It's been a while

A lot has happened since I last posted.  After my Opa left us, I had a hard time with a lot of things. 

But I'm back now. 

I'm better now.

And I have a mission.

I'm working on a frugality challenge right now.  I started it this afternoon.  But I need accountability to help keep me going and doing what I'm supposed to be doing.

Which is why I'm here.

And I'm inviting anyone reading this to join in.

Too often I find myself resorting to quick and easy fixes for meals, and don't worry about the nutritional value in the food.  Or the calories.  I really need to.

I had gastric bypass surgery on March 4 this year.  I had struggled with so many failed diets, then tore my calf muscle which benched me from exercise.  Then came the diabetes.  4 finger pokes a day.  2 insulin injections a day.  Struggling with lows because wasn't eating often enough.  Then the highs came.  300+ blood sugars.  Elevated liver enzymes. My health was going quickly downhill, so my doctors recommended bypass.

Here I am, 6 months later, and 60 pounds lighter.  I lost all of my weight so far in the first 3 months, and really haven't lost much since.  But I know I need to increase my activity.  And I need to be more conscious of the choices I make in my food.  Ideally, my diet should consist of 70% protein and 30% other (mostly veg).

So in addition to eating healthy, I'm giving myself a Pantry Challenge.

Here's the rules:

1) Anything in my pantry/fridge/freezer is fair game.  Pretty much, any FOOD in my house is fair game.

2) I'm allowing myself a WEEKLY budget of $20 to put towards any meals (milk is not included in this budget because my kids go through 1/2-1 gallon per day.  When I buy milk, I try to buy it when I go to town 30+miles away, because  (like today) I was able to purchase it for $3.19 per gallon, whereas if I purchase in town 3 miles away, it's $5.35 per gallon.  This morning I bought a gallon close to home because I NEEDED it, then I bought 6 gallons when I went into the bigger town)

3) I'm TRYING to get my husband on board, but I know he wants an exception for his Coke.  Without it, he gets migraines 😢

4) USE UP leftovers.  Yes, my chickens LOVE getting treats in the form of people food that would otherwise be thrown out, but we need to be throwing out LESS.

Now to the plan:

On Friday, we met with Hubby for lunch and took a couple pizzas.  There was half of each pizza left over, and he forgot them at work.  Today he brought them home so that was supper.  Quick and easy.

Tomorrow I have to work (unless Monkey has to go to the hospital... he had a feeding tube put in about a month ago and has granulation and bleeding coming from the tube.  Waiting to hear on what the clinic wants us to do... I messaged them yesterday, called and messaged and sent photos a couple times today... but the GI doc was out.)  I made an apple baked oatmeal to take to a friend today, so I mixed up a second oatmeal -banana chocolate chip - and stuck it in the fridge.  Supper tomorrow night - just 30-40 minutes in the oven and top with milk. Mmmm.

Tomorrow morning we are also going to another small town near us to see what's coming on the Food Truck.  Basically it's a mobile food pantry.  There are no income or residency requirements.  My great uncle actually works as a volunteer with it and said that if people don't show up for it, they won't do it.  It's all surplus food that is distributed so it won't go to waste.  (Even with the people showing up they still have excess food.)  Sometimes there are dairy boxes (milk close on date, 5 lb tub of yogurt, cheese, sour cream, etc), sometimes there are meat boxes (fully cooked frozen sausage patties, bacon, meatballs, etc) and there is always fruit and veggies (corn, green beans, tomatoes, peppers, and more).  There are usually other odds and ends.  Last time we got a big box (20+ pounds) of granola cereal, crackers, pina colada mix, instant mashed potatoes.  I can't wait to see what's on the truck this week!!

I'm going to start working on a list for meal ideas... tomorrow after we "meet the truck," I'll have a better idea of what is going to be on which day.  I'm hoping to post again then 😁😁😁

Let me know in the comments if you want to play along!  What meals are you making this week?

