[ladytoysdream]

Winter is here. Snow overnight, and the winds were blowing hard
yesterday and still not good today. Will try to get things done in house today.

Been thinking about being frugal with money and what we have.
Got thinking about being frugal with time.I think I am for the most
part. Will need to keep list going, and keep things in mind that need priority.
No sense waiting till the last minute with something that has to be done.

Friend brought me 4 young birds last evening. She noticed my poor
barn coat which is in sad shape. She offered me one that her hubby, won't
wear any more as it has his old company logo on it. Won't bother my chickens
I offered her 2 bags of clothes that my hubby won't wear anymore for her son.
Rather do it this way, than taking things to a thrift store for donation.

What keeps you busy in the winter ?

 

[Danaus29]

Last year I got some intricate coloring books, not the kiddie kind, and several boxes of colored pencils. I spent a bit of time coloring itty bitty flowers in one before they got moved in a big clean-up. I need to find them again.

In the winter I do more house cleaning and rearranging of stuff. I do a bit of crochet work because it's too hot to do it in the summer. I also go through my seed inventory, plan my garden, order seeds, start cuttings and get my seed starting set-up cleaned for use in February. I do more home cooking and baking at home in the colder months.

In the winter I work on my gardening journals. I like to write in the "official" high and low temp from a couple kinda-close weather stations and their recorded rainfall. I don't get much of a chance to fill in that information in the summer months. I need to get a thermometer that gives me my high and low temps for a 24 hour period. I have one in the shed but not for my outdoor records.

 

[ladytoysdream]

I did some hand mending today with the needle and thread.
A couple of things that could not be put off any longer if I wanted to wear them.
Got a sweater I may have to darn a spot on it. No way can I pick up the stitches.
I have favorite clothes and I wear them out. I hate to throw things away.

I want to try some felting this winter. I have some wool yarn that keeps breaking
and I figure multiple knots I could hide in a felting project. Even something as
simple as a pad for my rocking chair. Wool holds the heat well.

I also want to try a shawl. Nothing fancy. Just plain crochet.
I want it to keep my neck and shoulders warm.
My hats let me get all the knitting in, that I want.

 

[doozie]

To keep busy this winter, I have a small stack of books to read. Various subjects.

Baking some old and new recipes, committed myself to making almost all of our bread all winter.

I just tried making lined mittens out of old sweaters and fleece lining, ehhh, they look funny, but I have other sweaters to try and make a decent looking pair.

I did find a quilt I started years ago in my fabric box, I might just make a lap quilt with what I’ve pieced together so far. Eyesight and patience getting bad so it’s even more challenging.

We need to paint rooms in the house and have agreed on a color so there will be cleaning and moving stuff involved.
All of that should be enough to keep plenty busy.

 

[TEXKAT]

To keep busy this winter I will be sewing, crocheting, and baking more. I will also get back to working from home (on-line work) part-time.

Each week when I go to the grocery store I get sticker shock it seems. A gallon of white vinegar is $3.36 now! Geez!
To help with the grocery expenses, I'm making more simple meals. I stay away from recipes that call for different (special) ingredients. I like to roam through my grandma's Betty Crocker Cookbook for ideas....most are simple, but oh so good.

To save money and pinch a few pennies, as always we....
Wash clothes in cold water.
Line dry clothes or hang on drying rack in house/or on the porch.
Wear jeans a few times until they're "really" dirty.
Use white vinegar as a fabric softener for laundry (we have hard water).
Hand wash dishes.
Brew tea and coffee at home -- don't buy it ready-made.
Cook from scratch as much as possible.
Save/Eat/Use up leftovers. Leftovers sometimes makes the best "clean out the frig" soup.
Keep the house temp at 67 (or lower) during the winter. Wear thick socks, house shoes, and sweaters to keep warm.
Shop at thrift stores and yard sales.
Keep the motto of "Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, Or do without".
Try to use the sewing/craft items I have in the house for projects and not buy anything.
Use FREE resources such as the internet and our local library.
Combine errands so I don't drive too much. Stay home as often as I can.
Call or text family and friends to stay in touch. Limit going out to eat with them to visit. Or meet at our houses instead.

 

[Pony]

I'm going to do some more sewing, I think. As soon as I log off, I'm going to mend DH's old jacket that he refuses to give up.

There's a pile of jeans (read: a 4'x4' box filled with old jeans) that could use my attention. What I don't use for patches, I may use for a quilt top.

