If you do stuff, stuff gets done.......

If you do stuff, stuff gets done.......

Friday, April 4, 2014

Finances on Friday

I found out late Tuesday afternoon that there would be 12 here for supper on Wednesday. I did not want to add shopping to my list of things to do so I planned a menu of easy to make dishes made with groceries on hand. This is what we ate

Chicken cooked on the grill by my husband-thawed and trimmed up Tuesday night.
Twice baked potatoes and baked beans - prepared Tuesday night and then reheated
A big green salad
A big loaf of bread baked in our bread machine
Banana bread and Pecan Pie Squares - both baked early Wednesday when I only had baby JJ to care for, and thankfully he sat happily in his high chair and played with some mini tongs and an empty paper towel tube the entire time I was mixing them up. 

The twice baked potatoes were a big hit. I knew my sons liked them a lot and we were all tickled to see the grand daughter who is a bit opinionated about her food liked them so much, she was picking hers up and eating it like a muffin. She ate 2 small ones and her uncle's empty peel as well.  Twice bakeds require a little effort when making them, but they go together fast and then are easy to reheat. 
Mine are nothing fancy, just baked and scooped out potatoes, mashed with some butter, milk and yellow cheese, S & P to taste. No sour cream or cream cheese are needed for how we like them. I use a small scoop to refill the shells and top each one with a little more grated cheddar.  My family liked them so much,  I really need to make them more often. 

Saturday morning, there were 10 here for breakfast. That menu was

Oven baked bacon- I stockpiled bacon several months ago when the Oscar Mayer was $1.99 a pound but my stockpile is getting low
Scrambled eggs
Freezer biscuits   I like to multiply this recipe by 4 or 6 and keep several dozen in the freezer for meals like this
Cream gravy - that's how we do big breakfasts in Oklahoma 
Bananas, orange juice, coffee and hot tea

What do you all cook or serve when you feed a big group? I am always looking for new menus that are easy and crowd pleasing. 


Paid off the last of my husbands surgery bills. In our experience with these last 3 surgeries, the doctors, physical therapy, home health, etc seem to be happy to take just what our insurance company offered them.  But not the hospitals- they want 100% of what they bill.  Thankfully, husbands work insurance paid about 90% or so, less deductibles. 

As always, we use the free online billpay our credit union offers - it is easy and quick too!

My gardening and second hand purchases have been thrifty so far. 

We are having mild, thrifty weather- not much need to run the heat or air conditioner. 

Have baked all our bread in 2014

Cashed in a few weeks of Swagbucks points for $50 Paypal
swagbucks.com/refer/stwoliver3
if you don't do Swagbucks and want to join,  I would love for you to sign up with my referal link.  My daughter said I should do a post about how I earn them and I will if anyone wants to know.  

We are having a vegetarian supper -This vegetable pasta stirfry. It is so good and we like it so much, we have had it every week, except last week, since I first found the recipe. it is very thrift too- any pasta will work, and just about whatever vegetables you have, especially the ones that need to be used soon- and some garlic and oil.

Walgreens is having 7 days of Egg-Cellent photo deals this week.  I got a free 8by10 collage on Monday and 10 free 4by6 prints yesterday.  


Linking up with Rebecca at Renaissance 



Some of our family and recent guests
Notice what a helper our grand daughter is, stirring the scrambled eggs. 

Thursday, April 3, 2014

Thrift store and church rummage sale finds

April has already been a good month for thrift shopping.
I went to my favorite store yesterday, looking for warm weather clothing for the grands, 
I found lots for the youngest grandsons
4 shirts and 8 shorts $1 and 50 cents each
Cute rompers - the orange one was $2 and the gray one was 50 cents
Little big Jammies, a swimsuit for the oldest grandson and a swimsuit for the youngest grand daughter.  
I am a sucker for polka dots. 


Rummage sale finds
These toys were 25 cents each. Both grand daughters are fans of Mickie and Minnie.
When you push the button on the side of the truck, it makes a sound like a truck or animal- I think all the grandsons will like it. 

Free magazines- old Country Living, from 1984 and  2002
Tupperware
Books were 25 cents each,  The Fox is a song my grandmother sang to all her grandchildren.
Cross stitch booklet
I think these are potholders as they are double sided. They are crocheted of cotton yarn and very pretty, 25 cents each. 
A really BIG spoon rest. Maybe it is a ladle rest.
And a mystery box- it was not an old Santa........
But these treasures
Look at all these pins! And I need new pins. 
Old needles- I think they cost a lot more than 15 cents now
A bunch of gold and pearl beads, and silver chenille stems
So much glitter- I've never seen glitter in bags. 
Lots of good crafting supplies. 
And this pretty tatted piece. I think it was made to go around the neckline of a top or dress. I hope to do something with it for me. 

Spring thrifting is fun! 

Gardening update

First, I was asked where I bought my portulaca -moss rose seeds   I got them on EBay for $1.79 shipped from this sellerSeeds and Scents
They shipped fast and also inclosed a free pack of wildflower seeds.

If you've ever been on Facebook or Pinterest, you've seen posts about regrowing vegetables from the the scraps of the vegetables you've bought at a grocery store.
I am trying it with the the root end of a celery and 3 romaine lettuce. I don't think I really read the instructions. I just sliced a very small sliver off the root end of each one, then let them set in a saucer of water until they sprouted. 


Most of the tomato plants are doing fine except for 2 in this planter. 
So, I added the celery and romaine in with the 2 cherry tomato plants. 

When I bought groceries today, celery was $1.99 at Aldi.  I bought some because I like it but I kept that root end too and hope it will sprout like the other one. 

It would be great if these actually produce an edible crop. I'll keep you updated.....