Frugal Friday ~ September 13, 2019

Last weekend we canned two dozen jars of green beans and two more jars of peppers. Jody bought a new pressure canner and we worked together to make this happen. We already have big plans for next year to do even more stuff now that we have a canner to use. 

This week I subbed four days and packed lunches and drinks all four days. One day was in the hot gym where I normally take my Bubba Keg with me, but something happened to it and the valve inside broke. 
I've already contacted the Bubba company and sent them photos. They'll let me know in a few weeks what they decide. These items have a lifetime warranty on them.
The hot weather continues to be an issue here, although it has cooled down a few degrees since the August heat wave. 
My daughter was able to get in on a good deal on Weber spices. Publix had them on sale and she combined them with a coupon, which made them 20¢ each. She stocked up on our favorite Garlic & Herb one and we were able to share with friends.

Yard Sale Saturday:

This notebook was priced at only 10¢, so I picked that up and put in my sub bag. I've already been using it this week. I also found three books. Two of them are older Southern Living cookbooks and one was a book to save money on electricity. 
We watched Aladdin and Manchester By The Sea for free online this week. 
So far this month I've bought four Christmas presents. Two of them were bought with Amazon gift cards. Christmas is only 103 days away from today. 
I want to have a frugal Christmas this year, paid in full and I'm starting early to do that as I only have four paychecks between now and Christmas. 
Planing ahead will help us have a debt free Christmas. All of these were shipped to my home for free, so no money spent on gas for them. 
This week I was running low on Ibuprofen, so rather than drive a forty mile round trip, I ordered some online and it was shipped for free to my home. That saves me time and gas money. 
In my Frugal Kitchen this week...
Tuesday was the day I was able to stay home this week and as usual I spent extra time in the kitchen. One of the things I made was apples in my Instant Pot. I had an abundance of apples and wanted to use them up before they went bad. 
We've been busy eating down our pantry and it's beginning to show. We're going grocery shopping on Saturday this week to replenish things. 
How was your week?
Belinda ~ Living within our Means ~ My Linktree

Frugal Friday ~ August 16, 2019

This week I was able to sub for two days, so I'm grateful for that. Naturally, I packed my lunch and brought plenty of water for both days. 

My time was spent in the gym where there is no a/c. All the doors are open and there are big industrial fans, but it is still hot, so I drink a lot of water. 

These are the containers I brought with me. One is my regular water cup and the big one is a one gallon Bubba Keg. I bought it years ago at a yard sale for 50¢. It keeps ice all day long and even overnight. It was a good investment as a new one will run about $30.

Jody asked me to come over on Saturday and help him can peppers. He had grown all of them in his raised bed gardens. He had canned with his parents and grandparents when he was young, but they've all passed away since then. 
This was his first time canning since then and he wanted someone there to make sure he was doing it right. He does so much for us that I was more than happy to help him. In the end we had twelve half pints of peppers. 
The Mennonite community here has boxes of produce for sale at this time of year for $7.00 for canning. Jody said we should get some green beans and can them and split them up for our families. I thought this was a great idea.

Cool Gear really came through with their replacement for me. They sent me three containers and one of those was an expandable Bento box, which was very nice of them. 

We both received a free sample from the Freeosk at Walmart this week. This was a free sample of the Smarty Pants Women's vitamins. 

Weight Watchers magazine is no longer going to be published, so my subscription was switched over to Eating Well magazine, which came in the mail yesterday. 
There are a lot of good looking recipes in there that I'm going to have to try out. My original WW magazine subscription was free, so this one was as well. 

Last week I sold a cookbook that I bought at a yard sale for 15¢ for $5.00 on eBay. I also sold three other items on there this week. The money from these sales will help supplement my income this month. 

If you're interested in what I did in my frugal kitchen last week, be sure to read that blog post here. 

Thanks to my wonderful readers, this week I was able to cash out on Microsoft Rewards for two $5 Amazon gift cards making my balance $20 now. 

