Nina's latest project

Nina came over yesterday and used the Cricut machine to make these cute labels for her canisters - if you want to read how she did them,  she posted more on her blog Love Sweet Love

Tightwad October - Day 7 - borrow if you can

I take care of my grandchildren some of the days that their parents work.  4 month old Elizabeth usually spends 3 days each week with me.
At her home home,  she has a swing that rocks side to side and she puts herself to sleep in it and takes long naps. 
Well,  the swing at my house just went back and forth and she would only sleep 10 or 15 minutes at time in it.  Elizabeth was not getting enough sleep at my house and we were both getting a little cranky. 
Nina mentioned this to some of her other new-mommy friends.  One of them has a daughter that is almost a year old and she had outgrown this pink swing that rocks side to side.  That mommy had her husband fetch it from the basement and even washed the cover so it would be fresh for Elizabeth.   Nina brought it over and set it up this morning and little Miss Elizabeth had a much better day today rocking side to side the way she is used to at her home. 

Babies, like most Americans,  seem to have so much stuff these days.  Especially if you are needing baby things or child things or most anything,  just spread the word among your friends that you are looking for it.
 I think the odds are pretty good that somebody else has one and would like to get rid of it. 

Even the side to side swing Elizabeth has at her home is borrowed from their next door neighbor.  

Tightwad October Day 6

this is pretty much a repeat of a post I did back in March.  Several of you asked about this recipe and I did not realize it was so long ago that I first posted it.  This is for sure a tightwad recipe,  it uses just regular ingredients that I think most cooks keep in their kitchen.  The actual work time to make this is just 15 minutes,  it does have to rise twice so you need to be home keeping an eye on it but not much effort at all.
I use this recipe for everyday bread loaves.  Sometimes I roll it out and cut it in circles for sandwich buns.  Tonight, we had some of these buns from the freezer.  I cooked small hamburger patties and we had sliders for supper. 

this is my grandparents at a picnic.  Grandma is the first woman in the left.  Grandpa is wearing a hat.  The 2 pretty women beside Grandpa are my Aunt Evelyn and Aunt Bernice.  Look at all the "real" dishes on this table.  They are even drinking from real glass tumblers! 

Grandpa's Bread


This is the recipe for my grandparents daily bread. Both Grandma and Grandpa were the best bakers and I learned how to make this bread from Grandpa.

It's just about the simplest bread recipe I've ever come across. And the best tasting. No fancy ingredients or equipment needed.

This bread is perfect for breakfast toast, sandwiches and just eating with any meal


Grandpa's Bread

2 cups warm water
1 package yeast - or a scant T of yeast
1 t salt
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup oil - can use melted butter but I usually use oil
about 6 cups of flour - I usually use white but can use a combination of whole wheat and white
dissolve the yeast and sugar in the warm water. Then stir in the salt, oil and most of the flour. Mix well, then knead until you have a smooth dough. My grandparents  kneaded it all by hand, I let my Kitchenaid mixer do most of the work

Let dough rise in an oiled bowl, covered with a clean kitchen towel, until at least double in size.

Punch down. Divide in 2. Shape into loaves and place in greased bread pans.

Let rise again, until at least double.

Bake at 375 for 35-45 minutes.

Edie posted here where she baked this recipe
and  Joyful blogged here where she baked it.
so if you are looking for a good basic old fashioned bread to bake,  you might want to try this one.  It is our favorite. 
And as I type this,  our son just got home from law school and is eating some of the leftover sliders on buns.  He looks pretty happy about it too. 

Tightwad October Day 5

Today's frugal doings - 5 pies for less than the cost of one frozen pie.

Jeff brought home a sack full of apples from a coworker several weeks ago. 
 So this morning while Gavin took a nap, I made pies.
I mixed up a double batch of never fail pie dough and lined 4 pans.
Then I peeled and sliced all the apples and mixed them with sugar and cinnamon.



 3 of the pans I used had a small rim and the whole pie fits perfectly into a gallon freezer bag.
Pan  #4 had a big rim and would not fit,  so I wrapped it in freezer paper and will bake it first.
I froze the pies unbaked.  I will leave them frozen and bake them  just like you would a frozen Mrs Smiths pie.

