Monday, March 18, 2024

Monday Message

"Can or bottle fruit and vegetables from your gardens and orchards. Learn how to preserve food through drying and possibly freezing. Make your storage a part of your budget. Store seeds and have sufficient tools on hand to do the job." (President Ezra Taft Benson)

It is time to be thinking about your gardening - whether in the ground or in pots. I saw seeds out already at the Dollar Tree.

April 1st is when I start my garden seeds inside, so that is four weeks away from the writing of this post.

I wish I could say that prices have gotten better but they have not. We need to continue to be as frugal as we can be.

I have continued to work in the sewing room getting it just so.

This ironing cart has been very useful. I recovered it from a sheet. I used the same sheet to make the little pin holder that is on the spool.

It has three canvas drawers - the big one I put all the cone thread in, then the two smaller I put patterns I am wanting to make soon, in the bottom one above it I put all the zippers in.

I put all my scrap fabric in these drawers. All yellow in one, red in another, and so forth. This made better use of these drawers and freed up all the canvas cubes.

So a huge consolidation of the sewing room has been going on.

The picture hanging up I made out of directions from an old pattern and framed it. I had both on hand when I made this.

I have been working hard getting this tended so that I can more easily find what I need and to have a better work flow. The ironing zones are on both ends of the sewing room, both to the right of the machines as I am right handed. This makes this work a lot smoother.

Years ago my mother-in-law made curtains out of white sheets and crocheted lace edging for them. I always loved them. Later she made those curtains into a bed skirt for a regular sized guest bed then gave it to me. This week, I made them into short curtains for our bedroom. I like to think she would be happy to know I made this back into curtains for our room.

That is what frugal is - we just keep using the same thing in different ways. Thinking outside the box.

One day this last week, I was having a rough morning and my husband was needing to run an errand so I grabbed some change to get a chocolate bar (only one kind - Lily's milk chocolate salted caramel, as it does not raise my blood sugar). And I thought it was a good day to do this but then I stopped into a thrift store which was next to where my husband had to go to. It was afternoon by then. I thought there would be nothing good left for the day but I was wrong. I got three gallon bags stuffed with stamping things.

Some of these things are here. There is a small wooden stamp and two ink pads that I did not have in the picture. The basket is full of things that can be used to put on cards. The other things shown I just put in envelopes I had that I use to put my stamp sets in. 

But these are what I got instead of chocolate. Not as tasty but it sure was worth the trade off. One stamp set is $25.99 out six months ago just one but there were many and die cuts too. The bags were crammed so tight I could not make out what was in them. I saw at least one thing in each of the bags that cost more than the price of the bag but I had no idea how much was in those packed bags. I could not afford even one of the items in the bags at their brand new price, so this was a very frugal find.  

I urge you to shop your thrift stores to stretch your budget. I have found buying used items to have helped us to stretch our budget.

So these are a few of the frugal things I have done this week. What frugal things have you been doing?

Missy says keep looking for ways to stretch your budget - even reusing a bag is frugal.

Tippy Longstockings says put seeds in the the dirt to grow yummies!

Monday, March 11, 2024

Monday Message

"You do not need to go into debt, may I add, to obtain a year’s supply. Plan to build up your food supply just as you would a savings account. Save a little for storage each pay-check." (President Ezra Taft Benson)

Little by little it does add up. Just develop a habit and over time you will have what you need when you need it.

Life is hard. Things keep popping up to throw you curve balls. Having things in your storage is a helpful thing.

So many are having a hard time right now. Kindness is needed more now than ever...

https://www.randomactsofkindness.org/the-kindness-blog/2943-50-kindness-ideas-for-random-acts-of-kindness-day - some great ideas.

https://www.naturalbeachliving.com/acts-of-kindness/ 

https://www.signupgenius.com/groups/random-acts-of-kindness-ideas.cfm

https://www.burlapandblue.com/acts-of-kindness-the-ultimate-list-of-100-random-acts-of-kindness/ - I have seen the painted rocks and it does make me smile.

Even just being able to smile will brighten someone's day.

It does not matter what your smile looks like.

