Hi everyone! I'm a little late posting this week's accomplishments because we've been away for the past two days. Hubs and I celebrated our 2nd anniversary this week, and he took me to Detroit for a Monday-Tuesday "weekend" trip. It was a lot of fun... might do a post about it later.
Frugal Accomplishments Last Week
1. Made yogurt.
2. Sold four dozen eggs.
3. Cracked and got nutmeats from black walnuts that I harvested last fall.
2. Sold four dozen eggs.
3. Cracked and got nutmeats from black walnuts that I harvested last fall.
4. Started pepper and tomato seeds in the Walmart mini-greenhouse I bought. The Amish Paste tomatoes sprouted SUPER fast, in only a few days. The peppers are still being coaxed out of their shells.
5. Started some grapefruit seeds I had picked out of a grapefruit. We'll see if they germinate or not. :)
6. Finished my green apron! I'm hoping to get some clearer, brighter outdoor picks of both aprons soon, but this is what they both look like finished:
5. Started some grapefruit seeds I had picked out of a grapefruit. We'll see if they germinate or not. :)
6. Finished my green apron! I'm hoping to get some clearer, brighter outdoor picks of both aprons soon, but this is what they both look like finished:
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7. Hubs made me one of these blanket ladders for the living room. This winter I've tried to put a priority on home decorating, which is definitely not my strong point. In addition to providing storage/display area for blankets, I'm hoping the verticalness (I just made that word up) of the ladder will help balance out the shorter couch and piano along that wall.
8. Bought some houseplants that were 50% off. In addition to providing bursts of color to our apartment, I'm hoping these plants will provide foliage to use in flower arrangements. I bought a majesty palm for $6.00 and a dracaena corn plant for $2.50.
9. Made a batch of soap with coffee grounds. The scent wasn't strong enough for sale-quality, so the five bars I made will be for our personal use only.
10. Lastly, I got a free smart phone!!! Before last week it was actually Hubs' phone. However, it was having some issues and in short, Hubs was unable to make or receive any calls. He tried working with Republic Wireless to have them fix it, but ultimately they told him it was unfixable and he'd just have to buy a new phone. After comparing prices of other phone services, we figured out that even with the price of a new phone, Republic Wireless was still the best deal. So he got a new phone, and I got his old phone to take pictures and use wifi with.
For the last two years, I haven't had any cell phone at all. It's been a little challenging, but totally worth it. Before we got married, carrying around a phone was such a burden. I was happy to NOT have one for the past couple years. In fact, I almost wrote an article about all the benefits of not having a cell phone, but Hubs said I shouldn't be telling people to get rid of their phones, because phone-less people (me included) make life difficult for everyone else* because we are so hard to get a hold of. Plus what if there is an emergency? My theory is that widespread use of cell phones (especially smart phones) has led to an utter lack of planning, terrible social skills, laziness but ironically added stress and more work, moral evils previously unknown to mankind, and a lack of accountability for both spouses AND children (because even kids have phones these days), leading to broken homes.
I still hold to my anti-cell-phone position, but now we've come to a happy compromise. I've downloaded an app on the phone that allows him (and others) to get a hold of me when he needs to... as long as I have wifi, which is all of the time if I'm at home, and some of the time if I'm away.
I spent last weekend downloading all kinds of apps, and I LOVE them. Things like Youversion, Map My Ride, My Fitness Pal, Duolingo, Pinterest, and my personal favorite... INSTAGRAM!
You can all follow me and my latest adventures on Instagram at renaissancehousewife.
8. Bought some houseplants that were 50% off. In addition to providing bursts of color to our apartment, I'm hoping these plants will provide foliage to use in flower arrangements. I bought a majesty palm for $6.00 and a dracaena corn plant for $2.50.
9. Made a batch of soap with coffee grounds. The scent wasn't strong enough for sale-quality, so the five bars I made will be for our personal use only.
10. Lastly, I got a free smart phone!!! Before last week it was actually Hubs' phone. However, it was having some issues and in short, Hubs was unable to make or receive any calls. He tried working with Republic Wireless to have them fix it, but ultimately they told him it was unfixable and he'd just have to buy a new phone. After comparing prices of other phone services, we figured out that even with the price of a new phone, Republic Wireless was still the best deal. So he got a new phone, and I got his old phone to take pictures and use wifi with.
For the last two years, I haven't had any cell phone at all. It's been a little challenging, but totally worth it. Before we got married, carrying around a phone was such a burden. I was happy to NOT have one for the past couple years. In fact, I almost wrote an article about all the benefits of not having a cell phone, but Hubs said I shouldn't be telling people to get rid of their phones, because phone-less people (me included) make life difficult for everyone else* because we are so hard to get a hold of. Plus what if there is an emergency? My theory is that widespread use of cell phones (especially smart phones) has led to an utter lack of planning, terrible social skills, laziness but ironically added stress and more work, moral evils previously unknown to mankind, and a lack of accountability for both spouses AND children (because even kids have phones these days), leading to broken homes.
I still hold to my anti-cell-phone position, but now we've come to a happy compromise. I've downloaded an app on the phone that allows him (and others) to get a hold of me when he needs to... as long as I have wifi, which is all of the time if I'm at home, and some of the time if I'm away.
I spent last weekend downloading all kinds of apps, and I LOVE them. Things like Youversion, Map My Ride, My Fitness Pal, Duolingo, Pinterest, and my personal favorite... INSTAGRAM!
You can all follow me and my latest adventures on Instagram at renaissancehousewife.
Goals for This Week
1. Start new apron.
2. Start broccoli seeds.
3. Put forced tulip bulbs in dirt.
Til next time,
-Bethany
*I imagine that living without a cell phone is akin to living without the internet or not having a car and bicycling everywhere. Not convenient really, but some people enjoy the quality of life and lack of stress that accompanies their lifestyle.
2. Start broccoli seeds.
3. Put forced tulip bulbs in dirt.
Til next time,
-Bethany
*I imagine that living without a cell phone is akin to living without the internet or not having a car and bicycling everywhere. Not convenient really, but some people enjoy the quality of life and lack of stress that accompanies their lifestyle.
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