30 Day Challenge - UPDATE

I have part of Day 11's post written, but am unable to write much at this time.  I'm right handed and have trouble with the one-finger-typing, but at baseball tonight I was hit in the right wrist bone with a fast pitch while playing umpire.  I will get caught up on my challenge posts when I can type better!!  I may end up going to urgent care to get it looked at if the pain continues :(

30 Day Challenge - Day 10 - Consignment

For Day 10 I chose Consignment.

I hate throwing things away, especially if those things could benefit someone.  It's even better if I can get rid of things and make some money from it!  But I don't particularly like having garage sales.  Since I don't have many BIG items to get rid of - mostly clothes, small household items, and toys - it usually isn't worth all the work.  So now what?

Consignment is a great solution!  Someone else sells the items for you, and you still get paid.  Often you get more than what you would have gotten at the yard sale, even after paying the 50% commission.  If your stuff doesn't sell, you still don't have to deal with it because they will donate it for you!  

It's very seldom, though, that I actually cash my consignment check.  I called today and found I have about $6 on account.  Sure, I could go get the money, but I choose not to.  Instead, when one of the kids is in need of an article of clothing, we will first check there to see if we can find what we need, and pay for it using the credits we have.  Especially for Scrappy - often I can find "like new" clothing for him because boys his age either 1) wear their clothes so ragged there is no salvaging them, or 2) outgrow them before they hardly have a chance to wear them.  Often I find something one or the other of the older kids needs on the $1 rack or with a half price tag.  I just LOVE those finds!

As I am going through the Summer Declutter Challenge one of my areas to declutter is my and my daughter's closet and dresser.  I have an appointment for June 24 to take clothes to the consignment store.  She's taking just summer stuff, so I'll have to put any winter stuff aside for a later appointment.  I might look to see if she has any capris or shorts for me up there!

30 Day Challenge - Day 9 - Organization

For Day 9, I chose Organization

A topic I truly struggle with in spite of always reading up on it and trying different strategies.  I know that the first step I need to get through is decluttering.  And I know that if I'm organized and know where everything is, I'm less likely to run to the store to buy something I already have at home.

I've also noticed when I'm disorganized, it contributes to my anxiety.  And if you've ever had an anxiety attack, you know how awful it can be.

How else can being organized save money?  When I know where paperwork is, I don't have to reprint it.  When I am able to pay bills on time, I avoid late fees.  The same applies to library books and movies - returning them on time keeps them free.  At one point, Scrappy had misplaced enough of his books that by the time I found and returned them all, he had accrued $35 in late fees!!  This was also during the time I was in and out of the hospital before and when Chubbers was born.  But if they had all been in a centralized - and cleaned area, I could have had my hubby return them.  On time.

I need to take control of my home again.  I need to be able to find things.  I need to be able to enjoy the new addition on our house without worry about tripping over things.  I need to get some order in this house.  And in order to do that, I need to work on getting things organized.  And purged.  So that's what I've been working on now with the decluttering.  Once I pare down what is here, I will be able to find permanent homes for the things that need to be here.

30 Day Challenge - Day 8 - Summer Fun

For Day 8, I chose Summer Fun, particularly for the kids.

We don't live in a super huge city.  The population here is about 18,000, so in my eyes it's still pretty big.  This is coming from someone who grew up in a town with a population of 280.  One of the drawbacks of living in a small town is there are not many opportunities for organized activities without driving to another larger town.

Both Scraps and Beau are able to play community ball because of our town's size.  Beau could play softball but chose instead to continue with baseball.  And this is Scrappy's first year playing t-ball.  I figured since I have to be there with the kids for practice, why not coach?  I somehow managed to get the position of head coach for both teams too. (Not like I have enough going on anyway, right??)  Scraps plays Mondays and Wednesdays 5:30-6:30 pm and Beau plays Tuesdays and Thursdays 6-7:30 pm.  For the kids to play ball cost a little more than we wanted to pay - $40 for him (t-shirt and coach shirt included) and $50 for her (t-shirt, hat, and coach shirt included).  We set aside some of our tax returns to cover those costs.

