A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #48

Hello Ladies,

  So good of you to visit today! It's growing quite chilly here in Southwest Missouri. We had quite a windy day yesterday. Branches and even power line poles snapped in areas. We have a few small branches down, but nothing troublesome. I am thrilled that I still have half the leaves on my golden maple and most of the leaves still cling to the orange maple. The red maple gave up her final leaves. She's always first to turn, so I wasn't surprised. I do love maple trees. They give such beauty to the season. I have found myself drawn to the russet brown of the oaks on neighboring properties along my commute.

Here are a few thrifty things I've done this week:

• I made soup out of odds and ends on Monday. I used some beef broth, a single steak from the freezer, a little cream, an onion, and a bag of chopped frozen broccoli along with some seasonings. Oh yum... and Trim Healthy Mama friendly. I'll have to write out the recipe and share it. Why was it frugal? I had everything on hand.
• I gave away a couple of bags of books and misc. Why is that frugal? I was real estate investing! I got three or four cubic feet of space from giving those things away. Yay! It's all how you look at it. 
• When I did eat out with my son, we got the $1.99 fish and fries special at Long John Silvers. We substituted hush puppies for the fries—same price and much more filling.
• I threw away some things that were worn out. Once again, it's real estate investment. ~smile~
• I found some school books that have been missing for some time. They were in our well room in a tote. I usually keep the books in the basement. Score! I should be able to use some of them with my daughter. The rest will either be sold or given away. 
• I was able to order some DVDs my kids want at SwapaCd.com. I used credits I got from Paperback Swap to pay for them. 
• I bought some Christmas gifts on-line on sale and used a free shipping code from Christian Book Distributors. 
• I bought the Trim Healthy Mama cookbook and some other things on-line at Amazon on sale and got free shipping for ordering over $35 worth of items. 

Just a few things, but they helped me make ends meet this year. Hey, if you're needing Christmas money, start squirreling away any change you have, the odd dollar here and there, and cut some corners now. I started doing that early this year and already have more money saved than I had last year. Praise God! It takes the pressure off me in my Kringling.

What are you doing to be thrifty?

Blessings to you!

Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage

Happy When I Get to Be Home