What did you do to save $ today?

[rhoda_bruce]

Problem...2 parts: 1. I didn't harvest this winter's firelogs 2. TS Lee dropped a maple tree on my families access road going to the wooded area of the property

Now, to solve both of these problems we first needed mosquito repellant, which we couldn't find and after looking for recipes on SS, I determined we didn't have necessary ingrediants, so off to the $ Store. There were some flip flops on sale for .37, so I got 5 pairs for my girls to look thru (was a winner) and paid for the spray.
Went to the back and we began cutting and moving the little branches off the road. We are on our 3rd year with our current blade and it seems to be too loose, so we only did about 1/3 of the cutting, before calling it quits for the day, but we have a decent amount of wood for only 2 hours and we all set up with mosquito repellant. At least until I can figure how to grow catnip.
Total cost, so far was $15, including flip flops, which have nothing to do with our problem. I guess the new blade will cost another 15, but its cheaper than heating with gas all winter. That's todays chore. Too bad the rain started.

 

[yourbadd]

I saved money today by making and freezing breakfast sandwiches and burritos. We cleaned out the fridge at my work and had 'expired" eggs and sausage that had to be tossed. Our policy is to throw out leftover foods after 5 days. I made sausage and cheese biscuit sandwiches and egg,cheese and sausage burritos. Popped them in the freezer and now the kiddies have easy, homemade, frozen breakfasts!!

I also brought home about 1.5lbs of ham to grind into ham salad and 2 large bags of veggie sticks (they're kinda like onion rings but filled with a mixture of onion,potato,beans, and corn).

I also have a bunch of apples from work that were to "ugly" to set out in the fruit bowl so I'm gonna make a batch of crock pot apple butter tomorrow

 

[tinkarooni]

I always eat a bowl of cereal before bed, have to or I'm starving around midnight. Dry cereal is expensive, tried plain oatmeal and it's just too heavy to eat before bed. I started thinking about maybe some healthy muffins. Found a recipe for zuke banana muffins with ground flaxseed. There is no oil in them at all, minimal amount of brown sugar. Hopefully these will replace the expensive cereal habit, and I have so many frozen 'nanas and shredded zuke. I am searching for other recipes too, I have lots of frozen berries.

 

[freemotion]

I always eat a bowl of cereal before bed, have to or I'm starving around midnight. Dry cereal is expensive, tried plain oatmeal and it's just too heavy to eat before bed. I started thinking about maybe some healthy muffins. Found a recipe for zuke banana muffins with ground flaxseed. There is no oil in them at all, minimal amount of brown sugar. Hopefully these will replace the expensive cereal habit, and I have so many frozen 'nanas and shredded zuke. I am searching for other recipes too, I have lots of frozen berries.

If you have a problem with oatmeal, it may be the phytates. It is a common problem, easily remedied. Just set up your oatmeal in the pan, ready to cook, with the water, but add a small amount of whey or yogurt or kefir to the liquid and let it sit for several hours, 8-24 hours. This will neutralize the phytates (germination inhibitors common to grains and in all seeds in varying amounts, these also interfere with digestion and nutrient absorption) and make it easier to digest. Add some fat in the form of real cream or butter and some fruit if you'd like....like those berries with a smidge of honey....and you are good to go for only a few cents.

 

[tinkarooni]

I always eat a bowl of cereal before bed, have to or I'm starving around midnight. Dry cereal is expensive, tried plain oatmeal and it's just too heavy to eat before bed. I started thinking about maybe some healthy muffins. Found a recipe for zuke banana muffins with ground flaxseed. There is no oil in them at all, minimal amount of brown sugar. Hopefully these will replace the expensive cereal habit, and I have so many frozen 'nanas and shredded zuke. I am searching for other recipes too, I have lots of frozen berries.

If you have a problem with oatmeal, it may be the phytates. It is a common problem, easily remedied. Just set up your oatmeal in the pan, ready to cook, with the water, but add a small amount of whey or yogurt or kefir to the liquid and let it sit for several hours, 8-24 hours. This will neutralize the phytates (germination inhibitors common to grains and in all seeds in varying amounts, these also interfere with digestion and nutrient absorption) and make it easier to digest. Add some fat in the form of real cream or butter and some fruit if you'd like....like those berries with a smidge of honey....and you are good to go for only a few cents.

Hmmm, thanks for the idea. I'll have to try this.

My latest thing is eat at home, eat at home, eat at home. Today dd had a dentist appt so I had to pick both kids up from school and right there. I took bottles of water, apples and granola bars to get them through so we could fiish the appt, get home and make dinner. No money spent on snacks or take out. Its just taking me a little bit of planning. Also I've been keeping cliff bars in the house to grab and go.

 

[GardenWeasel]

Went grocery shopping yesterday and the produce guy was cleaning out the leaf lettuce bins. I know most chain stores can't give away produce that is going bad but I asked any way. He said he couldn't give it away but sometimes sold old produce to people to feed the deer. All told I got a grocery sack full of leaf and romaine lettuce for a buck. Was going to just dump it in the chicken yard but decided to sort through it and ended up with about 5 dollars worth of people lettuce and plenty for the hens.

 

[FarmerDenise]

GardenWeasel, I have done that also, sorted through the animal lettuce and found plenty for peope food. Another trick I learned from my neighbor is for when you have way too much lettuce for the chickens to go through in a couple of days. He spreads it out and lets it dry. The chickens still love the dehydrated lettuce, which can be fed to them at a later time.
My neighbor is a super scrounger and will sometimes come home with several cases of waste vegetation from I don't know which grocery store. He often shares this with us. In turn we share our abundance.

 

[FarmerDenise]

I have planned a trip to the Grocery Outlet for today. It is senior discount day. I still need match coupons with the items they have on sale, or that I have on my shopping list. But in any case I will get an additional 10% discount. Thi will also be my first big shopping in many monhs. we have been doing fine with what we produce, barter for, make and the occasionl small trip to the store for things we needed. Our cupboards are so well stocked, that they are overflowing, but there are still things, we either would like more of or that we just need, white vinegar being one of them. I use it to do laundry among other things. I would love to really stock up on that if I can get it for a good price.

 

[moxies_chickennuggets]

DH had 4 large styrofoam dock floats...removed from Lake Murray here when the lake banned their use. hey were being torn up by animals and turning into pollution. Anyway, today, we have been slicing them into 1" layers to make insulation for the bedroom ceiling. He has been doing the math on it. The board ft needed, and the board ft we will end up with...will do the whole ceiling of our 16'x20' bedroom. For free. To go and buy insulation, retail, would be up to $700.00. Of right now, which we do not have. So, he's a happy camper. We cut and laid one float this morning...and it went in nice and smooth.

 

[FarmerDenise]

DH had 4 large styrofoam dock floats...removed from Lake Murray here when the lake banned their use. hey were being torn up by animals and turning into pollution. Anyway, today, we have been slicing them into 1" layers to make insulation for the bedroom ceiling. He has been doing the math on it. The board ft needed, and the board ft we will end up with...will do the whole ceiling of our 16'x20' bedroom. For free. To go and buy insulation, retail, would be up to $700.00. Of right now, which we do not have. So, he's a happy camper. We cut and laid one float this morning...and it went in nice and smooth.

Way to go!!!

We butchered 4 of our meat birds. I picked a LOT of tomatoes to be processed in the nex few days. Fed the goats and chickens sunflower stalks with seeds, broom corn, corn stalks and whatever weeds I could dig up. picked a basket of fresh cranberry beans, and a bucket of sunflower seeds.

I did good at the Grocery outlet, even got my vinegar. I spent less than $130 and got $150 of groceries we needed!