Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for Mid-October

Friday

Friday
homemade pepperoni pizza

roasted garden beets

tossed garden salad

spiced fig-applesauce (pureed sweet preserved unripe figs blended with applesauce, cinnamon, and ginger)

Saturday

Saturday
eggs

pan-seared garlic green beans

rice

tossed garden salad

Sunday

Sunday cookout and movie (we watched ET)
hot dogs (buns optional)
tossed garden salad
garden summer squash
scratch apple pie (using our apples -- the apples that squirrels and raccoons knocked off the trees, I picked up, cut off blemishes/bruises, chopped and froze for pies and crisps)

Monday

Monday
beefy chili soup
cornbread, garlic sticks, crackers
fall garden salad -- radish greens and roots, roasted carrots and beets
blackberry cobbler

Tuesday

Tuesday
roast whole chicken and gravy
oven-roasted root vegetables
pan-seared garlic green beans
cornbread stuffing (using the last of cornbread made last week)
blackberry cobbler (leftover from last week)

Wednesday

Wednesday

leftover chicken used in stir fry with green beans

rice

fruit salad of apples and fall raspberries

leftover apple pie

Thursday

Thursday

hot chicken sandwiches (chicken in gravy over a slice of bread)

roasted purple potatoes

baked apples

carrot leaf soup (pureed carrot leaves, a couple of small garden carrots, diced onion, instant mashed potatoes, chicken bouillon -- I used the whole stems of the carrot leaves, some of which were fibrous. After pureeing the soup, it still seemed like there were fibers, so I pressed the soup through a mesh sieve. The end result was an absolutely delicious soup.)

Our Friday movie nights have shifted to Sunday movie nights for October. One daughter has a role in a theater production and performances are Friday and Saturday evenings and Sunday matinees throughout October. Since she's the big film enthusiast, we wouldn't want to do a movie night without her. But I still made pizza on Friday because I couldn't wait until Sunday to have pizza again. LOL!

I had some pumpkin eggnog that I bought on markdown 2 weeks ago. I froze some, but still we didn't drink the rest. So I made a batch of eggnog scones, using this recipe. The batch was large, so I froze some of the scones to bring out later. We've had scones for breakfasts and snacks the last couple of days.

I decanted the first jar of blackberry vinegar this week. The finished vinegar has a mild blackberry aroma. I've been using this vinegar in salad dressing this week.

Our garden is still producing enough for our meals, thankfully. In addition to what's listed here, we also made a pot of cream of sorrel and squash blossom soup, multiple tomato sandwiches, a few tossed salads, and ate fresh apples and frozen blackberries for our fruit. 

As you can see, our meals are turning more and more autumnal with each week, lots of root veggies, hearty dishes, and soups. I have hated saying goodbye to summer (foods and weather), but at least autumn has some really great foods to enjoy.

That's what was on my menu. What did you eat this past week?

What Area of Spending Are You Most Frugal? (and other budget priority questions)

housing
car/transportation
food
travel
utilities
clothing
entertainment

I find it interesting to see others' thought processes in regards to frugal living choices. I learn so much from you all. So I thought I'd pose some questions to you, as well as provide my own answers. In addition, it was helpful to myself to write some of these out. Especially the last question concerning how I will navigate the continuing inflation.

And what's been your biggest savings triumph in that area?

me: Food -- over a 35-year period, my family has saved perhaps $79,625 on groceries alone. I'm guessing at this, but I think a typical, similar 4-adult thrifty family spends about $450/month on food. My family currently averages about $275 for 4 weeks. That's a savings of $250/month or $2275/year. I'm guessing that we had similar savings over the years, as our grocery spending has always been very low. Over 35 years, that's $79,625. This is just my estimate on others' spending. According to USDA's chart, my family should be spending $887.20 per 4-week month, in the Thrifty Food Plan.

most recent 2022 USDA chart here :

https://fns-prod.azureedge.us/sites/default/files/media/file/CostofFoodAug2022Thrifty1.pdf

Is there an area of spending in which you avoid scrimping more than others? 

me: For my family, I would have to say housing. We're willing to do without a lot of discretionary spending, so long as we can live in our house on a large suburban lot. We would rather not travel, keep the house on the cool side in fall and winter, not eat out or go to movies, have 1 car instead of 2, just so we can live in our current house. It's not huge, but it's big enough that we've all been able to have our own space (4 introverts, 1 extrovert when all 5 were living here). I know that others may feel much differently, and choose to live in a small house so they can afford more experiences, or spend less time preparing meals, or not keep a garden, or shop for specific clothing or cars.

