Frugal Friday Week #18
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I always feel like I post many how-to’s and not many “real lifes”. Although I do try and incorporate that into my newer posts, I’ve often thought that it might be even more helpful for my readership to get a better glimpse inside of what our simple/homestead/from scratch/frugal life really looks like.
Frugal Friday Week 18
So I’ve started a new series called Frugal Friday and need your help. My idea for this series is to share some of the projects/recipes/things we worked on this week and, in general, just what life looks like.
I need your help because I’ve tried something similar before, and I gave up after a while. I got bored, felt like no one was reading it or cared, and I moved on to other projects. So what I need you to do each week is to share what your week looked like in the comments section. I think it could keep us ALL accountable and may serve as an encouragement to others!
So let’s dive right into this week!
Meals We Ate
This was a wild week of working outside, so meals were anything we could pull from the fridge! Breakfasts were yogurt and granola, banana bread, egg sandwiches, and leftover pancakes.
Shopping I Did
I picked up a few things for a campfire fellowship night that we are having at our home…hot dog buns, watermelon, and some chips. It’s going to be a great night!
I also bought a few more supplies for my garden, like weed fabric, garden staples, and new garden gloves.
Outside Projects We Worked On
As I mentioned last week, this was a huge week for working in the garden. The fence is almost completely done (just needs one more gate). Building an 8-foot elk fence has been quite the undertaking!
I planted almost everything in the garden beds that we made. Beans, ground cherries, squash, pumpkins, melons, peppers, more fruit trees, lettuce, chard, and over 70 tomato plants finally went in the ground. This year, it’s been a struggle to get the garden made in between the rain, which is unusual for us (most of our rain comes in the fall). I’m not ungrateful for the moisture, but it’s been hard to work around.
Inside Projects We Worked On
None. This was a huge outside week.
Blog Posts I Wrote
I’m making an effort to be a bit more seasonal with my blog posts; here’s what’s new and updated this week!
- How to Stay Sane During Canning Season – Here are some tips and tricks I’ve learned over the years to help make one of the busiest seasons less crazy.
- Easiest Foods to Preserve that You Can Grow – This one is for those of you that want to start preserving a lot from your garden but aren’t sure what are good things to start with.
- Preserving and Drying Greens – It’s the perfect time of year to start drying greens. Here are some of the ones that we preserve, how we preserve them, and what we do with them!
Looking Ahead to Next Week
I have just a few more garden beds that need to be made and planted, and I’m hoping to get that done this weekend, provided it stops raining long enough so that we can till. I’m so grateful for the rain but hope it will get me to finish getting the garden in first!
So tell me….what did life look like for you this week? What did you do, make, or plan to do?
Merissa has been blogging about and living the simple life since 2009 and has internationally published 2 books on the topic. You can read about Merissa’s journey from penniless to the 100-acre farm and ministry on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.
This week I read your article about canning. I will start Sunday afternoon with rattlesnake beans. The canner will not be full, but I can fill in with a couple of hard of water.
Hello! This past week was busy outside work as well! Hubby got my house pressure washed, so that was great! While he worked outside, I worked inside. I had a deep freezer go out (which is not repairable unfortunately) so I cleaned that area in my store room. Thankfully I had another freezer to transfer all my things into, and nothing was lost. Until this freezer is empty, my meals are coming from there! No more shopping for a little while! And you know how one thing leads to another! Cleaned out, threw, organized, recycled things that were in that area! I feel so much better now! (funny how that makes you feel better!!). Repotted outside plants, started cucumber seeds (yes, I am late!) and they are already up and growing! 1 week out. My tomato plant (yes, singular) has blooms on it already! I am late, but that is OK. I have friends that have blessed me with fresh cucumbers and corn. I am very thankful! Our meals have been simple this week. We did bbq on Memorial Day so plenty of leftovers. This weekend will be more outside yard work (trimming trees)! I so enjoy this blog!
