Quote of the Week

                            

                                             "Despite the forecast, live like it's Spring.” 
                                                                        ― Lilly Pulitzer

Blessings,
Lisa

Record, Records, and More Records!

  

   Baby it’s cold outside!  Our area (NKY) has had snow,  more snow and frigid temps for the last 2 weeks!  It has been FRIGID!  

    The NKY area has broken 7 records with snowfall and low temps in the last 2 weeks.  I pray we do not break any more!  I am so over it!

    We are blessed with many quilts and blankets to keep us toasty. We have not lost power as of yet, but I have my oil lamps, candles, matches, and flashlights ready to go if needed.   Please pray for the folks that are suffering without power during these ferocious winter storms!  I hope they have prepped for such an emergency. How are you staying warm and toasty during this long, cold winter?  How have you prepared for Winter emergencies?

Warm Winter Blessings,

Lisa

Last Week's Frugality

  Last week I was able to pack my lunch all 5 days!  Yippee for me!  I just have to continue this forever!!

   I love getting together on the holidays, so we had a cook out for Labor Day.  My brother and his family, my Mom and all of my family were there.  Because we are short on funds, still…… I used meats from the freezer, and made mac n cheese from the pantry as well.  I didn’t buy any soda for the cookout, I used the crystal light I had in my stash.  We had pink lemonade and peach tea and both went over very well!  I used a gift card for Target from my birthday to buy the buns and paper plates.  All I had left to get was a bag of ice, a watermelon, potatoes, and napkins!  My Mother brought baked beans, my daughter brought her specialty—buffalo chicken dip and chips, and my SIL brought homemade guacamole and chips. We had a feast! I had all of the condiments in the pantry-mustard, ketchup and home canned relish that was to die for!  All in all it was a great cookout!  Even if it was frugal!

  I used my Kroger points to get 30 cents off per gallon of gas—filled up my tank!

   My MIL fell and broke her arm so we ended up eating out several times (after ED visit and after visiting her in the hospital)—I am happy to say we used B1G1 coupons that a friend gave to me and ordered only water to drink.  I really didn’t think I would get to use them, but they came in so very handy!

  We live next to the county fairgrounds and the fair was Labor Day weekend.  We chose not to attend in order to save money.  It’s basically the same thing every year so I don’t think we missed much!  My SIL did bring Tom a funnel cake though!  Thanks Ellen!

  I received a facial cleanser sample and signed up for several more samples along with a coupon for a Sugardale ham.  Gotta start thinking about ham for the holidays!

 I still catch cold water in a bucket while the shower is heating up.  We use it to manually flush the toilet in our bathroom. 

  Thanks to my Mom’s friend; He gave her a bunch of tomatoes.  Mom graciously shared her bounty with me and I will be canning more tomatoes for the pantry.

  I used the Target Gift Card to get a box of regular mouth canning lids.  I had wide mouth lids but no regular lids for canning my tomatoes. 

    That is just about it for me!  How did you save money last week?

Frugal blessings,

Lisa

 

 

 

Last Week'sFrugality

      Last week we had a very lean week because of taking my Mother to her class reunion out of town.  I hadn’t planned on the trip but after her heart attack 2 weeks ago, she asked me to drive her down.  She was still worried after the surgery.  The Dr. wasn’t thrilled with her going, but she is very determined! And besides, she had already paid for the 2 tickets!  LOL!  I just had to stop and let her walk every so often.

  I packed my lunch 4 out of the 5 days—really I packed 5 days but forgot to take lunch to work one day.   I’d forget my head if it weren’t attached!

    I lucked out and found about 10 lbs. of roma tomatoes marked down to just a little over $5!  I was able to can 6 pints of tomato sauce and about a quart of fresh salsa that we have devoured over the weekend.  What a bargain!  Canning is so satisfying!

   I only spent $48 at the super market last week.  That included the tomatoes that I canned.  I am trying to use up the food in the freezer and after last weekend, the savings sure were appreciated. 

  I filled my car up at Kroger and got $.30 per gallon off.

  After getting my rear end handed to me by my diabetes Doc last month, I have been walking several miles per day in order to try and get off of some of my meds and improve my glucose levels.  I have been trying to eat better and reduce my carb consumption.  It’s been a lot of hard work but it is paying off. My goal is to lose weight and be off of the fast acting insulin and off of the blood pressure meds by Christmas. This will be a savings of about $65 per month and will potentially save a bunch on future medical bills!   I am determined to do this!