Have your spending and budgeting priorities changed over the years?

me: We spend more on food at the grocery store now, not only because of inflation over the years, but we buy more "luxury" foods (like nuts or dried fruit other than raisins, or pepperoni for pizza) than we did when our kids were younger.  We actually spend less on restaurant meals and entertainment now than we did when our kids were growing up. We wanted to provide some of the fun activities for our kids as other kids had, and that included a Happy Meal or two, trips to Coldstone Creamery, current "kid" movie at the theater, one time at Chuckie Cheese for each kid. Now, we really don't care about eating out or going to the movie theater, and that's not just due to Covid. We now enjoy picnics in a park or at the beach, not because they're frugal, but because we enjoy the scenery of natural spots.

With the current rate of inflation, will you make sacrifices in some areas so you can afford more in others?

me: The sacrifices that we'll make will be in the "extra categories" like travel, entertainment, and new clothing, so that we can enjoy more of the basic comforts, such as heating and good food. We'll still be adding to our general savings account and retirement accounts,

How about you? What are your thoughts on both your past and future budget priorities?

Quick Autumn Garden and Harvest Update

purple fingerling potatoes

Over the weekend we dug 1 of the 2 potato beds. It was a poor year for potatoes for us. This bed produced about 15 pounds of potatoes. I expected hoped for more. We'll dig the second bed in about 10 days. Despite my disappointment, there were enough potatoes for next year's seed potatoes for both beds plus some for our meals in October and early November.

sweet fig preserves

The weather is cooling enough so that the figs will no longer ripen this season. Tuesday I harvested enough unripe figs to make 3 pints of sweet fig preserves. I simmer the figs in water 3 times, changing the water between simmerings. After draining the water and squeezing the excess water from each fig, I simmer the figs in a sugar, water, whole clove solution for 25 minutes. At that point I add lemon juice and simmer 5 additional minutes before putting the figs in syrup into jars. These are delicious. While I enjoy them just as is, my family especially enjoys them pureed with applesauce and a bit more spice, or used in spice cake. Anyway, sweet preserved figs is a good way to use those that will never ripen. I should be able to make another batch later this week. [recipe ingredients: 40 unripe figs, 2.75 cups water, 2.5 cups sugar, 35 whole cloves, 3 tablespoons lemon juice]

indoor-grown radishes -- we eat the leaves as well as roots

I've got my indoor radish operation in full production, with 4 trays of containers filled with potting soil and radish plants. Here's what I harvested for our salad on Saturday evening.

mâche I started indoors then moved out to the garden for fall/winter salads -- it prefers cool temps

The mâche is growing better than I'd thought. The direct sun seems to be so little this time of year and with our large evergreens surrounding the yard. But those tiny little plants just keep growing. I should be able to harvest some for salads in early November.

One of our pear trees decided to surprise us with 5 pears. This tree's fruit is normally ready for harvesting in July. Sometime in mid-summer, I noticed it had developed more blossoms. Our unusually cold May and June must have fooled the tree into thinking spring had begun again. Anyway, 5 pears that I didn't expect is a wonderful blessing.

I'm waiting on the crabapples to turn a deep red before harvesting those. The crabapple harvest is usually in mid-October. It may be pushed to late October this year, as everything has been later than usual following that very cool start to the growing season.

I picked the first tiny pumpkin from our patch. It's itty bitty. One of my squirrel friends nabbed another tiny squash yesterday morning. So I thought I should bring this one inside before it became my furry friend's lunch.

No photos, but we've had an unbelievable crop of green beans this year. Every time I pick another handful I think to myself that the plants must be about done for the year. Then I'm out in the garden the next day and find a bunch more. Some things did well this year, while others didn't. I guess I should take my blessings as they come and not worry about what didn't happen as I'd planned.

Dishwasher Tetris

image source;
https://apkpure.com/retro-tetris-classic/com.binreview.retrobrickclassic

In case you don't remember, Tetris is that block stacking computer game where the player tries to quickly make all of the blocks fit together without gaps. Well, there's another type of Tetris. This one is played with the dishwasher. The makers of Tetris even wrote about it in this article on their site.

Like just about everyone else, we received notice from our energy provider that rates will be going up this winter. We use natural gas to heat our house, heat water for washing/bathing, and cook on our stovetop. We're doing what we can to reduce our natural gas use. We've been taking significantly shorter showers this past summer to save water for our garden. The bonus was that our natural gas use dropped as well with those Navy showers. 

Sunday morning my husband was about to start the dishwasher. I asked him to hold off and let me play a little dishwasher Tetris with the dirty cups, plates, glasses, mugs, and bowls. He'd not heard that name before, but he indulged my need to maximize the dishwasher's space. I was able to rearrange the contents enough to allow for 2 additional dinner plates and 3 additional glasses or mugs. Maybe 2 plates and 3 cups doesn't sound like a lot. However, it's about 2/3 of what we use for a Sunday lunch. 

So this has me rethinking how I can stack the dishwasher to get even more to fit and still get it all clean. Our dishwasher uses the same amount of hot water whether it is completely full or it is only partially loaded. I admit, we'd gotten lazy in loading the dishwasher. It seemed like work to pack it completely full. In addition, running the dishwasher at the same time each day, whether it was completely full or not, became a habit. In addition to how I stack the dishwasher, I can also see that we can make different choices in the dishes we use for each meal or snack. Most breakfasts don't "need" a dinner-size plate, and neither do some lunches. Salad plates take up much less room in the machine and are often just the right size.

