Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

Thrifty and Frugal

Wow are we getting warm, and now under a severe thunderstorm watch once again. I really don't think that will happen, but of course both of us will keep our eyes on the sky.

So what frugal and thrifty things have been happening on the Phillips homestead this week.

1.  Harvey and Kurt bottled beer a couple of days ago. Since the kit was a gift, the bottles were from Kris over the years, all Harvey had to purchase was water. The total bottled was 63 so the total cost to us was $0.14 a bottle. Not too bad at all.

2.  Clothes hung on lines outside to dry.

3.  Washed my tinkle cloths. I am able to go 2 1/2 weeks before washing them. I have a few more scraps that could perhaps extend the period between washing a bit more.

4.  Using up all leftovers in other meals or making entirely new meals from bits and bobs.

5.  Made my own hamburger buns. 

6.  Went shopping today and stayed on the list. In fact a couple of items that were not at a good price stayed at the store.

7.  Walking around the house for exercise every half hour or so.

8.  Decluttered a few more items from the sewing/craft room.

9.  Cut up some old t-shirts that were not fit to donate as rags. 

10.  Started some more herbal infused oils to make salves later this month.

There are probably a few more things we have done like watering using the rain barrel, doing a bit of yard work (moved rocks to the side of the house) and looking up recipes online to use things up.

I hope you all have had a frugal and thrifty week.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

 

Thrifty and Frugal Thursday

Thrifty and Frugal  

Another week of thrift and frugal happenings here on the Phillips homestead. 

I really need to stay away from the news, it is just so dang depressing. Now the President of the EU is tell the citizens to prepare for a disaster by stocking supplies, and being ready for higher prices. Life is spinning out of control.

However, frugalista's should be able to weather whatever happens, even if it means doing without things.

First I will let you all know we finally have a price for fixing our oven/range. I think we may just go with purchasing a new one with old fashion coil burners. I have been taking the water bath canner outside in order to use it, our smooth top stove will not keep a steady heat for that purpose. The price for fixing it is about $600.00 as it is the mother board that went, a new coil stove is only about $300.00 more and we would have a stove that actually is more of the type we need. Not very frugal, but we have the money to pay for it. We will see what Harvey thinks tomorrow as he has been known to change his mind.

Now on to frugal and thrifty happenings here on the homestead.

1.  The butt of my celery is starting to grow baby celery stalks. It will be awhile before they can be used, but should save us a little bit on groceries.

2.  Bought various dried beans and peas on sale today. I am hoping to make even more meatless meals and these will certainly come in handy for that.

3.  Fixed a seam on a shirt of Harvey's. Darned two pairs of socks.

4.  Found enough lining fabric for the jacket/coat I want to sew in my stash.

5.  Used all leftovers from meals for lunches except for a tiny amount of gravy that had dried up.

6.  Hung clothes on the lines downstairs.

7.  Once again on the sunny days heated the house with solar heat. 

8.  Combined errands today before the chance of freezing rain. Shopping was done a couple of days earlier than I wanted, but a couple of days later than when I did it two weeks ago.

9.  Using mint salve on my sore hips, and getting up and walking around the house a bit more. Also changing from sitting to standing more often.

10.  Used saved water to water the plants.

Off to get supper started, still working on using items up in the fridge freezer. Then a visit to each of you.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty and Frugal Thursdays

Thrifty and Frugal

It has been very hot here, which means watering a bit more often if we want flowers or herbs or veggies and the water barrel is down to the dregs. So no more free watering for awhile. Hopefully we get some rain very soon.

What with two trips to the city fuel expenditure is going to be high this month, so I will be looking at ways to make that extra spending up.

When home I have been using every last little bit up and stretching things as far as I possibly can. The one item in the budget I can really control is grocery spending and that is what I plan on doing for the rest of the month and into August. 

Mending clothing, and I have a few items I want to re-fashion over the next couple of months.

Dehydrating as many herbs as is possible and collecting herbs and flowers to use as the base of various salves and lotions.

Making another Christmas gift, and planning some other gifts that I can make quickly for gifts.

