| Author |
Nifty Thrifty:  How did you save money this week?  |
|
CindyG
True Blue Farmgirl
293 Posts
Cindy
Fairfax
VA
USA
293 Posts |
 Posted - Nov 25 2013 : 2:04:38 PM
|
| Between store specials and REMEMBERING to take my clipped coupons to the store, I got food for a recent Girl Scout event at over 30% off. I really like saving my money, but I especially like save their money - it means we can do even more troop events. |
 |
|
|
CindyG
True Blue Farmgirl
293 Posts
Cindy
Fairfax
VA
USA
293 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2013 : 2:06:17 PM
|
| Forgot to mention - Sharon I love how you "carded" your earrings - very clever! |
|
|
|
Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - Nov 25 2013 : 3:59:27 PM
|
Awesome Cindy! I can't remember, are Girl Scouts tax exempt? If so I know that Wal-mart can give you a card for that. Thanks for the compliment, I think sometimes it is more fun to see what you can do with what you have instead of buying and nicer too!
~We saved money today by purchasing Wheat Shorts for our pigs. We generally get them Hog Feed but found out about the local milling company selling shorts. We spend $16.00 for 50 pounds of feed where as we got the shorts for $7.00 per 50 pounds. The protein amount is at least if not more than the feed we are giving them. They loved it! We can cut the feed in with the wheat shorts and save almost $30.00 a month in feed and they are getting the same protein :)
~At the same milling company, we found out that they sell a hot cereal in bulk. It is actually better than Cream of Wheat and will costs us $13.00 for 25 pounds. We plan on getting some when we get some extra money. This can be our winter breakfast, filling, warm and healthy, not to mention inexpensive :)
~We called a couple of local breweries for spent barley to feed the pigs with. We are now officially on a waiting list and it's for free :)
~We changed our cell phone plan from paying individually for text messages (which we hardly use) instead of $30.00 more a month. Yay!
Farmgirl Sister #5392
By His Grace, For His Glory
~Sharon
http://amerryheartjournal.blogspot.com/
|
|
|
|
Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - Dec 10 2013 : 10:59:14 PM
|
Well,
I was able to find organic chicken on sale buy one get one free. I love it! After the sale price it ended up being the regular price for chicken that is pumped up with yuck and enhanced by chicken broth. I also noticed that in addition to flavor there is less fat and more meat. I cannot wait to try an organic turkey next year.
I always make my own bread which saves money. I like to make French Bread to stretch the dollars because the recipe does not call for any type of fats.
What's going on in your purses lately? :)
Farmgirl Sister #5392
By His Grace, For His Glory
~Sharon
http://amerryheartjournal.blogspot.com/
|
|
|
|
Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - Dec 18 2013 : 06:37:26 AM
|
For us lately,
It has been making our own gifts and shopping from our pantry to prepare meals. Not much else is going on here :)
Does anyone have any tips to share?
Farmgirl Sister #5392
By His Grace, For His Glory
~Sharon
http://amerryheartjournal.blogspot.com/
|
|
|
|
Cindy Lou
True Blue Farmgirl
2325 Posts
Susan
Lonsdale
MN
USA
2325 Posts |
Posted - Dec 18 2013 : 3:53:50 PM
|
Today was a final step in a process. A friend was going to throw out a platform rocker with broken springs in the seat. DH and I both offered to take it off his hands at about the same moment. It had a nice simple style and the wooden parts were solid. We took off the old seat and springs, covered the seat with plywood, that was sitting around in the shop. I added foam rubber padding left over from another project and covered it with an embossed bronze colored piece of leather given to us by another friend years ago. Now with the seat ready I was thinking of refinishing the wood. As I was cleaning up the wood I remembered that the oil in a walnut meat, rubbed on scrapes will color the bare wood. It worked on the scratches and now we have a comfortable chair at almost no cost!
Susan
"Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?"
Mary Oliver |
|
|
|
nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2916 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2916 Posts |
Posted - Dec 18 2013 : 4:19:07 PM
|
Cool Susan! Do you have before & after pics?
Would love to see!
"We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.” – R.R. |
|
|
|
Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Dec 19 2013 : 10:36:06 AM
|
Susan! What a awesome tip! Thank you!
Ashamed to say, not saving a single penny lately... So much going on, we exhausted all of our pre-made meals a few weeks back. "No rest for the weary," Grandma would say... It's been dine-out, or order-in, with a few quick meals prepared at home every now and then. And since we've had so much sadness in our world lately, I've overcompensated by sending too many expensive flowers and blowing our budget with too many gifts this season... Shameful...Shameful...Shameful. Thank goodness for those blessed holiday return policies! ;)
Proud to say, have worked out a great budget for next year, though... With some stick-to-it-ness we'll be back on track relatively soon.
