New Week, New Savings

Hi!  Here's a summary of this past week!

One day in Goodwill, I got three jigsaw puzzles for my inlaws for less than $2. 

We read library books and watched a couple of movies we borrowed from the library.  We had family movie night this week, and watched Star Wars Episode II.  Han Solo watched with us.  See his big box of popcorn?



Han Solo likes popcorn with lots of butter, not too much salt.  Who knew?

We planned a menu that would use things we have at home.  My whole grocery list was parmesan cheese and a head of lettuce, since our homegrown lettuce is getting bitter.  When I was in the store I checked for markdowns.  I've learned that toward the end of the month, it's a very good time to find markdown perishables.  I found 10lb. bags of leg/thigh quarters for 5.30 each.  I bought two, took them home, cut them up and deboned/skinned the thighs.  I ended up with 10 meal/leftover size packages (4 servings per package) and I put all the removed bones/skin into the crock pot to make stock.  That yielded me another 2 1/2 cups of cooked 'bits' that will be used for tacos or barbecue, plus I got some chicken stock.  Approximately 50 servings of chicken/chicken products for 10.60 comes to about 21 cents a serving. 

There were sales combined with coupons that let me get some canned soups and chili for .50 a can.  We don't usually plan these into meals, but they are nice to have on hand for days when we get really busy and then need something quick.  In the long run, I think they save us money, because we can heat up some chili or soup instead of getting pizza.

I pressure canned eight pints of green beans and six pints of chicken stock.

Husband gave me the little game piece from McDonald's where he'd won a breakfast sandwich.  On a special school day, Daughter and I stopped - I got the sandwich and she got a yogurt (she'd just eaten breakfast at home, too!) so the two of us ate for $1.  Later in the week, he stopped at Noodles and Company to pick up a free noodle bowl they had offered him.  We ate some of it at supper (with other foods) and then Daughter and I both had the leftovers of the noodle bowl for lunch the next day.

I did a fair amount of scratch cooking, and we used some homemade freezer meals on busier days.

We ate the last of the peaches from our tree.

I mixed leftover rice into the taco meat for the night we had taco salads.  I put a little leftover chicken broth into mashed potatoes.

Four-o'clocks we grew from seed.

I worked 4 hours of sub time at the library at a time when Husband could be home with Daughter.

I found a few more items to photograph and sell.  They are in-process, which pretty much means I have them stacked in a spot in the basement, and will get to it when I get to it.  I also discovered that I had far too many throwaway containers set back for just in case, so I put a bunch in recycling, which gives us a little more breathing room.

My neighbor came over and gave me a houseplant.  I gave her a haircut.  Later in the week, I gave myself a haircut too.

We stayed home more this week. 

I got a mini trampoline for $5, using funds from selling items we didn't need.  This will be a good way to get rid of excess energy during the cold, windy parts of winter.  They lady who sold it to me was on her way to 'the city', and was kind enough to bring it by the house on her way.

It was a warm week, so we opened windows at night to cool the house, then kept them closed during the day and used the ceiling fans as needed. 

A friend gave Daughter a big nylon kite, shaped like a parrot, that her daughters had outgrown. 

We finished cutting down trees in the front yard, at least for now.  There is one more that ought to be removed at some point, but before we take it down, we want to get some aspens established and growing in that area.  I know that doing the work ourselves is saving us tons over having someone else come and cut down the trees.  We will likely have to find someone with an end loader who can come and knock out the stumps, though.

We removed 4 trees in all.

We will be moving this little aspen, and about a dozen just like it, up to where the elm trees used to be.

We put concrete sealant on the floor of Husband's workshop.  It took a little research to find the right product, but I think we did, and again, we save a lot by doing the work ourselves.  We had to buy the product and a roller cover, but we already have the roller, long handle, paint trays, etc...and respirators.  Respirator masks were very definitely required with this stuff!

The Stupid Thing I did this week:

(Ok, ok, I did lots of stupid things this week...this one is just the winner.  Plus, there are pictures.)

My picture was photo-bombed by a raindrop!

We have a chicken house, with a chicken run.  Since we only have the 8 little itty chickens, I fenced them off a little bit of it, and I'm using the rest as one of my gardens.  Silkies are poor flyers, so this has worked out, because they do not pop over the fence and eat my garden...and the deer can't get in.  Except...I left the door open overnight, after doing some watering.  I panicked at first, but all the chickens were just fine.  Dogs, raccoons....now I know that chickens have guardian angels too. 

Green beans, minus the tops.

Once I knew the birds were OK, I saw that a deer actually went into the fenced-in chicken run.  Not just a little bit, either, but all the way in, because he ate the tops off my beets, the two green bean plants I had in there, and some of my rose bush.  I guess this tells us that yes, if we want garden, we have to protect it from the deer...I'm just grateful that my chickens are OK!

Beets, that used to have big green leaves on the ends of all those red stems....grr.

How was your week?  Did you save any money?  Did you do anything stupid?  Let me know! :)