Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

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alliesmama4
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Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Had a horrible day due to pain and tremors from overdoing the use of my new weed wacker. It kept calling to me but I had to resist. Basically was a slug going from the couch to my bed and back and forth. Hopefully by the week-end I will be well enough to do more work out side but will have to limit myself to 10 mins.

I made hamburger gravy yesterday using ground chuck and onions that needed to be used up. I thought I was doing myself a favor by buying a can of cream of mushroom soup from Campbell's to use as the sauce. It is just a can of glop with no flavor.. I have one more can and when I open it will count the mushroom bits and do a taste test. I think they have cut back on flavor and the bits of mushrooms. Then again maybe it is just my taste buds. The meal last night and today had no taste and had to add a lot of salt and pepper. I have been using up little dibs and dabs from the freezer and some of them were small containers of mashed potatoes. I did not realize how many until I started looking through the freezer to organize it. Since I have so many containers of mashed potatoes I heated some and added it to Teddi's fresh dog food I mashed it all together and he loved it. So will use the rest with his dog food. Also have a can if instant mashed potatoes that were from a long term storage company and they have no taste or texture so will slowly hydrate them and add some to Teddi's food. I hope he continues to like it.

This morning noticed that some leaves are beginning to fall in my yard so it made me curious as to what the winter will be like. Looks like it is going to be cold and snowy.. Of course not sure how accurate it is but it does give me pause to stop and think about what I need to do to get ready. I had already decided to camp out in my bedroom more this winter. I am going to use several pairs of curtains and sew them together to make them heavier to keep the cold air out. My house is lovely but it has high ceilings and lots of almost floor to ceilings windows. So you can feel the cold air coming in when you walk in to certain areas ie the breakfast room where there is a patio door going out on to the deck. I need to save up for new windows since the seal has broken on some of the double pane glass windows. My contractor told me they only last about 10 years for the ones that the original owner installed so they are way past their prime. Also would love to have a fireplace insert but not sure if I can afford one this year. By this time next year I will have two big bills paid off and can devote more money towards the fireplace insert and the windows. At least with the new roof things will be more snug in that area.

I have been buying things like green peppers that are reasonably priced right now and prepping and freezing them for when the prices are too high in the winter. Just wish I had a chest freezer but maybe next year. Every little bit done now is a hedge against increased prices in winter.
Janet Alliesmama
Dgflorida
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Joined: Wed Oct 07, 2015 8:10 pm

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by Dgflorida »

I think I am going to buy some on sale green peppers, slice and freeze them. Also eat some fresh.
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Dgflorida wrote: Fri Aug 09, 2019 7:42 am I think I am going to buy some on sale green peppers, slice and freeze them. Also eat some fresh.
I had sliced green pepper as a snack yesterday and will every day while they are so reasonably prices. They are so refreshing.

I slice and dice the green peppers for the freezer. The long slices are for fajitas and when I make sausage onion and peppers. I also dice some for throwing in to soups, casseroles, stir fry's etc. The tops are diced smaller and used on pizza's or omelets. I love being able to grab a handful of pepper from the freezer.
Janet Alliesmama
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

I managed to score another $3.00 from a survey last night. So that means I have $6.00 towards buying rotisserie chickens this month. Since I make broth with the leftover bones and skin I decided I needed to use up the chicken broth in the freezer. Thawed out two containers of broth and opened my last can of Campbell's chicken noodle soup. I need to phase out all of the things that have gluten in them. I try to have a couple of cans of chicken noodle soup in the winter for days when I might not feel well however I need to find a decent gluten free one. If I had a chest freezer I could make a big batch and freeze it. I was feeling yucky today so thought some nice chicken soup for the next several days would help. The soup turned out well using the broth and canned soup. Opened a can of cooked chicken and a can of green beans. Added dehydrated onion, celery and carrots. Also a small amount of gf noodles. It turned out really well but has a slightly more onion taste than I would like but that is most likely due to the dried onions. Sort of reminds me of Lipton's onion soup mix..lol. I plan on using up what is in the freezer for a while. There are so many little dibs and dabs and they take up too much space.

