Good morning all. Today is a beautiful crisp morning here in IN, going to get much warmer later on. Tomorrow we may hit record highs and then it falls into fall! Much, much cooler this weekend - high in 50's and 60's!
This is the month for winding up those harvests, getting things prepped and ready for the winter, cider, hot chocolate. pumpkins, beautiful leaves, all things FALL! It is upon us.
After I quick working I started mailing newsletter to lots of people (same name as blog).
I ran across them the other day. Oct. 2008 - some articles very relevant to today! I will post a couple.
"PROSPERITY vs. HARD TIMES
We all go through good times and bad. We have seen prosperity at its best in the country, and many have seen a depression. We are now in an uncertain time, but we will persevere. We will get through it all, and someday wonder what all the fuss was about. In the meantime, we need to continue our frugal ways, saving anywhere we can. Get your bills paid off ASAP - create NO new debt - be thrifty wherever possible. This may mean giving up some of the "pleasure" items you buy, barter with others, cook from home and make it cooking from scratch, and save every penny you can. Don't spend unnecessarily. Remember the difference between wants and needs. You may have to take a second job or a job you really don't like - but you need to do whatever you can. Even in hard times, you can get by or even get ahead, with some work. It may not be easy, but nothing work having is!!!! Keep your chin up - things will get better."
Yep, same advice being offered today - 15 years later. It seems as if we are going through a repeat of the past. Those who remember around 2008 - things got pretty testy out there and times were most definitely tough. Investments dropped, high interest where it shouldn't be, low interest where it shouldn't be, jobs hard to find, inflation sky-rocketed, etc.
******************
*****************
Article 2
"FIND A PENNY..........PICK IT UP
That may sound silly to some people. It is amazing how much change is dropped and never retrieved. Pick it up. This sounds very elementary - but it all helps. 100 pennies make a dollar, 20 nickels = $1, 10 dimes = $1 or 4 quarters = $1. Dollars add up quickly. All dollars help!!!!! It is as simple as taking the time to bend over. Once you start being aware of where you walk, you will find change all the time. PLEASE remember, if you see a bill on the ground to look around and see if someone looks distressed - odds are it is theirs. Don't ever take from someone else. It could happen to you. We have all accidentally lost money - and it is a sick feeling. So be courteous and notice if maybe the bill belongs to someone nearby, before putting it in your pocket. BE ON THE LOOKOUT. It all adds up!!!!!!"
Our lives do go in cycles. Financial problems go in cycles. Inflation and recession goes in cycles. Will it get better? Who knows! It may - odds are it levels out and we get 'used' to this 'new normal' - then in a few years it all starts over. It kind of sucks, but that is how it goes.
We just all need to be a vigilant as we can be and as prepared as we can be. Do whatever it takes to make things work for your family and home.
Plan your work and work your plan!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! My Glen's favorite saying!!!!!!
Boy is it true.
We will get through this broohaha of a mess we live in - we come from strong stock. Our ancestors worked hard and provided a new future - we can do the same.
It takes work and perseverance - but it CAN BE DONE!
Have a great Tuesday all!
(no politics please)
Loved your articles you wrote! You are one clever gal! Your Glen was one smart fellow also. What has happened to common sense these days?
ReplyDeleteOff to run errands. Enjoy the last of the summery days!
Thanks. Common sense seems to have gone to a land far, far away!!!!!!
DeleteEnjoy this wonderful day!
I generally don't pick up money as I know there are others truly in need. I have been known to "find" a $20 on the floor when standing near someone in a grocery store who is struggling with what they can afford. I'll stoop and hand it to them saying "I just saw this, you must have dropped it". They always say no (integrity is everything isn't it?) and I"ll say, "well, I'm doing OK right now so you go ahead and take it".
ReplyDeleteI painfully remember hard times and working so many hours I thought I'd never recover.
Meanwhile, it's been rain rain rain and I have no idea what the food in the garden is doing.......we have about 3weeks before the first anticipated frost!
