Saturday, January 30, 2016

A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #52


Hello everyone! 
It's been another busy week that has just flown by!

~ I started my week by burning the ham and beans I planned to serve for Sunday supper. Not thrifty. I was so upset with myself. I wanted to order pizza. Not an option these days. Instead, I opened a few cans of different kinds of beans, a can of Rotel style tomatoes, and used a little taco seasoning to make a bean soup. It was good enough that the boys ate seconds.  

~ I received some wool dryer balls, two books, two shopping bags, and a lemon squeezer for review for free. 

~ I used the wool dryer balls instead of dryer sheets. 

~ My dog's eye has been bothering her. I cannot afford a vet right now. It doesn't look serious. I am praying and pleading the blood of Jesus over her. She is my property, and God cares about what I care about. I am praying for her healing. I am giving her a half dose of generic Benedryl that I had on hand to help treat the irritation.

~ We enjoyed a lovely dinner out in one of the area's finest restaurants for $10. I'd been holding on to a gift card for a couple of years with a balance that just almost covered one appetizer and one dinner. We shared both and drank water with lemon. We left the waitress a very nice tip. Being a saver has its advantages!

~My son's birthday was this week. We made an old family recipe of pork tenderloins and chips. The pork was on sale at a bargain price, the remaining ingredients were bought at Aldi.  The dessert was homemade brownies using a recipe I've had ever since I was a young wife. 

~ I gave Matthew an old wine bottle for his birthday that I've had for over ten years. My husband brought it to me filled with Bittersweet one Autumn. I also gave him 3 taper candles. He likes the look of the wax dripping down the bottle. I didn't spend anything on this. It was special because it was proof that I listen to him, and I remembered.

~ Matthew also needed some work boots. The kids wanted to help. We all pitched in and came up with $108 to help him get boots. That's family working together. 

~ We went to Walmart the evening of his birthday, and I got him a kitchen strainer for his rice and a big bath sheet. It wasn't a lot, but once again it showed that I'd been listening when he mentioned things he'd like to have.

Listening goes a long way to show someone you love them. I love it when I get a gift that shows someone has been listening or knows me so well, they know what I like.  It's so much better than asking for a gift. If you're a person who gives a gift for Valentine's Day, keep your ears open. You may get an idea for something your loved one will like. It may not be romantic, it may just be practical. Practical is good, too!

What have you been doing in your home this week?


