Thrifty Things Lately ~ August 26, 2023

 

Thrifty Things Lately

at Harvest Lane Cottage

Hello everyone!

 

 Just popping in to share some of the thrifty things going on lately at the cottage.

• I'm knitting some Christmas gifts. This pair of Everything November Mitts is especially nice, because a friend dyed the yarn then gave it to me. 

• I ate a sandwich at home one evening when I wanted to go out.

• We were able to turn the air conditioner for a couple of days. It was hope for fall!

• I received a book to review that will go in my gift box. I changed my mind. Bryson the Brave Bison is staying on my shelf for my grandson.

• I've been listening to books on Scribd. I just finished Fateful Words by Paige Shelton. I'm listening to John Adams by David McCullough. I began it the 29th of May. I don't know if I'll finish it by the end of summer or not. 

• I'm also listening to Dear Mrs. Bird: A Novel by AJ Pearce. 

• I'm listening to Bible.com daily. Bible.com has truly changed my life. I am able to listen to the Bible so much more than I would be able to sit and read it. I highly recommend it. It's free. 

• I'm taking Spanish lessons on Duolingo.com for free daily. I'm on day 940! If you want to be friends on Duolingo, I am Laura 789209. 

• I drink water most of the time and carry water with me when I go out. This saves a lot of money. 

• I gave my Benjamin the Newborn Socks that I knit for him.

• We've been eating some Bits and Bobs meals lately. Groceries have gone up, but the income hasn't.

• I reviewed The Hill starring Dennis Quade. Excellent movie! It's in theaters now. If you hurry, you can enter the $10 Amazon Giveaway.

• I made some more personal tinkle wipes. This time I zigzagged around 8" squares of flannel. 

🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼🌼

God is so good.

Praise God!

What have you been up to this week?

Laura

Blessed to be a blessing

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Find me online here:

Laura Lane on Goodreads

2023  43 Finished Books

Goal 51

HarvestLaneLaura  on Ravelry

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laura@harvestlanecottage.com

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Bits and Bobs ~ A Frugal Lunch

 

My oh my, the economy is in a bit of a tank these days. We're all trying our best to make our money stretch until payday. We're especially feeling it this week. My husband is self-employed. That means he doesn't get paid until his clients pay and business expenses get paid. Sometimes his clients pay late. They're facing their own troubles.

This week, Lowell and I talked and realized that we need to reduce expenditures further.  We only one subscription service, my Scribd subscription for $11.99 a month, which I use like crazy.  That means first place to make adjustments is in the food budget. Not so easy as you know. Actually, for us, the food budget has always been the catch all for everything. Not ideal, but life hasn't always been ideal. The emergency fund is just that, the emergency fund. It's not the food fund.

Now so far, I haven't told you anything new. Food is where most of us make adjustments when times get tough. This is the meal that I made for lunch for us yesterday. Frugal, thrifty, check-check.

Bits and Bobs Lunch

I called it a Bits and Bobs Lunch to make it sound more appealing to my husband. I've also heard it called mustgo, cord (clean out the refrigerator dinner) and make do dinner.  Whatever you call it, you just open the fridge and take out everything that is open, that you need to use up, that just has a bit or a dab left. 

For this meal I had:

• a little cream cheese 
• a little strawberry jalapeno jam
• 1/3 sleeve of crackers
• leftover cantalope
• leftover beanie weenies
• 2 hard boiled eggs
• leftover sliced tomatoes
• and a serving of cucumbers and onions.

I added one can of Progresso's Tomato Basil Soup split between two mugs (most in his). 

I was a little nervous to call my husband to lunch. I don't usually serve meals like this. I was worried that he'd turn his nose up at the meal. How wrong I was! When I explained that this was a way that I am endeavoring to make the food and food money stretch, he was pleased! In fact, he enjoyed it.

We ended up having a lovely lunch conversation about memories of our grandmothers serving meals just like this. With his agreement, I told him that I intend to do this more often until times are better. Who knows, maybe even beyond that. 

Times will get better. His clients will pay. 