I also wanted to share with you all that Dave Ramsey is having a great $10 sale on various books and supplies for those of you wanting to do a financial makeover or get more organized with your finances in 2014. http://www.daveramsey.com/store/new-best-sellers/c10ds.html?et_cid=2951336&et_rid=0&linkid= The sale ends December 26th, so some of these would make an excellent investment on which to spend any holiday gift money you receive! :)
You know... I was looking in my craft room yesterday and realized that I really do have quite enough to start a nifty little business making hand made papercrafted items of all kinds... I really shouldn't put it off any longer - such a waste to see it all sitting there sadly staring at me from the shelves. And I just love papercrafting - it's so therapeutic, and there are so many different ways to express one's creativity... Do you all do Etsy or eBay? I wonder what would be the best avenue to sell my creations...
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
|
|
|
|
queenmushroom
True Blue Farmgirl
985 Posts
Lorena
Centerville
Me
USA
985 Posts |
Posted - Dec 26 2013 : 09:10:31 AM
|
Use old fashion shower curtain hooks or even round plastic shower curtain hooks to hang bird feeders on small lower tree limbs.
Patience is worth a bushel of brains...from a chinese fortune cookie |
|
|
|
jan49829
True Blue Farmgirl
2428 Posts
Janet
Gladstone
Mi.
USA
2428 Posts |
|
|
Cozynana
True Blue Farmgirl
1123 Posts
Kem
1123 Posts |
Posted - Dec 28 2013 : 09:46:00 AM
|
| Went to a girlfriend's house and made greeting cards. This keeps me out of the stores and we used stuff we already had. This friend recycles everything. She even saves burlap ribbons off of floral arrangements at the church when they are spent (she takes care of this duty), always has papers that line pkgs, and all sorts of other interesting items to craft with. She has all sorts of beads and baubles in recycle plastic pill bottles, etc. Love her craft room. Always a new experience crafting with her. |
|
|
|
prayin granny
True Blue Farmgirl
1874 Posts
Linda
Kansas
1874 Posts |
Posted - Dec 28 2013 : 11:38:12 AM
|
Made homemade sandwich rolls and small bread loaf yesterday! Enjoyed the process as well!
.jpg)
Blessings,
Linda
http://grannysbirds.blogspot.com/
Country at Heart
'For I know the plans I have for you......'
|
|
|
|
neeter302
True Blue Farmgirl
257 Posts
Anita
Hanover
Indiana
USA
257 Posts |
Posted - Jan 06 2014 : 6:11:55 PM
|
That looks delicious Linda!
Farmgirl #522
|
|
|
|
Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - Jan 09 2014 : 4:04:54 PM
|
Girls, I changed the title of the thread to "How did you save money this week", it seems more attainable, less pressure :)
Linda, your bread looks wonderful!
This week I saved money:
~Also making my own bread and pizza dough
~Hanging clothes to dry inside
~Using dryer lint for firestarters
~I made some Beef stock using soup bones I had along with veggie scraps (onion and celery ends, carrot peels, etc.) that I have been keeping in the freezer. From the bones I salvaged some meat for my dog along with some fat to add to her dry food for her coat.
~I sent an e-mail commenting on a product that my honey and I tried and loved. They are sending me coupons in the mail. Yay!
~I re-used some ziploc bags.
~We have been 'shopping' from our freezer and pantry instead of buying food. Also making creative use of leftovers :)
~Utilized our library again :)
Farmgirl Sister #5392
By His Grace, For His Glory
~Sharon
http://amerryheartjournal.blogspot.com/
|
|
|
|
Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - Jan 10 2014 : 2:13:56 PM
|
Today I:
~Made some more bread
~Found a great Granola recipe. I usually mix homemade Granola with Bran Flakes and dried fruit for cereal. It saves money on purchasing Granola and/or cereal.
~I made some caramels for my honey instead of buying candy :)
Farmgirl Sister #5392
By His Grace, For His Glory
~Sharon
http://amerryheartjournal.blogspot.com/
|
|
|
|
churunga
True Blue Farmgirl
3957 Posts
Marie
Minneapolis
MN
USA
3957 Posts |
Posted - Jan 28 2014 : 10:24:19 PM
|
Look what I scored at the thrift store today for only $12.
.JPG)
Everything I bought I actually needed except for the beads. The ladder shelf at the back is going in the bathroom for additional storage space.
Marie, Sister #5142
Try everything once and the fun things twice. |
|
|
|
Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Jan 29 2014 : 03:50:43 AM
|
I love the dryer lint as a firestarter tip, Sharon! I am definitely going to share that one! I, too, am shopping from my freezer and pantry and using up what we have - LOVE it! Now I am able to use our budget toward necessary perishables and stock-up sale items.
