Frugal Accomplishments for Third Week of April

This past week we managed to get quite a bit accomplished, and we had a wonderful visit with a great friend who stayed with us for several days.

Here's how we saved this past week:

• Made all meals from scratch at home including:  double batch of broccoli and ham quiche (using broccoli and ham from the freezer), salad, roasted veggies (using zucchini and eggplant from the food pantry), smoothies with veggies and berries, homemade pizza and sauteed greens (we were out of salad greens), fish tacos, carrot coconut curry soup, and coconut custard.
• We gleaned several items from the food pantry, for which we're really grateful:
• zucchini and yellow squash
• 2 eggplant
• brussel sprouts
• green beans
• 4 pears
• 4 kiwi
• 4 plums
• gluten free crackers
• Hung all laundry to dry except sheets and washed in cold water.
• Continued with cloth diaper use.
• Baby and I continue to be on a gluten-free, sugar-free, no high sugar fruit diet.  This really seems to be healing baby.  I think simply because I'm older, it's going to take me longer to get over this stuff, but there has been improvement.
• Made homemade turkey stock with a turkey carcass and veggie scraps from the freezer.  Used this for soup, and will use more for rice and soup this week.
• Packed several boxes (12, I think) and stored at Mom's house in her basement.  Very grateful that she also came over on Saturday to help me clean and pack some.
• Staged our bedroom and guest bedroom for pictures using things we had around the house.
• Tossed a few more items in the trash and Goodwill bags.  Also weeded out more books and magazines for library donation.
• Benny cleaned out the bathroom sink drains in all three baths.  This has needed to happen for a while, and I'm grateful that he did it in preparation for the sale of the house.
• Benny also finished caulking most trim that needed it, and will continue with the painting this week.  
• We got the appraisal back for our HEL to finalize the purchase of the land, and it came back for what we were hoping.  This means that we should be able to make what we need to from the sale of the house, which is great.
• The permit process has begun, and we're glad to have all those forms submitted.
• Enjoyed a wonderful visit with a great family friend who is from out of state.  He's preparing for a move to California, so we're especially thankful for the visit time we had with him.  He gifted the boys some wonderful books (he's always so thoughtful), and we gave him some homemade roasted nuts for his return trip.  We're in the initial stages of planning a trip to see him for next summer.
• I began planning which plants I want to put in pots to take to the new house for the garden. I'm sure I want to take herbs, some forsythia, and several perennial flowers.

What did you do to live and save green this week?  I'd love to hear from you!

Frugal Accomplishments for April Weeks 1-2

We've been working really hard the past few weeks to clean out more at home in preparation for selling the house.  We've taken a lot to Goodwill and the library for donation, sold a few more things online, and packed up quite a few boxes for my mom's basement.  It feels really good to have this much cleaned out, but we've got a ways to go too.

Eating more healthfully has been challenging with my kidney issues, but I'm slowly learning what seems to trigger things and what's ok.  I've been doing a pretty good job of eating my nine cups of veggies a day (a smoothie helps a lot with at least 2-3), but eating this much produce is certainly expanding our grocery budget.  Especially since I'm trying to do more organic to lessen the toxin load on my kidneys.  But, it's good for our health, so we'll continue on this route.  The dietary changes also really seem to be helping baby with his gut issues, so I think much of this will become our new normal.  I kind of miss baking, but it does simplify our life a bit to not do it as much.

Here's what we've done to save a bit over the past week:

