Frugal Friday Week #29
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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 #29
So I’ve started a 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!
I’m sorry for not getting this up last week. I ended up in the emergency room due to some pain in my side. Luckily it wasn’t anything major, unluckily they couldn’t figure out why it happened. I’m back home now though and seem to be fine.
Meal Highlights
We traveled some of the past week for doctor’s appointments. For this, I packed sandwiches, meat, and crackers, plus lots of snacks from home.
After my hospital visit my husband made a big batch of white bean soup and we ate on that for several days until I was feeling better to cook. Then I made a big batch of Lo Mein using my Stir Fry Sauce and we ate that for a couple of days too!
Last night we went super basic and had smoothies for supper because we had a little one that had been to the dentist.
It’s been a slow week for food since we just made large meals and ate from those but I didn’t mind it. I was just happy to have good healthy food when I wasn’t feeling great.
Shopping We Did
I had to run into the grocery store for a couple of things the other day and didn’t come out spending less than $50 for a few tiny bags. Prices are crazy!
I ordered this Ice Cream Maker this week and we’ve already used it twice! I wanted something large enough to make ice cream for all of us and to be able to make sugar free ice cream. 🙂 It’s very simple but we like it so far.
I also had to buy clothing this week for the family for my brother’s upcoming wedding! The kids have outgrown everything this summer so they each needed a nice new outfit and I did as well. It ended up being about $100 for all 4 outfits (my husband is in the wedding so his clothes were provided 🙂 ) and I made sure that all of the outfits are things that we can wear many times again.
How We Lived Frugal This Week
With multiple hospital visits (Children’s Hospital and ER), it was not a very frugal week! I don’t even want to think about what the bills will look like.
Besides all of that, we stayed at home this week with almost no other trips to town unless we could do multiple things at once to make it worth it. The kids and I did lots of fun activities but they were all free to do (hiking, offroading, library, etc).
Another frugal thing we did this week was sold our second vehicle. We planned on getting down to one vehicle anyway before we move/travel but it felt great to have it gone and take it off our insurance and all of that. It will be great to once again just have a single vehicle to maintain and pay for. We’ve had it that way many times in the past and have always liked it better than having more than one.
Blog Posts I Wrote
I’ve been hard at work updating older posts and bringing them up to date! Here’s a big list of what I’ve been working on this week.
- 3 Ingredient Recipes – Quick and simple things to make when you don’t have much for ingredients or time!
- Canning Apple Pie Filling – This is always one of my favorite fall activities. We love fresh apple pie.
- Sugar Doughnuts Muffin Mix – This is a fun, super simple little mix recipe to add to your pantry staples.
- Zucchini Muffin Recipe – Still have zucchini left to use? Make these!
- Outdoor Foot Washing Station – I should have updated this one earlier this summer but you can still make one of these for next year!
- Gluten Free Zucchini Brownies – Another zucchini recipe. We LOVE these!
- Canning Homemade Applesauce – Another fall must-do. I always make applesauce from tart apples on backyard trees.
- Minimalist Homeschooling Podcast – My latest podcast episode in case you missed it!
- How to Store Homemade Juice – Brand new blog post up all about making and storing homemade juices.
- 7 Layer Taco Dip – We love making this as a main meal because it’s so easy and everyone loves it!
- Yellow Squash Doughnuts – Have some yellow squash in the garden still? You have to make these!
- Recipes for Homemade Cleaners – It’s time for fall cleaning! Here’s how to make your own cleaners.
Looking Ahead to Next Week
Next week is the wedding! (My brother’s) We have some prep work to do and will be celebrating for several days with friends and family.
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 freedom on the About Page. You can send her a message any time from the Contact Page.
My frugal entertainment for the week was collecting rocks. It turns out several people in the community love rocks, so we take our buckets or sacks and a spray bottle of water and have a great time being together.
Thank you for all you do. 😁
I have been away from home helping care for my father on hospice. This week I am home and playing catch up. I made applesauce. And have been dehydrating onions from my garden. Also prepping for winter weather.
Have a great weekend.
It was not a frugal week for us, but we did have some successes. Last week, our chihuahua had dental surgery that cost about $1300. It was necessary, and she is acting like she feels much better, so it was worth it. We also already had the money in our savings.
