June Frugals

[Kat]

Not too much going on here. Last night I did not feel like cooking at all, but I made some quick and easy homemade mac n cheese with odds and edds cheese along with some mixed veggies from the freezer. Plenty of leftover for lunch. I am thinking I'll need to bake some more muffins or make some bread for DHs breakfasts, too, since we finished the last of the strawberry orange muffins. Tonight DH is supposed to grill some chicken from the freezer, so I'll only have to make some sides.

I am trying to put off going to the grocery store until tomorrow, and maybe until Friday. When I do go, I'll need to make a list and a menu (I will aim towards using up what's in the freezer).

I am thinking about heading to the library today to check out a couple of sewing books and a book I want to read before the baby comes.

[Stella]

The chocolate peanut butter cake was amazing and the party went really well. My friend didn't have to spend a lot of money and the kids had fun.

Kelli, that flexibility is definitely my favourite part of homeschooling. There were a few weeks before the birth of the baby that homeschool was a little lax, so we're doing some work now.

Cheyenne and Bella start their Greek lessons the week after next. Their surrogate grandma and I worked out the schedule. We may, once Zach has worked a few weeks, invest in Rosetta Stone Greek as a back-up for them to practice, but for the summer they will have Greek lessons daily. It's free too.

[fidgiegirl]

@Stella, check out Byki. We have it through SPPL, and it looks like there is a free version on their website. I have not used Rosetta Stone but I know it is a LOT of money. Byki is mostly flashcards but that might be enough for home practice to supplement the lessons. It is geared for adult learners, though.

Also Quia has some exercises, though I am not sure how age-appropriate. Most appear to be for Biblical Greek. They are in a game format, though. Maybe there are some gems until you get hooked up with something else. http://www.quia.com/shared/greek/

BBC has nice language learning activities. Here is there Greek page, with promising additional links: http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/greek/

If they/you/surrogate Gma are super serious, I bet local Greek Orthodox churches have weekend language classes for when summer's done.

You know I'm a language teacher, right? I went a little overboard, but enjoyed it

[Rosemary]

Fidgiegirl, thanks for the language resources! I want to work on Spanish with DD over the summer (we'll both be learning) and Rosetta Stone is way beyond our means, although I did like the method I saw on the demo they sent to me. I'll check these out this afternoon.

I did a lot of food prep this morning, which always has multiple benefits: quick meals and snacks, less wasted produce, and meditation time.

We have an area in our yard that really needs non-grass groundcover as it is quite shady. It's going to be a rainy week, so I just finished swatting mosquitoes while taking vinca cuttings and dispersing them around the area. A friend also has some extra shade plants for me.

[cdttmm]

Got motivated yesterday and baked bread, which saved us from stopping at the store. I've got a grocery list started and will put off shopping until tomorrow when my SO is out of town. I always spend less when grocery shopping with a list by myself! Picked up a pair of sandals for this summer at the thrift store: $2.50. They are not exactly what I want, but they will get me through this summer, thereby saving me from spending $75-$80 on the shoes I've had my eye on! Have been hanging all the laundry on the line to dry the past few days as the weather has been cooperating. Could be hot and humid enough to justify turning on the air conditioning, but have been diligent about closing all the blinds in the morning and using the whole house fan at night to cool things off. I'm hoping we can make it all the way until July 1st without turning on the AC. Ate some more greens from the garden for dinner last night and will have leftovers for dinner tonight. That's all for now - nothing fabulously big to report, but it's the little day-to-day stuff that I'm trying to turn into long-lasting habits.

[bke]

No driving or spending today. Recieved a free Luna bar and a coupon for an 8 oz bag of reese's in the mail yesterday. I'm making a list for Rite aid tomorrow. Its errand day-bank library and rite aid tomorrow.

I just fininshed brewing a pot of coffee for tomorrow's iced coffee.

I made lemon squares last night. They weren't nearly the hit I thought they'd be but such is life. We'll finish them this evening for treats and move on to the nexts adventure in homemade sweets.

[danna]

JUNE 20--1ST Day of Summer
--so much company of and on all last week but, came up with nice treats and meals for all without breaking the bank
--yard work done by friend, amazing wonderful person who got so much done, and Dd cut grass and trimmed trees, I planted and transplanted and the yard looks beautiful...happy summer
--super find at Costco 3 pack ($4.97) of very gentle face/hand cleanser that is working really well on DH tender skin from the drugs he is on.
--still only shopping the 2 to 3 stores close to us for weekly specials we use and milk, etc...doing great on food budget.
--DH year end BBQ for his club last week and I made a TexMex dip that went over really well with requests for the recipe.

[porcelain]

Someday I hope they appreciate having the kind of mother who would embroider intestines on a pillowcase

Hilarious! Your family sounds awesome!

[Amaranth]

Originally Posted by Stella
Someday I hope they appreciate having the kind of mother who would embroider intestines on a pillowcase
Hilarious!

Your family sounds awesome!

Been thinking about the expression on a museum curator's face circa 2511 when s/he opens the conservation case with that pillowcase in it.

[Kat]

I did go to the library yesterday and check out a few books, including one on homemade baby food. Doesn't seem that hard to make at all! We did go out to eat, though, because DH didn't feel like grilling, and we stopped by GNC to buy some work-out supplements that were on sale. DH and doing P90X, and it is proving to be crazy expensive what with the supplements, the whey protein, the power bars, the extra food, etc. It's making me crazy! At least I can make homemade protein bars and buy whatever healthy food is on sale (he isn't that picky about what he eats, just so long as there is something to eat!).

There are some really good produce sales this week, so I am planning to stock up. I started making a grocery list and menu and will finish that--along with pricing everything out--before I go shopping. I really need to stay within budget this time, but the extra stuff--the cat food, the toilet paper, the whey protein, etc.--kills my budget pretty fast!