Frugal Tips

Before I try and add some frugal tips to our repertory I thought I would give you all just a bit of information about the picture I posted for Remembrance Day.

The log was a 200 year old elm that a person donated to be used for this purpose. It had to dry out a bit before it could be carved. The man who carved it came from Manitoba I believe, and used a chainsaw for most of the carving (he has also done some carving of a few of the dead trees in the city). The Soldier Tree as we call it used to be on the property of the person who donated the log. However, a few years back he decided it would be better seen in the city, so it was moved to the court house block, and situated very close to cenotaph. Our Manitoba carver came back and now there are some benches to sit on and admire his work, and pray for those who gave their lives.

We also have another carved tree in memory of the 21 RCAF pilots who lost their lives training at the old airport south of the city. The man who carved this one got photos of those pilots and each one is featured along with a carving of the plane they were flying when the training went downhill. That monument is out at our new airport. They are waiting for the last 4 pictures to have them added.

I have a few frugal tips to share with all of you. Probably most of them are common place to you, but there could be one or two new ones.

Always unplug idle devices.

Switch to LED bulbs. 

Install Smart thermostats.

Seal gaps and cracks around windows, doors and basement.

Use natural light whenever possible.

Upgrade to energy efficient appliances.

Adjust thermostat settings.

Have regular HVAC maintenance done.

Air dry clothing as much as possible.

Use a power strip to plug in devices. Much easier to throw one switch.

Upgrade windows if you can.

Plant shade trees for summer cooling.

Use ceiling fans more often.

Wash clothes in cold water where possible. Always rinse in cold water.

Fix leaky faucets.

Hopefully there are a few new ideas.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

Thrifty and Frugal

It has been pretty much a usual week here on the old Phillips homestead. Nothing too exciting really, except for the price of fuel and me trying to use things up as much as possible.

So have I had any new and frugal adventures this week? Perhaps not really, but I added change to the change jars, prepped some veggies for the freezer before they went bad, baked bread, baked buns, made some jar meals for Kurt's and Kris's gift laundry baskets (using items in the house), and managed to use up the last bits of things (big plus in the every little bit counts mantra). 

The biggest saving was getting fuel for the SUV this week. Costs had fallen about $0.25 a liter which meant a savings of $10.00 on my fill up over the last time. 

I did some mending work on some seams on a nightgown belonging to me, a pair of pajama bottoms for Kurt, and hemmed a pair of jeans. Which I am lucky I did not cut. When Harvey tried them on, he could have walked through 6" of water without getting them wet. So I let them down and will do the hemming again when I get more mending to do. 

I went through the sewing/craft room and have been putting things away and looking at what can be used up over the winter. Heck, I probably have enough to see me through the spring and the summer before I even need to consider getting any new yarn, embroidery threads, patterns, or even fabric really. There are lots of large pieces that can be used to make clothing for me.

Still walking for exercise and when this month ends I will be adding another 500 steps to my total. 

Harvey is making more wine. This time some white Pinot. I myself much prefer white over read (unless it is a Malbec). 

My entertainment has been streaming free shows, watching YouTube channels (some of which are highly amusing, but I doubt that is how they want to be thought of), and reading free books on my ereader. 

Life is good and I am sure life will continue to be good if just a tiny bit more costly. We will all be watching to see what happens with the tariffs and probably tightening our frugal belts if necessary.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

We Will Remember

 

Tuesday Tidbits and Stuff

 After two lovely sun shine days, we are back to clouds and today involved rain. It was well below freezing when I got up this morning, and the temperature has only risen slightly.

It really would have been a lovely day to do some batch cooking, but of course I was not prepared for that, and I really need to clear more out of the fridge freezer and the other freezers before even contemplating that. Perhaps closer to the end of the month or in early December when I am busy baking as well. 

I did all the mending today, fixed one of my nightgowns, a pair of pajama bottoms for Kurt, and hemmed a pair of jeans that Harvey has been bugging me to do. I really do not like hemming jeans at all, I need a much stronger machine to do them correctly. But all is done and the sewing paraphernalia is all put away.

The leftover chicken has been pulled out of the fridge freezer earlier, and I will be making those chicken taco's and clearing more items out of the fridge and freezer. I hope to save a bit of chicken to use in the jambalaya in a couple of days. Probably will have to hide it on Harvey or he might just be eating on it. 

The second laundry basket has been brought up from the basement and cleaned. I should be able to start putting Kurt's and Kris's gift baskets together. 

Took the day off from doing any extra cleaning and will do that tomorrow when I have a shorter list of regular tasks to complete. 

No weaving or embroidery done today. In fact no project work at all so far. Lack of sun makes some things a bit harder to work on. I will do some knitting tonight, so at least some crafting will be taking place. 

The main challenge for next year has been worked on and pretty much decided. Of course I will still be decluttering and trying for no spend/low spend days, but my main challenge for the rest of this year and into next year will be "Every Little Bit Counts". 

I already save skins and peelings for veggie broth, as well as bits of leftover meat, and veggies for soups. I am sure I can extend this to saving small amounts of rice, gravy, drippings from the roasts, pasta, and spices. Little bits added together can and do have the ability to make an entire new meal. 