If you're interested in signing up for the program please follow my link here: 
Microsoft Rewards

My daughter went to town on Wednesday and scored a good deal on  Coca-Cola 2 liters. 

Publix has them on sale for buy two, get two free.  They also have a coupon in their coupon flyer for $2.00 off two certain coke products.
She bought me my favorite lemonade and stocked up on some other flavors that aren't pictured here like Mello Yellow and Pineapple, Orange, and Strawberry Fanta. 

My daughter worked out a deal through Influenster and earned a $15 shopping spree for Big Lots. One of the things she bought me were these dryer balls, so we will be trying these out this week. 

Panera Bread sent me an email for a free pastry this week, so I picked out this chocolate croissant. 

Toy Story 4 is ending in theaters here this week. We've seen all the Toy Story movies at the theater and wanted to see this one there as well. We saw it on Tuesday since it's $5 night and since we are reward members that comes with a free small bag of popcorn. 

It was a very busy week getting back into a routine and tiring at the end of the day, so I slept well. I hope you all have had a good week as well. 
Belinda ~ Living within our Means ~ My Linktree

Canning

 I've been busy canning this week. Pictured above are my first two batches of tomatoes right out of the canner, which totals fourteen jars of tomatoes so far, and also the three jars of pineapple zucchini in my last post. I still have plenty more in various stages of ripening to can:

 Every summer I am reminded of how much I love canning when I see the finished product. It can be a lot of work, but the end result is worth it to me. From the sounds of recent news articles it looks like prices for groceries are going to be even higher in the future. Therefore, I think it is very important to keep some of our household savings in the form of food. Every little bit I can do towards this will help me get me one step closer to that goal. 

What are you canning in your Frugal Kitchen this summer?

Belinda

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2012.

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

Zucchini Pineapple

Had four zucchini from the garden today and had been looking for something special to do with them when I found this recipe for Zucchini Pineapple at the National Center for Home Food Preservation website.  

This recipe calls for pineapple juice, and I've seen another one that calls for pineapple tidbits, but I finally settled on this one. Reviews that I've read state the zucchini absorbs the taste of the pineapple juice and can be substituted for canned pineapple in recipes. I'll substitute this for canned pineapple tidbits in my chicken stir fry. You can also grate the zucchini and substitute it for crushed pineapple in recipes. Here is a link to the original recipe:

Zucchini Pineapple

Zucchini-Pineapple

4 quarts cubed or shredded zucchini
46 ounces canned unsweetened pineapple juice
1½ cups bottled lemon juice
3 cups sugar

Yield: About 8 to 9 pints

Directions: Peel zucchini and either cut into ½-inch cubes or shred. Mix zucchini with other ingredients in a large saucepan and bring to a boil. Simmer 20 minutes. Fill jars with hot mixture and cooking liquid, leaving ½-inch head space. Adjust lids and process for 20 minutes.

After I cut up my four zucchini, I had one and a half quarts of zucchini, so I had to adjust the recipe accordingly. In the end, I ended up with three jars of zucchini pineapple. I just love the way it looks in the jar. It actually looks like canned pineapple. I'm definitely going to enter this one in the county fair in September. :)

Belinda

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2012.

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

First Place Winner

I've been busy working almost everyday, but just had to let you all know that my Pickled Grape Tomatoes won FIRST place in the county fair. 

I wrote about them here and here. :)

Belinda 

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011. 

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

Wednesday at the Frugal Workshop

School started full time last Thursday and by Friday, I was already working as, unfortunately, a couple of the teachers were already sick. My biggest downfall when school is in session is eating out and getting drinks from Sonic because it is still so hot here and it is very convenient. 

Plus I still have a lot of tomatoes coming in from the garden this week that I am dealing with along with our busy schedule. Needless to say I've been busy getting back into our old routines and doing my best to stay within our budget.

