From My Home to Yours
7/11/25
~ Thank you and let's talk about stretching and saving our resources ~
(Can you find the bee in this picture? He's busy pollinating a cucumber blossom!)
First off, thank you to everyone who reached out to me, sent messages and or prayed for me, locally and far away. I had a somewhat serious respiratory issue that pretty much shut me down. As soon as I had a diagnosis, I began reaching out to those who are in my personal prayer warrior group asking for their prayers. Then, I made a short brief announcement in last week's post letting my readers know I was under the weather and wouldn't be posting. Many of you prayed for me without knowing the details. Thank you! What comfort is derived from knowing that faithful Christians are going to God with petitions on your behalf. Locally, I had the care of my doctor, a friend who is a nurse and my dear sweet husband. I also took suggestions from a dear friend in another state that is trained in the use of alternative medical care that gave me helpful information as well. Even though my husband is dealing with his own health issues, which continue to improve every day, he dropped everything and took over ... completely took over. He cooked me nutritious meals and saw to anything I needed that I shouldn't or couldn't do for myself. I made sure I praised and thanked him. Our husbands need our praise, thanks and acts of gratitude ... they thrive on it. It's the way God made them. I challenge you to try it and see what kind of results you get. Keep in mind though, that if he's not used to getting this type of encouragement from you or if it's been a while since you've slowed down enough to recognize and show appreciation for the things he does, it may take a few days for him to acknowledge and recognize your efforts. Don't give up though, it's one of many pieces that help build and maintain a healthy marriage. (I understand that not all marriages are in good places right now and even in some cases are beyond repair. What I've said here is in no way meant to make you feel inferior or suggest that you haven't or aren't trying. Please understand my heart on this.)
During my 'down time' when I felt like it, I read and did some light sewing. I'm just not one to sit and do nothing, even when sick ... if I'm able at all, I'm going to be doing something!
I read this month's issue of the Homestead Kitchen magazine over a period of days. This month's issue is all about cucumbers and the many ways they can be preserved and or used in various dishes and beverages. I plan to use several of the recipes myself.
I worked on this sewing project a little at a time, you can see my notes on each piece. Normally this would be a project I could finish in about a couple of hours, but since I was pacing myself, I broke it down into steps ... with notes ... so I would know what to do next without wasting time going back over the instructions. You can see the finished project HERE.
I also worked on, again, a little at a time, a new 'teaching the Bible/Bible study ' Bible bag for me. The one I was using was way past needing to be replaced! You can see what I did, what I used and the things I carry in it HERE.
One other thing I did while recuperating was to watch several videos from Whippoorwill Holler. She and her husband remind me a lot of me and my hubby, so I relate to much of what she shares.
Before we get to the topic of stretching and saving, I want to give another shout out to my husband. A local food chain grocery store was having a sale on fresh corn (4 ears for $1). We usually watch for this sale as it's a yearly thing and restock our corn products in the freezer part of our pantry. Alas, this year I was unable to do it and had resigned myself to it just not happening. I didn't say anything to my husband as his plate is pretty full right now, however, he came to me and told me that he was going to go and purchase a box of corn and process it for the freezer. He did and I sat and watched him from my recliner pick up each and every ear and prepare it for the freezer. My heart swelled with thanksgiving ... he didn't have to do this, but he did. We are a team with many of the same goals, and he willingly stepped up to the plate to accomplish this goal of ours without my asking ... or help.
Now, let's talk about stretching and saving our resources. We've been more mindful of this over the last couple of months since we set ourselves a really BIG financial goal to reach. Speaking of which, were we able to make two vehicle payments in June, like we did in May ... sadly, no, we were not, but by the middle of this month, we should be ready to make it happen ... that fourth payment, that is. Sometimes there are setbacks, and it takes a little longer to meet steps in a plan, but we don't give up. We keep on keeping on taking one baby step at a time until we reach our goal whether it's a monthly goal, weekly goal or even a daily goal. Depending on how you want to look at it ... the bottom line is that in 2 1/2 months, we will have been able to make 4 vehicle payments. This did not happen by chance, it took effort ... lots of effort! We must be aware that when we aim for big things, it will cost us something. There are no free rides, effort must be put into what we want to achieve.
In spite of my being sick, we continued to keep our expense tracker up-to-date. It's the little things that will help us meet our financial goal and knowing where our money is going is a pretty BIG little thing!
Over the course of the life of my blogging I've written several posts on stretching what we have and I'm finding that reviewing them is acting as a reminder of the many ways we can stretch and save. Here are links to some of those posts ...
I hope you find something in the above writings that will encourage you in your frugal journey. If there is anything that you would like me to elaborate on, please let me know.
omelets (my husband makes delicious omelets)
fried chicken gizzards, corn on the cob, & mashed potatoes with gravy
steak, baked potatoes, & corn on the cob
air-fried hamburgers (I cooked these) and chips
(We don't typically eat many of these type meals, but if the need arises, we don't hesitate to pull out the easy convenient meals.) Our pantry is not a purist pantry, nor do we eat a clean all pure diet. We eat what we grow, glean, forage, swap or what we can find at the store at a price we can afford. We limit the sweets and complex carbs most of the time, but not all the time.
beef stir fry served over rice (I cooked this dish)
And finally in closing, I'd like to share something that I've started doing with our laundry that has made it easier for me. In the evening before bedtime, I put the detergent in the washer, load the laundry and close the lid. The next morning shortly after I get up, I hit the start button and get the load started. It washes while I'm doing my morning routine and then the pieces that need to go into the dryer go in and the dryer gets turned on ... the pieces that need to hang to dry are put on hangers and hung on a movable shower bar that goes across our bathroom shower. By the time my morning routine is finished, and breakfast is over, the laundry is done and dealt with, and my day is ready for the next thing. Since there are just the two of us, I don't need to do a load of laundry every morning, more like 3 - 4 mornings. I only do one load of laundry per morning no matter how much laundry there is to do. It sure has helped simplify keeping the laundry done.
That's all for this week!
As you can see, I don't have a lot to share as I've been resting and taking it easy ... a lot, but I didn't want to let another week go by without sharing with you.
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
She looketh well to the ways of her household … Proverbs 31:27
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