm going to leave shamrocks this week around town. Most people who post talk about it being a day brightener. I hope it is. 

This has little to do with my post, but I can no longer post photos on my blog. Any ideas on how I can do that? I always get an HTTP 400 error. 

I am thinking of posting this on one of the Facebook frugal sites, so I thought I'd run this by all of you to get your feedback:

Pinterest -- I have a love-hate relationship with it. It's a good source for a lot of things, but sometimes the stuff isn't what it claims to be.

I like to read articles and blogs on ways to save in case I'm missing something. But  if they are true sites, they say the same thing, and mostly general stuff. I belong to a couple frugal groups on Facebook and there are people who post that they are new to this and want ideas on saving money. It makes me realize that there are newbies that some of these general statements are just that -- general and if one doesn't know how to do it to begin with, it could be overwhelming. I was thinking that perhaps things need to be explained more fully for those who don't know.

For example, there is almost always the topic of meal planning. That sounds great, but what if someone hasn't done that before, it could mean they don't know where to start. A frugal meal plan is going to look different than one from someone who isn't looking to save money. I think it should be better explained. Such as, figure out what you have in your fridge, freezer, and pantry, and  decide if you have to go to the grocery and supplement it. If so, what are things that are on sale that will go with whatever one has. Stick to your list and don't buy extra. Find deals like the loss leaders and digital coupons. If you have a little extra money and there are nonperishables on sale, stock up a little since grocery stores tend to have sales cycles, and try to build a small stockpile of things you like to eat. Most importantly, don't buy something you really have no desire to eat just because it is on sale. 

When you meal plan, try to fix enough of things for more than one meal. I know when I was working it meant some planning on my part, but I would figure out what I could fix ahead of time and then bake off when I got home from work. One of my coworkers asked me how I did it and I said I would often buy chicken on sale. If I got a whole chicken, I cooked it in the slow cooker. If it was a slow cooker I would add vegetables and spices so I could then have chicken broth.   If it was other stuff, I would brown in the pieces and depending on what I got, would then take it off the bones, then use the bones with some vegetables and spices to make broth. Then I would make casseroles, depending on what I had in my pantry and fridge or whatever I got on sale. I tried to change it up each week so we weren't eating the same casseroles, but it sure saved us a lot of money because I would then put these casseroles in the fridge and I could bake them when I got home from work, and if need be, add a vegetable and have our meal. I made a lot of soups and stews as well and would use whatever I had and since there was usually quite a bit, I could make more than one meal or freeze some for a day when I didn't feel like cooking. I bought cheaper meats and learned to love my slow cooker. It might mean prepping the stuff the night before and then putting it in the cooker that morning and turning it on, but what a relief to come home to a meal. I treated it like a challenge -- what can I make that is filling, nutritious, and cheap? 

Studying the sales is important. I read somewhere that grocery stores often do an 8 week cycle on stuff so putting away a little money and then stocking up on things that you like when it is on sale is smart. Plus, it is fun to shop your own cabinets knowing you are saving money. 

The next idea isn't really cooking and shopping, but planning is important. I admit I like looking through recipes and cookbooks and seeing different things. But in reality, I rarely made any of those fancy dishes. But I started with simple recipes that were good and then would tweak them. Then I would write them down. I have a love affair with index cards so I have a double recipe box with recipes that I use and have, in my opinion, improved upon. I learned that although I thought I'd remember a recipe, if I didn't make it for a while, I would forget all about it, then need a refresher. I went to the library and looked through cookbooks of simple recipes, not gourmet ones, and copied them on index cards for my try pile when I had the ingredients. If it was a good one, I kept the card. If not, I threw it away.

Figuring out what to do with things that are leftover is another way to save money. For example, if you make chili and don't have enought to have another full meal out of it, can you add some sauce and serve it over pasta and stretch it? A restaurant chain does this and calls it "chili mac" so if they can serve chili over spaghetti, why can't you? 

An important thing is use what you have. Even with egg prices on the rise, they are still a decent deal. My dear husband likes soft buns and I don't know why brat packages (bought on sale of course) have one less than the 6 buns, so what do we do with the bun? Of course one could use it for a sandwich, but then again, why not make an egg casserole? I often will do that -- tear up the bun into small pieces in a greased casserole dish, then do a fridge clean out of leftover cheese and vegetables  combined  with milk, and a two-three eggs (It makes a small casserole). I mix the egg and milk together, add the vegetables and cheese and pour over bread and refrigerate overnight. I bake at 350 for an hour or until a knife comes our clean in the middle. One can add meats or different cheeses to make this different. I like to add herbs to give it a different flavor, but it is a great way to use up what I have.

