Winter blues

Posted by: Tammy

I miss my garden. I miss being outside, my hands working the sun-warmed soil. I want to be swinging an ax into wood. I want to be stretching back in my camping chair, by a fire, under a night sky full of stars. Instead, snow covers everything. Although I’m more lucky than my more northern [...]

What is your frugal low? And what is your one holdout?

Posted by: KarenLynn

Recently on the Frugal Families Boards we have had some discussion of safety concerns of people not seeking medical advice in the pursuit of frugality. I have not had to face that issue myself as of yet although if anyone understands the weight of medical bills on their shoulders I do. Last year in 2009 [...]

Not shopping - it’s harder than you think!

Posted by: Sue

For me, anyway. With 2010, I’ve decided - among other things - to exorcise the spend-demon who seems to have jumped into my body a few months ago. Really, I don’t know exactly when it started, but at some point, I pretty much stopped thinking through purchases before I made them, and just fast-forwarded to [...]

Inspiring words from Cheryl Crow?

Posted by: Tammy

“It’s not having what you want. It’s wanting what you’ve got…” Yep, Cheryl Crow inspires me! I periodically get down on being frugal. I want to spend. I want new. I want better. I want. Period. I WANT. I didn’t say NEED. I said I WANT. Reality is that I don’t really NEED much if [...]

Meeting my homesteading goals

Posted by: Tammy

I periodically review the goals I have set for our homestead. I wrote them down in my homesteading journal around January or February of this year. As I’ve previously stated, I was thrilled to expand our garden and preserve more of our harvest. My marked maple trees stand ready in our newly fallen 12″ of [...]

Giving Thanks

Posted by: Tammy

I know it’s been a few weeks. My apologies. Thanksgiving was a busy time and it was stressful. My dear friend, Stephanie, in Tennessee was having a hard time. Her mother-in-law had a series of strokes and she and her husband spent the better part of that Thanksgiving week at the hospital. It was a [...]

A few tips to make Thanksgiving Less Stressful

Posted by: Tammy

Okay, some of these tips can apply to ANY stressful event but I’m going to focus on the upcoming big event in most households this week. -Mashed potatoes (or other mashed things like sweet potatoes or squash) can be kept warm in a crockpot for several hours! Make your dish ahead of time, add everything [...]

Let’s talk Turkey

Posted by: Tammy

I’ve been scoping out turkey prices. Maybe it’s my imagination but local stores seem to have more and more low prices BUT with a minimum purchase! I used to be able to find .29 to .39 prices without any strings attached. This year, my best price has been .47 without any minimum purchase and you [...]

Sharing an awesome homesteading site!

Posted by: Tammy

I was going to share this site through my apple core post but it warrants it’s own post. I honestly haven’t been following them too long but I absolutely love what they’re attempting to do and I’ve been catching up on their blog from the beginning. Grow the Change I’ve been humbled by their accomplishments [...]

From humble apple core and peels….

Posted by: Tammy

When you peel and apple, cut it up and then throw away the peel and core, you’re throwing away at least three creations! Don’t do it! At the very minimum, consider composting them for future soil enrichment. Find a corner of your property to throw it and other non-meat scraps so that worms and fungus [...]