Frugal Friday

A frugal life, built around saving and not spending, often means being very creative.  First attempts might not work but keep tweaking and rethinking and remembering to 'use what you have' and you'll eventually come up with something that is both attractive and pleasing.

Saturday:  I opened curtains just as soon as I got up this morning filling the house with light.  No electricity needed.

Made a breakfast of breakfast sandwiches for us.  I used the last of a box of sausage patties.  I had just three patties but halving the third one netted us each enough meat to fill our sandwich which consisted of toast, cheese and fried eggs.

I rinsed dishes and stacked in the dishpan in the sink.

For dinner our entrée was leftover meatloaf.   I pulled some frozen cooked summer squash and shredded zuchinni from the freezer and made a squash casserole.  I made butterbeans from the feezer ,too. 

I made piecrust from scratch and then filled with three apples that no one was touching.  They had some weird looking brown spots inside, sort of like rust, not spoiled, but it was unappealing.  No one seems to mind those spots in pie.



Simple day and simple doings.  We took coffee on the porch after lunch.  I had a handheld paper fan to use to generate a little breeze.

Shopped the pantry: olive oil, gallon zippered bags, paper plates, coffee.

Gave myself a pedicure and manicure.

Took time to set up cheat sheets with my new Jamberry wraps.  These are a little index card where I tape various jams that coordinate and then add dots of polishes that match well with the colors.  I can usually fit two of these cheats groups on each side of an index card.  Just like my outfits set up and ready to go these little cards help me to determine what look I want and then I've only to pull the items and go for it.

Sunday:  One more happy gloat over my housekeeping routine, okay?  I was able to tend to the bedroom and bathroom this morning and get the sheets and towels washed and hung on the line before we left home to go to church this morning.  It took just minutes to do the guest room and bath when we returned.

We only had three pieces of bread this morning but I stretched it to cover our breakfast.

Had a little bit of leftovers that went too long in the fridge.  I knew they were there and kept putting off using them.  Well the dog was a happy recipient this morning.  Who knew Maddie likes Quiche as much as I do?

We took off trash and picked up mail on our way out this morning.

At church we had a boxed lunch prepared for us.  We stayed and ate surrounded by little children.  I felt quite the gramma as I opened packets to hand out napkins and offered to open bags of chips, lol.

We stopped by the grocery.  I made out a list earlier in the week of items on sale I meant to look for but left my list at home.  Foolishness.  I did pick up the only item I could remember for sure was on it, the bread and salad dressing I knew we needed, cat food, etc. We were pretty good about avoiding impulse buys though I did indulge in hot wings which John wanted.  Much cheaper than going out for take out wings!

We bought a new battery for the digital thermometer and then as a backup I bought an inexpensive plain old thermometer that was not digital.  It took more to find that than it did to find a thermometer.  The digital age has most surely hit.

I came home, took clothes off the line and folded them.  Then I heard rain on the roof.  So glad we got home when we did!

Cleaned the guest room.  I started a new box for book donations.  I put all my current project materials into a bin so they are handy when I go into the work area.

Set aside a pair of underwear to mend.

Reheated the milk I'd started heating the other day.  Heated my sterilized jars and lids.  Here's hoping the yogurt turns out.  I have three pint jars.

Cut up vegetables for our wing supper tonight.  I cut up extra celery because  know John will snack on the celery sticks for sure throughout the week.

Monday:   I was shocked at how chilly it was outdoors this morning.  Immediate change of menu plan.  I put on a pot of soup because soup days won't be coming often in the next few months.  Bonus:  I have 1 pint and 1 quart of soup in the freezer for those days when nothing else but soup will do. 

I didn't have carrots.  I used canned ones.

John and I went down to pick up his pay check and make the deposit.  We carried along bills to mail off.  Picked up mail on our way back in.

Came home and totted up the checkbook.  I was happy to report back to John that we are now within $100 of our room for vacation stay.  Realized as well that I can pay off balance of house insurance next month.  This will be a huge bonus savings that will allow me to both pay the house insurance in November in full and continue to fill the last few sub-accounts, too.

Tuesday:  Off today to tend to grocery shopping and a stop at the DIY store.  So proud of John.  He added two errands in that town to our list to do today rather than leave it for another day as he usually would.  I didn't mind in the least!

John paid for our DIY store purchases from his extra cash.  That wasn't necessary but it was nice.

We bought a beautiful Hibiscus for the big pot on the patio.  I'll get some more plants for the remaining two pots elsewhere.  They were far too pricey there at the DIY store.   I also got some Mosquito Dunks to put in the pails we have sitting at the runoff points for rain.

We went on to Aldi as our fourth and last stop.  I didn't find the shepherd's hooks that were meant to be in store.  Such is shopping at Aldi.  You get what you get.  I did find coco liners for $1.69 each and bought four to fill two wire baskets and two wire hanging planters I hope to use in the back yard bed this year.

Bought the groceries needed and did as I usually do at Aldi: if it's in stock we buy it, if it's out, I skip it and will make do until next pay period.  I find I'm more willing to do this lately.

John made me  lunch, a lunch he bought ingredients for himself.  How nice was that?

Cashed in Pinecone Survey earnings.  I haven't gotten any surveys all month long but suddenly was offered five surveys in the past seven days.  I opt for PayPal Cash as my pay out.  Part of this goes into savings and part goes into my Jamberry wrap fund.

Wednesday:  It was a work day at our house today.  John was dressed and outdoors before 8am.  I took my Bible study time but first took waffles from the freezer to thaw, set sausage on a very low flame to thaw and cook.