We've also switched to washing clothing in cold water. According to our natural gas supplier, the agitation of the machine does most of the work to clean laundry. Cold water it is.

And we're rethinking what months and even hours we want to run the furnace. We've been fortunate so far this fall in that we haven't needed to turn the furnace on yet. I expect that later this month the weather will be cooler, and we'll want some heat. I'm thinking we can have the thermostat set to turn down the heat 15 minutes earlier each evening and then come on again 15 minutes later each morning. That would save a half hour of heating per day, or 15 hours per month.

I'm hoping that by saving small amounts of gas in multiple areas, the total savings will offset a large chunk of the increase.

Our natural gas is expected to go up by 17% this winter with a possibility for additional increases later. I fully understand that folks in other places will see much more severe increases in cost to heat their homes. So I don't wish to minimize anyone else's pain right now. A 17% increase is a lot for us. In winter, our heating bill is about $200/month. With a 17% increase, that would be an extra $34 per winter month. We don't have a category of non-discretionary spending where we are now spending a whole lot less. The spending in every  category of our budget has increased, and without a corresponding increase in income. I assume many others are experiencing a similar financial squeeze from all areas. What I can say is I am doing what I can to mitigate increased costs. Daily, I seek out ways to save that I have previously overlooked.

What are your plans for increased utility costs this coming winter?

Cheap & Cheerful Suppers for Early October

Our weather has been mild, so we're still having cookouts and eating some meals outside.

We're still eating almost all of our produce from the garden. This week, we added purple fingerling potatoes to our menus. On Thursday, I pulled up most of the beets, washed and chopped the leaves then froze them for winter meals. I'll use the beet root Friday and Monday. I need the beet space in the garden for next year's garlic. After pulling beets I mixed some compost, homemade bone meal, and a bit of fertilizer into the soil. Then I planted 99 cloves of garlic from August's harvest. I have about 50 heads (they're small heads) of garlic remaining to use this next year.  I'm slowly building up our garden garlic. If it grows well this next year, we should be about right for our year's garlic needs plus garlic for planting.

I'm a bit tired after working in the garden earlier today. So I'll get right to our suppers.

Friday

Friday Pizza and Movie Night (we watched Shallow Hal)
homemade pepperoni pizza
apple wedges
Italian-style vegetable medley (zucchini, green beans, tomatoes, garlic, onions, oregano)
scratch brownies

Saturday

Saturday Cook out
hot dogs (buns optional, homemade)
apple wedges
tossed garden salad
blackberry cobbler and peanut butter cookies

Sunday
leftover night -- assortment of chicken salad, lentil soup, rice, biscuits, boiled eggs, various garden greens, lentil sprouts, radishes, apples, brownies, blackberry cobbler

Monday

Monday

meatloaf with gravy

roasted garden purple fingerling potatoes

tossed garden salad

pan-seared garlic green beans (these are soooo good -- green beans sautéed in oil, garlic added after beans are browned, then a bit of sesame oil and soy sauce to finish)

blackberry-rhubarb jello

Tuesday

Tuesday

chicken thighs in meatloaf gravy (just a little chicken, the rest went into a chicken salad for lunches this week)

rosemary polenta

baked beans

roasted beets

sautéed beet greens

radish leaf and sprout salad

leftover blackberry-rhubarb jello

Wednesday

Wednesday

hot dogs and baked beans

tomato-cucumber salad

roasted garden purple potatoes

pan-seared garlic green beans

peanut butter cookies

Thursday

Thursday

chicken-vegetable soup

scratch cornbread (using 3 tablespoons canned garbanzo bean liquid as substitute for the egg)

blackberry cobbler

Breakfasts: pancakes, toasty o's cereal, oatmeal, cobbler, yogurt, juice, milk, toast, eggs

Lunches: chicken/apple/cabbage/carrot leaf/raisin salad, tomato-basil soup, tomato sandwiches, eggs, apples, peanut butter, leftovers, cookies

This was the first time we tried using garbanzo bean liquid as an egg substitute (Thursday's cornbread). My daughter had bought a can of garbanzo beans to make hummus while cat-sitting earlier this week. She saved the liquid to use in place of eggs in baking. The cornbread on Thursday turned out pretty good. It was a bit dense, but good. Have you tried using canned garbanzo bean liquid as an egg substitute before?

That's what we ate this past week. What was on your menu?

Have a wonderful October weekend, friends! Do any of you have special plans for this autumn weekend?

Does It Harm the Economy to Be Frugal?

I found this little fella tucked in amongst the beets when getting
 veggies for Tuesday's dinner. I dug him up and gave him his own pot.
 I have no idea how he got into the veggie bed. My plant "saucer"
is the bottom of a 1-gallon milk jug.

