Month: October 2020

1. I roasted a chicken on Saturday. I turned the bones into chicken stock and was able to get two dishes out of the chicken, which in turn became leftovers for lunch. I made chicken noodle soup and white chicken chili. I even sent some home with my son for lunch later in the week.
2. I turned some overripe bananas into banana cake. I try to make a nice dessert on Sundays when we have family dinner night. I got the recipe from the cookbook Scandikitchen: Fika and Hygge. I know, the whole hygge thing is really gimmicky. But, I like the desserts, candles and cozy pictures. Again, we had way too much leftover cake, so my son was able to take some home.
3. I went through the refrigerator on Saturday and threw all the vegetables that were looking funky into a crockpot and made vegetable stock. Our CSA keeps sending odd looking Asian root vegetables. I am an adventurous eater. But sometimes, you just have to accept that no matter how you try, that particular vegetable will not work in stir fry.
4. Went to a local treasure, Holy Hill, on Saturday to hike with my daughter. The price of admission is free and view is spectacular. Free entertainment exists, you just have to look for it.
5. We had a little plumbing issue. My husband knows how to fix just about anything and was able to replace the leaking pipes himself. When you are able DIY, it’s the way to go in order to save money.

The weeks are going by so fast! Halloween is in a week. My son turns 23 in two weeks. My youngest comes home from college in 5 weeks for winter break. I can’t believe how fast it’s going.

I am already thinking about Thanksgiving. It will just be immediate family this year. I am thinking that a turkey breast will be the best route. We do not need a 20 pound turkey for four people. Not to mention, we do not have the freezer space. I do love the smell of Thanksgiving though. There is nothing else like it. I am going to spend the next few weeks putting my menu together. Knowing that my nest will be full for a few short hours. Masks will be required though.

Now on to our money saving wins for the week.

1. We took advantage of another free library program presented on zoom. In the spirit of Halloween, the presentation was on paranormal events in the Milwaukee area. I have always heard that the Pfister Hotel has a ghost, I wanted to find out for sure. The answer is, nobody really knows.
2. I have been taking advantage of grocery delivery. I just don’t feel comfortable going out and about again. I did for awhile. But, I live in Wisconsin and we are pretty much ground zero for this virus right now. Home and work are the only places I will go. On to the point of the grocery delivery. I use Whole Foods for delivery. I know, normally uber expensive. But, with my Prime membership, delivery is free and I buy sale and 365 brand. With the purchase of a 365 frozen pizza for $2.00, you get a $3.00 credit for a Prime video purchase. We plan on using that apply toward the Borat sequel tomorrow night. Any movie that puts Rudy Giuliani in a bad light is something I can get behind. I don’t even need a discount code. I compared Instacart and Whole Foods delivery and Whole Foods was about $10 less for the same food.
3. I made a huge batch of apple butter in the crockpot. It made the house smell amazing. I might have eaten some of the apples before blending them into apple butter for a tasty afternoon snack.
4. With my 21 year old daughter living at home, she has taken over some of the cooking. She is a vegetarian and choses meals that are plant based, saving us money. Honestly, she is proving to be a pretty good cook. I have been picking up vegan cookbooks for her at the library and she uses them to meal plan. We are both off of work on Thursday. On my day off, she does the cooking because it’s her day off. It allows me to catch up on other things without worrying about meal planning.
5. We had our water pump recharged and will have our furnace checked next week. Maintaining these items by having them checked annually will save you money. We have lived in our house 20 years and the water pump is still going strong because we have it recharged every 18 months. We have our septic pumped every 6 months. It costs $165, but beats the cost of $25,000 to have it replaced without proper maintenance.

That’s it for us. What have you done this week to save money?

Time to go through our list of savings this week. Number one is something we have been working towards for literally decades. Here we go:

1. We paid off the house! As of Thursday, October 15, 2020, we are no longer slaves to our mortgage. I got up early, drove to the bank to get that required cashiers check for final payment. The banker waived our fee and sent it overnight UPS for free. I honestly cannot describe the feeling of actually being able to say “the house is paid off”, but it’s remarkable.
2. I keep saying, use your library. Our library has started offering “Make Its” to do at home. The cost is free and they provide the supplies to make a craft at home. Last night we made cute Halloween candle holders. All I needed to supply was 2 glass jars and a paint brush. Instruction was done via Zoom. It’s not the same as in person, but beggars can’t be choosers and I need to start participating in life again.
3. The bees produced honey! Not enough for us to sell, but enough for us for the year. Fingers are crossed that next year will produce enough to sell to more than a few people who have asked.
4. I took advantage of Amazon Prime Days. I bought a hydroponic garden to grow lettuce and tomatoes this winter. I am not a fan of winter tomatoes, shipped here from South America. My hope is to be able to have fresh tomatoes to at the very least put on salad. It was on sale for $85. I had $10 in prime dollars from Whole Foods and $10 from the purchase of a $40 gift card. So, the total for me was close to $30.
5. I love those corny fall signs that everyone is selling, but I believe they are overpriced. My husband made one for me with the CNC machine in the basement. I love it.

The holidays are quickly approaching and I am trying to figure out how we are going to do that with social distancing still being the safest way to go. I hate the idea of missing out on these special occasions without family. I am thinking maybe doing it via zoom. That might be our only choice.

I am beyond worried about the election. No matter who wins, I predict that there will be social unrest in the US. Every time I think we can’t go any lower, we do. I am going to take advantage of early voting in my state next week so that I can avoid the lines and people on election day. Please vote if you are in the US. This is the single most important election in my lifetime. The world will be watching. We can decide if we want to preserve our democracy.

What did you do this week to save some pennies?

Here is a list of things we have been doing to save money the last few weeks.

1. The garden is closed. I spent weeks upon weeks either blanching, chopping, freezing, canning or dehydrating this year’s bounty. I have heard a lot of people say that they did not have good luck gardening this year. I honestly think this was our best year yet. I currently have about 170 jars of preserved food and a freezer full. I am grateful to the soil and sunshine that made this year such a success.
2. Last week, one of our chickens disappeared. I was concerned, as we have just a few coyotes around and once I actually found a fox sleeping under a tree in our yard. My husband on the other hand refused to believe the worst. A couple days went by and Frog (that’s her name) reappeared for a meal only to disappear again. This went on for a couple more days. Finally, Eric decided to really give the yard a thorough look over. What would you know, Frog had built herself a nest under the electric meter and she had 21 eggs! She was brooding, hoping that she could mother some little chicks of her own. Since we don’t have a rooster, that was never going to happen. With the predator wildlife all around us, she needed to go back to her coop. She was either the luckiest chicken ever or she was definitely living on borrowed time. So, with some ingenuity and courage, Eric moved that girl back to the coop and brought the eggs inside. She is pissed to say the least and has been ranting and raving for a couple days. The other chickens, who have spent the last 2 years tormenting her, are a little scared and huddled together in a corner, just letting her do her thing. Moral of the story, we got nearly 2 dozen, organic eggs.

3. I signed up for the 2021 season for Sitka Salmon Shares and saved $50 by committing early. In the grand scheme of things, it’s not a huge savings, but it is money saved for something I was going to do anyway.

4. I got my flu shot. Flu shots are free with most insurance and worth the effort. I know some people don’t believe in them. I on the other hand am a firm believer. I opted out of the flu shot once in 2003. I spent Christmas Eve to New Year’s Eve that year on my deathbed vowing never again. I get that shot like clockwork, every single year.

5. I cashed in some credit card points as statement credits. It’s amazing how fast those points add up and how much money they can become.