Showing posts with label dollars and sense. Show all posts
Showing posts with label dollars and sense. Show all posts

Tuesday, April 30, 2024

My Thrifty Week - Post #11



It's been a very long time since I've posted a 'My Thrifty Week' post but, in future, I really need to get on the ball and get back to basics. I hope to make 'thrifty week' posts a regular feature.

Here are a few of my latest 'thrifty' finds...

- Kerrygold Unsalted Butter was on markdown at Walmart. I bought 4 packages for $2.50 each. Normally, they're $3.98.

Photo Credit


- A friend gave me three bunches of fresh green onions. I sliced each bunch up and froze in batches. I will use them in upcoming recipes.


- Speaking of onions...I found onion sets (package of 100 bulbs) at Walmart marked down to $1.00 on clearance. That's a penny a piece for fresh green onions right out of my own garden! 



- The hot water tank went out (again!). Parts are ordered and should be here by early next week. Bright side? Until it's fixed I'm saving $$$ on liquid propane. 😉

Update - They sent the wrong part and, as of now, the part needed is NOT on order. Hopefully, they will get things straightened out and the right parts will be on their way soon.

- Sheet sets were on markdown at Walmart yesterday for 50% off. I found a lovely Better Homes & Garden twin sheet set for the roll-away marked down from $21.98 to $11.00. Very pretty!

That's some of my recent 'thrifty' finds. Feel free to share some of yours in the comment section below. 

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Friday, April 26, 2024

The Basics of Homemade Cleaning Supplies

(Reprint of blog post dated Tuesday, March 8, 2011 with a few corrections or comments made along the way.)


I've made my own homemade cleaning supplies for many years and have never regretted it. Occasionally, I have slipped back into the convenience of purchasing ready-made laundry detergent, but am never as satisfied with it as I am with my own homemade. Even though I have shared some of these recipes before, I thought I'd share my basic cleaning supply list of homemade formulas with you today...


ALL-PURPOSE CLEANER
 Mix in a sprayer bottle:

1 T. ammonia
1 T. liquid laundry detergent
2 cups of water

This recipe costs virtually nothing to make and, in my opinion, works as well as, or better than, the 409 All-Purpose Cleaner that I used for years at almost $2.50 a bottle! 

(I'm sure that 409 All-Purpose Cleaner costs way more than $2.50 a bottle now!!!) 

HOMEMADE GLASS CLEANER

Mix in a sprayer bottle:

1 cup rubbing alcohol
1 cup water
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1 tablespoon ammonia

This is the best glass cleaner I've ever used and it's streak-free!

HOMEMADE CARPET FRESHENER

1/2 cup of borax
1/2 cup of baking soda
1 teaspoon of cloves and/or cinnamon (cloves help keep moths out of the closet too)

Or, if you've got pets, instead of the spices, use about 20-25 drops of sweet orange oil (I use the spices AND the orange oil), which is a natural flea repellent; be sure to mix in the oil into powder mixture thoroughly and never use directly onto your pets.

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP - LIQUID

1/3 bar Fels Naptha soap
½ cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda
½ cup 20 Mule-Team Borax powder  
 
You will also need a small bucket, about 2 gallon size.

Grate the soap and put it in a sauce pan.  Add 6 cups water and heat it until the soap melts.  Add the washing soda and the borax and stir until it is dissolved.  Remove from heat.  Pour 4 cups hot water into the bucket.   Now add your soap mixture and stir.  Now add 1 gallon plus 6 cups of water and stir.  Let the soap sit for about 24 hours and it will gel.  You use ½ cup per load. 

(Note: The finished soap will not be a solid gel; it will be more of a watery gel. And the soap is a low sudsing soap. You won't see suds, but that's okay. Suds are not what cleans; it's the ingredients in the soap.) 

HOMEMADE LAUNDRY SOAP - POWDERED

2 cups finely grated Fels Naptha soap
1 cup 20 Mule-Team Borax
1 cup Arm and Hammer Super Washing Soda

Mix and store in a coffee can or what have you. Use 1 to 2 tablespoons per load.


