Went to the movies, which is a bit of a non-frugal splurge for us, but well worth it to see a genuine kiwi film (The Dark Horse).
Came home and made pumpkin bake and fruit crumble for dinner using our own rhubarb and passionfruit, so that was more frugal.
This morning juiced fresh grapefruit, the more I can do that the less juice I have to buy.
Cdttmm: Sorry to hear about the dog - groundhog incident. I would have been pretty distressed too. They're so destructive in the garden, but so damned cute! DH sometimes makes pancakes from 2 eggs and a large banana in the blender, with a bit of vanilla. They're actually pretty good and something you might like - naturally GF, and high in protein and potassium.
Donated my car to Kars4Kids. Made arrangements to transfer the title on line. They will pick it up at the mechanic's on Monday. Picked two week's worth of produce at the co op. I was able to coordinate it with the bus, bicycle, and backpack. That's a huge relief. They ordered me a lg. insted of sm. package of grass fed pork spareribs by mistake, and didn't charge me the difference. Very nice! I put the extras in my freezer. Picked up a new library book and returned my CD's and old book yesterday. Fed my potted annuals homemade compost tea. It's that "time of the month" so I will use flannel pads and give the blood water to the plants. No need to buy blood meal at the nursery. I finished up the last loaf of homemade bread so I'll make another this afternoon. I'm eating up the rest of the stew and the macaroni and cheese. Next few days I'll be eating homemade tacos with ground turkey. I seasoned the meat instead of buying taco mix. I bought the spices in bulk. I'm adjusting to being a homeowner without a car. It's a weird feeling. I was worried about getting my dog to her clinic for her rabies shot this month. I didn't want to run her in this heat when it would be 10 miles, RT. Then I realized, I can take her to the vet. It's only half a mile from home, and she LOVES him. A rabies shot can't be that expensive...
cdttmm, Hope your dogs are okay.
I made lunch for a group at church on Thursday and made too many shortcakes so brought them home and froze them in packs of two. I realize I have frozen blueberries, raspberries and cherries (either from our yard or bought in season and put away for later) so we can enjoy those later in the year.
My freezer is nearly full to the top! I made a turkey last weekend and froze the carcass so I will make soup from it in the fall. I've been buying meat when the price is the best I can find and freezing in 8 oz portions (there are only 2 of us at home now).
We have green beans from the garden, potatoes and beets from the farmers market. The first tomatoes are starting to ripen - looks like a bumper crop. I don't think I will have to go to the grocery store for quite awhile.
Which is good because I just got my new "budget plan" from the utility co and our heat cost is going up $20 per month from last year. I know it is due to the fact that I was home all day this past year and got a little too comfortable keeping the house warm all day. From DD's move, I scored several pairs of tights and leggings and 2 great shawls that will help me keep toasty warm with the heat lower this fall/winter. Plus I now have the dog to cuddle up with during the day!!
Pleased to report that the dogs seem fine after the groundhog incident/rabies shots.
awakenedsoul: the rabies shots were $25 per dog + $15 to see the tech who administered them. I would recommend calling the vet clinic near your house to find out what they charge. If you're just getting a rabies vaccine, they will probably just have a tech do it rather than the vet. Cheaper for you! But I know some vet offices won't do that unless you are a regular client and they know the dog's medical history, etc. My dogs got the three-year vaccine, so if we're lucky, we won't be getting rabies shots again for some time. Of course...last year we had incidents involving porcupines and the year before possum, so who am I kidding? We'll be getting rabies shots every year. <sigh>
Not much else to report. Picked a whole lot of cherry tomatoes this morning. Looking forward to eating them for dinner tonight!
rosarugosa: thanks for the tip on the pancakes. I just read a very similar recipe the other day that used pumpkin puree instead of bananas and I thought it sounded delicious! Not that I have pumpkin puree or bananas in the house at the moment...or eggs, for that matter! But I was thinking of actually trying it with applesauce since we have quite the stockpile in the freezer that needs to be eaten before this year's crop of apples!