 How did you save last week?

Frugal blessings,
Lisa 

      

Fast and Frugal Christmad Gifts

    Did you know that Christmas is only 154 days away as of today?  Well, I have been keeping track of it and have gotten lots of gifts made and ordered,   I have been making Sashay scarves for the females on my Christmas list. This is a fast, easy, too cute scarf you can make with minimal, and I do mean minimal crochet skills. The Sashay yarn costs anywhere from $3.29-$4 79 in my area and you can whip one out in about an hour and a half. This is a  fast project for my short attention span!
Here is the tutorial I used: sahay scarf .  I found it to be the easiest method.  You should really give it a try!  Fast and easy gifts!

Sisters market tote 

    If you are looking to buy inexpensive gifts for  the females in your life, Longaberger has some adorable cloth purses on sale.  Click here to see some great purses  and accessories that would be great,  cheap gifts for Christmas!  I took care of my Mother's gift, my MIL's gift, and my SIL's gifts for Christmas along with a purse or two for me for less than $50! And they are Longaberger!!!  Check out the Sisters market tote--just $4.50!
 
   Have you gotten your Christmas shopping started yet?  I start  looking for gifts the day after Christmas so I can get my shopping done by Thanksgiving--makes for a more relaxing Holiday season!
   
 
  Blessings,
Lisa

Last Week's Frugality

Hello !  Hope this post finds you well and happy!

     Last week, just so you know, I was on vacation  so we did eat out several times....make that a lot!
What kind of vacation would it be if I were chained to the stove every meal, I ask you.  Not a very good one for me! I did use coupons when it was possible if that helps any!

   I did get 4 jars of peach jam canned along with 3 jars of cherry jam and 2 pints of blueberry syrup!
All of the fruit used was found on sale at the market. Goodness, I feel so much satisfaction when I can......I just love it and small batch canning is perfect for me.  You see, I get bored quickly, so small batches are perfect for me and my short attention span.

  I have been watching the blackberries along my Mother's drive and our barn.  I see lots of blackberry jam and blackberry cobbler in my future.

  Vacation is over!  Back to life, back to frugality!

Blessings,
Lisa

 

Last .Week's Frugality

   

Hello to my dear Readers! Thought I fell off of the face of the Earth, didn't you!  I just needed to take a break from the blogging for a while.....a long while! 
  My blog may look different to you these days-no ads or other moneymaking gimmicks.  I have decided to change the scope of my blog.  I have been trying to monetize it for years with little success so now I am just blogging when I feel like it for the fun of it.  So you may see some different things or you may see some old stuff--just never know. So on to Last Week's Frugality.
   I only packed my lunch 3 days last week. I know. I know, I must get back to my good habits of packing.  Hospital food is expensive!
  I found a pair of dress pants for less than $2 at the Goodwill.  I also picked up a couple of tops for my Granddaughter Jordy. They are just adorable and only $1.00 each. She needed some for school this fall.
  I took advantage of some great sale loss leaders at the local County Market.  I was able to add 4 jars of olives($.50 each), 8 cans of diced tomatoes($.50 each), 24 boxes of cake mix(3/$1), and 4 cans of fancy mixed nuts for $2.50 each to my pantry this week.
 I also picked up some peaches that were on sale.  I would like to make some jam with them.  Also, Bing cherries were on sale for  $1.99 a pound so I bought oodles of them--my favorite fruit! If I have any left over from my nibbles, I would love to make some cherry jam for my pantry.

Well, as you can see, frugality hasn't been at the forefront of my mind lately but I hope to get back to it asap!

Frugal Blessings to you all,
Lisa












4

My Frugal Journey aka Deprivation Diary

In the last few weeks, my life has changed or should I say I have imposed a moratorium on spending! For my families financial health we have had to cut back to the bone. This series,  My Frugal Journey aka Deprivation Diary, will chronicle my journey with sticking to a bare bones budget.   I'm hoping this helps others in their quest for better financial health! Remember...you are not alone!  Others are going through the same thing you are!  With this economy there is no doubt.

