Happy Spring!

Spring decided to make a show this year. It was warm and the sun shined all day. It made my heart very happy!

I spent a couple of days last week spring cleaning my kitchen and living room. With that complete it was time to fluff the nest and add some spring/Easter touches. 

I only purchased one item to add to my decor. Let's take a look around.

I had fun creating a carrot themed vignette in the my kitchen corner cabinet.  

I am still loving my faux cake. I added some fabric carrots to the top and a cute sign that says "take time to stop and nibble the carrots. Along with some more of the fabric carrots in a berry basket. 

The next shelf I added some faux forsythia, a carrot themed sign and filled a jar with the carrots I made last year. 

My goal was to spend little to no money on decor this year. I wanted a banner for the top of the cabinet and searched Pinterest for ideas. I encourage you to look outside of the box when adding seasonal touches. There are a ton of things that you can create for only the cost of paper and printer ink. I found some cute carrot themed gift tags and used them to create the banner. 

I used the same faux tulip I had out for Valentine's Day and added the sign I used in this space last year. It still makes me happy, so why not!

I love this little ladder with the metal baskets. It adds a little bit of decor to my counter without claiming a ton of space.

The forsythia came from my floral stash and I kept my every day towel. I round canister holds white sugar and I use the ceramic recipe container to hold my tea bags. The cutting boards are some my handy hubby made from some scrap wood. 

Again I used some of the carrots I made last year and printed something from Pinterest to add to this existing sign. 

Now lets move into the living room. I pulled one the every day signs from the shelf above the television to update for the season.

I found a free printable and cut it to fit over this sign. I used poster tack to secure it. That prevents the original sign from being damaged. 

For Christmas I received some items for this tiered tray. The round and rectangle wooden frames were included with cards to change out for each season. I've found that not all of seasonal cards included fit my style. No worries! Can you guess what I did. If you said print out something, you are right!

I printed out the item displayed in the rectangle frame. 

The only item that didn't come from my stash is the container holding the flowers on the top shelf. I was racking my brain trying to thing of something to hold the florals. That's when I saw the container of black pepper that I had recently emptied. 

I spray painted it and found that the size and shape fit the space perfectly. The bonus is that it fit my goal of not spending money. 

On the hutch I added two small birds and changed out the florals in the rope vase. This is where I spent money. Last year I had one bunch the tulips, and it really wasn't enough. I purchased a second bunch and spent a total of $7.06. I call that a win!

Thanks for stopping by to take a peek at my spruced up space. Happy First Day of Spring!

Wendi

The Frugal Homemaker #3

 This is the place where I share how I've stretched a penny, saved a penny, and in many cases spent no pennies. 

I ran by Kroger to pick up a weekly digital deal. I had run out of spreadable butter and had to buy my last container at full price. The digital deal had the containers for $2.99. Not the best deal I've gotten, but since I haven't caught it on sale in a while I figured I'd better grab some. It's originally $4.49, so I saved $1.50 a container.

I needed some more pork chops and I found a great markdown. These $10 packages were marked down to $6.05. At $3.95 off per package I bought all four mark down packages. Into the freezer they went!

As I've been organizing I found a bunch of crackers hanging around. Most of them are ones Megan brings home when they order from a chili restaurant at work. 

I ground them up and figured I'd find a use for them. 

I used half of them to coat some chicken tenders and plan to use the rest for either meatballs or meatloaf. 

There was a tube of tomato paste about to expire. I squeezed on a cookie sheet and froze them. 

Now I can grab what I need from the freezer and drop into my pot. 

Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. Proverbs 13:11

It's a great reminder that steady diligent, hard and honest work is the best way to tackle  our financial goals. 

Wendi 

The Frugal Homemaker #2

This is the place where I share how I've stretched a penny, saved a penny, and in many cases spent no pennies.

I graciously accepted a bag of oranges from my mom. 

Boy am I glad that I did! They are sweet, juicy, and delicious. Yum!

Chuck received an e-mail from work. It was a notice that one of the programs he works with had given him a bonus.

An unexpected blessing that allowed us to pay off our first debt. Praise! Praise! 

I recently tried a new recipe for a sheet pan chicken with green beans and potatoes. We all agreed it was not a keeper. In fact, I ended up with quite a bit of leftover chicken.

