Challenge 1 for January 2017: Use It Up

                                                    photocredit: crazykouponlady



Typically come January I issue myself a pantry/freezer challenge to try to offset the costs of the holidays.  This year, I issued a challenge to myself during the holidays to only purchase what we absolutely needed or were out of and so there was my pantry/freezer challenge, because that was carrying us through the holidays.

I've just been freshening up several areas of our home.  Not doing a major toss out but simply looking into cabinets and drawers and pantry and freezer and cabinets and fridge and noting that there are a number of things we aren't using or haven't quite finished.  I won't throw away something unless it's absolutely useless or spoiled.  We've already spent the money on these things.

Frugal Friday: Good bye, Sweet '16

Saturday:  We ran the AC on some this evening.  I should have opened windows, as I knew it was going to be warmer.  We will definitely be doing that tomorrow!  I am not anxious to watch next electric bill rise just because I was careless in minding the weather.

Our meal today was simple and frugal.  Leftover spaghetti meat sauce and a salad.  I have enough leftover for a single entrée for one of the days John is working.

I failed to plan ahead for Channukah though I'd meant to do so.  Well, I wasn't completely unprepared.  We had gelt and I had a dreidel so we played that and enjoyed it.  I will say that John's left handed spin is far better than my right handed one.  It was my out and out refusal to give up all my gelt that left me with any at all, lol. 

It was a lovely Christmas Eve.  I had my books to read, we watched our favorite A Christmas Carol with Alistair Sims and several other Christmas films.

I was inspired to look up one of the authors I'd been reading and found two of his books for $.01 each on Amazon, plus another for not too large a price.  I used the $10Amazon gift card I'd purchased for 170 MyCokeReward points.  Three books, a small amount of cash.  Love that!

This Week In My Home: New Year!!

This week in my home....

Pardon me while I feel nostalgic for what winter can look like...We're expecting temperatures in the high 70's mid-week...

...We are celebrating the New Year in our usual understated fashion.  In fact, as I type this it's New Year's Eve evening and our plans include going to bed about our usual time. This is typical of us.  We don't drink much and we certainly have no desire to be on the roads with those who might not know when enough is too much already.   Which reminds me of a funny conversation I had with my doctor during the intake process when I was getting set up with him.  He commented on my being hit by a drunk driver that I shouldn't be on the roadways during the hours they drink.  I looked at him and said "Oh okay...just so you know it was 8am in the morning on a weekday."  He looked at me and laughed and said "In other words let's just stay home!" lol

We've had a pleasant last day of the year and I'm looking forward to the New Year.  I slept very well last night (LOVE cold weather when my sleep actually deepens...of course being tired as all get out didn't hurt either!), got up this morning to make John a top quality BIG breakfast.  Mama came out about noon with a pizza in hand and I had a salad and half a carrot cake from the freezer that I thawed to go along with it.  We had conversation and food and it was nice enough.  Mama was in her usual form, lol, her first comment to me being that I looked really bad which surprised me since I'd looked in the mirror just a bit earlier and felt I looked as well as ever.  When I pointed out my copiously blooming African Violet and she said "Well that's ugly isn't it?"  I decided to let well enough alone, lol.

Coffee Chat: Goodbye Sweet '16

Good morning dears.  Come on in and let's have one more chat this year.  I've been busy trying to refresh my home once more.  Well I pretty much finished two days ago.  It took me far less time than I imagined it might.  That's not to say there's nothing to be done.  I expect should I go room by room I could quickly fill my To Do list full of things to organize, purge or just plain clean.  I know this is true because I LIVE in my home.  But I felt I'd gotten a pretty good refreshing done to the house early this week and I have felt restive once more.  I even managed to go out yesterday afternoon and prune the roses and that one lantana I've tried hard to kill that simply won't die

The trouble with the lantana is that it's one of those very old fashioned sort that grows tall and huge around.  And it hangs over the edge of the flower bed and slaps John viciously when he's mowing.  It has prickly sort of branches and they hurt, as I know too well from having worked around them.   It mars the view of the best of the spring blooming roses and what's more it mars their aroma which is heavily perfumed.  Lantana has the aroma of three day old cat pee and cuts the scent of the roses entirely if you happen to brush against it.  So I trimmed it down to the ground and am hoping for a deep hard freeze to halt it in growing any further.  We've attempted to dig it out at least five times and the roots are pernicious and deep. Even with the main root ball out of the way, any little bits left will send up new growth.  About the only no no in caring for a lantana is to cut out the dead growth prior to new growth showing in the spring, hence my great hopes that I've made it truly, most sincerely dead.

Pins I Actually Tried in 2016

I was just trolling around Pinterest (and yes, I do that almost daily).  I saw a pin and thought, "Oh yes!  I tried that and it worked beautifully.  Which made me wonder what else I did in 2016 that worked well and saved us money or time or better organized us?  Well here are a few highlights.

These first pictures are not mine.  I picked them from Pinterest.  I can only credit the second photo and that goes to Sunny Simple Life

Number 1: 

 Storing lemons and limes in jars of water in the fridge.  I even went so far as to just store the fruit in a jar without water in the fridge.  I can say honestly that MONTHS later I have lemons and limes.  I will also share that the limes are a little bitter along about now but we've had them in the fridge for going on five months.  I can say truthfully that this method keeps them fresh and usable for a lot longer than letting them sit in the open on counter or on a fridge shelf.

This Week In My Home: Holidays!

This week in my home:

...I am already starting to feel the pull of the New Year/fresh frugal year though we've just lit the first Chanukah candle and the sun is barely setting upon Christmas Eve...Normally I'd post this on Sunday but it's to be Christmas and I don't want to invade your homes on that day and honestly, I don't want you all invading mine.  I hope to hear from the children, but I'm going to enjoy my day with my husband.   We're going out to church, a little early.  We're coming home to a special meal.  I feel such a deep peace and thankfulness this year.  But the New Year does tug...  I guess it's just habit after all these years. 

I generally do a 'review' of sorts at the end of a holiday season and write out what worked and what didn't.  It's a handy guideline to look back over the years.  I've been doing this consistently since 2012 and I can say honestly that reading back through these pages before the holidays has helped me improve them. 

We stayed spot on budget for gifting and haven't spent crazily for meals, etc.  In fact, I might have adhered a little too hard to budget instead of allowing splurges we might have enjoyed.  We save all year long and a little indulgence at Christmas should certainly be part of the reward, agreed?

Frugal Friday: Merrily To Christmas Day

Saturday:    Reading through old blog posts I stumbled upon a recipe I'd apparently made but once, though my family raved over it at the time.  I've all the ingredients and then some on hand so I shall make it again this week, I think. 

We were gone most all day yesterday so no meal prep was done for Shabat.  I had to cook today which is not something I care to do.  I cooked half a pound of ground meat shaped into slider type patties to use for our supper tonight.  These served in leftover rolls I'd frozen last week after the Christmas and Family day. 

I cooked the other half pound of meat and made Cheeseburger Mac as I'd planned on my menu last week.  There's enough leftover to serve two servings with generous salad and a second side vegetable or one very hearty serving for one. 

We stumbled upon the George C. Scott version of A Christmas Carol this evening.  Lovely thing.  "There's more of gravy than the grave in you!"  is one of my most favorite of lines.  It makes me chuckle every single time.

I had set aside a jar of jelly for my niece.  I have a book for the grand nieces.  I was given a half sheet of Jamberry wraps that looked like little girls to me.  I tucked those in with the book.  The grand nieces love to have pretty nails and I thought perhaps their Mama might like to try these on them.