Spending time at home making lists of what needs to be done before winter falls and what I need to stockpile in case of a bad winter, or prices going even higher. 

Picking fruit in the yard, made cherry pie filling and in a couple of days I will be making cherry jam. I hope there is enough cherries left to make another batch of pie filling.

Buying on sale, and if I don't have an ingredient substituting where and what I can.

Decluttered cookbooks, some Kurt took and some I need to copy some recipes out, and some to donate. Still more to go through, but it is a start. 

Looking online at properties in Regina for sale, also looking at apartments. It will eventually be time for us to move though I wonder if we will get a doctor there any easier than here.

Combined errands to save on gas usage and time.

Paid bills online, thus saving fuel and time.

Harvey saved most of the chicken wire we put around the bottom of the cherry trees to keep the birds from flying under the netting and made a sort of fence for the cucumbers to cling and grow up.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Thrifty Thursday

 

I wore myself out a bit too much yesterday, and almost did the same today. I need to be a bit more thrifty with my energy levels while convalescing from Covid. Learned my lesson for sure.

As usual I have been trying my best to continue with some thrifty measures this week. 

I am using less meat in meals and that seems to be going very well. I am managing to keep the fridge cleared or at least down to something one can reasonably keep track of leftovers in. 

Made my grocery list and saved $24.81 on my total Co-op grocery bill. That's buying mostly on sale..... Lots was on sale this week which was a nice change. 

I hemmed a pair of Hubby's pants and fixed a hem on one of his t-shirts.

I tried a 14 day free trial of StackTV but ended that a week early. I just could not find anything else I wished to watch. I may try one of the other free trials a bit later.

My mind is slightly foggy and I am pretty sure there is much more, but these are the ones that stick out.

Everyone have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Thursday

 

My usual thrifty habits have been taking place over the week. 

It has been awhile since I have had to darn anything, but this week I darned some socks, and a pair of gloves. Hopefully getting a bit more wear from both.

All the bits and bobs of fabric left from my quilt have been stored away to be used in other projects later.

I pulled some yarn from my stash and a free pattern online printed out to knit myself a sweater once I finish the shawl. No need to purchase anything at all.

Saved the plastic bags and twist ties from my produce purchases to be used again in some form.

Saving the mesh bag the oranges came in, I am going to try making a dish scrubby.

Did a bit of a stock up on items that never expire. I am purchasing those when I see a good sale and storing them on the shelves in the spare bedroom. With prices rising this could be a great way of being thrifty in the long run.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Thursday

 

Another week has gone by between Thursdays. My goodness, time is speeding right by. Days are getting shorter, and nights longer. Time to enjoy the peace and tranquility of our homes. Hope all of you managed to get the winterization of your yards and houses completed.

So, what thrifty practices have taken place on the old homestead over the past seven days.

I have been trying to do more appliance cooking this past week, and now that the oven has gone once again on vacation, I can see myself using other means of cooking for a while. Harvey is going to check things out once again and try something else to see if he can fix it.

I have cooked once and eaten twice once so far this week.

Using up those pesky bags of leftover meats in the fridge freezer. 

Darned a pair of gloves, I should get one more year of wear out of them.

When we were in Regina, I managed to purchase everything on sale which saved us quite a bit of cash.

Processed another three pumpkins before the oven went kaput.

Maebeme, I bought my rug backing at Fabricland. The first one I had purchased at Walmart years ago. They no longer seem to have it in mine here in Estevan. I am pretty sure you could use yarn to make a rug. You might have to use more than one strand in each square, but it is very doable. I actually have some pieces left from this last purchase and will try that for the next rug.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Tuesday Tidbits

 

Well shopping ended up being rather spendy. I am amazed how much prices have risen in just a couple of weeks. I really shouldn't be as the price of gas has been rising almost every day. There are a few things that haven't risen yet which really surprises me as I would have thought those items would be the worst.

I had a lovely list made up with all the sale items I wanted to get, but to my surprise a few things were missing from the shelves. I did manage to get a bag of flour which will be put in the freezer and to make it even better it was on sale. Count me happy and if I would have had room in the cart I might have been tempted to purchase a second bag. 