The brain is wider than the sky. -- Emily Dickinson
Bought a couple yards of high end fabric sold as a remnant for $4.99 to make new covers for sofa throw pillows. Finally finished and they really updated the look of the room. Also bought a couple of books at a garage sale this morning for $1 each. One is collectible and I can probably resell for at least $20. Our neighborhood library has a magazine exchange area so I grabbed a stack of newer Architectural Digests. It is incredibly hot today so I am sending dh out to buy some bbq brisket to make tacos with - $8.00 a half pound which will be more than enough along with avocados. DH made salsa from scratch to go with it. Need to use up some older feta so will make a watermelon and feta salad to go with the tacos.
Washed a load of laundry and dried it on the line yesterday. No need to run the A/C as the weather has been quite beautiful. But I've still been diligent about closing/opening the windows and shades to keep the house at an optimal temperature. I figure every little bit helps when it comes to using (or not using) electricity!
Picked a whole lot of blackberries yesterday and turned them into yet another blackberry crumble this morning. Used up the last of the ice cream cones as part of the topping. I'm starting to run low on oatmeal, so I will need to great creative for toppings if I'm going to keep making these various fruit crumbles. In using up a bag of brown sugar, I discovered another container with some type of dark brown sugar in it. Used some of that as well and then discovered a bottle of molasses and a bottle of corn syrup, too. Hmmm...do those ever go bad? Because I'm pretty sure we've had both bottles for a very, very long time. If they could possibly have gone bad, I guess I'll just chuck them. But if they are still usable...well, any ideas? How is it possible that we have this many forms of sweetener in our house? We're beekeepers. Shouldn't we be using honey for pretty much everything?!?
Met up with a few local people who hang out on the Mr. Money Mustache forums. It was fun to meet some other people interested in simple living, financial independence, and early retirement. Best part of the day was discovering that one of the other people on the forum was someone that I've known IRL for years!
The brain is wider than the sky. -- Emily Dickinson
Got up early, watered the garden, and took the 8:00 a.m. bus to the gym. It feels good to beat the heat. I'm going to make some chicken stock from bones that I have in the freezer. Our co op gave us cauliflower in our boxes yesterday, so I'll use that to make cream of cauliflower soup. I have all the ingredients in my stockpile. I've got homemade bread on its second rise. That'll be nice with the soup. I can make a salad, too. Am doing laundry today and will dry it on the clothesline. Tomorrow I've got to figure out how to transport the large bag of charcoal briquettes, the two large bottles of white vinegar, and my down parka from the trunk of my car to my house. The car will be picked up at the mechanic's for donation tomorrow afternoon. I'll have to start buying a few things here and there from Costco, now that I'm going car free. No more monthly stock ups! Fortunately, it's right across the street from the gym, not far from the bus stop. I can fit things like milk, cheese, and juice in my large backpack. I'll just have to go more often...
cdttmm, I'm going to call the vet tomorrow. Thanks for the tip!
Sold my old microwave, vacuum cleaner, bicycle and beach umbrella for scrap. I was expecting to have to pay to dump them so I am feeling more than frugal.
I'm on a mission to not spend money unnecessarily. Mondays, my day off, is usually spent going out with my mom to thrift stores, Target, Michaels, etc. just to get out for the day. She's stuck with my dad all the time so it's a treat for her. But I somehow manage to find something to buy each time. So, this Mon., like last Mon., I'll be going for a nice long bikeride on some railtrails here. The weather has been perfect this summer; usually I ride mostly in the fall.
The only thing I'll need to buy that I know of is toothpaste. My riding boots are splitting and I'll need a new pair soon but in a few months I'll be wearing my winter insulated ones. If I find boots at a great price, fine, but I'm not in a rush. Oh, I'll have to pay $8 for a tube of haircolor but someone at work will apply it for me. If I use color from the supply at work, it costs me $10; I can get two applications from my one tube with my short hair so I'm saving $12.
Skipping thrift stores is tough; how many bargains will I be missing?? Tons of nice nearly-new clothes just waiting for me, usually just what I'm looking for. But honestly, I've got more than enough turtlenecks and sweaters for this fall/winter (and I love ALL of them!). Maybe I'll just be fashionable and wear them while biking.
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