Thrifty Things Lately ~ July 6, 2023

 Hello everyone!

  I've been doing thrifty things and forgetting to share them! Today is the perfect day for it. I'm taking a break after vacuuming our enclosed back porch. It doesn't seem like it would be a big job, but... let's just say I was dewy when I finished! 

Honey Oat Bread

• We're still eating primarily from our freezer and cupboards. 
• I'm brainstorming gifts I can make from what I have on hand.
• I've been checking Facebook Marketplace for months in search of a new couch. I found one recently that is high quality and comes with a matching arm chair. I asked the lady to consider $400 and she agreed.  I hope the furniture will last into retirement. 
• I made 2 loaves of homemade honey oat bread for less thant the price of one at the grocery store.
• The second loaf was a couple of days old, so I made french toast and my Grandma Bern's raisin bread pudding with it. I didn't have canned milk, so I used the whole milk that I had on hand. It worked just fine. I like my bread pudding cold, so I ate some for breakfast!
• I'm listening to the Bible for free on Bible.com.
• We're now eating a few cucumbers from the garden. More garden yummies to come!
• I ordered yarn at KnitPicks.com. I bought some yarn on sale. I googled and found a coupon code for free shipping, too! Score! I used birthday money from May. My daughter gave me cash and told me it was for yarn. Yay! Thanks Emily.
• My son, Matt, gave me $60 to buy a dress for my birthday and Mother's Day. I tried BloomChic.com and found two. I also combined sale prices and coupon codes and got both dresses for under $60! Score!
• I learned to repot my house plants. I moved three plants into bigger pots. I didn't even cringe when I got dirt under my nails. 
• My sons bought my husband an electric lawn mower for Father's Day. It is saving wear and tear on my husband who has knee and shoulder issues. It's much easier for him to start and run. He also isn't running to the gas station all the time.
• Tomato sandwiches are delicious. We haven't gotten any from the garden yet, so we're buying from the farmer's market.
• I made some delicous homemade coleslaw with half a cabbage that was leftover.  My new dressing recipe is below. My original coleslaw dressing recipe is here. 
• I have been driving my car only in town to make the tires last longer. They're going to have to be replaced before winter.
• I found a free app that is helping me so much. It's called Knit Companion. It's helping me as I keep track of rows on the sweater I'm knitting. I can upload my Ravelry patterns, keep track of individual projects, highlight the row I'm knitting, bookmark where I am, so I don't lose track, count rows, and I don't even know what else yet. There's a paid version with extra bells and whistles, but I don't need them. Free is the right price for me!
  
• I've filled out the surveys for McDonald's and received free fries and drinks. This is nice, because I meet friends there once or twice a week to knit and chat. This is an additional savings, because we used to meet at the $5 a cup coffee house. 
• We still like to go to the coffee house once in awhile, but I make sure to order a small to keep it under $5 and use my birthday gift card. Thanks Beth!
• I reviewed the movie, Sound of Freedom.
• I made homemade cocoa once or twice when we were craving chocolate.
• I made homemade old-time lemonade a couple of times.
• I've been making socks using gifts I've received. You can see them on Ravelry (HarvestLaneLaura) or Instagram @lauraofharvestlane.
• I reviewed books in exchange for free books.

SUGAR FREE COLESLAW DRESSING

  

  Combine and pour over 1/2 a shredded cabbage and 1 shredded carrot. Then chill.

• 1 cup Hellman's Mayonaise
• 2 T white vinegar
• 6-8 packets of Truvia

    

I hope y'all are having a great summer. Mine started out a bit roughly with a health issue, but it's improved a lot. I am feeling much better. 

I'm still reading from My Summer Reading List and doing activities from My Summer Bucket List.

Check my lists and see if there's something you want to read or do. Share with me some of your favorite books and summer activities. There's always room for fun!

Well, that's it for today! I've got to go plan my lunch and supper around the fresh vegetables from the farmer's market and our garden. 

Be blessed!

Laura Lane

Harvest Lane Cottage

PS Please write back!