So what can we do the rest of the summer?

The city and the park and rec department put on many activities during the summer which are low cost and free.  Today we went to our city airport for the Touch-A-Truck event.  The kids had a lot of fun, and it only cost us the gas to drive across town.

police car

utility truck

military transport vehicle

fire truck

ambulance

plane

The play parks in town will be opening this week.  They have free activities during the week like craft days, tie-dye days, and water fun days.  Our local performing arts center has a "mystery movie" this Wednesday for $1 per person.  Last year the mystery movie was Beauty and the Beast.  I hope this year it's a newer movie! But the kids had fun either way.  This year it's going to be a little different with having the baby with.

There is also a Kids Art in the Park day (free), Summer Carnival at Farmer's Market ($2 per kid), beach luau (free), Movies in the Park (free), and Stories in the Park (free).  They send out a flier in the spring with all the dates of the activities so we can try to plan our schedule around it.  It gets a little crazy sometimes, but I wouldn't have it any other way!!

30 Day Challenge - Day 7 - Eating Out

For Day 7, I chose Eating Out.

I guess I had just assumed this was a given for a family who is trying to cut down on expenses and save money for other bills.  In the past we'd plan one or at most 2 meals out a week to save me from cooking.  Because of some things that have come up here and have caused a money crunch, I thought my hubby and I were at an understanding about not eating out.  

Until I woke up this morning from a nap with Chubbers to see my husband walking in with a breakfast pizza.

OK, I love breakfast pizza, but the $8 he spent on that could have gone to groceries for later in this week.  I'm attempting to set a meal budget, but I am the only one on board for it right now.  I'm also trying to get my husband to sit down with me so we can work out a budget for the house.  I have offered - and am planning on - closing my checking account since I don't have any money in it anyway.  I will still have my business account, which I have added him to.  I tried explaining that I can better plan things such as groceries or cutting the electric bill down if he would include me in the household finances.

But that is another topic to cover later.  Back to eating out.

My hubby made another smart move by picking up more Hamburger Helper.  That has been a big 'live saver' on nights that we have baseball and don't get home until 8 pm or later. As long as I remember to thaw some ground pork, that is.  I was always hesitant to use ground pork in this because I didn't know how it would come out, but no one in our house has been able to tell the difference!

I think as long as I keep reminding my husband that I have meals planned each day, we should hopefully not be eating out... If only I could keep him from hitting the McD drive-thru when he has Scrappy with him while waiting for us to get home....  I guess I just have to make sure there are snacks around the house that the boys will eat!

30 Day Challenge - Day 4

For Day 4 of my challenge, I chose Breastfeeding. (sorry, didn't get it finished/posted yesterday!!)

OK, some people thing this topic is taboo.  Some are strongly in favor, some are strongly opposed, and some people just plain don't care.

First off, I must say, I did not choose breastfeeding Chubbers just for the financial aspect of it.  I know breastfeeding a baby, especially one like Chubbers who has special needs and a weakened immune system, helps boost immunity by passing on Mom's antibodies.  Besides that it's 100% natural so it's easiest to digest, and it's everything babies need.

Well, for most anyway.

Because of Chubbers having Cystic Fibrosis, sometimes we need to fortify his breast milk with a scoop of formula.  Even if he was on just formula, we would still have to fortify his milk.

Plus, I admit, I nurse because I enjoy it.  I enjoy having special snuggle time with my little guy.  I love being able to give him something no one else can and knowing what that does for him.  I love how he's able to take comfort while nursing when nothing else will settle him down.

So yet, nursing/breastfeeding can be done for monetary reasons, but there are so many more benefits besides.

30 Day Challenge - Day 3

For Day 3 of my challenge, I chose Laundry.