After I trimmed the 4 pies, I had a good size pile of dough trimmings left.  I also had some sliced apples left. 

I know all the TV cooking hosts say to never over work or reuse crust scraps because they will be tough,  well,  I broke that rule and used those scraps to make one more pie.  I baked it today and Gavin and I enjoyed some with our lunch.  That re-worked crust was flaky and tender and I am so glad I did not throw those scraps away.

Never Fail Pie Dough  (I doubled this recipe today)
4 cups all purpose flour
1 T sugar
2 t salt
1 1/3 shortening - I used regular Crisco, butter flavor would be good too
1/2 C water
1 T vinegar
1 egg
Mix together dry ingredients. Cut in shortening until it is fine crumbs.
Mix the water, vinegar and egg together.
Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients. Toss with a fork just until it is all mixed together.
Divide into 4 parts.
Shape into balls, then roll out on floured surface.
This will make 4 9 inch pie crusts, maybe 5.


This is what the sink looked like after lunch and pie making - I guess this is why some people don't cook much as they don't like to do the dishes. 
Actually, they only took about 5 minutes to wash up.

TIghtwad October - warning, really really long post

Tightwad October

October seems to be an easy month to tighten up spending. The summer heat has left and it is cooler but not cold so we should not have to run the A/C or heat this month. We don't have any family birthdays in October. The only holiday is Halloween, which we don't celebrate. We don't have any unusual bills coming due this month. My situation is probably different from yours but I know I am not the only homemaker that wants to spend less and save more.

I'll be paying bills today and then looking at our account balances. I've already got our normal spending cash set aside for groceries and our personal spending. My plan is to stay at or under our regular budgeted spending, not do any "extra" spending this month. Hopefully come the end of the month, our savings account will be larger while next month's utility and credit card bills will be tiny. I also hope to get started making and buying Christmas gifts.

So, here goes! I've been thinking what I can do to and have come up with these things to start

•The windows are open and letting in fresh cool air - I can still hear my neighbors A/Cs cycling on and off when I am out walking

•our dishwasher is not getting the dishes clean so I will be hand washing as I don't want to buy a new DW right now. I know some studies say that dishwashers cost less and use less water than hand washing but I disagree. I even did it and watched my bill for a month and it went down about $11 that month.

•cooking and eating all meals at home unless there is a really good reason to eat out

•continue to shop sales and use coupons wisely

•get started on Christmas gifts.

•Stay home! this is no sacrifice at all for me. I like to stay home. Hubby likes to do errands on weekends anyway so I will try to do my shopping and errands with him. That will save gas and wear and tear on my vehicle.

•re-read my TightWad Gazette Complete - I've got it out and leafed through a few pages last night

•my kitchen and household supplies are pretty well stocked. I don't want to totally deplete them because I think it is good idea if possible to keep a reasonable stockpile. But I will I use things on hand for meals and hopefully still continue to keep things bought on sale.

•baking bread at home

•my stepson and his wife got 2 milk cows last week. They brought us a gallon of their fresh milk on Tuesday, fresh farm milk with a thick layer of cream on top. Very good stuff!
•and the big "sacrifice" for me will be no or very little soda. I do love diet soda but I am only drinking one a day now and don't plan on increasing that and may even give them up all together. Iced Tea will just have to satisfy.

So, I hope some of you will watch me and some of you may want to join in. I am always looking for new ideas to save more and spend less. I am not afraid of hard work or getting my hands dirty or spending some time to spend less.

There will be more posts on what I am doing coming up.

We can have fun and be like the Proverbs ants getting ready for winter.Saturday,



Tightwad October Day 2
 it is a beautiful early autumn day here and it makes it easier to be thriftier when we can leave the windows open with fresh air circulating through our home. I love fresh breezes, do you? I guess folks who suffer from allergies may not like open windows but I sure do!

- we had breakfast at home. Freezer biscuits with scrambled eggs, OJ and Jeff also had a slice of ham.

There were a lot of yard sales listed in our newspaper but I did not feel like going out so early - could not think of anything we really needed anyway.  Can you believe it?  I really did not want to go!  So, no money spent on yard sales or gas to get to them.