Awesome, Marie!
Linda - your breads DO look yummy!!!
Our electric bill increased an ungodly amount of money from December to January... I went on a hunt around the house to figure out what happened - we hardly use our electronics! OR, so I thought! I discovered that our son has been leaving his new gaming system plugged in 24/7. I had read that sometimes these electronics can be a real drain on electricity, even when not in use (especially cable boxes - but we don't have one anymore), so as of last night, the game is OFF unless he is playing. I'll keep you posted...
Last weekend, I made a double batch of banana muffins from frozen overripe bananas I saved last year (Did you know you can just freeze them in baggies right in their peels? Yep! When they defrost, all you have to do is squeeze the "mashed" banana right from the peel, and it's ready to use in your recipe!) I've frozen them in baggies to take out of the freezer as desired. SO good!
Tomorrow I'm spatchcocking the second organic turkey I purchased at Thanksgiving (cuts the roasting time down to about an hour and one-half!), and am planning to can the leftovers as well as make and can turkey soup. Our big chicken order from December will be in next week and I need the extra room in the freezer (I'm going to can some and freeze some).
My pumpkins from the summer are almost completely yellow-ripe now, so over the next few days, I'm going to steam-cook them in the oven, and then mash and dehydrate them. When the mashed pumpkin is all dehydrated, I'm going to grind it into a powder and vacuum-seal it in jars to be reconstituted later to make pumpkin pie filling and for use in other recipes. I've never done this before, but am very, very excited to try it. Wish me luck!
Hmmm... That makes me wonder if I can do the same thing with the frozen bananas? Does anyone know? How cool that would be to have banana powder to reconstitute for recipes!
Happy day, girls!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
|
|
|
|
churunga
True Blue Farmgirl
3957 Posts
Marie
Minneapolis
MN
USA
3957 Posts |
Posted - Jan 29 2014 : 07:39:01 AM
|
Nini, your comment about the electric bill jogged my memory about mine. DH and I a very energy efficient and our electric bills are never over $30 a month. I signed up for a renewable energy initiative with our utility Xcel Energy which promises that if I agree to having most of my electricity generated from sustainable means such as wind and solar, I can get a lower energy bill. I thought, "Why not save a couple bucks and promote sustainable energy?".
WELL . . . my bill this month was only $13.49 a savings of $16.42. I am pleased.
Another way to cut down on electric consumption is to replace all your power strips with ones that do not drain energy when they are not turned on or the appliances plugged into them are not used. Almost all power strips drain a small amount by just being plugged in. Multiply that by the number of strips you have and the leakage can be significant. I am not certain where or what they are called but I know that the more energy efficient power strips can be purchased.
One more thing - I have had to unplug the empty charger cord after DH takes his phone and pad with him to work. What a bad boy.
Marie, Sister #5142
Try everything once and the fun things twice. |
|
|
|
Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2014 : 11:05:44 AM
|
Great finds Marie!!!
Nini, what is spatchcocking? I also freeze my bananas with the peel, makes life so much easier. I don't know how drying the bananas and then grinding would be, do you think they may be too gummy? Last year I bought some of these because I want to try making them, they were wonderful:
https://www.etsy.com/transaction/130804545?ref=fb2_tnx_title
This week:
~I went thrifting and found some vacuum cleaner bags for our Electrolux, a new package for $1.00 which is a steal. I also found a new filter for an air purifier that we have for 75 cents.
~I cleaned and organized our freezers and did an inventory. We have more meat, fruit and veggies than I thought so I am happy. This will help me portion out to last.
~We have been purchasing Wheat Shorts from our local milling company to supplement the pig's feed. They LOVE it. We feed them morning and late afternoon and mix water with the feed and shorts to make a cereal for them. In the winter we use hot water and they are happy campers having hot cereal in the cold weather.
~I made more dog food for Cookie. I have been saving meat and veggie scraps and keeping them in the freezer until I have enough to make a batch. I let everything thaw and cook in the slow cooker with some water, low sodium chicken broth and rice. The after cooked and cooled, I grind it. I ended up with enough small containers so that she can have one a week. She usually eats dry food but on the weekends she gets moist too. No, she is not spoiled 
~I finally figured out how to make a good pizza. For years I have tried numerous crust and sauce recipes. Finally found the perfect ones but also found out that a 500 degree oven is key. Perfect! Now Fridays are Pizza day at our home.
~I also found a wonderful Quiche recipe that my honey loves, this is a good thing because he is such a meat guy. Here is the link:
http://beautythatmoves.typepad.com/beauty_that_moves/2011/02/thrifty-kitchen-quiche-made-simple.html
~Making my own bread, tortillas and granola again.
