Five Frugal Things

1.  I found a couple of markdowns while out grocery shopping this week.  I got a good deal on sliced mushrooms and canned cream corn.  I will save the corn for later this year when I make Brunswick stew.


2.  My mom wanted one of her compost beds emptied so she could start putting items in it and allow the second bed to break down.  I filled up my last raised bed as well as several containers.  I could never have afforded to buy enough soil, and this dirt was excellent.  I added in rabbit manure to make it even better.


3.  We have done very little decorating in our new home.  It was a mix of finding things we liked that were affordable.  This week we found some clearance art canvases that matched our colors well.

4.  The rabbits and chickens ate some excess produce from my parents' and my aunt's garden.  It was either oversized squash or cucumbers.  Everything was bigger than we like to eat, but the farm animals happily ate it up.

5.  I wanted to order some yarn to make items to stock my Etsy store.  I had intended to buy from Joann since there was a free shipping offer.  I compared prices and found that I could get everything cheaper from Amazon.  Every bit of savings will help right now.

Garden Update

We finally got a good break from the rain.  The sunshine did wonders for the garden. 

We have plenty of small tomatoes.  I can hardly wait for the first ripe one!

The cucuamelon vines are growing like crazy but no blooms just yet.

The cantaloupe plants are blooming though.  It seems the marigolds worked well against the nematodes.

Marshmallow

Hibiscus

The herb garden.  I did lose the peppermint that I transplanted.  I am going to root a few cuttings and plant again.  This week I also planted lemon basil, calendula, and lamb's ear seeds.

One fish pepper plant

The bee balm and a hummingbird feeder.  I bought the stand a few years ago at a yard sale.  This year I bought smaller hummingbird feeders.  With the hot summer weather I have to change them often so having large feeders does not make much sense.

The bees definitely love the bee balm!

Our pear tree is loaded.  If the squirrels stay away, we should have a good harvest this year.

June Meals

I am testing out sharing my meals on Tuesdays each week.  I hope it will help me keep up with what I cook/spend.


Friday, June 1
Dinner (aka lunch):  Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, slaw
Supper (aka dinner):  waffles and sausage with blueberries


I was trying to use up the last of the potatoes.  The blueberries were from my in-laws' bushes.


Saturday, June 2
Dinner:  Leftover meatloaf and mashed potatoes, roasted squash, and balsamic roasted green beans
Supper:  W ate cereal and I had popcorn since we were both pretty full from dinner.

The squash, zucchini, and green beans were from the garden.  I was looking for a new way to serve the green beans.  Roasting the vegetables was a nice change.


Sunday, June 3
Dinner: Tuna casserole and slaw
Supper: Snacky supper - we just ate odds & ends


Monday, June 4
Dinner:  Swedish meatballs, noodles, more roasted squash, leftover green beans, and cucumbers
Supper:  I had leftovers and W ate fruit

Weekly Goals Update: Week 22

1.  Disaster Preparedness
Week 22 is the second part of the hardware list.  Between building a house and years of home repairs, we are good with the hardware list.  Even before we were without regular jobs, we focused on doing our own repairs.  This was an easy week to check off!


2.  Makeover the Garden
This week I moved more marigolds which allowed me to move some more tomatoes.  At this point I am pretty much sticking them anywhere I have some free space.  I have a couple of spots, but I want to put calendula there so I am holding off on the temptation to put tomatoes in that spot.  Due to last week's rain I did not get the last raised bed filled, but that is on my list for this week.


3.  Organize Recipes
I am determined to schedule an hour this week to work on this goal.


4.  Have 13 No Spend Grocery Weeks
It was touch and go on this goal last week.  We needed mayonnaise, and mayonnaise was on sale at a local grocery store.  Then I remembered that I had reward points which made two jars of mayonnaise free!  I was able to knock another week off this goal bringing my total to 6!


5.  Focus on Saving
I am pretty sure that someone at Amazon is concerned about me.  I have almost given up on shopping.  I have definitely stopped all of the impulse shopping on items I "need" and buy need I mean want.  I am still doing a once a month subscribe and save order to take advantage of deals.  Now I am on the lookout for the best deal on things we really do need.