We did do a few errands later in the morning. We went to Lowes to get the wood and hardware needed for shelves Jeff will build for our dining room. I had a $10 off $50 coupon and our total was just under $50 so I added some lightbulbs we also needed and was pleased to have a lower total and more things to show for it. We also went to Family Dollar so I could use their $5 off $25 coupon - I got 24 rolls of Charmin, 2 jugs of Tide, 1 box of dryer sheets, 2 jugs of Clorox bleach and a baby bottle brush. The bottle brush is made by Luvs and was just $1, I was surprised that Family Dollar had so many baby things at low prices. Then Jeff filled my vehicle up with gas at the station with the lowest price. I think it was $2.49 a gallon, how does that compare with your local prices?

For lunch, we ate from the fridge. Jeff had a sandwich and chips, I had leftover taco salad. There was one big piece of last nights pie & we shared that for dessert.

Tonight, we are going to a comedy play at our local community theater. It is just a few miles from our house so it is much easier to get to than driving to Oklahoma City or Tulsa. We will eat at home before we leave.

other thrifty doings


•cleaned out my coupons, discarding the expired ones. Many expire the end of a month. Cashiers are not amused if you accidentally give them an expired coupon and it make them slowly scrutinize any other coupons you give them.

•baking bread - I used a recipe with 6 cups of flour, then shaped it into 2 small loaves and a pan of burger buns. I will freeze one loaf and the buns to eat later in the week.

•used the free offer from Walgreens to get an 8x10 print of my granddaughter and will pick it up tomorrow - this offer has expired but they do repeat it every so often. I was wanting this print and it saved $3.99.


Fresh bread - does anything on earth smell better than this?



















When I let dough rise, I cover it with a clean kitchen towel or plate, instead of using Saran Wrap.


Day 3

The play we went to last night was lots of fun, it was called "A Tuna Christmas" about a very small town in Texas. It had 14 characters and they were all played by just 2 men who changed costumes and wigs often. It was so cute and we laughed almost the whole time. We went into the lobby to walk around during intermission and each got a soda - would you believe they sell them for just 50 cents a cup? When was the last time you bought a drink for 50 cents?

Frugal doings - plan your errands when you will be out anyway to save on gas and time - I get weekly emails from Walgreens that tell about their weekly sales. They come out on Thursday or Friday so it gives me a few days to look over them and see if there are any specials I want to buy when the sale starts on Sunday. I wanted to buy the mens Dove body wash that is on sale - 4 bottles for $15 with a $5 register reward to use next time. Walgreens is between our house and our church. So since I had my list and coupons ready, we stopped on the way to church this morning. I got the body wash and was happy to see that each bottle had a free travel sized bottle attached.

At Walgreens, I also picked up my free 8x10 that was last weeks offer. Next week, they are a having another photo freebie on Weds. only, for a free purse sized photo book. I will be doing that one for sure too. I don't remember the exact code but I will post it next time if any of you want to do it as well.

It may sound like I did too much shopping today and yesterday for it to be very tightwad. Everything I bought was in my budget and needed, and I probably will not buy anything else until next weekend.

Meals today

•OJ, scrambled eggs and homemade bread toast

•chicken fried steak, fried potatoes and spinach - I don't mean deep-fried, I cook with nonstick skillets and use just a dab of oil on both the potatoes and steak. Cooking with lots of oil is expensive and uses too many calories anyway.

•I used some of the fresh milk and cream from stepson and made a small batch of homemade vanilla ice cream. I ate some, then froze the rest in small single serving sized bowls.

•supper will be leftovers or snacks

Day 4
Meatless Monday - for supper tonight, we're having pinto beans. There are just 2 of us tonight so I soaked 1 cup of pinto beans overnight. Beans "grow" a lot when soaked, that is a 4 cup measure they are in and I think

they increased to almost 3 cups after soaking.







I prefer to cook beans in a crock pot. The crock pot uses a small amount of electricity and I think it cooks beans gentler so they don't break up as much. I prefer beans cooked with no meat but you could certainly add ham or ground beef or sausage.



For seasoning, I add a chopped onion, 1/4 t garlic and a t of cumin and chili powder, as well as some black pepper. Put the seasonings in the crock pot with about 4 cups of water for 1 cup of beans. Then cook all day on low, or about 4 hours on high. You'll know the beans are done if the skins break when you blow on them.