I need to bake LESS! LOL! I've been playing with a sourdough starter, and trying new bread recipes, both sourdough and yeast. My jeans are getting a little snug.

 

[ladytoysdream]

Price of eggs yesterday for large white was over $ 4 + a dozen at Walmart

Priced several things while running errands so I could do price comparisons before I buy.
Used to be able to buy 2 red heat lamps for a brooder set up at TSC for $ 9.99.
Could not find them yesterday, only single bulbs for $ 6.99 each. So did not buy.
If I can't find what I want, then will have to buy a single bulb for a back up.

Metal trash cans at TSC were $ 35 for a 10 gallon. And $ 45 for a 31 gallon. Plus tax.
Can buy food grade, clean, USED 1 x, for $ 30 each, with lid, 55 gallon size, for storage.

My net I use for catching chickens. Could hold a basket ball. So it needed a mend.
Rip on seam about 12 inches long. Took my big yarn needle and a string from a grain bag
that I saved from opening a bag. Then mended the tear. Back to working condition

Had to get a battery for my truck. Walmart had no book to look up, but you had to download their app on your phone to find what you need. NOPE. Got sales clerk to do that for me on her phone. Then poof she was gone and I still did not know what one I was supposed to buy. Went to a auto store, bought one for cheaper. Brought it home, and it fit my truck. No playing the game, I get to return it, if it is wrong. I already knew the price I wanted , as I had done some calling around a few days previous.

Trying to keep as much of my money in my pocket as I can these days.

 

[Forcast]

To keep busy this winter I will be sewing, crocheting, and baking more. I will also get back to working from home (on-line work) part-time.

Each week when I go to the grocery store I get sticker shock it seems. A gallon of white vinegar is $3.36 now! Geez!
To help with the grocery expenses, I'm making more simple meals. I stay away from recipes that call for different (special) ingredients. I like to roam through my grandma's Betty Crocker Cookbook for ideas....most are simple, but oh so good.

To save money and pinch a few pennies, as always we....
Wash clothes in cold water.
Line dry clothes or hang on drying rack in house/or on the porch.
Wear jeans a few times until they're "really" dirty.
Use white vinegar as a fabric softener for laundry (we have hard water).
Hand wash dishes.
Brew tea and coffee at home -- don't buy it ready-made.
Cook from scratch as much as possible.
Save/Eat/Use up leftovers. Leftovers sometimes makes the best "clean out the frig" soup.
Keep the house temp at 67 (or lower) during the winter. Wear thick socks, house shoes, and sweaters to keep warm.
Shop at thrift stores and yard sales.
Keep the motto of "Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, Or do without".
Try to use the sewing/craft items I have in the house for projects and not buy anything.
Use FREE resources such as the internet and our local library.
Combine errands so I don't drive too much. Stay home as often as I can.
Call or text family and friends to stay in touch. Limit going out to eat with them to visit. Or meet at our houses instead.

Gota say keep house cold helps with the electric bill but 62 is too cold to enjoy life. I find myself in bed under heated blanket.

 

[Pony]

Gota say keep house cold helps with the electric bill but 62 is too cold to enjoy life. I find myself in bed under heated blanket.

Oh, how I love the electric blanket!

DH doesn't need it, but he is glad that it has dual controls for the rare nights his toes get a little chilly.

 

[snowlady]

Pony, check Pinterest for projects from old jeans. Everything you can imagine. I hope to get a bit of sewing done this winter as well.

 

[ladytoysdream]

I must be really old school when it come to technology.
Reading about McDonalds having a promo this month, and you need to download
their app to get those deals. Whatever happened to paper coupons ?

 

[ladytoysdream]

Very glad some years back, we made decision to go to a outside wood boiler for our
heating system for our house. So all our heat comes from wood.
Did not like the price of propane then to heat our house. And probably could not afford it now.
The cost to fill the propane tank now, for our kitchen stove, makes me mutter.

When growing up on the farm, it was hard to keep the old house warm in the winter.
I told myself, when I was a grownup, that I would NOT be cold in the winter.
I would go without food first if need be.

 

[Pony]

Pony, check Pinterest for projects from old jeans. Everything you can imagine. I hope to get a bit of sewing done this winter as well.

Thanks! I'll go check it out.

But when I do go to Pinterest, I have to have an escape plan. I can get sucked into that site for DAYS!