Happy Tuesday all :-)
I understand what you are saying totally. That is very kind to hand it off to someone who looks in need. Integrity is a virtue!
DeleteI remember the days of making do and counting pennies for everything - so yes, it is wonderful to be able to help another.
I hope your rain stops so you can harvest. There has to be a bunch of goodies out there.
All wise advice! I remember those days (2007-2010+) very well. Our oldest was in college, and then the youngest was, too. From the time oldest started until the youngest did, Cal Poly's tuition doubled. Food, gas... everything was "upwardly mobile"--to use a term from an earlier period. There was the dot com boom and bust of the 1990s. Yup. Everything cycles. Good times come and go, but so do the bad times. This, too, shall pass.
ReplyDeleteWe had frost this morning. The pellet stove kicked on a little while ago. We have it set not to run before 6 a.m. We moved some frozen meat from the chest freezer into the fridge to thaw, cook and eat this week. Still quite a lot of meat in there. We have a full pantry, too. And all the wood pellets we need for the winter.
At bedtime last night, I thought about all the "new normals" over my lifetime. It seems my life has been about one "new normal" after another, and I suppose it's that way for everyone. Change is the one reliable constant in life. Best to take it all one day at a time.
Have a blessed Tuesday. --Elise
P.S. We keep change in a jumbo peanut butter jar plus a covered coffee can. I've picked up change for as long as I can remember. I got coin rolls from Dollar General awhile ago. One of these days we'll get around to sorting it all.
DeleteYes life is one cycle after another. Good and bad.
DeleteEvery time I hear someone say "I can't wait for things to be normal" - I always think 'which normal'. I think that is just part of life - no normal is ever going to stay. Life evolves.
I have a couple containers of change. I have rolled and turned in much over the years - I used to always keep my change from purchases. Guess I won't ever be broke!
Yes, I suppose we're saving the change for some rainy day or something. And yes, added to found coins is Hub's change from his pockets and my own from my coin purse.
DeleteSpeaking of change--as in life changes--I got an email from my Sis this morning, congratulating me on my good news. In it she wrote, "This morning mom put on two different shoes. Both black/both left feet. She got up last night and I didn’t hear her. That is scary. She was afraid someone would steal her purse so she hid it and we looked for it for a half hour. Found it hidden in her room… wanted to take the curlers out of her hair and put them in the purse… And it’s only 8:40… "
That's *her* new normal.
I share it because we don't always know what others are going through on a day to day basis, and very honestly, most people are going through something or another right now. Compounded with economic concerns we all have, it's just good to be kind, whenever and however we can be.
That old saying, "BE the good you want to see in the world" rings so true. --Elise
Elise and Cheryl, Those machines in the lobbies of stores are really nice for dumping in large amounts of change, they usually give you a choice of a check (If I remember correctly) back minus a little fee or the entire amount in credit to that store. It's so nice to dump all of that change.
DeleteElise, Oh my goodness. Your sister has her hands full and I'm sure the theatre of your mind is full as well. And it's so true, Elise. We don't know what others are going through...Yes, it's good to be *kind*. It's nice to be nice!
With the loss of our little Missy Christmas, or any other hit in life, we especially remember those who were kind. It was once said by a visitor to a church who felt ignored...She and her family were just looking for Jesus with skin on. We all need encouragement, care and love from time to time.
~Amelia
P.S. You and Cheryl do show that kindness, thanks for your sweet comments too. And anyone who prayed for me.
Delete"She and her family were just looking for Jesus with skin on."
DeleteI love that, Amelia!!! Don't you suppose many people are, whether they realize it or not? So many right here are going through rough times, yourself included, with your mom, the recent loss of two beloved pets... it can feel overwhelming. There are readers here dealing with illness, loss, BIG changes in their lives, and every change takes time to adjust to. Sometimes others don't "get it", but I feel everyone here does, because we all have our stuff. Empathy is important.