Is it wrong to just not spend money, or not very much money? Am I harming the economy by not eating out, not going to the movies, not buying knick-knacks or things for the home from retail stores? Where does my responsibility for helping to sustain the local economy begin when I'm trying to be responsible for my personal economy? Right now, my husband and I are saving for a new roof, a new car, and a major deck repair. We need to squirrel away every last cent to meet these needs of our own.

On our last credit card statement there were a total of 14 entries, 3 of which were charitable donations, 5 were utility/service payments, 3 were for the hardware store, 1 was for a prescription. That means that we only had 2 entries that I'd consider variable expenses (things we could reduce or forgo, if necessary), one a grocery store and the other a vitamin store. I did use cash to buy a gift for a friend at the farmer's market and I used gift cards to buy myself a burger, a charging cord for my laptop, and a new-to-me shirt at the thrift store. (For Christmas and my birthday, I suggest gift cards to my family members who want ideas on what to get me. These gift cards are my spending money.)

Our family's entertainment is usually free to us, movies and books from the library, homemade pizza nights, sitting around the fire ring on the patio, playing games, listening to free music, etc. We cook at home every day of the week. Travel is rare for us. Shopping at the mall is not one of my "hobbies". (Although, when I have a coupon for a freebie at the mall, I'll get the freebie.) Most of our spending is on necessities, like utilities, insurance, taxes, food, gas for the car (when it's our turn), car repairs, and home repairs.

Am I harming my local economy by not spending in discretionary categories locally? I ask because for the last couple of years I've heard other people say they're doing their part to keep local businesses open. I do agree that we need to keep brick and mortar small businesses open. Many experts say that small businesses are the lifeblood of the economy and the heart of the middle class. I wouldn't want to live in a community where the only stores left are big box stores. And I certainly wouldn't want to see any of my neighbors lose their livelihoods. Where does my responsibility lie? Have you thought about this in regards to your own financial situation? What have been your conclusions?

Community Writer: Catherine Emerson, Discovering a Passion for Backpacking

after finishing a 64 mile loop in the Gila Wilderness, July 2019

Hello, fellow Creative Savv readers! As a long-time reader, some of you may know me as Cat from the comment section. Lili has asked me to share about hiking and backpacking and how I got involved in those activities. Almost ten years ago now, while still homeschooling our kids, then about ages two to twelve, a fellow homeschooling mom mentioned that our nearby wildlife refuge in the Wichita Mountains offered group hikes on Thursday mornings. Turns out, these were originally intended for retirees, but hardly any were showing up, so they were welcoming anyone. As a then very fearful person, I appreciated the chance to get the kids outside for some gentle hikes, normally two miles or under, with other adults (and sometimes kids) along. The Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge is home to many bison and Longhorn cattle, as well as Diamondback rattlesnakes, and  I didn’t relish the idea of going alone with children when I was so inexperienced myself. The leaders of the hikes varied, but all were kind and knowledgeable and taught us a lot about the flora and fauna of the area.

Fast forward a couple years and now all children are in school. I had continued to attend these hikes, but also found some other groups and was now venturing on longer, harder, and usually off-trail hikes. I loved it! My husband had been in the Army and often gone when the kids were younger, and my soul began to thrive with the new experience of outdoor time and the lovely people I met through these excursions. I became stronger and could now hike several miles at a time. My confidence grew as well. Somewhere in there, I became interested in Appalachian Trail memoirs, then stories from and about other trails. But backpacking still seemed just a little out of my reach. Who would I go with? I couldn’t imagine being out there alone.

Lake Katherine in the Peco Wilderness, June 2020

Somehow, I was introduced to the youtube channel of Jessica Mills, aka “Dixie”, a sweet, Southern, down-to-earth woman who had hiked the Appalachian Trail and was at that time hiking the Pacific Crest Trail. Each week, I looked forward to her newest episode chronicling her adventure. My interest grew by leaps and bounds.

My daughters were involved in a scouting organization at that time, and I was the assistant unit leader for the teen group. The leader was planning an exciting trip canoeing in the Boundary Waters, so my oldest daughter and I began collecting gear over the next few months. Unfortunately, the trip was later cancelled for reasons I never quite understood, but we now had some of the equipment.

our tents near the old railroad tunnel at Caprock Canyon Trailway, April 2017

A young woman I had met through our ladies’ hiking group which I had begun to hold on Wednesdays also shared that she had an interest in backpacking, and had also collected gear. We took the plunge and made a plan to go! Just an easy short trip for our first time, over at Caprock Canyon State Park and Trailway, near Quitaque, Texas. It turned out to be a very warm weekend in April 2017, with daytime temperatures in the 90’s. But, we hiked in about 5 miles and camped near an old railway tunnel known for it’s bat population. That evening, we sat and played a card game as dusk approached, then settled in to watch the bats emerge from the tunnel. Wow, what an experience! As it grew darker and we could no longer see them, we could still feel them zipping by our heads. So amazing!