It will brighten someone else's day. You may never know how you helped but being nice to others is a huge thing.

This week I took a table runner and made it into a bobbin holder for my bobbin lace bobbins. It is working very well.



So that was my frugal thing I did as the table runner was given to me. It was very long as you can see.

What frugal thing did you do this week? We all learn from each other, so stick your tips in the comments below.

This week I wanted to make my spinning and weaving magazines easier to access. I keep them for reference and for patterns and some needed inspiration.

Putting them in the plastic bins I already had makes it so I can slide like a drawer so I can better get them in and out.

Still doing some reorganizing is helping to be more efficient

I have done a little more spinning and weaving this week. Just about to do a change in the design on the loom which I am looking forward to the next part.

My little peach tree is struggling as I transplanted it and the seed broke off. There were still roots so I am hoping it makes it. The trees are growing fast so hoping no more transplanting needs to be done but I never had seeds take so before...


I hope a few of them make it.

Missy says changing things up is a good thing. We are trying some new bags. Reorganizing is a good thing.

Tippy Longstockings says let me see if I have room in here to put some storage and you keep at it too.

Monday, March 4, 2024

Monday Message

"A cardinal principle of the gospel is to prepare for the day of scarcity. Work, industry, frugality are part of the royal order of life." (Bishop Keith B. McMullin)

At the time I was writing this, we woke up to a few inches of snow. I was rather getting use to seeing ground again..

I couldn't help myself, I needed to make these snow people just for all of you.

Today was a busy day. I made yogurt and granola then helped move computer things to my husband's studio which is where he wanted them. I was happy to help him. Then I needed to shift the living room around...

In these pics you can eye-spy Missy.



Did you know you can add water to your cream rinse, shampoo, dish soap and still get good results? Just a little tip I have been thinking about.

Okay, in writing this Tippy Longstockings said, wait, they need to eye-spy me too!

Tippy says did you find her? Wait, can you see a cat lamp??

https://www.wikihow.com/Live-Cheaply - basic ideas.

An eye-spy interruption...

See if you can find Missy.

https://www.indeed.com/career-advice/career-development/useful-skills-to-learn - skill learning ideas.

https://emailsignaturerescue.com/blog/27-useful-life-skills-you-can-learn-in-less-than-five-minutes - this has some interesting things.

https://s3.wp.wsu.edu/uploads/sites/2086/2014/09/Sewing-Skills-Checklist.pdf - how many of these things could you check off?

https://www.thefrugalgirl.com/how-i-make-my-grocery-list/ - look for things that can help you.

https://extension.usu.edu/createbetterhealth/blog/publishedposts/menuplan

https://moneyning.com/frugality/essential-shopping-skills-every-family-needs-to-know/

https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/lower-grocery-bill-inflation#5.-Rethink-your-protein-

https://zenhabits.net/50-tips-for-grocery-shopping/

https://katherinesasser.com/how-to-build-a-better-grocery-list/

Tell us how you build a budget friendly grocery list and menus in the comments below. We all share and learn with each other.

Missy says make a frugal plan when you are making your gibble list.

Tippy Longstockings says even if you don't think you can learn a skill, just study on it. You will be surprised. She is trying to figure out how to weave with no thumbs.

Monday, February 26, 2024

Monday Message

"The counsel to have a year’s supply of basic food, clothing, and commodities was given fifty years ago and has been repeated many times since. Every father and mother are the family’s storekeepers. They should store whatever their own family would like to have in the case of an emergency … [and] God will sustain us through our trials." (James E. Faust)

How are you doing on your skill building?

How are the prices in your area? Ours seem to go up by the minute, very costly.

