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!
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Hello!
Last week was a major clean out in the garage, back room, and storage room. I also had a wedding the same day and didn't get my writing done. So, I've combined these two weeks into one thrifty week post.
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Here's my thrifty week:
- My husband saved us major money by fixing the faucet on our tub.
- He saved more major money by replacing our bathroom sink faucet.
- We ate from the freezer.
- I sewed a cute little bag from fabric I had in my stash. Wouldn't you know? I cannot find the link to the free tutorial I used nor can I find the photos! I'll have to share them later.
- I received a nice little journaling Bible for review. Finally, a Bible with enough room in the margins for notes!
- I received a big box with several packages of button mushrooms. We ate all we wanted fresh, and Amy and I prepped and packaged 9 pounds for the freezer. I have a friend who sometimes gets surplus from some unknown to me place.
- I received lettuce, rolls and beets from another friend.
- I made a big pot of not so tasty soup using a new recipe. It was not a favorite, but we ate it anyway. I froze the leftovers with the thought that I'll try to make it over when I take it out again. I just don't know if I'll get away with it with the family!
- I made a pot of chili soup (not my usual recipe) using precooked frozen ground beef, leftover pinto beans, leftover salsa, ketchup, and seasonings. It wasn't the best, but we enjoyed it. Not every made up soup is a keeper.
- I made chicken soup using chicken that was given to me a few weeks ago.
- We got our van back with a rebuilt transmission. No charge! Warranty work. Praise God!
- Wedding gift: a very big bottle of Dawn dish soap and half a dozen handmade tribbles.
- I cut my son's hair.
- I worked on building a stash of dishcloths to give as gifts.
- A friend gave me five new to me blouses! I had just talked to the Lord about needing some new ones. Some of my old ones were getting pretty worn.
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What are you doing in your home this week?
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A peek into my life...
A peek into my life...
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| My dad bought this for me at a little shop many years ago. He paid too much money for it just because I adored it. Thanks Dad! I still enjoy it. |
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ღLauraღ
...doing what I can with what I've got
where I am on a short shoestring budget!
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It is nice having a handy husband! Chuck has saved us thousands of dollars taking care of things himself. :) Thankful that your van was repaired for no charge. I think we have all tried those not so great recipes. Hope you can salvage it!
ReplyDeleteHe's not real handy, but he's learning!
DeleteIt sounds like a fantastic week, my friend! What a joy to hear your warranty worked and you did not have to pay for the transmission - yes, praise the Lord :)
ReplyDeleteHappy hugs to you!
Yes, Hubby caught it in the nick of time! By the way, I just love all the little pretties in your Etsy shop. I really need to get sewing, but I've been so busy reading and reviewing. That season will be over soon. Everyone wants their reviews out in time for Christmas shoppers. ~smile~
DeleteEnjoy your weekend!
Laura
Hi! I'm a relatively new subscriber, and I'm lovin' your thriftiness! This post inspires me to make a few Christmas gifts. It's almost that time of year again! Thanks for sharing your week with us!
ReplyDeleteStacy
Oh hi Stacy! So glad to meet you. I'll come visit your blog. Thanks for following.
DeleteOh, I love your pumpkin! How sweet of your Dad to buy it for you! That makes it ever the more precious! Have a wonderful day, sweet friend. :)
ReplyDeleteYou, too Cheryl!
DeleteGod is so good.. He supplies our needs.. So happy that your van got fixed.. and all the food got supplied.
ReplyDeleteI agree, not every soup recipe works out.. I made a new recipe of chili and it was not very good.. [my husband ask, why?? didn't you make it the old way? ha] Then sweetly said, next time..just do the old way..don't change things. lol
Hello Friend Judy,
DeleteIt was a super great time for blessings. When I think how we started this year, with four months of no income (from a job), I cannot help but be overjoyed with the love and provision God's given us.
My family wants me to do chili the old way, too, always.
Blessings,
Laura of Harvest Lane Cottage
Happy you had a good week😄 Too bad about the not tasty soup but that kind of thing just happens every so often when you cook.
