Sometimes my title writing is a bit lame. Sorry about that.

This afternoon was gathering herbs and drying them. I found an article a couple of years ago on drying herbs in the microwave. We enjoy the herbs during the summer and I try to dry some for the winter. I like the fact I know what is going into my containers and it certainly saves me money.

Today was a strange day. I had a meeting and not to bore you, let's just say I felt like I was ganged up on by some of the folks who are my peers because I do things differently than they. Basically, it was I needed to do things in the same manner. And in my humble opinion, I'm not sure they are doing accomplishing a whole lot. My boss did validate me and told me to keep doing what I was doing. As I sat in the meeting drinking my coffee from home, I noticed all those who brought stuff from fast food places. After our meeting, some were going to stop and buy lunch. Hmmm. These are the same folks who complain they don't have money before the next payday.

Supper was basically cleaning out the fridge frittata. I had leftover sausage patties, some leftover goat cheese, a lone small zucchini, part of a bell pepper, and a small onion. I sauted all (but the cheese) this together, then beat 4 eggs with a cup of Half and Half, cooked the egg and milk mixture with the vegetables, and then added the goat cheese and put it under the broiler for a couple of minutes. DH made toast, we had sliced tomatoes and called it a meal. DH loves eggs and I love using up stuff, so we were both happy.

A friend of mine at work said she was going home to water her plants and fix dinner. She commented she was very happy to be doing that and queried whether this was strange because she had no desire to do anything like shop or go out. I told her I thought it showed a person who found satisfaction in her life. What do you think?

It's pretty darn hot here in the Midwest. And cooking isn't something I want to do a lot of, not to mention eating big meals.

But, I don't want to go out every night or eat cold cuts.

Ah, the quandry. We had pork roast the other night. Not a huge amount left, but I absolutely hate wasting good food.

So, supper tonight was onion, bell pepper, mushrooms sauted with the pork that was cut into small chunks, made a sauce with a little butter and flour and broth, and put it on bowtie pasta. Since neither of us were super hungry, there is enough for two lunches.

DH planted tomatoes and he kept telling me he didn't understand why this one plant had huge tomatoes, but they never seemed to ripen. Seems they are some other type of tomato...kind of yellowish with red streaks. We studied them and said I thought they were a different kind so we picked them, washed, them and sliced them. Inside they have a splash of red in the middle with the yellow outside. They tasted just like a red tomato. What a nice surprise!

Hope if you are in the hot temps you are staying cool!

We've been busy the past week or so. Between doing major deep house cleaning, and running errands, it seems like life has been a whirlwind. School begins here August 12 for teachers, but I have a day of training next week, then a full week of training the following week, so I'm rushing to get everything finished. I'm also trying to think of the meals I need to be planning once I'm back at work.

We visited DH's uncle who is 93 yesterday. It is a two hour trip there and two hours back. We had a nice visit. He does well and still lives at home. Normally I take food to put in the freezer that he can heat up, but DH had procrastinated so much about when he was going to call, when he finally did call because my "free time" is running out, I didn't have anything prepared. I think it was OK because I think he just liked having the visit.

We hit two grocery stores today as well as some garage sales. As for the garage sales, there really wasn't much out there we couldn't live without. Some folks had just junk and others had a few nice things with equally nice prices. People walked in, looked around, and left without buying anything. I'm not sure how they made enough to even cover their ad. I wonder if they even thought about that.

We checked on our booth today and took some items to add to it. We took a couple of things that have been there for a long time and haven't sold, and moved things around. The lady at the checkout desk said we've sold more things than anyone else so far this month. I know we didn't make a huge profit because most of the things in the booth are pretty reasonably priced...we don't have a huge mark up. Our economy is pretty flat so folks don't have a lot to spend. But, last month we made booth rent and broke even on other expenses so I didn't think that was too bad for the first month.

We don't have major plans for the weekend. We have a couple of errands to run tomorrow and we are having friends for supper which should be a lot of fun. It is far more relaxing to enjoy meals at each other's houses then it is to go out and overspend and feel rushed.

Last night was Take Out Thursday. It was take leftovers out of the fridge type of supper. We had two kinds of meat: pork tenderloin roast and chicken breast, mashed potatoes and chicken gravy, zucchini casserole, and leftover homemade bread. I added some sliced cherry tomatoes from DH's garden and some cottage cheese. As hot as it is here, the last thing I wanted to do is heat up the kitchen and eating these leftovers is good for our budget as well as not wasting food.

