September Frugals

[rosarugosa]

Frugal-one: If my new feeder doesn't work, I might be looking for some squirrel recipes!
Seriously, DH has a Betty Crocker that is definitely his go-to book. So it must be a great book, because he makes some really great food.

[Stella]

Rosa, I think that sums up my feelings about creativity. I really have found that to be true in my life. It's when I feel the most stymied creatively that I spend the most.

Kelli, yes I have a super nice Dad! He's fabulous really.

Frugal-one that is a fabulous score!

I still have to work up a menu for this week but I really don't need much. I have a full pantry, two full freezers and enough fruits and vegetables to feed a family of chimpanzees for a week, so other than milk and a few thises and thats I should be fine. This is how I like to start the fall. I still have to process apples and get some squash, but overall I feel good.

Cheyenne is making everyone omelets for breakfast this morning. She is so proud of herself! I don't know that this is strictly frugal, but in my head it's related. If my kids inherit my love of cooking, and at least the older three seem as though they have, I have plans for the future. I'm picturing old fashioned group cooking days where we can make and can sauce, pickles and salsa, freeze pie crusts, biscuits, soups, stews, lasagnas and bread dough and other stuff like that. I can see different kids having different specialty dishes. Cheyenne has a particular fondness for Asian food. Also, with that many people capable of cooking I'd imagine we'd never end up eating out because of tiredness.

Another sort-of related thing, the girls decided on their own to declutter some of their unused toys. They put together a whole bin for donation without me having anything to do with it. I was quite pleased. They are moving from being interested in having a ton of toys of their own to liking the sets of toys, like the Lincoln logs and legos, that everyone shares.

Speaking of legos, today is my friend's son's birthday party. They've requested legos or gift cards to the lego store. I was going to go and buy a giftcard, but I decided I'll just give him cash instead. It's not worth the gas to drive all the way out to the Mall of America just to get a giftcard. The lego store takes cash too.

[madgeylou]

you guys, i have been indulging in way too much retail therapy these last few weeks. mostly online shopping -- makeup, shoes, jewelry. i have to stop using this as the way i deal with stress ... cause the stress isn't going anywhere and i need to save up some money again!

ugh, it was a rough night. my grandma fell down, and she seems pretty out of it in general the last week or so. she has no appetite, forgets to eat, etc. i've been going over there twice a day for an hour or so to check on her, but if i'm not sitting there reminding her to take a bite every few minutes, she doesn't eat. and then she gets so weak and dizzy when she stands up to go to the bathroom. vicious cycle and i'm not sure what to do about it. however, i'm sure that spending all the money i make is not the right response. i need to find another way to deal...

[frugal-one]

Rosarugosa ... So funny! Actually when I was a kid we ate squirrels and rabbits. They were very good. The only other thing I remember my mother saying you needed a lot of squirrels for a meal since they are so small. The other book that I got recently is Mark Bittman's "How to Cook Everything". I now have an old version and new version on how to cook from scratch. These should both really come in handy I think. Today I plan on cleaning out the freezers and food cupboards. I sure wish I had as full a pantry as Stella!

Went to a few yard sales today and found myself Clarks sandals. Checked online and they are on sale now at 20% off for $85. I paid $1. Also bought my almost DIL a pair of Keen sandals that retail for $95. I paid $2. Both pairs of sandals looked never worn. Shocking to me! Am I correct if you buy shoes and they are not a good fit you can take them back? Also found Saran wrap. Can't understand why anyone would get rid of that. The woman said she never bakes so... ??

Madgeylou... I wonder if that is the case with my MIL. She has lost all kinds of weight too. We live far away and there is no other family to check on her. Sigh.

[lhamo]

Stella,

Cheyanne might enjoy these Asian oriented food blogs I follow -- Eating Asia is really amazing as it gives real insight into the culture that underlies the food:

http://eatingasia.typepad.com/

Scroll down to the entry on Beyond Pho in Hanoi -- that one had my mouth watering. and their posts on food in Chengdu, Sichuan are great - make me miss my old stomping grounds!) Basically if you are interested in Asian food you can spend hours here....)

www.appetiteforchina.com

Diana Kuan's recipes are really great and usually quite simple. YOu might want to try the tea eggs with the kids -- very easy to make and a nice savory variation on hard boiled eggs. Great for fall/winter.