I bought another basket at Walmart and it is holding three bags of yarn that were on the floor. Another small tidy up of the sewing/craft room. Still have a couple of bags that need to find a home though. Slowly, slowly between using up stash and working on reorganizing things are getting much tidier. A tidy room makes Jackie happy. Now if I just can control myself for a few more months......

I decided not to make the chicken casserole and instead will just warm the chicken up. Any leftover will be made into chicken salad and used in sandwiches for the rest of the week (sandwich meat was one of the items missing from the shelves this morning). 

Bills are all paid up, banking done, and I have started to gather items to take to Kris's. The more we can declutter here and help him out the better I feel. Since we no longer need the fans we have bought we will give a couple to him to use over the summer. Hopefully they will keep his house a bit cooler (well unless Harvey decides to buy him a portable air conditioner which Kris could consider a birthday gift or perhaps part of his Christmas gift). 

Off to get the table set and see what other mischief I can get up to. See you all later tonight.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Mixing Things Up a Bit

 As I felt so terrible last week I could be nothing but thrifty which is always a good thing. I thought that perhaps I would play a bit of catch up and let you all know about the projects I managed to complete for last month and even got a start of sorts on this months (which I will need to list). 

April's challenges first.

1.  Sew hot pads. Done

2.  Cut out and sew knit dress.  Done

3.  Make embroidered table cloth.  Started and hope to finish this month

4.  Knit two scarves.  Done

5.  Make coasters.  Done

6.  Continue working on angel cross stitch.  Because of the cloudy and miserable days I could only work on this two afternoons.

7.  Knit two pairs of socks.  Done

8.  Embroider two napkins.  Done

I really didn't do too badly over all. I do wish I had gotten to work on my cross stitch a bit more.

Here are some pictures of those projects.

I would put a picture of my finished dress up, but for some reason the computer will not allow me to turn it from one direction to another. 

Now on to the projects for this month of May. Some I have already started. Not much else to do when a person gets tired out before the evening falls, or needs to take rests between projects.

1.  Shop for flowers and plants (going to be awhile as it is darn cool out still).

2.  Paint outdoor bench.

3.  Plant flowers.

4.  Knit baby blanket.

5.  Cut out skirt and sew.

6.  Cut out pants and sew.

7.  Make cover for my egg chair.

8.  Knit first blanket using leftover super bulky yarn.

9.  Knit two small ponchos for the silent auction.

10. Work on cross stitch.

11.  Make cushion for outdoor rocker.

12.  Move wardrobe around to see what if anything I need for summer/spring.

I was going to scrape and paint the deck, but now that the furniture is all set up I think I might wait until the cooler fall weather. I also think I just might tire myself out a bit too much if I take that on right now. Not sure if we even have the correct stain in the basement.

I went shopping on Thursday and got faint. I barely made it out to the car and home. Then it was just snuggle in my chair and rest for pretty much the rest of the day.

Then on Saturday the United Church here in the city finally had their Fabric Sale. I went first thing so it wasn't crowded and worked quickly. I managed to come home with these finds.

Fabric for sleep pants for Christmas, fabric for winter skirt making (or perhaps a jumper), fabric for the Christmas tree skirt, and fabric for a couple of tops. All for about 1/4 of what I would have paid in a store. I could have bought more, but decided to leave fabric for others.

Off to get supper and then I hope to be able to make it to visit all of you tonight.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

 

Since it has been so very hot here over the past month, I have been sticking close to home. This means no spending (well not much at any rate) and getting things done around the house. 

After our sons left it was time to do a thorough cleaning of the rooms they use when down. So all bedding, blankets, and quilts were washed and hung on the lines. Then walls were washed, windows wiped down, and furniture dusted. One room was vacuumed thoroughly and the other had the floors mopped and the rug taken out and beaten. Everything sparkles now.

The garden (well at least the herbs and kale) needed being taken care of and that is something that is a continuing chore. If any of you have recipes for kale (other than salads) they would be greatly appreciated.