Until then, it's up to me to do my best to use it up, wear it out, make it do or do without... in the kitchen and in the home. I'll be writing more about how I live a thrifty life in the coming weeks. I am redoubling my efforts. After the kids left home, and I started substitute teaching, I got lazy about being thrifty. Now, it's time to get myself and our home back on track.

Here's to a thrifty week my friends!

Please share some of your thrifty meal ideas. We all need them these days. Let's encourage one another!

Blessings from Harvest Lane Cottage,

Laura

May I suggest?

5 Days of Frugal Eating Series

Ways to Enjoy Homemaking

 

10 Ways to Cope With the Heat Without Air Conditioning

Coping With the Heat Without Air Conditioning
by Laura Lane
Photo by Ethan Sykes on Unsplash

The weather is hot in Southern Missouri. For many years we either had no air conditioning or just a room air conditioner. Here are some ideas that our family has used to cope with the heat.

1. Take a cold shower before bed.
2. Use a rice or corn sack that has been in the freezer when you go to bed. An ice bag or cold pack should work too. Even a hot water bottle with ice water in it should work. It should stay cold long enough for you to fall asleep.
3. Fans...fans...fans....
4. Drink lots of ice water, ice tea, homemade lemonade,  sugar-free lemonade, etc.
5. Take another cold shower.
6. Go someplace with air conditioning during the heat of the day if possible.
7. Eat cold meals.
8. Let cool air in at night, then shut the windows and shades.
9. Put feet in cold water in bath tub.
10. Pray for rain and a cold front!

~~~~~

May I suggest...

I Will Never Be The Same Again

~~~~~

Find me online here:

Laura Lane on Goodreads

2020  20 Finished Books

Goal 50

HarvestLaneLaura  on Ravelry

Harvest Lane Cottage on Facebook

@lauraofharvestlane on Instagram

laura@harvestlanecottage.com

Paypal donations: lauraofharvestlane@gmail.com

Address available by email

Bryson the Brave Bison, Courage to Face The Storm ~ Written by Nate Davenport & Luke Freshwater Illustrated by Richard Cowdrey ★★★★★

 

Finding Courage to Face the Storm
BRYSON THE BRAVE BISON
Written by Nate Davenport & Luke Freshwater
Illustrated by Richard Cowdrey

Oh my goodness! This book is staying in my collection! It has such a terrific message on bravery that kids need to hear and read. 

I fell in love with this book from the first sentence, 

"Bryson the bison was born rather small, Not like his dad who was twenty hooves tall." 

What made it love at first sight? Well, I have a new grandson. Little One was just 5 lbs and 14 oz when he was born. He was and is just perfect, just born rather small. Just like Bryson. I just know that my little guy is going to love hearing that line read to him someday.

Look at those illustrations! Are they not precious! Richard Cowdrey filled the book with fun, fresh, illustrations that all children will love— especially boys. Nate Davenport and Luke Freshwater wrote a postive, impactful story of bison children facing their greatest fear— a storm without their parents!

Bryson showed smarts, strength of character and bravery to help his friends find the best solution and a new way of looking at storms. 

I absolutely loved that it was written in rhyme. Children's books are so much fun to read when they are written in rhyming couplets.

I think this book has the potential of becoming a classic. I won't mind reading it over and over. Well done, gentlemen!

Five stars from this retired homeschooling grandma to a new baby boy!

Thank you Zonderkidz for this review book.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s  “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

I use the Goodreads star system.
★               Did not like it
★★            It was okay
★★★         Liked it
★★★★      Really liked it
★★★★★   It was amazing

Find me online here:

@lauraofharvestlane on Instagram

Laura Lane on Goodreads 

2023 10 Finished Books Goal 51

HarvestLaneLaura on Ravelry

Harvest Lane Cottage on Facebook

PayPal laura@harvestlanecottage.com

Address available by email

Thrifty Things Lately August 13, 2023

Hello everyone!

 Just a quick post to share my thrifty things lately. I hope sparks an  idea for something thrifty that you can do.

• I've been checking Facebook Marketplace for months in search of the right king size bed frame and a baby bed. No luck yet, but I'll keep searching. 

