Frugal Friday

 

We are beginning the summer season which means our already tight belts will need to be cinched even tighter. Dan tutors during the school year to help supplement our income and that is ending this week. So between now and around October things are stretched pretty thin.

Because I'm entering into a quieter ministry season, I've decided to try and do a farmer's market or two to make some extra money. My business checkbook is down to bare bones because I haven't been selling anything as I focus on other things. So in order to do the market, I'm going to have to temporarily make due with what I have in my fabric stash and in my pantry for the breads and jam. Fun times! ;-) 

And I'm actually being serious about that because I always like a challenge so finding creative ways to make ends meet isn't as hard as it seems. 

Here are some ways I've saved this week:

$ We didn't get to go grocery shopping until yesterday and because my refrigerator was pretty bare I had to get creative with meals. But I was able to come up with quite a few delicious ones such as - penne pasta with bacon, onions, garlic and kale pictured above. We also had chicken curry over rice noodles one night which was delicious. I pulled from my freezer and pantry.

$ Our first stop yesterday was the regional farmer's market. For $28 I purchased 2 bags of kale, one bag of mixed lettuce, 5 large garlic bulbs, 3 large onions, 2 large eggplant, four large tomatoes, one bunch of garlic scapes, 3 red peppers, 4 zucchini, 1 basket of red tomatoes, 1 basket of white potatoes, 1 basket of green beans, 3 large cucumbers. Not bad!

$ We celebrated Dan's birthday this week and because he LOVES sports, I bought him tickets to a local Triple-A baseball team game with the boys. I was feeling bad that it really wasn't the greatest gift but he texted me multiple times during the game to thank me for the gift. He loves baseball and he loves spending time with his kids so it turned out to be the perfect gift and was fairly inexpensive.

$ I'm using up my stash to make some items for sale, including clothespin bags. They are fairly simple to make and yet are super cute!

$ The church is cleaning out our large freezer and I was asked if we could use the turkey in there. So that will be on the menu for sometime next week.

$ Some enjoyments in life are free! I love hanging clothes on the line and love the smell when they come in. The flowers in my yard are free to enjoy. We have a snapping turtle who comes each year and lays her eggs in different places around our yard. All free and all enhance my day when I remember to slow down and appreciate them!

What are some ways you've saved this week?