​Even though I spent WAY more than our allotted $30.00 per week, our total for the month is only at $80.51, or 62% of the March grocery budget. I've been trying to clean out the freezer, so I'm doing less bulk buying and more no-spend weeks. The weeks in between no-spend are a little higher than usual. I might switch to an every-other-week shopping trip for a while because that seems to be what's happening anyway.

2. Cooking: I made brownies for a potluck this week (from two of my $0.25 brownie mixes... YAY). I also made boiled eggs, quiche, french toast, egg salad sandwiches, and fried eggs. We, uh, have lots of eggs to work with. The french toast was great because it helped me use up stale bread from last week. I also tried out several recipes I want to put in my book on frugal fruits and vegetables; a cabbage/beef stir-fry, and gnocchi, a potato-based pasta.

3. Clothing: I finished patching the pants I started last week; FIVE more pairs of jeans, back into commission! I'm just wondering though, at what point do you stop patching and just buy a new (used) pair of pants. Some of these jeans were on their second patch already, and I'm wondering how many times I can run them through the washer before they start to develop holes in other areas. I decided to do the second patches because it costs almost nothing for the patch and just about 15-20 minutes to sew around the piece, depending on its size. So I figured that was worth it if I could get a few more weeks or months out of the jeans.

Another frugal thing I did was make Baby Girl a cute little tutu for her 6-month pictures. I'd initially thought about buying a special outfit for the pictures, then buying supplies to make the tutu (all I had for the outfit was a certain hair bow that I wanted her to wear). We had scheduled pictures for the next day, so I knew that the more time I spent shopping, the less time I would have to alter/fix/sew an outfit from scratch if the thrift stores or Walmart didn't have exactly what I wanted. So instead of spending precious time shopping, I dug through my sewing supplies. I had some white tulle!! And I had plenty to make a tutu for Baby, plus some blue bias tape for a waistband to match her hair bow. I'm delighted with the way her whole outfit turned out. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures to share with you all soon.

What I liked best about the tutu was 1) it was free, but 2) it also used up some of those dumb sewing supplies that I've been hoarding since I was 15. Instead of sitting in the sewing room gathering dust, the tulle is now a pretty, usable item for our baby that saved us money.

4. Cloth diapers: I picked up some more aluminum cans to recycle and also sold some bits and pieces of my cloth diaper stash on eBay. I had some prefolds, diaper fasteners, vinyl pants and other items sitting in storage. Now that I've found a diaper system that works for us, I know I'll never, ever use the prefolds or other items again. So instead of them using up all of my storage space, gathering dust, I hope to sell them and use the money to buy more of what I do want; trimmer hemp inserts for our pocket diapers.

Again, what I love about spending limits is that they force you to be creative. Items that are just taking up space can be used, enjoyed and not wasted. 

5. Books: Got more books from the library!! These are the two I brought home:

I'm excited about trying the Montessori approach to (home) preschool for Baby. It seems to align with our goals as a family and as parents. There is a lot of emphasis on self-sufficiency and learning practical skills. Reading through the book, I was blown away by some of the incredibly simple tricks and tips; for example, how little kids can put on a coat all by themselves, how to explain addition or introduce letters. One fascinating idea was the "Montessori birthday party," "birthday walk" or "celebration of life ceremony" (the last one sounds like a funeral... just saying!). It involves your child holding a globe while walking around a candle (the sun). Each walk around the "sun" represents a year of life. This is the Montessori approach to showing kids how time and age works. I've never given a thought to most of these things. The DK book has so many ideas, which I'm afraid I will forget most of them by the time Baby is preschool age. I may just have to buy the book. :)

I also borrowed Ross Poldark from the library's Libby app. I have a terrible habit of looking at my phone before falling asleep, which makes it very hard to fall asleep. I'm attempting to break my phone habit by leaving the phone in the kitchen at night and only reading on my Kindle before bed. I tried reading non-fiction before bed, but that gets my brain pumping with new ideas and makes it even harder to fall asleep. Fiction is more passive and helps me separate work (daytime activities) from rest (sleeping!). What I LOVE about Libby is that you can borrow the book for two weeks, renew the book for another two weeks, and THEN keep the book open on your Kindle to read it indefinitely (even if it's technically been "returned"). If the book DOES get returned, you can just check it out again! I have been working on this Ross Poldark book off and on since January. Maybe someday I'll finish it.

6. Email giveaway: SO, I got a ton of feedback on the giveaway survey that I posted last week. The most popular prize option was my books (I'm flattered, you guys!), followed by kitchen items. And an overwhelming majority of you wanted "practical things that will save money." That's right up my alley! I've had so much fun putting together April's prize package. I still need to work out some things, but for the most part, I know what it will be.  