Add salt to taste after the beans are tender. Salt and tomato products can keep beans from getting soft so never add either one until the beans are cooked.

Jeff likes to top his bowl of beans with some raw onion so I saved little of them in a small tupperware dishes.



On the side, I will bake a half batch of cornbread in the toaster oven. I also made a big green salad that will last us about 3 days.



Beans and cornbread are about the cheapest main dish I know of. I think the beans and cornbread for the 2 of us cost less than 75 cents total.

don't worry

just a quick post to let you all know that I am here, just been too busy to blog.  I've got some blog posts floating around in my head and I hope to put them in cyber-print soon.
thank you for the sweet emails and comments asking about me.

The weekend will be here soon - I will try to post then

The winking 19 month old wonder boy

thrift store purchases and dining room update

Saturday, Jeff and I went to the antique mall, a junk store and 2 thrift stores.  We were looking for a piece of furniture to hold a tv.  We did not find one but I did find a few good things,  at yard sale prices even!

I got this stack of Pyrex Corningware Visions -whatever you want to call it - cookware for $8.25.  I've found a few other pieces at yard sales and just love cooking in it.  It cleans up really easy.  And if you don't think I got a bargain, just look on Ebay and see what the sets are going for.  Crazy high prices and they are so heavy, it costs almost as much to ship them. 

Mr. and Mrs. pillowcases for $2 at the antique mall

6 cup muffin pan,  $1 at the Antique Mall.  I've been looking for one these so I can make 1/2 recipes of muffins.


At home,  I am still working on re-doing the dining room.  It needs some things on the walls but very slowly, it is coming together.  So far,  I've not spent a dime,  just been reusing and changing up and moving things in my house around.

This sofa table was in our bedroom but I was so surprised that it fits right in that funny little bump out and looks good too.  The stool underneath can be pulled out and used for extra seating at the dining table. 

The window coverings are sheers we already had,  then I sewed a valance and added the trim to the bottom.  The fabric on the stool and for curtains was re-used from a table cloth I used several years ago in the craft room.  It is waverly vintage rose, was sold at Target years ago, but I still like it and wish they would reissue it.

sorry about these pictures being so dark, I took them with no flash - I've read several places that you get better pictures with natural light and no flash - and that may be true for real photographers, but not so much for an  amateur like me.

How I Coupon

 I've been couponing ever since I first married more than 30 years ago.  Couponing success and lots of great deals can be dependent on the stores available to shop at.  When I lived in CA, the big stores like Vons and Ralphs and Food Basket doubled coupons up to $1 and there were no limits.  I've read about so many great deals at CVS and Rite Aid and Publix and Kroger - but they are not in my town so I have to be content with 2 Superwalmarts, Walgreens and 2 smaller grocery stores. 

But wherever you live,  if your coupons are not organized and with you when  you when you shop, they won't save you any money.
I've used a big binder in the past to organize my coupons but currently, I like this little purse sized organizer.  It is made by the Container Store but I got it at a yard sale in a box of miscellaneous junk marked $1 for the lot. 

 My catagories - these are what make sense to me - you will probably sort yours differently
wet staples - any food items that come in jars or bottles
dry staples - boxed and bagged staples
dairy - cheese, milk butter, eggs
frozen and meat
beverages
oral care - toothpaste, floss,
hair
makeup - I never buy makeup unless it is on sale and I have a coupon
health - soap, razors, vitamins, OTC medicines
cleaners - laundry, dish soap, any kind of cleaning product
wraps - this is any paper or plastic product
misc.  - this is where I put baby, pet care, batteries

I know some people say they don't use coupons because coupons are just for junk food.   I don't buy a lot of junk food either.  Half of my dividers are for food items and the other half are nonfood.  I would guess that I use a lot more nonfood coupons than food coupons but that is where I save money.  And if I spend almost nothing on shampoo and laundry soap, then I have more left to spend on produce and good groceries. 

 These are my 2 tickets from the last day of August.  I had a number of coupons that expired so I did a short shopping trip to Walgreens and Walmart.  Most of the things I bought were personal care and household items.  And you probably can't read the tickets too well, but I save a lot that day. 