For many of you on SA, you've had some very hot days. Well, Central Illinois is now having the heat and humidity! Can't say I'm thrilled, but it is summer in the midwest! DH mowed on Saturday when it was still in the 80s which helped.

The painter continues to work on our bathroom. He had to let things dry. So far we are pleased with what he has accomplished. If all goes well, he should finish today.

I put the ingredients to make oatmeal herb bread today. It is rising so I can bake it off. I have had homemade bread every week this summer. DH loves it and I can make it with more whole grains. Figure it helps with nutrition as well as the pocketbook.

I'm still working on reworking leftovers so we eat about everything. One of my friends put on Facebook that she refuses to go to the grocery store this week so they will eat up what is in the pantry and freezer. Hey, maybe this frugality is catching on!

Here it is June 30th. What happened to this month? It seemed to fly by! Yikes!

It has been a busy month for us. We started the booth at the antique mall. When we checked on Friday, we had sold 21 items. Not expensive or big money makers, but at least we made double of the booth rent. One of the ladies who works there said some folks didn't sell anything all month. So, hopefully we can continue finding things people want. One booth owner pulled out because they hadn't sold too much the whole time they were there. They had Fenton and carnival glass with huge prices. I imagine it was worth what they were asking, but in a town which unemployement higher than 10%, I don't think there are a lot of folks buying fancy dishes to put in a cabinet. Anyway, we are pleased.

Our garage door opener quit working so we bought a new battery at Walgreens last Friday. They gave us a coupon for $5 off $20, but it was only good for two days. After seeing the sale ad, they had stuff we needed on sale, so that was a good thing for us.

Grocery shopping was completed Friday and last night we had pot roast. The weather here has been cool and rainy, unlike many other places in the states. It was a good pot roast night. I have enough to make another meal or two out of the meat and vegetables. I'm thinking maybe a pot pie for one.

We went to some garage sales Friday. I found this neat, lidded jar that was apparently made for dishes sold at the Guggenheim museum. It has Frank Lloyd Wright collection on the bottom. I could only find some dishes for sale, but not the jar. I wonder if it is rare.

DH thinks we should think about Ebay, but I'm not sure I'm ready for that. Since he doesn't touch a computer, I don't think he realizes there is more to it than listing something. And I don't think I know enough about Ebay to actually try to sell something.

We don't have big plans for the Fourth. We did find some steaks on sale a couple of weeks ago which we put in the freezer and I will thaw and fix. So far, the lettuce has been safe from the bunny so we can have a salad if that continues. We no longer want to fight crowds and traffic to see the fireworks and it seems at our city, the last time we went to the fireworks, there is rarely parking, and so many folks have been drinking to the point they are drunk, it isn't fun.

Hope your month was a good one as well.

It's supposed to be a hot day here in Central Illinois. We have received quite a bit of rain and I imagine within a day or so, things will be drying out. Hopefully, by the weekend, it is supposed to be cooler.

I have two meals to plan today, both using leftovers. We are going to have a frittata for one meal using up some sausage and cleaning out the vegetable bin. For another meal I'm going to make spaghetti using up the leftover sloppy chicks (sloppy joes made with ground chicken). DH has lettuce growing and fortunately our bunny troubles seem to be in the past so I will make a salad with the lettuce and radishes, as well as some of the tomatoes we bought.

We did find some things to put in our booth yesterday. I need to wash things up...I don't understand why people do not wash things to sell, but I guess they are too busy or too lazy.

We did go to the library yesterday and I checked out some magazines and a DVD. We watched a DVD we had checked out earlier and I will enjoy the magazines...our library changed the checkout period for magazines...they used to be for two weeks, but have been cut to one. So, I always check to make sure I get them returned on time.

I will be making a meal plan for the next week so I can then make grocery lists for the two stores we frequent. I kept the Sunday ad for the one to check what is on sale. The other is Aldi and although they have a weekly ad, most of the stuff they advertise is not stuff I usually purchase.

Hope you have a fine day.

Last night we were watching Frasier reruns and this episode had Frasier hiring a butler.

This guy was amazing. He knew society, he knew manners, he could predict what Frasier, his dad, brother, and Daphne wanted and he was organized.