Even though we were not a fan I knew I had to find a way to use it up. Meat is too expensive to waste. 

I put some of the chicken into the crock pot along with BBQ sauce. 

The rest of the chicken was diced and used to make a pot pie. 

I was recently watching. Ms. Leona from Ebony Ivy and Thyme along with Ms. Denise from Homemaking with Denise . They have a series called The Home Economist. Using this chicken reminded me of one of the things Ms. Leona speaks about which is making a protein and stretching it for round two and round three. 

If you watch them, let me know. I think they share some good tips. 

Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. Proverbs 13:11

It's a great reminder that steady, diligent, hard and honest work is the best way to tackle our financial goals. 

Wendi 

The Frugal Homemaker #1

 This is the place where I share how I've stretched a penny, saved a penny, and in many cases spent no pennies.

I cut up Christmas cards to use as scrap paper. 

My grocer had spiral hams on sale for 89 cents a pound before Christmas. It was limit one. I purchased one for our family gathering and asked my mom to purchase another one for me. 

I cooked it on Sunday. We enjoyed some for dinner and the rest has been packed up for the freezer. 

I couldn't pass this up as deli ham is running about $9.99 a pound. I generally purchase half a pound per week. That adds up to a huge savings. 

For my birthday Kohls sent me $10 in Kohls Cash and I had earned $5 from some spending in December. I used my reward to purchase a pair of slippers that were on sale. 

I paid $4.49 for the slippers. I wear this style of slippers year round in the house. I like having multiple pairs since I wear them so often. I'm always throwing a pair in the hamper and taking out a clean pair. 

I've been cutting dryer sheets in half for years. 

Yes, I know they are horrible for you and I could save money by not using them or using dryer balls. I did try dryer balls several years ago, and they broke Megan out. There is so much static in Indiana, especially in the winter, that using anything isn't an option. 

When we went to bed Christmas night Megan was up doing laundry. When Chuck woke up on Friday there was a note on the door leading to the garage that said, "Dryer Broken."

Chuck opened the door and this sight greeted him. 

Megan gets an A+ for thinking outside the box. Chuck watched some youtube videos and figured out the problem.

All the part stores in our area where closed for the day. Amazon to the rescue. The part was $10 and we paid $5 for expeditated shipping. For $15 we had a working dryer by 3 that afternoon. I'm thankful for a handy husband! 

Wealth gotten by vanity shall be diminished: but he that gathereth by labour shall increase. Proverbs 13:11

It's a great reminder that steady, diligent, hard and honest work is the best way to tackle our financial goals.

So there you go. I hope this encourages yo to do things to save money.  The old adage that every penny counts seems to apply more and more these days. I find it's much harder to stretch my pennies into nickles. *smile* I find it encouraging to hear about other frugal adventures and I you do also. 

Wendi 

Pot Roast Make Over

 As a homemaker keeping the grocery budget in check is super important. Especially now, as we are all aware grocery prices are outrageous! One thing that helps is limited food waste. One way that I achieve this is by making left overs a new dish. 

One night we had pot roast and the first thing I did was strain and jar the broth for later. 

This particular day I made it in the crock pot using one can of broth, a packet of brown gravy mix, water to cover the meat, along with salt and pepper. Easy peasy!

Leftovers were packed for Chucks' lunch box and then there was still some roast and gravy left. That went in the fridge to later become a left over make over.

I pulled out the following to make a left over remake. 

I strained the broth once again (even though I strain it when I jar it, there is still some settling of bits and pieces) and then added my veggies. 

Once they were done I needed to add a green vegetable. I looked in the fridge and found another left over to add. 

I then diced up the roast and heated it through. The finished product!

There were many options for how I could have served this. Along with some crusty bread, some dumplings or biscuits cooked on top, or as I choose... to make mini pot pies.

For Christmas I received this fun little pie crust tool. I decided to give it a try. 

My pies ready to go in the oven. One for each of us for dinner (Megan was at work) and the one for Chuck to take for lunch. 

I neglected to take picture of the finished pies. This was a frugal and delicious meal. 