I don't have shopping trips like this every time.  But when I can get razors and laundry soap and toothpaste and dishwashing soap for pennies on the dollar, it really helps. 

My coupons sources - of course I save the ones in my Sunday paper.  My brother and my mom usually save theirs and I have a few friends that we occassionally mail coupons to each other. 
Sometimes I print internet coupons that I know I  will use. 
When there is a really good coupon that I want lots of,   I look on Ebay.  Coupon sellers usually have every coupon you could imagine and they are mostly  pretty cheap.

Jalapeno Hot Sauce - Edited!

Jalapeno-Hot-Sauce 
several women I know from a homemaking list on Yahoo groups have been making this sauce.  And since I still had a bag of jalapenos that we grew in the backyard, I thought I would try a batch too.  The original reicpe is from AllRecipes.com, a site I like a lot.  I like to read the comments from other cooks who have tried the recipes.  They usually have great tips and recommendations. 

I switched up the instructions a little.  I ran all the peppers and onions through my little food processor before I cooked them.  I also took my friends advice and used less vinegar and a teaspoon of sugar. 
The sauce turned out really good.  I think the hot food fans in my family will enjoy it a lot. 
I did not "seal" or hot pack this sauce.  It just made 3 little jars and I think they will keep in the fridge just fine until they are eaten.


go here to see the actual recipe at All Recipe.Com and read the comments if you are thinking about making a batch - you will find all kinds of tips and the exact suggested recipe

head gear for little tikes

 Elizabeth came to my house in her Pat the Bunny outfit - see the ears?

Gavin took a tumble at his house and had to get 3 stitiches in his forehead.  He looks like a cool ninja toddler.
To keep the the bandage in place, his head is wrapped in the tape like I remember we used way back when I worked at a plasma center. 

a very pleasant forecast

after 14 straight days of 100+ degree HOT days in August, a "cold front"  came down from the north and is spending some time in our state.

It is so much cooler now, not even 80 degrees and very breezy. So, I turned off that very overworked central air conditioner and opened a few windows. The fresh air in the house is very welcome and it is even cooler with the windows open than with the AC on.

Little Gavin is with me today. He takes good naps so I have got a few things done today.

One chore was the ironing, another was ruthlessly cleaning out some craft supplies and also working on  a bulletin board for the grandchildrens play area. The play area is coming along - I'll post pictures later. However, no progress in the dining room. I am still thinking.....


Supper will be Swiss steak with lots of carrots, onions and tomatoes on top with baked potatoes and fresh fruit for dessert.  Finally, it is not too hot to turn on the oven  :)

This and that

The Hall Bathroom

Jeff helped me with the household cleaning Saturday morning.  I did the floors and cleaned out the fridge.

Jeff cleaned the bathrooms, emptied the trash and fixed the drain on my sink that was barely draining.   

 This bathroom looks pretty good after he cleaned it

 He put out 3 hand towels on the bar by the sink. 

 and then he put out 3 more hand towels on this bar - he said the grand children would like them.    

Not sure I would of put out quite so many - but if someone helps me with the house chores, they can do them just about any way they want to.

Sometimes you just gotta get rid of stuff

These  2 little round accent tables were purchased more than 10 years ago - on clearance at Walmart.  They have never been terribly sturdy but were OK if they did not have too much on them. 

I've been doing some furniture rearranging and ended up not needing them anymore. 

I've got a pile of things started to drop off at the thrift store but they were in such bad shape,  I put them in the trash.    Are you wondering why they had aluminum foil on top?  Well, the tops were rough pressed particle wood stuff and snagged the tablecloths. 

So, good bye flimsy end tables!

The Dress Jeff Bought

When Nina was born in 1984,  Jeff made a special trip to Dillards to buy a pretty pink dress for our daughter. 

This first picture is Nina wearing that dress. 

and this is her daughter Elizabeth wearing the same dress. 

They don't look exactly alike, but they are very similar. 

A little baking

I baked 2 loaves of quick bread this evening.  The first one is banana bread - I used  a recipe from my friend Elizabeth.  It is a pretty basic recipe that calls for a teaspoon of cinnamon - the cinnamon with the banana and pecans is a very nice combination. 