I want one just like him! I turned to DH and said, "Let's get a butler!" He laughed and said, "Wouldn't that be fun!" and we chuckled over that idea for a few minutes.

Of course it is all said in fun, but I can't imagine having someone wait on me like that and give me great advice and meet my needs. Not to mention the expense.

Of course, a little day dreaming and a chuckle never hurt! So, can I put down we saved money because we didn't hire a butler? :-)

We live in the Midwest and they are calling for strong storms this afternoon and evening. I certainly hope we do not receive them. The weather said it is likely 1 in 5 people will sustain damage. Those are not good odds.

We have been enjoying herbs, lettuce, and radishes from DH's garden. The rabbit ate most of the lettuce, but apparently the stinky stuff worked and the rabbit or rabbits decided to move on. Not only is that a good thing,the news had that some rabbits are carrying a disease harmful to both cats and humans. So, better to have no rabbits eating or spreading disease.

I think DH is really on board with eating at home as much as possible. He asked me Monday night what I planned on fixing for supper so he could determine what he would eat for lunch. Last night we had leftover turkey and I used it to make a stuffing casserole with creamed corn. Tonight we are having spaghetti made with the leftover sloppy chicks stuff we had Sunday night and for lunch. I love eating well and reasonably!

Pretty cheap jewelry suggested I start this...crazy ways to use up what is in the fridge so here goes...how do you use up what you have?

I often make frittatas or egg casseroles and use up vegetables, meats,and breads with eggs and milk and we often use bits and pieces of leftover cheese. If we have quite a few vegetables, I often make a stew.

What do you do?

Last night I was reading an article in Ladies Home Journal. The article was about the amount of food people waste. I'm not talking about simply throwing stuff out after it was on their plate, but buying fruits and vegetables and not using them, letting stuff in the pantry go to waste, and not using leftovers.

It was kind of shocking how much food is left uneatened. I think it is a minimum of 10 percent just for fresh fruits and vegetables. I can't imagine spending money on fresh fruit and letting it rot. Basically, it is folks buying it and instead of eating at home, eating out or buying fast food. It is sad.

My husband was kidding me tonight. Yesterday for lunch we had leftover sloppy chicks from Sunday night. For lunch today we had pulled pork sandwiches made from leftover pork we had at last night's supper. Tonight's supper was a casserole made with leftover turkey from Monday's meal. We also had mashed potatoes leftover from Monday's meal. He asked if I used everything up yet?

Saturday night I had roasted a chicken and I pulled the meat off. We had some of it for dinner and I had put some aside. A friend of ours had fallen and broken her hand and so with the leftover chicken and some broth I had made previously, I made a large dish of chicken and noodles. I had cooked potatoes with the chicken and made a few extra and mashed them to give them as well and also on Saturday, I had peeled a bunch of apples for apple juice and apple sauce. I gave them half of the apple sauce.

I hate wasting food. Not only because of the expense, but also because it is simply wasteful. Most of the time our meals with everything included run less than $10 for both of us. I believe in eating fairly healthy, so I don't think it is exorbinant. Some friends of ours eat out at least once a day and often twice a day. DH was figuring it up the other day. He said they probably spent almost $60 for those two meals. That's a lot of money for one day just to eat -- nothing special as a birthday party or going on vacation -- just eating. And these folks complain about money being tight.

DH might kid me about repurposing leftovers, but I noticed he had three helpings of the casserole tonight. Guess he liked it!

I stayed around home today and cleaned the garage. However, I did spend some money and no, I didn't order anything on-line.

The furnace and a/c guy came for the annual check so I paid for that. And, the lawn guy came and fertilized and I paid him for that.

Not very exciting stuff, and not unexpected. But, it is sad that I don't have to leave home and still spend money.

DH is ticked because we have rabbits eating his garden. Any suggestions on keeping them out of the vegetables?

I just finished a biography of Hetty Green, the richest woman in America during the Gilded Age.

I found the book at the library and I had not heard of her. DH said she was considered crazy and nasty. Half way through the book I did look her up and it seems that almost all the online sites have the same info...wonder if they got their research from the same place.

The author of this book was more kind than the stuff on the online sites.

In a nutshell, Hetty was born to a rich family, but her family said it was the family's responsibility to make more money for future generations. Hetty was considered a miser. She was considered a cheapskate. Yet, as the author pointed out, if she had been a male, she would have been considered smart. She lived in small places, ate at simple restaurants, and didn't spend big bucks on personal fashion. She raised her kids to be careful with money.