I continue to research frugal things. It is harder when you pretty much are very frugal already.

https://www.littlehouseliving.com/price-we-pay-for-convience.html - this is good, I like her. We have talked before about convenience foods and doing things from scratch which really saves money.

https://www.budget101.com/recipes/448-convenience-mixes-2/

https://retrohousewifegoesgreen.com/homemade-mixes/ - there are great things here, even a gluten-free baking mix.

https://www.littlehouseliving.com/10-mixes-that-should-be-in-your-pantry.html - I love her scone mix.

https://melissaknorris.com/podcast/frugal-mixes-that-cost-less-than-a-1-made-from-food-storage/ - I like this gal as well.

https://goodcheapeats.com/diy-baking-mixes/ - some ideas here.

https://thedollarstretcher.com/frugal-living/food/inexpensive-homemade-baking-mixes/ - lots of good info.

https://blog.preparedpantry.com/make-store-mixes/ - has helpful info.

https://extension.usu.edu/utah/files/food-for-thought/Master-Mixes-Booklet.pdf - I love these.

https://extension.usu.edu/sanpete/files/Soup_or_Sauce_SOS_Mix.pdf - I love using this mix.

This is my favorite book. The whole book is one mix then all you can do with that one mix. Check your library to see if they can get it for you.

I also like the Make-A-Mix books, see if you can check them out too.

I have been doing a little cleaning...

This spot was perfect for putting these waffle irons and such.

I have a winding station for the yarns I spin. This works great. The stool was given to us.

I worked on clearing a better area for my surface of watercolor desk and the books.


I cleared and deep cleaned my knitting machines getting ready to work on learning more on them and building on that skill.


I wove more on the dish towels and spun some more working on these skills.

I have been researching something, teaching myself a new skill on this inkle loom.

I am working on this cowl.

Building skills as I can while still doing regular chores and such. What skills are you working on?

Missy says make time to learn. She tries to fit it in between naps.

Tippy Longstockings says she should get paid for advertising Fareway on the bag with her cuteness.

Monday, February 19, 2024

Monday Message

"We can begin ever so modestly. We can begin with a one week’s food supply and gradually build it to a month, and then to three months. I am speaking now of food to cover basic needs. . .I fear that so many feel that a long-term food supply is so far beyond their reach that they make no effort at all. . .Begin in a small way, … and gradually build toward a reasonable objective." (President Gordon B. Hinckley)

Just do what you can. Sometimes I can get more and sometimes I can't. I try to at least get one non-perishable item when I get groceries to set aside. This has helped us so much when we have hard times.

https://www.littlehouseliving.com/cheap-grocery-list.html - I saw this just lately. I feel she has worked hard to put these things together. I think she is fantastic.

https://www.littlehouseliving.com/frugal-living-tips/frugally-fit - here is another of her posts.

My favorite recipe of hers is her scone mix - https://www.littlehouseliving.com/scone-mix-recipe.html

https://www.rd.com/list/being-frugal/ - frugal ideas.

I think we are all looking to save with the higher price of everything.

I still love the bread machine recipe for making so many things.

But I one day took some of the dough to make pizza...

We loved it. So now I take and divide that dough into three and freeze it, then I toss it on the counter in the morning in its bag and by supper it is ready to make the pizza.

Plus, if you don't have a bread machine, you can make it up by hand. After the first rise, divide and freeze or make other yummy things. The recipe was adapted from a no-knead recipe from long ago before bread machines were ever invented.

I did one in the machine and one by hand. They were identical.

But I encourage you to haunt your thrift stores and grab one. Plug it in at the store though. Set it on the dough setting and hit start. You will hear a whir whir noise then hit stop and unplug - it works.

Know how to make bread by hand but take advantage of these used machines. I toss in the ingredients and set on the dough setting and press start then I have an hour and a half to do housework before I need to shape it and put it in a pan and cover. Let rise thirty minutes, bake in a preheated oven for forty minutes and take it out on a wire rack. I rub butter on top and when it is cool, I slice (my knife of choice is an electric knife).

For that matter, make a list of what you are looking for and look for those things every time you go. I know that things are still able to be gotten. I have seen a dehydrator and a food saver vacuum sealer just last month and both had really good prices on them. I have also seen some bread machines lately.

Haunting these stores is a good way to find things that would cost too much for the budget otherwise.

Find used things that will help you be more frugal.

Tippy Longstockings says you will roll on the floor with happiness.

Missy says, remember your skill building - it is easy to forget, add it to you list.

https://www.cuttingcloth.com.au/post/finger-pin-cushions - cute frugal idea for beginning sewing.

