Savings and Goals Journal #20

We accomplished quite a few money-saving feats this week, mostly in the grocery/kitchen area. We have most of our bills as low as they can go, so paying careful attention to the grocery/household budget is our best way of saving money.

In the Kitchen

Continuing in my efforts to make some freezer space, I cleared out all the chicken bones I’d been saving for broth. Unfortunately, my big 23-quart roaster finally gave up at the end of tomato sauce canning season. I guess I wore it out cooking down tomato sauce! I’ve been watching for a used one (in like-new condition) but haven’t found one yet. I’m hoping they might be on sale for the holidays. I used my two big stock pots to cook all the chicken bones I had with some celery and onion. I was able to can eleven quarts of chicken broth for the pantry.

Usually I make broth in my big roaster and let it cook for a day, a night and another day. But it was still good when I cooked it in pots all day on the stove.

Our local store had turkeys for 89 cents per pound. We decided to get a small one even though we knew they might go on sale for less later. We cooked it and froze the meat in two-cup portions for recipes. The bones went in the pot for broth.

Twice for lunch, I used a bit of the broth I’d made, some rice and turkey left over in the fridge and some veggies from the freezer to make a turkey and rice soup. It was delicious.

We stocked up on cream soups for 49 cents per can. We also got good deals on cream cheese, unsalted butter for baking, canned soups and turkey bacon. There was also a special where you could buy a turkey for 49 cents per pound with a $25 purchase. So I got an 18-pound turkey for under $9.00. Fitting it in the freezer was a little challenging, but Grampy was able to do it! It will only be the five of us for Thanksgiving, but we will freeze the leftover turkey to use later.

In the Garden

Our nighttime temperatures have been in the teens. My greenhouse is unheated. So far I’ve only used it in the spring for starting plants. I’m thinking of trying to grow a couple of pots of herbs and lettuce, spinach and kale. They should be all right in the greenhouse in the daytime, but I might bring them into my insulated studio for nighttime. When it gets really cold (January/February) I could put them in my studio with a grow light for the daytime if the greenhouse isn’t warm enough. I’ve never tried growing anything in the winter, but I’m going to give it a try!

Home and Family

We’ve had some windy, blustery days that were not conducive to playing outside. One day I made homemade playdough for the grandbabies using the recipe I used when my girls were little. They’ve been playing with it every day.

I have a shelf in one of my sheds where I store extra toys. We switch toys out occasionally to keep things interesting. I had gotten a wooden toy train set on clearance last year. I brought it in and it has provided much entertainment for our busy grandson.

We have a shared birthday celebration for Grampy and my grandson who both have birthdays in November. My daughter made a monster truck birthday cake using a cake mix and frosting bought on sale. We made tacos (one of Grampy’s favorite foods) and Spanish rice. The grandkids had quesadillas. My grandson’s gift was a toy car playset we found at a garage sale for $3. He loves it and since he’s three years old, he hasn’t noticed it’s not new. 🙂

In years past, I have grumbled about the shorter days and colder weather of fall and winter. I preferred to be out in the garden and couldn’t wait for winter to end. This year, I am very content to cozy up in our little house, bake, read and play with the grandkids. I’m looking forward to the wonder of Christmas with a two and three year old in the house. We’re going to keep things simple, but I think it’s going to be great.

Have a wonderful week!