It's funny how we like to compare ourselves to people we read about. I was just thinking that although I'm not wealthy and wasn't born wealthy, I try to find ways to save money. And some of the people I work with consider me a cheapskate.

According to the author, Hetty is like Warren Buffet...the thrill isn't in having great riches, but growing those riches. Maybe that is what those of us on SA like as well.

After supper tonight we went to the grocery store. We actually frequent two: Aldi and County Market. DH went to Aldi yesterday with a substantial list and then I make out a list for CM to fill in for things we either couldn't get, or like better at the CM.

The last couple of weeks, Aldi's bananas have been very ripe, so we have bought them at CM. I have noticed that it seems like the bottom of the bananas have seemed bruised. I kind of wondered why two weeks in a row just the bottom ones were bruised, but I think I discovered the reason.

The cashier who my husband has gone to the past two weeks is not exactly gentle. Tonight I witnessed him pretty much manhandle our groceries. He set the bananas down pretty roughly to weigh them. So I imagine we will have ones bruised on the bottom again. He basically pitched our loaf of bread to the side. I was so appalled I didn't even say anything.

To top things off, one of the local schools had their football players bagging for groceries. I understand they need money, but can't someone give them a few tips on bagging? We use reusable bags and some are larger than others. In one of the larger ones they put three boxes of tissue and something else very thin and very light. But in one of the smaller ones, they put two half gallons of milk and a bottle of grape juice, a can of olives and a couple of other heavier things. Sheesh. Everything was a jumbled up mess.

Oh, well, I told DH we are not going into the cashier's lane again. I think part of the problem is he doesn't feel well a lot of the time so he probably doesn't care. I'm sorry about that and I don't want to cost him his job, especially in our town with a huge unemployment rate.

I found this recipe we are going to try tomorrow night:

Tilapia Rice Cakes

8 oz tilapia
1/2 cup broth
1 egg, beaten
1 cup Panko crumbs
1/2 c cooked wild rice
1/4 c chopped onion
2 T finely chopped bell pepper
2 T mayonnaise
1 T Dijon mustard
1 T Worchestershire sauce
1 t lemon juice

oil


Rinse fish, pat dry. Pour broth into a 2 quarter baking dish. Bake at 450 4-5 minutes per 1/2 inch thickness of fish until fish flakes when tested with a fork. Drain and break into pieces.

Combine fish, egg, panko, wild rice, pepper, mayo, mustard, Worchestershire and lemon juice. Shape into 6 3/4 inch patties. Chill for 2 hours. Heat oil, cook patties until golden brown, about 10 minutes total.

Sure hope they turn out.

Each week I fix a fruit salad. Same fruit. During the winter it is pricey, but we pay for it anyway because we believe it has helped us stay healthier. Our fruit salad consists of grapes, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries and sometimes I get wild and add an apple at the last minute or kiwi. Each night I slice a banana and then put the fruit salad over it. It's pretty and yummy, and we like it. That being said, this week DH found strawberries on sale so we had leftover salad. I took the remainder of it in my lunch. The ladies I eat with were amazed that we have fruit every night. Cleaning the fruit and cutting up strawberries doesn't take that long. I know folks are busy, but THAT busy?

I've blogged about the bread making and so far, the kids have loved it. I do have some left at the end of each day and I hate for it to go to waste so I offer it to staff. One lady who I know cooks quite a bit was shocked that it was a recipe and not a box mix for the bread machine. I told her those box mixes about $4 each and why spend so much when with 6 ingredients, you can make basic white bread? So, she asked for the recipe.

We hit a true thrift shop today and found some great bargains. I found two small American flags, made in America, a small Howard Miller clock with a picture frame, some linen napkins, a small blue and white candle holder, and an unused candle...total cost: $6 for all. I did not need any of this stuff, but the candle will go in my stash when I need a quick gift. The candle holder is for me...I like blue and white stuff. We will use the napkins, and the flags are going in our yard. The clock is going to go next to my chair in the family room because I take off my watch when I get home and we don't have a wall clock. It had been a gift to someone who works for a large milling company here in Decatur...there is a small (less than an inch wide) logo on it, but it looks news. Fine with me. Howard Miller is a famous clock maker so hopefully the clock will run for a long time...it had a battery in it and it was working.