The herbs are being dehydrated and stored for winter use. Considering rising prices this could in fact save lots of cash. Mint is being dehydrated for tea this winter as well, though I have read some interesting things in making mint iced tea. 

Lettuce is being picked almost daily, how lovely not to have to pay for this. It is usually quite expensive around here.

A friend let me pick raspberries again this year and this batch is being made into jam. Love me some raspberry jam.

I have mended a couple of tablecloths. One was something we brought back from Portugal on our last trip (my it has been awhile), and the other is one I use when we have company. I also fixed the sleeve on a pair of pajamas, and repaired a few pairs of jeans (pocket holes). 

Kurt brought home about 12 pairs of pants that were torn and unrepairable, or did not fit him anymore. I have cut out the zippers, and saved what material I could to make into quilting squares. I even managed to save some of the tops and am going to try my hand at making some blue jean bags out of them.

I know I said no more fabric was entering this house until all the fabric I had was gone... Blew that as I saw some lovely knit fabric at the Salvation Army... Who could turn down approximately 4 meters of 2 kinds of knit for $9.00. I can make two skirts and still have fabric enough to make matching scarves.

So there you have my thrifty past times over the last couple of weeks. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

 

So this past week has been much like the others so far this year. Except we had some rain towards the end of the week and now we are being hit with temperatures reaching the low 30's C. Poor air conditioner is runny lots the last couple of days.

Now what thrifty things have been happening on the old homestead.

I have been busy sewing and using up those 4" squares I cut out of old clothing.

Removed the zippers from 3 pairs of Harvey's ragged jeans, and cut up what was usable into more 4" squares.

Used my rebate from my Co-op to buy groceries... Only cost me $5. 79 for a weeks groceries (some items for the pantry were in there as well).

Used vinegar and water to wash my walls.

Did a small amount of batch baking.

While not really thrifty as thanks to Kris for getting our security system up and running I sent home with him a meal of chili and macaroni, an apple crisp and a rhubarb crisp.

Downloaded some free reading material onto my ereader and will be doing more of the same this week.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Thursday Tidbits

 

It is hard to believe that this week is almost over. Even under stricter measures the days are seemingly flying by. I have no earthly understanding of why. 

So today I tried shopping by myself, which more than likely made Harvey very happy. I managed it, but then again I didn't have anything of heavy weight to pick up. The excursion did tire me out though so it was a good thing I had gotten the very few household chores necessary done before I left the house.

This is my haul from the Co-op grocery store.

Not a whole lot, but enough to see us through a few weeks and because  my favourite coffee beans were on sale for half price I picked up two more large bags. I bought the bread for those days I just do not feel like making my own. 

I managed to save over $40.00 this time around. That makes me very happy. 

Our first robin in the yard appeared during our snow storm at the beginning of the week. I have been out for short walks the last two days and seen many more hopping through the branches of our Manitoba Maple tree. Poor thing looks almost frozen.

I have started watching the original Upstairs, Downstairs on BritBox. It is keeping me amused while knitting. Sorry for the reflection. 

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

Now that we are home once again, things can start getting back to normal.

Thrifty happenings on the old homestead started in earnest once again. We really spent a little more than we had planned to on our holiday.

Last night I pulled out the 4" fabric squares and started another quilt top. These squares are from leftover scraps of fabric from other sewing projects and fabric that I have cut out of old clothing that was past being donated, but still clean and usable. It is kind of great that our sons bring their older clothing home and let me decide if it should be donated, cut into fabric to be used in quilts, or made into rags. Of course I cut off all buttons and they are popped into the button jars. Truly this is a thrifty way of staying warm on cold winter nights. The quilts also make lovely gifts as well.

Harvey had a pair of pj's that had seen better days. Since they were made out of flannelette I got some lovely rags out of them. Just have to serge the edges.

I shopped my fridge, pantry and freezer for supper tonight and I made enough that we can have another meal from the casserole.

Using no name embroidery thread to embroider those tea towels.

Working on the temperature blanket still and that will be another lovely blanket to snuggle into on those cold winter evenings.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

Being thrifty is cool, but at this time of year thrifty can also be warm.