• Used boxes from the paint store for packing, saving on cost there.  Used tape we had around instead of purchasing.
• Cooked all meals at home, trying to make use of what we had in the freezer, including:  veggie stir fry, black beans and rice, roasted veggies with salmon and brown rice, paleo pancakes and berries, eggs with sauteed greens, homemade pizza, and split pea soup and salad.
• Repaired a shelf on our own with a part from Lowe's.
• Exercised at home by walking or working out with YouTube videos.  Enjoyed free yoga class again, which included dinner and child care.
• Washed clothes in cold water with ecofriendly detergent and essential oils.  Hung clothes to dry.
• Trying to lessen our toxin load, so I switched deodorants to a natural one (Benny was already using one) made with baking soda and coconut oil, began washing my face with an organic soap, began oil pulling with coconut oil in the mornings, and continued cleaning with our baking soda, borax, and citrus powder mix.  All these are fairly inexpensive and should have a positive impact on our health.  I've also researched some detox baths and compresses that should help too.
• Used a few herbs from the garden in smoothies, for tea, and cooking:  mint, lemon balm, chives.
• Enjoyed fresh eggs from our friends' chickens we care for a few days a week.  These make wonderful breakfasts, lunch additions, or salad toppings, and are much more nutritious than grocery store eggs.
• Made fermented carrot sticks, which the boys really enjoyed.  I will make these again, since it was such a hit and a good way to get some probiotics in them besides yogurt cultures.
• Began journaling again, which I've needed to do for a while.  I found an old journal that I hadn't used many pages in, so I'll use that for now.  Once I finish that, I'll see if I can find another one inexpensively, or maybe with Barnes and Noble gift card money.  This is a great stress relief, and a wonderful way to be able to look back and reflect on things.
• Went to a community wide event, Buildfest, which is put on by the local children's museum.  It was free and a great time for the boys.  A local dentist was there, so we also came away with some free toothbrushes, toothpaste, and dental floss.
• Benny and I began researching and discussing windows for the new house.  We've found that fiberglass is more environmentally friendly than vinyl, and will be more stable.  By carefully choosing where we want single-hung vs. double hung windows, we should be able to make up some of the increased expense.
• The realtor came to check out the improvements we've made.  She said things look good, so we should be able to list the house within the next week or two.  We really have some packing and cleaning to do between now and then, but it is looking great!  Kind of wonder why we didn't tackle some of these improvements before now.

What did you do to live and save green this past week?  I'd love to hear from you!

April Menu Plan

Our April menu will be largely based on eating from our pantry and freezer, since we're trying to clean out things for selling the house.  We will take our large freezer to my mom's for storage while we build the new house, so we'll still have access to that if we need it.  We will take advantage of some things from the food pantry, and we'll pick up what fresh items we need in the way of fermented dairy (kefir, yogurt) or produce.

We're also trying to convert to a gluten free, low sugar diet to help alleviate some yeast overgrowth issues that some of us have had (and prevent it in the rest of us).  This means we'll be incorporating more coconut items, garlic, oregano, and ginger, all of which are natural antifungals.  We'll be experimenting with some more fermented veggie recipes, and be eating more veggies as a family to add good bacteria to our guts.  We're doing well with our goal of more veggies at each meal, and slowly are getting there with a healthier diet (not that it was too bad compared to the standard American diet to begin with).  I'm using The Wahl's Protocol, Body Ecology, and The Microbiome Diet as resources for recipes, etc. to help us with this transition.

Breakfasts:

• overnight crockpot oatmeal with unsweetened coconut, chia seeds, and flax meal served with blueberries or dried fruit (dried fruit for those not dealing with yeast)
• eggs and sauteed/steamed veggies
• smoothies with yogurt, almond milk, flax seed meal, and fruit
• almond flour muffins with blueberries or chocolate and orange flavor (chocolate made with cocoa powder, so not added sugar)
• yogurt with grain free granola
• paleo zucchini pancakes with homemade blueberry syrup (super simple:  1 cup berries, 2 T water, 1/2 t cinnamon cooked at a simmer for 5-10 minutes), chicken sausage, sweet potato hash, and fried eggs

Lunches:

• leftovers
• veggie sticks and garlic hummus
• salads with homemade dressing and fermented veggies

Dinner:

