Saturday, November 28, 2015

Frugal Doings for the Second Half of November










   Thanksgiving is now behind us and now we have the lead up to Christmas.  Jeff and I had a wonderful Thanksgiving.  My cousin Jeremy invited us over and prepared a wonderful meal that was just delicious.  We contributed garlic green beans and a nice pie, but he did the majority of the work.  Our son Chris stopped by for a few minutes and it was nice to visit with him also.  
   Now, onto the frugal doings around here over the past few weeks:

~Jeremy sent us home with lots of delicious leftovers
~I have been using the leftovers to create new meals like a green bean and turkey casserole


~Jeff is redoing our kitchen floor and it is looking great
~working at my Swagbucks points programs and cashing in for more gift cards
~used the Walmart gift cards to buy groceries
~cleaned out my closets and had the girls go through and take what they wanted
~bought a brown full sized flat sheet and wrapped the foam pad that is under the cushions on the couch 



~bought some birthday cards at the Dollar Tree
~found Isaiah a second pair of snow bibs (brand new) and some nice warm gloves for Bradley at the thrift store
~got some free magazines in the mail
~made a big pot of chili and served it over rice


~putting leftover coffee in a nice insulated carafe to keep it hot
~borrowing more books and movies from the library
~moved the cars so they would not be hit with falling branches during our wind storm
~baked some treats
~made a tray full of hamburgers in the oven



~got some free groceries while doing our volunteer work
~won several free packages of candy
~SKYPEd with Josh
~got in on a deal to get the Minions movie for free
~making some homemade citrus cleaner with citrus peals and vinegar


   ~printing out coupons and using them at the grocery store to get free products and discounts
~taking the dog for a walk so we get some exercise and so does he
~making bread in the breadmaker
~freezing leftovers for future meals



~getting a free 8x10 photo from Walgreens
~trying to combine errands and not use my car too much
~doing the paperwork to get me on the same health insurance that Jeff is on through his work...this will save us so much money in the long run and is a much better policy than what I have now and what my current health insurance company wants me to switch to since they are dropping my plan
~doing lots of hand washing of my sweaters and using a very concentrated cleaner that only takes a little to clean your clothing



~skipped the Black Friday sales since I shopped ahead of time and got better deals that way
~watching some of our favorite Christmas shows on TV
~learning new skills by watching YouTube videos
~using some of our garden produce that we harvested and froze earlier this year in our meals now

  So many of the things that I listed I do on a regular basis and I am always trying to find new ways to save.  Any suggestions?

6 comments:

  1. You do well! And I love the idea about making a tray of hamburgers in the oven!

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    1. Thanks Sandy. I just made one huge rectangle with the meat and then scored it into burgers,baked it off and then separated the patties when they were done. Easy and something I think I am going to continue doing in the future. :)

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  2. Well done. I need to be a little more frugal. I'm not bad but feeling inspired after reading your post.

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    1. Thanks Barbara, that is sure sweet of you to say.

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  3. Hi Debbie,

    Great frugal ideas. Your turkey and green bean casserole brings a favorite "after Thanksgiving" casserole to my mind ...

    Ingredients:

    Leftover turkey, cubed or shredded
    Leftover gravy OR cream soup OR a combination of both
    Broccoli spears OR chunks
    Leftover dressing, add water to make it very moist if necessary

    Method:

    Mix turkey and gravy or cream soup & pour into a greased casserole. Top with broccoli. Spread dressing over entire top of casserole. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly and dressing is slightly browned.

    Nothing fancy, but my family LOVES this after Thanksgiving casserole and looks forward to it nearly as much as they look forward to Thanksgiving. As a matter of fact, I will occasionally make it, substituting chicken, a couple times per year.

    So glad to hear your Thanksgiving was so blessed.

    Mrs.B

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    Replies
    1. Oh your casserole sounds wonderful! I never thought about doing it with broccoli before. :)

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