tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post314092305961866833..comments2024-03-26T19:10:34.328-08:00Comments on The "Make Do" Homemaker: When Life Gives You Lemons...: Frugal Friday: Money Saving Weekly RecapErika, "The Make Do Homemaker"http://www.blogger.com/profile/09303208981550053539noreply@blogger.comBlogger13125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-72262281952722618652017-01-22T22:05:24.666-09:002017-01-22T22:05:24.666-09:00Despite the ever-present financial struggles, I th...Despite the ever-present financial struggles, I think you're doing great! So glad you were able to buy your mattress cover and I hope it really helps with your arms! <br /><br />My week was actually pretty productive. I did a lot of cleaning, laundry, dishes, shopping, cooking, and even some sewing. Plus I put together a free photobook (I only had to pay for shipping, but I used some money from my paypal account that I earned doing surveys, so it didn't come out of my regular budget). In terms of shopping, I carpooled with a friend to a low-priced store specializing in Asian products. I was able to find Japanese pears for $1/lb which is pretty much unheard of, and some flavour/spice mixes on sale. I used the spice mix to made a fancy at home dinner (Indonesian food) date with the DH, as I had everything else in my pantry. I dimmed the lights, turned some music on with my laptop, and it really did set the mood! The dinner was a fraction of the price it would have cost to eat out, even to eat out at a quick-service restaurant, so I feel that this was a huge win for me. Plus the DH loved the food! <br /><br />And I so hear you on the cookbook loving front! So glad you were able to get that great book for such a great price! Approaching Foodhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07758306507590214861noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-75714580340951697592017-01-22T14:44:16.883-09:002017-01-22T14:44:16.883-09:00I am a cookbook junkie! Give me a new cookbook to ...I am a cookbook junkie! Give me a new cookbook to read and dream over and I'm a happy girl. Trying some new things this week. Right now I have Copycat Cracker Barrel Chicken and Dumplings cooking. Yum. This week was snowy so other than a few trips to near by stores for deals I stayed home. Did make it to the St. Vincent's Thrift store near us and found Brand new tags still on California king size sheets! Whoo hoo! I have been down to my last set for a week now. Never keep more than 2 sets on hand as they are so expensive and I have a washer and dryer. Here's to a frugal week ahead. Take care.Crystal Hankeyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17914175004653234554noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-12909415917594656612017-01-22T13:49:19.465-09:002017-01-22T13:49:19.465-09:00Huh. Blogger ate my comment here. Anyway, I use co...Huh. Blogger ate my comment here. Anyway, I use combo meats with hamburger all the time and no one notices. I'll cut the hamburger with ground chicken, turkey, or pork (depending what I got cheap) and they have all worked fine for me. Healthy vibes toward your son. Good luck with the doctor! It's always so hard when your babies are hurting :(.Erika, "The Make Do Homemaker"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09303208981550053539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-72883870918931653612017-01-22T11:57:10.089-09:002017-01-22T11:57:10.089-09:00You could use the beef-pork mix to make Swedish Me...You could use the beef-pork mix to make Swedish Meatballs - the recipe calls for 1/2lb of beef and a 1/2lb of pork!<br /><br />Prayers for your son.<br />LeaLeahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03384475081085015883noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-75380865045901917922017-01-22T10:12:00.842-09:002017-01-22T10:12:00.842-09:00Interesting. I'll have to look those up. Thank...Interesting. I'll have to look those up. Thanks!Erika, "The Make Do Homemaker"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09303208981550053539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-79463903510951783642017-01-22T10:11:16.580-09:002017-01-22T10:11:16.580-09:00I always keep old dish cloths. One of the main thi...I always keep old dish cloths. One of the main things I use them for is to cool cookies or bread on. I certainly don't care if they are stained for that. I also use some for scrubbing cloths for my counters and things to cut way back on the need to use paper towels.<br /><br />And you were right about the bonds. It was hard for me to cash those in, but my pargmatic side prevailed. Glad I thought to keep the envelope. At least I still have that.Erika, "The Make Do Homemaker"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09303208981550053539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-29907120963283221322017-01-22T10:05:24.030-09:002017-01-22T10:05:24.030-09:00Yeah, my daughter kept asking why the country mous...Yeah, my daughter kept asking why the country mouse looked so different, so I was trying to find the actual breed of rodent he was. I'm wondering if maybe a shrew? Although he's a lot cuter than the shrews I've seen lol!Erika, "The Make Do Homemaker"https://www.blogger.com/profile/09303208981550053539noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-56085811053444695582017-01-22T09:39:50.045-09:002017-01-22T09:39:50.045-09:00Erika-Susan Wittig Albert writes a series of myste...Erika-Susan Wittig Albert writes a series of mysteries with the Beatrix Potter characters.<br />KSKSnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-17834964161074508092017-01-22T07:08:20.639-09:002017-01-22T07:08:20.639-09:00That is some wickedly cold weather your having! So...That is some wickedly cold weather your having! So glad I'm not in Alaska right now. I think a high heating bill is totally justifiable in that cold (but it will still hurt nonetheless). Want a really fun science experiment for the kids? Go outside, blow bubbles with bubble juice and try to catch one. The bubbles freeze almost instantly, then shatter when you touch them! We tried it with my daughter when our temps hit -40C and worked. She was so entertained we sent the bubble juice to school with her to show the other kids.