Those are two of my favorites. Enjoy!

Actually, food blogs have become a huge frugal pleasure for me. I still have somethign of a cookbook addiction, but it is so nice to be able to look something up on the fly and experiment.

WE've been doing pretty well on the frugality front. Managed to get in and out of Ikea yesterday while only spending about $15 on house stuff, all of which was on our list. And I didn't buy a few things that were -- decided not to splurge on new covers for the dining room chairs after all, since spending nearly $150 for six covers seemed a bit excessive. The covers we have are beige ultrasuede, which is a pain because it shows the dirt, but it is highly washable. the alternatives we were considering would have been different fabrics and probably would look worn after a couple of washings.

I did spend a lot on food, but all stuff that we eat regularly that is cheaper at Ikea than other alternatives -- coffee, organic pasta sauce, smoked salmon and dark chocolate.

Probably will eat all meals in this weekend. Though grocery costs have gone way up, we still spend less when we eat in than when we go out.

lhamo

[bke]

Today was a no drive/ no spend day. Dinner varied for everyone but it involved using up things that would go to waste. The guys ate chicken with leftover mashed potatoes and a salad of fresh tomatoes, onions and peppers. I ate 2 veggie sandwiches on whole wheat bread and drank a glass of soy milk. My frugal was about using up food before it spoiled since I'm the only one eating these things and the guys ate leftovers from work.

I recieved my free postage stamps from quadreaders yesterday.

I'm on line now to do sweeps ( yes, I'm still interested in more wins!!) and swagpoints. The guys are hanging out doing their own thing so no one minds me being on the computer this evening. I make sure that my computer time doesn't interfere with family time.

[fidgiegirl]

madgey, sorry about your Grandma (((madgey & Grandma)))

[madgeylou]

madgey, sorry about your Grandma (((madgey & Grandma)))

thanks, fidgiegirl. she seems a bit better today after us basically haranguing her to eat all day yesterday -- she has more pep at least! we located an agency around here that works with frail elderly folks to help them stay home and are going to reach out for some support from them tomorrow ... hoping we can make sure she gets all the care she needs through this. whether she gets better or if it's her time to depart this life, i just want it to be as simple and painless and easy for her as possible. i think we can get some more support to make that happen.

in frugal news, we planned out our meals today and i did all of our grocery shopping AND i resisted going to sephora. baby steps.

[Stella]

Thanks for the links Lhamo! Cheyenne is going to love those!

Madgey I am praying for your grandma and for you and your family. What a tough time!

We had a good weekend. We miscommunicated Friday night about a birthday party we had planned on going to. I thought he was saying he was too tired to go and he thought I was saying I was too tired to go. It turned out we had both wanted to go, but maybe it was for the best as it was at a bar and could have been expensive.

Saturday we cleaned, decluttered and organized most of the day. Sunday we decided to follow through a bit on Cheyenne's request to learn more about Asia. We had lunch at a Chinese restaruant owned by a friend of mine. The prices for their buffet are quite good. All of us ate for $20. Then we went to the Japanese Garden at Como Park, which is free. We went to the evening mass. It was a nice day.

Today is International Talk Like a Pirate Day. I printed some fun hidden picture pirate stuff for the girls and I am making eggs and toast and cutting the toast into pirate ship shapes with my pirate ship cookie cutter. There's a new sculpture in the water at the park that is a miniature pirate ship and the kids were all excited about that, so I am going to have them write a story in their story journals about The Pirates of the Lake. I am going to write one too. That sculpture really captured their imaginations last week, so I think they'll like that assignment. Bella was convinced that the ship had been made by fish and Cheyenne decided there were mermaids in the lake to go with the pirate ship. They decided some rocks in the lake were a Native American village made by fish and mermaids and the pirates were raiding it. I think we have a lot to work with here.

[SiouzQ.]

I love the way your children think, Stella! The imaginative connections are priceless!