My other suggestion and personal goal  is to never have an oven that just has one thing in it. Ovens pull a lot of energy and baking one small thing isn't the most economical. Sometimes it can't be helped. But trying to fill the oven is always a good plan. For example, yesterday I  did a bunch of prep of stuff. I had our supper to bake at 350 and since I was going to put together dough for sourdough sandwich bread to be baked the next day, I had the flour out. So, I put together the ingredients to make cinnamon apple muffins. I also made dog treats. Each rack was full of stuff when I had the oven on. It doesn't always work out like that, but if it does, it is a good way to save money. 

My Papa always told me to never stop learning. He was a Depression Era kid and had me late in life. He said if someone wanted to teach me something, learn, even if I didn't think I'd use it, one never knew if it would come in handy. I'd say the same with cooking. I know the fancy chefs get all the publicity, but it is the person who can make a delicious meal out of what they have is a true gem. 

I learned a new word the other day: Grandmacore. If you aren't familiar with it, it's basically someone who does things grandmothers are usually known for like crocheting, knitting, baking, sewing, gardening, and stuff like that.  My DH looked at me and said that fit me to a "T."

I have a quirky sense of humor and read a columnist who has a webpage called Sean from the South. He wrote a column about  missing glass bottles amongst other things and I would have to agree. I remember all those wonderful glass bottles food and other items came in. Granted, shampoo probably shouldn't be in a glass bottle, but other stuff, well, in my opinion, should. I remember drinking soda pop and returning the bottles. My mom used glass mayo jars for canning because we had them. I know I latch onto glass jars of stuff I buy and reuse them because I like things in glass. You probably remember an email that was shared years ago about this lady at the checkout who was told by the young cashier she didn't understand recycling and the older lady talked about returning glass bottles so they could be refilled, reusing paper bags, and things like that. 

In my full grandmacore mode, I also have a button jar. I have cut off buttons off of clothes that are worn out or so badly damaged and kept the buttons. It is handy to have those extra buttons. I have been crocheting little gift card envelopes and I pulled buttons out of the jar today to sew on to them for the flap. I was thinking of a gal I worked with a number of years ago. The button on her khakis came off and I suggested we find a needle and thread to sew it back on and she said no, she'd just throw them away. I was shocked. I asked if she knew how to sew and she had no desire. I offered to sew the button on and was turned down. 

But many of these grandmacore things do save money. I reuse bottles and jars. I wash  my plastic bags and foil to reuse. I crochet and sew things. For example, I found some curtain panels at a thrift store for a room we are finishing in the basement. They are too long, but I will shorten and hem them so I will have curtains for around $5. 

Last year we planted tomatoes, cucumbers, onions and radishes and we enjoyed these fresh vegetables when they were available. We had a rhubarb plant and I used it to make a crumble as well as to make some jams and jellies, and we had both  mulberry trees and wild black raspberries and I picked those and made jam. We have a black walnut tree and I used those for some of my baking. I planted some herbs and dried them in the fall so I would have them to use this winter and spring.  Last fall I planned ahead, expanding our garden. We planted a couple of strawberry plants, two blueberry plants, some asparagus, and some garlic. Sure, these items cost money initially, but I'm hoping to be successful and getting some of this food in the coming years. I've concluded gardens are forward thinkers since blueberries and asparagus aren't supposed to yield a harvest right away. 

Since I mentioned baking with the nuts,  I've been baking our sandwich bread for over 7 months. My husband teases me how much please I get making a loaf of bread and then filling the house with the wonderul aroma of baking bread. Speaking of the oven, I went all out and bought a toaster oven so I could bake smaller things without heating up the big oven and having a large enery pull. I bake dog biscuits for our pups because they like them and it although we buy some commercial ones, the ones I bake are cheaper. I have to move the oven to the island to use it, but it is worth it. I'd like to explore making a solar oven this summer when the sun is overhead and hot. And we are discussing making a rain barrel to save money when we water the garden that we are increasing. 

I remember a friend talking about his mom and how she washed dishes in just a small amount of water in the sink. I asked him what he meant by a small amount of water and he said you know, less than half full of water. I'm thinking she was smart...didn't use a lot of the precious resource of water and still got things clean. She was frugal and as a result had a decent savings. Truly in grandmacore mode!

So, are you buying into the grandmacore? 

It seems like it is continous on groceries...But guess that is a given since we tend to eat.

Anyway, before Christmas it seemed like there were a few decent deals so we could stock up on a few things. Between the coupon savings, the sale prices, and the receipt apps, I'm hoping to save money. 