About a month and a half ago a university offered an online course to any teachers in our district on financial matters and retirement. You are to sign up, agree to take the coursework, and they pay you $25 for signing up and $25 when you finish. I signed up not only for the money, but also, I hoped to learn some things. I have taken three modules and I can say I have learned a few things about vocabulary and such. Some of the things are common sense like emergency fund and savings accounts. But, it never hurts to learn new things and get paid to do it besides. I don't think many signed up. Oh, well.

It was a beautiful day here in Central Illinois. After hitting the library and the thrift shop, we went to Lowe's and bought some plants. DH has been busily planting tomato plants, bell pepper plants, and herbs. We sure hope for a good harvest!

On the news tonight part of the midsection of the country is forecasting tornadoes. Hope they don't get them and hope they don't come here either.

Hope you had a great Saturday as well.

Why is it so many things need mending lately? Last Saturday night I spent a couple of hours mending a quilt. So many of the pieces had separated so I tried to mend it before I washed it.

Tonight I sewed seams back together on one of those cloth grocery bags.

In the past couple of months I have mended some socks, sewed in some buttons, and even patched a sheet.

I am sure mending has saved some money since I did not replace any of these items.

I wonder if many continue to mend things...I am sure the SA folks do, but I doubt if a majority who aren't frugal do. What do you think?

Currently I have two bread machines whirring away in my kitchen. No, I have not gone carb crazy...I bought both machines used and need to see how long it takes to make a loaf of white bread. I intend to take them to school and make bread with some of the classes. So many of our students have no idea that bread can be baked...if you ask them where bread comes from, they say from the store. It is sad they have little concept of how bread is made.

We had our usual Sunday brunch of scrambled eggs, sausage, cheesy grits, and toast today. I have leftover sausage so it will go into another dish this week. Probably a fritatta. I have a stew simmering on the stove for tomorrow night's supper. We had leftover pork roast from last night's supper. There's enough stew for supper and a lunch or two. I figure we will have some of the bread that is currently being baked. I plan on giving away the second loaf.

Our church will be getting a vicar in June. In our denomination, a vicar is like an intern or student teacher who works for a year learning the ropes. The ladies guild put out big plastic tubs and are encouraging us to help fill the pantry for the vicar and his wife and soon to be born baby. I think it is a lovely gesture. It reminds me of when I married almost 23 years ago. The staff of the school I worked with went in and bought a toaster, a paring knife, and a recipe box and they all included recipes, then they filled a laundry basket with canned goods and nonperishables. It was so thoughtful and practical. A few years later one of the ladies I worked with was getting married and she and her soon to be husband were going to buy a house. I bought bags of groceries to help fill their pantry instead of some of the fancy cookware she registered for. She was disappointed. She was polite, but I could tell she wasn't thrilled. One of the other teachers who was like a second mom to her told me she thought it was a great gift and she would appreciate it a little later. She was correct...after they ate all the cans of soup and pasta and used most of the stuff, she went to the store and tried to replace it. She later told me she didn't realize groceries were that expensive and that was over 15 years ago. I suggested to her then she needed to check the grocery ads and buy things on sale and stock up.

The hubster has been busy in the garden. He planted herbs and has also planted green onions, lettuce, radishes, and carrots. He said he's thinking of getting tomato plants this week. Tonight it is supposed to be pretty cool, but temps are going to be in the 80s starting Tuesday.

We hit Walgreens after brunch today. They had some things on sale that I also had coupons for. A couple of things we didn't need, but decided to stock up since they aren't going to go bad. Plus, I found a couple of things to put in the pile for the vicar's pantry. According to the receipt, we saved almost $30 with specials, coupons, and the loyalty card. Other than a couple of things I bought for the vicar's pantry, everything else was stuff we use. I will never achieve the Extreme Couponing success as they do on the television, but figure if I save a few dollars here and there, I'm doing decently.

It is sunny and a lovely day for all the mothers and grandmothers to be celebrated. Hope your day is wonderful as well.

DH and I have been grocery shopping for the past two nights. We do Aldi one night and County Market the next. I usually look at the grocery fliers from both places, plan a menu, and then make a grocery list. I think we spend a lot on groceries, but we eat a lot at home and most of our meals usually have leftovers for either another meal or for a lunch or two.