My thrifty moves for this week have been more along the lines of making sure we stay warm inside and out.

I darned some of Harvey's warm winter socks, fixed a couple of seams on a lap quilt that Harvey wraps up in on these frosty mornings, filled the truck tank with fuel that I haven't seen cost so little in years, and hemmed a pair of winter weight pants for myself.

I have also continued with the use it up from the freezer. Soup that had been previously made and the excess frozen was taken out for a meal. A few slices of the leftover pork was thinly sliced and made into a stir fry tonight (more left for another meal....cook once, eat twice again). I have been using other kitchen appliances to cook with more so the oven is staying off saving electrical costs.

The draught dodgers have been cleaned and made ready to be put in front of the doors to keep out cold winds and to help with energy consumption.

Grocery lists made with coupons and sales in mind as well as what is already in the house.

Bills paid on line saving time and stamps.

Gifts being worked on using up remnants of fabric and yarn.

All in all a thrifty week.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

For a few minutes I thought I would not be able to post a picture, things were pretty strange.

I managed to get two gift cards for $25.00 from the company that I scan all my shopping to for books to download on my ereader.

I am using up all the leftovers in the fridge so there should be zero waste here this week.

Got my walking poles for free by using the bonus points on a credit card. They are taking a bit of getting use to, but I think I am going to like them when it gets snowy and icy out.

Used leftover flannelette fabric to make heating pads for one of my Christmas gifts.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

Another week has gone by and as things have gotten back to as near normal as they can be I can see the places where I let thrift drift away.

However, there were still thrifty happenings around the old homestead over the past week. Perhaps not as many as usual, but enough to be headed in the right direction.

We were very lucky the last three days in that we had temperatures well above the norm for this time of year (not to worry though a cold front along with more snow is moving in). So, because of this I got to turn off the heat in the hallway, turn down the small heater in our room and turn down the heater in the sewing/craft room. 

Then we found out that we really like the store brand frozen veggies I bought, as well as the butter. So this shopping trip I picked up a large can of store brand coffee to give it a try. I am hoping that we like it enough to continue buying.

Bread was baked. I do love the smell of fresh bread. The house seems cozier somehow.

I made a large ham for our supper on Sunday and once the meal was over all the meat was packaged up and frozen for other meals through this month and into February. In fact I used the smallest bag tonight and made a quiche. Served it with leftover salad. Mmmm, good and so very filling. Best thing yet, the leftover quiche was wrapped and will be served for another meal.

Everybody have a wonderful evening. 

God bless.

Grocery Shop And A Goal Began

My first grocery shop of the new year and I came home with this. I have started my goal of buying store brand products. This week it was eggs, rice, frozen veggies, butter, and chubs of sandwich meat. 

I am hoping we like the taste of these and keep buying them adding each week to the list. While this week the savings weren't great I did manage to save $6.79 over and above the sales prices by buying these products. Some of these were on sale as well. I did notice the prices while lower than the brand name versions, are not as low as could be expected.  Penny here and a penny there all adds up.

There are a few items we buy that I will not even try the store brand. I have tried the store brand toilet rolls and was not at all happy. The same with yogurt and bread flour. Still when those items go on sale they are actually cheaper so I will stock up at that time.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

It has been a fairly thrifty week here on the old homestead.

We did our stock up shop (well most of it) and I used coupons to get the best deals I possibly could. The meat we bought will last for a few months, longer if I continue my newest thrifty practice of using less when making our meals and adding a soup/sandwich night to each week.

I also found an old robe of mine that was in excellent condition. The only thing wrong with it was the belt was missing. I went into the fabric stash and found some soft pink strips I had cut from leftover fabric from another project. There was just enough to make a new belt. Voila, a robe that I can once again wear with no expenditure of cash.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Frugal Shopping Habits

As so many in this life, I also shopped out of habit and for entertainment. Now when I was working, this was not so big a problem. Once I stopped working, my shopping habit became something I needed to break.

Here are some of the ways I nipped what could have become a big problem, into something more manageable, and more in keeping with they way I wanted our lives to be.