On a funny note, I told the doc yesterday I'd had just enough time before the surgery to cook and stock the freezer with heat-n-eat meats and things. He looked surprised and said, "What a good idea! When my wife went to ______ with her sister for a week, I just ate canned Spaghetti O's." LOL!!
(((Hug))) --Elise
I would hate to have to try and carry my containers of change!!! A couple are pretty large and full. One day!
DeleteELISE that is scary about your mom. To her, I am sure things are just fine - others see it as different or strange. Our lives change and is sure is an awakening.
I looked at some of those at the reunion the other night, and thanked God I am so healthy. So many with health issues, who undoubtedly won't be at the 55th. Of course no one knows what is in store - we just keep putting one foot in front of the other.
AMELIA - kindness is so important. I get aggravated at folks who criticize others for their behavior, yet they can be nasty and that is ok. Well, no it isn't. What is good for one is good for all. Some people are just oblivious to their behaviors. I know a couple people like that - I just bite my tongue.
Goodness and kindness, always comes back to us in some way. Hugs.
Elise, I agree that "normal" changes. I once heard it said that normal is a setting on your dryer. Well, that is about the only thing that is ever normal! 😊 With your mom, I know it's difficult to watch her go through such a difficult time. My mom had dementia, and my sister took care of her for quite a while, but we finally had to put her in memory care. Mom was in a wonderful memory care facility run by Mennonites, but it was still hard to take her there when the time came. For most of the two years she was there, she was in her own room with her own bathroom, but the she took a fall and injured her back and had to go into the nursing home part of the facility. She was there for just nine months before she went home to be with Jesus. We miss her, but we're glad she is no longer suffering or in pain. I will keep your mom, you, and your sister my prayers.
DeleteCheryl, when Sis gets her the correct shoe, or tells her the curlers don't belong in her purse, mom breaks down crying. As in many times per day. It's 100% up to Sis, but I think a care home for mom isn't far down the road; right now she's hired some day help a few hours per day, a few days per week. And YES, my motto is to just keep putting one foot in front of the other (if you can), taking life one day at a time. Just do our best. (((Hug))) --Elise
DeleteP.S. I have a BIL very much like what you describe to Amelia, and coming to your blog every day has helped save my sanity since he moved here.
P.S.S. The jumbo peanut butter jar of coins weighs a ton! Well, I'd say at least 50 lbs. It's heavier than either Blue or Poppy. And for your smile of the day, skittish Blue now also wants to be in my lap. I pulled her up there this morning, she was licking my face, and Poppy came (literally) flying out of nowhere to know her sister off my lap. Too funny!
Wanita, thank you so much. I appreciate your experience and your prayers. No one ever said life would be easy. These days I pray (simply) for God's mercy and grace. --Elise
DeleteWANITA - I do believe that is true - normal is a setting on the drier!!!!!! YEP!
DeleteIt is so hard to deal with aging parents - so many things we are never prepared for - no matter how much we love them. We do our best and that is all we can do. When mom got so sick we all tried so hard to take good care of her, luckily Hospice helped out. It is tough. They took care of us and always seemed to know what to do - I figure they had to be scared and unsure too.
What a circle of life we all live.
Elise, that warms my heart that my blog has been a blessing to you! Makes my day!
DeleteI was reading a few weeks ago on elderly with memory loss etc. It says when they are imagining things or doing things like putting curlers in their purse to just go with it. But of course you can't just go with two left shoes....My mom can't find her bra and thinks someone stold it. She heard noises at her back door so my son in law called the police and she was very pleased on that! : ) And she could have heard noises too. We just never know. My other son in law was saying that when his grandfather had dementia and wouldn't remember his kids, and they would try to tell him it would make things worse and he would start crying so hard, he knew and was scared that he could not remember so that family did not know what to do, they were thinking just go with it and not try to straighten things out. It's tough. Really tough. My mom is doing much better this past week, since I lost our sweet dog, I'm requesting prayers from her and seeking advice and that seems to really do her good, it makes her feel like she is with it enough to advise me and help me. It helps in some way for me to seek help from her, I'm thinking it makes her feel in some way useful? It's hard to understand.