However I am not limiting this challenge to only food. I will be doing the same with yarn, fabric and other craft supplies. I have so much in those areas and I plan on making the most of what I have. 

I am also going to try and do even more surveys if possible and gather gift cards. Pretty sure I almost have enough in those to purchase my DVD player and not have to pay much at all. 

Told Harvey I am going to purchase books for my ereader for Christmas from him. I usually get the free ones, but now I am thinking that I can get some of the novels from authors I enjoy that cost a bit more. I had planned on purchasing a few and building up my points there as well. Free is good, but points are even better. 

Off to figure out how to make the chicken tacos without the usual mix... How much water do I add and do I add tomato paste to the mix?

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Oh and if I did not post on your blogs yesterday, it was because all I got was gobbledy gook when I clicked on your blog. I will try again today.

Menu Monday

 

Today I begin using up a few items from my fridge and fridge freezer (along with some items from the chest and upright freezers downstairs). 

It is also where I am going to try and stretch a few items meat wise to see how that goes over with carnivore husband. Keeping my fingers crossed.

Monday

I am going to cut up and fry some garlic ring and serve it with the last bag of homemade perogies. There is a bit of salad that Harvey can have and I will cut up a cucumber for myself.

Tuesday

I am going to use some of the leftover chicken and make some taco meat out of it. There is lettuce, onion, cheese, small cherry tomatoes, and sour cream that can be used to make wraps with the tortilla's I have in the fridge.

Wednesday

I have a block of soup from the chest freezer and will pair that with some egg salad sandwiches (get to use up some of the green onions in this). 

Thursday 

Jambalaya will be made but only using the shrimp from the freezer and perhaps a small amount of leftover chicken.

Friday

There is lots of canned tuna in the pantry, so I plan on making a tuna casserole. Once again I will cut up some cukes to serve along side, or I could make some brussels sprouts instead.

Saturday

Smoked sausages, pasta, and green beans.

Sunday

Roast pork, mashed potatoes, and I am going to try mashed carrots and turnip mixed together.

This is a start to cleaning out a few items that need using in at least the freezers. 

I will also need to use up the dried cherries in the fridge. Perhaps another loaf of quick bread. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Slowly But Surely

 

So far this month is moving along nicely. I am managing to declutter a few things, get some of the smaller projects done and even get work done on those bigger projects (not that they are anywhere near finished). 

I have stocked up on meat, the budget last month was so-so, but I am hoping that this month is much better (even after another good sale on meat). I did not get as many no spend days as I would have liked, but so far this month things are looking up. When we go to Mass tomorrow, I will fill the car. Prices surprisingly dropped by almost 20 cents a liter. Sure glad I waited and did not fill on Tuesday. 

Harvey fixed the hole in the wall from his plumbing work, and we even had some of the paint leftover from our painting a few years ago. I was a bit worried we would need to buy another colour and told Harvey we would go a darker brown and call it our feature wall. Dodged a bullet or should I say an unexpected expense.

I am finding new soup in a jar recipes, stretching our meat consumption, and finding lots of new ways to save on food. Prices are still going up here and now that it is getting closer to winter fresh veggies will skyrocket in price not to mention the cost of fruit. 

The coffee pot may be on it's last legs, but we do have a spare when this one quits. So I won't have to run out and purchase another one right away. We must have our coffee in the mornings!!!

By using up items, I find it much easier to clean the house. I can move around more freely and reach spots that were previously difficult. Some areas, like under the beds (dust bunnies that are probably the size of a cat by now) and the bathroom, are still challenging, but I’m making progress. It’s amazing what can be accomplished in just 15 minutes.

Loving the fact that I am staying home much more, though I should make a trip out to see my sister before the weather makes travel a bit difficult. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

 Thrifty and Frugal

I don't know what is going on with my computer right now. I seem to be having some strange things come up and finding my Blog took a bit of work. Hopefully this is just a minor glitch that will clear up shortly. 

So what frugal and thrifty items have I been up to this week. Pretty much just the usual frugal past times but I have been finding new recipes to try, and new mixes to add to the various gifts in a jar, and some new spice and herb mixes I want to make. 

A couple of the projects for this month have been crossed off. I have managed to get all Kurt's old clothing cut up and ready to be used for quilting. I also pulled all the zippers out to be used in fashioning more clothing or should I say different clothing. 

There could be a few new challenges for next year, I am just putting the final ideas together. They will also be adding to my thrifty and frugal practices. 

I have pulled out a few more items that need using up from the chest freezer. I am getting those older items used up and I can see an end to the older items happening very soon. 

Remembered to save water while waiting for it to warm up and am using it to water the plants. 

Watching free shows on CBC Gem, and Pluto. I have also watched a couple of movies on YouTube. Not my favorite way of watching but free is always good.

Using any extra leftover dinner meals for our lunches.

Baked my own hamburger buns today as well as a loaf of bread. 

Printed out free monthly calendar pages to use for menu plans.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.