How we saved money. Kids update

 I am still working on defrosting, inventoring and organizing the deep freezers.Couple meals this week was leftovers that had been shoved in deep freezers. I also pulled the last of the zucchini bread pancakes. 

I used leftovers to make second meals. M sent over 5 dozen eggs as they were going to visit her family for a couple days. I was shocked when she got home that she sent another 2 dozen. The ones taking care of the home while they were gone and animals said the chickens went nuts laying. I will freeze some and make noodles as I don't have either.

I finished putting the meatloaf patties in deep freezer (vacuum bagged, 20 meals).

I made sourdough bread, put half in deep freezer.

I made strawberry sweet  rolls using sourdough. I wrote on the recipe things I would change that would do better for us.

We combined medical appts with errands. 

I bought clearance spring perennels for my heart garden.

I stocked up on some generic OTC meds from Amazon that was on sale 

We changed dentist due to our dentist closing the local office and not wanting to drive an hour to their other office when we have no other doctor in that area. The new dentist is about half the cost of the old one, was even less than the old one WITH xrays.  I submitted the paid receipt to our RRA for rembursement. Got the money back in 3 days.

We have had turnips, radishes,lettuces, and strawberries from the gardens.

I dehydrated strawberries and dried rose petals for tea.

Due to change in what and how I am putting meals on the table I found I could use 2 more bowls (one metal and one glass) for my kitchenaid mixer. I found them at Amazon and ended up saving$56.16... basically the one bowl was free. I keep one metal bowl in the frig to make blizzards. The other glass bowl will hold a sourdough yeast starter that I use every other week for bread to give us a change in what bread we are eating. 

I bought a milkshake blender on sale.

I have figured out if I make milkshakes at home I will have saved enough in 2 months to pay off the milkshake blender. I make the blizzards in my kitchenaid metal bowl.I just need to get in habit of making ice cream every few days as my machine only makes about 3 qrts.

I set the furnace to run if the temperature goes below 65. It's been in the low 60s at night last week and this coming week. So far we have been able to get the house up to 80 with the heat of the day, then shut it up so it stays warm. Furnace only kicked on once so far.

I need to make a grocery list...SIGH.

Daughter 4 changed jobs and is back to working where she was laid off from 3 years ago. Working 6 days a week on 1st shift and happy about it. 

Son 2 was promoted and changed positions on base. He starts that job in June after his vacation. He also handed over the commander position in the VFW, which we called his second job ( or 3rd job when he was in reserves). That leaves him with his regular job and the secretary job with the combat vets bike club.

Stay safe

Prayers for peace and sanity.

Life just rolling on

 Here is the pond in January 

Here it is now,in fact E's youngest brother took his kids fishing and caught 45 fish, on the small side but big enough for his young family

We have two grass carps.

E said they were between 25- 30  lbs. He's lost a line or two trying to catch one of them

We had a turtle (didn't know we had one) that laid eggs.

Hubby put some posts around it and then ran a rope so we wouldn't step on where the turtle laid them.

We have had some storms (not tornadoes) run through. Twice ended up with water in basement. Hubby started looking at all the drainage tile and found 2 plugged and one running the wrong angle that he corrected. We have 2 other tiles he will have to check also. Lucky we actually had kept some "field" tile so didn't have to buy anything just spend the time digging it up (used tractor back hoe) and then putting the dirt/gravel back in after dealing with the issue. We got hail this last storm.

Hubby was mowing around the asparagus and found lettuce... we did NOT plant lettuce any where close to asparagus LOL.

My perennal heart garden did not do well with this past winter. I only had 1 plant survive. I found several perennial plants on clearance at Lowes so replanted.

stay safe, prayers for peace and sanity

Blessed Be