On social media different folks post about writing companies and asking for coupons. I've done so in the past so I decided to tackle that as well. I think of the ten companies I wrote, two kindly sent coupons. The rest said they don't send coupons and to check my local paper. Seriously? Our local paper doesn't do coupons anymore and a few years before, the coupons were pathetic. Seems newspapers could buy coupon inserts and there were different ones, some had a few coupons, and some had a lot of great ones. Our paper never did go for the really good ones. Anyway, I tried as far as the coupons and emailing companies.Land O' Lakes and Celestial Seasonings both responded and mailed me coupons.  I use digital coupons at our Kroger and County Market when it is for something I would pruchase anyway. I don't just buy something because I have a coupon. But the wins are becoming fewer and far between. 

DH and I are trying to eat at home and even then, with the price of groceries, it is expensive. We had bought some brats and buns and why these companies do no not communicate with each other is beyond me. There are fewer brats than buns. I refused to let the buns go to waste that were left over so I made tuna salad and we had them on the buns. We bought some bagels and same thing...we used each and every one of them. 

Today I had a small win at this grocery game...Kroger had smaller boxes of cereal on sale for $1.99. Ibotta was giving a $1 credit, so that box of cereal cost 99 cents and tax. Plus, I had 4 other grocery receipt apps, so hopefully a reasonable price. I used the Land O'Lakes coupon for 55 cents off and then got a credit of 65 cents on Ibotta. Not cheap butter, but saved money on something I was going to buy anyway. 

I have an Aeorgarden. It's a hydroponic garden for small plants. I had to bite the buttlet and buy replacements for my pods, and went ahead and got the lettuce ones, but now that I have them, I can reuse them and plant my own seeds. But, we had our first "harvest" of tender lettuce for a small salad this week. This first salad was a little pricey, but I figure as I use more of it and then replant, it will get more reasonable.

Since Lent is coming up, I'm counting on sales of tuna to continue. There was a sale today so I bought a few cans since DH likes tuna sandwiches. But I want to stock up so we have some on hand when the sales diminish after Lent. 

I continue to bake sourdough bread. I have a loaf in the oven as I type this. I used my starter and let it proof in the fridge overnight before baking. It's nice to be able to bake our own bread and be able to make it without yeast. Granted, yeast isn't super expensive, but one more thing we are saving on.

Last year we went to an orchard and bought apples. They had some that were not perfect and I bought them and made both applesauce and apple juice and canned both. With extra juice I made apple jelly and canned it. Between our eating it and some I gave away for Christmas, we got a decent deal. We've had some of the applesauce and it was nice treat with our lunch and it was great to be able to shop in our basement storage area. 

It is frustrating playing this game, because the deals seem to be less available. Are you finding the same?

The end of January is nearing and it's been what I'd call a typical winter for the Midwest, at least as it used to be: cold and snowy. We had some measurable snow and lots of cold temperatures. Previous years we had warmer temperatures so having a "cold spell" has been different. But I remember growing up to lots of snow and cold, so maybe we are reverting back to what it had been. The nice thing is we have had quite a bit of sunshine. A lot of times we have little to no sun and the days seem especially gloomy and depressing. 

DH and I have continued working on finishing a room in the basement. Fortunately he is a handy type guy and I'm willing to try and learn new things. The advantage is we don't have outside stuff to do so we have time to work on it. I have called Menards "my home away from home" since we have been there a lot. Fortunately they have had what we needed. I wonder if home improvement stuff will see a huge increase in prices as both the hurricane victims and the wildfire victims start to rebuild -- the whole supply and demand scenario. 

One good thing about winter is I don't mind running the oven. I have been trying to bake different things. I saw a recipe for making English muffins and tried it. I always thought they were baked, but this recipe called for cooking them on top of the stove in a cast iron skillet. They were pretty good for my first attempt. We had homemade cheese and egg sandwiches that night with them and even with the price of eggs, a reasonably priced meal. 

I have continued crocheting and some loom knitting. On Facebook is a site called "Random Acts of Crochet Kindness USA" where people crochet a little thing, put it in a plastic bag with a note saying it is a free gift to make one's day and then leave these items and suggest people post a pic and where they found it. I live in a small town that has some of those little free libraries so I thought I'd crochet some bookmarks since I had some crochet thread. I have them crocheted and hope to get them distributed soon. 

Speaking of crochet, a friend of ours is a woodworker and quite talented. I teased him and said I bet he had never made a crochet hook and he said he hadn't and so he did. He made the handle a little bigger so it is easier to hold. Wasn't that super cool? He said he likes a challenge. So, I crocheted a small basket for him and put some Hershey kisses in it as a "thank you."

For my birthday, DH gave me Kristin Hannah's book, "The Women." Talk about a powerful book. I was little during the Viet Nam war, but have read a lot about it and how the vets were treated after they returned. In this, it was even worse because the lady nurses weren't considered "vets" although they went through a lot as much as the men. 