However, I did not do much of my weekly grocery shopping this week in order to make up for the vet bill cost. We have a very good stockpile, and I have planning meals from that. I will also have a very short grocery list next week for the same reason. I have also been cutting in other areas in order to replace this money in our savings.
This week focused on awareness. I canceled two subscriptions I no longer use. I need to do more of that. Packed lunch and breakfast everyday and went the week without using my spending money. Didn’t even realize that until today.
Hoping you are continuing to feel better. My past weeks I am really trying to declutter and use some of my huge felt and fabric stash. Making adorable felt finger puppet sets for the Samaritan’s Purse Operation Christmas Child Shoebox Drive. Fun to do and I can see a difference in my stash while making something to bless the children with. Also, frugally used my Rebate App savings to purchase needed things for my daughter’s wedding. Have a blessed weekend to all.
I was on a bus trip with my church to the Creation Museum and the Ark Encounter. It was thrilling and amazing to see both places. We all ate a lot and often.
I returned Thursday afternoon and
Made a pot of chili. It will last a few days as your soup did.
Enjoy your family wedding.
This was a rough week for us two with 4 trips to the Urgent Care. I’m struggling to keep things simple and frugal because I am going back to school now to finish the degree I started before kids. But your posts keep me motivated to not give up that lifestyle. Thank you.
Thank you Merissa for all the information you give us.
We also got rid of one of our cars this week (we can make do with one) and will save on car tax and insurance.
Today I picked some mixed peppers from the garden and made ratatouille by adding courgettes mushrooms and red onions, I also added a tin of chopped tomatoes with herbs.
I will bag it up and freeze to use in curries and with chicken. I also made some carrot and parsnip soup with ginger. I want to make leek and potato soup tomorrow and a crustless quiche all of which will freeze well. I will be making coleslaw to have with salad and sandwiches.
We still have a few carrots in the garden and some beetroot, onions and spring onions.
We have found it very satisfying growing a bit of veg and some strawberries in our small rear garden.
Have a happy week.
It was a wonderful week. We had heavy rains to help with our parched fields. Used coupons to load up the pantry on basics (dried beans, oil, flours), saved 40 total. While in town, stopped at frou frou grocery store for loss local cheese and butter for the winter freezer. Put up corn, beans, pickled beets, shredded zucchini, applesauce and apple slices for the freezer. Bartered blueberries for a wedge axe from the bestest neighbor. Put in 2 cords of wood into the barn for winter, that makes 8 cords. Last year we burned 6 cords. Decluttering the house, clothes go to women’s shelter and the community free closet.
Glad you are feeling better! We had an interesting week. Definitely tested our water preparedness. Now we know where we stand. We have two families visiting and using hoses to supply their 5th wheel vehicles with water via our house spigots. Then the well decided to not work. After being on again off again for two days it quit completely. The well workers came and checked and said the power line had an issue. Contacting the electrician after fixing all that we could do on our own with no results, alleviated the issue 6 days later. To be sure, I discovered how much water I need daily for people and livestock and pets and plants. I am thankful to my neighbor, my daughter and our renter, all of whom shared by filling my available jugs and kept us going until the repair.
We are still considering a move, but we are on hold as we prepare this home for selling and for living in long term. I keep my eyes open for the right opportunity and my heart open to the fact that this may be the right home for us. My son-in-law continues to work in the yard organizing the “treasures” so that we can truly downsize. I get “frozen” in the house when I cannot find the right place to donate what I really do not need anymore. The dumpster is filled to overflowing every week as we continue. Pianos are hard to even give away. There are so many things that must be readied for cold weather in order to get through till spring. Here is to decluttering and being content.
Been helping my mom make quilts for disaster relief and helping son clean at church. With a box of penne noodles, I boiled celery and onions. The one meal with ham, basil and cheddar cheese soup. The next meal with our homemade spaghetti sauce and fried summer sausage. That ham is lasting two weeks. My son takes ham to work. I made a pan of chocolate chip bars with crushed walnuts. My son couldn’t find the walnuts and ate it. He said it was ok to put some nuts in bars. Vehicle got oil change and rotate tires. My husband is no longer doing oil changes. But we were frugal for years on oil changes. Family is grinding boxes of apples into juice this weekend. Been eating lots of apples and peaches from our trees. Made lots of cauliflower and broccoli. My friend came to learn how to pick mushrooms. She was making ground cherry jam seeds we gave her. We got free seed last year. It is easy to grow. It grows like a weed which my husband calls it. Been reading books and watching SF 49 ers highlights. We live in Packer country. My friend and I want to go to Shedds Aquarium in Chicago on a bus trip next year. Another friend and I go to craft classes and book clubs. I want to go to day for girls with another friend Oct 9. Craft classes, day for girls, quilting for charity, and library book clubs are free activities…just pay for gas.