• crock pot black beans and brown rice with fixin's (avocado, salsa, plain yogurt, cheese) and paleo cornbread (I might add in some tumeric into the cornbread for added color and nutrition)
• black bean and smoked turkey chili with leftover cornbread
• coconut chicken curry soup in the crockpot with salad with fermented veggies
• veggie stirfry over coconut rice or quinoa with Asian cabbage slaw and frozen egg rolls
• lentil and sweet potato soup with kale salad or veggies and dip (incorporate fermented veggies)
• Friday night pizza night with gluten free pizza crust and salad (x4)
• egg sandwiches on gluten free bread (love the first one with garlic and feta) and salad w/ fermented veggies
• meatball subs (using gluten free bread or rice) with peppers and onions and salad w/ fermented veggies
• lentil sloppy joes over coconut quinoa and salad
• black bean tacos with corn tortillas and fixin's (avocado, salsa, plain yogurt, cheese, jalapenos, and spoon of fermented veggies) or taco bowls over quinoa/rice

Snacks:

• nuts
• gluten free crackers and cheese
• fresh fruit (mostly low sugar varieties like berries or grapefruit) or veggies
• air popped popcorn with garlic and oregano (both are natural antifungals for yeast)
• almond flour muffins
• grain free granola with plain yogurt
• coconut chia seed pudding
• homemade jello with blueberries and coconut milk
• hard boiled eggs seasoned with oregano and garlic

Frugal Accomplishments for the End of March and First of April

We worked really hard over the past two weeks to side hustle a bit, clean out more, and stick to eating primarily from our freezer and pantry.  This has yielded some great results, which will go towards our emergency fund and upcoming medical bills.  We also got our tax refund amount, which will be helpful once it's deposited.  The house has been prepped for sale, trim touched up, doors cleaned, working on ceiling fans, etc.  It's looking really good, and we're wondering why we didn't do some things sooner!

• Cooked meals at home including a double batch of quiche, homemade pizza, picnic (homemade hummus, veggies, crackers and cheese, chips and salsa, hard boiled eggs, and fruit), overnight crock pot oatmeal, smoothies, and bagels and cream cheese.
• Enjoyed shared meals a few days with Mom over our break.
• Took advantage of Grandfather Mountain's discounted days for local area residents over vacation for a cheap day trip.
• Used our science center membership for another relatively inexpensive day trip for vacation.
• Benny worked a full day on Monday, which gives a few extra paid hours this week.
• Sold more items on Craigslist and eBay, cleaning out and putting a little more in the emergency fund.
• Continued with all recycling, composting and reusing efforts at home to save on trash.
• Took several more things to Goodwill and the library for donation.  Saved tax receipts.
• Washed most laundry in cold water, except diapers, and hung to dry.
• Reused a door from a previous time to rehang on the back door.  It is a 15 light door, so it lets a lot more light into the kitchen, making it look brighter.
• Painters/carpenters got a lot of work done downstairs, prepping it for sale.  We've got a call into someone for a little electrical work and some tree trimming.  Hoping all this will come in for under $1000.
• Continue to work to pack boxes around the house.  I haven't met my goal of 15 boxes for the week yet, but I have managed to take several things to Goodwill/Craigslist sale, etc. so I guess that's progress.
• We're using free boxes from the paint store for packing.  They're a great size and really sturdy.  It's nice that they're all similar size so that they stack well.
• Gratefully using Mom's garage for storage of items while we stage the house.  We plan to rent a storage unit, but are holding off on that expense for as long as possible.
• Continue to eat from the freezer and pantry to lessen the items we have to move.
• Working towards a cleaner diet for us all.  We're still buying conventionally raised produce and meat, but I think this summer we'll be able to stock up some on good quality meat from the farmer's market and our CSA farm.
• Glad to have the use of our new neighbor's truck.  He generously allowed us to borrow it for moving some things and picking up items from the building supply store.  We so rarely need a truck that it doesn't make sense to own one, but it's so nice to have a neighbor in the new neighborhood who is willing to share.
• Worked in the garden on Tuesday adding more compost and straw to raised beds and trimming back blackberries, etc. that needed to be trimmed.  Little man was a big help and it was a beautiful day.  Great to get some good exercise and vitamin D in!
• Worked out using free YouTube videos at home and did free yoga class through the Children's Council.

What did you do to live and save green this past week?  I'd love to hear from you!