Frugal Accomplishments

We're finding a new way to live around here.  I'm dealing with some health issues, which are affecting my diet tremendously.  We're in the midst of diagnosis of these, so I'm really just trying to eat healthfully.  Some of the potential diagnoses we're dealing with have conflicting dietary recommendations, so navigating this road has been a little difficult.  I'm hoping to be able to meet with a specialist or two soon to figure out a firm plan forward.  We will just be thankful for answers and a plan at this point.

All of that is to say that we've spent more money than usual on health care the past few months, but area grateful for the emergency fund that is here for just such a reason.  But we've been able to save in other areas, so that's been great.  Here's our list for the past week:

• Cooked most meals at home including lentil curry soup, kidney bean chili and corn bread, pumpkin coconut flour muffins (not a huge fan, but my new diet is low on grains, so experimenting with alternative flours), vagabond muffins with apples, raisins, sunflower seeds and sesame seeds, winter squash and chickpea salad with pecan crusted chicken, homemade whole wheat pizza for the boys and lentil pasta with sauce for me.
• Graciously accepted pasta and sauce from Mom's neighborhood Halloween gathering.  This was a huge help to us and provided the boys with two meals.  I could use the sauce on lentil pasta for myself.
• Continued normal use of composting, recycling, and using rags for cleaning.  This cuts down on waste and makes our lives easier by having to do fewer trips to the local dump, recycling, etc.
• Made a big batch of kidney bean chili and corn bread to share with a family who has a preemie baby.  Prayers for this family, please.  Mama is having a tough time with mastitis since LO isn't nursing well.  Organizing more meals for this family to help ease their stress.
• Was sick last weekend with flu-like symptoms.  Ended up at urgent care Sunday morning and spent almost $100 there to get help with nausea.  That was a chunk of change, but grateful that it wasn't the ER bill that would have been $500.  Thankful that Mom could take me so that Benny could keep things as normal as possible for the boys.
• Gratefully accepted some items from the food pantry that fit my new dietary restrictions.  These have been nice to have because they allow me to experiment with alternative ingredients to see what we like, without the expense.  These ingredients aren't cheap, so it's nice to be able to try them out.
• Brought home about 15 winter squash from our lab at school.  Since I wasn't feeling well, Mom has processed a lot of these for me for the freezer.  This has been a huge help.  They will make a great addition to smoothies, muffins, and soups.  Little man also really liked it roasted, so it will make good snacks and meals for him.
• Mom gave us a much needed date night on Saturday.  She kept both boys for us to go out to dinner (we tried to keep it inexpensive by drinking water and ordering cheaper entrees).  We were able to find a nice local restaurant that offers gluten free and vegan options, which helps a lot for me.  Mom then kept our preschooler overnight, which gave us some evening time after bed to do a little bit of dreaming together, which was super nice.  We haven't had that kind of fun conversation in a while.
• I have been in need of a new raincoat for quite a while (i.e. years). We did the research and purchased one locally with a 25% off coupon yesterday.  It was still a pricey jacket at $200, but it is one that should last for life if we treat it well and retreat seams regularly.
• We're doing a free parenting class through the Children's Council locally.  Part of this class meant that halfway through, we earned a $50 Visa gift card.  We each earned our card for attendance, so this was helpful with the jacket purchase. 
• We found out about a diaper bank through the Children's Council.  This helped us out, is open to all families in our area, and means that we have more money in our grocery budget.
• Took advantage of a free hand spa event at school.  This was lovely and gave me free samples.  I will save the chocolate that came in the bag for stocking stuffers.
• We sorted the Halloween candy out and have saved some for making gingerbread house at Christmas.  We saved the hard candy for OCC shoe boxes that we'll put together with the boys.
• Used coupons for regular grocery shopping and got three packs of nitrate and phosphate free bacon for $2.99 each.  This is a great deal and something we'll really enjoy having.
• I used our membership to the local children's playhouse on Saturday to take the boys for a morning of fun while it rained.  We really enjoyed it, and the boys made spider webs for me to hang up in my classroom.

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