A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #35

Emily, Michael, and Amy... yes they hug without being told!

Dear Reader,

Hello! Perhaps this is your first time to visit Harvest Lane Cottage. Welcome! Each week I try to keep track of some of the thrifty and frugal things that I do around here to use it up, wear it out, make it do, or do without. My family has gone through some really hard times and lived to tell about it. I hope that my posts will encourage you that you can do this thing called life with hope, a can do spirit, and a whole lot of prayer and hope in Jesus Christ.

If you're new to Harvest Lane Cottage, you may want to know more about me. I hope by the time you've been around for a bit, you'll also want to know more about my Lord, Jesus Christ.

This was a very busy week at the cottage. My husband remodeled our house by washing windows! Seriously, it looks like a brand new place! My part was washing curtains. I had already washed the insides of the windows a week or so ago. Last week we painted a room in the basement and moved Michael down there. This weekend we're thinking about painting our daughters' room.

~ I received some free books in the mail for review.

~ I made pizzas with leftover pita and tortillas from our freezer, a couple cans of tomato sauce, some pepperoni from the freezer, and some mozzarella cheese leftover from our older son's birthday dinner.

~ I spent a few hours mending several rips and tears in my younger son's Air Force jacket. It's a second hand one that he's worn for a couple of years. He snagged it on barb wire while working cattle with a local rancher. He's really enjoying his work.

~ I'm still cooking primarily from food on hand with supplementation. Our restaurant is still closed for the season, so I'm trying to keep expenses down.

~ I visited a naturopathic doctor. I got the supplement I needed and lay on the chi machine to adjust my neck for about $20. It would have cost more than an hundred dollars to go to the doctor.

~ I used lavender oil mixed in a little almond oil when I started to feel stressed or anxious.

~ My daughter took hooks and yarn we had on hand to her 4 H crochet class which Miss Sarah offered without charge.

~ We paid $1.69 a gallon for gas!

~ I signed my husband up for a free knife skills class at Craftsy.

All in all it was a pretty good week. What have you been doing to be thrifty in your home this week?

Blessings,
Laura
Who Loves it When Folks Talk Back

A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #34

Wishing for a little more of this lovely stuff that we enjoyed in November.

Hello! Another week has passed so quickly. My thrifty project this week has been cleaning and organizing. ~smile~ I didn't finish nearly as much as I would like. I still need to wash some curtains, clean some woodwork, wash walls... oh no! Never mind. I didn't say all that. My husband reads my blog! Working and driving so much over the last several months really took up my time. Cleaning was one of those things that really suffered.

Here's what my thrifty week looked like.

~ I reviewed a free copy of Ruth Soukup's book, Living Well Spending Less. 

~ Although I don't usually pay for my review books and DVDs, the company expects that I will actually write and publish the review. ~smile~ Therefore, I always feel like I've settled a debt when I hit publish. There's a list of books and movies in my sidebar that I'll be doing reviews on in the near future.
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~ I received a free copy of Nourished to review. It feels so nice in my hand. Things like that matter to me.

~ I made skillet oatmeal using a bit of butter in a fry pan, some dry oatmeal, a few leftover pecans crumbled, a bit of leftover honey, and a little maple syrup.

~ My girlfriend cut and styled my hair and my Emily's hair for us Thursday afternoon.  She did a little extra for mine, but I'm not going to mention it on the internet!

~ Okay, if you're squeamish, don't read this next one. Everyone got their eyes covered if you need to? We ate squirrel and dumplings for dinner Friday evening! My son went hunting and shot some squirrels. I am so not this kind of girl! It wasn't bad, but I'm not going to request it. It was frugal. I bought the potatoes on sale, so we spent about $.75 on them, a stick of butter $.70 (baby girl didn't know she wasn't supposed to use a whole stick in the potatoes), half a dozen eggs $.90, and some flour. $.50... and a $.12 shotgun shell.

Now, I figure I may as well stop right here. I don't think you're going to want to read anymore after that last entry! I hope I haven't scared you away forever. ~smile~ I'm just trying to be a good, supportive homeschool mom.