The bonus is that there are still left overs. Besides a pie for Chucks' lunch box there is some for my lunch and pie crust that will become a treat. I will roll it out and top with melted butter along with cinnamon and sugar for a treat. Oh, and there is still a quart of broth left. That will go into the freezer for later use. 

It's fun to get creative in the kitchen!

Wendi 

Waste Not, Want Not

I won't post pictures of the empty store shelves as we all have experiencced them first hand.  When all of this started Chuck ran into the store to pick up a few things on my list.  As he was in the store he sent me pictures of what he called "mass hysteria."

Fast forward to Friday night.  I was sure I had a back up of an item, but it turned out I didn't.  It's a essential item so we headed to the store.  Chuck had not been into the stores since all of this had started.  He had seen it on the news and I had been telling him, but seeing it for himself was sobering.  Actually, it was for me also.  Isles, and isles of empty shelves.  It's only been a little over a week since that first shopping trip, yet it feels like months ago.

Seeing as how food is now scarce it's time be extra diligent about food waste.  The fridge was fairly full and a container of leftover roast beef was pushed to the back.  Sadly, it had to be tossed.  That was the moment that I knew I had to take better charge of the kitchen.

I went through the refrigerator and put away things that I thought might go bad before they would be eaten.  Chuck had picked up some lunch meat.  I divided it down into more manageable portion sizes and put them into the freezer.

A container of blueberries were close to passing their prime, so into the freezer they went.  They will be used in baking or for Megan snacks.  She loves frozen blueberries! The browning bananas became banana bread.

I had used some beef broth in a recipe earlier this week.  I took the leftover broth and poured it into ice cube trays for later use.  I saved just enough broth to use in the roast I intend to prepare on Sunday.

We had take out recently and there was a small container of dressing left.  That was added to my current bottle.

I know I've mentioned this before, but you can write on plastic/glass containers with a dry erase marker.  I am now making sure to mark the date on all leftover.  I want to ensure that things are used in a timely manner.

Beside the fact that finding food is scarce we also need to be diligent due to cost.  For those without a stocked pantry it's currently hard to shop on a budget.  No ground beef or chicken means you may have to buy the more expensive cut of meat.  The $1 loaves of bread out stock means you may have to buy the premium loaf.  All of those subsitutes can add up to budget crushers. 

I still find it unreal to think about all of the events that have unfolded in such a short amount of time.  If you let it, you could become anxious and paralyzed with fear.  I find that besides prayer, the best thing I can do is "look well to ways of my household."

Please let me know how you are doing.

Penny Smart #11

This a place where I share how I've stretched a penny, saved a penny and in many cases spent no pennies.

I picked up 3 packages of tortilla shells on the clearance rack for $0.90 each.  They went into the freezer mainly for lunches.  Megan enjoys cheese quesadillas. 

I needed laundry detergent and picked up two bottle of Purex for $5.99 each.  One bottle is put back and one was immediately used. 

I don't use my store bought detergent at full strength.  It's diluted by half.  Instead of 150 ounces I end up 300!

The large bottle is too heavy for me, so it is divided into smaller containers.  I have worked out the math and wrote it on the container.  I use by kitchen scale and know that I need to add 23 ounces of both water and detergent. 

I also have to bottles marked with a "D" so I know that it has been diluted.  

I also keep a bottle that hasn't been diluted for those heavily soiled items. 

Some of you might wonder what happened to my homemade laundry detergent.  I stopped using it about 6 months ago.  I found that in my newer top load HE, water efficient washer that it wasn't dissolving well.  Black skirts and pants kept coming out with white areas of detergent.  I may try the liquid version at some point, but for now this is saving my sanity. 

I know many who never use dryer sheets.  It's a must around here, especially in the winter.  Static is a monster when the weather turns cold!  I cut my sheets in half to double the amount.  

I've considered dryer balls.  If you use them, or have used them, please let me know how they work for you.  

Wealth gained hastily will dwindle, but whoever gathers little by little will increase. it Proverbs 13:11

It's a great reminder to tackle our financial goals bit by bit. So there you go. I hope this encourages you to do things to save money. The old adage that every penny counts seems to apply more and more these days. I find it's much harder to stretch my pennies into nickles. *smile* I find it encouraging to hear about other frugal adventures and I hope you do also.

Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations... keep moving forward, friends.