I currently am using 6 of those receipt apps. I figure it is free money. On three of them, we donate the money for our mortgage reduction for church. Granted, it isn't a ton, but we figure every little bit helps. I continue to look for digital coupons and sales at grocery stores. One of the grandsons thinks I'm funny to do this. He's 20 and I just smile and think, "Wait until you get on your own." I wrote some companies to get some coupons. I'm tired of a lot of them saying they don't send out coupons and to check our local paper. I learned the hard way that newspapers can buy different coupon packages and the local paper we had bought the cheapest ones which were basically ads to mail order stuff, hardly any useable coupons at all. But Celestial Teas and Land O'Lakes did send me some coupons which was generous of them. My husband is good about wanting to save money and he is happy that I want to find ways to continue to do so. 

Life remains busy here at "Hummingbird Hills." That's what my husband's late wife named the property. Each day brings lots of things to do and more things to discover and winter is a nice time to do different things. 

Lots of and lots of that white stuff has fallen and even more is forecast this evening. We've had some warnings ahead of time and living in the country, we try to keep things stocked up and ready. DH has a small tractor (a little larger than a riding mower) and he put the plow on it and we bought diesel fuel. I had my first snow plow lesson this afternoon. I most certainly need more lessons and practice, but it was fun learning something different. I shoveled the walk and St. Bernadoodle Murphy thought it was a game, barking and biting the plastic shovel. The dogs frolicked in the snow, playing and running. It was a joy to watch them. 

We had been stocking up on things as they went on sale so other than picking up a few things like milk and fruit, we didn't have to do the big worry of panic shopping. We went Friday morning and casually bought our milk and fruit and got in and out. I guess by Friday evening the panic shopping had begun and I guess the shelves were ravaged by last night. I'd rather buy things on sale and stock up then being forced to buy stuff at regular price due to immediate need. I have a friend who does as we do and he was saying he was delighted he didn't have to fight crowds with a well stocked pantry and fridge. Another friend who is also retired decided to hit the stores yesterday and then complained about the shelves being empty and the bad attitudes of many of the other shoppers. I get it if someone has to work and has no choice to shop then, but a retiree with plenty of weather warnings really has no excuse.

Today is my 64th birthday. My husband said he wanted to bake me a birthday cake and since he didn't know how, would I help him? I said yes. I already had the ingredients and so we baked the cake yesterday and then frosted it last night. He's a good student and listened and asked questions. I let him do it all, just read him the recipe and gave him hints. I haven't had a homemade birthday cake since my mom died in 2006 and the fact he wanted to bake it for me although it wasn't in his original skill set means the world to me. 

My DH also fixed us our Sunday dinner. Growing up, I never had the family Sunday dinners. It was usually a baloney sandwich on white bread and maybe some chips. No family gathering or sitting down, just basically fending for yourself. A few weeks ago we had a grandson staying with us, so we did a Sunday dinner with turkey, mashed potatoes, green beans, cheesy muffins, and brownies for dessert. So, DH decided with just the two of us, he would take care of our noon meal, setting the table, fixing it, and cleaning up. That was a special treat for me as well. It was warm and loving and cozy as the snow flies outside our dining room window. 

The best part is I am not fretting about this snow. I am content. I am blessed. I have a wonderful husband, a lovely home, two sweet pups, and the feeling of being safe. If you are in the path of this storm, hope you are safe and warm.

If you celebrate Christmas, did you have a ham? We did, complete with ham bone. We had multiple meals from that ham and I have saved the ham bone. We did a grocery run yesterday to pick up a few things to tide us over until the next major shop. I didn't have enough dry beans to make ham and beans so I bought a bag...97 cents. So, with the ham and ham bone, chicken broth I canned, some carrots, celery, and onion I already had, a reasonable meal. I imagine we will have enough for a couple of meals. The chicken broth was made with vegetables and the carcass of a rotisserie chicken. I have corn meal and flour and sour cream and other items, so I plan to make some cornbread to go with it. A reasonably priced meal all in all.

We debated on whether to go out to eat on New Year's Eve, and after looking at the prices of the special menus, decided to forget it. Instead we went to a local meat market, bought a couple decent steaks, and we will eat at home, using potatoes I bought on sale and fixing up some leftover green beans I had in the fridge. More expensive than most of our meals, but far less than going out. 

I'm a big fan of Pinterest. I like looking for recipes and craft ideas. Since I often look at their frugal pins too, I get some interesting ones suggested. One is about homesteading. I always thought homesteading was living off the land, but I guess the defintion is getting looser and if so, I guess I'm a homesteader. We had a garden and am planning for this spring, I can, I dry herbs, I mend clothes, and I make things by crocheting or sewing. Plus I make do with a lot of things instead of going out and buying new. DH was surprised the other day when I was mending some of my work jeans and I said there's nothing wrong with them a few stitches can't fix. 