I believe that's about all for this week! Looking forward to another frugal week,
-Bethany

1. Groceries: We had a no-spend week. Still working on cleaning out the freezer. I want to have most of the current contents gone by August when we'll have more garden produce to freeze. 

2. Cooking: I made boiled eggs in the Instant Pot and bread in the bread machine this week. I need to start changing my menu a little bit to absorb all of the eggs we've been getting. I think I'll do egg salad for our "sandwich Thursday" and then a quiche meal, along with my regular eggs for breakfast. I also switched from pancakes on Saturday to French toast, which is another excellent way to use up eggs.

3. Gardening: I continue to watch the little tomato seedlings that I planted last week. Some of the seedlings suffered from damping off. This happened last year, and the year before as well, but NOT the first year I started seeds. I figured out last week that it might be because I'm "frugally" reusing the potting soil. Oops. I guess I'm not saving money if all of the seedlings die. Next year I'm going to use all pellets, which are much easier to store and use than regular seed starter.

4. Clothing: Ironed patches on several pairs of jeans. I still have to sew around the edges in order for the pants to be back in commission. I also picked up more cans to recycle for diaper money. :)

5. Taxes*: we got our taxes back from the accountant this week. Most people don't bother trying to save on taxes, but if you have income besides a paycheck (rent income, small business income, "other" income, etc.), it's worth getting an accountant to help out. We itemize our deductions instead of taking the standard deductions, so there are plenty of ways for us to save on taxes. This includes putting money into tax-sheltered retirement accounts (something anyone can do), writing off all business expenses and even keeping track of Goodwill donations. I made over $600.00 on book royalties, which was super! But even BETTER, we were able to find enough write-offs to eliminate taxes on that income, which would have been at least $120.00. I'm keeping much better track of my writing expenses this year, as the income will probably be quite a bit higher.

6. Books: I ordered another book from our library's interloan system. I also borrowed an audiobook from the library's Libby app. 

That's about it for this week. I've been spending some of my afternoons finishing up the first draft of The Housewife's Guide to Frugal Produce (or, Frugal Fruits and Vegetables- I haven't decided.). I'm not finished quite yet, but... soon.

Til next time,
-Bethany

*Just so you all know, I'm not a tax professional by a long shot! But taxes are fascinating to me, and I'm proud to say that I found two legit tax-saving strategies this year, all by myself.

​Hi everyone! First off, I want to make a special announcement. I will be hosting a monthly giveaway in my email newsletter, and I need your opinion on what the prize(s) should be! You can complete the 1-minute survey HERE.

​1. Groceries: We went to Kroger for groceries this week and spent $31.73, plus $1.34 at Walmart. Total spent was $33.07. You can see my Kroger haul below:   

 2. Cooking: I made two batches of fruit leather, 1/4 lb. of cheese, and (drum roll please...) chicken sausage! One of my goals this year is to lower my food waste. Did you know the average family spends $1500.00 per year on food waste? We saw it on a billboard while driving home from church. I told Hubs, "I'm nowhere near that careless, but even I waste between $1.00-$5.00 on food every week." He was astounded (I guess I'm supposed to be more perfect than that?! LOL), but it's true. This week I threw out two quarts of frozen rhubarb and a handful or two of pretzels, plus probably some other stuff I'm forgetting. 
 
That's where all of this week's cooking comes in. I made the fruit leather (more like chips) from strawberries that had been in the freezer for far too long. I made the cheese from the last quart of milk in our fridge, about to go rancid. And the "sausage" was made from a bag of chicken gizzards, hearts, and livers that I found in the freezer. I've always wanted to try making sausage. I knew that I would never, ever eat the innards as they were, so it was the perfect time to use the Kitchen Aid meat grinder I got for Christmas... in 2015.

It turned out pretty good, for the ingredients I had on hand. I added some wine vinegar, oil and spices to the ground organ meats, then cooked it up and froze it in muffin-size portions. We tried some on baked potatoes and in soup, and it wasn't that bad! I HATE the taste of liver, and to be honest, seeing it come out of the grinder grossed me out a lot. I wasn't sure I'd be able to eat it. Hubs likes liver, so he thought it was pretty good. I thought it was a tolerable way to eat organ meats. 

​I've already found another (smaller) bag of organ meats in the fridge to make into sausage. I think next time around I will put more actual meat in, and probably some fat as well, to balance out the organ meats.

I also put up a Youtube video about how I make hash in the Instant Pot. Hash is another excellent way to use up those bits and pieces and reduce food waste!

