Garden Update

I took these pictures on Monday but at dragging in getting them posted. Here is another overview of the main garden. We have been eating yellow squash this week. I sliced some and fried them. Others went into a pork chop bake along with asparagus (from the store) and potatoes from the family garden.

Here are close ups of the popcorn and the yellow squash.

We have tiny cucumbers and tomatoes. The tomato picture was a huge blur.

I moved the plants in buckets into a better planned area so they could be easier to mow around and easier to water. The eggplant especially has really grown this week.

Finally the lettuces and spinach. I have some more seeds started but am wondering where to put them. It has grown even more since I took these pictures. It is so very nice to have fresh lettuce in the backyard. I am looking forward to the other vegetables starting to produce so we can have even healthier salads.

May Big Shop

I am trying to cut down on shopping trips. It is not necessarily that I am spending too much. I just do not like to go into town and shopping tires me out. How do people shop for hours on end several times a week? I do not have the patience for it.

Yesterday I pulled my coupons that were expiring this month and made up a big list. I do not have pictures as DH was hungry so we put everything away quickly so we could eat.

First stop was Walmart where I purchased cat treats, several types of crackers/chips/granola bars for snacks and dh's lunches, pantyhose, coffee cream, cheese, fruit (fresh & canned), free mascara (All You coupon), flour, parchment paper, and Magic Erasers. I spent $51.47 and saved $25.58.

Next was Walgreens. I got deodorant, toilet paper, hair gel and tissues. I saved $12.25 and had no OOP cost since I used a gift card for the $1.64 total.

Harvey's was next. I stopped at two of them to double up on the sales. I got four each of sugar, brown rice, toilet paper, orange juice plus Tabasco sauce and asparagus for $19.99 with a savings of $10.20 in coupons.

Last stop was CVS. I got three boxes of cereal, cough drops, deodorant, toothpaste, and 10 bottles of PowerAde for $4.73 with a savings of $10.94.

I stayed within my budget and this should be the bulk of my shopping for the month. Dh has enough goodies for his lunch for the month. I also have enough coffee creamer. We are down to one loaf of bread in the freezer so the flour will be for homemade bread. I may purchase some fresh vegetables if our plants are not producing by the end of the month. Otherwise I hope we are eating from the freezer as it is still much too full.

Gardening is Hard Work

I have been absent from the blogging world for several weeks. The reason is I have been busy outside in both the yard and the garden. Once the April showers subsided long enough for the ground to dry out I got busy. Need some proof? Here it is!

First up an overview of the back deck.

These are two free geraniums from my mother and a jasmine plant from last year.

DH and I fell in love with a sweet potato vine we saw on the Peaches to Beaches yard sale route. The $30-$40 price tag quickly snapped the fantasy of bringing one home with us. We found small pots of it at Lowe's last week. We got two each of the green and purple and added the coleus in the center.

Next are the front porch flowers and plants. My pride and joy is this calla lily. Calla lilies are my favorite flower so I am thrilled to be growing my own.

Here is a sprouting ostrich plume fern that I got from the Spring Hill Nursery deal several weeks ago. It came with five other ferns for the $6 shipping cost.

This ivy came from my mother's house. It puts on lovely purple flowers and will take over the world if allowed. I should know as it took dh and me months to clear it out of our own yard. I thought it was safe to grow in contained in these window boxes.

This dusty miller was left from last year. Thanks to the protection of the porch it survived the winter. After a trimming last week it looks lovely and full.

Now let's walk over to the side yard. This petunia plant just came up and was a surprise to me. It looks lovely at the base of the mailbox.

This flower bed looks a little drab and dull now but it will fill out as the season progresses.

Now for the best part of the garden -- the part we can eat -- the vegetables! Here are the cats checking out the herb garden and more specifically the catnip.

The lettuce and spinach look great. I see a fresh homegrown salad or two in our future this week. That will go great with all the Kraft salad dressing I stocked up on last month.

Here are the eggplant, tomato and pepper plants in five gallon buckets.

Here is the main garden. It is two weeks old today. We are growing popcorn, watermelons, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, onions, and bunches of tomatoes. It is not much to behold yet but give it a few more weeks.

Thanks for hanging in to the end of my long gardening post. I told you I had been busy. Now I am looking forward to sitting back and watching everything grow. If only it were that easy. I have already started on the weeding. Dreams of fresh, free produce keep me motivated!

Yard Sale and Freezer Challenge

I ended up not taking pictures of the actual yard sale. I was too busy doing other stuff and that did not necessarily include helping customers. We had a slow day overall. It was cold to start off and then sunny and warm. I am thinking people stayed home to work in the yard or else were flooded in their yards. We still made a bit of money, and it was a nice day with the neighbors. Here is the aftermath.

Much of this leftover stuff will go to a local women's and children's shelter.

These are all clothes. The majority of it is things from my cousin. She did not want any of it back. I plan to sort and sell what I can on eBay. The rest will go to the shelter.

Next on my blogging topics is a freezer challenge for myself! My freezer is stuffed full and rather unorganized. Here are the pictures to prove it.

