From My Home to Yours: 10/9/26

  From My Home to Yours

10/9/26

~ Frugaling Up! ... It's Time! ~

The theme of this week's post says it all ... we're getting more serious about being frugal! I'm getting serious about making as many of the things as possible that we purchase from the grocery store.  As a child growing up, we lived a very frugal life.  We either made, grew, foraged or raised almost everything we ate and while I don't expect to match what my parents did, I know that I can do better than I have been doing.   So, this week ...

I started paying more attention to everything we use and or consume.

When it came time to do laundry this week, I measured more carefully the amount of detergent I used based on the dirtiness and size of the load I was washing.

When I made my breakfast smoothie, I followed the measurements for the ingredients instead of just eyeballing them and dumping them in.  Yes, eyeballing and dumping is quicker and easier, but within a couple of days measuring was getting easier to do.  I was surprised how much more of some ingredients I was using than the measured amount called for!

I only used the dryer for drying hubby's jeans, our bed linens and our towels.  Everything else got hung to dry in our oversized shower.  I pull out a shower curtain rod and extend it over the shower tub to hang our clothing that we don't put in the dryer.

And so it begins, our journey to be even more frugal!

Besides being more frugal, here's what else I/we got up to this week ...

We were able to spend several days working on the greenhouse and are making progress!   We've done this project ourselves working it in and around hubby's work, our appointments and life in general.  Naturally, it has taken us longer, but we are saving lots of money by 'doing it ourselves!'    Speaking of saving money on the greenhouse renovation, we ran out of the paint hubby had gotten for less than half price because it had been returned or mixed wrong at the store. With this previous purchase in mind, hubby went back to the same store and found another gallon of paint, same situation, same quality of paint ... different color!  He purchased it anyway ... for $11!  So now, our newly renovated greenhouse is not green, nor blue ... it's a deep purple!!!!  This truly is going to be a 'unique' greenhouse in more ways than one, but we're keeping more of our money in our pockets as a result!

I worked quite a bit in the garden this week in and around helping hubby do what I could do.  Since the greenhouse is very near the garden area, I would work in the garden and hubby would call me when he needed my assistance.  

I planted:

brussels sprouts

broccoli

carrots

beets

garlic

cleaned up and amended one raised bed

harvested our turmeric (It was the smallest turmeric harvest I can remember having.)

harvested our sweet potatoes (again, not a good harvest.  The extreme heat and drought really affected our ability to grow a garden this summer.  We are used to gardening in hot and humid weather, but this year the heat was excessive without a break ... we need to come up with a plan in case next year is a repeat.)

I moved one raised bed out of the orchard as the trees have gotten big enough that it was getting a bit too much shade.  I relocated it to a more sunny spot.   

I'm also redoing our container garden area ... oh my, there's lots to do to get ready for next year's gardening.   I work a little while and I rest a little while.  It's how I get things done!

We took a day trip one day this week and oh my, did we enjoy ourselves.  About this same time a year ago we did the same thing and went to a neighboring state that had a small Amish community.  We went back to the same place this week and pretty much did the same things:

attended an Amish produce auction and brought back broccoli

visited the Amish cheese store where they make cheese and brought back cheese

visited an apple orchard and brought back apples

I'll be working on preserving the broccoli and apples in the upcoming week; it was a really nice trip, we got to enjoy a little bit of leaf color and we were able to build up our pantry as well.  But alas, as much as we enjoyed ourselves, it was good to get back home ... there's just no place like home, is there!

My cell phone had some problems this week and I was afraid I was going to have to replace it.  I really prayed about this as that's not an expense we wanted to have right now ... and ... I was able to identify the problem the next day and figure out a solution.  You can bet I stopped and praised and thanked God when everything was put to right again.   I'm so glad that God hears my prayers regardless of how insignificant they may be in the grand scheme of things!  I hope that you know that if it's important to you/me, it's important to God.

We're getting serious about prepping for Christmas,  here's what I did this week!

I chose a gift for the women in our church's ladies Bible class and found that I have everything on hand to make it/them.  

The things that I make are not elaborate or expensive and I always make one for myself as well.  I like to receive practical quality gifts that don't break the bank and I like to gift them as well.  (I'm very intentional on the gifts we give being practical and purposeful even if the recipient knows what they're getting.)  The joy is in the journey!

We love the fall and Thanksgiving holiday season too, here's what I did this week for fall/Thanksgiving prep!

I'm putting together "Boo" mail for our grands.  You know this grandma has to send something to her grands for each of the upcoming holidays!  I'll try to have a picture tutorial up next week.

The joy is in the journey!

I continued reading in book 7 of the Bregdan Chronicles, Glimmers of Change, by Ginny Dye.  I finished listening to Rocky Mountain Journey by Misty M. Beller.

I started crocheting some dishcloths while riding in the vehicle this week.  I need to replace some of my 'well-worn' ones with new ones and since I have everything on hand that I need, it seemed like a frugal solution to what could otherwise be an expensive replacement.  

Ladies, lesson 3 of our Bible study on Anna has been posted HERE!

Week #1 of our October pantry challenge has been posted HERE!  We'd love it if you'd join in!

If you're still with me in reading this post, I want to tell you that most all of it was written before Friday, before 'a thing' happened ... 'a thing' that has so encompassed our world since that I just didn't think I would or could post this week at all.  My hubby fell Friday night, broke some bones and has been told by the ER doctor that he is likely facing surgery as a result of one of the breaks.  This changes our winter plans in just about every way.

I am so thankful that I listened to those little bells in my head that were urging me to get us prepared for winter.  Have I gotten everything on my winter preparedness list done, no, but the things that are left are small and doable in small increments.  They are the 'luxuries' of getting through the winter and while they would be nice, are not required.

Fellow Christians have rallied around us in such a loving way and my heart, while exhausted and weary at the moment, is overflowing with love and gratitude for each of them.  Our church is not a big congregation, but oh the fellowship and love that we have for one another is nothing short of amazing.  If you don't have this kind of Christian family, I urge you to seek it aggressively.  I urge you to go to God in prayer and ask Him to lead you to one.  When you find the congregation that teaches the whole truth of God's Word and that truly loves one another, you have indeed found a rare gem.

If you are of a mind, would you join me in praying for my hubby, that his injuries will heal quickly without complications and that he will soon be back to his normal activities.  Thank you in advance!

That's it for this week, I hope you've found something in my ramblings that will help and or encourage you in the upcoming week.

Until the next time ...  

mrs. patsi @ A Working Pantry  

~ quietly holding the home front ~

Sharing 46 years' experience of frugal living and pantry building (if you include my frugal childhood, well that would add several more years to my experience!)

She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27 

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