Friday, June 24, 2016

Frugal Friday Wrap Up 6/42/16

 


   Sorry I am late yet again in getting this posted.  I had a "crash day" after doing too much the previous days and we had a storm system move through that wreaked havoc with my sinuses.  While I am typing this out, my sinuses are still going bonkers even though I took a Sudafed to try and relieve some of the pressure.  We have the grandboys here to spend Saturday night with us and I want to give them my full attention and energy.  I am blessed that my sweet hubby recognizes when a crash is coming and flat out tells me that I am to just rest for the entire day and not worry about doing anything.




~I cashed in via Swagbucks for a $25 Cracker Barrel gift card.  They just opened one up in CDA and I can't wait to go and eat there.  It is one of our favorite restaurants. :)
~We borrowed the really tall ladder from our neighbor so we could get the cherries that are higher up before the birds get them all.
~Harvested lettuce, raspberries, strawberries, radishes, green onions and cherries from the garden.
~Skipped out on going to a community wide yard sale and saved the money instead. ;)
~Father's Day was celebrated here with a BBQ with our kids and grandkids.  My cousin was not able to make it unfortunately.  We grilled venison steaks, potatoes, burgers, corn on the cob and our kids brought veggie kabobs, sweet potatoes, watermelon, and buns.




~We picked lots and lots of cherries and sent some home with the kids, and gave a bunch away to friends. At last count we had harvested about 26 gallons of cherries off the tree.  The kids probably got another 4 gallons when they were here picking.
~I made a Caesar Pasta Salad with a Suddenly Salad mix that I got on sale, a leftover chicken breast, some turkey bacon, a diced tomato, the remaining 1/4 of a orange pepper that I had used in another recipe and some broccoli. I added some mayo and Caesar Salad dressing to it also. So good and filling!
~I have been trying to work my points programs a lot.
~My favorite soft cotton flat sheet ripped and is not mendable to use on our bed.  I will try to salvage what I can and use it for other projects.




~I keep an ongoing list of things that I am looking for at the thrift stores and garage sales.
~More shows were watched online. Confession time...my husband and I love to watch Big Brother in the Summer.  The social dynamics of that game fascinate me.  It's a guilty pleasure. :)
~We discovered that Walmart marks down their hot food items in the deli close to when the deli closes at night.  I found 2 bags of jalapeno poppers for half price.  I brought them home and froze most of them.  It was cheaper to buy them that way than already frozen.
~My multi-talented hubby changed the oil and filter on his car.
~I saved eggshells to use in my garden.




~We love muffins and I had an overabundance of strawberries and raspberries.  I made a double batch of mixed berry muffins.  I just followed my favorite recipe for blueberry muffins but substituted the raspberries and strawberries for the blueberries.  I'll freeze some and also share some with our friends.
~We put more cardboard up in the windows of the front guest bedroom.  Our pantry is also in that room and with the temps starting to climb, I needed to keep the room from heating up.
~More sourdough bread was made.
~I used up the crusts and leftover bread to make more croutons.
~Jackpot!  Jeff and I found 2 brand new king sized white flat top sheets for our bed for $3.77 each at the thrift store.  We have one of those deep pocket beds so the king sized sheets actually work better for us.  I also found some more shirts on clearance for .97 each.



~Jeff and I cut each other's hair and we both feel so much better!
~I manage to snag seasons 3 and 4 of "How I Met Your Mother" for $2.99 at Goodwill.  They usually mark their dvd series up pretty high but for some reason had these at the same price as a single dvd movie.
~We were given a big box full of free groceries while doing our volunteer work. :)
~While going through my closet, I found some very lightweight shirts that I had bought last year and had totally forgotten about.




~I've been turning leftovers into new meals.
~Our rhubarb is not producing as well as it has in past years but I was able to get a bag cut and frozen and also make some rhubarb simple syrup and some stewed rhubarb.  I'll use the simple syrup for drinks and maybe even over pancakes. :)
~I had my friend Shannon come over and pick raspberries.  We have so many and I love sharing.




~The movie that I had borrowed from the library last week did not get watched and luckily I was able to renew it online so we can hopefully get to it this weekend.
~Jeff and I hot tubbed on Friday before he went to work.  It helped to ease my aching muscles and did help with my sinuses too.
~Friday the skies opened up and dumped for most of the day.  Our rain barrel was overflowing.  All of the gardens got a really deep soaking and I am so thankful for that because our temperatures are expected to soar into the 90's starting on Monday.