That trip started something for me. My super budget equipment was way too heavy and I really wondered what I had gotten myself into as I trudged along on that hot April afternoon. But waking up to mule deer grazing outside our tents and watching them as I sipped my instant coffee was such a wonderful experience and made the hard parts worth it. That fall, I planned a 3-day, 26.8 mile trip on the Eagle Rock Loop over near Mena, Arkansas, taking along my oldest daughter, the friend from my first trip, and two additional women. It was a challenge, this time with temperatures dipping into the 20’s at night, testing us in a whole different way. But we did it! And I was hooked!

sunset from the SW Rim at Big Bend, January 2020

Since that time, just 5 years ago now, I’ve backpacked hundreds of miles in many beautiful places, sometimes with friends, but a good chunk of it solo. Lots of miles over in southeastern Oklahoma and northern Arkansas on the Ouachita Trail, Womble Trail, the LOViT, and the Sylamore Creek Trail, among others. In Texas at Guadalupe Mountains National Park, Big Bend National Park, in New Mexico at Carlsbad Caverns National Park, the Gila Wilderness, and the Pecos Wilderness, as well as a couple trips up in Colorado. So many beautiful places in our world, and backpacking allows me to see a side you don’t necessarily get with a day hike or camping in a campground. I’ve upgraded my equipment greatly, so my pack weight can vary from about 21 lbs for a short trip in warm weather, up to about 33 lbs for a longer trip with a week of food and/or gear for cold weather. It’s become a great way for my soul to recharge, as my introvert self still has three children at home. Thankfully, my husband is supportive of this hobby and holds the fort down at home while I’m gone–couldn’t do it without him! 

Catherine Emerson is a hiking and backpacking enthusiast. Catherine, trail name “Corgi” (for her short legs), lives in southwestern Oklahoma with her husband, 3 of their 5 kids still home, 2 silly but sweet dogs, several rescue cats, and a small flock of ducks. When not on the trail, Catherine enjoys spending her time reading, knitting or crocheting, and gardening, with permaculture inspiration and aspiration.

Five Free, All-Natural Garden Fertilizers From Your Kitchen, Yard, and Beach

chicken bones that have been pulverized with a hammer

You'd think that finishing harvesting would be the last work in the garden for the season. However, after everything is harvested, I still have one step left, getting the beds prepped for next spring. One of the tasks on my list is to dig in some organic fertilizers.

If you've been following the news these past few months, you've likely heard that fertilizers, like everything else, are getting more and more expensive. So how about some free fertilizers for the garden?

8-10 egg shells, washed, dried and crushed with mortar & pestle

1. composted food and garden scraps, such as vegetable/fruit peeling or trimmings, coffee grounds, grass clippings, leaves, plants. You can even add some paper and cardboard to a compost pile. Nutrients in compost: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium, calcium, boron, copper, iron, zinc, manganese 
2. ground, washed eggshells. I keep a dish in the fridge for rinsed out eggshells. When I have enough, I oven dry them in a cooling oven for about 30-40 minutes (after baking something else) or at 180 F for 25 to 30 minutes, until quite dry. Once dry, I grind them in a coffee grinder or mortar & pestle. (mortar & pestle is my preferred, as it doesn't send eggshell dust into the air -- mask recommended with coffee grinder). Ground eggshells can then be mixed into the soil before planting. Nutrients in eggshells: calcium. Eggshells decompose best in acidic soil.
3. composted animal manure, such as chicken manure or rabbit manure. Don't use cat or dog waste, as you can inadvertently introduce pathogens to the soil. But well-composted manure from poultry and rabbits is beneficial for the garden. If you or someone you know raises backyard chickens (or rabbits), you could have a free source of fertilizer for your garden. Nutrients in composted chicken manure: nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium
4. seaweed -- check with your state to find out if harvesting seaweed is allowed. In my area, there is one beach where citizens are allowed to collect a limited amount of seaweed. Seaweed needs to be thoroughly rinsed before use, to remove salt. It can be used as a mulch (directly applied to the soil, composted then mixed into the soil or you can make a liquid fertilizer (see this article). Nutrients in seaweed (may vary according to variety and where harvested): nitrogen, magnesium, potassium, calcium, iodine, phosphorus, zinc
5. bone meal -- you can buy bonemeal. But this list is about free sources. You can make bonemeal in your kitchen from chicken bones. After our last whole roasted chicken, I put the bones into the crockpot and covered with water, allowing to simmer for about 14 hours. I then picked any remaining meat off those bones, poured off the broth for a pot of soup, then recooked the chicken bones in fresh water for another 14 hours. At the end of this second simmering, I poured off this new stock for another batch of soup. I rinsed the bones in clean water, then spread them out on a baking sheet and baked at 400 degrees F for about an hour. The bones were lightweight, brittle, and browned at this point. After the bones cooled, I placed them into a multi-layered paper bag (the bag from 10 lbs of sugar) and pounded with a hammer on the concrete garage floor. The bones easily pulverized. Very little bone meal is needed in an application, 1 tablespoon max for 2 square feet. Nutrients in bone meal: phosphorus, calcium. Many experts feel bone meal is best for acidic soil. 