 

[Orchardsmith]

Time is money, and money can save time. . . sometimes. I needed a box of Saber deck screws last week. I looked back through the five-pound boxes to check the prices. I found a box of the length I needed for $39. All the other boxes were $43. This happened because the screws come from a jobber, not from the hardware warehouse. When the screw order comes in, they put price stickers on top. This keeps the checkout people from scanning the bar code. So I saved $4. They're still stupid high, but not as high as they would have been had I taken the box in front. Heh, heh!

 

[TEXKAT]

Price of eggs yesterday for large white was over $ 4 + a dozen at Walmart

Priced several things while running errands so I could do price comparisons before I buy.
Used to be able to buy 2 red heat lamps for a brooder set up at TSC for $ 9.99.
Could not find them yesterday, only single bulbs for $ 6.99 each. So did not buy.
If I can't find what I want, then will have to buy a single bulb for a back up.

Metal trash cans at TSC were $ 35 for a 10 gallon. And $ 45 for a 31 gallon. Plus tax.
Can buy food grade, clean, USED 1 x, for $ 30 each, with lid, 55 gallon size, for storage.

My net I use for catching chickens. Could hold a basket ball. So it needed a mend.
Rip on seam about 12 inches long. Took my big yarn needle and a string from a grain bag
that I saved from opening a bag. Then mended the tear. Back to working condition

Had to get a battery for my truck. Walmart had no book to look up, but you had to download their app on your phone to find what you need. NOPE. Got sales clerk to do that for me on her phone. Then poof she was gone and I still did not know what one I was supposed to buy. Went to a auto store, bought one for cheaper. Brought it home, and it fit my truck. No playing the game, I get to return it, if it is wrong. I already knew the price I wanted , as I had done some calling around a few days previous.

Trying to keep as much of my money in my pocket as I can these days.

Love that you were able to repair that net. Very resourceful and creative.

 

[TEXKAT]

Was talking with some extended family members and it seems that we all like useful and practical gifts. No one wants more nic-nacs to clutter up the place.

To save a little bit of money at the grocery store I consider the cost of "convenience" items. For instance, mixing up frozen orange juice takes a small amount of time but it's still half the cost of ready-to-pour orange juice. Same with buying a bag of carrots that I will clean and cut up instead of buying them ready-made.

Reuse old Christmas cards to make gift tags or to decorate the tops of jars (filled with candy).

 

[ladytoysdream]

If you are needing eggs for baking or whatever for the holidays, buy now.
Store prices are 4.50 dozen for large white here.

Just talked to another big egg farmer today, and they are going up in prices in a few days.
So his X Large WHITE are $ 4.00 per dozen now. They sell their brown eggs for more.

I might have a egg customer for my eggs. Quoted her a price of $ 4 dozen. And that is a mix
of brown/white. I could use 1 egg customer now. But no more than that.

 

[TEXKAT]

Homemade French Vanilla Coffee Creamer
2 tsp Vanilla extract
14 oz Condensed milk, sweetened
1 3/4 cup Milk or cream

Review your subscription services (Netflix, movie channels, etc.)
Stop any services you really aren't using.

Make your own liquid soap out of bar soap.
Bar soap is so much less expensive than liquid. Boil some water and dissolve a bar of soap and make your own.

Reuse gift bags, bows, gift tissue paper, and wrapping paper.

Use a lid when cooking.
Save the heat and don't let it escape. That's like throwing money out the window.

 

[tothemax]

we are getting ready for a cold front moving in...some day temps will be in the teens...
we took the dryer vent hose and instead of blowing all that hot steamy air outside...
blowing in now with screen...
just for when i have to use dryer during this weather event...
i save everything for reuse...foil..ziplocks..etc
we burn wood...also have electric furnace...will run that so all stays warm...
thermostat keeps us warm at 65..

 

[ladytoysdream]

Still tracking egg prices. $ 4.32 at Walmart today, large white 1 dozen size.

Went to TSC. I wanted a heat lamp. So in the regular shelves. a single red bulb was 8.49
A white bulb half the wattage was 6.99
Went over to poultry section, and a 2 pack of red, 250 watt were 11.99
Same bulbs as the single in the other section. Not to long ago, they were 9.99 for a 2 pack.
I bought the 2 pack


Hubby wanted a oil filter for his tractor at the dealership. It was just over $ 12.
So I asked how much oil was. $ 27 plus tax for a gallon.
Got the oil at TSC for $ 20 a gallon. Maybe hubby is finally paying attention to
my way of shopping. And or tired of getting a earful.