It's something we all have to deal with.  Depending on the number of people in your house and the size of your wardrobe, you may have to do more or less than I do.  With 5 of us in the house, and one being pint-sized, we're doing laundry at least 3 times per week.  If it's not done at least that often it gets overwhelming.

A few years ago our washer died.  It was one we had gotten for free just for my hubby helping get it out of someone's basement.  We also scored a dryer for only $50 because it needed a new cord.  My hubby is so handy that he was able to replace the cord himself.   Instead of shopping for a nice used washer, he decided we needed a new set.  When they were delivered, the delivery people even hauled away our old ones for no charge.

This set was not overly expensive, and is also designed to save money.  The washer has a load sensor so we don't use too much water.  It also has the option to use "Tap Cold" water - no heating or cooling the water.  The dryer also has a dampness sensor so laundry doesn't get over-dried unless you set it to "More Dry."

I needed to do myself one better.  Especially since our yard is finally starting to come around.  The last 2 years it has been quite the mess in our yard from the construction.  I didn't like going in the back yard, let alone hanging my clothes back there. I was actually worried about my clothes getting dirty just from hanging there.

But this year I'm set on hanging them out!  Which means I only do laundry on days that it is not raining.  Tonight when we got home from baseball it was sprinkling, so Beau got all the clothes off the line while I was making supper (it was after 8 pm already.) I know some people hang clothes in their basements when it's wet or cold out, but I don't think I could do that because 1) the cat boxes are by the laundry and 2) our basement floor gets wet with large amounts of rain, so any clothes drying down there would smell musty.  With the clothesline I have, I can hang out 3 large loads of laundry at once.  I don't do much more than that on laundry days.

Chubbers loves helping Mommy when he's riding in his Moby!

Then there is the question of towels.  They always come out so stiff and scratchy, right?  I did a little bit of research into this.  I used to throw them in the dryer for a few minutes after taking them off the line, but that doesn't  always do it.  That defeats the purpose of not using the dryer in the first place anyway!

The one method I've tried so far that seems to be working is to use vinegar.  I put half a cup of vinegar in the fabric softener dispenser.  The towels do NOT smell like vinegar when they come out, and the towels are not so stiff they are able to stand on their own!

I have also been using homemade laundry soap for a couple years now.  The old recipe I used would take up a lot of space in my laundry area.  A friend turned me on to a more concentrated version.  It's the same recipe, just less water, and therefore less soap per washing.  A single batch makes 128 loads, so it lasts quite a while.  I have not had any reactions to it and I have sensitive skin.  It's also been fine for my kids' clothes including Chubbers.  It doesn't take long to make it, and it's very inexpensive.

30 Day Challenge - Day 2

For Day 2 of my challenge, I chose exercise.

I used to have a gym membership.  Actually, I've had memberships at a few different places.  Like many others, I start out strong when my membership begins, and then gradually ease off until it's a chore for me to get all my stuff together and trudge to the gym.

And I have a million excuses.

• I don't have a sitter.
• I don't like getting up early in the morning to use the gym before hubby goes to work.
• It's too late by the time we're done eating to go to the gym.
• I feel sick if I exercise after eating.
• I'm too tired.
• All the gyms are all the way on the other side of town.

You get the picture.  Plus shelling out $30 per month for something that is barely ever used.  Even if you pay for the full year up front - there are still other things I could better spend that money on.

So I decided that I could save the money and find a way to do it here at home.  My husband bought a Wii Fit for me a while back.  Unfortunately all the batteries for my balance board and the remote keep disappearing.  Gee, I wonder who could be taking them (Scrappy!)  The big problem isn't the kids borrowing the batteries - it's them losing the batteries.  We specifically shelled out the extra money for rechargeable batteries so that overall we would save money on batteries. So I haven't been using my Fit as much as I want to.