Most garden soils benefit from a combination of organic soil amendments when used as fertilizers. No one organic DIY amendment can provide for all of a plant's needs. And some soils can't use one or more of these amendments, due to the soil's pH. My soil is acidic. I use a combination of eggshells, composted yard and kitchen waste, coffee grounds, and bonemeal, as well as purchased chicken manure and commercial compost. 

chicken bones after twice simmered then baked dry

If hammering an animal's bones to pieces before adding to the garden feels weird or macabre to you, can I share my perspective? I feel that if my family is going to use an animal for food, then we should make good use of as much of that animal as possible. Feeding the soil so that more can grow in an area is a good use in my opinion. Besides, becoming a useful soil amendment is a better ending than rotting in a landfill, don't you think? 

Cheap & Cheerful Meals: Trending Toward Cozy Autumn Suppers

We're in this in-between-the-seasons period where one day it feels like summer still, then the next day it's definitely fall-like. Our meals are reflecting this transition period, with meals increasingly autumnal such as meatloaf, roasted whole chicken, chicken and vegetable soup, and  chicken and gravy over biscuits. Of course, there are a few summer-like meals thrown in the mix, like main dish salads, sandwich meals, and lots of fresh tomatoes, green beans, and cucumbers.

After each meal entry, I've tried to provide info on which items were virtually free for us, due to our garden, orchard, and foraging.

Friday

Friday
pepperoni pizza, scratch crust, scratch sauce, packaged pepperoni, sale-priced cheese
garden turnip greens and onions, sautéed (mostly free, store-bought onions and oil)
garden turnip roots and onions, oven-roasted (mostly free, store onions and oil)
blackberry and rhubarb jello (mostly free, store gelatin and sugar)
sliced tomatoes (free)

Saturday

Saturday
meatloaf and gravy
steamed garden green beans (free)
sautéed garden squash (mostly free, unripe winter squash that was knocked off the vine plus store oil)
rice

scratch apple crisp (using our apples)

Sunday

Sunday
tuna salad sandwiches on homemade bread
garden tomato and cucumber salad (mostly free, dressing made from store ingredients)
garden cabbage and lentil sprout slaw (mostly free, dressing made from store ingredients)

leftover apple crisp

Monday

Monday
roasted chicken with gravy (sale-priced whole chicken bought in early September)
stuffing, I used various frozen bread bits, including a biscuit, a square of cornbread, a dried tortilla, and a couple of slices of sandwich bread, plus garden celery and sage, plus store onion
oven-roasted garden carrots and onions (mostly free, store onions and oil)
garden plums and apples in dressing made from leftover jello (Friday)
pan-seared garlic green beans (mostly free, store oil, soy sauce, sesame oil)

Tuesday

Tuesday
chicken (leftover from roasted whole chicken), garden apple, garden celery, garden cabbage, and raisin salad 
cream of sorrel soup (mostly free, store flour, salt, and butter)
garden tomato and cheese salad
whole grain pasta

Wednesday

Wednesday
chicken (leftover roasted chicken) in gravy, over
scratch biscuits
garden tomatoes and basil in vinaigrette (mostly free, store ingredients for dressing)
pan-seared garlic green beans (mostly free)

Thursday

Thursday
Italian chicken and garden vegetable soup (chicken carcass simmered in crock pot overnight, meat picked off, garden Swiss chard, zucchini, patty pan squash, green beans, garlic, basil, oregano and tomatoes added to stock for soup)
scratch scones 

garden tomatoes in scratch vinaigrette

These supper menus typify our menus for other meals in that we try to bulk up breakfast, lunch, and snacks with garden produce and scratch-baked goodies. Breakfasts this week included, blackberries, apples, tomatoes, homemade yogurt, milk, homemade blackberry granola, oatmeal, toasted homemade bread, peanut butter, eggs, raisins, orange juice, coffee, tea. Lunches included our fruits such as apples, blackberries, and raspberries, garden veggies such as cabbage, kale, lettuce, sorrel, Swiss chard, green beans, beet greens, tomatoes, carrot greens, celery and lentil sprouts, homemade bread, rice, peanut butter,  raisins, cheese, leftover roasted chicken, boiled and fried eggs, blackberry lemonade, scratch cookies, scratch banana muffins, scratch apple crisp, scratch cinnamon rolls, and quasi-scratch chocolate covered peanut clusters (melted chocolate chips combined with peanuts). Snacks are generally any of the breakfast or lunch foods. 