The second is a very nice bread that calls for no oil or shortening.  So if you are watching your fat intake, or if you are short on butter and can't go shopping right now, this might be a recipe that works for you too. 


Nut Bread

1 egg

1/3 Cup sugar

1 Cup Milk

2 C flour
2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 Cup chopped walnuts ( pecans are good too)

Preheat the oven the 350 degrees.

Beat the egg and sugar together with a whisk. Whisk in the milk. With a spoon or spatula, mix in the dry ingredients. Add nuts.

Pour into a very well greased 8x4 bread pan.

Bake about 35-45 minutes or until it tests done.

Serve warm with a little butter. Jeff likes it toasted.

Rain! clean slate and more seeds

 We woke up rain this morning and have had showers off and on all morning. It has been a hot dry summer so the water and cooler temperature are very much welcome.

Clean Slate -

  I got tired of the way our dining room was set up.  I took everything off the walls, then patched all the nail holes and touched up the paint.   For now, just the table and chairs are in here but they won't be looking like this forever.  I am not sure what I will do,  I just know I want some color this time.

 any suggestions?

More seeds

 I hope to have more seeds.  These are some pink and red geraniums drying.  I bought them as small plants and they looked beautiful blooming all summer.  I am not sure if their seeds will "work" though.

these are zinnias that I grew from seed - I am pretty sure their seeds will grow next summer.  Each flower has so many seeds in each one, it is really amazing.

Brown bag lunches

Jeff takes a lunch box full of snacks and his lunch everyday to work.  When I worked, I also took snacks or lunch as needed with me.  Debbie  says she packs lunches and she asked me how I do our lunches.   Debbie this might bore you,  Jeff takes almost the same thing everyday.

A travel mug of coffee

a bottle of water to take with him when he is on the road

his entree is either a dish of last nights leftovers or a sandwich.  This lunch was a sandwich and dish of veg soup

2 servings of fruit - he has plums and cantaloupe in this one

1 serving of nuts and 2 string cheese

a bunch of grapes - I bag them into to serving sizes and store them in the fridge like that.

Nuts are one of our favorite things to snack on.  But it is really easy to eat way more one serving without even realizing it.  2 summers ago,  I got a case of 1 ounce portion cups at a yard sale.  The  portion cups are perfect for holding 1 ounce of nuts.  So when I open a new can,  I get out those little cups and divide them.  Then they are ready to put in a lunch box or a snack.

Jeff is a big fan of Del Monte peaches canned in light syrup.  When fresh fruit is not plentiful,  I open a big can of peaches and divide them into little jars for his lunch box. A big can will yield about 14 jars full.

Bananas and cantaloupe waiting to be eaten,

In the fridge,  bagged up grapes, cabbage soup in mugs, watermelon cubes in containers.    Fixing lunches is easy in the morning when things are ready to just pick up.

Jeff's string cheese.  Actually, everyone in our family likes them except me.

His lunch all gets packed into a little Rubbermaid cooler that he has been using for about 10 years or more. 

When I worked,  I liked sandwiches, fruit, nuts or high fiber granola bars. 

My favorite snack was hard boiled eggs with a few celery and carrot sticks and just a dab of ranch dressing for dipping.

for me,  the way to have healthy and easy lunches on the go is to plan and package ahead.

Catfish and a mystery

We are still pretty much dieting at this house but on Saturdays, we eat what we want -with in reason anyway.

Tonight, we are going to have fried catfish with a few hush puppies and a big green salad.

The catfish was caught, cleaned and packaged by my parents, brother and cousins that like to fish. 
They usually go on 2 annual fishing trips in Arkansas, one in the summer and one in the fall. 

 I don't like to fish and don't really like to camp - but I do like to eat fish! 

The mystery is that our sink stopper disappeared.  I am not sure what day I noticed it was missing but I've looked every place I thought it could possibly be and have not found it.  How many places could a stopper be anyway?   I never use mine for anything else except to occasionally run it through the dishwasher. 

Jeff thinks I probably threw it in the trash by mistake.

But whatever,  we will be stopping at Lowes on the next trip to town to get a new one. 

If you are wondering why I did not post much this week - here is why. 

Sweet Elizabeth, 2 months, and Cute Gavin, 18 months, have been spending some of their days with me while their mommas and daddies go to work.