This week, I got mentored in sewing. I plan to specialize in sewing garments. I made hamburgers purchased from a grass-fed local rancher. I am often focusing on the health of our food and often look for good sources of it. I am making smoothies, again. New ingredient, fresh, refrigerated coconut meat cubes. This goes good with tropical fruits and chocolate/carob. I did a lot of container gardening last year, self taught. I bought garden posts, wire, etc. and may have 5 posts installed soon for privacy and beginning of garden in yard. I want to till and fertilize this Fall. So many new things to explore at mid-life journey.
I worked on my small (sort of city garden), etc.near a large boating lake here in NY. While still praying and hoping my fiance finds HIS ideal farm around here, which seems hard. And for us to proceed with full marriage plans someday. THEN with prayers from you and your frugal team too for Eric and me (Jennifer) Oneida NY lake area…
Hi, from soggy Bermuda.. we have had a week of rainy weather. I do not ever remember
So many rainy days in a row, and I am hear over 50 years. We have good drainage, but even
The plants are showing sighns of too much. I so enjoyed your planting descriptions and pictures.
The one taken where the peppers lived was like a work of art. I have been sick this week with horrid cold, so in a way it was a blessing no plants needed watering except my porch plans.
Have just been resting and doing odd things. Sun is peeking out, and feel better today, so next
Week should be back to normal. I did see an idea I did. You take the cover off an egg carton and throw it away, putting the other part on one of the door shelves of your fridge and stand small condiment bottles capside down in it. Works nice as they stay in one place. Have a blessed week
In the
We are finishing up planting our garden as well. We are trying some companion planting this year. We planted acorn squash around our sweet corn patch. It is supposed to help repel racoons from the corn because they don’t like crossing the scratchy vines. Time will tell!
Husband and his brother are putting a new steel roof on our garage. Shingle roof needed replacing after almost 25 years.
All the rain is missing us by the lake. Still dry here.
Been reading some good mysteries and a thriller.
Emare getting 2 300 pound jersey Angus ?mix next week. We have 2 from the same place my son works. My son is applying for a few full time jobs now. We have their son’s graduation this weekend
Have a nice weekend!
I am making towel toppers for kitchen towels for my 3 daughters/ in laws. The ones I previously had made were worn out…due to 12 wonderful, active, and sometimes dirty…grandchildren!! I love sewing things they can use! I am new to your blog and I love it! I enjoy hearing about your “real life”!😊
I am enjoying your new blogs..I find them refreshing and interesting.
I absolutely love the pictures you’ve included — pure poetry! And that fossil…what a God gift!
This week has been planting some (Oriental poppies, bee balm, more creeping thyme, catmint…). And trying to keep what I have gotten planted out of the clutches of the local deer. I’ve got limited space but that doesn’t seem to deter them! 😳 Looking to plant some more after we hit an almost 90 degree day and then things settle back down to mid-upper 70’s (western OR). The last few years have featured truly roller-coaster temps! Hope everything grows like crazy for you (except what you don’t want to…). ❤️
Hi Merissa.
I am a day late (as usual). For me, this week was a lot of smaller outside jobs. For meals, last weekend’s barbecue with friends and family provided diverse leftovers. I really enjoyed transforming them and incorporating them into new meals and sides. My favorite was a watermelon, feta cheese, and mint salad with honey lime dressing. SO GOOD.
Your blog mentions failures as well as successes, so I will jump right in with mine. I went wrong somewhere amending the soil in my beds. I did a home test on my soil (AFTER planting!) and my new beds have surplus nitrogen. I had envisioned a huge (for my space) harvest; I now expect big green plants with no production of actual vegetables.
Trying all sorts of things to remedy it. Discouraged with myself for feeling discouraged. and THAT is not helpful.
After all, the test media I used was over a year old, I only tested one spot in one bed, I can plant some heavy feeders and more leafy greens; the weather here is trending on the cooler side so I can harvest greens longer. To be honest, I’m still feeling down on myself, but think it’s time for gratitude and big girl britches 🙂
Hope you have a blessed week.