Argh! It is annoying to try to get anything out of either freezer and forget doing it without moving half of the stuff. Of course, then it all gets tossed back in willy-nilly. Out of necessity today is the start of a freezer challenge. I will never empty them completely. The big freezer has a couple of deer's worth of meat and plenty of vegetables. I just want to get both freezers under control.

My personal rules are that I can only add to the freezers if it is a great deal. The main purchase I know will go in is SeaPak shrimp. I have coupons expiring soon and this is the only shrimp that does not make me break out in hives so I stock up when I can. I will allow myself to add items to it IF I use only ingredients on hand. The two items that come to mind are these freezer biscuits from A Home with A Smile and homemade rolls or bread. I hope to post some much better after pictures in a few weeks.

My first removal from the freezer was a gallon jug half full of milk and a container of Brunswick stew. It is a slow start but every little bit helps!

And the Winner Is.......

I used Random.org to choose the winner of this contest. The magazine goes to Jill of Frugal Plus, who has a couple of giveaways going on right now. I sent an email your way, Jill. You have until Thursday at 8pm to reply. Congratulations!

Shopping Trip With Totals

Dh and I ventured out in the rain yesterday to run errands. We stopped at two grocery stores and CVS.

Grocery Store #1 - $10.63
5 Roma tomatoes
4 nectarines
3lb pork loin

Grocery Store #2 - $36.01
chips - 2 (I know, I know - no junk food but chips go great with sandwiches)
relish
hamburger buns
brown rice - 3
sliced ham
sliced turkey
bananas
lb pkgs. of cheese - 3
corn dogs

CVS - $0.81
Nutter Butter
Aviva meter
goldfish crackers - 2
Veet gel cream - 2

I still need to go to Wal-Mart at the first of the week to finish up my shopping. Then I need to seriously consider a freezer challenge as it is filled to the brim. Lunch was subs yesterday for $11. That along with the rest of the shopping leaves me with about $144 of my budget to spend for the rest of the month.

As for the rain we ended up with about 11 inches in less than a week. That means our garden spot is underwater. I was hoping to plant next weekend, but that will most likely have to be put off. It depends on how much of this excess water the trees drink up over the next 7 days.

Tomorrow is yard sale day. I was pricing all of our stuff when my cousin came by to ask if I would sell her things on halves. So...I spent the rest of the afternoon sorting her things. I have everything partially organized. Hopefully we can set up fairly quickly in the morning. I roasted some coffee so I will have fresh caffeine first thing. I have dough for cinnamon rolls going in the bread machine now. Hopefully we will have good luck and plenty of buyers. Pictures and an update tomorrow afternoon.

April Menu & Monthly Grocery Budget

I have gotten a bit lax about both menu planning and grocery budget. I decided after my money saving month that I should focus on getting this area under control. First my budget for April 1 - April 30. I had $12 left from last month and my normal monthly budget is $200 for a total of $212. Today's spending was $9 on chicken breasts and Johnson's Buddies. I have $203 left for food this month. That includes any planned eating out. I am planning a few errands tomorrow with stops at a couple of grocery stores, CVS, and Walgreens. DH is going with me so we might stop at Subway to pick up lunch.

Here are my menu ideas for this month:

roast, mashed potatoes, squash, bread
Fish sticks, baked fries, salad
Brunswick stew in bread bowls
Hamburgers, chips
Club pasta salad, crackers
Tacos
Kickin’ Dirty Rice, salad, corn muffins
Sausage, grits, eggs, biscuits
Cubed steak, mac & cheese, veggies
Corn dogs & baked fries
Rustic Chicken Sandwiches on fresh her focaccia, slaw
Korean beef, brown rice, rolls
Waffles & turkey bacon
Chicken Enchiladas, salad
hot ham sandwiches, chips
Big Salads
Herby beef ziti, salad, garlic bread
Shrimp, fries, slaw
Beans & Rice
Taco rice salad
PB&J or Fluff sandwiches
Pork & beans w/ hot dogs & crock scalloped potatoes
Roast sticky chicken, mac & cheese, green beans
Sloppy Joe cups, slaw
Pork Tenderloin, Parmesan noodles, mixed veggies
Turkey breast sandwiches on homemade bread, chips
Pork fried rice
Mac surprise, whole kernel corn, rolls
Pizza, salads
Tuna subs
Turkey ranch wraps
Crock cooker chicken burritos
Beef & bean burritos
French dip sandwiches, slaw, chips
Vegetable frittata
Tortellini, salad, garlic bread
BLTs
Cheddar apple chicken pitas

I have planned two meals out as well as a few leftover nights. I also have two family dinners this month. I am making a double batch of rolls to take to one meal. For the other I am planning to make some petit fours (saw a recipe in Southern Living I want to try) and something else.

I think we are set on snacks. If I buy anything it will be fruits or veggies. I am planning to use my blog to keep myself accountable and on track. Of course I hope to have extra money to take advantage of any sales over the next few weeks. All of that for $203 or less? Wish me luck!