I'm happy to report that I've been doing a good job NOT eating out or getting drinks. On Monday I took a package of 8 chicken breasts and a couple of containers of my homemade chicken stock out of the freezer to thaw. On Tuesday I put them into the crock-pot and cooked them while we were at school.  I also made a gallon of sweet tea and had that in the refrigerator, so that it would be ice cold when we got home. 

The chicken breasts were really big and we ended up eating only two of them, so today I took a couple of them and made some Lemon Pepper Chicken. I still have two chicken breasts left and I will either make something out of them for tomorrow night's dinner, or make chicken salad out of them. 

I love having chicken breasts in the refrigerator already cooked and ready to go. It's like having my own convenience food on hand and that saves me money because I know if I have something I can cook quickly for dinner I won't need to go out to eat. 

I've also NOT neglected the fact that I have 3 huge bowls of tomatoes that need canning. I do my best not to let food spoil, and I know that the more work I do in the kitchen, the lower I can get my food bill, so last night I got busy canning even though I was tired. As a result, I ended up with 7 quarts of salsa, and 7 pints of pickled grape tomatoes. The salsa will be mostly be used in my Mexican Rice dish.

Here is a picture:

Here are my new totals too, which I am very proud of, for this summer of canning:

Canned in 2011

26 pints canned tomatoes

7 pints salsa

7 quarts salsa

12 pints pickled cherry tomatoes

6 pints pizza sauce

58 pints of food total

 

Also, I've been getting some really good freebies in the mail lately. This isn't a very good picture, but hopefully you can see a compact florescent bulb and a Fresh Express clip, both are freebies that I found by liking companies on Facebook and reading my newsfeed and signing up to receive these offers. 

The Fresh Express clip even came with coupons and one of those was for a free bag of salad. Make sure you are utilizing Facebook so that you can get in on these good deals as well. One of my favorite ones is Hunt4Freebies.

That's what I've been up to lately. What have you been busy doing in your frugal home? What are you having for dinner tonight? As always, I would love to hear from you. :)

Belinda

Frugal Living in my Home today

I've been busy canning in the kitchen again and put up 14 more jars of canned tomatoes and 6 jars of pickled cherry tomatoes. This is the total of what I've canned so far this year:

Canned in 2011

26 pints canned tomatoes

7 pints salsa

6 pints pickled cherry tomatoes

6 pints pizza sauce

45 pints of food total

I still have more tomatoes in the kitchen getting ready to be canned, and also have more on the vine. As I've said before, this has been a banner year for tomatoes in our garden this year. 

Today was the first day of school here although it was only a two hour day. It was good to see everyone after the summer break, and I already have some worked lined up for next week, so that is a good thing. 

Breakfast was Cinnamon Raisin Toast with Cream Cheese and Boiled Eggs on the side for some protein. We were home by lunchtime and  I made a simple lunch of Nachos with some taco meat, cheddar cheese, sour cream, and tomatoes. Dinner was going to be Sweet & Sour Chicken, but I ended up being the only one home tonight, so a sandwich will be enough for me and I will take the night off from cooking. ;)

Did make two stops today for groceries at Walmart and Super Saver. Here is a breakdown of what I bought:

Wal-Mart Groceries 8-9-2011

3 pound bag yellow onions - $2.38

1 gallon white vinegar (for canning) - $2.18

2 boxes decaffeinated Tetley Tea - $2.32 each (after two 50¢ off coupons)

1 – 2 liter – Mountain Dew - $1.25

1 head Lettuce - $1.38

1 bag Great Value potato Chips - $1.98

2 bags Great Value Tator Tots - $1.97 each

2 packs Italian Sausage - $2.50 each (after two $1 off coupons)

2 packs Hillshire Farm Smoked Sausage links - $1.50 each (after two $1.00 off coupons)

1 package Great Value American cheese - $3.04

1 box garlic – 68¢

1 box (30 count) Swaggerty sausage patties - $6.98

1 package copy paper - $2.97 (School requested item)

3 packages Kleenex - $4.08 (after 50¢ off coupon) (School requested item)