6.  Etsy Store
I should write an entire post on the saga of getting a sales tax number.  All of my internet research led me astray.  Then I spent almost two hours (most of it on hold) trying to get some help from people who actually work with the state tax department.  The sad part is that each person I talked to gave me different (and often incorrect) information.  I have no idea who they expect the average citizen to do everything correctly when the people at the help center have no clue what to do.  Thankfully I remembered we have a local agency and was able to talk with an agent that actually knew what I needed to do.  All that to say I will finally be able to open my Etsy store. 

Weekend Book Review: Tart of Darkness

Tart of Darkness by Denise Swanson is the first book in her new Chef-to-Go Mystery series.  Dani made a break from both her boyfriend and her stressful HR job.  She learns that she has inherited a beautiful mansion that is partly remodeled as a bed and breakfast.  Dani instead opens a catering business titled Chef-to-Go and takes in three college boarders.  She caters a party for a popular college student who is found dead the next morning.  Unfortunately for Dani, she is at the top of the suspect list of a police detective out for revenge.  I love Denise Swanson's books, and this one does not disappoint.  The small tie ins to her Scrumble River series are a nice touch.  The characters all work well together with room for growth as the series progresses.  I look forward to many more books in the series!

disclosure:  I received an ARC from Sourcebooks but was not otherwise compensated for this review.  All opinions are my own!

Weekend Book Reviews

Vegetables Love Flowers by Lisa Mason Ziegler focuses on "companion planting for beauty and bounty".  I already add flowers to my garden to repel some bugs and attract pollinators.  I was inspired to expand the flower portion of my garden by this book.  My favorite part was the cut flower arrangements using simple flowers such as zinnias and celosia.  Another major bonus was the seasonal garden layouts combining vegetables and flowers. The author gives good information on companion flowers and herbs including growing tips, visitors to expect, and harvesting tips.  This is a wonderful book for any gardener.


Whitney Bowe's The Beauty of Dirty Skin shares with readers how what we eat plays a large part in the health of skin.  The author explains the science behind skin problems and how prescriptions are not necessarily the answer.  I appreciated have a plan laid out for a more natural way to care for my skin.  The medical side of the book can be a bit deep but not overwhelming.  The author provides a straightforward three week plan for better skin from the inside out.


Death of a Cookbook Author by Lee Hollis is the tenth book in the Haley Powell Mystery series.  Haley is invited by cookbook author and tv star Penelope Janice to participate in a 4th of July potluck.  She feels in over her head when she ends up with food poisoning and overhears a murder being planned.  Things take a confusing turn when one of the murder planners is found dead.  Then Haley finds herself being targeted.  I have read previous books in the series, but it is not necessary to enjoy this one.  The characters and setting of this book are fun.  Haley is a perfectly imperfect cozy mystery heroine. 


disclosure:  I received these e-books through NetGalley but was not otherwise compensated for these reviews.  All opinions are my own!

Frugal Friday

As I mentioned in Wednesday's garden post I transplanted marigolds from the garden down one side of the pheasant/turkey pens.  I hated to just throw away the plants and had given away all I could.  If even part of the transplants self-seed, I will have an ongoing supply. 


We picked over my in-laws' garden while they were out of town for a few days.  I left the squash in their refrigerator as we have more than enough for ourselves.  We did bring home a few blueberries and blackberries.  We ate squash, zucchini, lettuce, and raspberries from our own yard.


I received an email offering me a free two month subscription to Shudder on Roku.  I signed up and immediately cancelled so I would not forget.  The channel is open until the trial expires.


I took advantage of a free shipping offer to order three packages of herb seeds.  Before I ordered I priced around to make sure I was getting a good deal.  I ordered lamb's ear, which I have not found elsewhere, as well as lemon basil and calendula. 


I needed some snacks to have on hand and did not want to buy anything this week.  I had a small block of melting chocolate and plenty of individually bagged pretzels (bought when W was working).  I covered the pretzels in the chocolate for a tasty snack with no extra money spent.  We have also been snacking on popcorn popped in the microwave using this.  The popcorn pops quickly with none of the packaged microwave popcorn additives.