One thing I normally do at least once a year is polish my leather shoes. I was thinking about them as I worked on them. I have 4 pairs of shoes and two pairs of ankle boots and I realize I have not bought leather shoes or boots in 8 years or more. Granted, none of them look new, but they are still servicable and comfortable. A number of years ago I started buying well made shoes because my feet hurt all the time and it made a difference. As I could afford them, I bought more pairs. And I wore these shoes often, so I have more than gotten my money out of them. My expense has been the shoe polish and a bottle usually lasts for a lot of applications. And taking care of these shoes has paid off. At least I think so. I can't see a reason to buy new shoes if these are still wearable. 

I have been baking our bread for the past few months and trying new recipes. Today was no different. DH was shocked the other day when we went to the grocery with a bakery to see how much a normal loaf of bread is that looked homemade. Not sure if it is frugal or not, but it seems like we are wasting less bread and using what we have. I've been working with a sourdough starter and have even made loaves that with a strong starter rise like those with yeast. I figure I'm learning a new skill as well as feeding us and sourdough is supposed to be good as far as gut health. 

I'm hoping I'm being frugal, not cheap, but at this point, it is my life. I take care of things I own, I use what I have. And I try to save money on many things so we can enjoy the things we like and have the money for it. 

Hope you have a wonderful and propserous 2025! Or should I saw a frugal new year? 

It's the time of year when my oven gets a workout. We had our church bazaar and one of the big draws is the cookie walk. People line up early to get in to buy cookies by the pound. Prices have not been raised in a few years so it was $7 a pound. 

There is an insurance company that is sort of affiliated with our church synod, and I wrote for a grant to help cover the cost of some of the baking supplies. The insurance company was generous and gave us $250 to buy flour, sugar, butter, etc. I baked 21 dozen cookies, four loaves of sweet breads, and a dozen cupcakes to donate. We had a lot of stuff donated and a lot of it was purchased so that's good since the profits are used by our ladies guild to send to different missions.

But, I've been baking and cooking for gifts as well. Most of the people I know don't need more "stuff."  But they seem to like homemade stuff or jam or jelly I have made and canned. I have a fudge recipe that my grandmother used to use and would sell her fudge by the pound. One of my friends asked for it a couple of years ago and tried to make it and said it didn't set. The same thing happened last year. It's very simple so I have no idea why it didn't -- don't even need a candy thermometer. So, I stopped by their house last week and we made it together and it came out perfectly. I'm wondering if they interpreted the recipe differently than how it was written. I learned a long time ago people don't always connect to verbal or written directions the same way. But doing it with my friend seemed to help. 

I continue to experiment with bread and my sourdough starter and discard. I've been making our sandwich bread for months. I've successfully made a soft sandwich bread with no yeast, just the sourdough starter. It takes hours for it to rise, but if one isn't in any hurry, it is really good. 

My husband bought us tickets to a concert in St. Louis so that will be a great Christmas experience. Our little town has a festival of lights which just has a free will donation so we have gone through it at night and it is amazing. Most of our gifts are practical to each other and we aren't going into debt to get them.

I'm going to include the fudge recipe in case you are interested at the bottom.

So, are you watching what you are spending for Christmas? Are you doing more shopping or more of baking or crafting? 

Grandma Pannek’s Fudge

4 cups white sugar

1 12 oz can of Milnot or evaporated milk

8 ounces of semi sweet chocolate chips

1 stick butter or margarine

1 13 oz jar of marshmallow creme

1 tsp of vanilla

Chopped nuts (optional)

9 x 13 buttered pan. 

Have everything ready before you start because you cannot leave the stove. I have the chocolate chips ready to go and the marshmallow creme opened and ready to spoon out. Put these and the vanilla aside. Have the buttered pan ready.

In large pot, melt butter and add evaporated milk or Milnot. Then stir in sugar. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil 5 minutes. Take off fire, add chocolate chips, marshmallow creme, and vanilla. If you are using  nuts now is the time to put them in. Stir until everything is mixed in and pour into the greased pan. Cover with foil and put in a cool place. It will set up and be somewhat firm after a few hours. You can then cut it into pieces. 

TV has advertised these great "bargains" as far as groceries for Thanksgiving dinner. However, there are certain things I'm picky on, so my price is more than what they are advertising.

But I play what I call the "Grocery Game" throughout the year. I check digital deals and then also check Ibotta to see if I can get a good deal. I use three other receipt apps too. My husband teases me about being frugal, but he has told me repeatedly how proud he is of me to save money.

Kroger recently has had turkeys on sale. Not name brand, but their brand. I got one for 69 cents a pound. I ahve limited amount of freezer space so I had to wait until this week to get a second one. I could only use that coupon for the 69 cents a pound for one, but did get the smaller turkey for 99 cents a pound. I waited and they put potatoes on sale. I had hoped to snag some green beans, but it seems they sell out of those quicker than anything else. So, I'm on the search for green beans that are reasonably priced. I have some in my stockpile, but hate to hit it. We are having more people for our meal than originally anticipated, so would like to buy what I need as far as our meal.

