Sewing Again and Question

When I was pulling through my fabric stash looking for curtain material,  I found some St. Patrick's Day themed fabrics.  These were leftovers from many years ago. I used them when my children were young for holiday themed pillows and things of the sort.  

I decided to make a quick table runner and 4 napkins.  I only had enough of the clover fabric to make luncheon sized napkins that were just shy of 12 inches when finished.  That's okay.  They'll work perfectly for what we need.

Cost was paid a long time ago, and I consider this a freebie.

However, I almost cried.  I've used up all of my spool of favorite green thread.

On one hand that is good, because I know my "use it up" policy is working.

On the other hand, I love the color green and can't believe I am out.

Anyone know the most economical way to buy sewing thread?

March Stockup

We are pretty well stocked for the month of March.  I had a few holes in my pantry that I filled and I picked up some meats on discount.  I also know that to some of you this will look like a ton of junk food.  In a way, it is.  However, it was all bought with specific things in mind.  We will be on the road each weekend this month, including an out of state trip.  The costs of eating on the road are high and we like to have things to munch on.  While I will pack some homemade items for the "going portion" of the trips, we will rely on sealed packages for the "coming back portions" of the trips.  There are also sodas for my daughter for school and some snack items (such as Goldfish) that go in her lunches.  These aren't the cheapest items, but they are far less expensive than her eating out.  She also has to leave her food in the car because of her lab rules so we have to have items that can withstand heat.

You'll notice that there are not many veggies other than canned tomatoes and not any fruit.  I have a ton of frozen, canned and home canned that we are working on....for both fruits and veggies.  I've been told that the produce stand that I pass on weekends is opening soon and I will check to see what they have.

Beef is the only meat I am low on.  I found decent mark downs.  I haven't decided if I will can the meat or freeze it.  I'm leaning toward canning it.  (The lone package of turkey will be frozen.)

We bought meats, sodas, flour, 3 packages of turkey bacon, Oreos, fruit snacks, Goldfish, 4 bags of candy, 8 yogurts, 1 package of refrigerator dough, 1 package of refrigerator cookie dough, 8 cans of tomatoes, 2 bottles of pancake syrup, 1 jar of pasta sauce, 10 sleeves of Ritz crackers, chocolate coffee (our treat), a toothbrush, 2 bottles of body wash, 1 can of pledge, a can opener, a plunger, 7 brownie mixes, 4 cake mixes, 4 lbs, of cheese, bacon bits, 2 cartons of lactose free milk, and 4 (18 count) cartons of eggs.

I also bought these boxes of cereal.  Believe it or not, they are for a party.

We were having a hard time getting together as a family for my brother's birthday. 

Due to crazy schedules, the only time we can all meet is Sunday morning.

However, he lives an hour away and has to be to work by noon.

We're doing a breakfast party.

Every person is bringing cereal and each family is bringing milk.

No having to arrive early, no major clean up, and the children will all be happy.

The children are the reason for two of these cereals...lol.

(We'll have coffee and juice, too.)

So what did I spend?

I spent $211.95 including tax.

I saved $32.07 on mark downs and coupons.

Then I did an additional $14 in coupons on Ibotta.

If anyone is interested, I can share a group number. 

(If I understand correctly, the larger the group the better the savings benefits.)

$15.00 of that comes out of my gift budget for the party.

So I am at $197 for the month.

I'm expecting to have to buy milk, a few fresh items, and possibly more sodas depending on my husband's needs.

However, I think all in all I did pretty well.

What do recylcing, knitting, and thrifting have in common?

A while back I picked up a yellow cotton sweater from a yard sale.  I didn't pay much for it, but it was in pristine shape.  I wore it once or twice, but to be honest, yellow just isn't my color.

I had put it aside with other items to take to the thrift store and when I was gathering them I took a second look at it.  The sweater was a nice name brand and because it was a more expensive sweater it the pieces had been finished and joined together.  Some sweaters do not lend themselves to unraveling because they have been cut and sewn....the end result is just a bunch of single strings and nobody wants to knit or crochet with that many knots in their thread.  At least, I sure don't.

I decided to invest a little time into unraveling the sweater.  I wanted a project, but didn't seem to have the concentration to work on any detailed.  This seemed to fit the bill.

I had a little waste, but I still ended up with this much yarn.

I've knit two dishcloths that are going in Mama's Mother's Day basket.  She loves bright colors and her kitchen is yellow.  I think she will love them.  (Two dishcloths only used up one ball, so I still have yarn left to use up.). My plan is to fill a small basket with dish detergent, scrubbies, etc.

Cookbook Challenge

One of the things that I always have niggling in the back of my mind the question of how to best use my food storage.  Since Kimmy, of She's in Her Apron, issued a "fall in love with your cookbooks" challenge, I thought I would dig out a food storage cookbook.

This cookbook is a little different than my usual cookbooks.  The basic premise of this book is that the meals use "nothing fresh or frozen, and no water."  (Page 1 of 100 Day Pantry)  However, in the spirit of true food storage and frugality I am going to alter the recipe for Chicken Taco Soup.

(You'll notice I had already written a note to use black beans instead of ranch beans.)

So what am I using?

1 jar of my homecanned chicken

1 cup of dehydrated corn (because I have a #10 can open)

A jar of salsa

2 cups of homemade chicken broth

1 jar of home canned cranberry beans

1 chipotle pepper

Garlic, because it makes everything taste better

1 or 2 teaspoons of cumin

1 cup of whole wheat pasta

1/2 cup of water, because I added dried corn

I'm dumping it all in the Intant Pot and cooking it for 9 minutes.

Serving with shredded cheese and crackers for a quick "girls' day lunch."

 

Simple Curtains

For years my laundry room has simply had a valance over the window top.

Our nearest neighbors aren't super close on that side and I liked having the sunshine come in.

 Recently a gentleman has started parking his 18 wheeler in the cul-de-sac by our home.

I don't mind that at all, but he does come and go at hours when I am usually in my night clothes.

Daughter, too, for that matter.  

My husband and I decided it might be time to put up a curtain over the window.

The room is kind of small and non descriptive as far as color.  I thought a pop of color would be nice.

In keeping with my goals of using materials I have on hand, I pulled through my fabric and found a piece to use.

I had just enough of this simple red checked fabric to make two panels.

My original plan had been to machine embroider down the sides for detail.

However, when I tried my sample I felt like the pattern was being lost in the checks.

So a few hours entertainment for me.

Curtains for the laundry room.

Cost -- nothing new....this fabric was a piece that was in a huge box I bought years ago.

March Menu (Month Long Experiment)

Even though I took the time to write out my full menu for the month of March, I want to track my meals weekly.  I like having the space to write out any "to do" type things and to mark when there are special circumstances.  The first few days of March look like this.

March -- Purposeful Living Goals

My goals for March are similar to those of the previous months.  

1.  Continue with my master planner.  This seems to be working well for me.  

2.  Continue to rotate things in the pantry and freezer.  

3.  Try to carry the once a month major shopping through March and stick to a monthly menu.

4.  Make my niece's birthday gift.

5.  Girls' night!

6.  Continue downsizing and organizing...my poor craft room is next.

7.  Continue to work on my redecorating and stick to my budget.

8.  Do better at consistent exercising now that I have been given the all clear by the doctor.