What did you do to save $ today?

On Sunday, my friend brought over 4 english cukes, a bag of tomatoes, a bag of red and orange peppers, 4 bunches of asparagus, a watermelon, and some garlic About a $30 savings. Her hubby is driving truck for a greenhouse owner, and her hubby gets a bunch of seconds that won't go to the stores. I also got a flat of spanish onions, and a half flat of red onions that went in my garden. I also borrowed her rototiller, so that saved me some $. And--my garden is planted, which will save me money down the road. Yay!!
 
Today I officially switched to limited cable. Channels 1-29. I will save about $20 per month. I was going to cancel cable entirely, but my internet would go up $10 per month (bundling!). So short of totally switching to another provider, this is the best way. Also, they waived the disconnect fee, and let me keep my cable box (for .99 per month, which personally, is worth it for the onscreen guide).

I'm making my own french bread today. At about $.80, this is a yummy way to save money!
 
I called the comfrey guy, and set up a time this Friday to exchange his comfrey for my butterfly bushes. Now I will have room for my grapes while giving my lovely bushes a good home. They multiply each year, so I still have more than I originally bought!

I called McD's, and they will start saving pickle buckets for me, one or more a day. I will make some more planters to get my green leafies off the ground and away from the slugs.
 
I've been so busy, I haven't even been able to log onto the forum. The guy finally came and cut and disked our field. It still needs to be plowed and disked again.
We had to harvest all our lettuce, cabbage and fava beans early one morning this week. Then we had to process it all. I piled the fava beans to the side, so they will hopefully finish drying. The cabbages got put in plastic bins with a damp towel. The lettuce needed to be washed twice, then spun dry and stored in plastic bags.
I had intended to sell the bagged lettuce this weekend, but it got too hot.
My brother and his wife came for a visit from out of town. We made a splendid dinner using mostly homegrown and some free foodstuff. We only bought the tri-tip, which SO marinated and bbq'd. I made lemonade from out own lemons and marjoram flower ice tea. I also made turnovers, which I baked in the bbq after the roast was done. They came out great.
We are still eating leftovers today.
Today I got caught up on laundry and hung it up to dry. I put the timothy hay I cut yesterday into the wheelbarrow, where we are temporarily storing it for the rabbit. I also spent a lot of time on line, catching up on emails and such, so I didn't do much to save money today.
 
Free, what are you doing with your lavender? Mine is in bloom right now. We have loads of it. I have two canning jars full of lavender flowers. I am looking for new ideas.
 
Oh, and I went to the Goodwill Outlet store this week. For $30.00 I got a brand new small microwave oven (ours was very old and took a long time to heat anything), a big fan (which needed a little bit of cleaning), a yogurt maker, toys for the surrogate grandkids, a binder with crochet patterns, a purse, 2 pair of slacks, 2 sundresses, a blouse, toddler clothes, kid books, a dog toy, a colander thingy for making jelly, knick nacks for a friend's upcoming birthday, warm slippers for next winter, a woodsman winter hat (the kind with ear flaps), tinsnips, a nice basket for picking produce, and more stuff I cannot remember. I've got nearly all of it cleaned and put away. The big fan already came in handy during our recent hot spell.
 
Yesterday we went to FIL's house and transplanted snapdragons. I had noticed tons of volunteers in his garden earlier this spring and pointed them out to him. He has been watering them and instead of buying flats of snapdragons, I transplanted them to where he wanted them.
Today I picked the dried fava beans and put them in a small bushel basket for further drying. I picked more timothy grass and put it on top of the chick pen to dry. I made a batch of dog food and brought some of it to my daughter, whose dog has cancer. I emptied the rabbit's poop box in the former pea patch so the chickens can spread it and scratch it in for me, as I turn the soil, getting it ready for the next crop.

Hey Free, where are you? I don't think you've ever missed a day! ;)
 
Hi FD, thanks for noticing! I have been lurking more than posting, I have a huge load of work and chores right now, company coming June 1 so am....eeeek!.....so far behind! Not much money saving going on, just money spending....but mostly on garden plants. I had a disease whip through my seedlings under the lights.....waaah! I think I can save the basil and a couple of other things, they are finally outside in the sun, getting the sun-cure. I had to go buy a lot of veggie plants, and I gave in an bought three flats of flowers....so far....

I can say that I made another batch of cheddar (oh, this had better be good, I have spend HOURS and HOURS making cheddar!!!) and am processing some more rhubarb that was given to me. My raspberry/pomegranate jam came out GREAT!

I hope to have a pile of pickle buckets to make into planters by the weekend, from McD's.

I don't have my own lavender, I buy the dried blossoms at Whole Foods. Lavender doesn't like me, it dies on me. I mostly use them to simmer on the woodstove in the winter for lovely scents in the house. I'd like to put the crushed buds in a batch of soap to make it interesting. I'd also like to try making a hydrosol, which is pretty easy to do, I made one with lilacs. The process worked, lilacs weren't right for it, though. The smell disappeared.

I will be transplanting dill volunteers this weekend, and I transplanted morning glory volunteers this week.

I also have been working on putting a fourth side on my three-sided compost bin, got half done last night, in spite of help from the goats. It is hard to use tools when a baby goat is trying to get on your head!!!! And when you are giggling as a result!!! Now I can clean the goat pen from the winter, this year I added new bedding on top so it is a nice, thick, composting layer, which I hope added heat to the stall over the cold winter. Now they need to have the cool dirt to lay in, so I will go back to bedding half and leaving half bare, which they prefer. And lots of compost will be created! Some will be saved for my two worm bins that I will be setting up very soon. After all the gardens are in.

Off to trade butterfly bushes for comfrey, then into the office this afternoon! Tomorrow, no school, so a whole day to work-work-work here on the farmlet! Yay!
 
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