1 – 8 ounce – sharp Cheddar cheese - $2.18

2 – 24 ounce – Great Value sour cream - $2.08 each

1 jar Great Value light mayonnaise - $2.92

1 container Mayfield French Onion Dip - $2.42

1 package Hawaiian King Rolls - $1.00 (after $1.00 off coupon)

1 bottle lime juice (for canning) - $1.68

1 bottle lemon juice (for canning) - $1.88

1 can LaChoy Beef Chow Mein - $2.96

1 bottle white wine vinegar (for canning) - $1.58

1 box canning salt - $1.12

1 tub County Crock margarine - $2.88 (after 40¢ off coupon)

Total Spent for Food $57.18 (subtracted school supplies)

Saved $5.50 with coupons

 ------------------------------------------------------------------------

Super Saver 8-9-2011

2 cans ripe olives – 89¢ each

1 gallon skim milk - $3.34

1 box instant potatoes - $1.52

1 container oatmeal - $1.00

 1 gallon buttermilk - $3.41

1 jar green olives - $2.09

6 extra-large baking potatoes - $5.47 (88¢ pound)

2 cans beets – 73¢ each

1 container baking cocoa - $1.99

1 jar peanut butter - $1.50

1 loaf whole wheat bread – 89¢ (1¢ increase)

2 packages chocolate chip muffin mix – 50¢ each

1 package hot dog buns – 89¢

Total Spent $25.61

Total Spent in August for Food: $124.19

That's what I've been doing today. What have you been busy doing today?  Any frugal adventures to tell me about?  I would love to hear them. :)

Belinda 

© Belinda Richardson and Frugal Workshop, 2011. 

“Use it up, wear it out, make it do, do without”

Tuna Pate in my Frugal Kitchen

For dinner today I am going to serve a copycat version of Cracker Barrel’s Grilled Chicken Tenderloins just like the ones they serve on their Grilled Chicken Salad. I'll be using my last 2.5 pound bag of $4.99 chicken from Aldi's grand opening sale.

My daughter loves this salad and orders it whenever we have the chance to go to Cracker Barrel. There are copycat versions of this recipe all over the Internet, but this one from Southern Plate looked the best to me and this is the one I’m going to duplicate in my frugal kitchen today.  

 I’ll serve this with Potatoes with Peas, Fried Okra & sliced tomatoes, both from the garden, homemade bread, and sweet iced tea. 

The tomatoes are coming in quick right now, and as a result I’ve been busy canning.  Today I’ve canned homemade salsa and pizza sauce. 

On Wednesday I canned another half dozen pints of tomatoes.  This has been a banner year in our garden for tomatoes and there are still many more to be picked and canned.

This morning I also put a dozen eggs on to boil in order to make egg salad, and to have on hand for snacks. I also made a batch of Tuna Pate to have on crackers or as sandwiches. Both of these will be served at lunchtime along with some grape tomatoes from the garden. 

Tuna Pate

Ingredients:

1 large can or 2 small cans of tuna, drained well
1 - 8 ounce block of cream cheese, softened to room temperature
3 Tablespoons Chili Sauce

2 Tablespoons Parsley
1 Tablespoon Dried Onions
1/4 teaspoon Hot Sauce 

Directions:

Using a hand mixer, mix the tuna and cream cheese until well blended.
Add other ingredients and mix well.
Refrigerate, overnight if possible.

2

Here is a picture of the brand new bread machine I picked up at a yard sale for $3.00 this summer. The lady I bought it from had taken it out of the box, but never used it. She was asking $5.00 for it, but didn’t have any change, so she gave it to me for $3.00, which I happened to have in one dollar bills. 

I am completely out of bread right now and rather than go to the store for bread, I decided to make a loaf in the bread machine.  That not only saved me money but gas and wear and tear on my car as well.

 

So what have you been working on in your Frugal Kitchen today? Is your garden produce coming in now? What’s for dinner at your house?

Belinda