A lady I know doesn't go shopping until they are totally out of everything. It's kind of odd -- she seems proud of that fact, but then admits they go to fast food places to tide them over.

She thinks I'm rigid because we have a schedule for shopping. But, I like to know we have food in the house and plan a menu.

She has admitted they are having money problems. I wonder if her pell mell attitude to shopping and cooking is also her attitude in saving and investing.

Meals for this week include:

roasted chicken tenders
scrambled eggs and grits
sloppy chicks (sloppy joes made with ground chicken)
baked turkey breast
tuna cakes
turkey (left over) and couscous

The next item has nothing to do with money, but I was highly amused. A lady I work with has a small farm and horses. One horse leans on the fence and has loosened the wire to the extent he can put his head under it, stretch it out, put a leg through, then another and another and gets out of the fence without tearing up the fence or hurting itself. And you ask, where does this traveling horse wander to? The front yard because the grass is longer and hasn't been grazed. Guess he thinks the grass is truly greener (and longer) on the other side of the fence!

I knew last night that I would be arriving home a little later than usual since I was going to attend a workshop in another town about an hour away and wondered what to fix.

It was supposed to be rainy so I thought: SOUP!

We had a little pork roast leftover from the other night. And I had some tomatoes that were getting a bit squishy, some leftover mashed potatoes, some leftover green beans with their liquid...so I sauteed an onion, zucchini, carrots, celery, and mushrooms, added some tumeric, basil, and paprika, added the tomatoes and meat and green beans and some water and let it simmer for about an hour last night. A few minutes before I turned off the heat I added this small bit of elbow macaroni that was left in the jar -- not enough for a meal, but too much to throw out.

It was a good meal to heat up and service with crackers and a fruit salad and there was enough for DH's lunch tomorrow.

Yesterday we did get to the bulk food store run by Amish and I bought some cheese, sausage, and some spices. Their spices are far more reasonable than those in the grocery. I commented the dried mustard in my cabinet was purchased when we married which will make it 23 years old come June 15. We didn't spent a ton, but I felt like we bought some things we would use.

We stopped at a local store and looked around the gourmet food section. DH was shocked at looking at the jars and packages of spices and spice mixtures and the prices of $8 to $15 after buying similar things in less fancy packages at the bulk food store.

Today, after church, we hit Walgreens for a few of their specials. I even had a couple of coupons to put towards the purchase and with the mark downs and coupons, we saved over 25% on our purchase.

All in all, we didn't spent a huge amount either day, I feel like my shelves have a few more necessary items, and I most certainly did not go in debt. I would say that was a success.

I have perused many money saving or frugal living sights and so many say to buy in bulk. I get that it can save money, but I wonder where to put a lot of this stuff.

We don't belong to a warehouse store because we found two things: we really didn't save all that much after paying the yearly fee and we were tempted in buying things we really didn't need.

I try to keep things on hand and I have blogged that I keep my pantry fairly well stocked. For paper items I try to use coupons and hit sales and keep stuff on hand.

There is an Amish run bulk foods store near us called Beachy's and I really like utilizing it. They have a huge assortment of herbs and spices which are more reasonably priced than the grocery or speciality food stores. And, one can buy different flours and grains in smaller and larger quantities. I enjoy making bread and like experimenting with flour. I bought a half pound of rice flour to see if we liked the bread it made. And the storage isn't as much an issue since I am not buying huge bags of stuff and not using it all.

I am curious, do you buy in bulk? Are you realizing a huge cost savings if you are? And, where are you storing your purchases?

Yesterday we went to the library and I snagged a magazine I had not seen on the shelves before..."Mother Earth Living." It has some cool recipes and money saving articles.

One article outlined that old fashioned cooks cook with a budget in mind. The example is they serve pot roast instead of filet because you can use a cheaper cut of meat. They use what they have and try to make things stretch.

I thought this really described many of us on SA blogs.

I found a slow cooker recipe I really want to try:

Tuscan White Bean Soup
2 cups dried white beans such as great northern
6 cups water
1 medium onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup olive oil
salt to taste
1 T chopped fresh rosemary for garnish

Rinse beans thoroughly and place them in a 7 quart slow cooker along with water, onion, garlic and bay leaf. Cover and cook on low for about 8 hours or until beans are tender. Remove bay leaf. Either with an immersion blender or put in a blender or food processor, puree until desired consistency. Add salt to taste.