Instead, I've starting going walking outside.  I actually started making walking a priority on my birthday - April 22.  We were at the hospital with Scrappy at that time.  He had sinus surgery and then spent the next 2 weeks getting a CF tune-up.  Chubbers and I stayed with him at the hospital, but Chubbers couldn't be in the room while Scraps was doing his treatments because of his forced coughs.  I would take Chubbers walking usually 4x per day during treatments.  After we got home, I decided to try to continue.  I've walked the trail with my family and walked to pick Beau up from school and back.  

But our favorite is to walk the lake.

Our town is built around 2 lakes.  There is a route around a good portion of the main lake that has walking paths.  It's about a 5 mile walk in total.  Scraps has trouble with the hills, so we've been going the longer route and following the gravel one-way roads that hug the shoreline.  My goal is to do the lake 3x per week, in addition to the exercise I've been getting from coaching t-ball and baseball.  (I've been working just as hard if not harder than a lot of the kids out there.  Man are my knees and ankles taking a beating!!!)

I snapped a few pictures out on our walk today....

Getting ready to go

Snoozing - which is what he normally does during our walks.

Frequent water breaks

We were following a butterfly

Riding on the gravel.  To look at this, you wouldn't think we were in the middle of town.
There are houses on our left and water on the right.

Of course we couldn't just walk past the park without stopping to play.
That was fine, though, because Chubbers needed to eat.

Such a cutie, but always with a dirty face.

I try to get some kind of walking in every day.  Plus it's great for the boys to get fresh air.  I really need to do a battery round up so that the next time we have a thunderstorm like yesterday, I can still do my walking but inside.  I know I don't have to use the Fit, but since we bought it,  I should get my money's worth.  Plus it's more fun :)

In addition to saving money on the exercise, it's going to save on my hospital bills when I'm not sick as often too!!

30 Day Challenge - Day 1

In an effort to get back on track with both my blogging - and my life - I'm trying a 30-day challenge.  This is in response to seeing many other posts on the subject on a few other blog sites I have been following.  But what kind of challenge should it be?  There are so many different categories.

My plan is 30 days of Frugality - money saving practices.  I have been making an effort and doing much reading on the subject.  June just seems the perfect month to put much into effect because Beau will be done with school, so I will have a little more help around the house with the boys.

Oh yes, the boys.  On March 11, Beau and Scrappy welcomed a new little brother who we have nicknamed Chubbermonkey - or Chubbers for short.  This is because he is much more pudgy than Scrappy, even though he also suffers from Cystic Fibrosis like Scrappy.  I gained a whopping total of 4 pounds during my pregnancy - and Chubbers weighed in at 9 lb 1  oz and 20 1/2 inches long.  Did I mention that he was also 3 weeks early???  I can just imagine how big he would have been at full term!!

Baby Chubbermonkey

All 3 kids

Our family

Chubbers 11 weeks old :)

In addition to the challenges of a new baby, we also have many activities going on.  Scrappy is taking taekwondo and playing t-ball, and Beau is playing baseball in addition to having Girl Scouts.  We have our own troop now, and they have decided they want to meet over the summer.

Scraps just earned his 3rd orange belt stripe!!

Well, back to the challenge.


As it says in the title, today is day one.  For day 1 of the challenge, I am Meal Planning.  Sunday has always been my day of choice for meal planning.  The weekdays end up being too chaotic to make it.  Once I have my meals for the week planned, I will be posting that here as well.  (I do not include breakfasts or lunches in my meal planning.  For breakfast we usually have cereal or eggs.  Lunches generally consist of leftovers, sandwiches, or cereal since it's only me and Scrappy during the week.)

With my meal planning, I am also challenging myself to very minimal grocery shopping.  I do have to get milk tomorrow, so I will be doing some shopping with my WIC.  This is how I buy many of our veggies.  WIC also provides vouchers for Farmer's Market, which is also great until my garden starts producing.  (I will talk more about my garden in a future challenge post.) 

I should also mention that in the spring, my husband and I purchased half a hog.  At around $2/lb, it's a hard price to beat.  Plus we love pork chops, bacon, sausage, etc.  I don't order sausage from the meat market, just the ground pork.  I prefer to make my own sausage - it just tastes so much better!

