Monday, January 28, 2019

Monday Message

Making marmalade!

“We all need to build a personal ark . . . And we shouldn’t wait until it starts raining, but prepare in advance. This has been the message of all the prophets in this dispensation . . . as well as the prophets of old.

“Unfortunately we don’t always heed the clear warnings of our prophets. We coast complacently along until calamity strikes, and then we panic.

“When it starts raining, it is too late to begin building the ark. However, we do need to listen to the Lord’s spokesmen. We need to calmly continue to move ahead and prepare for what will surely come. We need not panic or fear, for if we are prepared, spiritually and temporally, we and our families will survive any flood. Our arks will float on a sea of faith if our works have been steadily and surely preparing for the future.” (W. Don Ladd, October 1994 General Conference)

It is a great thing to be prepared. At the time I am writing we are to get a snow storm tomorrow earlier in the week. I was thinking we should get done all we need to do before then. So with that in my mind we got all things tended and just as we finished them the car had issues and is going in today to be fixed. We have only that car but no stress as we can hunker down. No place do we need to be, nothing needs to be done as it was all done in my preparations for the storm. If I had put it all off we would be in difficulty now.  I know this is a tiny example of being prepared but if you work at being prepared, little or big, you will be better off.

I think we all are seeing no one is in a stable job. It makes me sad that so many were not getting paid with government shutdown.  You never know what the emergency will be, there is no way to know but being as prepared as you can be will help tremendously  to weather the emergency.

The frugal things I have done this week...

We had a loaf of bread that we could not eat fast enough and leftover ham that needed to be used so I made up ham and cheese sandwiches, wrapped them in plastic wrap and then tinfoil and froze them. Either they can be taken as is or I can butter and toast them like grilled cheese.

The other thing is we were gifted two bags of oranges, we could not eat them fast enough to use them before they would go bad so I made marmalade...




The recipe I used is the one inside the Sure Jell box but it is the best I have ever had.

The last was I wanted to make pillows for the living room. We noted how high the price was on toss pillows at Walmart - $12.95 for little ugly ones. So we thought I could do better. It has been eye opening though. I got filling for pillows at Hobby Lobby for $2.99 a bag. At Walmart the same bag was $8.98. We automatically think things are cheaper at Walmart but we need to shop wisely.





I ran into this roll of fabric at Salvation Army for $5.99 as you can see the tag in the picture.

After we bought it we were in Hobby Lobby and in the mark down remnant bin there was similar fabric, not even a yard of it was $11.40 so huge savings not to mention I have lots left for other projects.





I had a birthday, another year older...

My sister gave me a sock machine, something I always wanted but never thought I would ever have one.



So I have been learning how to use it, another skill building project for me.

How are you coming on building your skills? Continue to work on your storage and your skill building and living frugally.

23 comments:

  1. WOW! I can't believe what a great price you got on that fabric. Upholstery fabric like that is usually ridiculously expensive- I used to work at a JoAnn's, cutting fabric, and I could never get over what the retail price of the upholstery fabric was (upwards of $50/yd wasn't unheard of). Gorgeous stuff, but way out of my price range. You did a great job, and the pillows turned out really nice.

    The orange marmalade sounds nice. I popped open a jar of dandelion jelly this week, that I had canned over the summer. It's a lovely little taste of summer when we have about 10 inches of snow on the ground and wicked cold in a few days! :)

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    1. we have that wicked cold now even the mail isn't going

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  3. HAPPY BIRTHDAY-You are so lucky. We live in an area that only has a Walmart. So I shop the thrift stores. The nearest fabric or craft store is 2 1/2 hours away. I am crocheing a rug for the living room with sheets I got for a $1. WHAT IS A SOCK MACHINE?

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    1. the one in the pic is an antique one I plan to use it to do sock tubes then add by hand cuffs heels and toes but it could do all of the sock if I wanted to on it. picture a knitting machine only in a circle operates the same only in circular knitting instead of flat.

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    1. thank you sixty three I am now the pillows were just waiting for the right fabric hard to believe boom there it was.

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  5. Wow a sock machine! I swear I am going to come live with you.

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    1. I sure have a terrific sister she remembered I wanted one tho yrs ago I mentioned some day I wanted one I barely remember that conversation it was a comment on something else but she remembered it.

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  6. That is a terrific price for that fabric and your pillows look so good and professional. I know what you mean about us automatically thinking things are cheaper at Walmart but we need to shop wisely. I just blogged about the same thing a week ago or so. Walmart is not the cheapest place in town. Nice sock machine.

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    1. it really is that we have to keep on our toes remember it was cheaper to get the big bag of flour then one just would pick it up automatically but then you noticed that small bags ended up being cheaper the visa versa so I watch everything with very little money I really have to work hard. My sister was so nice to have given me the sock machine I barely remembered saying to her that I wanted one yrs ago

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  7. How fun to receive that sock machine, and from your thoughtful sister! That shows that she's kept your wish in the back of her mind for some time, always being on the search. The fabric for your pillows is so pretty; they look really nice.

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    1. thank you yes she is a wonderful sister I have been studying how to use it for sure

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  8. Happy Birthday Becky, hope you had a fabulous day and what a lovely pressie you got, you must have been tickled pink.
    Such profound words at the begining of your post by Don Ladd, touched my heart quite deeply.

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  9. Happy Birthday! A bit belated! That fabric would make wonderful heat packs for gifts. Very good deal you got there! I read every week. We work week by week to build up the pantry and save. It is summer here so I am getting chances to make a lot with fruit and have pears and apples almost ripe! I will make the absolute most of all of this! xxx

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    1. thank you enjoy your summer we have had the coldest weather then it warmed for a couple days today feels like temp one degree this week ice and snow for us

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  10. Happy belated birthday. We are so much alike. I would have made the pillows the same way.

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