ஐღLauraღஐ 
...doing what I can with what I've got where I am 
on a short shoestring budget!
~~~~~

27 comments:

  1. Honestly, Laura, not much...first week back to classes and it has been chaos to get back into the swing of things. Now that my hubby is home, he has been doing everything.

    I loved the things you did, Happy Birthdays all around. Have a beautiful day, friend.

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  2. Listening is so important, Laura. It shows that one cares about someone.

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  3. You know Laura I always hate it when people ask what I want for presents. Like you, I think if you listen, you show your love. I'm thinking this year writing things down as I hear about them or see that they are needed and I won't forget come Christmas.

    I burned my beans in the pressure cooker a couple of weeks ago. We hadn't used it in many years so I had forgotten how. We tried it again it worked wonderfully. Nice save on dinner.

    Have a good day!

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  4. Laura,
    So sorry the beans/ham burned.. I have definitely done that.. So frustrating.But, you did a great job, fixing a new bean soup [sounds good].
    Your son's birthday sounds fantastic. and I totally agree...listening is the best way to find the right gift.
    I have been doing the normal ways to try and save..Nothing different this week.
    Hope you have a blessed week..Know I am praying for you and family.

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  5. Oh, dear friend! I am so sorry about the ham and beans. I can only imagine how that must have troubled you, but am so thankful God provided your needs in another way in those moments. Happy birthday to your son, and great job on coming up with great, thoughtful gifts for him! I love how you listen and keep those things in your heart for future use. It pays off, and no doubt, they all know how very much you love them. God bless you, dear Laura!

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  6. I'm way over my budget and have to seriously start saving. It's really hard when I haven't ever done this for 73 yrs. 😕

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  7. Happy Saturday Laura! First off, tell Matthew Happy Birthday! It sounds as though you have had a busy week. And always productive.
    I'm sorry you burnt your Sunday dinner. That is so sad, but happy you are creative and thrifty to put another meal together for you all to enjoy. We don't go out to dinner often, but it is essential every now and again. We always try and purchase a few gift cards for restaurants and put them back for those moments when we really feel like we need a fun lunch or dinner out.
    It was another busy week here and I'm so thankful that next week I'll be home. The weather forecast is showing we could get a hum finger of a snow storm come Monday, so I need to get some groceries to hold us over till it passes. I'm taking my 2 youngsters to the morning movies today and they are so excited. And I have a coupon for popcorn!
    I hope you enjoy your weekend!
    Many hugs, Amy

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  8. Hi Laura! I am enjoying discovering your blog. For starters..prayer does work and animals are made by God to be much more resilient than we are. Our beagle is 10 years old and never been to a vet since we first bought her. (She does get her rabies shots required by law at a clinic for $15, now $20 this year). I grew up with pets and (when young..) living in a rural area we never even knew what a vet was. Our dogs lived to be around 16 years old and they lived outside.

    When my husband and I started out and lived a year in Texas, it was a rare treat for us to go to a nearby restaurant and share an order of cheese nachos (an appetizer). And they tasted very good!
    Keep up the good work! Andrea

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  9. Listening is important and often the smaller things are the dearest as well.

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  10. Hi Laura, I'm stopping by from Tea and a Sewing Machine :) I love your sweet little house, I'm a city girl turned country too!

    Have you tried salty water on the dog's eye? Or cold tea? That's recommended for children with sore eyes. Hope it clears up xx

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  11. I hope your next week is smoother Linda. Be blessed!
    Laura

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  12. Normal things are what make us thrifty Judy! Keep it up.
    Blessings,
    Laura

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  13. Thanks Cheryl. You wear the badge of encourager well!

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  14. Shirley,
    Have you checked out my post of 40 ways to use it up wear it out make it do or do without?
    Blessings,
    Laura

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  15. Hi Andrea C!
    Welcome! I left some comments on your blog.
    Laura

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  16. Hello Michelle,
    I am in complete agreement with you. May we all be better listeners!
    Laura

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  17. Thanks so much for dropping in Anna! Thank you for the recommendations. I've given her small doses of generic Benedryl in a bit of peanut butter. She's loved it, and her eye looks better. I also bathed it in lots of prayer!

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  18. Thank you Laura, I commented back to you on my blog. I thought I would stop in here also. I do get email copies in my gmail for all comments. I see your comment form is different than mine..My settings are for "embedded" and your reply form (this here) opens up on a different page, and you don't have "reply" under each commenter's comments like mine does. So your comments all go to the end of the comments. I won't repeat what I said on my reply back on my blog to you, but I appreciate you educating me. I learned something new today! Andrea

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  19. Hi Laura, you have a lovely cottage.

    Hope your dog's eye is better. We feel for our dogs if anything happens to them don't we :(

    Thanks for stopping by the weekend blog hop..

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  20. Hi Laura! We had a dog that scratched his eye and after the umpteenth time of taking him to the vet with no results, we started bathing his eye with a solution of boric acid. When my boys were newborns that is what we used to do, so I figured it couldn't hurt. And his eye did heal up.

    You are right about listening. Sounds like you made a wonderful day for your son.

    Have a lovely weekend!
    Jane

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  21. Just a FYI on the dog's eye. I had the same trouble when I was in college and my cat got something in his eye or something and it was really bugging him and starting to get infected. I had a super awesome vet at the time and I called him in a panic since I couldn't afford to bring my cat in. His recommendation was to take Neosporin (a new tube so it was nice and sterile) and squeeze a very small amount into the corner of the cat's eye once a day. He assured me it would not lead to blindness, would help to stave off infection and because it was an oily substance it would also help to keep the cat's eye moisturized. It worked like a charm and he was healed up in about a week.

    Not sure if you're dealing with surface issues around the eye or the eye itself, but I just wanted to pass that along.

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  22. Thank you so much Erika. The eye is looking much better. I gave her half capsules of generic Benedryl. I'll keep your tip in mind.
    Blessings,
    Laura

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  23. Laura, first time visiting your house! I thoroughly enjoyed the read. Great tips. I visited from WWI, I am #54. A warm, used black tea bag might offer relief to doggie's eye and a little GOOD pure coconut oil wash is great as it is anti-fungal - won't hurt him a bit!!!

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  24. hello Laura! I found you over at the Waiting on Wednesday and stopped by because the picture of the house looked like one I could be comfortable stopping by and chatting in!! Homeschooling mum here too! and your Sunday lunch!! Ro'tel makes anything great! I havent tried wool dryer balls--which is crazy because I have access to wool since I am a spinner and knitter!! but I have had luck with making foil dryer balls! Hey and I even followed---seems like we would be friends if we lived on the same street!!

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  25. Sounds like you week was full! I love that you listened to your son! Thanks for sharing on My 2 favorite Things on Thursday! Hope to see you again tomorrow ! Pinned!

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Your blog friend,
Laura Lane
5 Year Cancer Survivor