Oh my...Spaghettios? lol It doesn't surprise me! lol We have a doctor in the fam and he doesn't know anything on nutrition and rolls his eyes! That is funny though, Elise. He sounds like a nice guy! : ) Good bedside manner and that is important!
I do think the ladies here do understand. I love it. So many who are in their 30s or 40s? They give the impression they have the world by the tail many times, even my 30 year old daughter has shared with me that they think they know it all and I don't sense that so much with our age group, she probably would fit in fine here too.
This group is a BLESSING to me. : ) <3<3
Wanita, That is so great.... A setting on our dryer! So true! : )
DeleteCheryl, seeing that mug of hot chocolate made my mouth water!! I'm so ready for cool weather. The snow can take its time, but 50-60° days are more than welcome!
ReplyDeleteI love your articles. You should share all of them with us. I know that I can always use a reminder.
I have found 2 $20 bills in my life, both in the market parking lot in the early morning. Both times there wasn't a soul in sight. I hoped that whomever lost them had so many that they never noticed as opposed to someone like me who would've been sick for a month over it lol. Our grocery budget was $40 per week. I would've thrown up.
Speaking of finding change, my bud has a special needs son and one of their daily jobs is to go around the school doing trash pickup. He makes a nice little sum yearly! Kids are sloppy and drop change and throw pennies. He has a special jar and collects about $35-$50 every school year!
I read on one of the other blogs that someone always checks around the McDonald's drive thru when picking up her kid from work. Then she added something like, "If you don't watch the drive thru traffic and get hit by a car, this could negate any savings". I laughed out loud when I read that!
Since finding all my newsletters and rereading I have some new ideas for here - so I will be sharing some. Thanks.
DeleteI do think 50's and 60's will be lovely as well. I prefer 7-'s but won't complain!
I found a twenty once and like you - no one was around. I have found dollar bills.
How cool for the young man. He is working and learning to take care of things and the change is an added bonus!
I have actually seen people at stores just intentionally drop change on the floor - as they don't want to mess with it. I asked someone once why - their response was 'it's not like it's worth anything'!!!!!!!!! WHAT?????? Nut case.
I used to stop at one particular BK back in the day and always found .50 or more at the drive through on the ground - always! Yep, an accident wouldn't be worth it!
Not worth anything???!!! Oh, my goodness. Well, I'll happily take those worthless coins. They don't call it pinching pennies for nothing!
Delete;-)
Hi Cheryl, what beautiful fall photos. It's raining and thundering here today, a wee cool front coming in but welcomed.
ReplyDeleteYes, Cheryl. So much waste. I know someone, a relative who made sure she got my grandma's homestead when my grandma passed away. Well, she calls my mom last year to borrow money to pay taxes on it. She never came to our daughter's weddings or even sent a card...
I like Glen's quote, very good. I pray God will give me good plans from day to day.
I appreciate you, ~Amelia
I love fall pictures. You can probably use that rain and the cooler temps.
DeleteSome people just never think ahead or prepare for anything. I just don't understand.
I don't know where G heard that - but he said it a lot! True!!
Thank you!
YES. It amazes me when I see anyone, especially those I know, who can't/don't think ahead and are never prepared. Hubs and I were talking on the way to the doc about how hard this winter is going to be on his brother. Still empty house. No winter clothes (coming from So. Cal.), not anywhere close to enough firewood, no snow shovel, no boots... yet he made several trips here during last winter, so knows what's ahead. Soon. SMH. --Elise
DeleteElise - all of that is HIS fault! He could have furniture in the house he could get those things. Maybe a rude awakening is what he needs. YOU stay strong!
DeleteI know, Cheryl, and we're staying out of it, keeping our distance now. Hubs will also take the "point" position with his brother from here on out. We just know his inheritance has to be down to vapor now, with no income and no preparation. He can't come back to our house, though. Harsh as that may sound. --Elise
DeleteCheryl and Elise, I don't understand people who don't think ahead. It blows my mind. Even when our girls were little, the other moms knew I would have benadryl and extra diapers on hand...I just don't understand people on basics.
