Friday, May 27, 2016

A Thrifty Week at Harvest Lane Cottage #65

Welcome to another thrifty week at Harvest Lane Cottage. I am honored by your visit.  Each week I share my thrifty and frugal projects, ways of saving money, and my blessings from God. 


I am so glad you dropped in for a visit today—or tonight!
I have enjoyed meeting so many ladies over the past few weeks. 
I love it when y'all leave comments, so I can meet you and see your blogs, too.

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♥♥♥
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Here's my thrifty week:

~ My husband and my daughter, Amy, finished planting the garden—except pumpkins. We've just gotta have pumpkins! We'd better get them in this weekend!

~ We had Thanksgiving dinner on Sunday with church friends! Yes. In May. We were talking last week about what to bring for a potluck. My daughter offered to bring pumpkin pie. Then one of the men said he'd bring turkey. So my other daughter offered sweet potato casserole. On it went until we had a whole dinner! It was fun. What I didn't realize was how much more expensive the items we usually eat for Thanksgiving are this time of year. I'm really thankful for the sales in November that make feasting possible for nearly everyone. It was thrifty, because it was pot-luck.

~ After that dinner, we had popcorn and leftover pumpkin pie for supper!

~ My Lowell and my daughters fixed the mirror on the new dresser they bought at a yard sale for $60. It makes their room look so big!

~ I received an extra book, Dawn at Emberwilde, to give away. Enter here.

~ My Amy is taking my Emily's senior photos. Amy is the photographer for Emily's Pretty Thrifty posts.

~ My husband flattened boxes I brought home food in and used them between rows in the garden to keep weeds down. He didn't have to buy row cover!

~ He tried to fix our car when it broke down. Go Honey!

~ My Emily will be a bridesmaid tonight and will be able to wear a dress she already owns.

~ I gave a gift from my gift box. I fill my box with items I've made, reviewed, thrifted, or found on sale. Then, when the need arises, I shop my gift box first! I do this for birthdays and Christmas, too. I fill it all year long. 

~ I crocheted several dishcloths from cotton I received several weeks ago as a gift. Yep... for the gift box!

~ We got corndogs for $.50 on Tuesday at Sonic. We ordered water with flavorings instead of pop. It's a cheap way to get a yummy drink.

~ I made pulled pork with meat my dad brought to us while Lowell was unemployed.  There was enough left over for my hubby to take for lunch.

~ Lowell carried lunches with him every day.

~ I explained to my daughter how my Grandma Bern used to reuse milk cartons to store food in. 
Amy demonstrated how to do it in her 4 H Foods class. This is not a recommended method for long-term storage these days, but I know Grandma used to have lots of food stored in the fridge and freezer stored in reused milk cartons.
  1. Rinse a waxed cardboard milk carton. Amy used an almond milk carton.
  2. Cut the top of the carton off so that one end is open. 
  3. Cut down each corner a few inches. 
  4. Fold and crimp the edges over toward the center so that they close like a box. 
  5. Fill with food of choice.
  6. Fold opposite corners in twice.
  7. Secure with tape. Grandma used masking tape. Anything that will hold up to fridge or freezer will do.
  8. Using a pen or Sharpie, label with contents and date.
We had some unexpected car repairs this week. We haven't been able to rebuild our emergency fund yet, but we're working on it. We paid the bill with grocery money, so this next week will be extremely tight. It's a good thing I've had lots of experience making do! Next week's post should be interesting. Make sure you don't miss it. ~smile~


Enjoy your long weekend if you're so blessed!


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What are you doing in your home this week?
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ஐღLauraღஐ 
...doing what I can with what I've got
where I am on a short shoestring budget!
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19 comments:

  1. Sounds like a good week except for those car repairs. Our truck needs repairs but it will just have to wait. Been a slow week for me here as I have had cellulitis. Much better now.

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    Replies
    1. Between car repairs and unexpected RX cost for hubby, the budget was blown to smithereens. We may not eat healthy this week, but we will eat.

      Father God, I thank you for Michelle's friendship. I thank you Jesus for the stripes you took on your back for our healing. You are amazing Jesus. I thank you for healing Michelle's cellulitis. God, you made Michelle's body. You formed each one of those cells. By the power of the blood of Jesus' I ask for complete healing in her cells and tissues. Nothing is too hard for you God. Your arm is not to short. You are all powerful and all loving and all kind. I ask all healing for Michelle in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.

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  2. Oh boy, do I hear you about being tight with the budget, we spent the $34 that we had managed to save to make it through the next 6 days until payday--at the grocery store...food isn't cheap like it use to be...just saying.