3. Clothing: Organized baby clothes. I've had a real problem with organizing hand-me-downs in an easy to access way. I needed an inventory to see precisely what I had and what I still needed. Last month I made a list of things I'm looking for, but I didn't have a list of what I already had.

I also put Baby's current wardrobe on hangers beneath her cloth diapers, for easier access. Then I used sandwich bags to hold socks, tights and/or pants for each outfit. My parents used to do this for my younger siblings, so they didn't come out of the laundry room, mismatched, wearing another sibling's clothes. My brother called them "uniforms." 

When I organized Baby's clothes in a way that allowed me to SEE everything, I realized what she did and didn't wear. Hint: she wears the same five outfits over and over because those are the ones I like the best. Of course, I kept some extra outfits, but the least favorite ones went into the donate pile.

4. Personal Care: Scored some free toothpaste at Kroger with coupons. Yay!

5. Household: Lastly, I made some more reusable tissues. I've had the squares cut out for weeks, but procrastinated on threading the serger. Finally, I got around to doing it! Now I have one color plaid for tissues and another color plaid that I'm using for cleaning/paper towels. I keep a stack of both colors in the kitchen, and another in the bathroom, with a hanging wet bag nearby. 

SO, that's about it for this week! If you haven't done so already, be sure to let me know what your favorite giveaway prize is by completing my survey.  ​

Til next time,
​Bethany

Well, we had another decent month here on the hobby farm. 

Chickens & Ducks

Egg production is picking up! In February I got one duck egg almost every day, plus two or three chicken eggs. This amount is perfect for us. Of course, I can always use more if we have them, but when we start getting six or more eggs a day, I have to focus more on using them up or start selling them.


Strawberry Patch & Garden

The strawberry patch is dormant like it has been for the past several months. I did order some seeds for the vegetable garden. This year my focus is going to be tomatoes. I'm hoping to can quite a bit, but also sell some as well. At the end of February, I started all of my tomato seeds plus some herb and flower seeds.

​
Honeybees

I've purchased most of my hive equipment for the bees! The bees themselves won't arrive until late April, but for now I'm keeping myself busy assembling some of the supers and frames. 

My budget for this project was $500.00. I've spent most of that already. There are just a few things that I'd like to purchase yet, so I will probably go over budget on the honeybee project.


Profit & Loss

Expenses:
Package of bees- $120.00
Beehive supplies- $306.50
Beekeeping tools- $39.99
Beekeeping coat/hat- $19.99
Total expenses: $486.48

Income:
Book royalties- $3.15

Net profit: $(483.33)
Year-to-date net profit: $(544.18)

So, that's about all I have to report for February. In March I hope to finish putting together my beehive!

Til next time,
-Bethany

We spent most of last week (Monday-Thursday) in Washington D.C. to celebrate our fourth wedding anniversary. It was a blast! The weather couldn't have been better for February (in the 50s), and it was, by far, the most planned trip we have taken together as a couple. Of course, not ALL of the trip was planned out, but we reserved a hotel in advance, thought of a list of stuff to see in advance, and I even brought some food and snacks along with us. For me, that is a big deal.

That being said, I did spend the weekend on some frugal projects that I'm happy to share. I'm also going to include a few things I did the week before last, which I didn't get around to writing about because we were gone.

1. Groceries: we bought $30.00 worth of groceries in Washington D.C.; bread, mayo, salad/lettuce, apples, carrots, cereal and instant oatmeal. I thought we would buy these things at Walmart here in MI before we left, but instead, we decided to start early and didn't get a chance to buy groceries until we were in D.C.

2. Gardening: This week I started tomato, hot pepper, thyme, lavender and delphinium seeds. I also pruned one of our peach trees and used the trimmings for a table centerpiece, and started some sweet potatoes in water. I am SO excited to be gardening again!! It's still way too cold to plant anything, but just being outside is a balm to my soul.

I also got my new beehive in the mail and painted some of it. I chose to get the bottom part assembled and the honey supers (top stacking parts) unassembled. 

3. Books: I received two books from the library's interloan system: 

​They are both historical gardening books (combining two of my favorite things!!!) that I've immensely enjoyed reading. It was especially fun to learn about Monticello gardens right before we saw Mount Vernon because I was able to compare the two. I've got the books for another two weeks, so I'm hoping to finish the Monticello book and pick up some practical tips from the other one.

4. Cans: before we left on vacation, we had some spectacular warm weather. I was able to go on three walks and pick up over $5.00 worth of cans (as if getting some fresh air wasn't benefit enough!). As I mentioned last week, my can money this year is going to extra cloth diapers. 