DeleteElise, you better hold that bil at arms length. He could be spoiled? My mil is kind of like that. It sounds like he needs a few little lessons. His lack of planning is not your emergency! (I saw something to that effect on a sign on a teacher's door). It's just ridiculous how people (relatives) stress others out, they never grew up in areas it seems. Ugh.
Cheryl, I look forward to reading your newsletters! I know they are going to be good. : ) Lot's of wisdom there...
DeleteGreat articles, providing a historical perspective that we're on the verge of reliving. Got my deposits on the 1st, wrote and paid bills yesterday, and got a notification of "low funds" this morning. Where does all the $$ go??? Sometimes I think it's like the leaky boat in the cartoons, where you plug one hole and another plank comes open. Pretty soon you're stradling by both hands and feet, trying to stop all the leaks. That's where I'm at today and this week, planning my work (to figure out how to reduce more to accomodate inflation) and working my plan. Applesauce is ready to come out of the canner, so I'll at least have that to eat during the winter months. Will be making stewed apple slices with some of the remaining bag of apples, and a couple of loaves of apple bread for the freezer and to share with my daughter and son-in-law. Waste not, want not ... and these applees are NOT going to waste!
ReplyDeleteIt is amazing how quickly it flows away. It takes a lot of work or all month to get the funds - then BOOM gone! I hear you.
DeleteWell you have been working your plan for a while doing all the canning and things. You have been industrious.
You can use those peels and cores to make jelly or apple cider as well! Then compost if you have a spot.
I think we can all tighten the food budget a tiny bit more - maybe more soups to stretch food. Using all leftovers creatively. Less meats, etc.
Let us know what you come up with!
For sure - waste not want not!
Lori K, I'd love a good, in depth conversation among us about how to plug those holes and adapt to still prevalent inflation for food, fuel, etc. Some of the out-of-pocket medical costs for my surgery had to go on a cc, which I don't like, but it was that or bring savings down to a dangerous balance. Winter is ahead, heating costs, the holidays, and I think we could all use a refresher of any tips everyone has. What do you think, Cheryl? Your newsletters could be ideal for that purpose.
DeleteExample: some of us already gave up cable, various subscriptions, and anything else non-essential. We don't go out for coffee and rarely eat out; we don't waste, either. And manage to get 3 meals for 2 out of 4 chicken thighs. My feeling is it's going to be a rough winter, based on economic forecasts. --Elise
I'm with Elise. Hubs got a decent raise last year that we never noticed because it got sucked into inflation. And I know everything is going up again. We're waiting for the new horror of prp tax revaluation. I'm figuring another hundred minimum per month. We're paying $6 3xtra per month for a heat debt the gas company incurred several years ago. Isn't that swell? THEY fail to prepare and we get the extra bill. Gas prices are way up, both car and house. Our vet plan is going up another $20 per month. And on and on. Contrary to the talking head ahem *experts*, giving up my daily latte isn't gonna do it. I DONT DRINK A DAILY LATTE, YOU IMBECILES! So, any direct ideas on stretching market money will be great. I know the generals backwards and forwards, but anything pointed is great.
DeleteI noticed that our Kroger has done 99¢ peanut butter for 2 weeks in a row. Yes, we have all 10 jars lol. Peanut glut? I also read that coffee and avocados are going up. Seems bad weather is affecting coffee to the south, but that the cartels are poking in on the avocado business. And we Americans love our avocados....
How funny about the doctor eating spaghetti-O's when his wife was away! My sister-in-law taught me about fixing little individual heat-and-eat dinners when she went to visit her mom out of state. Otherwise my brother would have been eating beans from a can ;)
ReplyDeleteYes, pay those bills as fast as you can. When my property tax bill comes I pay ASAP so I know it went through before there are late penalties or questions about lost checks. My little IRA payment will (so far) cover that and I don't spend that payment until I've paid those taxes.