1.  Stop shopping for entertainment. I started only to head to the shops when I had a specific purchase in mind.

2.  I started going to second hand shops and joined the on line garage sale sites. My area does not have a Freecycle group or a Craigs List. Keeping my eyes on the sites I do belong to has netted me craft supplies, and an almost new dryer for a fraction of what these items would have cost.

3.  I joined Costco and after comparing prices I know exactly what I want to buy when I go for our stock up shops.

4.  I have clipped coupons or downloaded them from the stores online site. By using my coupons along with the stores flier I have managed to save. Perhaps not as much as Extreme Couponers, but enough to make it worth my while.

5.  I try to buy only on sale merchandise. Waiting a month or two can save a person lots of money. Prices do drop.

6.  I always check out the store fliers and shop sale items for my pantry and freezers.

7.  Shopping alone (well most of the time) prevents strange things from ending up in my cart, and any surprises at the check out.

8.  Don't buy any item in the checkout aisle. These are usually over priced and set up to grab your attention. My husband usually falls for this one.

9.  Never, ever shop when you are hungry. I used to run to the grocery after work... Bad move, lots of prepackaged meals ended up in the cart and those prices are crazy expensive for what you get.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday

Today was the beginning of the annual rummage sale at the parish. This is put on by the CWL every year at around this time. I am not a CWL member, so doing a bit of shopping there is my way of supporting them.

I managed to pick up a few items.

I found a sleeve board. Something I have often looked at in stores but never purchased due to the price being ridiculously high! I got this one for $2.00 and boy will it come in handy when ironing those set in sleeves when sewing.

A book of cross stitch patterns. These can be used for cards and small projects. Bought for $1.00

Another $1.00 saw me buying this old cookbook (well a thirty year old cookbook). I have spent a bit of time looking at the recipes and I am really going to enjoy this one. Some recipes are very frugal, while others would be a bit costly to make at this time.

Three novels to read this winter when I run out of reading material from the library or free downloads onto my ereader. These should keep me happily engrossed for awhile, all for a cost of $1.50.

Two pieces of fabric (the brown flowered piece is about 3 meters and the blue green piece is 2.5 meters). Both pieces together cost me $3.00 a steal of a deal in my books.

Lastly I picked up this.

I am hoping that this nifty little gadget will make it much easier to get chopped food off my cutting board. After all Rachel Ray uses one to great effect on her show!!

My entire haul only cost me $8.75!!

I have also been using up the bits and pieces of bagged, frozen roasted meat in the fridge freezer for our meals for the last little bit. The freezer is getting cleaned out and we are having some excellent use it up meals.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.

Thrifty Tuesday And Updates

We did a stock up shop this past weekend, and while the cost was enough to put us over budget for this month, the next 3 or 4 months should see me well under our grocery budget.

Meat was packaged for the freezer. Sandwich meat packaged up as well and frozen.

Here is the sandwich meat, along with the bacon ready to go into the freezer.

I have also been stretching meals a bit more than usual. Today a small amount of leftover chili was stretched by serving it over pasta. There is even a bit left for my clean out the fridge meal tomorrow.

Now on to my updates.

1.  Finish my quilt.  Not quite, I am still trying to find a large enough space to sandwich it.... I have a feeling that I may end up trying to do so on the deck.

2.  Work on rug (finish it if possible).  Done. Not finished but I am working on it.

3.  Finish off some knitting projects (knitted hoods need sewing up and one needs the hood knitted).  Done.

4.  Knit two pairs of socks for myself.  Done.

5.  Cut out three skirt patterns.  Done.

6.  Cut out 4 top patterns.  Done.

7.  Try for 18 no spend days this month (could be tricky as it is plant buying time).  Done, in fact I actually reached 22 no spend days this month. Combining errands and keeping busy around the house seems to be working well for me.

Well, this did not go so well this month. I did manage to remove another 7 items from my home so there are 7 less things cluttering up the old homestead. I am hoping that next month will be a bit better.

Everybody have a wonderful evening.

God bless.