 
   I think I did pretty well this week overall.  I know that I will need to get out and harvest a bunch of lettuce before the high temperatures hit Monday or it will all go to bolt.  Hopefully I can get to that within the next day or so.  My raspberry bushes are really kicking it into high gear and the grandboys will be thrilled to help me pick the berries this weekend,  Of course, with them, the berries will be going straight into their mouths and not into Grammie's bowl. ;)  That's fine with me though...I just want them to enjoy themselves.  I hope that everyone has a great weekend!



 






27 comments:

  1. Hi Debbie,
    I'm up extra early this a.m. because I want to get out and work in the garden before the sun gets to high. It rained here most of the week and my veggie garden looks like a jungle. I'm going to have to cut back some of the kale the leaves got so big they're shading the green beans and the green bean plants got so large they're shading the okra, but that won't last because the okra will get well over 6 ft.

    I truly understand how you feel. I have late effects of polio syndrome and there are just some days that I hit the wall and have to rest. Depending on how much I overdid, it sometimes takes several days to recover my energy.

    It's so much fun to see pictures of what people are doing. This week, I made soup stock and canned it, muffins to freeze, I always make my own mayonnaise so I did that, stevia sweetened barbecue sauce and ketchup, the books I ordered from the library came in and are quite interesting reading, worked on some Christmas gifts, created different meals from leftovers, used the movie gift card our children gave us for Christmas to see "The Free State of Jones", and we went on the day when it was half price, so more bang for the buck on the gift card and we'll be able to have a movie date a few more times. I made dinner before we left so it was ready when we got home. We got an incredible deal on an air-fryer (which is now my favorite kitchen toy) and I made air-fried chicken drumsticks
    that were rolled in homemade ranch seasoning, air-fried sweet potato fries, and salad.
    Have a blessed weekend
    Cookie in Pa.

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    1. Wow Cookie, you have had a very productive and frugal week! I'm curious, what kind of kale do you grow because I know some varieties go to bold pretty quickly in the heat? My Blue Russian Kale plants all bolted quickly this year but my more frilly leafed ones seem to have stunted growth. I have not heard about the movie "The Free State of the Jones" before. I'll have to look it up online and then see if it is playing near us. My hubby and I still have some money left on gift cards were were given at Christmas for the theater also. :) Your food all sounds delicious and I am glad you were able to find that air fryer on sale. I have always wondered if they performed as advertised and am thrilled to hear that they do!

      Have a wonderful weekend and I hope you can stay cool in the hot weather!

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    2. Hi Debbie,

      Thanks. I think your week was pretty amazing.

      I wish I could remember the type of kale I planted but the seed package where I marked the rows got ruined in the rain. Suffice to say it looks like it will be curly leafed and I was told it wouldn't be truly edible until it turned very dark green or when the first frost hit here.

      Just as an FYI, I tried making kale chips out of some store bought kale that I had and then vacuum sealing the finished product in canning jars. I opened the jar after they'd been in there for a month and they were perfect and crisp.
      Now I know they can be stored without losing their crispness.

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    3. Thanks for the hint on the kale chips! I wonder if they would work in the vacuum sealed bags as well?

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    4. I haven't tried it but I don't see why it wouldn't. My vacuum sealer is the little hand held one that you can seal bags or use an adapter and see jars. Hope you're feeling lots better

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    5. Debbie I planted Tuscan Kale and it lasted and lasted. We have very hot, humid summers and this variety of Kale did not show any signs of bolting. In fact I ended up digging it out after it's third summer as it was starting to get too bitter.

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    6. Thanks Cookie and Jane for the information! I will try to remember to buy Tuscan Kale seeds for next year and will also try my food sealer. I am doing much better today and am again relaxing. We just got the very busy grandsons to bed since they are spending the night with us. :)

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  2. You did really well this week Debbie, so many savings there :)

    I have some rhubarb nearly ready to pick in the garden. Our recent rain has done wonders to this usually dry country. The weeds are loving it! We are freezing while you are experiencing heat, amazing!