We had some freebie coupons to stores in the mall to use over the weekend. We got a free pair of underwear at Pink, a free 3-wick candle at Bath & Body Works, and a free tube of hand cream at Bath & Body Works. For all of these freebies, the only purchase that was made was a hand sanitizer at B&BW by one of my daughters (free candle with any purchase). She intended to buy a single Pocketbac hand sanitizer, then I showed her the coupons. I've never seen B&BW give away these $26 candles before. (Going with the fall trend, we chose the Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin 3-wick candle for our cozy autumn evenings.) The hand cream and underwear were free, no-purchase necessary. While at the mall, we walked around a bit. It was before lunch and I was hungry. One of my daughters offered to buy us all a Cinnabon to share. I suggested we head home and I would bake a batch of cinnamon rolls instead. Which we did. We also passed a pricey candy store, which made me think about chocolate covered nuts. Instead of buying any candy, once we got home, I made a batch of chocolate covered peanuts for the family while the cinnamon roll dough was rising.

So when yesterday's post on September's grocery spending indicated a low $ amount spent for the month, our garden, scratch-cooking/baking and simple eating habits contributed greatly. This next month, as the garden winds down and we need to stock up on more costly foods like meat again, we'll spend more. But I'll try to offset that extra spending by cooking and baking as much from scratch as I can and limiting processed food purchases.

Those were our meals this past week. What was on your menu? Are you trending toward more fall meals, also? (If you're in the So. Hemisphere, I guess your meals would be trending toward summer ones.) What's your absolute favorite fall meal?

Grocery Shopping Journal, September 2022

September 5. My daughter was at Walmart picking up some lunch and snack foods for herself. I asked her to pick up a container of vegetable shortening (Crisco type) for pie making. She bought Great Value brand, 48 oz, for $5.18, up $2.06 in one year (August 2, 2021-- I bought 2 containers of shortening for $3.12 each). I had thought to buy 2 containers, but changed my mind when I saw the price. I'll try using part vegetable oil and part shortening in my pie crust recipe and see what we think of such a blend and make this container last longer. Vegetable oil is still cheaper than this price on shortening here. And I forgot to ask her to pick up mayonnaise. So that will go on my next list.

September 7. My other daughter has to drive south right by WinCo every late afternoon/evening for rehearsals this month and next. She was planning a stop at WinCo on the way this day, so I asked her to check the price on mayonnaise and give me a call from the store. She did, and mayo was about $1 cheaper at WinCo than at Walmart. I asked her to pick up 3 jars for me, and I reimbursed her when she got home. Total spent $7.44.

I'm almost fully stocked for winter. I'd rather have my stock and not need it, than need it and not have it.

For the month so far, I've spent $12.62. I'll be needing milk early next week. That's when I've got a Fred Meyer shopping planned. I've been adding to my list. I also need eggs and pepperoni for pizzas. I would normally buy a few bananas, but I've been slicing and freezing the bananas as they get too ripe. We mostly use bananas for smoothies, which is what I'd planned for the frozen banana slices. No need for new bananas right now. The other item I want is some instant decaf coffee. I ran out a couple of weeks ago and have been missing it. I think I'll hit up Fred Meyer Tuesday early morning, in hopes of scoring markdowns.

I used a gift card to Five Guys on Thursday, Sept. 8. This was a Christmas gift from 2020. I finally got around to using it for a "Little" burger. Little in quotes because it was huge. I opted for bacon, too. $10 deducted from the gift card. Five Guys still has the free peanuts, but you now have to ask for them instead of helping yourself. The cashier was very generous with the peanuts and I still have a bunch left. I'd rather have roasted peanuts as a side than French fries any day. I asked for a cup for water. I don't drink soda or milkshakes. I said the burger was huge. I was hardly hungry at dinner after the Five Guys lunch. It was a beautiful sunny day with a warm wind. I ate outside on Five Guys' patio. Out of pocket -- $0.00

I went to the Farmer's Market to pick up a birthday gift for a friend. I no longer do food samples -- a side effect of hyper awareness of contagions these past couple of years. Too bad. I passed up some yummy looking samples. I had thought to buy some produce while there, but I couldn't bring myself to spend $4/lb on peaches. I had a great time anyway. Some good music, lots to look at, and I did get the gift -- locally made. Wow! Two outings in one week. I may have to forfeit my Hermits of America membership card.