Absolutely *no* Daily Latte here! I cannot imagine. That's just a huge hole in the pocketbook.
Coin jar is pretty heavy. Years ago I was working for an old fellow - he saved his change and when there was a special at Red Lobster he'd ask me to roll the coins and we'd go to lunch! Good times. :)
Elise, I'm sorry about your mom, that must be really hard for your sis to deal with every day. That's a "normal" nobody wants.
I think praying for mercy and grace is about where I am, along with a big helping of "Thanks for the good times"!
Cheryl, do publish your old newsletters, they'll be good reminders for all of us.
MaryB
same here on property taxes. Mine aren't extremely high - so I pay the entire year at once (it is a 2 installment bill). taxes and insurance - I always have money back for those - this is my home and nobody getting it!!!!!!
DeleteI have G's retirement and SS here - and I live off that and still save some too. Luckily we saved for a lot of years and did without a lot - but we still had a good life.
Thanks for the confidence - I will start working on getting stuff together. Time doesn't change the need for living a practical life - just maybe the means.
Thank you, MaryB. I'm so very grateful for my Sis. And yes, I had to laugh about the doc and his Spaghetti Os, too. Good thing he's a podiatrist and foot surgeon, rather than an endocrinologist!! --Elise
DeleteI taught my children that the bills get paid first: rent/mortgage, utilities, insurance and such. Then groceries, and if there is anything left over (back then there wasn't much), needed clothing/personal care items and maybe a little fun. For us that was junk food Saturdays when we went to the store and picked up a drink and a bag of chips.
ReplyDeleteI did chuckle at the thought of cash/change. I rarely have any cash on me, as I've become so accustomed to using debit or the credit card (which I pay off at the end of each month). I bet I'd be hard pressed to come up with $20 worth of cash, both bills and coins.
You taught them well. That is my thinking too! Priorities.
DeleteI am a cash person. They will take me down fighting a cashless society!!! LOL!
I have mentioned before I have never had or used a debit card. I do have a couple CC's and use them from time to time (I get points) - but they are paid off each month.
It is all what we get used to I think.
My siblings are much older than me, so my brother-in-law taught me when I was about ten years old to keep an eye on the ground. Always have and always will. My best year was $101
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the club - my siblings are much older as well!
DeleteYour brother-in-law taught you a good lesson. That was a great year - wowza!
You have to love free money!!!!!!!
I always keep my eyes open to pick up any money I find. That money goes into my change jars and is used to help fund our spending at our every second year family reunion. I have been lucky enough to find bills sometimes.
ReplyDeleteGod bless.
What a nice way to use that change, Jackie!
DeleteI've never been a coin saver except when I needed coin for making change at yard sales. Gave up yard sales because people are so cheap and rude and let their pets and children run amok. So that was many years ago. I always liked to have my money working for me; earning interest until the interest rate dried up. Luckily rates are going up again so more interesting for secure investments.
ReplyDeleteElise, I would consider the credit card as my backup instead of savings. Weigh the difference between c.c. interest and your savings interest. Avoid PAYING interest always.
I love to shop for groceries but when you're a bargain hound, which I am, you can overspend and have overstock of stuff that is not getting any younger. Shopping once a month forces me to plan carefully and I have learned not to buy too much ahead. There are cycles for reduced prices on various things. If I run out, I do without until my price point comes again. For example, cheddar cheese. I will pay up to 1 cent per gram; regular price is twice that but I never pay more than that; usually less and that's Canadian $$ which is worth .73 American. That is $3.28 U.S. per pound of cheese. I always take stock of my fridge and garden before I plan the day's meals; aiming to use stuff up. I love an almost empty refrigerator. Never skimp on good protein for the family; children especially need full fat milk and meat protein. Nut 'milk' just doesn't cut it for me. So these are just my ideas about some stuff. I'm not looking to argue about vegan or otherwise. I just happen to have big healthy kids ( grown up now) and a happy husband who likes a good portion of meat in front of him.