HOMEMADE FABRIC SOFTENER

6 cups water
3 cups white vinegar
2 cups hair conditioner (the best I've found so far is Suave Ocean Breeze...Mmmmmm!) 

(I don't know if they even make Suave shampoo anymore...haven't even looked for it in years...but am re-thinking products like this anyway due to their liberal use of sodium lauryl sulfate. More on that at another time, but you might research it and check your ingredient lables.)

Use as you would any softener (I use mine in a Downy ball). It won't leave a residue on your clothing or towels. 

Well, these are just a few of the homemade products that we use in our home. I find their cleaning ability equal, or superior, to what you would typically purchase at the local retail stores, and only the Lord knows for sure how much money we've saved over the years since switching to these products.

Happy Cleaning!

~Rebecca

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The Basics Of Homemade Cleaning Supplies (original post)

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Tuesday, May 9, 2023

Second-Quarter Thrift Plan

Somehow this post (that was originally planned to be published towards the end of April) ended up buried in the list and was never published at all. Being as I discovered it today, I am going to go ahead and publish it as originally written. Forgive the delay. The dates are off, but the information is the same.



As we move in to the second-quarter of 2023 (April-June), I want to fine-tune in the area of finances. I got a nice raise, effective the end of March, for which I am very thankful and I want to be a good steward of all that the Lord blesses me with. Here are some of the thoughts I have about second-quarter finances...

- I plan to be working extra hours during the months of April, May, and June. My plan is to deposit as much of the extra money into my savings account as possible. That will be after using some of it to complete, at least, one of the bigger projects on my Spring Bucket List.

- We became debt-free back in April of 2020 and, since then, even though I still use a credit card for some things (especially online purchases), I am careful to pay it off each month, in full, so as to avoid interest on even the smallest of purchases. I plan to continue paying off, in full, each month.

- There is plenty of food in the house, so, other than fresh items along here and there, I don't have to worry about that. I will continue to focus on using up the oldest stuff first and not replacing until absolutely necessary.

- The propane tank is full. I had it filled mid-March and, unless next winter is a bad one, I probably won't have to have it filled again until late-winter or early-spring of 2024. 280 gallons usually lasts me a year.

- I will continue to roll every cent of change received and put back for trips, Christmas, or whatever. We've done this for decades. When the children were young, our rolled change went towards Christmas every year; after the children were grown, our rolled change provided money for annual trips and get-aways for the two of us. Now, even though John is gone, I just keep putting it back. Someday I'll do something really special with it. 

- The main thing that I want to focus on during this second-quarter is using up odds and ends on-hand...almost empty bottles of cleaning supplies, almost empty bottles of health and beauty aids, etc....combining like-products into one bottle when possible, cutting down on shelf and storage space. I will replenish these items in late-summer or early-fall.

What about you? Do you have any financial plans or goals to share as we go into this second-quarter of 2023?

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Tuesday, March 7, 2023

Thrift and Savings - Post #8 - Good Deals, Cash Back, and Recycling

Other than the winter food challenge updates, it's been a long time since I've done a post on thrift and savings. I wish I could remember all those thrifty little happenings and do regular thrifty posts, but I usually don't. I think it's important to encourage others in the area of finances, and will try to do better in the days ahead. 

Now, my friend, Laura Lane, over at Harvest Lane Cottage? She's amazing! She thinks of things to remember and record that I'd never even think of in the first place! If you get a chance, go over and check out her 'thrifty and frugal' posts on her blog. There is, indeed, a great wealth of good stuff in them!

Anyway...back to my own post... 

- Glade candles were on markdown at Dollar General last week for $2.70 each.



I got one single candle (Pumpkin Spice Things Up...I would have had two of them...two was all they had of that scent...but I dropped one and shattered it all over the store floor...I offered to pay for it, but the manager wouldn't let me) and I got four double packs of 2-in-1 Jubilant Rose + Lavender & Peach Blossom. They all smell soooo good! The rose/lavender/peach blossom ones smell super springy! The pumpkin one I will save for fall. 