September 13. We needed milk and jalapeño peppers (for salsa), so I planned to go to Fred Meyer this morning. I got out early, hoping to catch some markdowns. My first stop is always the dairy cooler to check for milk. Nothing marked down today. I bought 2 gallons of 2% (for drinking/cereal) and 1 gallon of whole milk (for yogurt). This is a much lesser amount of milk than what I usually buy. It was $3.39/gallon which is on the high side for my budget. I do have some frozen milk I can use for baking and cooking, which will stretch what I bought. But also, I've noticed my family isn't going through milk as quickly as they used to. So, maybe this purchase will last 2 or 3 weeks. I also bought bacon (marked down to $3.79/12-oz, bought 3), chopped pecans (marked down $3.99/16-oz, bought 2), Nathan's kosher hot dogs (marked down $5.49/28-oz, bought 1), bottled salad dressing (marked down 79 cents, bought 1), dried lima beans (marked down 89 cents/16-oz, bought 1), 5 dozen eggs ($8.29), instant decaf coffee ($4.99), pepperoni for pizzas ($2.79/6-oz, bought 2), 3 bananas (49 cents/lb), jalapeños ($1.39/lb), and a whole chicken at 99cents/lb. Total spent --$63.65

Spent so far this month on food -- $76.27

September 20. One daughter has the car for several days, cat-sitting. She earns money while also working on her next book. I can't go to a store, so we use what we have on hand and I save money. It's a win for both of us. I will need milk around the end of September or very beginning of October and will shop again then.

September 28. I'm making my list for the next time I shop. I have some coupons (eggs, frozen veggies, cheese) specific to Fred Meyer to use before the 4th of October. So my next shopping will happen between now and then. I'll also need milk for drinking at that point. I've been mixing up powdered milk this week. I don't like to use too much of our powdered milk supply, as it works out to be about $5/gallon. But it's handy to keep in the pantry for weeks like these, when shopping is delayed for a few days. For produce, I'll wait until I drive south to the produce stand on the highway. I'll make that trip in early to mid-October to pick up some long-keeping items like squash and pumpkin and a 25-lb bag of carrots, if they have some in stock.

Total spent on food in September -- $76.27

bought in September

3 lbs vegetable shortening
3 30-oz jars mayonnaise

3 gallons milk

2 lbs pecans

36 ounces bacon

28-oz pack kosher hotdogs

1 bottle Ranch dressing

16-oz dried lima beans

5 dozen eggs

1 jar instant decaf coffee

12 ounces pepperoni

3 bananas

about 1 lb jalapeño peppers

whole chicken

Right now, it looks like we don't buy much food. I stocked up on basics during summer, plus our garden has produced well for us this season, beginning in April. We may not have every vegetable growing in our garden, but we have enough variety to satisfy us. If I had to name a couple of veggies that I wish we had, corn and eggplant would top my list. But otherwise, I think we're all pretty happy with what we do have from our garden.

When a pair of blue jeans reveal more than I'd like: patching a holey crotch

Perhaps the worst area of my jeans to become threadbare -- the crotch

I've been putting off patching these jeans, as I wasn't sure how I'd go about it. But these are by far my most comfy jeans. They have lots of stretch and never bind.

The main issues to deal with: stretch fabric needs stretchy patches. The inside of the jeans are black and wear spots show as black. The main patch would need to cross a major seam.

A two-piece patch for the main worn area that crosses 1 seam

using some scraps from old jeans, two pieces of patch were
 sewn together at the seam, the grain was matched for both halves
 before cutting the patch pieces

Wonder Under adhesive iron-on attached to back side of patch

patch then ironed onto underside of jeans in worn area,
matching center seam

patch sewn at edge to inside of jeans

inside of jeans after some additional stitching

I used an embroidery hoop and embroidery thread
for hand-stitching on top of the patch

I went with basic dark blue floss, 3 threads

close-up of main patched area

A long, narrow worn area alongside a seam, patched and zigzag stitched

before

inside, patched and zigzagged

after, not perfect, but less noticeable and reinforced

no longer obscene

I still need to add some stitching to the right side patch to reinforce the entire worn area and secure the patch to the worn jeans. I'll get to that in the next day or two. For now, I wanted to share how it went.

Hints for patching holes in the crotch area of blue jeans

• Matching the grain Match the grain of the fabric of the patching material with the grain of the fabric of the clothing item so the patch moves with the clothing item evenly.
• Stretchy vs non-stretchy patch  Try to match the stretchiness of the patch to that of the clothing. Stretch jeans need a stretchy patch.
• Two-piece patches  If the area to be patched crosses a crotch seam, then the patch will need to be made in two pieces stitched together mimicking the seam of the pants, matching the grain of each half of the area to be patched.
• Iron-on adhesives secure the patch for sewing Wonder Under iron-on adhesive for fabrics is great for holding the patch onto the clothing item during the stitching process. Alternatively, you could pin and baste the patch in place before sewing the edge of the patch to the jeans, then stitching all over to fully secure the patch and give strength to the worn fabric. 
• Stitch the outside edge of the patch, then all over to reinforce the worn fabric Wonderful Under and the patch alone (or iron-on patches) won't last through a couple of wearings, due to all of the stretching of fabric in the crotch area when moving. The patch needs to be secured to the worn area all over for best results.
• Have fun with patching jeans  Blue jeans are a type of clothing that can look fine with more visible repairs. I've seen fun-looking jeans hand-stitched in contrasting colors or decorative patterns.