You can save money and the forest by dropping paper products. My American friends have a love affair with disposables. You can make washable substitutes for every paper product on the shelf. Wash and reuse zip lock bags. reuse bread bags, cereal box liners. You can make your own cereal!! I just discovered this ...https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nA9772I3FOc. I made the rice crisps and they are good. Will do raisin bran next.
You tube is a huge resource for doing things yourself.
If you have half decent tap water, stop buying bottled water. Bottled water is a pox on humanity and because it's relatively cheap, everyone buys it. I know some folks have nasty sulfur smelling water and that calls for buying but otherwise you can filter. I shall end this harangue and wish you all prosperity and happiness.
Lots of good tips, Rita, thanks. And I agree on the big, healthy, grown up kids now. That's how I cooked when they were growing up. We still have good quality protein (as in meat) every day. We only do bottled water in the car or--as it was hard for me to get around--after surgery. Paper product use has changed for us now with septic. Fats/grease can clog up a septic system fast; using rags that have to then be washed means it winds up in the septic system. Grease can clog up your pipes, too. We use biodegradable plastic bags for dog doo pick up. I'm starting to see more biodegradable plastics now. --Elise
DeleteElise.. yes, grease is a problem even just for your pipes before it gets to the septic tank or sewer. I use old cut up fabric to replace paper towels for getting grease residue from pans before washing; the rags are then burned but could be put into the garbage. I tend to save all fats and bacon grease, etc for cooking and frying so there is just a trace that needs to be captured before washing up.
DeleteHope that you are doing better every day.
RITA - those are very, very good tips. We have been meat eaters in my family too (for the most part) - but I do have many a day now, that I just eat veggies. People do what they see as ethical or proper - I won't argue with either.
DeleteI am a huge fan of getting rid of paper products. I keep paper towels on hand - but they were used with kitties when they were sick. I have plastic baggies drying on the counter right now! I even re-use the canning lids again, for dry product storage. There are so many ways to cut back.
I quit having yard sales too - no matter how low the price, it wasn't good enough! I also just don't feel safe at this point in life doing them and it is a LOT of work!!!!!!
I save all bacon grease as well - it just makes things taste so flavorful - better than store bought ones.
I have price points too - I didn't realize many still did that. Cheese is on for great prices pretty regular and hard cheeses last - so I always stock up. Most things don't get purchased unless on sale or clearance. That is me!!!!!
Great tips and ideas - thanks!!!!!!
Cheryl: Have you seen the price of canning jars these days? I about fell over; just under $20. for a dozen 16 oz. Lids are crazy too. I reuse lids for canning! I also use jars from pickles, pasta sauce, etc for canning but never for the pressure canner; only hot water bath...just in case. I've had just as many fails on new lids as used lids; cheaper rubber compounds these days.
DeleteLike you, I find I don't care for meat as much. Husband likes meat but I'm more a bean eater so hummus, peanut butter or veggie combos are more appealing to me. Can't say no to a pork chop though.
9 #s of cheddar and mozzarella in my fridge plus 3 # of slices; looks like we are cheese hounds.
Have a wonderful day.
Rita - I have so many canning jars that have gotten used for years. I also use some store jars as well. Not quite that expensive here, but still pretty pricey. They have definitely changed the lids. I have done good - no fails yet.
DeleteI like meat - just don't have to have it every meal. I hear ya, on the cheese. I always have LOTS - no chance of running out here. All kinds.
We just keep plugging away and doing the best we can!!!!!
Had to share something that came in email from oldest son (he'd sent a link to a news article re. something I predicted awhile ago)...
ReplyDelete"Sometimes I think your common sense is like a superpower LOL"
He's 36 now. It can take kids awhile to figure out their parents might know a thing or two!! --Elise
True, true! I do believe that is right - it isn't a flower that grows in everyone's garden any more!
DeleteSo much to comment on. I'll wait for Cheryl's post today before I decide where to set my soapbox lol
ReplyDelete