I knew John would want to work at least an hour before coming indoors for breakfast.  I went out and planted the Hibiscus I bought yesterday which is beautifully suited to the big pot I planted it in.  I tied up climbing rose vines.  I didn't want to go find the zip ties I used last year but I had plenty of nylon mesh bags.  I cut them into strips and tied them loosely about the vines.  This worked wonderfully well since the mesh caught on the thorns and helped pull the rose branches up to the trellis without my having to touch them. 

I cut several long stems from the old fashioned red rose.  I'm going to try and root them. 

Back indoors and I put breakfast together and called to John to stop to eat.  We ate on the back porch and that was so nice!  It was cool and comfortable and sunny and the birds were singing to beat the band.

Back indoors: cleaned up the house.

Set up several shoe box meals in the pantry and placed them in my covered storage tub.

Mixed up a batch of challah to make rolls for this weekend.

While the Challah dough went through the first rising, I made 3 dozen cupcakes for the family gathering on Saturday.  I made so many because I'm not sure but what I might have even more extra guests.  If they don't happen to materialize I'll put some cupcakes in the freezer for John and I to have next month.

Diced potatoes for salad and set to soak in water.  I put these in the fridge and will cook them Saturday morning.

I carried a basket of things out to the shed.  While there I gathered a few plates for the cake stand on the ironing board on the front porch and a dish to hold the pot the impatien is in on the back porch.  Just realized I left the laundry basket outdoors in the shed, sigh.  Feet hurt too much from all my work to even consider going out to get it today.

Put together an easy dinner using leftovers I had from end of last week.

Remember my desire for that lightweight cotton robe?  I was clearing up my closet, opened a shoe box I had shoved some donation items into and voila!  There was a lightweight cotton robe.  It was part of a night gown set.  I don't much care for cotton nightgowns so I guess I hadn't even considered the robe alone up until that moment.  No charge and no sewing time needed!

I am slowly pushing the AC control up.  John would prefer I leave it at 75f and that's okay but the electric company suggest 78f is more energy efficient.  I know it will save us money so up it goes.  I usually raise it 1 degree and leave it a week then edge it up another degree.  I've also started discontinuing the night time lowering of the thermostat. 

Ran a full load of laundry and a full load of dishes.  John hung most of the laundry to dry.  I let the dishes completely air dry.

John and I saw a lot of hummingbird feeders yesterday.  I had mine on the back porch for a week but haven't filled it yet.  We saw a program on RFDTV about hummingbirds in Northern Alabama and I memorized the formula for the sugar water mixed up to feed them.  This morning as I was doing Bible study, a ruby throated hummingbird buzzed at the window.  I made simple syrup by the formula and washed the feeder.  I have it on the front porch now.  Hopefully John will see some of the hummingbirds coming around to feed there.  I'd like to hang two or three more in various spots about the place near windows and back porch.

Thursday:  Got out my battery last night so I'd remember to charge it right away this morning when I got up.  I used the blower to clean off the porches, the border stones about the flower beds and the patio.  I also used it to blow the leaves and most of the sweet gum pods out of the one flower bed that I'd mulched last year but have yet to put pots in.  Such a labor savings on that task!

Watered plants.  Naturally it rained hard this afternoon.

Used some of the potatoes I diced yesterday to make breakfast hash browns this morning.

Took myself off to the sewing room this morning since nothing needed to be tended to in the work zone.  I mended a pair of underpants.  I cut three infinity scarfs in half and hemmed the ends.  I much prefer to wear a scarf rather than an infinity scarf.  I always look like I've been overtaken and mugged.  My neck is too short for infinity scarves.  Now I'll get a lot more use from my scarfs.  One of them is quite wide and will be nice as a shawl.

Forgot to take out anything for dinner.  I've been off menu all week long this week! I took frozen single serves of lasagna from the freezer and popped into the oven. 

Made a new curtain for my bathroom. I used the old black out curtain as the liner.  I'm not perfectly happy with how this turned out but it will work for now.  I am pretty sure I know where I made my mistakes though and I can easily salvage the pretty fabric to remake once I figure out what will work better.

Dumped all the vintage images I'd uploaded to the computer for the blog.  I think I've used most of them anyway.  I started a new folder and now I'll know I've not used the pictures I choose to upload to the blog.  This is a convenience to me in blog work.

Took that little table cover I'd made and put two button holes in the sides and hung Maddie a sheltering curtain on her dog house.  Just in time for a thunderstorm to hit.  I had no clue it was meant to rain.  Guess what the weather man didn't report in his weekly forecast?  I did wonder though this morning, as I heard the road crew scraping our road.  They seem to be a better indicator of rain than anything else I know.

Friday:  Not much needs to be done today.  I plan to rest ahead for my busy day tomorrow.  I've vacuumed, cleaned the baths and have a load of dishes to do later this evening.  We've been to town to mail two bills, stopped at our bank for cash to pay for the chicken.  I set that money aside earlier this week on pay day.  Then a quick stop at the local grocery.  I had forgotten I needed confectioner's sugar to ice cupcakes with.  John bought gas, we took off trash.  Jon stopped to order the chicken and paid for it.  All we need do tomorrow is go pick it up.  I came home and cooked a very nice dinner with half priced steaks from the local grocery meat counter.  Now dinner dishes are cleared away and I'm waiting for the butter to soften to make frosting.

It's been a lovely week.  We worked hard this week but we had quiet time on the porches each day.  We had a nice rain yesterday and I watched rabbits play hide and chase out in the back lawn.  It was so fun to watch them make their big wide circle and see them leap high as they met unexpectedly.  Rabbits at play are whole different creatures from the quiet stone still rabbits feeding on the lawn. 

The yellow knock out rose is doing it's best to put on a brilliant show of blooms just for tomorrow.  It's hot and humid outdoors today so possibly that will help push it to excel.  Tomorrow I see my children and my babies.  A lovely finish to  a lovely week.  Shalom, dears!

What did you do this week to save?