• Lots of zucchini from the garden. I've made zucchini cake and zucchini bread. I'm looking for a new cake recipe. If you know of a good one, will you please share it with us? 

• I'm still listening to the Bible for free on Bible.com. I'm almost ready for John. I'm trying the 3 month whole Bible plan. I can link it if anyone wants to know which one I'm using.

• We're eating a few cherry tomatoes and cucumbers from the garden. Believe it or not, the big tomatoes are just beginning to ripen! I've had to buy tomatoes from the farmers' market.

• My husband liked his electric lawn mower so much, he bought an electric weed eater for $35 on Facebook Marketplace. He really likes the way it performs.

• I'm still using the free version of the Knit Companion app for my knitting patterns. It's easy to keep track of where I am and to keep my patterns in my phone.

• I've been making socks using gifts I've received. You can see them on Ravelry  (HarvestLaneLaura) or  Instagram  @lauraofharvestlane.

• I've been borrowing books from our library's interlibrary loan program for free.

• I've been using my Scribd app to listen to books. I can listen to as many books as I'd like for just one low monthly fee. Details below. My favorite book this summer has been Nightfall in the Garden of Deep Time by Tracy Higley. Deliciously mysterious but clean!

• I keep track of the books I read and listen to on the free Goodreads app. It also works on my computer.  I've read 40 of my 51 book goal so far this year. I've read and recorded 832 books since I started using Goodreads. 

• I'm hand quilting a top that my husband's grandmother made. This saves a memory of her, though she still lives, and also saves the cost of having it machine quilted.

• My husband planted only seeds that he had on hand for his fall garden.

• Instead of buying a spray bottle to water the seeds, he punched holes in the lid of a used water bottle to sprinkle the seeds. 

• I helped my dad in sorting through some things. That's real estate investment for him.

• My dad bought me dinner with a gift card he was given. When we received our food, the restaurant gave us coupons for two free meals since we had to wait awhile. We were talking and hadn't even noticed. What a blessing!

• Dad gave me a floor lamp to put by my chair. It will be useful with my knitting, cross-stitching, and reading.

• I purchased ingredients that can be used in more than one recipe. 

• We helped our daughter and her husband move to a house. They needed to have more room to welcome baby. The four of us, Amy, her husband, her close friend, my Lowell and I did it. They avoided the movie costs and only paid for a small moving truck. We filled it up and filled our four cars up, too.

• I bought a stroller on Amazon for $30 less than what Walmart had it listed. 

• I bought four like-new dress shirts for my husband at Salvation Army thrift store. They were just $4.00 each.

• I listened to a few books on my Scribd* app. 

Well, that's all for now. I'll start a new list right away. It motivates me to get things done! 
Have a great week!

Shared with Grammy's Grid Fluster Buster

*I signed up for a free trial of Scribd in February 2019. It's an app where you can read or listen to books for just $11.99 a month with no limit.  

I kept the plan, because we really use it and like it a lot. We especially like the extensive list of audio books. Take a look. If you sign up from this link, you can get a two free months trial, and I'll get one month free, too.

THANK YOU FOR PRAYING!

Thank you for praying!

We have a baby boy!

Born at 3:23 a.m. this morning.

5 lbs 14 oz and 19 inches long

Thank you for praying for my daughter, her husband, and their son.

I'm still calling him Gibby. I haven't met him yet. We were at the hospital when he was born, but we didn't go to the nursery, because momma hadn't seen him yet. We got home and to bed about 5 a.m. 

We're gloriously blessed and happy!

Thank you Jesus!

Please Pray Baby Update

 Hello everyone!

My Amy is still in the birthing room. As I write this, she has been there for 24 hours. Please pray that her labor will end with a healthy baby and mama soon.

Thank you!

Laura

Please Pray

Please pray.

 My daughter, Amy, my youngest, is going to the hospital to have her first baby. Please pray for her, for baby, and for my son-in-love, Dawson. I'll update when we have a new little one in our family.

 Thank you my faithful blog friends.

Laura