Sunday: Leftovers
Monday: chicken & gravy on rice
Tuesday: BBQ ribs, calico beans, applesauce
Wednesday: tortilla pizza
Thursday: sandwiches & soup or chips
Friday: leftovers

Getting the Kids Involved

As many moms do, I often find myself wrapped up in my daily routines.  I feel guilty that I don't spend as much time doing fun activities with my kids as I would like to.  I have been making more of an effort to do that lately, and to do it inexpensively.  I have been reading books and blogs on the topic and taking notes on what does and doesn't work for my family.

Beau often asks for a hot breakfast in the winter.  We have accrued about 15-20 boxes of cold cereal because of WIC, which she is usually OK with during the rest of the year.  I've said it before and I'll say it again - I am not a morning person.  Unless it's something easy - or unless I've been up for an hour already and had my morning coffee - I don't usually cook.

I found a great solution for breakfast!  And it gives Beau a feeling of responsibility by allowing her to do a little more cooking.  She's quite responsible and careful, and if she has any questions she's sure to ask.  I used a "universal muffin" recipe and figured measurements to use some oatmeal I had in the cupboard.  I based the rest on what my family likes.  Their favorites are blueberry, oatmeal raisin, and chocolate chip.  I've expanded on the chocolate chip a bit by adding about 1/3 cup of peanut butter to it.  We only have crunchy on hand, but that adds a little extra texture too.  This week I also figured up lemon poppy seed muffins with chia seeds added.


The kids helped me with this.  Scrappy and I measured and mixed up all of the dry ingredients.....

.... while Beau measured and mixed up the liquids. 

I found quart jars are just the right size for the dry stuff, while the pints work great for the wet. 

When it's all mixed up, it makes a dozen regular muffins in 20 minutes or 2 dozen mini muffins in about 13 minutes.  (Even hubby usually gets time to eat a couple before he leaves.  We've been doing mini's most mornings because those seem to be the better size for Scrappy.)  Now, in the mornings, Beau knows she can turn the oven on to 350, grab a jar out of the cupboard and one out of the fridge (all are labeled so we know which liquids go to which dry.... we've been doing 3 at a time and don't make more until all 3 are gone, which has been working well), mix the 2 together, and there's breakfast!

The kids also asked for some dessert that evening.  Since I had all the mess out anyway, I decided to keep going.  We made "rocky road" brownies with a box of fudge brownie mix I had found in the cupboard.  We added about a cup of mini marshmallows, half a cup of chocolate chips, and a quarter cup of pecans to the mix.  After it had baked, it was hard to tell there were chocolate chips in there, and the marshmallows had caramelized and seemed to have risen to the top of the mix. But they were still really good!!!!

Since I had soup on the menu for a few days later, I also made a starter for sourdough bread.  That sounded like it would be good with soup.  It was my first time, and I didn't realize that it would rise and bubble up so much.  It overflowed and made a mess on top of my microwave!  At least it was sitting on top of a towel.  I thought the end result was pretty good even though my hubby said it didn't taste like sourdough.  I guess that means Beau and I will have to eat it then!

Scrappy has his Valentine's party at daycare tomorrow. (He currently goes to my neighbor's daycare on Thursday mornings when I have my TOPS meetings.)  He wanted to make his gifts and cards, which worked out pretty well.  He wanted to make "big crayons" for his friends.  (Beau has a Crayola crayon maker that she got for Christmas a few years ago, but I decided to try someone else's method and made them in an old muffin tin.  It was a lot easier than the crayon maker!!) 

I found some outlines online, printed and cut them apart, and he decorated them. 

We were very happy with the final product of the crayons!

He's happy too.  I can't wait to see what his friends think :)

Thundersnow?

We have been experiencing quite the Minnesota winter this year!!!  Temps ranging from -20 to 45 within a day!  Thunder, lighting, snow, rain, ice - all in the same day.  Sunday morning, hubby took a couple movies back to the library for me, then went to the grocery store to pick up a few things before the weather got too bad....

