Sunday, November 8, 2015

Frugal Happenings 11/8

Howdy all!  Here we are at yet another Sunday.  Wow, just 2 1/2 more weeks and it will be Thanksgiving!  This year sure has flown by.

We have been having lovely weather for this time of the year.  Despite having seen better days, we even have some flowers still blooming - geraniums, a couple potted plants, and roses.  Roses are still blooming every where I go.  We have some warm days, then fall-like days, then back to warm.  I am loving this!
I have read some sources that have said we are to have a nasty winter, but the other day our paper said it should be above normal temps and below normal snow.  I'll take it!!!  Supposedly it because of a strong el Nino.  Why is it, we never heard of those when we were kids??

I had a nice week.  I got to work in the yard some - raking leaves.  I did a lot of cleaning and got caught up on laundry.  I even got some great deals.  I got to open windows and air out the house, and we used very little heat.

Here are some of my bargains this week;
  • 8 oz. bags of organic whole almonds for 1.50 (was 5.49).  That is $3 a pound!!!  I got 5 lbs. which was all they had (Kroger)
  • Cashew/almonds/pistachio salted mix - 10 oz. bags for 1.49 (was 6.99).  Got both bags they had.   All nuts were dated 8/2016   (Kroger)
  • 2 bags - 80 count each - of full size Tootsie Pops for 1.99 each!  Think kid's Christmas!!!  These were from Aldi.
  • 4 boxes of Asiago/sundried tomato crackers (6/2016) for .99 each (were 2.99)  (Aldi).
  • 1 1/2 lb. container of plain Greek yogurt for 1.49.  I will use in baking this week.  (Kroger)
Other fugal things
  • I was gifted a 4 piece set of kitchen shears - poultry, utility, bent, and all purpose
  • We are still eating tomatoes that are ripening indoors from our garden
  • I was gifted 20 paperback books of an author I love.  I am set for winter
  • I washed the pick up truck with rain water.  That poor old truck looked bad - it has set most of the summer and needed a bath badly.  Needed to use up rain water - still lots out there to drain.
  • Put all the leaves I raked in our garden beds
Of course we did all the usual stuff.  I made tea and cooled outside, filtered our own water, meals from scratch, laundry in cold water and I used the dehumidifier water in the laundry.

I plan on giving a lot of gift ideas this week.  Things you can get ready now and that will cost little or no money.  Get ready!!!!

Here's one little area of my basement stockpile for winter and future.  Click on picture to enlarge.
It sure does help.  I always buy cheap and save $ later!  Behind the curtains are jellies and jams and all my tomato products (home canned).

"They take great pride in making their dinner cost much; I take great pride in making my dinner cost so little."  Henry David Thoreau
Wise man!  My thinking as well.

Wishing all a fantastic and safe week.  May the Lord shower you with blessings.
Cheryl


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10 comments:

  1. Cozy Thyme CottageNovember 8, 2015 at 10:33 PM

    Hi Cheryl, I was wondering how you use your yogurt in baking? I have some vanilla yogurt that is probably going bad and wondering if I could possibly use it in someway?? Lucky you to get all those books. Who is the author you like? Do you have a Berky to filter your water? We have a small portable one and I really like it. Looking forrward to all your gift ideas. I have so many things floating around in my head about Christmas I need to write them down and figure out which ones I can get done with my energy level. Have a nice night. Nancy

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  2. Cheryl KimbleyNovember 9, 2015 at 9:06 AM

    Hi Nancy.
    1. I will be using the yogurt in some banana oatmeal muffins - they use no flour or sugar. I will post the recipe in a while.
    2. The author is Debbie Macomber - I love her. Good wholesome Christian books and they always have a moral to the story.
    3. No - we have a Brita pitcher filter. Works just fine for us.

    You are so right. I have tons of ideas floating around this head of mine too. It's hard to decide.

    I'll be getting busy with posting here shorty.
    Thanks for checking in!

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  3. EllenMBNovember 9, 2015 at 12:19 PM

    I also use yogurt in my cooking. I think if there is blue mold in the yogurt you won't want to use it. I usually use the whey, that liquid that always seems to rise to the top in my baking. I also use the thick part, but sometimes you have to add a little water to get the right batter. Not much but a little.

    There is a walnut war waging in our town. First Weis dropped the price on one pound bags of walnuts (from $9.99 to $4.50) and now Wegmans has done the same at $4.66. I picked up some under $2 for five pounds of AP flour and under $2 a 4 lb bag for white granulated sugar.

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  4. EllenMBNovember 9, 2015 at 12:22 PM

    I was able to help my gf clean out and label canisters in her pantry. She had five opened bags of walnuts, four of chips, and forteen boxes of baking chocolate. She kept buying new ones because the old ones were buried under other goods! I so have done that many times. Keeping a pantry is a good thing, keeping it organized is another!

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    Replies
    1. Cheryl KimbleyNovember 9, 2015 at 12:47 PM

      Good deals at the store.
      I try to keep track of things opened - but yep, it does happen.
      Nice of you to help!

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    2. EllenMBNovember 10, 2015 at 8:00 AM

      I have tried keeping a freezer list, but need to try again. One or the other of us forgets to check the item off when removing it from the freezer. I wonder about keeping a pantry list. The closest I got was to list all the specialty flours on the shelf, but then the magnet slipped and the list got stuck down the side of the shelving. Ah Well!

      Ideas on a fools proof way of keeping a pantry inventory for this lost soul (me) ?

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    3. Cheryl KimbleyNovember 10, 2015 at 9:40 AM

      when I clean the freezers I always make a nice inventory. I really try to keep like things together - pork, ground beef, veggies, etc. The list lasts a few days!!! I always forget to mark things off too and then don't add new things. So no good suggestions - as I am as guilty as you! Just keep like items together is my best advice and clean out and organize freezers every 6 months - so nothing gets forgotten.

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    4. EllenMBNovember 24, 2015 at 12:23 PM

      Ha Ha on the list lasting just a few days! I'll keep looking for ways to help us with this!

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  5. EllenMBNovember 24, 2015 at 12:22 PM

    well, I did one good thing in the chest freezer, I got rid of the cardboard boxes I couldn't lift out and put the items in those fabric grocery bags, easy to lift out! I got the idea from pinterest. The one bag has all the meats that we need to use up as it was from last year. When we were putting the new meat in, I took a permanent marker and swiped a green line across the label so we know which is old. Hopefully we will use it all up soon and then 2016 will be only labels without marker swipes.

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    Replies
    1. Cheryl KimbleyNovember 25, 2015 at 12:11 PM

      That is a great idea on using the bags in the freezer! I would never have thought of that. Good going on getting all the older meat together to use, so that nothing gets wasted. Frugal award!!!!!!

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