<br /><br />I love the cookbook you bought. My husband and I did a bus tour of England & Scotland on our honeymoon. We visited the area where Beatrix Potter lived. I have a compilation book with several of her stories I bought while we were there. My daughter was never a fan, but I cherish the memories the book brings me.<br /><br />Speaking of memories, cashing those bonds sounds like an emotional double edge sword. It's good as it will be helping you financially...but bad as it is like giving up a piece of your grandma you've been holding on to for so long. That's a hard one and my heart goes out to you on this one. I'm sure your grandma is smiling at you from heaven.<br /><br />Since we are going on vacation for 2 weeks (plane leaving this Wednesday), I only bought some bare essentials this week for groceries. My mom has chosen not to go with us. I made sure there will be plenty of food for her while we are away. However, if she runs out of something, she can buy as needed.<br /><br />Just a thought...when you make some replacement dish towels, you may want to keep a couple of those old ones. They would be perfect for lining your strainer when you are making jelly, bone stock, yogurt etc. It won't matter if they get heavily stained or destroyed, and the worn fabric will help the liquids drain through perfectly! After all, nothing ever went to waste in the Victorian and Depression period. *wink, wink*<br /><br />Great week, Erika and thanks for sharing!Rhonda A.https://www.blogger.com/profile/00448188064878559345noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-38698413197165499142017-01-22T05:53:35.153-09:002017-01-22T05:53:35.153-09:00Here.. http://www.peterrabbit.com/the-23-original-...Here.. http://www.peterrabbit.com/the-23-original-tales/<br /><br />The Tale of Johnny Town-Mouse<br />1918<br /><br />Do you ever feel that the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence? Well, so did Johnny Town-Mouse and Timmy Willie. One was a town mouse and one was a country mouse, and when they end up in each other’s worlds they soon discover that they were much happier where they started!Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09360397522677275215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-71266676710767341282017-01-22T05:49:51.379-09:002017-01-22T05:49:51.379-09:00Geez thats cold. Theres no way I could handle that...Geez thats cold. Theres no way I could handle that. <br /><br />This week I managed to not to have to juggle anything else on the budget because I went over a little on the groceries, but I will only have $40 left for this upcoming week. Hopefully I make it. I was so excited when I saw packs of ground beef 80/20 2lbs marked down to $3.25 and bought all three. When I got home I saw they were beef pork blend so I'm a little nervous but we shall see. I'm sure in things like tacos or burger helper (i have a ton of the deluxe boxes I got for a quarter and 50 cents each that are needing to be used very soon) it will be ok. <br /><br />I'm crossing my fingers though for today. My youngest had caught a cold and slowly the cough was getting worse. So I started using his inhaler like the doctor said, but last night he was coughing and crying from 9pm til 2am and got a sudden fever, (he was up at 6 and just dozing in and out next to me so Im scared to move, listening to Max and Ruby) so now hes breating too fast, the inhaler didn't help for long so they have walk in hours from 1-3 today and we are going to get there at like 1230 and wait and get him nebulized. I feel horrible hes at that point. I tried so hard to keep him from that. I'm kind of mad at myself. Hes so miserable. I'm dreading march through may when the pollen is at a high here, because we may have to go through this all over again. Thank goodness my mom loaned (and its been 2 years now) us her heavy duty air purifier, thats helps in the spring some. <br /><br />Meantime, my husband had to leave at 6am for church meetings, and Im not sure if he can find someone to teach my class. If he can't, he may have to, and that's not something anyone wants lol. But Sarahhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09360397522677275215noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-2929368572528596922017-01-22T05:32:55.897-09:002017-01-22T05:32:55.897-09:00I enjoy reading your blog, and I have been inspire...I enjoy reading your blog, and I have been inspired by many of your ideas! I planned to do a no-spend January, but it has turned into a low-spend, but, interestingly enough, I feel prepared to do a no-spend in February. I think a shorter month will be easier. I have kept my food budget around $250.00 (for two adults)this month, but I think I can do better next month. I have quite a bit of food stockpiled, and I need to use it up. I try to keep some balance with my stockpile. <br />I can't imagine how cold it is in Alaska...I'm in Texas, and the high has been in the 60's all week!Denise Bnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-7536514511090897212.post-9184038987973814022017-01-21T19:33:10.814-09:002017-01-21T19:33:10.814-09:00Erika,
You inspire me. You truly do. I love readin...Erika,<br />You inspire me. You truly do. I love reading your blog. <br /><br />We love Miss Potter and that is a treasure you've found. I'm exciting to see or hear about some of the recipes you try. <br /><br />That series sounds super good. I'm looking for a good series. <br /><br />I tried to just spend less and not go a lot. Cook everything and used gift cards and rewards for things extra we needed. <br /><br />How neat about your bonds!Mrs. Chrissy Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09516870555452352931noreply@blogger.com