As I was rearranging the freezer, I noticed a pound of ground sausage. I thawed it and with some eggs, some leftover onion, a leftover Brat bun (why do Brats come in packs of 5 and buns in packs of 6), some leftover cheese, some milk, some herbs and spices, I made a breakfast casserole, It afforded us two  meals, and reasonably priced as well. The other day we had what I said was a free meal. We had met another couple for supper the other night and I brought home half of my chicken. So, I heated it up, had leftover risotto, and some leftover cooked carrots. It sort of balances out those times when we go out and spend money or have to use extra money for different meals.

My church has their Christmas bazaar coming up. We sell cookies by the pound so I will be baking soon. I normally get my sugar, flour, eggs, and butter at Aldi and have already bought some flour and sugar and butter. But there is this insurance company called Thrivent which offers grants for different church projects so I wrote a grant proposal to ask for some money for our church and they awarded the money, so we bought more baking supplies like vanilla as well as basics for everyone to share with so it will help alleviate the expense for those who might find it more difficult to buy these items but would like to bake. 

Are you finding any good ways to save money on groceries? 

I am going to make a confession here...I love looking through community/church cookbooks. I don't even have to know the folks involved in them. But I find them entertaining and informative. 

I have some of my own and some I've contributed to. It's nice to see recipes that people I know shared.

I've run across two that don't have covers on them, but I can tell they have some age to them. One has lots of recipes using oleo. Oleo was a term my mom and grandma used because it was cheaper than butter and butter was rationed during World War II here in the United States. They talked about how it was white and they would have a little color tube they would put in and then sit and mix it all together to get a more yellowish color. We don't think about that as we use the term "margarine" now. 

Also in one of these is canning and preserving recipes. I know for a number of years, people got away from canning and preserving as a whole -- there were still people who did it, but most would say it wasn't worth the work when you can buy a can of green beans from the store. I think these cookbooks are just time capsule treasures. 

One whole section is on rabbit, venison, and other game animals. Plus there are some recipe names that I think are local that I'm not familiar with. It's all a fun learning experience. I noticed that this one older one started with breads and rolls whereas some of the more current recipe book starts with appetizers. 

Do you ever use one of these cookbooks? Or do you have some recipes that you deem special?

I grew up in Central Illinois and we have our own little special terms for things such as cheese toastie for a grilled cheese. I ran across this recipe and I'm thinking it must be a Wisconsin term, but I think it is fun so here is the recipe:

Kamitch-Kamotch

1 lb hamburger

4 to 6 slices of bacon, cut up

1/2 small onion

1 cup peas and carrots

3/4 cup elbow macaroni

1 can tomato soup

1/2 can water

salt and pepper to taste

Boil macaroni and drain. Brown hamburger, bacon, and onion. Drain grease and add soup, water, veggies, and macaroni and ,amitch kamotch it together. Simmer 20 to 30 minutes. 

One thing I've inferred is that most of the folks who share these recipes must make them a lot and don't give specific details, such as the vegetables -- canned or fresh. I'd figure canned so they would be cooked. 

I saw this phrase on one of the pages and thought it was clever so I'm going to share it:

“A truer friend there cannot be, than one who shares her recipes.”

Near us is a John Boos showroom -- perhaps you have seen their cutting boards. I normally wouldn't be shopping there, but a local catering business combined with Boos and had a charcuterie board class. It was $60 and it included a small board, a very nice paring knife, and the food as well as instructions. I attended and it was a good class and it seemed like we got a lot for the money. My husband and I had two servings each of the food afterwards. I attended with my step daughter and she loved it as well. 

A friend of ours is a woodworker and he loves making things, so he said he'd make a personalized board. It is beautiful and such a kind gesture. He made one for our stepdaughter, personalizing hers as well. 

It was a nice splurge and I really enjoyed the time with my husband's daughter. Not a cost saving, but overall, I think we were ahead with the original board, the nice knife, and all the food. Plus, I learned something and one can never stop learning, right?

The local Ace hardware is going to have ladies' night to make some things (and demonstrate some tools) and we are planning on attending it. My husband already has the tool they are going to demonstrate so I will hopefully be learning how to use it. Since this evening is free, I figure if I only learn this tool is beyond my skill, at least I can say I've learned that. 

