Frugal Accomplishments

Here are some things we did this past week to enjoy life and save money.  I hope you find something that works for you!

My first-ever Knifty Knitter project.  Thank you, Kelly, for teaching me how it works!

Sunday after church, I was given a juice box and some chex mix.  Sure, I had just donated a unit of blood, but still!  I know...silly...but if you're able to give blood, I encourage you to do so.   I'm not a fan (major understatement) of needles, but I gave blood in honor of someone I care about very much, and I was just fine.

I planned a menu based on stuff we had on hand and some current sale items.  Supper costs averaged out higher this week - about $1.25 per person, but it was a fairly swanky menu.  We had steaks, pizza, chicken, nachos and lots of other tasty stuff. 

On that note, I cooked steaks on the grill, made baked potatoes, chopped up tons of salad, prepped carrots and celery, made ginger-carrot soup, nacho ingredients, fruit salad, ranch dip, a pot of rice, bacon/broccoli/grape salad, .  I also pulled some things from the freezer, like homemade sausage gravy, homemade biscuits and mashed potatoes.



Carrots, a small potato, chicken broth, onions, almonds, ginger...then puree.

Once it's pureed, it looks like this, and you just add milk or cream (I used half and half)
to thin it to soup consistency.  Delicious!

I signed up for 3 free Twinings tea samples - a deal I saw on Money Saving Mom.

I also signed up for a coupon for a free box of Kraft product - the simmering and finishing sauce - from Safeway.  I saw this deal on Money Saving Mom too.  I have started posting these things on Facebook, so if you follow me there, you'll see them as they become available. :)

Albertsons just underwent some sort of merger in our area and the result is some really good sales on nonperishables.  I was able to stock up on things that we use for good prices.  Canned fruits were .60 a can, canned beans (I often cook up dry beans, but I use canned ones sometimes too) for .40 a can, etc.  I also got a couple of boxes of facial tissues free with a coupon.

By matching up sale prices and coupons at various stores I got 1lb. boxes of Barilla pasta for .27 each, Post honey-nut shredded wheat for .88 each, 4lb. C&H cane sugar for 1.49 each, big yellow onions for .49 a pound and romaine for .88 a head. 

At King Sooper we got a 2 liter Pepsi and a donut for free (football promo) and some Hillshire Farm turkey (for sandwiches) free (store promo).  We also got a bag of chips free with a coupon that was in-store.  We don't need to buy junk food - they just give it away. :-/

I cut and cooked the last of the apples.  I made them into a sweet/spicy sauce to use with pork or mix into barbecue sauce.  It made 11 pints and a little extra for us to use now. 

This bag is super full.  It is one of nine. 

The next day, we picked more apples.  This is the main crop!  So far I've filled five dehydrator trays, canned 10 pints of cubed apples in ultralight syrup and made some juice to make jelly this winter.  I've got more apples to fill the dehydrator again and make some more apple butter or applesauce.

 

Apples, dipped in lemon water and sprinkled with a little cinnamon, ready to dehydrate.

Canned apple cubes (I always lose some of the liquid when I can fruit - argh!  The cinnamon apples are all dry too.

 

I used a coupon code to get 25 free photo prints at Walgreens.  We printed some photos from our recent trip to visit family.

We read books, played games listened to CD books and watched movies from the library.

We got a used, but good condition bicycle for husband for a great price, and paid for it with our summer sales fund.  I also sold an item we no longer needed...I guess I need to call it the autumn sales fund now.  I'll try to get you a photo soon!

We applied sealant to the concrete in our garage.  It's much less costly to do something like this yourself than it would be to hire someone, plus we get to wear respirators and look like praying mantises!

We knew that freezing temps were coming so we gathered the last of the zucchini,
picked some carrots, took the rest of the tomatoes and picked the pumpkins. 

We have continued walking for exercise - better health, minimal equipment.  We do own a treadmill, which we got for $25 a year or two ago, and it works great.

I hung the laundry to dry and washed our clothes using homemade laundry soap.

I worked a couple of hours subbing at the library.  They let me bring Daughter along, so she gets some library time as well.  Later in the week, I picked up a few hours at another location.