Frugal Happenings 8/27

Happy Sunday all.  I hope you all had a good week.
Here we are on the down side of another month - wow!  Time sure has been flying by.  It is so hard for me to believe that September is just a few days away.
Less than 4 months till Christmas!!!!!  YIKES

We have had lovely weather this past week.  The AC has been off for a large part of the week and windows open.  Loving the fresh air.  The same is expected this coming week.  Highs in upper 70's to 80 and lows in the 50's and 60's.  Sure makes great sleeping weather.

The cucumbers are finally setting fruit and starting to grow again now that it is cooler.  Second round of peppers setting and the plants are loaded.  Tomatoes have slowed down, but tons of new growth and smallish to large tomatoes on that growth, so we will get a second round of those as well.  New shoots on zucchini are popping up and loaded with bloom.  Broccoli and cabbage round 2 in the works.  This is really the first time that we have had EVERYTHING go into a second growing and will be viable before frost.  HAPPY DANCE!

Our days are getting shorter.  Light later in the morning and dark earlier in the evening.  That is the part of fall I dislike.
Needing rain again, although we did get some one day this past week.

Many of our flowers are still going strong and look so pretty.
The corn the squirrels 'planted' is doing great and they have been harvesting!  It is so cute to watch them shuck it and carry around ears of corn to hide somewhere.  Saves on my feed right now!  They planted - they get to harvest.

MY frugal week:
It has been kind of quiet this week and just doing a lot of small things to stay frugal.

• Line dried laundry
• Canned 12 more jars of salsa (we use a lot of salsa in eating/cooking)
• Picked more grapes.  5 lbs. after de-stemming.  I should have weighed with stems as that is how you buy them.  Oh well.
• My brother gifted me with 2 quarts of home canned green beans and a quart of home canned carrots - just because!
• Did lots of yard work.  Mowing and trimming = good exercise.  I just can't keep ahead of things - so much to do.
• Meals from home and scratch - using what we have on hand this week
• Froze several over ripe bananas for bread and smoothies later on
• Made a kidney bean salad that G has been asking for - he was a happy camper
• Made a batch of savory polenta for easy breakfasts or side dish
• Made up a quart of refrigerator dilled jalapenos (re-used pickle juice).  I brought leftover juice to a boil and poured over sliced peppers and set in frig. after it cooled
• Got caught up on monthly paperwork
• Made up another bottle of diluted shampoo and a new bottle of foaming hand soap
• Got out a small roast from freezer dated early 2015!  OOPS.  I was looking for some meat for stew and noticed the date - thawed and cut it up - perfect for stew. 
• Have the crockpot going this morning with a large pot of stew.  YUM.

Just doing all the regular stuff as well.  So much we do on a daily basis, is just second nature but still frugal.  That is MY LIFE!

Meals this week:
Leftover taco casserole
Mac n cheese with salsa added and hamburgers
Chicken strips, mashed potatoes, salad
Breakfast - toast and country gravy, scrambled eggs, sausage
Fried chicken and salad
Grilled cheese/tomato sandwiches, sautéed zucchini in salsa (yum)
Tuna patty sandwiches, bean salad, sliced tomatoes

Melon, apples, yogurt
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Now that fall is getting closer and the days are cooler, I get in the mood for soups and stews.  Comfort food!  I may even make a loaf of beer bread today to go with the stew.  I found a couple beers in frig. (been there for ages) and a mix someone gave us at Christmas - so bread it will become. Mmmm Mmmm good!

I have been looking over some cookbooks this week - need some new inspirations!  LOL

What have you been doing to stay frugal this week?
Any great deals or harvests to brag about????  Let us know. 
We need to inspire each other!

May the Lord bless and keep you in the comfort of His protective arms this week.  Stay safe my friends.
Blessings from my humble and frugal home to yours.