Start small to learn the skills you want to learn. If you need incentive, go find out how much it costs to have something mended.

Missy would tell you it is absolutely shocking

Tippy Longstockings says if you know how, you too can make this comfy bed.

Monday, February 12, 2024

Monday Message

"Start now to create a plan if you don’t already have one, or update your present plan. Watch for best buys that will fit into your year’s supply. We are not in a situation that requires panic buying, but we do need to be careful in purchasing and rotating the storage that we’re putting away. The instability in the world today makes it imperative that we take heed of the counsel and prepare for the future." (L. Tom Perry)

https://www.littlehouseliving.com/cheap-grocery-list.html - she has so much helpful information.

https://www.littlehouseliving.com/cooking-tips-from-the-great-depression.html - we need to find and use every tool we can.

I do not see things improving.

I urge you to get to thinking about a garden if you can. I start my seeds at the end of April here.

Put out the word you are looking for jars. We have a spot on our post office board where one can put a note they are looking for items or for sale items. I put up I was looking for free canning jars one time and people were done canning and gave me jars. 

Last week, someone thought of me with some canning jars as they are downsizing. I already have all they gave me filled except for the jelly jars which I am saving to make jam next week or so, as I still have raspberries in the freezer.

You might be wondering how did I vacuum seal that two quart jar as it doesn't fit in my canister. I used the regular size lid attachment. I have a wide mouth size one too. If you vacuum seal, you know these attachments.

https://www.lemproducts.com/product/canning-jar-sealer/roots-and-harvest-by-lem - here is a picture of them. All brands pretty much look alike. Mostly, I use a canister to vacuum seal and only use these attachments if a jar is too big for my canister. These attachments only fit regular or large mouth sizes so they wouldn't fit on something like a store bought jar with a weird size lid. That is why I use a canister so I can do the weird size jars.

I vacuumed seal things and had stuff waiting for jars...chocolate chips, cream of wheat, some pasta, rice, barley...it is a bit of work but this extends the life of my food.

I do these things to be more frugal. Everything adds up and helps us to be able to stretch our very tight budget.

https://www.littlehouseliving.com/how-to-make-wool-dryer-balls.html - I think if you crochet, this would be great to make. I have a knitted one I am thinking of doing. If you don't crochet, it is a great project to get you started. I think this could be a good cat toy for Missy and Tippy Longstockings as well.

This week I did a deep clean of the closet and moved the file cabinet. This is very deep and almost as tall as me. It is a lot of work to unload and take out drawers so I opted to leave everything inside as I was only going two feet and turn it. Oh my, what a hard thing. It required pushing and pulling and body slamming to get a fourth an inch. This was quite a curious thing to watch for our kittens till I was trapped for a while but in the end it is in the better spot. It was hard work to watch, Tippy Longstockings says...

This week we were given this table and it fits perfectly my bobbin lace pillow. I had been looking for a better way for me to have it on to work it so a huge thank you for that.

Keep working at storing what you can and learning skills. You can still find vacuum sealers and things you need to put up food at Goodwill or Salvation Army or do a wanted on a community list but there are dehydrators, canners, jars. I saw a vacuum sealer the other day at our Salvation Army. If you want it to do jars, it must have a port which is a hole on top, usually by a corner and it sometimes says port next to it like the one I saw. You can look up manuals online and can order the tube and jar attachments, even the vacuum canister. So while things might be tight, keep looking at used places and if times aren't tight, they can be gotten new too, but used affords me to be able to get it and maybe a dehydrator... 

Every little bit we can do to stretch our dollars helps us through these hard times.

Remember, don't waste anything. I have a weird wire rack I am looking at and have no idea what it is but I am setting it here and there hoping to figure out a use for it. If not, I will donate it and someone will know exactly what it is or have some better ideas of how to use it. As we have done with things before, we toss it out or donate it unless we think of how we could use it.

Missy and Tippy Longstockings say cabin fever is a real thing so they will give you ideas on how to combat it, mind you they are indoor cats but they wanted you to think in and out of the box....







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