That was a total of 9 Glade brand candles for $13.50.

- I had enough Amazon points to get 3 packages of 2 gel pen refills for free over the weekend.



I ordered ink for the blue pens this time. Usually, I order refills for the black and have even ordered refills for the red. This is my first time of refilling the blue. I love my G2 Gel Pens no matter what color they are!



- I started using Upside at the gas station in May of 2022. In less than a year (and I don't do that much driving) I have earned a total of $31.72 cash back (deposited directly into my bank account). To check out Upside for yourself (and to start saving money at the gas station) click HERE.

- A friend at work is always bringing me something to reuse or recycle...empty feed bags (made into totes), Christmas tins (to be refilled with cookies), etc. Last week he brought me an old sheet with bison on it. It had a tear in it, but he wondered if there was anything I could do with it...thought I might be able to figure out a way to recycle it. I did, but I'll share more about that project when I'm finished with it! 😉



Well, that's all for now. I hope your week is off to a great start and that all is well with you and yours. Have a great day!

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Tuesday, February 28, 2023

Tuesday Tidbits

Good morning! It's the last day of February and, even though spring doesn't officially arrive for another three weeks, it is putting on quite a show here in southwest Missouri! It's sunny and 65 degrees at the moment, but the high today is supposed to reach 72.


The daffodils are in full bloom and the robins are back! 


Amber met me at the vo-tech school in Lamar yesterday where I dropped my car off to be worked on. It needs an oil change and it's annual 'spring check-up' just to be sure that everything is ship-shape and ready for summer travel. They have always done a good job and the labor charges are mininimal.

While we were out and about we met Patrick for lunch at Subway. Afterwards, we went to Walmart where we ran into some fantastic deals! The biggest one was 2 1/2 pound bags of chicken tenders (regularly $13.96) marked down to $2.00 per bag. When questioned as to why so cheap they said they had way too many of them and just needed to get them cleared out. I bought four bags, so ten pounds of chicken tenders for $8.00, with a savings of $47.84. Not bad! 



I also got a package of pork thick chops on markdown and the winter house slippers that I prefer were on markdown for $1.00 a pair. I bought two pair. 

While I'm thinking about it, today is the last day to enter the book giveaway. To get your entry in click HERE. A winner will be selected tomorrow. 

Well, I suppose I should get on with my day. I want to spend as much time outside today as possible while it's nice. I think I need fresh air and sunshine more than anything else right now. You have a nice day and I'll see you again soon!

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Tuesday, January 24, 2023

The Winter Food Challenge Continues

As the month of January winds down, the winter food challenge continues. There's still plenty of food in the house, but I did have to shop for fresh items and other things to round out meals. I did that yesterday.

Before I went shopping, though, I decided to go ahead and go through the freezer. I knew there were a lot of vegetables in there that we had put up out of the garden, but I got to thinking about it. John was hospitalized the first time in late January of 2021. That was two years ago (hard to believe!). With his illness and death, I have totally lost track of time. How long had some of those vegetables been in there? 😲

Fortunately none of the packages that were
currently in the freezer were this old! 

There were a few bags of zucchini that I put up last summer (2022), but the majority of the vegetables in the freezer had been there since 2020. Since frozen vegetables are typically only good for one year, I decided that, after three years, it would be best to throw them away. I hated doing it, but I don't believe that eating them was even an option.

While I was at it I rearranged what was left. I stacked all the grains together...rolled oats, oat bran, wheat flour, pearled barley, and rice, and did the same with the fruits (blackberries, raspberries, and strawberries). These items will be used in making breads, muffins, and more.

I found that there is very little meat left and what there was of it is packaged in very small packages. There are single-serving sized packages of deli ham, deli turkey, and taco meat (one of each), a single pre-cooked turkey burger (am having that for lunch today), one salmon fillet, a package of turkey bacon, a small package of oven-roasted turkey breast, and two small packages of sliced oven-cooked ham. I gathered it all up and moved it to the refrigerator freezer. I will focus on using those items up first. There is also a small pork roast left. I will pop that in the crockpot sometime for a company meal. 