A few years ago I read about making a sourdough starter. It seemed easy enough...flour, water, and time. I named my starter Sammy and I've kept him going ever since. I've made sour dough loaves and used the extra or discard for other things and even given away discard. Then the bane of my existence...I was looking at Pinterest and it showed an easy recipe for sourdough sandwich bread that looked far less crusty than normal sourdough. I kept thinking, it won't rise without yeast, but figured I could try and if nothing else, redo the dough and add yeast. Much to my surprise, it did rise and made a beautiful loaf of bread. It just takes longer to rise and one has to make sure the starter is bubbly and ready to go. But it pleased me. My husband teases me and calls me his Prairie Woman since I'm baking bread and trying things like this.

Well, it goes beyond that as well...I'm always trying to figure out ways to reuse things. I tease about Pinterest being the banke of my existence, but I do get some good ideas from the stuff on there. Most work; a few do not. I'm working on making my own Pine Sol. We have pine trees and vinegar is cheap. Hope it works! 

I planted strawberries and blueberies  for next year and years beyond and I read where coffee grounds are good for the soil. Our soil is very clay like, so I have been adding it to other places as well as I have added sand, hoping it improves the quality of the soil. 

My husband's late wife was quite the crafter and in the basement are a lot of things. I've never mod podged stuff before, but a few YouTube videos showed me how, and I have been using material I have to decorate plastic containers of things. The other day I sent cookies with the grandson back to school in a coffee container. I save all the plastic things we get and reuse them. I sent cake home with my husband's daughter the other day in containers that were for something else and she laughed and said she liked my frugal ways. 

I had a doctor's appointment Friday and since we had to drive to town 40 minutes away, we decided to do some other errands to make it worth our while. We thought we'd get a quick lunch at a local chain restaurant. We were shocked...a sandwich, chips, and drink for each of us was over $30 before tip! So today after church we had vegetable soup I made the other day and put in the Crockpot to heat and some bread I had made for lunch. Far less than $30 and probably far better for us too. 

I was going to include a photo of the bread, but whenever I try to post a photo, I get an error message.

My post from last week asking about stocking up had some great replies. The sad thing is, I guess there was a run on toilet paper and paper towels because local stores had signs limiting these products. I wan't suggesting people hoard, just be prepared. 

Just curious if anyone else has been stocking up with the fear of the longshoreman's strike warning and then the actual strike coming about?

I always try to keep a few things on hand. I haven't been hoarding, but each time something comes on the news, my stomach clenches and hopes it isn't like the fiasco during the Pandemic as people go crazy and go for a hoarding frenzy. The media keeps claiming prices will go up and there will be shortages which makes me worry people will go crazy and start stripping shelves of stuff. 

I have always shopped sales and this continues. Yesterday I scored a great deal at Kroger. It was a digital coupon offer of Quilted Northern toilet paper for $4.99 for 6 rolls, normally $7.99. In addition, I had a $1 off digital coupon so I bought three packages to put back. 

I have canned some items -- I didn't have a huge garden, but hoping for a bigger and better one next year. A lot of changes this year so no time to put in a garden. But I'm planning for the future in my new home. I planted garlic yesterday. I've planted a few strawberry plants too earlier, hoping we get some next year.

So, the search has been on for reasonable priced canned goods. Dollar Tree here has had Del Monte vegetables for $1.25 plus tax. At Walmart they are $1.48 so I figured that was a decent deal. I have a few cans of stuff we'd eat. And a couple extra cans of tuna and things like that. 

Just wondering what's going on in your pantry!

Perhaps you remember John Denver's song, "Thank God I'm a Country Boy." The lyrics talk about the simple things in life and what pleasure they brought him.

I'm not a music artist, but I am learning to appreciate the simple things so much more. Good friendship is one of them when it is pure and deep. It's sad when people are so shallow that they use you for their own good, calling it "friendship." But those folks who are there when you are happy or sad, the ones who just are content with being, those are the diamonds in your life.

My vegetable garden has been hit or miss this year, but a good, homegrown tomato is a pleasure. There have been a few of them as well as some green onions and cucumbers. 

Wild black raspberries ripened and although they were sticky with those thorns and a pain to pick, what a pleasure it was to see them bubbling on the stove as I made jam. I love the look of seeing beautiful jams and jellies and vegetables in canning jars. 

My best friend is encouraging me to try new things. I have been looking at different Facebook groups for things of interest and one person posted some pictures of recipes for sweet breads from a 1941 cookbook. This one sounded interesting, although I'm wondering if there was an issue with World War II going on and rationing. 

Brown Sugar Bread

3/4 cup sugar

2 Tablespoons of butter

1 egg, well beaten

3/4 cup of milk

2 cups of flour, sifted

2 teaspoons of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

cinnamon for sprinkling

Cream sugar and 1 T of butter. Add egg, then milk. Add flour, baking powder, sand salt. Pour into well oiled pan and sprinkle with brown sugar and cinnamon and dot with butter. Bake at 425 degrees F for 25 minutes.

It wasn't too bad, not as moist is most sweet breads, but an interesting try. 