I’m glad you’re feeling better and hope the pain never comes back! I love your snuggle buddy:). I appreciate the links you provide, but would love it if you would give links to back posts when you mention something like moving/traveling. I’m guessing I missed a post in which you talked about that? Also, I’d love the bean soup recipe. Thanks!
So far I’ve only posted a podcast about our travel plans but I had to remove it due to rude comments. I will share more later when we actually move. For now we are still in our same place.
Forgot to mention in my last comments that I went to Dollar Tree for stuff like plastic forks, plastic spoons for our yearly cookout for family, acne wash that is gentle, baby oil for dry feet, chocolate bars for son’s lunch, pretzels, shampoo, yarn, etc. It is good to get essentials for charity there too. When my son has a stressful work night, he doesn’t have to stop at Kwik trip for a candy bar for $3.50. I got the same kind at Dollar Tree for $1.25. At 1 a.m., Kwik trip is the only store open.
My week was very frustrating. It seemed that every time I turned around something went “wrong”! I seriously want to get into my sewing room and sew — that will make the week “OK” despite all the things that went wrong 🙂 Hopefully that (sewing) can start this evening!
We need to make room in our freezer for incoming meat, so I pulled out a turkey (we had gotten it free last fall with the purchase of a ham lol), roasted it, and now the carcass is simmering to make stock, whic I will can Monday.
I may have to buy that ice cream maker through your link just to make that ice cream! Do you have the actual recipe. It sounds SO good, and I always have sunbutter.
This week I used up a bunch of vegetable odds and ends. Jalapenos, scallions, 1/2 head of caulfilower, a pile of brussel sprouts, onions, the last of the garden spinach, radish and beet greens, and tomatoes all found their way into every meal. One night I chopped the vegetables and sauteed them. I had 3/4 of a bar of reduced fat cream cheese which I heated ’till smooth and melted. Thinned it with some skim milk, added garlic powder, mixed in the carmelized vegetables and leftover diced chicken and threw it over some linguini. . It tasted decadent, but wasn’t! So frugal, everything was on hand and lots of leftovers.
Looking ahead, I foraged at least a gallon of autumn olives yesterday and have to process/preserve them tomorrow. I also have tons of tomatoes seeded and frozen that will need to be canned when the final harvest is in. How is it possible that I already received my autumn garlic? The summer just started, right?
Last I checked, we got 7 inches of rain today. Our den had an inch of water; the only time that’s ever happened before was during Hurricane Sandy. Wet dry vacuum=priceless!
Enjoy the wedding! Blessings to all.
For the ice cream I made this week I used 1 can of coconut milk, one very large spoonful of sunbutter, a pinch of salt, a bit of maple syrup for sweetness, and then sprinkled in some carob chips later.
Thank you!
Hi. Sorry haven’t been on in a while. It has been a busy week but I’m trying get back into the swing of things since vacation. Love all of your content enjoying a lot glad you are feeling better
Hello! Thank you for all your hints and recipes. We are also homesteaders, well we are doing our best at it.
This week I had major back surgery. Recovery takes a long time, several months. I put lots of food for winter as I was able before surgery. Thankfully we collected all our wood needs for heat next winter in the spring after a storm. We try very hard to stay a year ahead. Fall is too busy to collect wood.
Hunting season starts tomorrow here. Hopefully we can put up a bit more meat. I like to have extra to gift to those near me where I may see or suspect a need. We also barter our meat and use it for Christmas gifts.
I have been using so many of your recipes and suggestions. I’m very grateful you take the time to share them. I am praying for healing for you. God bless!