Since I didn't have a single piece of chicken in the house, I bought two packages of organic chicken breasts that I was able to get on mark-down at the store yesterday. I don't plan on opening them, though, until all those little odd and end packages of meat have been used up and are gone.

In other areas, things are moving along nicely. I'm using up several canned and/or boxed goods each week and, although it is slow going, I can visibly see the stock in the cabinets and cupboards dwindling. I am determined to do this!

How about those of you who are following along or doing the same? I'd love to hear an update concerning your progress, as well! 

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Friday, December 30, 2022

Off and Running With the Winter Food Challenge and Sharing A Recipe For Turkey Bean Soup

I had posted in a previous post that black-eyed peas were on the menu for New Year's Day. 

Basic Dry Bean Mix

Well...that was before I remembered that I had used the last of the black-eyed peas in the Basic Dry Bean Mix that I put together last winter, which, fortunately, I still have some of left in the pantry.

In thinking about it, black-eyed peas are black-eyed peas. It doesn't matter if you eat a few or a lot (or any for that matter!), but, in keeping with the long-held New Year's tradition, I would like to say that I ate, at least, a few. 


I have to work New Year's Eve and part of New Year's Day, so I won't have a lot of extra time to cook. I decided to cook today for the weekend ahead.

Instead of rushing out and spending money unnecissarily to purchase, and serve, just plain ol' black-eyed peas, I decided to kick into gear on the Winter Food Challenge and use up some of what I have on hand and make a terrific bean soup. 

Wintery Day Bean Soup

I thought about making the Wintery Day Bean Soup that I discovered last winter, but, since I've got lots of chopped turkey leftover from Thanksgiving and plenty of bone broth in the cabinet, I decided to make a turkey bean soup instead. Here's what I came up with...

TURKEY BEAN SOUP

2 cups dry bean mix
1 large onion, diced
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
2 quarts of chicken bone broth
4 cups chopped turkey
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
black pepper to taste

Note: You can use regular chicken broth or boullion cubes in place of the bone broth if you prefer and I rinsed, soaked, and precooked the dry bean mix in a dutch oven before making the soup. 

After cooking and draining the beans, saute the onion in butter and add it, along with the rest of the ingredients, to the dutch oven and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour. 

I plan to have some of this soup tonight with leftover cornbread from the freezer and plan to have some for lunch on New Year's Day. The rest will be separated out into freezer bags, frozen, and eaten for lunches on cold, wintery days.
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Wednesday, December 28, 2022

Dollar-S-t-r-e-t-c-h-i-n-g, Cabinet-Clearing, Clean-Up-The-Food, Winter Challenge Plan 2022/23

Over the summer and fall of 2022 I built a winter food supply by adding a few extra items to the cart every time I shopped. I stocked up on grains, spices, and other bulk items at the Amish and Mennonite stores. 


Now that winter has arrived, and the holidays are over, it's time to start saving money by digging into that supply and plan meals around the food I have on-hand.

When I've done these challenges in the past, I've begun by doing a complete food inventory, but, now that I live alone, I pretty much know what I have on-hand, so will skip that step altogether.  

I will shop for fresh items and other items needed to round out what's on hand as I go, and will post my progress along the way, sharing meal plans and recipes when appropriate.

I looking forward to be taking on this self-imposed challenge and would like to invite anyone else who'd like to join me to, please, do so. 

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Thursday, September 1, 2022

Hello September!

August disappeared in a whirlwind of activity and, now, here we are, off and running into September!

September promises to be a full and busy month. I have a family reunion to attend this weekend, my oldest granddaughter is getting married next weekend, the weekend after that I will be working the local fair, and Prairie Jubilee will be held the last weekend of the month.

Granddaughter Esther @ Prairie Jubilee 2018

Usually, Prairie Jubilee is held on the last Saturday of the month on even-numbered years, but, due to COVID, it was cancelled completely in 2020, so it's been four full years since a Jubilee was held at Prairie State Park. Everyone is greatly looking forward to it!