It was worse than he thought. 

I was sitting in the recliner, and I heard this terrible screeching sound.  Beau looked out the window and told me "Daddy's stuck!"  I went to look, and sure enough, he had the tires spinning on our GMC Safari and wasn't making any progress up the driveway until he slid to the grass.  When I went out with some ice melt, he told me that was his second trip up the driveway.  The first trip up, he parked the van.  It then slid down the driveway and into the road - in park! Scary stuff!!  I was ice skating across the grass, the driveway, and the sidewalk.  (Of course, in normal Minnesota fashion, school was only 2 hours late on Monday.)

Garland and Christmas lights on our front railing - coated in ice

 

Our front yard - completely covered in ice!

The kids and I hung out in the house while hubby worked on stuff in the addition.  I'm happy to report that we have drywall up!  All the walls are about half covered so far.  It's looking like a real house!!



I don't know why I didn't think about it before, but I finally decided to make homemade pudding pops.  I had bought a large pack of craft sticks (300 or so) for $1.  I also has small paper cups from an interesting attempt at making Jello shots (no one told me I had to add WATER with the alcohol!) so I figured, why not?  In the cupboards I found both chocolate and vanilla - great combo, right?

2 boxes made 15 pudding pops if the glasses are filled most of the way.  I've learned that Scrappy likes them, but can't finish a whole one.  Next time I'll need to make some half size.  Beau liked them so much, she asked if I could make them for when she needs to take treats for Girl Scouts, which will also make them her birthday treats.  We're going to try some combinations of chocolate and banana also.  One thing I did notice is they didn't freeze very well in our fridge-freezer.  When we put them in the chest freezer, they froze solid.


Today Beau had a little bit of embarassment at school today.  She split her pants right up the front.  Who knows how she did it - she's not even sure.  I have been warning her that her jeans seem to be looking a little small lately, even though she thinks they fit.  I took her a pair of pants, then went shopping at my favorite consignment store after school.  I find it almost impossible to buy her most clothing without her with me trying them on.  I think she tried on 8-10 pairs of jeans today before she found one that fit.  She had been wearing 12s and 14s, but none of those she tried on fit.  They were too big or too small.  I found some 'Junior' sized and figured, why not?  Turns out, she fits a 'Junior' size 4!  I let her get 2 pairs.  They were marked with white tags - which happen to be the 50% off tags for this month.  Scrappy wanted to check some stuff out for him too.  I usually browse for upcoming sizes for him while we're there.  Unfortunately there weren't any jeans in the next size for him, but he did score 3 new pairs of jammies on the $1 rack.  My grand total for Beau's 2 pairs of (name brand) jeans and Scrappy's 3 pairs of jammies: $0.62.  The rest was paid for with the credit we earned from consigning the kids' outgrown clothes.  I had also asked about buttons since I will be needing them for some upcoming projects.  She didn't have any, but said to ask every time I come in.  She did suggest I contact our local tailor shop.  Turns out, they have a bunch of them from past projects and will part with them!  I asked how much they'd be and was told it depends on how many I want.  A few would be free.  I asked for a couple dozen and was told $1, maybe $2.  A lot better than the store's rates!  And all I had to do was ask.


And now to leave with something cute.  This is a little project that I started - and almost completed - tonight.  I didn't cut the button holes because I don't have a button for it yet and don't want to cut it too big...  I'm hoping the recipient really likes it!!

My first scrapwork apron :)

Making Progress - and trying my hand at frugality (one piece at a time!)

It's been a busy - but productive - week here!!  The kids have been keeping me running (as usual) and I've been keeping myself running!  I've also been doing great with sticking to my resolutions!!!