~Utilizing the library again too!
What's happening at your home? :)
Farmgirl Sister #5392
By His Grace, For His Glory
~Sharon
http://amerryheartjournal.blogspot.com/
|
|
|
|
Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2014 : 11:31:16 AM
|
Thank you for your insight, Marie! Great idea about the power strips... It's always amazing to me just how much electricity is wasted when we keep unplugged electronics - including the coffee maker - into outlets.
Okay, Sharon - I've just got to know the pizza crust recipe you've found! We make homemade pizza all the time using a no-knead artisan bread dough recipe and a 525 degree oven. We love it, but it's not quite "it," you know? Please do share!! And I could use a good sauce recipe, too... Ashamed to say that most of the time I use store bought, just out of convenience! Thaaaank you!!!! :) <Love the quiche recipe, too - we love qiche!!! Thanks for sharing!>
Do any of you have the Tightwad Gazette books? Oh man - do I love mine! They've got EVERYTHING under the sun in there that you could imagine. Not super organized, but definitely informative. I got my hubby's uncle interested I them years ago - we love getting together and comparing notes! :) You can find them super cheap on ebay sometimes. Definitely worth adding to your collection!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
|
|
|
|
Calicogirl
True Blue Farmgirl
5216 Posts
Sharon
Bruce Crossing
Michigan
USA
5216 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2014 : 1:30:12 PM
|
Nini,
Here is a link to the sauce recipe, it freezes well too. In fact I am going to triple the batch today so I can freeze some for next time:
http://www.food.com/recipe/ultimate-pizza-sauce-114392
For the dough, I just use a bread machine on the dough cycle but here are the ingredients:
1 1/2 cup water
2 Tablespoon oil
1 3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon roasted garlic powder
3 cups flour
1 3/4 teaspoon yeast
I just played around changing ingredients to taste. I used a jelly roll pan/ Hope this helps! Hope you like it too!
Farmgirl Sister #5392
By His Grace, For His Glory
~Sharon
http://amerryheartjournal.blogspot.com/
|
|
|
|
Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2014 : 2:18:51 PM
|
Thaaaank you, Sharon! I can't WAIT to try both! That sauce sounds yummy! :) You're the best! Hugs - Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
|
|
|
|
Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2014 : 2:28:54 PM
|
Oh! Wait! I'm sorry - I missed your question about spatchcocking! Basically, you remove the backbone of the bird then flatten it out in half (inside on the bottom) and press down on the breast bone until you hear it snap. You season according to taste, and then cook the bird flat in a shallow pan (I use a large cookie/sheet pan cookie sheet lined with parchment), for about an hour and one-half at 375 degrees. (Different sites say different times and temps, but this is the one I have in my cookbook.) It's not the beautiful presentation you have at Thanksgiving, but it sure cuts the cooking time down tremendously, and the meat comes out sooo tender and juicy. I also like that it makes carving the parts of the bird easier - the legs and wings definitely stay on the bone a lot better.
Here's a couple of links at MarthaStewart.com that may help you:
http://www.marthastewart.com/275445/how-to-spatchcock-a-turkey/@center/1009014/thanksgiving-turkey-main-dishes?lc=int_mb_1001#168424 (Just scroll down to see the "how to" instructions.)
http://www.marthastewart.com/355976/roast-spatchcocked-turkey
I've done this with a chicken, too - but I lowered the temp down to 350, if I remember correctly. It was awesome!
(Those bananas sound yummy! I may just have to order some myself!)
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
|
Edited by - Ninibini on Jan 31 2014 2:46:47 PM |
|
|
|
nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2916 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2916 Posts |
Posted - Jan 31 2014 : 3:29:01 PM
|
Oh Nini! You spatchcocker you!
Sorry I couldn't resist.
I'm going to have to try this!
"We must reject the idea that every time a law’s broken, society is guilty rather than the lawbreaker. It is time to restore the American precept that each individual is accountable for his actions.” – R.R. |
|
|
|
Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Feb 01 2014 : 06:45:17 AM
|
LISA!!! LOL!
Well, today's the big day... My pumpkins are cooked and have cooled in the fridge overnight. All I have to do is remove any liquid that settled (which I'll freeze for later to rehydrate it!), puree the pumpkin goodness, and then dehydrate it and grind it into powder... Our farmgirl sister Kristina told me I could use parchment in the dehydrator instead of buying the expensive dehydrating sheets - I'm so excited! She saved me a small fortune! I hope this works! Wish me luck! :)
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
|
|
|
|
Nifty Thrifty: How did you save money this week? |
|
How did you save money this week?