Speaking of old stuff, remember during the Depression in the 1930s (well, reading about it, I mean), how people were not going out and buying new and using up things? I had purchased two towels a few years ago that could be counted cross stitched. I did one to give away as a gift a couple of years ago, but still had the other one with the intention of working on it at some time. I saw it the other day and thought, I should do that. So, I found a simple pattern online that was free, and have been working on it during the day (as I age, my eyes need more light). I finished it today and hung it in the kitchen. I didn't buy anything new for it -- I used embroidery floss I already had and had to change the pattern colors, but it's for me, so it didn't matter. And I felt like it was being a good steward using something I had. I crocheted some scarves and had just little yarn leftover from the skein I had been using. I had enough to make myself a new dish cloth. So, not spending any money, I have two new kitchen things.

I saw there were some hydrangea blooms looking awfully pretty, so I went to cut some and put them in a Mason Jar. It just makes me smile! I am enjoying the simple things!

It's amazing that half of 2024 is passed and tomorrow is the 4th of July. Not a lot planned as far as celebrating, but will enjoy the freedom of living in the United States and having the benefits of that.

Glad the markets were good today and saw an increase in my retirement accounts.

Things are starting to even out as far as money and expenses. I'm living in a small town instead of a larger town and learning new places to shop. One store in a neighboring town gives 5% off on Wednesdays for senior citizens so I am often taking advantage of that. I still shop at Aldi, although I have to plan my trip since there isn't one nearby, the closest being between 35 miles away. But it makes me more mindful of what I'm buying. But I continue to cook a lot of things from scratch. I have made and canned chicken broth, and made rhubarb and berry jam and rhubarb jelly. It's kind of nice to see the jars starting to build up in the pantry.

Instead of buying store bought bread, I am baking bread to use. I feel like it is saving money since it isn't getting wasted. I had a little left of a loaf and made my own croutons for a salad and they were a lot better than one the store bought ones. 

My garden isn't going to town like I had hoped. We had extreme heat and although I water, since we have had little rain, it is surviving, but not thriving. We received a little rain this morning and we are supposed to receive some rain overnight. I hope it comes to pass. 

If you have big plans for July the 4th, hope you stay healthy! 

Hopefully I am saving money... I have planted a small garden, but am taking advantage of things that are already growing where I live. I've planted some radishes and green onions and have had the opporuntiy to enjoy both. There are also three tomato plants and two cucumbers that are under my tutelage.

But the ongoing joy is there is rhubarb and mulberry trees here. I know some think mulberry trees are "garbage" trees, but I'm living in the country and they are like a blessing. I've picked some mulberries and made some jam and I've been using the rhubarb for different things. I didn't plant the rhubarb and probably wouldn't have, but I'm all for using what's here. I've made a strawberry rhubarb pie and someone gave me some strawberries and I've made strawberry rhubarb jam and canned it. Supposedly there are wild black raspberries here so I hope when they ripen I can use them as well. There are two black walnut trees on the property too, so looking forward to that as well. 

One of the stores in a nearby small town offers a 5% discount on Wednesdays for folks who are 62 or older. You can probably guess I'm all over that as far as grocery shopping. I was telling a friend that and she said well, we are a generation that understands you have money because you learn to save it here and there. She didn't grow up rich, but learned to save and invest and take advantage of things like that.

The local electrical coop had an annual meeting last week and if you attended, you received a lunch and $15 off yoru power bill. The lunch was great -- two pork chops, potato salad, applesauce, and ice cream. It was an informative meeting and they even drew names for door prizes and won a $25 gift card to Walmart. Well worth a couple of hours and a filling meal to boot!

When I see on the news about folks who struggle to find enough to eat, I realize how awesomely blessed I am!

Yesterday we had an icy day here in Central Illinois and even if I had wanted to get out, I wouldn't have.  So, my reward was to go onto Pinterest (what a dangerous site for me) and look for bread recipes. I had certain ingredients like milk that was ready to expire that I wanted to use. I found this recipe for honey buttermilk bread. I did tweak it a bit, but it made two lovely loaves. I thought I'd use some for our supper to accompany spaghetti, again another pantry offering. 

Anyway, here's the recipe: https://www.restlesschipotle.com/buttermilk-bread/

My tweaks were I added some sourdough discard (I have quite a bit in the fridge) and I added some whole wheat flour since I had a little left in a bag in my pantry. 

Last night's supper was spaghetti with canned sauce I had made and the bread and some leftover vegetables that I heated up. I'm thinking for today's lunch I will make French toast since this bread had a little bit of sweetness to it. It is billed as a sandwich bread so I was thinking maybe it would make great peanut butter and jelly sandwiches too. 

I noticed there's some frozen soup in the freezer so I think that will be supper tonight. With the bread, of course!