  I have been feeling really deprived the last few days. Bad habits are hard to break. Trying to get over the fast food cravings! Last night I just wanted a Subway sub so badly but I resisted!  Yeah me!  It feels good to know I stuck to my budget!   I also had to go to Kroger to get prescriptions filled.  I am happy to tell you I didn't purchase anything but the meds!  Any other time I would have been looking for a bargain to buy.  Just because it is a great deal doesn't mean it is in the budget.

    On the upside of my budgeting, I think I have lost a few pounds. Just not buying a candy bar here and there and no fast food seems to be helping in more ways than one!

  I am still struggling with not buying anything that is not absolutely needed. I feel deprived.  I see people on Facebook going on vacations or going places and I wonder how they can afford to go and do all that they do.  I suppose some of them made better choices than I did when they were young.  I also suspect some are using plastic to fund their activities. I refuse to do that.

   And don't even get me started on Pinterest!  That is a sure path to dissatisfaction in your life. 
 Maybe I need to stay away from social media a little more!

  Till next time!

Frugal Blessings,
Lisa

Last Week's Frugality

   Hello All,

  I hope this post finds you happy and healthy!  It has been a long hard week for me and things have happened that make my frugal endeavors so much more important. 

  I have had to rewrite the budget and stop indulging my family and myself as much. Not that we were very spendy anyway!  Bottom line we have to cut back to the bone and I mean the bone.

  I have to get my emergency fund built back up ASAP!  This is imperative to my emotional wellbeing.

So here is what I have done this week to save money.

 I have packed my lunch 4 days out of 5. I have packed my son’s lunch 4 days out of 5 also. 

     I stopped at the store and only bought essentials—bread, milk and TP.  Oh yes, I also found a quart of heavy cream reduced and made butter from it!  We are having to make do with what’s in the pantry.  That is not such a problem because it is well stocked, just not what we want to eat right now.  But we will not go hungry!  Sure, I would love a quarter pounder from McD’s, but it isn’t possible.

  DH doesn’t like leftovers as a rule, but he ate them and then asked for seconds!  This was the left over black eyed peas and ham!  I have found a new cheap hearty meal that he loves!  Score one for me and frugality!

  One evening, I had Ramen noodles and parmesan cheese for supper. This wasn’t a big hardship because it is one of my favorites from my poor younger years!  We may even revisit Ramen Noodle Surprise in the next few weeks! That is ¼ lb of burger or ground turkey browned, with ramen noodles cooked in the skillet and tossing in whatever veggies you happen to have on hand!  A meal also from our younger, poorer days!

  We had bologna sandwiches one night. This is a favorite sandwich when I have mayo and sliced tomato on it. So that really wasn’t so bad either!  My kids were not impressed though.

  Our hot water heater went out and I haven’t been in a hurry to have it repaired/replaced because everyone is taking very short cold showers.  This will help with the water bill, but I so look forward to a hot shower soon! We surely do take things for granted!

  I dried my peas and carrots and got them stored away.

 

  I also started drying some of the 60lb of potatoes I bought a few weeks ago.  I definitely could use more trays but I will be making do with those that I have.

  We have not installed an AC unit as of yet.  Still trying to wait until June!  I do not know about you but my electric bill has increased lately so we are trying to suffer through as long as we can!  

  The bucket is still in the shower—just not catching as much water but enough for a flush here and there.

   I received several more samples this week and also signed up for a few.  I have been impressed by the amount of freebies I have been getting! Every little bit helps, right? 

  Several books I liked were free on Amazon and I downloaded them.

   I feel like so much has changed in the last week but upon rereading this, it isn’t so very much different from the normal frugal things I do.  I guess the biggest frugal change this past week was the change in our mindsets and not spending anything we don’t have to.  I must say this week has been hard and let me tell you I sure didn’t want to eat left over black eyed peas for supper one night, but I did not order pizza!  I felt very satisfied by using up and making do with what we had.

  In the next few months, I know we are going to struggle with our self-imposed frugality (can you say deprivation?) but I hope seeing the Emergency Fund build back up will leave us feeling even more satisfied and secure!  I hope!

Frugal Blessings,

Lisa

 

 

Quote of the Week

                                                             

Flowers are one of my favorite things! 

 

 

 

 

Flowers are the sweetest things

God ever made and forgot to put a soul into.

                                                     --Henry Ward Beecher

 

Beautiful Blessings to you all,

Lisa