I'm still in the middle of gearing up for a low-spend September, but feel that I'm off to a good start. I think I've got everything in the house grocery-wise that I should need except for possibly a few fresh items along the way. Other than that, the only things that I anticipate having to spend money for this month is putting gas in the car, paying the regular monthly bills, paying to the get the kittens fixed (spayed and neutered), and purchasing a baby gift for a friend. Unless something unexpected comes up, my focus this month will be to make and save as much money as possible. 

I think I'm off to a good start. This morning I transferred $15.00 cash-back on purchases made through the gasoline app that I use to Paypal. From there I will have the money transferred into my bank and then into savings. (If you are interested in saving money on gasoline purchases, feel free to message me and I will send you the link to my invite code. That way we'll both save extra dollars at the pump!)

I did three loads of laundry this morning but have chosen not to run the dryer. I have hung the clothes on the back porch and am drying the towels and washcloths on a drying rack.

I'm planning September meals around food on-hand. I have a lot of frozen leftovers in the freezer and some older canned goods that need used up before purchasing more. As items are depleted, the plan is to restock with higher quality and more nutritious foodstuffs across the board.

I have decided to abandon every food plan that is not clearly based on Biblical teaching. I am currently rereading The Busy Woman's Guide to Healthy Eating by Emilie Barnes and Sue Gregg. I have Sue Gregg's complete cookbook set, as well. My husband bought them for me many years ago and it is the only food plan that he fully approved of. After much back, forth, up, down, and around (and after much soul-searching and prayer) I have decided, that, for me, this is the way to go, and that's what I'm doing. 



Rather than constantly stressing about being overweight and failing, over and over again, at diet plans and the like, I will focus on simple foods, good nutrition, and overall health instead. Just in making that decision alone I feel freer, more clear-minded, less confused, and more focused than I have in nearly a decade. 

I plan to share much more about my journey in this area and others in the days ahead, but for now, I'm out of time and must move on with my day. I hope that your day is going well and that your September is off to a beautiful start!

Until next time...
~Rebecca

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Tuesday, May 24, 2022

Hard Times Ahead?

I've shared the story before...growing up, my lifestyle was very different from that of my friends. My parents were very into self-sufficiency...wind generators, solar heat, wood heat, gardening, canning, grind your own grain, chickens, goats...the whole nine yards. It was kind of like growing up on a 1960's/70's commune without the commune. BUT...all the things that I learned growing up have come in handy at one point or another throughout my lifetime and I'm thankful. I wouldn't change that upbringing for anything in the world now.


My dad was a visionary. In looking back, even though they're both gone now, I think that many of the things that he and my mother saw, and prepared for, back then (and instilled in anyone who was willing to listen), were more for the times in which we're living now, than it was for back then. Although there wasn't anything big or fancy about the way we lived, all that commune-type living paid off big-time during the late-1970's and early-80's when our nation was plunged into economic hard times under the failed leadership of Jimmy Carter (an energy crises followed by a recession), and I believe that there's a good chance that some of what my parents taught me back then is going to come into play in the days ahead. 

Much of what we're experiencing today under the leadership of Joe Biden resounds with what we were experiencing back then...bad news on every front, record inflation, exorbitant food and fuel prices, food and product shortages, and the list goes on and on. 


In the midst of hard times, ultimately, it is God, Himself, that sustains and delivers us, and the only way a person is going to make it in the end is by having a real and personal relationship with Jesus Christ, and sustaining it through prayer and the careful, daily study of the Holy Scriptures (the Bible)...BUT...also in the midst of hard times there are many practical things that we can do and, in the days ahead, it is my goal to share some of those things with you here. 


In order to get an idea of where I want to go with this I'd like to start by asking...

...in what areas are you and your family struggling the most right now? 

...what adjustments have you had to make in order to just make ends meet? 

...in the midst of hard times what are you most thankful for?

You can share your answers in the comment section below or you can email them to me privately at proverbs31heart@yahoo.com. Please put HARD TIMES in the subject line. 

I'm looking forward to hearing from you!

Until next times...
~Rebecca

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