5. Diapers: speaking of diapers, one of Baby's cloth diapers busted a seam. I left a review and picture on Amazon, and the company offered to give me a refund. So that's another $5.00 that I can put in the "cloth diaper account." I did end up fixing the diaper then (it was an easy fix, but I wanted to leave a review for mamas who don't sew) so I can still use it.

6. Vacay savings: we reserved a cheap hotel ($80/night), and I brought food along for breakfast and lunch. Bringing food from home saved at least $20.00 per day, but probably more. Plus it was more convenient to have lunch on the go than stop for an hour to eat. We also took the metro inside the city instead of paying for parking all day. This saved at least $20.00 per day, plus we didn't have to waste time finding a parking spot. 

As far as sight-seeing, most of the things we did were free. Mount Vernon was $20.00 each, and the Bible Museum was $15.00 per person. Otherwise, the Smithsonian museums, Arlington, and the different memorials were completely free.

Baby did fantastic during the whole trip. Hubs carried her in the front pack most of the time, and I carried our backpack-turned-diaper-bag. By the end of the three days we were TIRED from so much carrying and walking, but that didn't make it any less fun. Since Baby is still nursing, food for her was cheap and easy. She did have a major blowout our second night there. I ended up hand-washing her outfit (one of my favorites ! 😔 ) in the toilet, then scrubbing the stains out in the sink with a bar of hotel soap. Then I let it dry overnight and put it in the window to sun. When we came back later that day, I couldn't believe how much the stains had disappeared! 

You would think that washing poop off in the toilet would be nasty, but when the water gets dirty, you can just flush. Voila, new clean water! A pair of rubber gloves would have been nice though. Of course, I rewashed the outfit in a real washer when we got home, but I couldn't have baby poop in with our other laundry for three days. Overall the toilet and hotel hand soap did a great job.

For the most part, I have quit buying souvenirs when we travel. Sometimes I get a small trinket or functional item (blanket, cookware, etc.) but most of the time I browse the gift shops and don't buy anything. I did get a wax seal set at Mount Vernon for $16.00. I could have saved a few dollars by purchasing the set on Amazon. But I didn't.

There are plenty of meaningful "souvenirs" that you can get or make for free without filling your home with junk coffee cups, shot glasses and decorative plates that hang on the wall. I've made shadow boxes, Christmas ornaments and jewelry, as an example. You can also take home recipes (or just the name of a dish, then Google the recipe) or find a favorite local plant and buy it when you're back in the States. Most of the time, souvenirs are cheaper on the internet or if you don't buy them at a gift shop. My favorite thing to take home is ideas, which I found plenty of.

So... that's what I've got for last week!

​Til next time,
-Bethany

I feel like I did a far better job of reigning in spending last month than we did in January. I made a few changes last month that will help us continue to save money all year long.  You can read about those below.


Groceries: ($130.00) $101.14 

We did well last month and spent only 78% of the food budget. I made two trips to Kroger, one trip to Walmart and one trip to Safeway in Washington D.C. I pulled a few no-spend weeks in February after the outrageous Super Bowl spending that happened at the beginning of the month, which likely helped a lot. I also took meat, cheese, milk and homemade chex mix on vacation so we only had to buy inexpensive items in the capitol city, like lettuce, carrots and bagged cereal. 


Personal Care: ($15.00) $10.97

I bought toilet paper ($9.58), toothpaste ($0.89) and two boxes of Kleenex ($0.50) this month. We were officially 27% under budget! 

One thing I did this month to save money: I made some reusable tissues to help cut toilet paper usage. I think this helped. One roll of Scott lasted eight days.


Household: ($25.00) $6.83

We bought two packs of baby hangers ($2.00) and one bottle of Ajax ($1.75) this month, along with a cookie press ($1.26- broke the first time I used it... boo!), measuring spoons ($0.95) and measuring cups ($0.75).


Clothing: $4.21

I bought a 3-pack of tights for Baby Girl this month. If you don't remember, my goal for the year was to spend $225.00 on all three of us. If calculated by the month, it would be about $6.25 per person. Obviously this isn't realistic (usually we buy a few larger items every year), so I'm just watching the amount as the year progresses. So far Hubs has spent $0.00 of his $75.00. I've spent 27% of my allotment and 47% of Baby Girl's allocation. I have a feeling that at least half of the clothing budget will be spent on Baby this year. I would like to buy another nursing T-shirt... sometime. But other than that, we adults don't need much for clothing.

One thing I started doing this month to save money: I darned the holes in my pile of holey socks. This maintenance put about five pairs of socks back in the rotation.

*****

So, that is what I spent on our 2018 Categories That Need Work last month. I'm looking forward to another month of industry and frugality.

Til next time,
​-Bethany