I swear, one of my best investments was a huge Presto pressure canner!!! If we get roasts on special from the local grocer, which has an internal butcher employed, I cut it up, pack it, can it. If my daughter gets a deer, after she processes it, she can bring anything out here whe wants to process: I’ve got the meat grinder attachment for my KitchenAid, so she can make sausage, or just ground venison, she can cut up roasts into 1″ cubes, pack and can – easiest dinner, ever! Pop a can, heat. Thicken with a flour/water slurry in a “shake bottle,” maybe add some diced onion or dehydrated chopped onion, and serve over your fave: noodles, rice, baked/mashed potato. Dinner’s on the table in under 30! Glad to see I’m not the only one keeping the incredible pressure canner from getting under-utilized!!! Hugs!!! ~Chrissie
I’ve been wanting an ice cream maker, thanks for the review!
It’s nothing fancy but good for light use for a small family. 🙂
Hey, Ruth! I don’t know if you have a KitchenAid stand mixer or not, but they do sell an attachment that stays in the freezer. We have made THE. MOST. AMAZING. frozen yogurt using it!!! There’s a bit of a trick to it: when they say, get the unit connected and rotating and THEN add ingredients, they mean that!!! lol If you add the yogurt, fruit, etc., by then, the whole base of it has already begun freezing!!! Yikes!!
BUT – if you get the unit spinning, and use a splash guard to schlep in the yogurt, WHILE THE MACHINE IS RUNNING, let it go a minute, then add fruit, chocolate chips, etc., and let her rip? The main thing to remember is that, frozen, it’ll basically double in size!!! So plan to eat it and THEN plan to freeze in the quart yogurt container the extra!!! lol
But, legit, if it’s in the freezer, you could throw a couple yogurt cups of your favorite lite and or lite Greek yogurt, and do it, quick, and have a pint soft-serve and ready to go in minutes!!! It’s so fast!!! Good luck to you!!! ~Chrissie
Planning for a frugal week ahead; hopefully staying home, readying the garden for winter, and dehydrating/preserving the last of the herbs and garden veggies for winter. Hard to believe it’s October already…
Man, it was SUCH. A. WEEK!!! I made a huge pot of Mexican wedding soup with noodles (cooked separately so they didn’t swell and absorb all of the liquid) because it was the end of the Sukkhot holiday that started with Yom Kippur on the tail ends of Rosh Hashanah. I’m part Ashkenazim, but my BIL is Jewish, and I told him I draw the line at creating a grass hut to camp in for the week. Sorry, bruh!
That concluded the traditional end to Yom Kippur (normally, I’d make krepelach, little meat-filled dumplings), but I got home late, so Farfalle and meatballs from Aldi got to do the job! The chicken soup was homemade, though!
Packed up enough of that for meals for folks during the week. Had ALL the kids home for the weekend. My DH knew “banana bread” was on the wish list of Teaching items (I have 1 biological kid, and many “adopted.” I work as an Advocate in our area and they’ve been my clients, my “kiddos” for a decade… 3 they were orphaned during CoVID, so now they are mine and my husband’s…). Keith, God love him, came home with enough bananas that in the last 24 hours I MADE 7 LOAVES of banana bread. But, Sunday is Family Day with our little ragtag group, so I made a huge amount of biscuits and gravy, and packed up leftovers for all 3 kiddos and my husband, plus a loaf of banana bread for each to take home!
We also got hit with frost advisories, so he covered the rest of the green tomatoes, brought in the last of the ripe San Marzanos, saved a very confuzzled Hatch chili and Carolina Reaper plant that suddenly started reflowering (?!), so I’ve got more canning to do , as well as green tomato mincemeat to make (IT. IS. DELICIOUS!!!!). He also went out and scoured the rest of the raspberries and brought in about 1/2 gallon of sleeper berries… and 3 stealth zucchini. And, God bless the sleeper zucchini plant, but it’s got new flowers… Um… maybe it doesn’t realize it’s October? So he through a “portable greenhouse” over the top of it, to see if we can eek it out another month, cuz you KNOW it’s gonna warm up around stinking Halloween!!
Merissa, I swear, if you have plans to share on a “bed-sized” “hotbox” with lumber and recycled windows, man, we HAVE the windows – in the next year (HOPEFULLY!!), we’ll get a proper greenhouse built on pallet walls!!! But this is not the year! This is the year of the garage!! lol
Love your post, dear girl! Love hearing how other gals like me are getting ready to hunker down… Have a blessed week, all!!! ~Chrissie