Frugal Happenings 1/3

Happy first Sunday!!!!
I hope you all had a quiet and safe new years day!  I was in bed before the midnight hour, but was awakened by all the noise from fireworks.

We made corned beef and cabbage and black eyed peas for our new years dinner.  I think it is a Midwest and southern thing - but every year of my life has started with those items on January 1.  They are supposed to bring you luck in the coming year.  I know different regions have different menu items.

Yesterday we had the last of our family gatherings for Christmas.  It was fantastic to have the kids here.  We really enjoyed their visit and everyone had a good time.  I wish we all got together more often.  It seems distance and 'lives' just get in the way.
We received sweet family pictures, garden decorations, a homemade birdhouse, GC's, and lots of goodies! (I think they love us!!!!)  Oh, I also got a 6 pack of purple canning jars!  How fun!!!!

I stayed home most of the week.  I went to the store only once to buy my corned beef and a head of cabbage.  This is the first year I didn't have corned beef in the freezer.
I am looking forward to tonight's dinner, as we will be having homemade Reuben sandwiches made with our own kraut!  YUM!

All my decorations are down and put away, and today I will go downstairs and clean the craft room and get all the re-cycled boxes, bags, and paper put away neatly.  It is now time to get back to normal.  Maybe in a week or so, I can have a couch and book kind of day!  I am so looking forward to that - it has been a while.

My frugal week;

• On my grocery outing I did get corned beef on sale for 2.99/lb.  That was the cheapest price around this year.  Cabbage was .25/lb.
• I stopped at Kroger while out to get cat litter, and found bags of baking M&M's on clearance for .49/bag.  I am stocked up for the year (probably longer)!  They also had Pistachio instant pudding on clearance for .15/box.  G's favorite pudding!  I am good for a long time with that and what I already had.
• Everything I cooked for our family gathering was things I had here.  We had BBQ smokies in the crockpot, chili, beef stick and cheese slices, various crackers and chips, and pickles and olives.  We also had homemade cookies, cinnamon rolls, and fudge.
• We have tons of leftovers for this coming week.  Chili, smokies, and corned beef.  They will be reinvented into new meals!  That's a nice way to start the year.
• We are also set for snacks and granola cereals for quite some time with all the goodies we got as gifts!

The house is clean and neat - a nice feeling.  The pantry is loaded.  I am hoping this will be another good year.  I will be going out this week to shop for a new washing machine (oh dread), but hopefully that will get back to normal too, and it will probably last me the rest of my life.

How was your week?  I know everyone will be getting back to a regular work schedule and life this week.  Hope you are all well.
Again, HAPPY NEW YEAR to you all.

I am really excited about learning from each of you this year.  This will be our 'little on-line school'!
God bless.