Ladle soup into bowls. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with rosemary.

Ever notice how many bottles of water are on a grocery store shelf? And now flavored waters are a big sell.

Yesterday someone posted on Facebook on making flavored waters. I decided to use one of the recipes because I had the ingredients.

10 cups of water
1 apple cut up in chunks
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
2 cinnamon sticks

Mix together and refrigerate overnight.

Well, I tried it and it is pretty good. And fairly reasonable.

I was thinking it would be good if I made tea with this flavored water a d probably more reasonable than fancy tea bags or mixes.

It's been muggy and sticky today and warm. We are currently having storms and the north part of town received large hail. Tomorrow is supposed to be really cold.

DH is chomping at the bit to start gardening. He loves gardening and he loves eating his homegrown produce.

I'm ready to growing our own as well. Good flavor as well as saving money.

We had an inservice day for the elementary schools in my district. Every teacher had to move to another school after lunch and it seemed like all of them were trying to figure out where they were eating lunch.

I took my handy lunch bag with peanut butter, crackers, apple, and a Thermos of water. I got to the location, ate my lunch, and could relax.

I am sure by the end of the week, many of these will be complaining they are running short on money. It wasn't an exciting lunch, but saving money and not having to rush made it worthwhile.

I received many positive comments on the new hardwood floors. I will say this week has been very busy trying to get the house back in order after the installer finished on Monday. We are so happy with the new flooring and now that things are starting to settle down, I have discovered a few things.

1. This made me truly go through many of our possessions and decide, do we need to keep this? Are we really using it or enjoying it? We donated a couple of pieces of furniture, plus some rugs, household items, and some clothes. This made me let go.

2. I threw away some items that should have been thrown away before. I was raised with the depression era mentality that one shouldn't throw stuff away in case we need it. Some of these items couldn't be reused by anyone else and truly needed to be pitched. It was emotional guilt keeping that from happening. Guess the new floors made me rethink the possession.

3. I washed up everything that could be washed before putting it away or up and it made me appreciate all the nice things I own and how fortunate I truly am.


I spent part of Friday night after the weekly trek to the grocery cleaning and finishing up. I like having a tidy house and that made my evening feel fulfilled.

Part of yesterday was spent fixing some things for meals for the week. I will say planning for meals while trying to put the house back together was a challenge because I was physically exhausted, but we've come so far with eating at home and saving money, I didn't want to get off track.

Our meals for this week:

Sunday:

Brunch: eggs, sausage, toast, grits, fruit salad
Supper: sloppy chicks and chips and fruit salad

Monday:
Lunch: peanut butter and saltines and an apple
Supper: meatloaf, mashed potatoes, green beans, fruit salad

Tuesday:
Lunch: leftover meatloaf and potatoes and green beans
Supper: Beef and barley vegetable soup, cottage cheese

Wednesday:
Lunch: leftover soup
Supper: chicken tenders, sweet potatoes, salad

Thursday:
Lunch: leftover chicken tenders, sweet potatoes
Supper: vegetable fritatta, cottage cheese, fruit salad

I'm not sure on Friday yet, although I'm sure lunch will be whatever is leftover in the fridge. It is usually my clean out the fridge type of lunch so I may have a smorgasboard of this and that.

We did our weekly grocery shopping. We spent around $100. We have the same things for breakfast so I didn't include them...DH has cereal and I have yogurt and take a Thermos of coffee with cream to work. I also take a piece of fruit in my lunch. Someone told me at work they are too tired to cook after school and I said I was pretty tired too, but making things ahead after figuring up a weekly menu sure helps.

Menu
Saturday night - pork loin roast, sweet potatoes, stuffed mushrooms, green beans, fruit salad
Sunday brunch - scrambled eggs, sausage, toast, cheesy grits, fruit salad
Sunday supper - Sloppy chicks (sloppy joes made with ground chicken), chips, cheese, fruit salad
Monday - lunch - leftover sausage and grits
Monday - supper- Yankee pot roast with carrots, mushrooms, onion, and celery, boiled potatoes, cottage cheese
Tuesday - leftover sloppy chicks
Tuesday - supper - chicken stew and crackers and cheese
Wednesday - lunch - leftover chicken stew
Wednesday - supper - leftover pork and gravy, mashed potatoes, salad, fruit salad
Thursday - lunch - leftover beef and vegetables
Thursday - supper - chicken and noodles, salad, cottage cheese, fruit salad
Friday - lunch - leftover chicken stew
Friday - supper...treat...we are going out. :-)

Fortunately DH doesn't balk too much about leftovers for lunch and if I rework something for leftovers into something else, he won't complain. And he loves eating at home.