Mr Teddi is off his food again. I boiled him a potato and added some of the canned chicken and mashed some of each together and and he scarfed it down. Later he ate a little bit of cottage cheese. Wish I knew why he has a good couple of days of eating and then does not want to eat. Anyway glad I have a bag of organic russet potatoes from Ruler. They are 1.99 for 3 lbs. Just the right size for me to use before they start to be in need of being used up. At the bigger stores it is insane what you pay for organic potatoes. Since I like to eat the skin of the potato I buy organic due to the fungicide they put on the other potatoes.

Picked up half of a shopping bag of apple off of the ground under my apple tree. They are still too tart to eat fresh but I will cook them down tomorrow with some sugar and cinnamon. I had to throw about 7 or 8 of them in to the woods since the night creatures are eating them. I do not mind sharing there is more than enough for all of us. This is the first year in maybe 10 years that the apple tree has been this prolific. Glad to see that it does not need another tree to pollinate it. I tried to grow two other apple trees last year but they did not make it. This tree is the only one left out of 4 that were planted when I moved here. I think it was the spring after I moved here so 2006 and it has taken this long for it to be this prolific. However this will be plenty for me to work with and enjoy.

I worked outside today but only to rake the areas where I cut down the weeds and to cut down some low hanging tree branches. My neighbor lady cuts my grass and I see that she has to duck or hold the branches up in certain areas. I just use a long handle clipper to nip them back. However it did make me tired. I also made two trips to the basement with things from upstairs using my car and brought a few things up that need to go to recycling. Still more to do but that is ok. I will work it in to the week sometime.
Janet Alliesmama
alliesmama4
Posts: 8591
Joined: Sun Aug 30, 2015 10:10 pm
Location: Southern IL

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by alliesmama4 »

Nothing exciting going on here. I am just eating leftovers from the fridge. Teddi is eating chicken with some boiled potatoes and a little bit of cottage cheese later on. I dropped a radish while trying to do some salad prepping. He loves radishes and rushed over to get it. His mouth is so tiny he could barely get a tooth in to it. I cut it in half and he was a happy little dog. I gave him another half too. From now on rather than slicing it for him I am going to slice it in half for him. It will give him more chewing time which should be more satisfying for him.

I am out of half & half for my morning coffee...sniff, sniff. Down to just enough whole milk for my coffee tomorrow so will have to reconstitute some dried milk. It is not worth it to go to the grocery store tomorrow for just milk for my coffee.

I have the last of my homemade corn tortillas(3) and cooked pinto beans thawing out. I will make some kind of Mexican style sauce and then layer it with cheese and call it Mexican Surprise..Ole! The surprise will be how good it taste..lol.

Cute story. My brother and SIL have a condo and a time share in Mexico. So every year they invite people to stay in their time share. My brother feels that people should have their own space when on vacation. Anyway he tells any of us that when we enter the elevators to be polite and and say Ola. Which means Hello. However one of their friends could not get it straight and when he would get on an elevator he would say Ole! The people would look confused.. He asked my brother what was he doing wrong. We always get a good laugh out this.

I tried to do a salad prepping ahead for the week but was too tired. I spent the morning cutting up boxes and putting things in the trunk of my car for recycling. I did get my green peppers all sliced and diced and bagged for the freezer. I need to pick up more this week. I think tomorrow I will pick up a rotisserie chicken. It will only cost me 3.46 since I have 3.00 from a survey to combine with it. Teddi is eating chicken and I will boil another potato for him. He just gets about 1/3 of a cup of cubed potato at a time. I am thinking I will make a small batch of potato salad for myself to use up more of the potatoes that I have.
Janet Alliesmama
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Jackielou
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Joined: Tue Aug 25, 2015 7:51 pm

Re: Our 2019 No Spend Challenge

Post by Jackielou »

You do so well with your frugal endeavors. Inspirational.
Jackie
http://inthelandofthelivingskiesii.blogspot.ca/
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