Frugal Fridays #2

Successes:

• We finished bedding down the garden for Winter. We fertilized with organic material, and then laid down a few inches of wood chip mulch that we got for free from the town. As you can see, the beets, cabbage, and kale are thriving in these cooler temps. I didn’t get any carrots in the ground in time for a fall harvest, but I’m thankful for what we did manage.

• I purchased several of the books for our homeschool curriculum from a couple of local used book stores. It took me a long time to scour through their shelves since they aren’t really organized in any particular fashion, but I ended up with some great deals.
• I made several loaves of bread as well as some homemade coffee creamer.
• We’ve stuck to the monthly menu plan.
• I made some homemade shower vapor discs when I got a cold last week using ingredients we already had on hand.
• Kale was harvested for Zuppa Toscana.
• We were given a set of drinking glasses, which we sorely needed. We were previously using plastic cups. Plastic cups just so happen to be my dog’s favorite thing to chew, and my 2 year old’s favorite things to throw in the trash when mommy’s not looking. We go through a lot of cups and glasses.
• My dad made a huge pot of greens and beans for my freezer. He stocked us with 8 or 9 32 oz containers. (He actually gave me these a couple of weeks ago, but I’m including them in this post because my pregnancy brain had temporarily forgotten about them, and I was pleasantly surprised when I saw them in the freezer again today. )
• I got a $1 Amazon credit to use toward a book or ebook when I chose the “no rush” shipping option for some Tattler Reusable Canning lids that I ordered.

Fumbles:

• I mentioned in my last Frugal Fridays post that we’d run out of coffee and that I was going to buy more. I bought a specific brand because I found a rebate on one of those grocery rebate cellphone apps. I proceeded to lose the receipt sometime between checkout and arriving home, so I won’t be able to claim that rebate.
• I had to toss a few potatoes that got gross. Now that it’s getting cooler out, I’m going to store them out on our enclosed porch to make them last longer than they do in our pantry. I’ve noticed that the potatoes that I buy from Aldi’s definitely don’t last as long, but the prices always beat the other grocery stores. The winter farmer’s markets are usually a good place to find potatoes and onions, so I’ll give that a shot soon.
• I was pretty certain that I had run out of yeast, so I went and bought more when I went to the store for coffee. The next day I found a 2 lbs package of yeast in my freezer that I’d forgotten about. Stuff like that is exactly what ends up putting me over budget, so I really need to make sure I’m double checking. It will last for 2 years in the freezer, though. So at least it won’t go to waste.

Goals:

• I have some canning that I need to get done once my canning lids arrive.
• Harvest, blanch, and freeze the kale to use in soups and casseroles throughout winter.
• Start working on the next month’s meal plan and shopping list. I’ll be watching for deals on turkey and hopefully buying a few for the freezer.

P.S. Are the prices of butter going up everywhere, or is it just here? Because, good grief, that stuff is getting pricey!

What were your frugal goals/flubs/successes this week?