    Hope you are feeling better now.

    xTania

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    1. Hi Tania! I am feeling a bit better today thank you and am taking Sudafed to help with the sinus issues. Praying it kicks in here soon. ;)

      Yesterday it was really cold here and my hubby even turned on the pellet stove to warm the house up again. By late afternoon though it started warming up. My weeds are growing like crazy too. We have a real problem with bind weed and thistles here. We can't poison them because I am allergic to the only things that seem to be able to kill them so we have to pull them all out by hand. I hope you are able to harvest lots and lots of rhubarb from your garden. :)

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  3. Your eraser made me chuckle - if only we could erase bad mistakes 😂

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    1. Rhonda, isn't that the funniest thing? It was sitting next to one of those huge pencils (which I did not buy) at Goodwill. :) I figured I would give it to my grandsons since the oldest one is learning to write all his letters and his name (he just turned 4) and the little one (who will be 3 next month) loves to do everything his big brother does. :) Have a great weekend!

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  4. Sorry you had a "crash day"; try to pace yourself more, although I know that's hard to do. Hope you are feeling better now.

    Sounds like you had another great, frugal week. I'm drooling over the photos of the rhubarb, cherries, muffins, etc. :)

    Hope you are having a lovely weekend.

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    1. Hi Bless. :) I know I need to pace myself more but when I have energy, I tend to overdo it because I never know when I will have lots of energy again. ;)

      I'd gladly share some of our garden produce with you. :)

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  5. Storm fronts and sinus pressure can hurt...So glad you knew to take time out and rest. Sounds like you did great over all. I've promised myself a frugal bootcamp week and you've reminded me of several areas where I might also save. Have a great weekend!

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    1. Thank Terri. :) I'm so glad that we can all learn from each other. I love reading what other people are doing because it inspires me.

      I hope you have a great weekend!

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  6. Nice job! Those muffins look so delicious :-)

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    1. Thanks Jess! I just used a blueberry muffin recipe and added the raspberries and cut up strawberries instead of blueberries. I hope thing are calming down a bit for you. You and your son are in my prayers.

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  7. Wow Debbie for someone who has had a 'crash' you sure have managed to achieve a lot.
    We have had a cool front move through and our nights are very cool but the days are still glorious. I don't cope with cold weather so am glad it lasts for about a month only. July is generally a cold month and August is a windy month. As the bush flowers are starting to bloom in August as well, this is when my sinus plays up. I found I'm always interested in our seasonal opposites.
    Rhubarb syrup is fantastic for sore throats and tickly coughs. My Gran always made up a big batch of this at the end of summer to give to us kids during the cold and flu season of the winter months. I'm still experimenting with getting it to grow here. My next effort is to try it in pots as it hasn't done well in the ground.
    The King size sheets is such a score. I've been looking for a set for our bed and haven't found them yet. I keep trying.
    I'm off to make a winter coat for my son and DIL's new dog. He was a bit cold for his first night in his new home last night. I have an off cut of polar fleece that I think will do the job nicely. My son rang and asked if Granny(me) could possibly make the Grandog a winter jacket. I'll get it made today and will post it off tomorrow.
    I am off to clean up the sewing room first before attempting the dog jacket. It looks like an explostion in a fabric warehouse has taken place. Oh dear where do I start?

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    1. Hi Jane! Thank you for the tip on the rhubarb syrup. I never knew it had medicinal qualities. Rhubarb is a heavy feeder and I don't think I put enough rotted steer manure and compost on it this year.

      Your weather there sounds similar to Hawaii's but still with the opposite seasons. :) I'm sure your granddog will enjoy his warm new coat.

      Be blessed!

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  8. Mmmmm, Mmmmm, good on all the berries. That will make some wonderful jelly and pies. The muffins look wonderful.
    Great deal on the sheets.
    Hope you feel better this week.

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    1. Thanks Cheryl! I hope so too...I have a lot to do!

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  9. I'm glad you take the day when you need to crash! I understand that one. When I'm done, I'm done:)

    All of that food looks so good--I'm getting hungry just looking at it. I hope you don't melt in the heat!

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  10. Thought of you when I was at the grocery store, today. They were selling rhubarb for $2.99/lb. Cherries were selling for $2.49/lb. I didn't buy either.

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    1. Oh wow! I can't even imagine how much we have saved us and our friends and family in cherries alone! ;)

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  11. I'm amazed at all you get done in a week!! Sorry you're not feeling well...hope it passes soon for you.

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    1. Thanks. :) I do a little at a time and I have the most amazing hubby that truth be told, picked most of the cherries! ;) He was out there again tonight picking some.

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