Susan
It’s been a busy week here too! We have a 2-bedroom seasonal rental and getting it all set for guests takes a fair bit if time, but it’s all done. Weather-wise, it seems that we went from winter to dog-days of summer. It was in the mid 90s last week, which is crazy hot for the spring around here (Niagara Ontario). It’s also been very dry with some seedlings needing two waterings each day in the heat. Despite being on Advantix all his life, my poor little dog was infected with Lyme’s disease. We found out when the vet did the annual blood work for heart worms. An additional test indicated that he has been infected for only a few weeks, so that is a relief. However, he still needs to take an antibiotic for one month. Ticks are crazy bad this year – please remember to check your pets frequently. I am seriously considering getting some guinea hens just as added tick protection. This is the first year in many that we decided not to have a laying flock, but a few guinea hens would be helpful.
How are ticks in other parts of Canada and the US? My cousin told me they are rampant in the northern New York area. What do you do for protection for your dog Merrisa? Would anyone else like to comment on this?
Thanks again Merrisa for all you do and share! More Youtubes if possible please! I’d love to see one on the differences in alternate types of flour in baking!
Best wishes always!!
We don’t currently use anything for ticks for our dogs because they’ve never been bad at our place. I have no idea why since we live in the woods but we usually only see maybe one or two a year. Sorry I can’t help there!
On the topic of YouTube though…we are working on new videos! It’s only taken me a year to figure out what we want to do but we actually should have the first one up this week and then one new video per week after that 🙂
This week has been busy I’ve made zucchini relish from from my garden also picked blueberries from our plants and planted more seeds I started basil in my greenhouse and have started making pesto such a good thing. Also I haven’t bought meat for a month I’ve been using our freezer meat so I am setting a goal to not buy meat for 6 months (so far so g00d). Helping my husband with a canves building relocate on our property. And incubated 7 baby chicks they are thriving but one has a pasty butt can’t get it clean any advice would be appreciated. Now onto my setting aside some me time cause i’m tired!!
Love reading your articles. Started on flower beds and some spring refreshes
This week starting on making BBQ sauce.
Hi Merissa,
This past week we planted all our onions, squash, potatoes and herb garden. We are getting ready to do our 2nd of 4 blocks of corn this coming Tuesday with help from the grandkids. We hope to educate the Little’s and help them appreciate where food originates.
We are getting more compost piles in place after we mow the grass and utilize last years leaves for our browns. The rich compost is so beautiful after it’s finished and we utilize it in our garden beds. The plants and worms love it.
Speaking of worms, we moved our worm farm into a larger black tote outside since the worms have multiplied and we all needed more space to help the worms grow.
Have a great week.
Hi Merissa:
It has been an outdoor week for me as well. I spent a lot of time catching up on weeding and transplanting some last seedlings. I also transplanted a couple of houseplants that were getting too big for their current pots. My garden is up and is what I call a reasonably good stand. However I have some little critter raiding my garden and have not caught the culprit yet. I suspect voles as they are common here in Calgary.
We do need rain. This spring has been pretty dry across much of Canada. In Alberta we had one of, if not the worst forest fire season ever. Thankfully things have calmed down a bit at least for now. Now Eastern Canada is burning. They had some rain which helped but we all need more.
I went shopping at a second hand Christian bookstore yesterday. I’ve been on the hunt for a new type of devotional book. I found two and so far they seem promising. The first is “Daily Strength For Daily Needs” originally written and published by Mary. W. Tileston in the late 19th century. A later edition was published by the Billy Graham Evangelistic Association. The second is interesting as well. It is called “The Bible As Your GPS” by Kobus Genis. It has a different devotional reading for every day of the year. Topics are thought provoking and I believe will aid in my journalling.
Love the fossil you found! We’ve found quite a few fossils on our land, but identifying them is always a challenge.
We can usually identify them because most of them are more common things, but this one has us stumped!
I was out of town most of May due to a death in the family so, I have been trying to catch up with my house and yard. I harvested some herbs to air dry and worked on weeding and planting in the garden. I’m switching out seasonal clothes and donating things no longer needed. I’m trying to use up things in the chest freezer to make room for this year’s harvest and use up the past.