ReplyDeleteSo thankful for the good news on your transmission, that is huge savings! And eating out of the freezer is always so nice. And sometimes things just don't turn out, and I have done the same, frozen to wait awhile and see if I get new inspiration. Maybe you could make a shepherd's pie with it, and add a can of Campbell's tomato soup. I find it has a wonderful flavor that helps "redo" meals sometimes. Hugs to you today!
ReplyDeleteIt's actually an odd chili like soup, Spicing Up, that has cream and ginger in it too! Normally I wouldn't try that combination, but there were rave reviews on facebook. Oh well. I tried!
DeleteHugs to you, too!
Laura
Regarding the "not so tasty" soup - sometimes I will add a can of Campbell's or Progresso soup to improve the flavor of my "not so tasty" soups. It has to be something that is compatible with your soup. I prefer not using canned soup, but they can have their uses.
ReplyDeleteCream of mushroom works great for that Mrs. Anonymous.
DeleteAwesome news on the warranty,smiles. I have not done much thrifting, too busy with school. I just love your pumpkin, thank you for the smiles, friend...how is your daughter doing in college?
ReplyDeleteHello Friend Linda,
DeleteEmily's calmed down a lot. She found some people she can "phone a friend" to when she gets stuck on math. She's up to her eyeballs in writing for speech, English 102, and business class. She's going to make it. She only had one mid-term. I haven't heard how it went. I would appreciate prayers. She's still behind in her computer based math course. We never would have enrolled her in it if we'd known it wasn't teacher based. Last time I checked, she was almost 2 weeks behind.
How much longer do you have to go? I cannot remember. You're going to be a teacher, right?
Blessings to you!
Laura
Laura,
ReplyDeleteHåfa adai from Guam, Saturday morning!
This past week:
-- my husband built us a second faux fireplace-this one for our chambers-using the scraps from the first faux fireplace he made for our living room. I will be hanging stockings from them both in just a few weeks!
-- I took down my laundry room "curtain" (two twin sheets), washed them, and rehung them using wood curtain rings with clips. The curtain rings were just sitting in the closet and now the curtain functions much better.
-- I finally finished the window treatment for a "naked" window behind our piano. I used about eight yards of cream-colored cheesecloth, a tree limb for the rod, and stems of faux flowers and faux curly willow that were just sitting in the closet.
-- I stapled a woven grass mat behind our living room faux fireplace. It turned out so nice!
-- I have been weeding and weeding our yard for days. On Thursday I was out there seven hours. I moved all my free plants to the front yard and made an executive decision to have only (free) plumeria trees and grass in the backyard-easier maintenance. That way the front yard is pretty from the street and the backyard is simpler and pretty, too. No neighbors have windows that see our backyard anyway. (Military families all rent here, too.)
-- I wrapped some grass jute around the handles of a tray, giving it a little interest. The jute was in my stash.
-- I set my table for autumn. I had cross stitched on a beautiful "doily" for several years, and since finishing it in 2011, it's such a joy to display it for several weeks during the autumn months. At a thrift store I had bought a beautiful plaid tablecloth whose colors went perfectly with the cross stitch colors, so I cut the tablecloth into squares and made table napkins-even mitered all the corners! They look so nice with the cross stitched "doily."
-- I obliterated two mud dauber's nests.
-- I washed our two patio chairs and bought two matching ones from Home Depot.
-- I reorganized our very few DVDs and posted on Craig's list the Waltons series. We loved the earlier seasons (there were nine), but the closer the series got to the 1980s, the less "old fashioned" the characters were looking, and the family dynamic had changed.
-- I reorganized the garage. Our motto is, "If the vehicle can't fit inside, get rid of stuff so it can!"
-- We ate several meals from the freezer like your family did. Delicious!
-- DH replaced the inner tubes on both of my bike's tires. Yay! All my neighbors love our vintage-looking Huffy bicycles.