At my weigh-in on Thursday at TOPS, I was down a full 3 1/2 pounds!!!!  That is about half of what I had gained in the previous 2 months!!!  Honestly, there have been no gimmicks or fad diets or anything like that.  I have a couple of friends who are also on the weight loss journey, but are doing it by taking a lot of medications.  They are losing weight, but I worry about how they will do when they stop taking the medications.

What has been working for me?  Two things, really:

1) I have been writing everything I have to eat and drink (other than water) down.  I'm not tracking quantities or calories or anything like that.  But I think just being aware of what I'm eating helps.

2) Exercise.  I've been doing something almost ever day.  I went walking with my Opa a few times.  Otherwise I have been doing my Wii Fit Step again, for at least a half an hour.  Usually while watching some show of choice, like Grey's Anatomy or something else.

I have been trying to find ways to save money for our family still.  I will be posting various things that I have been doing and how it has helped with our family.  My current projects include:

1) Finding a recipe and making homemade bread that my family likes (after some experimentation, I found my husband likes the recipe for white bread in the Betty Crocker cookbook.  I use my bread machine to make the dough, but bake it in the oven.  He didn't understand why I do that until I explained how the machine leaves a hole in the bottom.  Awesome news on the bread machine - scored it BRAND NEW a the Salvation Army for only $10!!)

2) I have been making homemade laundry soap for over a year now.  (I actually made 2 batches so I always would have some ready.  The recipe I use takes 24 hours until it's ready.  When one bucket is empty, I use the other bucket until it's about half empty, then make another batch in the empty bucket.  I like the leeway it gives me.)  I figure for each 65-load batch I make, I'm saving about $11.20 over buying scent-free, dye-free Tide and getting just as good results, if not better.  If I have a particularly soiled load of laundry, I just set my washer to "heavy duty" and that takes care of it! 

3) Finding more low cost/free entertainment for the kids.  Home Depot offers a free kids' workshop on the first Saturday of each month.  Last Saturday, Beau had to go to make a bird house for Girl Scouts, so I figured why not take Scrappy?  It was free, would teach them skills about using tools and following directions, and would keep them happily occupied for a while. I don't know why we didn't do this earlier!!  But we didn't paint them until today, and they did that at home.... (I had a bit of a headache when we were at HD, and it only got worse with all the pounding!)

She was getting a little frustrated cuz a few nails were bending.

He was so proud - all Mommy did was hold the boards and he pounded
the nails himself(and my fingers a few times!)

They like a LOT of color!

We also got a free night of BINGO last night.  Beau's school had a family night event of Burger BINGO.  

My boys at BINGO

Each person in a family gets a card to play, and each family gets one raffle ticket to start.  For your first BINGO, a family wins a complete meal (hamburgers, buns, ketchup, jello mix, apple slices, 5# bag of potatoes, can of pork and beans, and a half dozen mini Hershey's bars).  After that, a family wins additional raffle tickets.  At the end of the night, they draw for various MOA tickets and for Tiger (school) shirts.  We only won the meal, but that's just fine since they only gave out 100 of them!! (I was the mean mom who told my kids we weren't paying $1 for each slice of pizza and ice cream because we had leftovers at home.  But honestly, our family eats out waaay too much).

4) Starting a price book.  Heather highly recommends it on her site, and has proven over and over again how useful they can be. (Per her recommendation, I checked out and am enjoying a money-savings book also.  I had to get it through inter-library loan, so I have been trying to track down my own.  I found a copy online today in good shape, and should hopefully have it in about a week or so!! I will post more on the book later!)

5) I've successfully learned how to can meat and stock!!!  Found out what I was missing too - it can ONLY be done safely with a pressure cooker.  I managed it - with the help of my Opa!

Meat and stock before sealing.

I'm also keeping a list of all the books I'm reading too.  If someone were to take a look at my Kindle, they would probably laugh.  I admit, I'm a self-help-book junkie!  I'm always reading on ways to help with time management or organization or weight loss or almost anything else you could think of.  I will periodically post my take on the books I'm reading, especially if they are something I find useful!!