    Have a beautiful weekend, friend..again, thank you for the bird song, smiles.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. We've been trying to follow Dave Ramsey, but when something breaks down, the money has to come from somewhere. We haven't been able to rebuild our emergency account, so that means grocery money etc. ~shrug~
      May is second only to December in expenses for our family.

      In other news... my daughter, Emily, finished high school! We are going to celebrate with friends in a couple weeks.

      Have a great weekend. Bet you're glad for a break from your studies!

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    2. I second Simply Emily that food is not cheap. When I was raising 4 school age children, some foods were very cheap like apples, potatoes, basic baking ingredients, even ground turkey, ground beef, eggs and margarine were very low cost. Now it doesn't seem like anything at the store is very cheap.

      I remember my family reused milk cartons to store the fish they caught. They would put the cleaned fish pieces in a carton and then add water to cover the freeze and freeze that whole thing. I think they were being thrifty and they said the water kept the fish from getting old or freezer burned.

      Hope there are no more unwanted surprises, Laura.

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  3. We've had to shift the funds around a time or two. It isn't fun, but I am always grateful that it is there. Have a great week, Laura!

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  4. You are amazing!
    I learn so much from you...
    Have a lovely weekend. : )

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    Replies
    1. I need you here telling me that often!
      ~ smile ~
      Thanks Billie Jo. Have a great weekend.
      I'll be by for a visit this weekend.

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  5. Dear Laura, I'm way behind on my blog reading, having been on vacation. It is nice to stop by and catch up on your news. Sounds like you are all doing well.
    Amalia
    xo

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  6. Sorry about your truck..[doesn't it is always something?].
    Best wishes with using what you have /and using grocery money for repairs...
    Good that your daughter could do the senior photos for other daughter.. This is a big help.
    Thanksgiving in May sounds so yummy.. Maybe even better than in November..ha
    Have a blessed Memorial Day weekend.

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  7. Such wonderful ideas, sweet friend. LOVE to read your posts and I am always challenged and inspired when I leave here!

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  8. Gee my own fan club. Giggle!
    Seriously, thank you Cheryl!

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  9. Senior pictures are outrageous, it is great that you can have her do them, knowing they will be beautiful.
    Our emergency fund never seems to fill back up, but I have learned to just be thankful when there is money some where to cover thet Hingis we need. Sacrifice is better than credit.
    Our old refrigerator was not freezing well, and hadn't been for months. I do have a smaller one I use the freezer on. Anyway, some friends gave us another smaller one, pretty ugly almond color, and too few shelves, but we were able to bring it home, actually get it up the steps, and in the house (don't ask about that). ;). It freezes well even if I don't like the color. I will camouflage it under some family photos. So we saved the price of a fridge,for now. It cost us $12.00 in gas to get it here in my sons truck. I am hoping it will help in electricity costs over our original one, since it is newer, and smaller. I am also hoping I can arrange my freezer storage better in the smaller space, and not just toss things in wily nilly. I felt like it was bette to be thankful, than picky over the things I did not like about it.

    Plus, I had the chore of getting the old one out of house by myself after waiting two days to make sure the replacement would work okay. Out the house, over two thresholds, down a big flight of steps, flipped it again, and shoved and dragged it down the driveway by myself. Like a scene from the money pit movie, where everything colapses. I even scrapped the copper off it that night. Never underestimate the power of a woman who wants rid of something big! I
    laughed my head off, but only after it was over, that was a big stress reliever!

    The next day my son showed up, and we were able to haul it away for someone else to scrap all the metal from it. Real estate space like you talk about! Telling you all this still laughing over it, guess I'm still getting rid of the stress.

    I also got rid of one boot box, and a huge trash bag full of my sons out grown clothes, his wife sold some of them at a yard sale, and that money helped them. Everything going in full circle it seems.

    Hope you have a great week!

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    Replies
    1. This is all wonderful Annie! I have no idea how you moved that fridge yourself! Super woman!

      I remember my mom spray painting her dishwasher. You could check into that. I think they might make something specifically for appliances. I also once saw a washer and dryer completely covered in contact paper on a blog. I can't remember where now.

      I'm so proud of you and your accomplishments. You my dear are a true real estate investor!

      Be blessed!
      Laura

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  10. Car repairs are no fun and Thanksgiving in May... why not? I took my daughter's portraits this past week because I really wanted some updated portraits, but I refuse to pay for a photographer. I have photography training anyway and they turned out beautiful! It was nice to have nice enough weather to do it. Thanks so much for sharing your thrifty week with us at the homestead blog hop!

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Your blog friend,
Laura Lane
5 Year Cancer Survivor