You've got to keep an open mind if you want to live a thrifty and frugal life.

Have a wonderful week!
Laura
Happy at Home

A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #32

It's been cold... really... truly... cold. As I write, it's warmer in Zurich, Switzerland! Don't ask me why, it just showed up on weather.com. ~smile~  It's only 9 degrees here and 34 degrees in Zurich! Even the wood stove is having troubles keeping up. We're piling on lots of blankets, and I've been making tea and soup like a crazy woman!  I've started back with Trim Healthy Mama again, so everything that I eat has to fit into the Satisfying, Energizing, or Fuel Pull category.  Most importantly, it has to fit in the delicious and affordable category, too. ~smile~


Here's my thrifty week:

~ New Year's vacation visiting family about 4 hours away, seeing our old hometown, the Kansas State Capital building, some beautiful architecture and blessed open countryside. Thanks to low gas prices and staying with family, the whole trip only cost us about a hundred dollars for a three day vacation. Thank you God; thank you family!

~ I made a simple soup using half a pan of leftover mashed potatoes and gravy, milk, salt and pepper, and some leftover shredded chicken from the freezer. This fed my husband and three teenagers lunch.

~ I made a simple Trim Healthy Mama friendly soup with half an onion, some green pepper, some leftover chicken, a bit of cream, a bit of half and half, taco seasoning and a slice of cheese.  All odds and ends that I had on hand. I don't have measurements. Don't be afraid to experiment with leftovers. This was S for Satisfying.

~ I made a simple soup that include Rotel, black beans, white beans, and a bit of taco seasoning. This was E for Energizing.

~ I made another simple soup with chicken broth, leftover shredded chicken from the freezer, some wimpy celery, a few frozen peas, and a can of green beans. I added Marjoram and a bit of Rosemary for flavor.

~ We've been drinking lots of hot chocolate, hot tea, hot cappuccino, and hot coffee that we received as gifts.

~ In trying to keep the heat turned low in this frigid weather, we've been piling on extra blankets. We even put a blanket over the outside of our little dog's kennel to keep the warm air inside with her. Kitty has been happy in the basement.

~ We're burning wood in our stove.

I haven't felt well since we returned from our trip, so I've not felt very energetic. I hope I'll be better motivated next week.

How have you been thrifty?

Blessings,
Laura

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May I suggest?

Never give up!
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This post was featured!

Make Do and Mend... Do It!

The heart of being frugal is using things that you already have to make do. Make do and mend is an old saying that goes back at least until World War II and maybe even further back.

According to the Oxford Dictionary: "Make do and mend means: Manage with and repair the possessions one already has rather than buying replacements: the austerity of the war years taught her to make do and mend".

Make Do and Mend was a pamphlet issued during World War II by the British Ministry of Information.  It included tips on mending, re-purposing and reusing old clothing.  It was a time of extreme rationing and shortages.

Nowadays, I find that I, as well as many others, have little money to spend for clothing.  My primary way of clothing my family is through purchases at thrift shops and yard sales. Clothing is often found for a tiny fraction of the original purchase price, and it's usually in very good condition. My daughters even buy things with the idea of altering them.

Altering an item or remaking it is a thrifty option. Mending what you already have by sewing on a button or sewing up a hem or seam can give weeks, months, or even years to a ready to discard item. Patching is another option to extend the life of a pair of jeans.

Personally, I've let my mending basket overflow again. I've got to get busy and do some mending and sewing.  I'm going to keep track for the month of January. Care to join me? I'll bet you've got some sewing to do also.

A stitch in time saves nine!

Blessings,
Laura
Happy to Be Home Again



No Rules Weekend Blog Party

2015... HAPPY

Happy... new year... new start... fresh leaf... do over... resolution... fresh start... new day... begin again... forgive and forget... goal setting... new vision... new provision... healthy eating... exercising... cleaning... organizing... Bible reading....

Whatever the new year means to you, I pray that you will seek God in a new and more committed way.  His mercies are new every morning.  New can happen any morning, any moment with God.  If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Every day is your new day. 
Every day is my new day.
Every day is the Lord's new day.

Let's seize it.

Blessings, 
Laura