-- I made a hooded baby bath towel and trimmed it in crochet. The towel accompanied a new baby bathtub Baby Girl needed. I also made the accompanying card by backstitching her name on the front of cardstock.
*hugs*
Kelley~
Dear Mrs. Kelley,
DeleteI am delighted with your comment! You've inspired me to do even more this next week. I need to concentrate on some projects. I was thinking just this week about using a long branch for a curtain rod. Great minds think alike. First I have to figure out what to use for curtains. Many of our windows are uncovered since we have trees surrounding our house, and we live in the country. The landlord has been cutting branches and removing our privacy.
I agree completely with you about The Waltons. After Olivia and Grandma left, particularly, I didn't enjoy it very much. It's like all sense and sensibility left with them.
You've just been so busy and thrifty. I just love it. Thank you so much for sharing it all with me!
Be blessed!
Laura
who had to look up where Guam is and what Håfa ada means!
You always inspire, my friend!
ReplyDeleteAnd I am always happy when I visit here!
Have a wonderful, cozy weekend!
That is very kind of you Billie Jo. I am honored.
DeleteI'll be over for a visit in a few minutes.
Laura
HI Laura,
ReplyDeleteFirst off, and I know you will get a kick out of this, when I click on your blog, my cat no longer goes looking around for the birds. He is actually just laying here next to me sleeping. I guess all the times of me telling him "that is just Laura's blog on the computer" has paid off" LOL! ;)
You have done really well this week and I love your idea for that wedding gift! I would have much rather had something practical and that I would use when I was just starting out instead of all the fancy china, most of which I still have never used. As for the flops in the food department, we all have them from time to time. I choose to focus on all the successful throw together soups, stews and casseroles and not on the few flops. ;)
Be blessed my friend and have a wonderful weekend!
Dear Debbie,
DeleteMaybe your kitty will leave the birds outside, too! I received so many pretty but impractical gifts when I got married way back in the 1900's. ~grin~ I would have been better off with a supply of toothpaste, toilet paper, and laundry or dish soap! Of course I didn't know that until I'd been married a couple of weeks. Most of us get caught up in the fairy tale.
You're right, we need to focus on the positive. God's given us great creativity.
Be blessed my friend!
Laura
What a great saving week! I love your wedding present! They will thank you everytime they wash dishes!
ReplyDeleteWell, maybe.... ~grin~
DeleteWhat a Thrifty week!!! I love your picture on the side.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Like most women, I don't like pictures of myself. ~grin~
DeleteWhat a great savings week. Glad you got a few new tops.
ReplyDeleteThank you Lady Locust! We used to have a wild locust tree in our yard. Oh my the fragrance was wonderful. I'll drop by and say hi soon.
DeleteThank you SO much for adding my blog to your sidebar! I am so honored and blessed by you and your dear presence in my life. I LOVE the new picture of you, too! Have a good night, dear friend...will try to respond to your email tomorrow, Lord willing.
ReplyDeleteHey Cheryl!
DeleteThanks so much for your sweet comments. I value your friendship greatly. Take your time to answer me, no hurry.
Be encouraged! The Lord Your God is with you!
Hugs,
Laura
You can freeze mushrooms? What is the texture like when you use them? Would the be good for stir fry, or only soups and casseroles?
ReplyDeleteHi Audrey,
DeleteThis is my first time to freeze them. They've only been in the freezer for a short time. I tried most of them sauteed in butter, but a few I just put in raw. So far, I've only put some of the cooked ones in soup, so I cannot tell you yet. My guess is that they will be best for soup.
If you try it, too, I'd love to know your results.
Blessings!
Thank heavens for wonderful friends that help out! It's disappointing when a recipe isn't as good as we think. :( But like you, we would still eat it. Waste not, want not! Thanks for sharing with SYC.
ReplyDeletehugs,
Jann
You're right. Waste not want not is the way to be. Except. Shortly after we married, I made a casserole that smelled SOOOO bad cooking, I couldn't make us eat it! Ah, young love.
DeleteBe blessed friend!
Laura