First of all, I'm starting with a rant...I am so tired of hearing people around me griping they don't have enough money. I know so many sites suggest you find friends who share your views, it is extremely difficult to find folks who share the same views on money...I think I have two friends who are as frugal as we are. The rest...well, they say they are saving money, but rely on credit to pay for things and then whine when things get tight. I hate to lose friends, but it would be more fun if we shared the same money views. It is refreshing to communicate with the SA "friends" because we all have the same goal: use what we have to best benefit for us.

One couple in particular gripes about being short on cash, yet they eat out at least once a day. We sometimes get together to eat and I suggested we trade off and fix something at our homes and have the guests bring something to save money. After all, the real reason we get together is to socialize. We even tried it with our having the main dish and asking them to bring something, but that's as far as it got. I'm not saying one shouldn't ever eat out, but usually the stuff made at home is as good or better than what you can get in a restaurant.

I hear people I work with complain about not having enough money and feeling the squeeze, yet they go out and get something for lunch and stop and get drinks on the way to work or send someone out to get pop or tea. This happens almost every day. I'm sure they haven't added up how much they spend and although a dollar here and a couple dollars there doesn't seem like much, it all adds up.

I have been trying to think of some of the ways we save money and compiled a list of 25. There are probably more, but I can't think of them. Do you have any to add?

Ways we have been saving money:
1. Using the library for books, magazines, and DVD’s
2. Eating at home and using leftovers Cooking from scratch whenever possible (I have a Crockpot and know how to use it! 
3. Mending
4. Brew my own coffee and take in a Thermos
5. Brew our iced tea
6. Take a container of water for lunch instead of buying a bottle each day
7. Buying pre-owned things (not only good for the pocketbook, but good for the planet)
8. In the summer, DH grows herbs and tomatoes, bell peppers, lettuce, and green onions
9. Pay our credit cards off each month – and do not charge anything we cannot pay off
10. Save money in accounts for things like Christmas, vacation, and mad money which is whatever big project we are saving up for
11. Take care of the items we already own
12. Buy Christmas cards after Christmas for next year
13. Only run the dishwasher and washer with full loads
14. Try to fix things instead of replacing them
15. I shut off lights when I’m not in the room
16. We weather-stripped doors.
17. Grocery shop with a list
18. We do not hit the mall for entertainment. We go to the store for the things we need and leave and we try to hit sales.
19. I made a lot of our Christmas gifts…I like to cook and bake and bought cute baskets and napkins and gave these as gifts.
20. Buy staples on sale whenever possible and put in pantry…then use them!
21. We used to exchange gifts with another couple and it was getting pricey…we bit the bullet and asked if we could either set or limit or discontinue…the couple agreed to just exchange cards.
22. Reuse things like plastic bags and foil whenever possible. I try to use glass lidded dishes whenever possible so I don’t need to use as much foil.
23. I try to make some of my cleaning supplies…I have been making our own window cleaner and a friend gave me the recipe for laundry detergent. It is scary how much we pay for products that contain so much water!
24. Reuse things like the backs of envelopes we received for lists and a great way to store coupons for the grocery. This also allows us to shop more than one place and make a list for each place to find the best bargains.
25. We use the freezer…I try to keep homemade chicken broth on hand and we buy meats on sale, then “shop” the freezer.

Yesterday we spent big money. We wanted a new mattress. We read Consumer Reports and went out to comparison shop, we decided to bite the bullet and buy a very expensive, but well rated mattress that appears to help DH's arthritis.

We discussed it beforehand, but there was still a bit of sticker shock. It is one thing to read up and think about it, and it is another to see that price. We decided it is worth it to buy quality.

We go to pay and we write the check. DH asks if we have that much in checking, and I show him the register. He was pleased and afterwards said forgot we had extra money.

As we drove away, DH said he realizes why we have been eating at home, eating leftovers, buying used or doing without. I said exactly...we can buy nice things when we save up by cutting costs other places.

Today in the way home from church DH said he bet we saved over $15 by eating at home for brunch instead of going out.

He's got it!